The present invention relates to enzyme preparations consisting essentially of an enzyme which has cellulytic activity and comprises a first amino acid sequence consisting of 14 amino acid residues having the following sequence. Thr Arg Xaa Xaa Asp Cys Cys Xaa Xaa (SEQ ID NO:79) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - Xaa Cys Xaa Trp Xaa 10 11 12 13 14. and a second amino acid sequence consisting of 5 amino acid residues having the following sequence. Trp Cys Cys Xaa Cys (SEQ ID NO:80) 1 2 3 4 5. wherein, in position 3 of the first sequence, the amino acid is Trp, Tyr or Phe; in position 4 of the first sequence, the amino acid is Trp, Tyr or Phe; in position 8 of the first sequence, the amino acid is Arg, Lys or His; in position 9, 10, 12 and 14, respectively, of the first sequence, and in position 4 of the second sequence, the amino acid is any of the 20 naturally occurring amino acid residues with the provisos that, in the first amino acid sequence, (i) when the amino residue in position 12 is Ser, then the amino acid residue in position 14 is not Ser, and (ii) when the amino residue in position 12 is Gly, then the amino acid residue in position 14 is not Ala, performs very good in industrial applications such as laundry compositions, for biopolishing of newly manufactured textiles, for providing an abraded look of cellulosic fabric or garment, and for treatment of paper pulp. Further, the invention relates to DNA constructs encoding such enzymes, a method for providing a gene encoding for such enzymes, a method of producing the enzymes, enzyme preparations containing such enzymes, and the use of these enzymes for a number of industrial applications.

Cellulases or cellulytic enzymes are enzymes involved in hydrolyses of cellulose. In the hydrolysis of native cellulose, it is known that there are three major types of cellulase enzymes involved, namely cellobiohydrolase (1,4-.beta.-D-glucan cellobiohydrolase, EC 18.104.22.168), endo-.beta.-1,4-glucanase (endo-1,4-.beta.-D-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 184.108.40.206) and .beta.-glucosidase (EC 220.127.116.11).
Cellulases are synthesized by a large number of microorganisms which include fungi, actinomycetes, myxobacteria and true bacteria but also by plants. Especially endoglucanases of a wide variety of specificities have been identified.
A very important industrial use of cellulytic enzymes is the use for treatment of cellulosic textile or fabric, e.g. as ingredients in detergent compositions or fabric softener compositions, for bio-polishing of new fabric (garment finishing), and for obtaining a "stonewashed" look of cellulose-containing fabric, especially denim, and several methods for such treatment have been suggested, e.g. in GB-A-1 368 599, EP-A-0 307 564 and EP-A-0 435 876, WO 91/17243, WO 91/10732, WO 91/17244, PCT/DK95/000108 and PCT/DK95/00132.
Another important industrial use of cellulytic enzymes is the use for treatment of paper pulp, e.g. for improving the drainage or for deinking of recycled paper.
Especially the endoglucanases (EC No. 126.96.36.199) constitute an interesting group of hydrolases for the mentioned industrial uses. Endoglucanases catalyses endo hydrolysis of 1,4-.beta.-D-glycosidic linkages in cellulose, cellulose derivatives (such as carboxy methyl cellulose and hydroxy ethyl cellulose), lichenin, .beta.-1,4 bonds in mixed .beta.-1,3 glucans such as cereal .beta.-D-glucans or xyloglucans and other plant material containing cellulosic parts. The authorized name is endo-1,4-.beta.-D-glucan 4-glucano hydrolase, but the abbreviated term endoglucanase is used in the present specification. Reference can be made to T.-M. Enveri, "Microbial Cellulases" in W. M. Fogarty, Microbial Enzymes and Biotechnology, Applied Science Publishers, p. 183-224 (1983); Methods in Enzymology, (1988) Vol. 160, p. 200-391 (edited by Wood, W. A. and Kellogg, S. T.); Beguin, P., "Molecular Biology of Cellulose Degradation", Annu. Rev. Microbiol. (1990), Vol. 44, pp. 219-248; Beguin, P. and Aubert, J-P., "The biological degradation of cellulose", FEMS Microbiology Reviews 13 (1994) p.25-58; Henrissat, B., "Cellulases and their interaction with cellulose", Cellulose (1994), Vol. 1, pp. 169-196.
Fungal endoglucanases have been described in numerous publications, especially those derived from species as e.g. Fusarium oxysporum, Trichoderma reesei, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Aspergillus aculeatus, Neocallimastix patriciarum, and e.g. from species of the genera Piromyces, Humicola, Myceliophthora, Geotricum, Penicillium, Irpex, Coprinus.
For example, fungal endoglucanases have been described by Sheppard, P. O., et al., "The use of conserved cellulase family-specific sequences to clone Cellulase homologue cDNAs from Fusarium oxysporum, Gene, (1994), Vol. 15, pp. 163-167, Saloheimo, A., et al., "A novel, small endoglucanase gene, egI5, from Trichoderma reesei isolated by expression in yeast", Molecular Microbiology (1994), Vol. 13(2), pp. 219-228; van Arsdell, J. N. et al., (1987), Cloning, characterization, and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of endoglucanase I from Trichoderma reesei, Bio/Technology 5:60-64; Penttila, M. et al., (1986), "Homology between cellulase genes of Trichoderma reesei: complete nucleotide sequence of the endoglucanase I gene", Gene 45:253-263, Saloheimo, M. et al, (1988), "EGIII, a new endoglucanase from Trichoderma reesei: the characterization of both gene and enzyme", Gene 63:11-21; Gonzales, R., et al., "Cloning, sequence analysis and yeast expression of the egll gene from Trichoderma longibrachiatum", Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., (1992), Vol. 38, pp. 370-375; Ooi, T. et al. "Cloning and sequence analysis of a cDNA for cellulase (FI-CMCase) from Aspergillus aculeatus", Curr. Genet., (1990), Vol. 18, pp. 217-222; Ooi, T. et al, "Complete nucleotide sequence of a gene coding for Aspergillus aculeatus cellulase (FI-CMCase)", Nucleic Acids Research, (1990), Vol. 18, No. 19, p. 5884; Xue, G. et al., "Cloning and expression of multiple cellulase cDNAs from the anaerobic rumen fungus Neocallimastix patriciarum in E. coli", J. Gen. Microbiol., (1992), Vol. 138, pp. 1413-1420; Xue, G. et al., "A novel polysaccharide hydrolase cDNA (celD) from Neocallimastix patriciarum encoding three multi-functional catalytical domains with high endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase and xylanase activities", J. Gen. Microbiol., (1992), Vol. 138, pp. 2397-2403; Zhou, L. et al., "Intronless celB from the anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix patriciarum encodes a modular family A endoglucanase", Biochem. J., (1994), Vol. 297, pp. 359-364; Dalb.o slashed.ge, H. and Heldt-Hansen, H. P., "A novel method for efficient expression cloning of fungal enzyme genes", Mol. Gen. Genet., (1994), Vol. 243, pp. 253-260; Ali, B. R. S. et al., "Cellulases and hemicellulases of the anaerobic fungus Piromyces constitute a multiprotein cellulose-binding complex and are encoded by multigene families", FEMS Microbiol. Lett., (1995), Vol. 125, No. 1, pp. 15-21. Further, the DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ database publicly available at Internet) comprises two DNA sequences cloned from Penicillium janthinellum encoding endoglucanases (cloned by A. Koch and G. Mernitz, respectively) and a DNA sequence cloned from Humicola grisea var. thermoidea encoding an endoglucanase (cloned by T. Uozumi). Two endoglucanases from Macrophomina phaseolina have been cloned and sequenced, see Wang, H. Y. and Jones, R. W.: "Cloning, characterization and functional expression of an endoglucanase-encoding gene from the phytopathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina" in Gene, 158:125-128, 1995, and Wang, H. Y. and Jones, R. W.: "A unique endoglucanase-encoding gene cloned from the phytopathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina" in Applied And Environmental Microbiology, 61:2004-2006, 1995. One of these endoglucanases shows high homology to the egl3 endoglucanase from the fungus Trichoderma reesei, the other shows homology to the egl1 from the microbial phytopathogen Pseudomonas solanacearum indicating that both endoglucanases belong to family 5 of glycosyl hydrolases (B. Henrissat, Biochem J 280:309-316 (1991)). Filament-specific expression of a cellulase gene in the dimorphic fungus Ustilago maydis is disclosed in Schauwecker, F. et al. (1995).
WO 91/17243 (Novo Nordisk A/S) discloses a cellulase preparation consisting of a homogenous endoglucanase component immunoreactive with an antibody raised against a highly purified 43 kDa endoglucanase derived from Humicola insolens, DSM 1800; WO 91/17244 (Novo Nordisk A/S) discloses a new (hemi)cellulose degrading enzyme, such as an endoglucanase, a cellobiohydrolase or a .beta.-glucosidase, which may be derived from fungi other than Trichoderma and Phanerochaete; WO 93/20193 discloses an endoglucanase derivable from Aspergillus aculeatus; WO 94/21801 (Genencor Inc.) concerns a cellulase system isolated from Trichoderma longibrachiatum exhibiting endoglucanase activity; WO 94/26880 (Gist Brocades N. V.) discloses an isolated mixture of cellulose degrading enzymes, which preferable are obtained from Trichoderma, Aspergillus or Disporotrichum, comprising endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and xyloglucanase activity; and WO 95/02043 (Novo Nordisk A/S) describes an enzyme with endoglucanase activity derived from Trichoderma harzianum, which can be used for a number of purposes including e.g. degradation or modification of plant cell walls.
It is also known that cellulases may or may not have a cellulose binding domain (a CBD). The CBD enhances the binding of the enzyme to a cellulose-containing fiber and increases the efficacy of the catalytic active part of the enzyme.
There is an ever existing need for providing novel cellulase enzyme preparations which may be used for applications where cellulase, preferably an endoglucanase, activity is desirable.
The object of the present invention is to provide novel enzyme preparations having substantial cellulytic activity at acid, neutral or alkaline conditions and improved performance in paper pulp processing, textile treatment, laundry processes or in animal feed; preferably novel cellulases, more preferably well-performing endoglucanases, which are contemplated to be producible or produced by recombinant techniques.


A light flux controlling member (100) of the present invention has: an incident part (110) that receives light emitted from a light emitting element (210); a total reflection surface (120) that reflects a part of light incident from the incident part (110) toward a front side; a first emission part (130) that emits incident light received directly from the incident part (110) and light reflected at the total reflection surface (120) toward the outside; and a second emission part (160) that is protruded to the outside from the total reflection surface (120) and emits another part of light incident from the emission part (110) toward the outside.

Recently, a light-emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as "LED") has been increasingly used as a light source for a surface light source device of an edge-lit type with a hollow structure without using a light guide plate. In such a surface light source device, there is a case where a combination of an LED and a light flux controlling member (condenser lens) may be used in order to control the distribution of light emitted from the LED (see, for example, PTL 1).
PTL 1 sets forth an illumination apparatus having a square-shaped frame, a pair of light diffusing plates (members to be irradiated) disposed so as to cover opposing openings of the frame, a plurality of LEDs disposed linearly on one internal surface of the frame, and one condenser lens that covers the plurality of LEDs. In the illumination apparatus of PTL 1, the sectional shape of the condenser lens in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of LEDs is the same in any point of the condenser lens. The illumination apparatus set forth in PTL 1 makes the distribution of light emitted from an LED narrower with the condenser lens. In this manner, the illumination apparatus set forth in PTL 1 can illuminate the light diffusing plate unifoimly to some degree by propagating light emitted from an LED farther.

Luminous flux control member, light emitting apparatus, illuminating apparatus, and display apparatus


A container has a cup-like lower body that receives liquid therein, the lower body having a bottom wall and an open upper mouth. The container also has an inverted cup-like upper body having a top wall and an open lower mouth, and an opening provided in the top wall. The upper body is removably connected to the lower body with the open mouths thereof in communication with each other to form an interior chamber. The container also includes a lid pivotably coupled to the top wall and covering the opening, and a stopper inserted through the opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid containers, and in particular, to a non-spill container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bubble producing toys and devices are very popular with children. A wide variety of such bubble producing toys are now available in the market. Despite this widespread variety, the most basic form of a bubble producing toy is a wand that has a handle at one end and a loop at a second end. The loop is dipped into a bubble solution (which is usually soap) so that a film of the bubble solution extends across the area of the loop. The child can then blow at the loop to create bubbles.
The use of this wand and its loop requires that the loop be continuously dipped into the bubble solution to create more bubbles. Therefore, the container for the bubble solution must provide sufficiently convenient access to the user for continuous dipping of the wand and its loop.
Another important characteristic that the bubble solution container must have is that it should guard against spills. Since most bubble solution is made from soap, spills can be very messy. A number of spill-proof or non-spill containers have been provided to guard against spills of liquids stored therein. An example of a non-spill container is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,975 to Patterson, which provides a top member that is releasably mounted to a bottom member. A tube extends through an opening in the top member. The volume of the bottom member is provided to be smaller than the volume of the top member so that the liquid contained in the bottom member is prevented from entering the tube when the container is tipped. Unfortunately, the container in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,975 is not completely spill-proof, and leakage is still possible.
In light of the above, there still remains a need for a container that effectively prevents the liquid stored therein from being spilled, yet provides convenient access to the liquid stored therein.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method for knowledge generation from raw medical records uses XML-based specifications. The method includes content extraction, data aggregation and data enrichment. The method operates on various sources of medical data including financial data, clinical documents and medical images.

Many data-intensive applications require the enrichment of information from original data sources. That enriched information must be obtained through a knowledge generation process that may include initial data collection among different sources, data normalization and aggregation, and final data enrichment. Currently used techniques for obtaining such enriched information are manual, without seemingly integrated methods for automation. The methods used in current general knowledge generation processes are frequently content-specific, dealing with particular data sets on hand.
Furthermore, the interfaces used in data collection (or content extraction), data aggregation and enrichment methods are idiosyncratic. The manual process or content-specific application methods therefore have limitations in integrating the tasks of extracting content, aggregating data, and enriching data from many different sources and various intermediate content. Thus, there are difficulties in automating the overall knowledge generation process.
Advanced structured information representation and processing technologies, particularly XML (Extensible Markup Language)-related technologies, have become important in streamlining the knowledge generation process. Specification-based methods provide more flexible ways to integrate the processing of data from complex and various data sources in the knowledge generation process. For example, in "XML as a Unifying Framework for Inductive Databases," Rosa Meo and Giuseppe Psaila (book chapter from "XML Data Management: Native XML and XML-Enabled Database Systems," A. Chaudhri, A. Rashid, R. Zicari (eds.) (Addison-Wesley 2003)), there is proposed an XML data model called XDM for inductive databases to support mining-type data enrichment tasks. In "An XML Based Environment in Support of Overall KDD Process," P. Alcamo, F. Domenichini and F. Turni, the authors propose an XML-based environment to support an overall KDD (Knowledge Discovery in Database) process. Those methods are restricted to a particular type of data enrichment task. PMML (Predictive Model Markup Language) (at www.dmg.org) proposes an XML data model to describe various predictive data mining algorithms for exchanging mining results and models.

Specification-based automation methods for medical content extraction, data aggregation and enrichment


Provided are a cemented carbide having excellent plastic deformation resistance and a cutting tool in which the cemented carbide is used as a substrate. A cemented carbide includes a hard phase containing tungsten carbide particles and a binder phase containing, as a main component, an iron-group element, wherein the formula B/A≤0.05 is satisfied, where A represents the number of the tungsten carbide particles, and B represents the number of tungsten carbide particles whose number of contact points with other tungsten carbide particles is 1 or less. Preferably, the iron-group element includes cobalt, and the cobalt content in the cemented carbide is 8% by mass or more. Preferably, the tungsten carbide particles have an average particle diameter of 3 μm or more.

Cemented carbides are used, for example, as a material for cutting tools and dies. A cemented carbide typically includes a hard phase containing, as a main component, tungsten carbide (WC) and a binder phase containing, as a main component, cobalt (Co). For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a cemented carbide having excellent plastic deformation resistance in which the composition is adjusted and the oxygen content, porosity, and hardness are set in predetermined ranges.


A balanced truth-and-complement circuit. A driver circuit which generates a signal and its complement in response to an input signal; a switching circuit selects between the signal and its complement in response to external control signals; and a sense amplifier detects and amplifies the signal selected by the switching circuit. The driver circuit has NMOS transistors and inverters arranged so as to connect either the signal or its complement to the switching circuit.

Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) are widely used in the field of digital circuitry and are typically comprised of an array of driver circuits and AND-arrays that can be re-configured to perform many different Boolean equations. To implement a particular Boolean equation, a PLD typically receives several input signals. Each input signal is fed into one or more sets of driver circuits and AND-arrays within the PLD. The driver circuits and AND-arrays respond to the input signals and generate one or more output signals.
One of the ways in which driver circuits and AND-arrays can be re-configured is into a truth-and-complement circuit. A truth-and-complement circuit either generates an output signal equal to an input signal or generates an output signal equal to a complement of the input signal. For example, if signal "A" is input into the driver circuits, then the truth-and-complement circuit may be programmed to output either A, or its complement, A. The output signal is transmitted on a bit-line.
A sense amplifier detects the output signal and boosts it before passing it to another portion of the PLD. The sense amplifier either outputs a logic "1" or a logic "0" depending upon the voltage it detects on the bit-line. The difference between a first voltage on the bit-line which causes the sense amplifier to generate a logic "1" and a second voltage on the bit-line which causes the sense amplifier to generate a logic "0" is called a "voltage differential" of the sense amplifier.
The speed of a sense amplifier is inversely proportional to the voltage differential and necessarily affects the PLD's maximum speed. For instance, a sense amplifier with a large voltage differential requires more time to accumulate charge before it switches from logic "0" to logic "1." As a result, the sense amplifier operates more slowly, and therefore the operational speed of the PLD is reduced. Conversely, if the sense amplifier has a small voltage differential, the sense amplifier charges and discharges more quickly and thus enables the PLD to operate at a faster speed. Thus, it is very desirable that the voltage differential be as small as possible.
The size of the required voltage differential depends upon a noise voltage present on the bit-line. The voltage differential must be greater than the noise voltage on the bit-line so that the sense amplifier does not misinterpret the noise voltage as the input signal. Thus, the noise voltage limits the PLD's maximum speed.
One of the contributors to the noise voltage on the bit-line is the driver circuit. Present driver circuits add to the noise voltage on the bit-line due their path delay differences between their truth output and complement output. The truth output is a line which transmits the input signal without any logic modifications. The complement output is a line which transmits the complement of the input signal. The path delay difference is created when an extra inverter is placed within one of the paths, thereby causing the complement of the input signal to be output at a slightly later time than the signal itself. Since both the truth and the complement outputs are coupled to the bit-line via undesirable parasitic capacitances, even when the AND-arrays are not programmed to connect either signal to the bit-line, the signals add to the noise voltage on the bit-line.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved truth-and-complement circuit which generates a smaller noise voltage on the bit-line.


A dual-emergency response system includes a common supply line that selectively conveys a fire extinguishing fluid to extinguish a fire and conveys life-sustaining air to displace air contaminated by biological or chemical toxins. A valve that distinguishes between the fire extinguishing fluid and the life-sustaining air opens to convey the air, but closes to prevent the fire extinguishing fluid from escaping. The valve is installed alongside an overhead spray nozzle of a fire sprinkler system.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to ventilation systems and more specifically to an emergency system for counteracting biological or chemical contamination of the air inside of a building.
2. Description of Related Art
At times, the breathable air within a building can become contaminated with biological or chemical toxins. This can occur naturally within a building's conventional HVAC system (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system), or can be caused intentionally by terrorists and others employing chemical or biological warfare. Since the source of contamination can exist and even originate in the building's existing ductwork, using the ductwork may be ineffective and even detrimental in attempting to clear the air.
However, providing a second ventilation system of ductwork that is designated specifically for such emergencies can be expensive and difficult to retrofit in existing buildings. Moreover, such an emergency ductwork system may also be subject to contamination as well.
Some emergency ventilation systems, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,380,187 and 5,720,659, use a building's existing bathroom plumbing to provide breathable air therethrough in the event of a fire. Such a system provides an enclosed bathroom as a small, temporary sanctuary from smoke. This may be inadequate, however, in large, heavily populated buildings where there may only be a few bathrooms, such as, for example, an airport terminal, government building, or school. Moreover, smoke has an odor and can be seen, thus people can respond accordingly. Many chemical and biological toxins, on the other hand, are odorless and invisible, so it may be difficult to quickly alert everyone of the danger and the appropriate action to take.

Emergency ventilation system for biological/chemical contamination


An apparatus for determining component fault conditions associated with a capacitive discharge ignition system for an internal combustion engine includes a number of AC coupling circuits connected to a spark detection circuit, wherein the combination is responsive to a corresponding number of primary coil voltage signals to produce digital pulses indicative of reflected spark events from the various secondary coils to the respective primary coils of the ignition system. A number of level shifting circuits are also included and provide a pulse width circuit with a corresponding number of level-shifted primary coil voltage signals. A pulse width circuit is responsive to the number of level-shifted primary coil voltage signals to produce appropriate digital pulses timed to match the non-zero voltage times of the various primary coil voltage signals. A signal processing circuit is responsive to the digital signals produced by the spark detection circuit and the pulse width circuit to determine spark breakdown voltage, shorted ignition coils, worn ignition plugs, shorted ignition plugs, ignition control module faults and external arcing conditions. These faults are communicated to a service technician via a display and/or by logging such faults in memory.

The present invention relates generally to capacitive discharge ignition systems for internal combustion engines, and more specifically to techniques for determining component fault conditions as a function of primary coil voltage in such systems.
Capacitive discharge ignition systems for internal combustion engines are known and commonly implemented in a variety of applications. Such systems typically include an energy storage mechanism, e.g., storage capacitor, coupled to a charging source and to the primary coil of an internal combustion engine ignition coil. An ignition plug is connected across a secondary coil coupled to the primary coil, and discharge of the capacitor through the primary coil induces a high voltage across the secondary coil that ultimately establishes an arc across the spark gap of the ignition plug.
An example of a known capacitive discharge ignition system 10 of the type just described is shown in FIG. 1 and includes a battery 12 or other source of DC potential electrically connected to a DC-DC converter 14. An output of the converter 14 is connected to one end of a capacitor 16 and to one end of a primary coil 18 of an ignition coil 20. The opposite end of the primary coil 18 is connected to a switch 22 that is typically electrically controlled by a control circuit 24 via signal path 26. The opposite ends of the switch 22 and the capacitor 16 are connected to ground potential. A secondary coil 28 coupled to the primary coil 18 is connected across the spark gap of an ignition plug 30 to complete the circuit.
In operation, the DC-DC converter 14 amplifies the voltage supplied by the battery 12 (typically 12 volts DC) to several hundred (e.g., approximately 400) volts to quickly charge the capacitor 16 while the switch 22 is open as shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the control circuit 24 is operable to initiate a spark event by closing switch 22 at time T0. The closing of switch 22 discharges the previously charged capacitor 16 through the primary coil 18, thereby causing the primary coil voltage (PV) 32 to increase sharply (and negatively) from V3 to V4. The electrical pulse provided by capacitor 16 is amplified by the turn ratio of the secondary coil 28 relative to the primary coil 18 (typically on the order of 100:1), thereby causing the secondary coil voltage (SV) 34 to rapidly increase (also negatively) from voltage level V1 (e.g., approximately zero volts). As the secondary voltage SV resultantly increases over time, a voltage level V2 (on the order of 30 kV) will eventually be reached (at time T1) at which the spark gap of ignition plug 30 breaks down (ionizes) and becomes electrically conductive. When this occurs, an electrical arc is established across the spark gap and the secondary coil voltage SV drops sharply to its approximately its pre-discharge voltage (e.g., approximately zero volts). The capacitor 16 continues to discharge until its charge is substantially depleted (at time T2), and the control circuit 24 thereafter opens switch 22 to allow charging of the capacitor 16 via converter 14 for the next spark event.
In modern capacitive discharge ignition systems, each cylinder of the engine typically is provided with a dedicated ignition coil 20 and associated switching circuitry. However, while such complexity allows for excellent control over ignition system operation, it also invites a plethora of potential fault and failure conditions associated with one or more of the various ignition system components. Possible faults typically range in severity from degraded system performance to system and/or engine damage, and it is therefore desirable to provide for fault diagnosis capability. Unfortunately, conventional fault/failure diagnostic techniques for capacitive discharge ignition systems are prohibitively expensive and/or are generally ineffective in their essential purpose.
What is therefore needed is a diagnostic approach for capacitive discharge ignition systems that does not suffer from the drawbacks of known diagnostic systems while also providing for detection of a wide range of component faults, failures and/or degradation.
The foregoing shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by the present invention. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method of diagnosing ignition system fault conditions in a capacitive discharge ignition system for an internal combustion engine comprises the steps of measuring a first time difference between an onset of capacitive discharge and occurrence of a reflected spark event in a primary coil voltage of a capacitive discharge ignition system for an internal combustion engine, and determining at least one ignition system fault condition as a function of the first time difference.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for determining component fault conditions as a function of primary coil voltage in a capacitive discharge ignition system comprises an ignition coil including a primary coil electrically connected to a capacitor and a secondary coil electrically connected to an ignition plug, means for controllably discharging the capacitor through the primary coil, a spark detection circuit responsive to a primary voltage across the primary coil to compute a first time difference between a beginning of discharge of the capacitor and occurrence of a reflected spark event in the primary voltage, and a processing circuit responsive to the first time difference to determine at least one ignition system fault condition.
One object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for diagnosing fault conditions in a capacitive discharge ignition system based strictly on an analysis of the primary coil voltage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus an method for diagnosing a number of ignition system component fault conditions including, but not limited to, ignition control module (ICM) faults, electrically shorted ignition plugs, worn ignition plugs, electrically shorted ignition coils and external arcing faults.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment.

Apparatus and method for determining component fault conditions as a function of primary coil voltage in a capacitive discharge ignition system


An image synthesis method includes a placement information obtaining step of obtaining placement information about a plurality of images in which adjacent images have a common subject region, and a synthesis step of combining the images using a mapping mode in accordance with the placement information. Prior to performing mapping transformation of the input images, coordinate-space transformation parameters for transforming the coordinate space of one image among the images into the coordinate space of another image are generated. The images are combined based on a given mapping mode and the coordinate-space transformation parameters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technology for combining a plurality of images in which adjacent images have a common subject region and generating a synthesized image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, the synthesis of a panoramic image by combining a plurality of images is performed by a conventional method of capturing images of a subject in a plurality of regions and synthesizing a single image using image information about a common subject region, as shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 shows a sectional view taken through the XZ plane of FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11, an image synthesis method includes a mode (planar mapping mode) of mapping captured images onto a single plane 800 and synthesizing an image or a mode (cylinder mapping mode) of mapping the images onto a virtual cylindrical surface 801 having a radius f and synthesizing an image. FIG. 12 schematically shows a synthesized image obtained when the images are mapped onto the plane 800.
In the conventional panoramic image synthesis method, it is necessary to synthesize an image in a predetermined mapping mode. Alternatively, a user is required to manually set a mapping mode.
For example, when a plurality of images captured by horizontal panning are combined into a synthesized image in the planar mapping mode, as shown in FIG. 12, an image with distorted edges is generated due to a wide horizontal viewing angle. When a synthesized image is formed on a region in which the horizontal viewing angle is 180° or greater in the planar mapping mode, the synthesized image cannot be mapped on a single plane, possibly causing a serious apparatus failure.
It is burdensome to conform to various imaging modes, i.e., a horizontally-rotating (panning) mode shown in FIG. 10, a vertically-rotating (tilting) mode, and a horizontally/vertically-rotating (panning/tilting) mode, and to designate an appropriate mapping mode from among these mapping modes. When the user is not knowledgeable about these mapping modes, the user may fail to select the appropriate mapping mode.
In the conventional panoramic image synthesis method, an appropriate mapping method is selected and set prior to generating necessary parameters for synthesis processing. Using this mapping method, an input image is mapped and transformed. Subsequently, the parameters indicating the positional relationship among a plurality of images are generated based on corresponding point information, and a synthesized image is generated.
When the mapping method is subsequently changed and a synthesized image is again generated since the previously-selected mapping mode is inappropriate, it is necessary to re-input the images, to perform mapping transformation in another mapping mode, and to perform complicated image synthesis processing. In other words, it is necessary to again perform processing from the beginning to generate the parameters. This places a heavy computational burden on the apparatus, requires a long processing time, and is extremely inefficient.

Image synthesis method, image synthesis apparatus, and storage medium


A chaser icicle light set includes a transversely extending common wire portion, and a plurality of transversely spaced, parallel light strings depending from the common wire portion. Each light string defines a plurality of lamp sockets physically disposed in a series. The lamp sockets of the plurality of light strings are organized into a plurality of series-wired sets corresponding to given points along the lengths of the light strings. All lamp sockets of a given set within a given light string being electrically disposed in series. The number of the lamp sockets in each light string is an exact multiple of the number of sets. Controls for actuating and deactivating the sets successively produce a cascade wherein each set of each light string flashes on and off in substantially horizontal unison as a set to provide a chaser icicle effect.

The present invention relates an icicle effect light set, and more particularly a chaser icicle effect light set.
It is known to provide an "icicle" light set wherein there is a transversely extending common wire means at an upper portion of the light set and a plurality of transversely extending spaced parallel light strings descending from the common wire means like icicles. Each icicle contains a plurality of lamp sockets, and the icicles may be of different lengths containing 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. lamp sockets or they may be a common length containing a like plurality of lamp sockets. The lamps in each icicle may be activated and deactivated as a unit, typically independently of the lamps in the other icicles. The visual impression created by the known icicle light sets is not entirely satisfactory as it does not adequately portray the visual effect of melting icicles. Inherent in the concept of a melting icicle is the dripping or downward movement of the water from the top of the icicle to the bottom of the icicle. Thus, the need remains for a chaser icicle light set which will allow the lamps in each light string to be activated and deactivated in a downwardly moving or "chaser" pattern.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chaser icicle light set.
Another object is to provide such a set wherein the lamps in each icicle (i.e., light string) create the visual effect of descending melted water.
A further object is to provide such a set wherein the first (highest) lamp of each icicle will turn on and off as a unit, followed by the second lamp of each icicle as a unit, followed by the third lamp of each icicle as a unit, etc.


A composite coating is described. The composite comprises a substrate; one or more primer coating layers disposed on the substrate; and at least one topcoat layer disposed on the outermost primer coating layer. The outermost primer coating layer is obtained by reaction of a primer composition that includes a novolac resin having at least one carbamate group and an aminoplast resin.

Coating finishes, particularly exterior coating finishes in the automotive industry, generally are applied in two or more distinct layers. Often, one or more layers of primer coating composition is applied to the uncoated substrate first, followed by one or more topcoat layers. Each of the layers supplies important properties toward the durability and appearance of the composite coating. The primer coating layers may serve a number of purposes. First, the primer coating may be applied in order to promote adhesion between the substrate and the coating. Secondly, the primer coating may be applied in order to improve physical properties of the coating, such as corrosion resistance or impact strength (e.g., for improving resistance to gravel chipping). Third, the primer coating may be applied in order to improve the appearance of the coating by providing a smooth layer upon which the topcoat layers may be applied.
In the process of finishing the exterior of automobiles today, metal substrates are usually first coated with an electrocoat primer. While the electrocoat primer provides excellent surface adhesion and corrosion protection, it is often desirable to apply a second primer layer. The second primer layer may enhance the corrosion protection of the finish, but it also serves to provide a smoother surface than the electrocoat primer. This second primer layer prevents the orange peel of electrocoat surface from telegraphing through to cause the surface of the final topcoat layer to be less than the desired smoothness. The second primer also serves to provide a barrier layer between the electrocoat primer layer, which usually contains aromatic moieties and other materials that can cause yellowing on exposure to sunlight, and the topcoat. Thus, the second primer layer also helps to block low molecular weight, light sensitive species from passing from the electrocoat layer into the topcoat layers where such species could cause a shift in color (yellowing) or other problems.
December et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,791, disclose an electrodeposition coating composition comprising an aqueous mixture of a resin with a plurality of acid-salted primary amines groups and a curing agent with a plurality of cyclic carbonate groups. The composition is used to electrodeposit a coating layer onto an electrically conducting substrate. The deposited layer is cured to produce a cured coating layer. Electrocoat primer is usually overcoated with a primer-surfacer and at least one topcoat layer.
A primer composition has now been discovered that comprises a carbamate-functional novolac resin and an aminoplast crosslinker such as a melamine resin crosslinker. The primer composition is used to prepare a composite coating on a substrate, wherein the composite coating comprises at least one primer layer, wherein the outermost primer layer is obtained from applying and reacting the primer composition of the invention, and at least one topcoat layer that is applied onto the outermost primer coating layer.

Primer coating compositions containing carbamate-functional novolac resins


This invention relates to a dual fuel engine cylinder with primary interest focused upon an injector valve for an alternate fuel in which the body of the valve is disposed into said cylinder through the head thereof and may be removed therefrom as for servicing without disturbing the remaining operation of the cylinder.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a dual fuel internal combustion engine such as of a diesel engine that is operated using more than one type of fuel. Engines having more than one port in a cylinder head provide access for a fuel injector to inject fuel such as diesel into the combustion chamber through one port and provide access for a fuel injector of an alternate fuel such as natural gas through a second port.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
In the previous art, the application of the use of two fuels or alternate fuels for an internal combustion engine is known art. With the advance of technology, this concept is using two or alternate fuels has taken on new developments. Otto cycle engines have commonly admitted fuel in the air intake manifold where the intake air carries the fuel into the combustion chamber.
Alternate fuels have been introduced easily into these engines in like manner. Diesel cycle engines of a four cycle design have utilized this type of fuel admission for gas fuels except they are faced with fuel losses due to the cam timing utilized in diesel engines. In order to avoid this on large four cycle engines and all two cycle diesel engines, a valve mechanism is installed in the cylinder head to control the intake of the alternate fuel. However, the valve device unlike a removable injector, requires the removal of the cylinder head for servicing.
It is all object herein to design a cylinder head having an additional port allowing a fuel control device to be installed for the purpose of injecting an alternate fuel directly into the combustion chamber. This additional port and the injector therein is not an integral part but an independent part of the cylinder head and is servicable separately without disturbing the remainder of the cylinder head.


An authorized electrical plug has a plug surface with first and second plug edges and left and right side plug edges. The plug surface has left and right prongs projecting outwardly from the plug surface. A recess has a depth formed in the plug surface. An authorized electrical receptacle has a receptacle surface with first and second receptacle edges, left and right side receptacle edges, and left and right slots extending inwardly. A projection has a height formed in the receptacle surface. Left and right slots receive the left and right prongs respectively with the recess receiving the projection when an authorized electrical receptacle receives an authorized electrical plug.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receptacle/plug assembly and more particularly pertains to coupling authorized electrical devices to particular sources of electrical potential while prohibiting the coupling of unauthorized electrical devices to the particular sources of electrical potential, the coupling and the prohibiting being done in a safe, convenient, and economical manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of receptacle/plug assemblies of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, receptacle/plug assemblies of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of conducting electrical energy are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not describe receptacle/plug assembly that allows coupling authorized electrical devices to particular sources of electrical potential while prohibiting the coupling of unauthorized electrical devices to the particular sources of electrical potential, the coupling and the prohibiting being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner.
In this respect, the receptacle/plug assembly according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of coupling authorized electrical devices to particular sources of electrical potential while prohibiting the coupling of unauthorized electrical devices to the particular sources of electrical potential, the coupling and the prohibiting being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved receptacle/plug assembly which can be used for coupling authorized electrical devices to particular sources of electrical potential while prohibiting the coupling of unauthorized electrical devices to the particular sources of electrical potential, the coupling and the prohibiting being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A conveyor belt comprises one or more elongate pieces of material joined together to form an endless belt. The or each joint extends across the belt at an angle non-perpendicular to the direction of intended travel of the belt. Adjoining ends of the belt are connected together by a plurality of generally U-shaped gripping elements. The free ends of each gripping element grip an adjoining end of the belt and the closed ends of the gripping elements protrude beyond the respective adjoining end of the belt. A hinge pin extends through the protruding parts of the gripping elements of each of the adjoining ends of each belt to connect the adjoining ends of the belt together.

This invention relates to a conveyor belt and a method of making same and, more particularly, but by no means exclusively, relates to a conveyor belt for conveying items of laundry.
One known conventional belt is shown in FIGS. 7a and b. Adjoining ends 1A and 1B of the belt Q extend perpendicularly to the intended direction of travel of the belt and are connected together by a plurality of generally U-shaped gripping elements 21, the free ends of which grip an adjoining end of the belt and have closed ends which protrude from the end of the belt. The protruding ends of the gripping elements of one adjoining end alternate with the protruding ends of gripping elements of the other adjoining end across the width of the belt and a hinge pin 41 is inserted through the protruding ends in order to connect the adjoining ends together.
Also, the ends of the belt are taped and hardened or bent over and sewn or glued to prevent them from fraying, depending upon the kind of material of the belt.
This known arrangement suffers from the drawback that when the adjoining ends of the belt pass over a roller L, particularly a small diameter roller such as a roller having a diameter of between 20 mm and 25 mm, the belt rises off the surface of the roller. This results in a loss of friction between the belt and the roller and this can result in the belt coming to a halt or slowing down.
Nevertheless it is particularly important to make use of a small diameter roller to make the closest approach possible to the narrow entrance of a heating chest of a sheet rolling machine in a laundry so that it can feed wet articles to the heating chest without fail.
Then, for example, in the case of a roller with a diameter of 20 mm, the circumference where the belt touches is 20×π×0.5 (the thickness of the belt)=31.4 mm. This can result in a loss of 25 mm of its frictional contact with roller L due to the belt rising off the surface of the roller.
FIG. 6 shows a multi-belt laundry conveyor and, when equipped with conventional belts, this has a problem conveying the work or washing evenly due to one or more of the belts coming to a halt or slowing down thus causing problems such as wrinkles in the work.
The present invention seeks to overcome this drawback.

Conveyor belt and a method of making same


A sensor (200) includes a temperature sensitive element (203); a first tubular member (212); a tubular rib (240); a second tubular member (260); and a tubular mounting member (250) that surrounds the rib through the second tubular member, is rotatable with respect to the rib, and has a threaded portion (254). The rib includes a main body (243) and a protruding portion (242). A flat portion (244L) is formed on a rearward-facing surface of the protruding portion, and an inclined surface (242b) is formed radially outward of the flat portion. A forward-facing surface (250f) of the mounting member is in line contact with the inclined surface at a prescribed contact position (P), and an intersection (R) of the inclined surface and a perpendicular (M) thereto from a radially innermost point (Q) of a forward-facing surface (244f) of the protruding portion is located radially inward of the contact position.

Temperature sensors for detecting temperature of exhaust gas from internal combustion engines have been used, and gas sensors for detecting the concentration of a particular component (such as oxygen) in the exhaust gas have also been used. A threaded portion is provided externally of each sensor, and the sensor is mounted to a mount body (such as an exhaust pipe) by screwing the threaded portion into a mounting hole of the mount body.
Generally, to mount a sensor to an exhaust pipe, the sensor is first mounted to the exhaust pipe, and then a connector connected to lead wires extending from the sensor is connected to a connector of, for example, an external circuit. However, when the sensor is integrated with the external circuit with no connector or when the connector is fixed before the sensor is fixed, the external circuit and/or the lead wires must be rotated together with the sensor when the sensor is screwed into the mounting hole, and difficulty arises in mounting the sensor.
In view of the above difficulty, a technique is disclosed in which a tubular rotary member (mounting member) having a threaded portion formed on its outer surface is disposed so as to surround a rib (housing) holding a sensor such that the rotary member is rotatable with respect to the rib (see Patent Document 1). With this technique, even when the sensor is integrated with an external circuit, it is not necessary to rotate the external circuit together with the sensor when the sensor is screwed into a mounting hole.
In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, an outward tapered surface is provided on a rearward-facing surface of the rib, and a corner portion is provided on a forward-facing surface of the rotary member and is brought into contact with the tapered surface to form a seal. In this case, the tapered surface allows the corner portion and thus the rotary member to expand radially outward. Therefore, the threaded portion on the outer surface of the rotary member is also expanded radially outward and is tightly engaged with a female threaded portion of the mount body, so that the threaded portion is unlikely to be loosened.


This disclosure provides a stand alone electronic device to predict a likely time of ovulation based on crystal formation in a mucous body fluid sample. Optionally body temperature data may also be measured and saved on the device memory. The device allows user to save the data, download images, and compare results from different times. The disclosure further provides a device that includes software using an algorithm to calculate frequency of crystals on the sample and allowing comparison of the frequencies. The algorithm may use the temperature data also. The device includes an option to transfer data onto a smart phone or similar device. The device is suitable for predicting ovulation of any mammal, including human beings, dogs and livestock including horses.

A woman can get pregnant only during a short period of time during the ovulation. Usually this is a window of about 12 to 24 hours during a monthly cycle. A healthy young couple has about a 20 percent chance of getting pregnant during a monthly cycle. In the modern society couples desire to have their first child in their late twenties or early thirties. It is not uncommon for couples to try to get pregnant in their late thirties or early forties either. As the probability of getting pregnant gets smaller with increasing age, it becomes necessary to predict the most likely time to get pregnant, i.e. the time of ovulation.
The commonly used methods for predicting ovulation include recording base body temperature and which some women find tedious and time taking. Specifically, as it may not be enough to measure the temperature just during one cycle, but the woman would need to follow the body temperature for several months to get an idea of the pattern of the cycle.
Accordingly there is need for a method to predict ovulation and to save the data to see the pattern of the cycle. Also there is a need to share the data of longer period of time with a doctor.
Similarly, there is a need for animal breeders to predict a likely time for the female animal to become pregnant. For example, horses are seasonal breeders, meaning that there are specific times during which they are able to reproduce. Typically they breed in the spring and the summer months. The menstrual cycle of an average mare is 21 days. Estrus lasts for 5 days to 1 week. Ovulation typically occurs one to two days before the end of estrus. Fertilization is possible for up to 30 hours after ovulation takes place. While feral and wild horses breed successfully without human assistance, planned mating is used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses. For this purpose there is a need for a device to predict the likely time frame of a mare to become pregnant.
Similarly, there is a need for dog breeders to predict the likelihood of a bitch to become pregnant.
This invention utilizes a unique device to predict ovulation based on hormonal changes which occur in a female during ovulation and the resultant change in the make-up of her bodily fluids during this important time. This device utilizes the phenomenon known as "ferning" wherein a specimen of dried fluid sample produces crystals of a particular characteristic which is indicative of ovulation.
Georgios Papanicolaou described in 1945 how crystals were formed when a drop of cervical mucus was placed on a saline-free glass slide and allowed to air dry. Rydberg and Madsen (Rydbergm E. and Madsen V 1948. Acta Obst. And Gynec. Scandinay. 28:386) characterized the crystals to be common salt and the formation of the crystals was shown to be due to the prescience of mucine. Zondek and Rozin reported in 1954 (Zondek, B. and Rozin, S. 1954 Obst. and Gynec. 3: 463) that the crystallization is not specific for cervical mucus and that the same phenomenon appears in all mucus secretions and in most body fluids. The crystallization is called ferning, as the crystals have a fern-like pattern on the slide.
In presence of estrogen, just prior to ovulation, the cervical mucus, or other body fluid mucus forms fern-like patterns due to crystallization of sodium chloride on mucus fibers. This phenomenon is used to provide indirect evidence ovulation and fertility. However, this test does not predict the time of ovulation, but it gives indications of likely time of becoming pregnant.
There are several devices for ovulation prediction using detection of body fluid characteristics in the known art:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,886 is directed to a kit for the detection of characteristic and parameters of body fluids, such as saliva, urine and cervical mucus for identifying fertility comprising a set of flat plate-shaped supports for ampoules of said body fluids and a viewer provided with an enlargement means. Each of said flat plate-shape supports for body fluid present a shallow basin or trap with a convex bottom with a raised rim, and is equipped with locking fins for coupling with the viewer.
US 2003/0179446 is directed to a portable microscopic visualization tube for determining ovulation from saliva assay. It has a microscopic lens module, a beam tube, an electric powered LED mechanism, and a tube cap, and the LED mechanism includes a button battery seat, characterized in that the mounting position of the edge of the button seat and the inner wall of the beam tube is correspondingly formed in recessing block of protruding block such that the entire LED mechanism can be withdrawn from the beam tube to replace the battery.
US 2006/0018043 is directed to a portable handheld fertility/ovulation tester that uses ambient light. A sample holding frame and adjustable lens assembly is inserted into a light chamber in the bottom of the tester. An aperture in the bottom of the chamber is aligned with a microscope lens assembly and is sized to provide ambient light for the microscope lens assembly. The aperture may also have an optional light gathering lens to increase illumination. The adjustable lens assembly is threaded into a sample plate frame having a transparent sample plate. The microscope lens assembly is removably mounted onto the light chamber such that when the fertility ovulation tester must be held with the aperture pointed towards an ambient light source in order to observe the sample.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,331 provides a fixed focus ovulation tester comprising an inner casing, having a top and a bottom end; a controllable illuminating assembly located inside the inner casing and near the bottom end of the inner casing and being sealed at the bottom by a bottom face plate and a fixed focus eye piece assembly having a bottom inner portion for placing a biological specimen and a top outer portion for viewing the specimen being removably located at the top end of the inner casing.
In all of the above devices a spherical lens is used. In the case of a spherical lens, light enters the lens both along its axis and distant from the axis. This creates an aberration producing a blurry image around the perimeter of the image field. This is noticeable with the human eye, causing the user to attempt to refocus the image, and is more particularly noticeable when utilizing electronic imaging. Further, light entering these lenses anti-parallel to the axis produces a coma aberration and results in a hazy image, especially when viewing crystals spread across a finite surface.
An improvement to the lenses is provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/076,727 which discloses a hand held ovulation predictor device for women, which includes an ovulation predictor device body, an optical subassembly containing one or more aspheric lenses, an objective mount and a focus ring being movably connected to the ovulation predictor objective mount.
The entire prior art devices require that the user remembers how the samples looked earlier. There is no way to compare previous samples, nor is there a way to build any kind of liable record of the findings. None of the prior art devices allow the user to save any data or pictures, manipulate the data or share the information with her doctor.
There are various tests and devices to determine pregnancy of a mammal animal, other than a human being. However, there are no simple means to predict ovulation of the animal.
The invention according to this disclosure provides solutions to the flaws or currently available devices and practices.


A method for generating a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object includes: capturing images of the object from a plurality of viewpoints, the images including color images; generating a 3D model of the object from the images, the 3D model including a plurality of planar patches; for each patch of the planar patches: mapping image regions of the images to the patch, each image region including at least one color vector; and computing, for each patch, at least one minimal color vector among the color vectors of the image regions mapped to the patch; generating a diffuse component of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) for each patch of planar patches of the 3D model in accordance with the at least one minimal color vector computed for each patch; and outputting the 3D model with the BRDF for each patch.

In the field of three-dimensional graphics, three-dimensional (3D) models of objects such as trees and plants, furniture, buildings, and the like may be arranged in a virtual scene or virtual environment. Various virtual light sources may be placed within the scene, along with a virtual camera, and a rendering engine can render a view (or multiple views in the case of multiple cameras) of the scene by simulating the interactions between the light sources, the models of the objects in the scene, and the virtual camera. One example of a 3D rendering technique is ray tracing.
The three-dimensional models may be generated using modeling software, where a user may, for example, assemble geometric primitives to form the shape of an object, or create and distort meshes of polygons that represent the surface of the modeled object. For example, 3D models may be generated using computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided modeling (CAM) software during a product design. For example, manufacturers of an industrial product may generate these models for design analysis and also for fabricating the product. The 3D models generated through these processes can also be used to demonstrate the product and its components. However, not all manufacturers produce 3D CAD/CAM models of their products and even if such models existed, they may not be available for use by others. Furthermore, the final product may have colors and textures that differ from the original 3D models that were created during design.
The way an object appears in a real-world environment depends on the position of the light sources, viewing position and the reflectance and transmittance properties of the object facing the camera or the viewer. For example, if the object has a matte texture (e.g., a suede shoe), then the color of the object may be substantially invariant with respect to the positions of the light sources and the position of the viewer (in other words, the object appears to be the same color from different angles)
However, if the surface of the object is glossy (e.g., a polished leather shoe), then the color may depend on the lighting and viewing angles (e.g., specular highlights may be visible from particular combinations of light source direction and viewer direction, and the color of the highlight may depend on the color of the light source). Therefore, the shape (or geometry) and color of an object alone do not provide the rendering engine with sufficient information to generate a realistic rendering.
In order to accurately depict objects made of different various types of materials or having different surface characteristics, the rendering engine uses various optical characteristics of the materials to simulate the interactions of the light with the object. In particular, an accurate rendering of a surface may take into account whether the object is glossy, semi-glossy, matte, dull, metallic, translucent, etc. The reflectance and scattering aspects of the optical characteristics of an object are sometimes represented as a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) (see, e.g., Ward, G. J. 1992. Measuring and modeling anisotropic reflection. Comput. Graph. 26, 2, ACM SIGGRAPH (Jul.), 265-272). The BRDF of an object may be different for different parts of an object. For example, some parts of a polished shoe may be scuffed, thereby causing the scuffed portions to appear more matte than glossy. As another example, different parts of the shoe (e.g., the sole versus the upper) may be made of different materials (e.g., rubber versus leather) and may therefore have different optical properties.

System and method for three-dimensional scanning and for capturing a bidirectional reflectance distribution function


The disclosed invention is a nonvolatile memory having a memory field and a redundant field within a single semiconductor chip. The redundant field is used to store essential information regarding device formulation or address mapping. The nonvolatile memory includes a programming circuit capable of programming and verifying a selected memory cell within the redundant field with single-bit data while a selected memory cell within the memory field is being programmed and verified with multi-bit data. The nonvolatile memory also includes a reading circuit capable of reading single-bit data from a selected memory cell within the redundant field while multi-bit data is being read from a selected memory cell within the memory field. Therefore, according to this invention a single-bit operation for the redundant field can be performed without disturbing a multi-bit operation for the memory field.

This invention relates to nonvolatile semiconductor memories and more particularly to a flash Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) that employs both single-bit and multi-bit memory cell arrays. This invention also relates to the method of performing data operations within the flash EEPROM.
Because of their advanced performance characteristics, including higher programming speeds and lower power consumption, high density nonvolatile memories, particularly flash EEPROMs, have recently proven useful as mass storage devices (or storage media) for portable electronic devices (such as digital still cameras and memory cards) and hard disks in personal computers, among other things. Flash memories are classified into two types, namely, a NAND-type and a NOR-type, in accordance with the logical configuration of the memory cells within the memory. In the NOR-type flash memory, each of the memory cells is connected to a corresponding word line and bit line and is independent of adjacent memory cells. In the NAND-type flash memory, however, each string (which contains multiple memory cells), as opposed to each memory cell individually, is connected to a corresponding bit line through a bit-line contact. Consequently, the NOR-type flash memory requires a greater number of contacts in order to couple the bit lines and memory cells together than the NAND-type flash memory. The NAND-type flash memory is therefore superior to the NOR-type flash memory in integration density.
Industry desires for more efficient integration density in a flash memory and for expanded memory capacity have led to the development of multi-bit (also known as multi-level, multi-state, or multiple bit) technology, wherein a plurality of bits are stored within a single memory cell. By providing for the storage of multiple bits within each memory cell, multi-bit technology contributes to a reduction in the cost-per-bit of data storage in flash memories that employ this technology. One prior art multi-bit configuration is disclosed on pp. 132-133 of the ISSC Digest of Technical Papers dated February 1995, in an article entitled "A Multilevel-Cell 32 Mb Flash Memory," written by M. Bauer, et al. Specifically, this article discloses a cell array arranged in the NOR-type flash memory configuration in which a memory cell uses two bits to store one of four data states, i.e., "00", "01", "10", and "11". Each of these four states corresponds to a unique voltage level, e.g., "00"=2.5V, "01"=1.5V, "10"=0.5V, and "11"=-3V. These voltage levels are threshold values assigned to allow data to be read from a memory cell having one of these four states of data stored therein. Significantly, the memory cell contains a distribution profile corresponding to these various threshold values. Furthermore, memory cells coupled to a single word line can have threshold voltages that differ from each other.
To detect the data state of a memory cell, a read voltage having a voltage level interposed between two threshold voltage levels, or positioned on a lower or higher side of a threshold voltage, must be applied to a gate of each of the memory cells through a word line coupled thereto. Unfortunately, the width between adjacent threshold voltages (hereinafter referred to as a "window") is less than that found in a normal (i.e., single-bit) flash memory. For example, the window in a four-state flash memory is about 0.6V. Furthermore, when a word line voltage for performing a reading operation is located in a window of about 0.6V, the margin between an edge of the threshold voltage profile and the level of the word line voltage may not be more than approximately 0.3V (as opposed to about a 1.3V margin in a single-bit memory). Therefore, when multi-bit flash memories are made using a manufacturing process subject to variations or when they are influenced by variations in word line voltage level and temperature, the probability of having invalid sensing operations becomes significant. This weak immunity against variations in external conditions suggests that the utility of the multi-bit flash memory as a storage device is limited to the storage of mass information, such as audio data, for example, where the failure to store even several data bits does not significantly disturb the organization of the information as a whole. Until now, therefore, single-bit flash memories have been used for storing information where reliability and stability of data storage are important, such as in the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or for font storage.
Despite the well-known respective advantages of both the single-bit and the multi-bit flash memories, these two types of flash memories have traditionally been fabricated on separate semiconductor chips. Therefore, the prior art semiconductor chips may only perform either the single-bit or the multi-bit operations within the memory cells of the chip, depending upon the configuration chosen during fabrication.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a memory array and data field arranged in a conventional flash memory. A cell array region of the conventional flash memory, as shown in FIG. 1, is divided into two portions; namely, a memory array 10, containing memory sectors, and a device data field 20, containing data sectors corresponding to the memory sectors. Each memory sector includes a normal memory array and a redundant array. The normal memory array is used to store data. The redundant memory array can be substituted for bad portions of the normal memory array within the same sector. Each data sector retains general information about a corresponding memory sector, including such information as the locations of bad sectors in the normal memory array, and an address mapping for data formulation or substitution. Because the data stored in the device data field 20 is extremely important for determining whether an access operation of the memory data is either valid or invalid, the device data field 20 should be located in a stable single-bit retention environment, rather than in an unstable multi-bit retention area, in order to guarantee data stability.
The industry is therefore in need of a flash memory consisting of both single-bit and multi-bit memory cell arrays on a single semiconductor chip, so that important memory information can be reliably stored in a single-bit area, while less critical mass information can be stored in the more highly integrated multi-bit areas. Such a configuration can provide for both the necessary address mapping integrity and the general memory cell information while also providing greater memory capacity in a smaller chip size.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory performing single bit and multi-bit operations


The present invention provides a lens barrel that holds a lens system including a plurality of lens groups in which an object-side fixed lens group and image-side fixed lens group that are fixed to both ends of a cylindrical fixed barrel are arranged, and a first focusing lens group and a second focusing lens group that are moving lens groups are arranged inside the fixed barrel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel that holds a lens system that includes a plurality of lens groups.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a lens barrel that holds a lens system that includes a plurality of lens groups that is used, for example, in a camera or a video camera, a configuration is generally adopted in which some lens groups are held so as to be movable along an optical axis by an electric actuator. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-234075, a lens barrel is disclosed that, among four lens groups, movably holds a second group and a fourth group of lenses. According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-234075, a focusing operation is performed by moving the fourth lens group that includes a plurality of lenses.


A fuel injection device includes a fuel injection unit provided with a plurality of fuel injection members. The fuel injection unit is held by a holding-and-supplying unit. The fuel injection members are connected to the holding-and-supplying unit by a connecting-and-supplying unit. A fuel is supplied to the fuel injection members through fuel supply passages formed in the holding-and-supplying unit and the connecting-and-supplying unit so as to extend from the holding-and-supplying unit through the connecting-and-supplying unit to the fuel injection members.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fuel supply method for fuel injection members of a fuel injection device, and a fuel supply system for carrying out the fuel supply method, more specifically, to a fuel supply method for fuel injection members of a fuel injection device of a gas turbine so as to achieve low-NOx operation, and a fuel supply system for carrying out the fuel supply method.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a demand in recent years for a fuel injection nozzle for combustors, capable of injecting fuel such that the exhaust gas has a low NOx concentration, owing to the recent progressively growing severity of controls concerning NOx emission imposed on aero and industrial combustors. To achieve low-NOx combustion, the fuel injection nozzle is required to inject fuel such that the mean flame temperature is low and temperature distribution in flames is uniform. Fuel must be mixed with a large amount of air to lower the mean flame temperature and to make temperature distribution in flames uniform.
Although no problem arises in combustion in a combustor while the combustor is operating in high-power setting, combustion becomes unstable while the combustor is operating in low-power or middle-power setting, when fuel is jetted by a conventional fuel injection nozzle N having a single fuel passage 101 as shown in FIG. 4 and the fuel is mixed in a large amount of air for low-NOx combustion.
As shown in FIG. 5, an improved fuel injection system A′ obtained by altering the conventional fuel injection nozzle N has been proposed as a means for avoiding unstable combustion that occurs in the low-power or middle-power setting. The fuel injection system A′ has a plurality of series of swirl vanes 201 which are concentrically arranged in different radial positions, and a plurality of series of fuel injection mechanisms 202 which are concentrically arranged in different radial positions. The operation of the fuel injection mechanisms 202 is regulated according to engine power settings, and the amount of air into which the fuel is mixed is regulated. The fuel injection system A′ is capable of injecting fuel for the so-called staging combustion.
In the previously proposed fuel injection system A′, fuel is supplied to the fuel injection mechanisms 202 through fuel supply pipes 203 extended through the casing of a gas turbine. Consequently, the flow of combustion air is disturbed and turbulences of the flow of combustion air are caused, thereby, combustion air cannot properly supplied to the fuel injection mechanisms 202. There is the possibility that welded joints of the fuel injection mechanisms 202 and the fuel supply pipes 203 are damaged or cracks develop therein due to difference in thermal expansion between the fuel injection mechanisms 202 and the fuel supply pipes 203. Moreover, the fuel supply pipes 203 are obstacles to assembling work for assembling the gas turbine.

Fuel supply method and fuel supply system for fuel injection device


Method for inhibiting live cells including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells on an item utilized outside the human or animal body. The method includes the step of providing on the item a biologically inhibiting material including an anode material and a cathode material. Both the anode material and the cathode material have a positive galvanic potential, and the potential of the cathode material is higher than the potential of the anode material. The anode material and the cathode material each include exposed active surfaces. The exposed active surfaces include at least one of a plurality of separated areas of anode material and a plurality of separated areas of cathode material. A distance between any point on the active surface and both the adjacent cathode material and the adjacent anode material does not exceed 200 μm for inhibiting live cells including eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells on the item utilized outside the human or animal body.

Good hygiene is an essential factor in the food production field. Many resources are invested in cleaning and disinfecting the equipment to improve the shelf-life of the products. In addition, during recent years the attention has been focussed on the risk of contamination of food products with pathogenic bacteria. Accordingly, there is an increasing demand for improvements in the field of good hygiene not only with respect to the cleaning, but also in relation to the suitable design of the machines used for the production.
Since 1 Jan. 1995 the EU has prescribed that the machines for processing food products must be designed to support good hygiene and an efficient cleaning procedure which ensures an optimum food product safety. Accordingly, an obvious demand exists for systematically optimizing the hygienic design of machines for processing food products.
An optimum cleaning of a closed process equipment is obtained by ensuring that the cleaning fluids circulate at a sufficiently high flow rate providing turbulent flow throughout the entire process equipment. Dead areas involving a very low flow rate should therefore be avoided by suitable equipment design.
Despite the above efforts, it can be difficult to completely avoid areas in the process equipment in which small remnants of food products stick to the walls of the equipment or accumulate in small pockets and thereby provide growth conditions for unwanted and often pathogenic micro-organisms. As these micro-organisms grow very quickly in the food products being processed in the process equipment, such small residues can very quickly have a serious effect on both health and costs.
Presently, attempts are made to develop materials on which there will be a reduced tendency to form biofilm. Examples are materials having a reduced adhesion to protein and fat and micro-organisms. However, such a solution is unlikely to prevent food remnants and micro-organisms from accumulating in small pockets and cracks. Accordingly, a demand exists for a material with inherent antimicrobial properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,186 (Christ) discloses an intraocular plastic lens (IOL) with antibacterial activity based on an iontophoretic effect. At least a portion of the lens is made of an iontophoretic composite material including two components, such as silver and platinum, with different galvanic potentials dispersed in a conducting polymer matrix. The iontophoretic effect is obtained when the lens is implanted in an eye. Here saline body fluids penetrate into the polymer matrix and establish a galvanic element between the two embedded components, which causes the ions of one component to dissolve whereafter the ions can migrate out of the matrix and into the surrounding body fluid, where they exert an antibacterial effect. In order to protect the body against harm, the galvanic elements are per se isolated from direct body contact in the surrounding polymer matrix, strong electric field strengths optionally being generated adjacent said galvanic elements.
Due to the use of this known ocular implantate in contact with the eye the antibacterial effect thereof is adjusted to ensure that the body does not suffer any acute or accumulated harm. It is also important that an accumulation of antibacterial ions is avoided for a short or long period.
However, an antibacterial effect based on the iontophoretic principle as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,186 (Christ) and adjusted to be used in an implantate is unlikely to suffice for such antimicrobial or other cytocidal uses where the desired effect must be significantly stronger than hitherto known. In addition, an intensification of the effect to release an increased amount of antimicrobial ions results in an increased amount of ion residues in the solution or in the killed micro-organism cells, which cannot be tolerated in many situations, such as in connection with processing of food products.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,505 (Haynes et al.) discloses an apparatus to be inserted in the body, such as a catheter. On the surfaces, this apparatus is coated with a first and a second metal in such a manner that a galvanic effect is provided when the apparatus is brought into contact with an electrolyte, such as a body fluid. It is suggested that the two metals are applied onto the surface of the catheter in form of very thin films of a thickness of approximately 5 to 500 nm, either one metal atop the other metal or in such a manner that portions are covered with one type of metal film while other portions are covered with the second type of metal film, a switch being coupled between said two types with the result that the galvanic effect can be switched on and off according to desire.
In one embodiment, the catheter is coated with two metal films, one over the other, and produces a galvanic effect resulting in relatively significant potential differences per distance, viz. high electric field strengths, in an area inaccessible to micro-organisms, i.e. the area at the contact surface between the two films. Thus the antimicrobial effect is based on metal ions being released in the contact layer despite the fact that they are attracted by the cathode material.
In another embodiment, approximately half the surface of the catheter is covered by one type of metal film while the remaining portion of said surface is covered by the second type of metal film apart from an intermediate non-covered portion where a switch is positioned. Here the galvanic effect is indeed active when in direct contact with the surrounding body fluids, but the relatively significant potential differences per distance, viz. the high electric field strengths, only apply to the interface area between the two metal films, whereas the potential difference per distance and consequently the electric field strength is significantly weaker in portions presenting a large distance to said interface area. According to the publication, the antimicrobial effect is obviously also based on released metal ions.
Accordingly, the principle suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,505 (Haynes et al.) cannot be used in situations where a strong galvanic effect with high electric field strengths across the entire surface is needed without involving a significant release of metal ions.
Therefore, a demand still exists for materials capable of efficiently inhibiting live cells across the entire surface of the material in such a manner that there are no areas or domains with an insufficient antimicrobial effect where unwanted micro-organisms can survive. Such materials are inter alia needed within the food industry where remaining live micro-organisms in the production equipment, during storage and during transport can cause serious problems such as rapid tainting of the product and disease-causing effects in the consumer. These problems are particularly serious when the processed food products are nutrient mediums for the micro-organisms in question and consequently can promote the growth of said micro-organisms. Such food products are for instance dairy products, meat and fish products, gravy, juice, lemonade, beer, wine or soft drinks.

Biologically inhibiting material a method of producing said material as well as the use of said material for inhibiting live cells


A solder ball assembly for use in the formation of solder bumps on electrodes of a substrate for electronic components includes a heat-resisting sheet having a plurality of holes formed therein. Each hole has a solder ball disposed therein. The sheet includes an adherent layer exposed to the interior of each hole on the wall and/or bottom of the hole such that the adherent layer contacts and holds the solder balls in the holes. Solder bumps are formed by positioning the assembly on a substrate such that the solder balls held in the holes come into contact with the electrodes of the substrate. The assembly and the substrate are heated together to melt the solder balls in the holes. After solidification of the solder, the heat-resisting sheet of the assembly is removed from the substrate, leaving a solder bump on each electrode.

The present invention relates to a solder ball assembly for use in forming solder bumps on electrodes of a substrate for minute electrical components such as semiconductor packages and electrical connectors as well as on electrodes of a semiconductor element or other minute electrical element.
Many small electronic components, including semiconductor packages such as BGA (ball grid array) packages and CSP's (chip size packages), comprise a substrate having a semiconductor element mounted on one of its sides and having a number of electrodes formed with a prescribed arrangement on its other side or backside.
When such a semiconductor package is mounted on a printed circuit board, the electrodes on the backside of the substrate are soldered to the corresponding electrodes on the printed circuit board for electrical and mechanical connection. This soldering can be performed, for example, using solder bumps which are previously formed on each electrode of the substrate. In this case, after the electrodes of the printed circuit board have been coated with solder paste (or flux) by printing, the semiconductor package is positioned on the printed circuit board in such a manner that the electrodes of the semiconductor package are in alignment with the corresponding electrodes of the printed circuit board, thereby causing each solder bump of the package to contact the solder paste applied to the printed circuit board and holding the package on the board by the adhesion of the solder paste. The printed circuit board, which typically has a plurality of semiconductor packages or other electronic components mounted thereon in this manner, is then heated in a reflow furnace to melt the solder bumps and solder paste to perform soldering. This soldering method for mounting semiconductor packages or other electronic components on a printed circuit board will be referred to as solder bump mounting.
On the inside of such a semiconductor package, a semiconductor element is electrically connected to a substrate. The electrical connection is typically performed either by wire bonding or face down bonding.
In the wire bonding method, a semiconductor element having electrodes is secured to a substrate having corresponding electrodes with an adhesive or by soldering, and then the electrodes of the semiconductor element are electrically connected to the electrodes of the substrate through fine gold wires. Wire bonding can be performed when the semiconductor element has electrodes only along its periphery, but it can not be employed if the semiconductor element has electrodes arranged on the entire surface of one side of the element. In the latter case, if wire bonding is employed, it is difficult to prevent gold wires which are connected to electrodes in a central area of the semiconductor element from contacting gold wires which are connected to electrodes in a peripheral area of the semiconductor element, and the contact between gold wires causes short-circuiting. Another disadvantage of wire bonding is the use of fine gold wires which may be as small as several tens of micrometers in diameter. Such gold wires are extremely expensive due not only to the material cost of gold but also due to the processing costs required to form such fine wires.
In the face down bonding method, including flip chip bonding and some kinds of TAB (tape automated bonding), electrical connection is performed using solder bumps in the same manner as described above for mounting a semiconductor package on a printed circuit board. Thus, after solder bumps have previously been formed on each electrode of a semiconductor element having electrodes on one surface thereof, the semiconductor element is positioned on a substrate (which may be a printed circuit board in the case of flip chip bonding) having electrodes with the same arrangement as the electrodes on the semiconductor element such that the solder bumps of the semiconductor element are in alignment with the electrodes of the substrate. The semiconductor element and the substrate are then heated under pressure to melt the solder bumps, thereby achieving electrical connection between the semiconductor element and its substrate.
Unlike the wire bonding method, even if a semiconductor element has electrodes arranged on the entire surface of one side thereof, there is no concern of short-circuiting taking place due to contact between electrical connections connected to different electrodes on the semiconductor element. The face down bonding method is also advantageous in that the material and production costs of solder bumps are less than those of gold wires and in that all the electrodes on the semiconductor element and the substrate can be electrically connected at the same time, whereby mechanical bonding between the semiconductor element and the substrate is simultaneously achieved. As a result, face down bonding has superior productivity. Furthermore, the length of electrical connections between the semiconductor element and the substrate becomes very short and thereby minimizes a delay in transmission of electrical signals through the connections. In addition, it is possible to increase the density of electrodes or minimize the size of a semiconductor package or other electronic component.
Solder bumps useful for both the above-described solder bump mounting and face down bonding may be formed using solder balls and a mask as disclosed in JP 08-309523 A1 (1996) and JP 2001-196730 A1.
In the method disclosed in JP 08-309523 A1, through-holes having a diameter smaller than that of metal balls which are used to form metal bumps are formed in a mask with the same arrangement as solder bumps which are to be formed. An adherent sheet is attached atop the mask so as to cover the through-holes. Metal balls are then inserted into the through-holes and are held by the adherent sheet in the through-holes. The mask is then positioned on a substrate (or semiconductor element) having electrodes which have been coated with soldering flux in such a manner that the metal balls in the mask are in alignment with the electrodes of the substrate and are held in position by the adhesion of the flux coated thereon. Subsequently, the adherent sheet is peeled from the mask, and the mask is then removed, leaving the metal balls on the electrodes of the substrate. When the metal balls are made of solder, the substrate may be heated in a reflow furnace, for example, to melt the metal (solder) balls and transform them into solder bumps on the electrodes of the substrate.
In this method, after the adherent sheet and the mask are removed, the metal balls are held on the electrodes of the substrate only by the adhesion of the flux applied to the electrode. However, the adhesion of flux is relatively weak. As a result, there is the possibility of the metal balls becoming detached from the electrodes due to shaking or tilting of the substrate during transport or moving away from the electrodes as the flux flows during heating.
JP 2001-196730 A1 discloses a method comprising placing solder balls into holes formed in a mask on a tray. The diameter of the holes is slightly larger than the diameter of the solder balls, but the depth of the holes (which corresponds to the thickness of the mask) is smaller than the diameter of the solder balls. A thermally releasable sheet is then placed over the tray so as to adhere to the solder balls and hold them by the adhesion of the sheet. The sheet holding the solder balls is then pulled up to withdraw the solder balls from the mask and tray and is positioned on a substrate in such a manner that each solder ball contacts a corresponding electrode. The substrate is heated along with the solder balls and the sheet to melt the solder balls and transform them into solder bumps on the electrodes of the substrate. Finally, the thermally releasable sheet, which has lost its adhesion during heating, is removed.
According to this method, since the solder balls are heated while they are held by the thermally releasable sheet, they are to a certain degree prevented from dropping or moving during heating. However, the solder balls are held only by the sheet, which contacts the very small top areas of the balls (i.e., the balls are hanging from the sheet) before the sheet and the solder balls are positioned on the substrate. Therefore, the holding force is not sufficiently strong to prevent the solder balls from dropping from the sheet when the sheet undergoes a mechanical shock or shaking. Thus, it is necessary to perform positioning of the sheet immediately after the solder balls are withdrawn from the tray and mask, and it is practically impossible to store the thermally releasable sheet having solder balls attached thereto for ready use in bump formation at a later time.

Solder ball assembly for bump formation and method for its manufacture