This invention realizes reduction in consumption of DC current in a level converter circuit by setting level shifters in an operating state only when necessary in accordance with hierarchical control, in which an output pulse of a level shifter (311) that is constantly in a power-ON state is used to set a level shifter (321) of the next hierarchical level in the operating state, then output pulses of the level shifter (311) and the level shifter (321) are used to generate control pulses LT1 and LT2, which are used to set level shifters (341 to 346) of the next hierarchical level in the operating state, and an output pulse of one of the level shifters is used to set level shifters (351), (352) and (353) of the next hierarchical level in the operating state. Thus, a level converter circuit in which the consumption of DC current is reduced and which enables reduction in power consumption of the whole device, a display device equipped with this level converter circuit, and a portable telephone device using the display device as an output display unit can be constructed.

Conventionally, as a display device, a so-called driving circuit-integrated liquid crystal display device is known in which, for example, a driving circuit for driving pixels of a pixel unit having pixels including liquid crystal cells arrayed in a matrix is integrally formed on a single board where the pixel unit is formed (liquid crystal display panel). In this driving circuit-integrated liquid crystal display device, a level converter circuit is provided which performs level conversion of various timing pulses with a low voltage amplitude of, for example, TTL level, inputted into the panel from a control IC provided outside the panel, to timing pulses with a high voltage amplitude necessary for driving the liquid crystal, and supplying the level-converted timing. pulses to the driving circuit.
The driving circuit for driving the pixel unit uses various timing pulses are used such as a vertical start pulse VST and a vertical clock pulse VCK for vertical scanning used when selectively driving the pixels of the pixel unit by row, and a write enable pulse WE for allowing writing of a signal to the pixels of the row selected through the vertical scanning. Since these timing pulses have different timing, the timing pulses are level-shifted by different level converter circuits.
Meanwhile, a liquid crystal display device is adapted for displaying an image by changing the molecular arrangement of liquid crystal on the basis of the presence/absence of an electric field and thus controlling transmission/interception of light. Theoretically, it is a display device of low power consumption type that does not need much electric power for driving. Therefore, it is broadly used as an output display unit for a portable terminal device such as a portable telephone unit or a PDA (personal digital assistant) using a battery as its mainpower. With respect to the liquid crystal display device for this type of application, reduction in power consumption based on lowering of the driving voltage and lowering of the driving frequency has been under way in order to enable use of the battery for a longer time period after charging it once.
In the above-described driving circuit-integrated liquid crystal display device, since separate level converter circuits for level-shifting various timing pulses are used constantly in the power-on state, an unnecessary DC current is consumed, obstructing reduction in power consumption of the whole driving circuit. Therefore, particularly in consideration of application to a portable terminal device such as a portable telephone unit or a PDA, reduction in power consumption of the liquid crystal display device itself is an important task to achieve in order to further reduce the power consumption of the portable terminal device.
The driving system of the display device, for example, a liquid crystal display device, includes a simple matrix system and an active matrix system. However, the active matrix, which has excellent response characteristics and visibility, has recently been used more often. In the liquid crystal display device of the active matrix system, when driving the liquid crystal display panel, a scanning line of a row (line) to which a signal is to be written is selected and then the signal is supplied from, for example, a driver IC provided outside the panel, thereby writing the signal to pixels decided as driving targets in the matrix.
If the signal line of the liquid crystal panel and the output of the driver IC provided outside the panel for driving the signal line are set in the relation of one-to-one correspondence, an IC driver having outputs of the number corresponding to the number of the signal lines must be prepared and wirings of the corresponding number are necessary for connecting the driver IC and the liquid crystal display panel. In view of this, a selector driving system is recently employed which allocates plural signal lines of the signal lines of the liquid crystal panel as a unit (set) to one output of the driver IC, time-divisionally selects the plural signal lines, and time-divisionally allocates and supplies the output signal of the driver IC to the selected signal lines.
Specifically, in this selector driving system, the output of the driver IC and the signal line of the liquid crystal display panel are set in the relation of one-to-N correspondence (N is an integer equal to or more than 2), and N signal lines allocated to one output signal of the driver IC selected and driven by N time division. By employing this selector driving system, it is possible to reduce the number of outputs of the driver IC and the number of wirings between the driver IC and the liquid crystal display panel to 1/N of the number of signal lines.
If the above-described selector driving system is employed in the so-called driving circuit-integrated liquid crystal display device in which the driving circuit for the pixel unit is integrally formed on a single board where the pixel unit is formed (liquid crystal display panel), a selector circuit for time-divisionally allocating one output signal of the driver IC to N signal lines is provided on the liquid crystal display panel. This selector circuit is switch-controlled (or selection-controlled) by a selector pulse supplied from outside.
Moreover, a level converter circuit for converting a signal with a low voltage amplitude of, for example, TTL level, supplied into the panel from an external IC to a signal with a high voltage amplitude necessary for driving the liquid crystal is provided on the liquid crystal display panel. The selector pulse is with a low voltage amplitude (for example, 0 to 3 V) of TTL level is inputted to the level converter circuit, where the selector pulse is level-shifted to a high voltage amplitude (for example, 0 to 7 V) necessary for driving the liquid crystal and supplied to the selector circuit for time-division control.
In the liquid crystal display device of the above-described selector driving system, conventionally, since the level converter circuit for performing level conversion (level shift) of the selector pulse with an external circuit power-supply voltage to an internal circuit power-supply voltage is used constantly in the power-on state, an unnecessary DC current is consumed, obstructing reduction in power consumption of the whole driving circuit. Therefore, particularly in consideration of application to a portable terminal device such as a portable telephone unit or a PDA, reduction in power consumption of the liquid crystal display device itself is an important task to achieve in order to further reduce the power consumption of the portable terminal device.

Level converter circuit, display device and portable terminal device


A projected capacitive to surface capacitive interface comprises a projected capacitive touch controller connected to a projected capacitive touch sensor either with a chip on flex circuit or with a discrete chip on board controller, a connector wire, which coordinates the interface between the projected capacitive touch controller and an emulation board, a surface capacitive touch controller and a connector connecting the surface capacitive touch controller to a host computer. The interface communicates with the microcontroller that converts a calculated touch position to resistance values that are then sent to the surface capacitive touch controller as if the resistance values were measured values at four corners of a touch screen. The surface capacitive controller then is able to recalculate the calculated touch position using these resistance values and sends/reports a final touch position to the host computer.

The current state of the art of surface capacitive technology (S-Cap) utilizes an electrically coated touch surface (usually with antimony-doped tin oxide) protected by a silicon dioxide overcoat, where the silicon dioxide overcoat is either dipped coated or sprayed sol-gel. A resistor network (R1-R4) is applied to the perimeter of a screen and is driven with a voltage source as shown in FIG. 1. When a user touches the screen, a small amount of current is drawn off to a ground through the individual's finger and the resulting ratio of current drops on each of the four corners of the screen determines a touch position as shown in FIG. 1. However, there are many challenges and problems associated with a surface capacitive system which include the silicon dioxide (SiO2) overcoat/hardcoat is thin and can be worn off over time exposing an easily damaged antimony tin oxide (ATO) layer. Damage to the antimony tin oxide layer renders the screen useless in the damaged area. Another problem lies with the surface capacitive screen. The surface capacitive screens are very susceptible to noise interference from other electrically emitting devices that are in close proximity to the screen. This noise interference can cause significant misalignment in a reported touch location as compared to the actual touch location. While various methods used to mitigate this noise interference do exist, the manufacturer of the final system using the surface capacitive screen often has to resort to using large icons and buttons which lowers the usability and efficiency of the final solution and screen. An additional problem with the systems layer design is the sol-gel silicon dioxide (SiO2) hardcoats can typically be scratched with materials that have Mohs hardness (a Mohs scale of mineral hardness) of over 7. These corresponding scratches in the SiO2 layer damages the antimony tin oxide (ATO) layer located underneath the SiO2 layer and causes anomalies in the reported touch location in the area of the scratch. Moreover, wear and scratches in the system lead to premature replacement in the field which increases an end user's cost for their touch system.
To complicate matters, the replacement of the surface capacitive components and/or system in many applications is difficult as the industries that the technology is used in are heavily regulated and changes are expensive or impossible to perform. Thus, this leaves screen replacement as the only reasonable option for damaged surface capacitive systems.
The primary hurdle to replacing surface capacitive technology in existing systems is that the electronics that communicate back to a host computer are considered locked, that is the electronics cannot change. A touch sensor that the user interfaces with can change as evidenced by the replacement market for damaged screens. There are alternate technologies in the market that are more robust from a damage and noise immunity standpoint, but they cannot be easily implemented due to the electronics lock (i.e. the electronics cannot change) noted above.
Therefore, there is a significant need for easily, quickly, effectively and inexpensively being able to provide a solution to the above disclosed problems of the prior art while not having to change the existing electronics that communicate back to a host computer within the capacitive technology field.
A solution in the disclosure of this invention is to allow an alternate touch screen technology, in this case projected capacitive, to communicate with existing surface capacitive controller electronics and as such continue to report touch events back to a host computer without any change to those controller electronics.

Projected capacitive to surface capacitive interface


An incontinence article comprising front and back belly sections connected at side seams forming belly and back bands, continuous in the hip direction having a hip opening closed in the hip direction, and a crotch section comprising an absorbent body, extending longitudinally between and permanently attached to the bolly and back sections, wherein the crotch, belly, and back sections define leg openings, the belly and back sections have an edge contour extending towards a transverse center axis, wherein first elastification means in the belly and back sections extend parallel to each other in the hip direction and wherein, in the belly and back sections, second elastification means extend from two side seam areas towards a longitudinal center axis of the article in a curved shape, thereby fanning out with increasing separation from each other, where the second elastification means fan out, the restoring force from extensive stretching of this area is smaller than that from extensive stretching of an area on the hip side, having only the first elastification means.

The invention concerns an incontinence article in the form of pants for receiving body excrements, comprising a front belly section and a rear back section, which are connected to each other at side seam areas on both sides during production to form a belly and back band, which is continuous in the transverse or peripheral hip direction and has a hip opening that is closed in the peripheral hip direction, and a crotch section which has an absorbent body and extends in a longitudinal direction between the belly section and the back section, and is permanently attached to the belly section and to the back section, wherein the crotch section as well as the belly section and the back section define the leg openings of the incontinence article, wherein first elastification means are provided in the belly section and the back section, which extend at a separation from and parallel to each other in the transverse or peripheral hip direction and thereby extensively elasticise the belly section and the back section. A three-component incontinence article of this type is disclosed e.g. in WO 2004/052260 A1. In this specific product concept, an H-shaped basic structure of the incontinence article is realized by joining the crotch section, which extends in the longitudinal direction, to the belly section, which extends substantially in the transverse or peripheral hip direction, and to the correspondingly extending back section when these three components are flatly extended. The incontinence article is then modularly designed from the components crotch section, belly section and back section. These components are advantageously initially connected to each other via the crotch section, and preferably after that, the side seam areas of the belly section are connected to those of the back section on both sides. This connection is realized by the manufacturer to obtain the shape of pants. This connection is typically permanent. However, it may also be provided that the pants can be opened, in particular, along a breaking line which may extend, in particular, in the side seam area, e.g. for removing a used incontinence article from a person who is in need of care.
Incontinence articles in the form of pants differ, in principle, from incontinence articles of normal diaper shape that can be opened and closed in that the hip size is generally predetermined and the article can be adjusted to different body sizes by providing a number of different basic sizes that can be elastically stretched. Towards this end, elastification means, in particular, in the form of bands or threads, often called Lycra threads, are generally connected in a prestrained state (stretch-bond method) to chassis materials of the incontinence article, i.e. they are fixed in the prestrained state to the chassis materials e.g. by means of glue. Due to their pretension, these elastification means gather the chassis materials to thereby form crimps. The incontinence article or the elasticised chassis materials of the incontinence article can be elastically stretched again when the incontinence article is applied to the user like pants. Several incontinence articles in the form of pants comprising elasticised chassis materials of this type have been disclosed and are discussed e.g. also in the above-mentioned document WO 2004/052260 A1.
For producing the H-shaped basic structure, i.e. for connecting the crotch section to the belly section and the back section, these components must be joined in such a fashion that all requirements for appropriate use are met in order to prevent the connection between the crotch section and the belly section or back section from being detached under great tensile stress.
Large forces may be generated during wear of an incontinence article in the form of pants, e.g. due to the weight of an absorbent element that is loaded with a considerable amount of fluid. Large tensile forces are moreover transferred within the chassis materials by the elastification means that are usually joined to the chassis materials using a stretch-bond method, and also by tensile forces that are transferred by movement of the user. It has thereby turned out that this high tensile stress surprisingly occurs both with mobile users who use the incontinence article substantially as a piece of underwear, and also with bedridden persons who are in need of care and can move only to a very limited degree. The chassis materials of the incontinence article cannot compensate for the tensile stress due to sudden and, in particular, also slow movements. In situations like this, the joining connections of the incontinence article are heavily strained, i.e. in particular between the crotch section and the belly section and between the crotch section and the back section.
If a large amount of, in particular, extensively applied adhesive material is used to produce a stable and permanent tension-proof connection between the crotch section and the belly section and between the crotch section and the back section, the overlapping area between the crotch section and the belly section or back section is disadvantageously stiffened. This is perceived as being unpleasant and can also impair the desired stretchability of the chassis materials in this area, wherein it must be noted at this point that an extensive stretchability is often not desired in this area. It is thereby also problematic that adhesive materials impede the desired product properties.
Departing therefrom, it is the object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, i.e. provide a stable connection between the crotch section and the belly section and between the crotch section and the back section of an incontinence article in the form of pants of this type without impairing the wear comfort or having other negative effects on the functionality of the incontinence article.

Incontinence article in the form of pants


A plant stem support system having an adjustable base and adjustable top support assembly. The base is adjustable to optimally fit within pots or spaces between about two and six inches in diameter. The top support assembly includes a pair of curved arms that are pivotable to secure a range of plant sizes or number of plants. Anchors on the arms provide for attachment of the plant to the arms or attachment of a plant covering.

In order to maintain a growing plant in a generally up-right position, it is desirable to support the stem of the plant as it grows. In many plants the stem is relatively weak, and may not have sufficient strength to support the top of the plant. This can result in "floppy" or weak stems. Weak stems are of particular interest in mass-produced bulbs, which are known to have a genetic predisposition toward low-rigidity stems.
Known methods for supporting plant stems are unsatisfactory in a number of respects. For example, it is customary to place a stick or rod within the soil of a flower pot and tie the plant to the rod with a string, tape, or other fastener. Such systems do not readily accommodate the vertical and lateral growth of the plant, and can actually result in damage to the stem as the plant grows. For example, the string may cut into the stem as the plant outgrows the initial length of string. Such systems and methods also have aesthetic drawbacks, as the use of tape, string, and the like to support the plant can result in an unsightly appearance. Additionally, conventional sticks or rods may lean or tip over if the surrounding dirt is loose.
Thus, a stem support system and method are needed that overcome these and other limitations of the prior art.

Methods and apparatus for supporting plant stems


Embodiments of methods and apparatuses for isomerization of paraffins are provided. In one example, a method comprises the steps of separating an isomerization effluent into a product stream that comprises branched paraffins and a stabilizer overhead vapor stream that comprises HCl, H2, and C6-hydrocarbons. C6-hydrocarbons are removed from at least a portion of the stabilizer overhead vapor stream to form a HCl and H2-rich stream. An isomerization catalyst is activated using at least a portion of the HCl and H2-rich stream to form a chloride-promoted isomerization catalyst. A paraffin feed stream is contacted with the chloride-promoted isomerization catalyst in the presence of hydrogen for isomerization of the paraffins.

Isomerization processes are widely used by many refiners to rearrange the molecular structure of straight chain paraffinic hydrocarbons to more highly branched hydrocarbons that generally have higher octane ratings. Many isomerization processes employ a chlorinated catalyst, such as chlorinated alumina catalyst, chlorinated platinum aluminum catalyst, and the like, in a reaction zone (e.g., refers to an area including one or more reactors). The chlorinated catalyst requires a continuous addition of chloride to replace chloride removed from the surface of the catalyst and carried away in the reaction-zone effluent. Typically, a fresh feed of chloride promoter, such as perchloroethylene, is continuously introduced into a paraffin feed stream upstream from a reactor in the reaction zone. Inside the reactor, the chloride promoter decomposes to form hydrogen chloride that activates, e.g., promotes or regenerates, the catalyst by replenishing the chloride removed from the catalyst's surface.
The reaction-zone effluent generally contains a significant amount of hydrogen chloride from the continuous decomposition of chloride promoter and the removal of chloride from the surface of the catalyst. A product stream containing branched paraffins is separated from the reaction-zone effluent by removing hydrogen chloride and other light volatile hydrocarbons (e.g., C5-hydrocarbons) as a stabilizer overhead vapor stream. Because hydrogen chloride poses environmental and handling concerns, the stabilizer overhead vapor stream is continuously scrubbed with a caustic, such as sodium hydroxide, to neutralize the hydrogen chloride before removing the off-gas stream from the process. The cost of chloride promoters and caustics are relatively expensive, and many refiners would like to reduce their consumption of these components to improve their process efficiencies and reduce overall operational costs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and apparatuses for isomerization of paraffins with reduced chloride promoter consumption and/or reduced caustic consumption to improve process efficiencies and reduce overall operational costs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and apparatuses for isomerization of paraffins


A Near Field Communication (NFC) device for transmitting a signal, including an NFC transceiver circuit having a transmission terminal and a reception terminal connected to an antenna; an electronic signal damping circuit; and a controller configured to control the electronic signal damping circuit to dampen a signal at the reception terminal to have a lower impedance during a transmission mode of the NFC device, during which the NFC device transmits the signal by means of the antenna, as compared with during a reception mode of the NFC device.

Modern electronic devices such as cellular phones and chip cards are often equipped with support for near field communication (NFC), for example in order to enable cashless payment. Particularly in connection with devices worn on the body or integrated in clothing (so-called "wearable devices", for short "wearables"), such as, for example, smart watches, a typical requirement here involves being able to manage with an antenna which is as small as possible, while the data communication is intended nevertheless to be effected efficiently and robustly.
At the present time it is necessary to make a compromise with regard to the best possible reception, on the one hand, and the highest possible transmission power, on the other hand. This is because the same antenna is used for transmission and reception, and at reception terminals used for reception, a maximum input voltage is also not permitted to be exceeded by signals fed into the antenna by transmission terminals.
In the case of very small antennas, this results in limitations, for example with regard to a transmission power and thus a range of the near field communication device, that is, a maximum distance between reader and near field communication device.

Near field communication device, method for operating a near field communication device, chip card and wearable


A print media ejection system actively pushes a media sheet trailing edge into an output tray. The ejection system includes a movable pivot which supports a media sheet within a print zone during printing. Upon completion of printing the pivot moves downward allowing the current media sheet to slide from the pivot into the output tray. After the pivot completes the downward rotational stroke, the pivot rotates back upward to be in position to support the next media sheet. The upward motion of the pivot mechanism actuates a kicker device to rotate toward an output region. The kicker device drives any remaining portion of the media sheet into the output tray.

This invention relates generally to printers, and more particularly to media ejection systems for stacking media sheets in an output region or output tray.
Print jobs commonly include multiple pages fed along a media handling system through a print zone into an output tray or output region. Pages are fed in series with one page along the media path at a time for some printers or with multiple pages along the media path at a time for other printers. Pages are stacked in the output tray. Many printers simply rely on gravity to stack the media sheets as the media sheets exit the media path. One solution has been to push new pages on top of previous pages resting in the output tray. Many laser printers, for example, use this method. A disadvantage of this technique is that pinch rollers often are needed to actively drive the current media sheet all the way along the previous sheet. For inkjet printers, this is undesirable because the previous sheet may still be wet. Star-wheels have been used in place of the pinch rollers, but the star wheels can leave tracks on the current media sheet.
The Hewlett-Packard DESKJET.RTM. Series printers include a movable pivot in the vicinity of the output tray and the inkjet pen cartridge. The pivot supports the media sheet beneath the inkjet pen as the media sheet passes through the print zone toward the printer's output region. Rail extensions (also referred to as wing devices) are included in the output region. As the media sheet passes from the print zone along the pivot into the output region, the leading edge is pushed onto rail extensions in the output region. The rail extensions receive the current media sheet and support the sheet above the previous media sheets in an underlying output tray. As the printing onto the media sheet completes, a sequence commences in which the pivot and rail extensions move down. The movement (or retraction) of the rail extensions causes the media sheet to fall into the output tray onto the previous media sheet. The movement of the pivot allows the trailing portion of the media sheet to slide from the pivot into the output tray under the force of gravity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,743 issued Jul. 13, 1993 for "Method and Apparatus for Paper Control in a Printer," assigned to Hewlett-Packard Company discloses finger devices used during ejection. As printing onto the media sheet completes, a sequence commences in which a pivot rotates downward and wings retract. A pair of finger devices are pivotally attached to the underside of the pivot. The pivot includes openings for the finger devices. As the platen rotates down, the finger devices rotate up through the openings into contact with the trailing edge of the media sheet. As the media sheet falls from the wings and slides from the pivot, the finger devices give the media sheet a boost. Specifically, the finger devices urge the media sheet into the output tray onto any previous media sheets. Coordinating the movement of the finger devices and pivot adds complexity to the pivot design, requiring several parts (e.g., cam and spring and finger) for the actuation method.

Print media ejection kicking after paper drop


A method in a computer system for developing a process control strategy includes providing a module template having a first plurality of components and being associated with a control operation, receiving a selection of one or more of the first plurality of components of the module template, generating an instance of a module based on the module template, including instantiating only the selected one or more of the first plurality of components, and associating the generated instance of the module with the process control strategy.

Process control systems, such as distributed or scalable process control systems like those used in chemical, petroleum or other processes, typically include one or more process controllers communicatively coupled to each other, to at least one host or operator workstation and to one or more field devices via analog, digital or combined analog/digital buses. The field devices, which may be, for example, valves, valve positioners, switches and transmitters (e.g., temperature, pressure and flow rate sensors), perform functions within the process such as opening or closing valves and measuring process parameters. The process controller receives signals indicative of process measurements made by the field devices and/or other of information pertaining to the field devices, and uses this information to implement a control routine and then generates control signals which are sent over the buses to the field devices to control the operation of the process. Information from the field devices and the controller is typically made available to one or more applications executed by the operator workstation to enable an operator to perform any desired function with respect to the process, such as viewing the current state of the process, modifying the operation of the process, etc.
Some process control systems, such as the DeltaV® system sold by Fisher Rosemount Systems, Inc., headquartered in Austin, Tex., use function blocks or groups of function blocks referred to as modules located in the controller and/or in field devices to perform control operations. In these cases, the controller or other device is capable of including and executing one or more function blocks or modules, each of which receives inputs from and/or provides outputs to other function blocks (either within the same device or within different devices), and performs some process operation, such as measuring or detecting a process parameter, controlling a device, or performing a control operation, such as the implementation of a proportional-derivative-integral (PID) control routine. The different function blocks and modules within a process control system are generally configured to communicate with each other (e.g., over a bus) to form one or more process control loops.
In some cases, function blocks may be consistent with, or similar to, the standard promulgated by Foundation™ Fieldbus. However, the term "function block" as used herein is not limited to what the DeltaV or the Fieldbus protocols identify as a function block but, instead, includes any other type of block, program, hardware, firmware, etc., associated with any type of control system and/or communication protocol and that can be used to implement some control function. Moreover, the term "function block" as used herein may generally refer to a function block that encapsulates one or several control functions, a resource block that includes one or more process parameters, a transducer block that corresponds to an interface to a sensor (e.g., temperature sensor, pressure sensor, etc.), a flowmeter, a valve actuator, etc., or any other type of block. Further, function blocks may refer to basic function blocks such as Discrete Input (DI), Discrete Output (DO), Analog Input (AO), Analog Output (AO), PID control, PD control, PI control, P control, Control Selector, Bias/Gain Station, etc., as well as to advanced function blocks such as Setpoint Ramp Generator, Timer, Analog Alarm, Discrete Alarm, Deadtime, etc. Still further, function block as used herein may be a nested block that includes several Fieldbus function blocks, for example, or even one or several nested blocks. It will be also noted that while function blocks typically take the form of objects within an object-oriented programming environment, function blocks generally can be defined using any desired data structure in any suitable software environment.
Thus, process controllers are typically programmed to execute a different algorithm, sub-routine or control loop (which are all control routines) for each of a number of different loops defined for, or contained within a process, such as flow control loops, temperature control loops, pressure control loops, etc. As indicated above, each such control loop includes one or more input blocks, such as an analog input (AI) function block, a single-output control block, such as a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) or a fuzzy logic control function block, and an output block, such as an analog output (AO) function block.
Control routines, and the function blocks that implement such routines, are configured in accordance with a number of control techniques, including PID control, fuzzy logic control, and model-based techniques such as a Smith Predictor or Model Predictive control (MPC). In model-based control techniques, the parameters used in the routines to determine the closed loop control response are based on the dynamic process response to changes in the manipulated or measured disturbances serving as inputs to the process. A representation of this response of the process to changes in process inputs may be characterized as a process model. For instance, a first-order parameterized process model may specify values for the gain, dead time, and time constant of the process.
In a typical plant, an engineer may define and configure the process control strategy using a configuration system that runs on an operator workstation. Some configuration systems may include a library to store control elements such as function blocks or modules (typically made up of a number of function blocks), so that the engineer can select and generate an instance of a selected control element according to a particular application. The configuration system may also allow the engineer to modify to alter the generated instance of the selected control element before applying the instance to the process control environment by, for example, downloading the control element to a controller or a programmable field device.
For example, a template library in a DeltaV system stores various module templates that address basic measurement and control functionality. Templates in DeltaV can be autonomous or class-based (i.e., linked to instances instantiated from the class template and capable of propagating changes in the class template to the instances). An engineer will often use one or several module templates as a starting point in defining and configuring the corresponding process control scheme. However, because typical modifications to the module templates involve a significant engineering effort and require certain check-in, check-out, and documentation procedures, working with the template library may be time-consuming.
To simplify the task of configuring a process control system, Emerson™ Process Management developed a collection of comprehensive reusable module templates and module classes known as the Project Builder Library (PBL). Generally, module templates in the PBL address the broadest contemplated range of configuration options and scenarios applicable to a particular module. The engineers who contribute to PBL build upon international standards such as ISA S88.0, IEC 61508, IEC 61131-3, etc. and incorporate experience and best practices from many hours of application and project engineering. Using PBL, an engineer can select a module template, modify values of module parameters to enable and configure the desired features, and disable the features unnecessary for the particular application. For example, a certain template may allow eight possible inputs into a certain function block, and may accordingly include eight input blocks corresponding to these eight inputs. A user who needs only one of these inputs could effectively disable seven of the eight inputs by assigning the value FALSE to the corresponding parameters. A typical PBL template thus includes more features than a DeltaV library module defined for a similar purpose. For example, a PBL template for Continuous Control may include all the features of the corresponding DeltaV template, as well as additional features related to equipment arbitration, support for four track inputs with enable/disable capability and first out detection, conditional alarming with enable/disable capability and operator access, controls to set the status of RCAS_IN and ROUT_IN channels, mode locking to optionally prevent operators from accessing the module, a failure parameter, etc. In short, a PBL module template is likely to include all the functionality of a module an engineer may need for a particular project, and to use the module the engineer normally must change only some or all values of module parameters.
While PBL can significantly simplify the process of configuring process control, PBL module templates unfortunately require a relatively large amount of controller memory. In particular, because engineers customize module templates by modifying module parameters, each instance inherits all function blocks from the parent module template, along with the associated parameters, regardless of whether a particular function block is operative in the instance. Moreover, PBL templates do not always provide the "what you see is what you can have" user experience because each module instance retains the entire functionality of the corresponding PBL module template, and engineers must examine many parameters to determine which function blocks and parameters are actually in use.


Some of the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a receiver comprising a class AB common-gate transformer-based low noise transconductance amplifier (LNT) configured to receive an electromagnetic signal, a passive resonant mixer electrically connected to (i) an output port of the class AB common-gate transformer-based LNT and (ii) a local oscillator. The passive resonant mixer can be configured to reject at least one harmonic of the local oscillator. The receiver also comprises a base-band module electrically connected to an output port of the passive resonant mixer.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in the present disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The complexity, size, and cost of modern wireless terminals, such as cellular transceivers (e.g., smart phones), is becoming increasingly dominated by a large number of passive components. For example, duplexers, SAW filters, and high Q filters are generally used to discriminate relatively weak desired signals among relatively large interfering signals. Another aspect of modern wireless terminals is the use of differential inputs to increase immunity to spurious signals that could undesirably couple into a signal path. Such differential inputs can increase pin counts of electrical components and complicate board design.

Analog front end receivers with resonant mixer configured to reject local oscillator harmonics


EMI radiation in an integrated circuit device package (10) is reduced or eliminated by the introduction of a magnetic material into the encapsulating medium (14). The permeance of the magnetic encapsulating medium (14) affects the inherent series inductance of the lead frame conductors (16) to thereby reduce electromagnetic interference. Ferrite microbeads (30) are formed around the lead frame conductors (16) to contain the magnetic flux (32) generated by an electrical current signal and to attenuate the effects of mutual inductance.

The present invention relates generally to reduction of electromagnetic interference and specifically to reduction of electromagnetic interference generated within an integrated circuit device package.
Advents in the performance of microcomputer based electronics have resulted in dramatic increases in operating speeds of the logic switching circuits. Increased switching and operating speeds correspond to increased bandwidths of the electronic signals transmitted within the interior of an electronic device which become a significant source for electromagnetic radiation causing interference with the internal circuitry of the device itself and with other electronic devices operating within the vicinity of the device. The electromagnetic radiation emitted at these higher frequencies may cause undesirable electromagnetic coupling between data paths resulting in cross channel interference.
The amount of internally generated electromagnetic radiation must be limited to the guidelines and regulations set by governmental agencies such as the FCC in the United States and CISPR in European countries. Sources of electromagnetic radiation originating externally to the device may also affect and interfere with the operation of the device. In general the problems resulting form unwanted electromagnetic radiation are classified as electromagnetic interference (EMI).
A recurring observation in the analysis of EMI performance in products that use VLSI integrated circuits is that there is a significant amount of emission radiated directly from the integrated circuit package itself before the signal connections from the device are available on an external pin. This is particularly evident in devices that have a large number of pins, such as a common 208 pin Quad Flat Pack (QFP) device. A 208 pin QFP device is typically on the order of 1 inch square with the actual integrated circuit itself occupying only a small amount of the real estate of the QFP package. Typically, the integrated circuit (IC) is relatively small being on the order of 0.2 square winches to 0.3 square inches. As a result, there must be internal conductor leads from the IC silicon wafer to the external pins of the device. This is typically implemented with a lead frame of metal strips etched or stamped from a sheet of material to support the integrated circuit chip and to provide a signal path for the input and output (I/O) pins of the QFP device.
In such a design there may be a significant conductor length from the IC itself through the bonding wires and the lead frame conductors to the external pins of the device. This is especially true for pins at or near the corner of the device, in which case the conductor lead length may be well over 0.5 inch.
The described physical lead lengths in typical integrated circuit packaging designs generally cause two problems. The problem is mid and high frequency signal degradation introduced by the inherent series inductance of the conductor leads which is particularly a problem for the power and ground feeds. The second problem is that the conductor leads may radiate EMI energy as an antenna thereby interfering with the signals an adjacent conductor leads in the package and with other signal paths and components in the electronic device in which the integrated circuit is utilized. The techniques known in the art for reducing electromagnetic interference are effective only external to the integrated circuit device package. Thus, there lies a need for a method and apparatus to reduce or eliminate electromagnetic radiation internal to the integrated circuit device package itself.

Method for reduction of electromagnetic interference in integrated circuit packages


A truss shoe for use on a mine roof truss having at least one inclined bolt and at least one horizontal cross member comprises a base including a first end, a second end, a first side and a second side extending between the first and second ends, a generally planar bearing surface, and a top side disposed opposite the bearing surface, the bearing surface arranged for contact with the mine roof. A stanchion is formed on the top side and includes a bore extending from a top end of the stanchion through the bearing surface, the bore sized to receive the inclined bolt. A bracket is formed on the top side and includes a laterally extending slotted bore sized to receive the horizontal bolt. A portion of the first end and a portion of the first side cooperate to form a curved edge.

In mining operations, bolts are often used to support the roof of the mine. In some applications, a pair of spaced apart inclined bar bolts are anchored into the roof of the mine. Each inclined bar bolt is connected to a truss shoe, also called a truss bracket. The truss shoes, which also are spaced apart due to their connection to the inclined bar bolts, are joined together by a horizontally extending coupler. Typically, the coupler consists of a pair of threaded rods, each connected to a corresponding one of the truss shoes, with the threaded rods and joined to each other by a coupler disposed between the spaced apart truss shoes.
Certain considerations may be faced when installing a mine roof truss. For example, the inclined bar bolts are typically installed, with the truss shoe already attached, using a bolting machine. In some circumstances, the operator may have to leave the bolting machine to adjust the truss shoe or otherwise re-position the truss shoe during the bolting operation. Further, the some inclined bar bolts have hex-head ends, while others are threaded. Typically, a truss shoe is adapted for attachment to a particular type of inclined bar bolt. Moreover, the truss shoe typically is adapted for attachment to a particular type of horizontal cross member, such as a dead-ended, pre-seated wedge barrel attached to a threaded cable, or to a bar cross member having an anchor nut.

Dywidag-Systems International, U.S.A., Inc.


A system and method for monitoring a plurality of data streams is disclosed. At a first processing stage, a first memory area is associated to an element of a plurality of data streams. Upon arrival of a frame associated with one of the plurality of data streams, a second memory area is associated to the arrived frame based on the element. In the second memory area, a data indicating an arrival of the arrived frame is recorded and on a successful recording, the frame is forwarded to a second processing stage. An independent process executes at a preselected time interval to erase contents of the first memory area.

The bandwidth requirements of modern and future automotive applications are posing a relevant challenge to current in-vehicle networking (IVN) technologies such as Controller Area Network (CAN) and FlexRay™. Thanks to the latest development of the Ethernet technology, a 100 Mbps Ethernet link can now be implemented on an unshielded twisted pair of copper wires while limiting the EMI emissions below the threshold imposed by the regulatory automotive standards.
Ethernet is a point to point communication technology. More complex networks are created by using layer 2 (according to the ISO/OSI stack) bridges (also called switches). Switches enable the definition of complex network topologies and offer many services including the basic relying of frames (the basic Ethernet communication element) from one source node to multiple destinations, and more complex operations such as channel bandwidth allocation, network partitioning via virtual LANs (VLANs) and traffic prioritization. Switched Ethernet networks have been implemented in the automotive market for supporting bandwidth-intensive applications such as infotainment and surround-view applications. These applications make use of audio and video streams that are generated by a single source, also called Talker (e.g., a camera or multimedia player) and distributed to one or more Listeners (e.g., head unit or remote screens and audio amplifiers). To optimize the handling of these data streams the IEEE has defined Audio/Video Broadcasting (AVB) standards that allows switches to identify different types of traffic streams and categorize them into different traffic classes.
The IEEE standards define a collection of standards targeted to optimize the transmission of audio and video streams on an Ethernet network under the name of AVB (Audio/Video Broadcasting). The main standards relevant for this work are the following:
802.1Qat—Stream reservation protocol: is a distributed protocol that allows talkers to advertise available streams and listeners to register to a selected stream and reserve the necessary bandwidth in the relevant switches;
802.1Qav—Forwarding and Queuing Enhancements for Time-Sensitive Streams: defines a Credit Shaper hardware component capable of allocating specific amounts of bandwidth to a traffic class identified by a traffic priority;
802.1AS—Timing and Synchronization for Time-Sensitive Applications in Bridged Local Area Networks: specifies the protocol to be implemented by all end-nodes (e.g. ECUs) and switches of a network so that all the nodes of the network remain synchronized;
802.1BA—Audio Video Bridging (AVB) Systems: defines the AVB profile, in terms of configuration and features of the previous standards that all AVB systems should have.
These standards/protocols are implemented by network nodes including network switches. IEEE 802.1Q defines traffic Class A as a class whose streams generate one or more frames every 125 μs while Class B has a period of 250 us. The size of each frame depends on the specific format of the stream being transmitted.
Ethernet based networking has already been adopted by the automotive industry. The industry is now considering the adoption of Ethernet for safety-critical applications and has created the AVNU/AAA2C committee. The goal of this committee is to define a set of requirements to be adopted into a revised version of the IEEE AVB standards. The future version of AVB will be called Time-Sensitive Networks (TSN). An important element of AVB and TSN is the distributed synchronization protocol (IEEE 802.1AS) that allows all nodes of the network and the switches to share a common time reference with minimal jitter. This aspect enables lip sync reproduction of audio and video streams on different end points but also the correct fusion of data coming from different sensors such as cameras and radars.

Fine-grained stream-policing mechanism for automotive ethernet switches


Techniques are provided to manage the integrity of data stored in two or more data management systems by detecting inconsistencies between the data management systems. The techniques identify missing records in one or more data management systems by comparing the records in the data management systems. For records that exist in two or more data management systems, the techniques identify records that are not identical in the data management systems. A user checkpoint is provided between the identification of missing records and the identification of records that are not identical. The detected inconsistencies also may be corrected.

A database, such as a relational database, an object-oriented database, or another type of data management system, may be used for the administration of data processed by a computer system running one or more application programs or systems. Examples of application programs or systems include an enterprise resource management system, a customer relationship management system, a human resources management system, a supply chain management system, and a financial management system.
Identical records may exist in more than one data management system. Some data in one or more data management systems may be incorrect because of inconsistencies in records that should be identical in two or more data management systems. Data may be inconsistent, for example, when a record is missing from a data management system in which the record should reside or when a record includes incorrect values.
Copying all of the necessary records from one data management system to a second data management system may be an impractical method to correct inconsistent data in some cases, such as when the time required to copy and load a large volume of data into a data management system is disruptive to the operation of the data management system. An alternative to copying all of the records is to detect and correct the inconsistent data.
Inconsistent data may be detected by comparing records stored in two data management systems to identify records that occur in one data management system and do not occur in the other data management system. One method of comparing records to identify duplicate records in a single database includes sorting records by a field, such as a key or identifier field, that may be used to identify similar or matching records. The field values of two records then are compared to determine whether the field values match. If so, the records may be identified as duplicates of one another.


The invention discloses a manufacturing method of slider. The slider comprises an incline portion (6) connecting a read/write portion (24) disposed with a convex configuration on an air bearing surface opposite to a recording medium, and a concave portion (26) adjacent to an end thereof where airflow flows in. The incline portion (6) includes a first incline portion (61) with a substantially linear shape connected with a surface of the read/write portion (24) and a second incline portion (62) with substantially linear shape connected with the concave portion (26). A first incline angle θ1 of the concave portion (26) with respect to the first incline portion (61) is larger than a second incline angle θ2 of the concave portion (26) with respect to the second incline portion (62).

As a recording media of high speed, sufficient capacity, strong reliability and low cost, disk drives are widely used for digital information recording. With the development of technology for several years, recording density of a disk drive has been developed to exceed over 100 GB per square inch. A plurality of head arm assemblies each of which is comprised of a drive arm and a head gimbal assembly (HGA) disposed on distal end of the drive arm are provided in a disk drive, corresponding to number of disks which function as recording medium. The HGA includes a slider. The slider has a read/write portion incorporating at least one of write element for writing information to the recording medium and read element for reading information from the recording medium. The read/write portion is disposed at one end of the slider. A surface of the slider opposing the recording medium is referred as an air bearing surface (ABS).
When slider performs information recording/reproducing operation on a recording medium, airflow will flow into the gap formed between the slider and recording medium that rotates in a high speed. The airflow comes in from one end opposing to the other end on which the read/write portion is formed, and comes out of the slider from the other end on which the read/write portion is formed. The slider floats slightly over the recording medium due to the airflow. Thus, when airflow-caused floating happens, distance between the recording medium and ABS is named as flying height.
Decreasing of the flying height has benefit to density improvement of the recording medium, since decreasing of the flying height causes bit length of the recording medium decreasing. Therefore, it is required to control the flying height more critically according to demand of higher density of disk drive in recent years.
However, to produce airflow with proper volume between the slider and the recording medium, a concave-convex portion is formed on ABS of the slider for adjusting airflow. The convex portion of the concave-convex portion includes a read/write portion and a rail portion extending along a direction from which the airflow comes in. However, if the read/write portion is coupled to the concave portion with an angle of approximately 90 degree formed there between, that is, if the read/write portion is coupled with an edge portion of substantially right angle, turbulent airflow will be generated at position adjacent the wall of the edge portion, causing instable airflow and easy peeling off of the edge portion, both of which are undesirable. Hence, an incline portion is utilized to connect the read/write portion and concave portion. By formation of the incline portion, along the incline portion, airflow may easily enter into tiny space formed between the read/write portion and recording medium. The incline portion may also be an inclined structure formed by a curved surface segment (see patent reference 1 and FIG. 3(d) of patent reference 2).
For forming this kind of incline portion, ion milling method is used. The method is used for lapping surface of an object to be processed such as substrate in slider manufacturing process and in the method, ions are separated from plasma generated in an ion source chamber in manner of ion beam and guided out of the plasma by a guiding electrode. By forming an angle larger than 90 degree between direction along which the ion beam moves and normal direction of surface of the object being processed (i.e., the ion beam has an inclined incidence angle), and by rotating the object being processed around the normal direction, the ion beam becomes back portion of the overcoat, thus the incline portion being formed with ease. The incline portion may also be formed by reactive ion etching (RIE) method (see patent reference 3). In RIE process, lapping is performed in an environment filled with reactive gases such as CF4, CH2 and H2 to accelerate etching speed.
Patent reference 1: Japanese Application Publication NO. 2001-229514
Patent reference 2: Japanese Application Publication NO. 2002-312916
Patent reference 1: Japanese Application Publication NO. 2003-323707
As described above, it is important to control flying height of the slider for achieving higher recording density of hard disk drive (HDD). For this purpose, it is very critical to control the airflow more easily, and the incline portion needs to be manufactured to have a shape of not limited to planar or curved surface, maybe have a more suitable shape.
On the other hand, it is also important to control variations of the flying height for purpose of controlling the flying height of the slider. For this purpose, length control of the incline portion that generates big floating force thereabout is also critical, and highly precise incline portion should be fabricated without variation. In conventional technology, based on these viewpoints, ion milling method is also used to easily adjust angle of the incline portion and form an incline portion with a curved surface. However, application of ion milling method results in incline portion length variation of 4-5 times as much as that of the target value, as well as increased flying height variation. In addition, when applied to ceramic of high hardness, etching rate will be very slow, thereby causing problems such as low production efficiency.
In addition, different from ion milling in which etching direction is determined by ion incidence angle, RIE belongs to chemical etching using reactive gases, therefore, etching direction control is impossible, adjustment of incline angle and formation of incline structure with specific shape is also difficult to realize. That is, in RIE process, several seconds of time are needed from application of high frequency power to stabilization of the plasma. In this period, depth of at least 10 nm is etched, and etching action in this unstable period becomes reason of variation, thus making it difficult to form the incline structure with fine precision.

Slider and manufacturing method thereof, head gimbal assembly, disk drive with same


A method for heating a fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) comprising at least one layer (L) of carbon fibers (F) in a plastic matrix (P) includes inducing a magnetic field (MF) by means of a microwave antenna (MA) in the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC), and the field direction of the magnetic field (MF) runs in a plane of the layer (L) of carbon fibers (F).

Carbon fibers are used as reinforcement fibers in high-performance plastics. In general, thermoplastic and duroplastic polymers are used as matrix materials; they are melted or cross-linked, with the introduction of heat. Polymers are poor heat conductors, so that it takes a long time until the appropriate temperature is achieved by way of heat conduction or convection.
Microwaves are suitable for heating absorbent materials, independent of heat conduction. However, carbon fibers are electrically conductive and generally block off microwaves. Up to the present, it has only been possible to heat carbon fibers that predominantly run unidirectionally, using microwaves, with good results.
Up to the present, there has been no specific solution for this problem. It is known to heat plastics reinforced with carbon fibers, using microwaves, in a so-called multi-mode microwave oven. It is a disadvantage of this method of procedure that very many different directions of the electrical or magnetic field, respectively, are present in conventional microwave ovens. Thus, only a small part of the magnetic fields has a direction that allows heating of the fiber/plastic composite material. Furthermore, shielding effects of the electrical or magnetic fields take place, and this additionally minimizes the effectiveness of known devices. As a result, strong heating of the edges of the fiber/plastic composite materials is observed in conventional microwave ovens, while the center of the component remains relatively cold. This problem was alleviated using so-called thermoelectric films. These films are laid onto the fiber/plastic composite materials and heat up by means of absorption of microwaves, and thereby heat the structure up indirectly.
Accordingly, it is the task to make available a method that eliminates the problems indicated above. It is particularly the task of the present application to make available a method for effectively heating fiber/plastic composite materials directly, by means of microwave energy.
It is the recognition of the present invention that the magnetic field is oriented relative to the plane of the fiber structure of the fiber/plastic composite material in such a way that an electrical current is induced perpendicular to the plane.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed at a method for heating a fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) comprising at least one layer (L) of carbon fibers (F) in a plastic matrix (P), where a magnetic field (MF) is induced by means of a microwave antenna (MA), and the field direction of the magnetic field (MF) runs in the plane of the layer (L) of carbon fibers (F). By means of this method, an electrical current is induced perpendicular to the layers.
Fiber/plastic composite materials (FPC) are sufficiently known. In this connection, carbon fibers (F) are built into the plastic matrix (M) as reinforcement. Preferably, a fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) has multiple layers of carbon fibers (F). The number of layers (L) depends on the components to be produced. In general, a fiber/plastic composite material (FPC), such as in prepregs, for example, has 1 to 200, particularly 10 to 100, layers (L). Preferably, these layers (L) are oriented parallel, particularly plane-parallel, relative to one another, where it is desirable, in order to increase the rigidity of the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC), if the layers (L) are arranged, relative to one another, in such a manner that the carbon fibers (F) of the individual layers (L) run transverse to one another. Furthermore, a layer (L) can consist not just of parallel carbon fibers (F), but rather of a woven carbon fiber fabric, in which the carbon fibers (F) run not only parallel but rather also orthogonal to one another. The thickness of the individual layers is decisively determined by the diameter of the carbon fibers (F).
With regard to the plastic matrix (P), the most varied polymers can be used. Preferably, these are duroplastics, thermoplastics, or mixtures of duroplastics and thermoplastics.
Duroplastics are preferably selected from the group consisting of epoxies, polyesters, polyurethanes, and phenols. Thermoplastics, on the other hand, are preferably selected from the group of technical thermoplastics, consisting of polyamide, polyetherketone, polyimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, and polyester. In a special embodiment, the plastic matrix (P) comprises, in particular, the plastic matrix (P) consists of, a thermoplastic such as polyetheretherketone, polyetherketone and/or polyamide.
The carbon fibers (C) [Translator's Note: above, F was used to refer to carbon fibers; it is used again further below] that are used in the present invention are conventional carbon fibers (C). Carbon fibers (C) are industrially manufactured fibers made from carbonaceous starting materials, such as cellulose, polyacrylonitrile or pitch, which are converted to carbon disposed in graphite manner, by means of pyrolysis. In the present application, anisotropic types, in particular, are used.
It is an essential aspect of the present application that a magnetic field (MF), i.e. a magnetic field direction, is produced for heating a fiber/plastic composite material (FPC), which field runs in the plane of at least one of the layers (L) of the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) to be heated (see FIG. 1).
Heating according to the present invention is particularly understood to mean that the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC), above all the plastic matrix (P), is heated to 500° C., particularly 400° C., in the case of high-performance thermoplastics, and preferably to 50 to 400° C., such as 100 to 250° C., in the case of duroplastic polymers.
The expression "in the plane" preferably indicates that the magnetic field (MF), i.e., the magnetic field direction, runs lateral to the carbon fibers (C) of the layer (L), i.e., in the plane of the layer (L).
It is particularly preferred that the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) is exposed to only one magnetic field direction (field mode) and not, as in the case of conventional processes, to multiple magnetic (and also electrical) field directions, which particularly occur due to reflection at the oven walls. Consequently, it is preferred that the method is conducted in a (closed) system that is primarily dimensioned in such a manner that reflections can be ignored. Consequently, the height, length, and depth of this system amount to at least 5λ, preferably at least 8λ, of the emitted electromagnetic wave, i.e. of the magnetic field (MF). It is also possible that the walls of the system are configured in such a manner that reflection of magnetic (and electrical) waves is avoided. Possible materials for this are microwave-absorbing materials, such as, for example, carbonaceous polymers, materials that contain water, etc.
The advantage of the oriented magnetic field (MF) is that an electrical current (EC) runs exclusively orthogonal to the plane of the layer (L) of carbon fibers (F), and thus into the interior of the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC).
It has proven to be particularly advantageous that the microwave antenna (MA) is brought close to the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) to be heated. Consequently, it is preferred that the microwave antenna (MA) is placed 50 mm or less (e.g., 0.5 to 50 mm), particularly 10 mm or less (e.g., 0.5 to 10 mm), such as 1 to 10 mm, above the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC) during heating.
By means of the closeness of the microwave antenna (MA) to the fiber/plastic composite material (FPC), the microwave antenna (MA) and at least one layer (L) of carbon fibers (F) form a common system, which must also be considered as such, in terms of electrodynamic aspects, i.e. the carbon fiber structure has a very decisive influence on the field orientation.
The magnetic field (MF) of the microwave preferably has a free space wavelength λ of 0.1 cm to 100.0 cm, preferably of 3.0 cm to 30.0 cm.
It has turned out that the method described above can particularly be carried out with a new type of microwave antenna (MA).
This microwave antenna (MA) preferably comprises a shaft (S) and a planar metal surface (MS), where                (a) the shaft (S) comprises an inner conductor (IC) and an outer conductor (OC), where the inner conductor (IC) and the outer conductor (OC) are separated by means of a dielectric (D), and the inner conductor (IC) and outer conductor (OC) run coaxial to one another,        (b) the metal surface (MS) has the shape of a circle sector (CS) having an angle of 1° to 180° and a radius of 0.1 cm to 60.0 cm,        (c) one end of the inner conductor (IC) is connected with the tip of the metal surface (MS) that is assigned to the angle of 1° to 180°, where the inner conductor (IC) forms an angle between 0° and 180° with the plane of the metal surface (MS) (see FIGS. 2a, 2b, 4a, and 4b).
For a more precise understanding of the microwave antenna (MA) in its preferred embodiments, reference is explicitly made to FIGS. 2a, 2b, 4a, and 4b.
Preferably, the shaft (S) is round, with a diameter of 10 to 150 mm, preferably of 20 to 60 nm, particularly of 25 to 35 mm, such as 32 mm. The length of the shaft (S) amounts to at least 30 mm in a preferred embodiment.
The inner conductor (IC) preferably has a diameter of 2 mm to 60 mm, particularly 2 mm to 20 mm, such as 5 mm to 10 mm, particularly preferably 8 mm.
The dielectric (D) is preferably air.
Particularly good results are achieved if the shaft end that is connected with the metal surface (MS) has only the inner conductor (IC). The length of the shaft section that has only the inner conductor (IC) results from the electromagnetic wave to be produced. Consequently, it is preferred that the shaft (S) has only the inner conductor (IC) λ/2 to λ/6, particularly λ/3 to λ/5, such as λ/4, in front of the shaft end that is connected with the metal surface (MS), where "λ" is the wavelength of the microwave having a length of 0.1 cm to 100 cm, preferably of 3.0 cm to 30.0 cm. Accordingly, it is preferred that the shaft (S) has only the inner conductor (OC) 0.1 cm to 25.0 cm, particularly 0.5 to 15.0 cm, in front of the shaft end that is connected with the metal surface (MS).
The second essential structural characteristic of the microwave antenna (MA) is the planar metal surface (MS). This planar metal surface (MS) preferably has the shape of a circle sector (CS), with:                (a) an angle of 1° to 180°, preferably of 70° to 120°, particularly of 80° to 100°, such as 90°, and/or        (b) a radius of 0.1 cm to 60.0 cm, preferably of 0.2 cm to 60.0 cm, particularly of 1.0 cm to 20.0 cm.
The radius preferably results from the wavelength of the microwave. Consequently, it is preferred that the metal surface (MS) in the shape of a circle sector (CS) has a radius of λ/1.8 to λ/2.2, preferably of λ/1.9 to λ/2, such as λ/2.0.
In a special embodiment, the planar metal surface (MS) has a circular hole. This hole preferably has a diameter of 1 to 20 mm, such as of 5 to 10 mm.
The circular hole is preferably situated in the center of the circle sector.
The thickness of the planar metal surface (MS) preferably lies in the range of 0.1 to 10 mm, such as 0.2 to 2 mm.
In a preferred embodiment, the metal surface comprises, particularly consists of, conductive materials such as metal (copper, aluminum, brass, stainless steel) or graphite.
Furthermore, the one end of the inner conductor (IC) must be connected with the tip (apex) of the metal surface (MS). In other words, the one end of the inner conductor (IC) is connected with the tip of the metal surface (MS), which is assigned to the angle of 1° to 180°. In this connection, the inner conductor (and thus the shaft) is preferably firmly connected with the metal surface (MS). Preferably, the inner conductor (IC) describes an angle between 0° and 180°, preferably between 10° and 90°, particularly between 25° and 55°, with the plane of the metal surface (MS). In a special embodiment, the angle amounts to between 30° to 40°.
The method described comprises heating any plastic, particularly duroplastic and/or thermoplastic polymers that are reinforced with carbon fibers, and all processes related to this. Thus, conventional autoclave technology can also be operated with such a method and such a microwave antenna (MA), in order to heat the structure in a short time and in energy-efficient manner. The method described, and the microwave antenna (MA), can particularly be used in so-called tape-laying processes. In these processes, the invention can be utilized in order to heat and/or cure the polymer directly after the tape is laid down. Furthermore, the method according to the invention and/or the microwave antenna (MA) can be used to completely consolidate the entire carbon fiber-reinforced structure after it has been laid.

Method for heating a fiber/plastic composite material

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.


An apparatus (200) and method for repairing an opening (130) in a wellbore casing (110). The apparatus (200) and method couple a floating tubular (250) member in opposing relation to the opening (130) in the wellbore casing (110).

This invention relates generally to wellbore casings, and in particular to apparatus and methods for repairing wellbore casings.
Conventionally, when a wellbore casing is damaged, a tubular liner is positioned within the damaged section of the wellbore casing in order to provide structural support and prevent the undesired outflow of drilling fluid into the formation or inflow of fluid from the formation into the borehole. However, conventional tubular liners used for repairing damaged sections of wellbore casings suffer from a number of serious drawback. For example, conventional tubular liners used for repairing damaged sections of wellbore casings are not designed to accommodate variable loading conditions.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations of the existing apparatus and methods for repairing damaged sections of wellbore casings.

Liner hanger with slip joint sealing members and method of use


A predistorter (26) comprises an array (44) of band pass filters (46 to 52) which divide an input signal into components. Each of the components is manipulated using coefficients retrieved from respective look-up tables (54 to 60). The amplitude of each component is used to retrieve a coefficient from its respective look-up table. The amplitude of each component is then multiplied with its respective retrieved coefficient to generate a predistorted amplitude for that component. The predistorted amplitudes are summed (at 80) to produce a predistorted input signal. The predistortion of the input signal is arranged to counter the distortion characteristic of a signal handling element (such as non-linear power amplifier 22 in FIG. 1) to which the predistorted input signal is subsequently supplied. The coefficients in the look-up tables (54 to 60) can be adapted using feed back from the output of the signal handling means (FIG. 5). Fast Fourier transformation and inverse fast Fourier transformation can be used in place of band pass filter array (44) and combiner (80), respectively (FIG. 4).

The GSM-EDGE and UMTS standards place an increasingly stringent requirement on the linearity of handset transceiver circuits, particularly given the proposed wide channel band widths of handset transceivers compared to, for example, DAMPS and PDC systems. In order to realise a power efficient handset design, some form of linearisation will be required in the handset transceiver. This should be low power itself, capable of broadband linearisation (up to 5 MHz for UMTS/UTRA), frequency flexible, preferably multiband, and capable of achieving and maintaining high levels of linearity improvement when used to reduce distortion caused by highly non-linear power amplifiers (e.g. class-C amplifiers).
The use of conventional single channel linearisation schemes (e.g. Cartesian loop) suffer in that they are capable of controlling linearisation only over a finite gain-bandwidth. Such systems are not capable of providing the required linearity improvements ("gain") over the channel bandwidths envisaged (for UMTS, in particular).
Alternative broadband linearisation schemes, such as feed-forward arrangements, are difficult to implement as integrated circuits. They are also unable to attain desired levels of power efficiency because they employ additional linear amplifiers to perform distortion cancellation.


Pharmaceutical compositions that bind to a predicted FK506 Binding Protein 52 (FKBP52) interaction surface on the androgen receptor hormone binding domain, otherwise known as FKBP52 Targeting Agents (FTAs) are provided. These compositions of the present invention are found to specifically recognize the FKBP52 regulatory surface on the androgen receptor and inhibit FKBP52 from functionally interacting with the androgen receptor. Compositions comprising the pharmaceutical composition, as well as methods of use, treatment and screening are also provided.

Steroid hormone receptors including androgen receptor (AR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and the progesterone receptor (PR) require the ordered assembly of various chaperone and cochaperone proteins in order to reach a functional state. The final stage in the receptor maturation process requires the formation of a multimeric complex consisting of an Hsp90 dimer, p23, and one of several large immunophilins. Previously studies demonstrated that the large immunophilin, FK506-binding protein 52 (FKBP52), acts to potentiate GR, AR, and PR receptor signaling pathways, and FKBP52-mediated regulation of receptor function appears to be localized to the receptor hormone binding domain. In cellular studies, FKBP52 has been shown to preferentially regulate GR, AR, and PR receptor-mediated signal transduction. See, for example, Cheung-Flynn, J., et al., Mol. Endocrinol., 19:1654-66 (2005); Riggs, D. L., et al., EMBO J., 22:1158-67 (2003); and Tranguch, S., et al., J. Clin. Invest., 117:1824-34 (2007). Given its receptor specificity, FKBP52 represents an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of hormone-dependent diseases.
It has been shown that when certain molecules bind to a previously described surface region on the AR hormone binding domain called BF3, they can generally inhibit AR function in the 100 μM range. See, Estebanez-Perpina, E., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 104:16074-9 (2007).
To date, the only known compounds for inhibition of AR function are related to selective AR modulators that bind to the hormone binding pocket, and are therefore competitive inhibitors of endogenous hormone binding. However, there still exists a need for compounds which are selective AR modulators which are not competitive agonists or antagonists to endogenous hormone binding.

Pharmaceutical compositions which inhibit FKBP52-mediated regulation of androgen receptor function and methods of using same

The United States of America, as represented by The Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

The Regents of the University of California, a California Corporation

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


Stereoscopic effects can be created by binocular parallax. Known stereoscopic display systems show pseudoscopic effects in outer areas of the image viewing position and the viewing position is fixed. To avoid such pseudoscopic effects and/or to change the viewing position stereoscopic displays using parallax barriers with variable pitch length, moving barriers parallel to the display plane, and a polarizing device forming polarized light together with polarizing prisms are provided.

Known stereoscopic display systems use special glasses, for example red and blue filter glasses, LCD shutter goggles or polarizing filter glasses. Other known prior stereoscopic displays use a parallax barrier with a fixed slit pitch or use a lenticular lens sheet. All these known stereoscopic display systems have the disadvantages that they show pseudoscopic images in the outer areas of the viewing area and/or that the viewing position is fixed due to the fixed geometry of the system.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a stereoscopic display system which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above.
This object is solved by the subject matter according to the independend claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are subject of the dependent claims.


There is disclosed a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of preventing a facet profile generated at the time when an epitaxial silicon layer is formed. In order to accomplish the above object, the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a first step of forming a gate including a mask insulating film and a sidewall spacer insulating film on a silicon substrate; a second step of growing a first epitaxial silicon layer on the exposed silicon substrate; and a third step of selectively growing a second epitaxial silicon layer on a facet region, wherein a boundary layer (layer in which the flow of hydrogen gas is substantially 0) for the flow of hydrogen gas on the entire structure for which the second step is completed and wherein the temperature of the facet region formed at the edge portion on the gate side in the first epitaxial silicon layer is higher than the temperature of its neighboring first epitaxial silicon layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a semiconductor technology, and more particularly to, a method of manufacturing a MOSFET of an elevated source/drain structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to improve the properties of a semiconductor device, a shallow source/drain junction is required. As the source/drain junction becomes shallower, however, there occurs a problem that a junction resistance is increased. In order to solve this problem, an elevated source/drain structure has been proposed.
Referring now to FIGS. 1A to 1E, a method of manufacturing a conventional MOSFET of an elevated source/drain structure will be explained.
In a method of manufacturing a conventional MOSFET of an elevated source/drain structure, a device separation film 11 is formed on a silicon substrate 10, and a gate oxide film 12, a conductive film for gate electrode 13 and a mask insulating film 14 are sequentially formed and are then patterned to form a gate, as shown in FIG. 1A.
Next, a sidewall spacer 15 is formed at the sidewall of the gate using an oxide film or a nitride film, as shown in FIG. 1B.
Then, an epitaxial silicon layer 16 is selectively formed on the exposed silicon substrate 10 by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, as shown in FIG. 1C.
Thereafter, impurity ion implantation is implemented for forming a source/a drain at the epitaxial silicon layer 16, as shown in FIG. 1D.
Next, annealing process for activating ions-implanted dopants is performed, as shown in FIG. 1E. Thus, the dopants are diffused into the silicon substrate 10 by a certain depth, thus forming a MOSFET of an elevated source/drain structure.
As mentioned above, conventionally, after the epitaxial silicon layer 16 of about 1000 xc3x85 is grown, a source/drain junction is formed by ion implantation and annealing process.
However, when the epitaxial silicon layer 16 is grown, the edge portion of the epitaxial silicon layer 16, that is, a facet region A is formed at {311} or {111} orientation plane.
Therefore, after diffusion process, the distribution of the dopants has a pocket shape B. This shape of dopant distribution obstructs prevention of short channel effect that is obtained by implementing a uniform and shallow junction being the greatest advantage in an elevated source/drain structure. Rather than, it causes a drain-induced barrier-lowering (DIBL) phenomenon by which electric filed generated at the drain region affects the source region and thus significantly degrades electric characteristic around the gate.
FIG. 2 is a photograph taken by a scanning electronic microscope (SEM) for explaining that a facet region is generated after an epitaxial silicon layer is grown.
As one solution to solve the above-mentioned problems, there has been proposed a method by which a secondary spacer is applied to improve a facet region, as shown in FIG. 3.
In concrete, a device separation film 31 is formed on a silicon substrate 30, and a gate oxide film 32, a conductive film for gate electrode 33 and a mask insulating film 34 are sequentially formed and are then patterned to form a gate.
Next, a first sidewall spacer 35 is formed at the sidewall of the gate using an oxide film or a nitride film. Then, an epitaxial silicon layer 36 is selectively grown on the exposed silicon substrate 30.
Thereafter, a second sidewall spacer 37 is formed using the nitride film or the oxide film. At this time, the second sidewall spacer 37 is formed to have a similar thickness to the width of the facet region, enough to cover the facet region generated at a portion neighboring to the first sidewall spacer 35.
Then, after impurity ion implantation is implemented for forming a source/a drain at the epitaxial silicon layer 36, annealing process for activating ions-implanted dopants is performed. Thus, the dopants are diffused into the silicon substrate 10 by a certain depth, thus forming a MOSFET of an elevated source/drain structure.
Though this method solves the problem that the distribution of dopants has a pocket shape, however, formation of the junction region around the gate is severely prohibited due to the second sidewall spacer 37, thus causing increased channel length. Therefore, there is a problem that it degrades the performance of a device in view of drain saturation current Idsat and trans-conductance (gm). Also, there is a problem that the total number of process is increased due to additional process for forming the second sidewall spacer 37 and the manufacture cost of a device is thus increased.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of preventing a fact profile generated at the time when an epitaxial silicon layer is formed.
In order to accomplish the above object, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a first step of forming a gate including a mask insulating film and a sidewall spacer insulating film on a silicon substrate; a second step of growing a first epitaxial silicon layer on the exposed silicon substrate; and a third step of selectively growing a second epitaxial silicon layer on a facet region, wherein a boundary layer (layer in which the flow of hydrogen gas is substantially 0) for the flow of hydrogen gas on the entire structure for which the second step is completed and wherein the temperature of the facet region formed at the edge portion on the gate side in the first epitaxial silicon layer is higher than the temperature of its neighboring first epitaxial silicon layer.
Preferably, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a first step of forming a gate including a mask insulating film and a sidewall spacer insulating film on a silicon substrate; a second step of growing a first epitaxial silicon layer on the exposed silicon substrate; a third step of forming a thin oxide film along the surface of the first epitaxial silicon layer; and a four step of selectively growing a second epitaxial silicon layer on a region in which the oxide film is removed, while selectively removing the oxide film in the facet region, wherein a boundary layer (layer in which the flow of hydrogen gas is substantially 0) for the flow of hydrogen gas on the entire structure for which the third step is completed and wherein the temperature of the oxide film in the facet region formed at the edge portion on the gate side in the first epitaxial silicon layer is higher than the temperature of its neighboring oxide film.
Also, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a first step of forming a gate including a mask insulating film and a sidewall spacer insulating film on a silicon substrate; a second step of growing a first epitaxial silicon layer on the exposed silicon substrate; a third step of forming a thin oxide film along the surface of the first epitaxial silicon layer; a fourth step of implementing hydrogen bake at the temperature of 750xcx9c850xc2x0 C. to selectively remove the oxide film on the facet region formed at the edge portion on the gate of the first epitaxial silicon layer; and a fifth step of selectively growing a second epitaxial silicon layer on a region in which the oxide film is removed.

Method of manufacturing a MOSFET of an elevated source/drain structure with SEG in facet

Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.


A cutting machine having a workpiece changer possessing a receiving element for the workpieces and/or workpiece palettes, said receiving element pivots about a vertical axis and is linearly shiftable in a plane normal to such axis. A tool spindle moves on two parallel side walls which are divided by a transverse wall or by door which can opened or shut between a front machining area and a rear supply area. The radius of the receiving element extends at least partly into a supply area and the tool spindle is movable over the front machining area. Accordingly a person minding or controlling the functioning cutting machine is not hampered by workpiece changing.

The invention relates to a cutting machine comprising a workpiece changer for shifting the workpieces and/or workpiece palettes to be processed between at least one transfer site outside the cutting machine, and a horizontally immobile workpiece table of the cutting machine, said workpiece changer possessing a receiving element for the workpieces and/or workpiece palettes, said receiving element being able to be pivoted about a vertical axis and to be linearly shifted in a plane normal to such axis, and a tool spindle arranged on a slide arrangement able to be power driven at least in the two horizontal directions.

Cutting machine with a workpiece changer