A motor driving circuit for driving a motor is provided. The motor driving circuit includes a plurality of inverter circuits, a driving signal look-up table module, a driving signal generating unit, a duty cycle command detector, and a protection control circuit. The driving signal look-up table module performs a table lookup on an input driving signal to generate a driving waveform pattern signal while outputting a positive period indication signal. The duty cycle command detector generates a first protection start signal when a duty cycle corresponding to the input driving signal changes by more than a predetermined amount of change. The protection control circuit outputs a forced disable signal in a positive period interval in response to receiving the first protection start signal to control the lower bridge switch of one phase of the inverter circuits to be turned off.

In a motor such as a brushless direct current (DC) motor that does not have a commutation mechanism formed by electrical brushes, it is necessary to switch a direction of current supplied to a coil in accordance with a position of a rotor. In general, there are two driving methods of the brushless DC motor, one manner is using information of the rotor obtained from Hall elements to estimate a position of the rotor, and another manner is a sensorless manner of estimating the position of the rotor according to a zero-crossing point of a back electromotive force (BEMF), which is an inducted voltage generated in the coil without using Hall elements.
The existing DC motor driving methods can be divided into a six-step square wave driving method and a sine wave pulse width modulation (PWM) method, and the two different driving methods have advantages and disadvantages. The sine PWM driving method is similar to a method for driving an AC motor, which inputs a three-phase sinusoidal current at a stator end, and generates a set of rotating magnetic fields to drive the rotor to rotate. Smaller torque ripples can be obtained by using the sine wave PWM driving method to drive the brushless DC motor; however, a position sensor having a higher resolution is required to generate a correct sine wave signal. The six-step square wave driving method has low switching loss and does not require precise rotor position feedback, but torque ripples thereof can be larger.
Secondly, when controlling a rotation speed of the motor, the pulse width modulation technology is primarily used, that is, PWM signals are generated to control transistor switches, and a duty cycle of the PWM signals is directly proportional to an average voltage given to the motor, so that the rotation speed of the motor can be controlled. The PWM signal controls transistor switch in many different ways, such as controlling an upper bridge transistor switch and a lower bridge transistor switch simultaneously or in turns.
However, when a speed of the motor is controlled to be dropped, a back electromotive force generated by the motor in a high-speed operating state caused by an inertia will generate a reverse current. The generated reverse current will flow back to a power supply terminal in a positive period while the lower bridge transistor switch is turned off, thereby causing a level of a voltage source potential to be raised, and the components to be damaged.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for a motor driving circuit and method that can prevent a reverse current from being generated when an output cycle changes rapidly.

Motor driving circuit and method thereof


A photoelectric conversion device has a plurality of photoelectric conversion cells, each cell having a semiconductor transistor comprising two main electrode regions made of one conductive type semi-conductor and a control electrode region made of another conductive type semiconductor and a capacitor for controlling the control electrode region at a floating state, the potential at the control electrode region at a floating state being controlled by means of the capacitor so that carriers generated by light are stored in the control electrode region and the output of each cell is controlled in accordance with the storage voltage generated by the storage. In such a photo-electric conversion device, an isolation region for electrically insulating adjacent photoelectric conversion cells includes an insulation region and a semiconductor region of high impurity density formed beneath the insulation region; and the semiconductor region of high impurity density is made of the same conductive type semiconductor as the main electrode regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device having a charge storage region whose potential can be controlled by means of a capacitor.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view illustrating a photoelectric conversion device described in the Official Gazette of an EPC laid-open publication No. 0132076, and, FIG. 1B is a cross section along line I--I of FIG. 1A.
In the figures, photosensor cells are formed disposed on an n.sup.+ silicon substrate 101, each photo-sensor cell being electrically insulated from adjacent cells by an element isolation region 102 made of material such as SiO.sub.2, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, or polysilicon.
Each photosensor cell is constructed as in the following:
On an n.sup.- region 103 of low impurity density which is formed by epitaxial technique or the like, there is formed a p region 104 by doping p-type impurities within which p region an n.sup.+ region 105 is formed by impurity diffusion technique or ion implantation technique. The p region 104 and n.sup.+ region 105 constitute the base and emitter of a bipolar transistor, respectively.
On the p region 104 and n.sup.+ region 105 formed on the n.sup.- region 103, there is formed an oxidized film 106 on which a capacitor electrode 107 having a predetermined area is formed. The capacitor electrode 107 faces the p region 104, the oxidized film 106 being interposed therebetween. Thus, by applying a voltage to the capacitor electrode 107, the potential of the p region 104 at a floating state can be controlled.
In addition, there are formed an emitter electrode connected to the n.sup.+ region 105, an interconnection 109 for reading a signal from the emitter electrode and outputting it to an external circuit, an n.sup.+ region 111 of high impurity density on the back of the substrate, and an electrode 112 for applying a potential to the collector of the bipolar transistor.
Next, the fundamental operation of the above-described photosensor will be described. Light 113 is applied to the p region 104 or the base of the bipolar transistor to thereby store the charge corresponding to light quantity (storage operation). The base potential varies with, the stored charge. By reading a potential change from the emitter electrode at a floating state, an electrical signal corresponding to the incident light quantity can be obtained (readout operation). To eliminate the stored charge in the p region 104, the emitter electrode 108 is grounded and the capacitor electrode 107 is applied with a positive pulse voltage (refreshing operation). Since the p region 104 is forward-biased relative to the n.sup.+ region 105 by applying the positive pulse voltage, the stored charge is eliminated. The above operations, i.e., storage, readout and refreshment are repeated.
In summary, according to the proposed method, the charge generated by incident light is stored in the p region 104 or the base so that current flowing through the emitter electrode 108 and collector electrode 112 can be controlled. Thus, the stored charge is amplified at each cell and thereafter is read so that a high output and sensitivity as well as a low noise level can be achieved.
The base potential V.sub.p generated by the holes stored in the base through light excitation is given by Q/C, wherein Q represents the charge quantity of holes stored in the base, and C represents a capacitance connected to the base. As apparent from the above relationship, a high integration of the photo-sensor leads to a reduction in cell size as well as a reduction in values of Q and C, so that the potential V.sub.p generated through light excitation is maintained substantially constant. Consequently, the proposed method is considered also effective for high resolution of the photosensor in the future.
However, for the above-described, conventional photoelectric conversion device, deep etching is required for forming the element isolation region 102 for electrically insulating each cell, thereby resulting in a problem that the manufacturing process becomes complicated.
Furthermore, this deep etching causes other problems such as an increase in leakage current between cells due to damages of the substrate 101 and due to stress at the interfacial surface between the n.sup.- layer 103 and the isolation region 102.


A projection apparatus including an image display element for modulating illumination light, an illumination optical system for irradiating the illumination light onto the image display element, a projection optical system for projecting the modulated light by the image display element onto a projection surface, and an optical system changing section for changing the illumination optical system, wherein the illumination optical system includes a light source, a condensing optical system, a rod integrator and an illumination relay optical system wherein the projection optical system includes a projection variable-aperture diaphragm whose aperture diameter can be adjusted, and wherein the optical system changing section changes, when the aperture diameter of the projection variable-aperture diaphragm is made smaller, the illumination optical system such that an amount of light passing through the projection variable-aperture diaphragm with that aperture diameter increases.

In recent years, a projection apparatus that projects illumination light modulated by an image display element, such as a liquid crystal and a digital micromirror device (hereinafter also referred to as "DMD"), on a surface to be projected, such as a screen, has become widely used as a projector for home theaters.
This kind of projection apparatus usually includes an image display element for modulating illumination light, an illumination optical system for irradiating the image display element with the illumination light, and a projection optical system for projecting the light modulated by the image display element onto a projection surface.
In this projection apparatus, brightness and contrast of a projection image, which is projected on a screen, are affected by the state of an aperture diaphragm of the above-mentioned projection optical system. To be more specific, when an aperture diameter of the aperture diaphragm provided in the projection optical system is larger, the projection image becomes brighter, but the contrast is lower. Conversely, when the aperture diameter of the aperture diaphragm is smaller, the projection image becomes darker, but the contrast is higher.
Therefore, a projection apparatus whose projection optical system is provided with a variable-aperture diaphragm whose aperture diameter can be adjusted so that the brightness and the contrast of the projection image can be adjusted depending on the image to be displayed (for example, refer to Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H05-188345).
On the other hand, a discharge lamp with a large amount of light per unit area is preferably used as a light source for the above-mentioned illumination optical system. However, a parallel light, which is generated by collimating the light from the discharge lamp, does not have an even spatial light intensity distribution, and the light intensity in the area near an optical axis is smaller than in the circumferential area.
Therefore, an illumination optical system using a rod integrator for flattening the spatial light intensity distribution of the illumination light has been proposed (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,223 and a U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,931).
As mentioned above, the brightness and contrast of the projection image, which is projected on a screen, have a so-called trade-off relationship. Therefore, when projecting using the projection apparatus disclosed in Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H05-188345, there was a problem that the brightness fell when the aperture diameter of the variable-aperture diaphragm of the projection optical system was made smaller to obtain high contrast.
Even when the illumination optical system using the rod integrator disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,868,223 and in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,931 is used as an illumination optical system of the projection apparatus to flatten the light intensity distribution, there is a problem that the decrease of the brightness caused by making the aperture diameter of the variable-aperture diaphragm of the projection optical system smaller could not be controlled.
In particular, in the case of the projection apparatus in which the discharge lamp is used as a light source, since the amount of light in the area near to an optical axis was especially small, the above-mentioned problem is particularly significant.
The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems. An objective of the present invention is to provide a projection apparatus which is provided with the variable-aperture diaphragm and can control the decrease of the brightness at the time of making the aperture diameter of the variable-aperture diaphragm smaller, and which can obtain good projection images with a high contrast.


A method for assembling semiconductor packages (10) includes forming corresponding pairs of conductive pads (14, 16, 20, 22) on respective surfaces of a die (12) and an interconnective substrate (18). Each pad in each pair includes an upper portion comprising at least one component of an electrically conductive eutectic alloy. Sharp, upstanding peaks (50, 58) are formed on at least one of the pads in each pair. The die and substrate are forcefully abutted and the pads heated until the sharp peaks penetrate through oxide films (52) on the respective opposing pads in each pair and contact the upper surface of the other pad therein, thereby initiating pad fusion. The pads are then cooled to solidify the molten portions thereof into an electrically conductive joint between each corresponding pair of pads and a hermetic seal around the periphery of the package.

Integrated circuits ("ICs") are formed in the "active" surface of a single die, or "chip," cut from a semiconductor wafer containing an integral array of identical dies. The dies are relatively small and fragile, are susceptible to harmful environmental elements, particularly moisture, and during operation, can generate a relatively large amount of heat in a relatively small volume. Accordingly, ICs are typically assembled in affordable, yet robust, packages that protect them from the environment, enable them to be reliably mounted to and interconnected with, for example, a printed circuit board ("PCB") populated with associated electronic components, and to effectively dissipate to the ambient the heat they generate during operation.
A recent trend in the electronics industry has been toward equipments that are smaller, lighter, and yet more functional. This has resulted in a concomitant demand for semiconductor packages that have smaller outlines and mounting "footprints," yet increased functionality. One response to this trend has been the development of "chip-scale," or "chip-size," semiconductor packages, including ball grid array ("BGA"), land grid array ("LGA"), and lead-less chip carrier ("LCC") packages, which are surface mounting devices that have outline and mounting dimensions only slightly greater than those of the semiconductor die packaged therein.
An example of one known type of such a chip size package, viz., a so-called "ball grid array" ("BGA") semiconductor package 100, is illustrated in the top plan, cross-sectional elevation, and bottom plan views of FIGS. 5–7, respectively. As shown in the figures, the conventional BGA package 100 comprises a semiconductor die 102 soldered to and in electrical connection with an interconnective substrate 104, the latter serving both to redistribute the electrical input/output ("I/O") signals to and from the die, and to assist in the hermetic sealing of the die against harmful environmental agents, including moisture.
A laminate type of substrate 104, such as the simple, three-layer embodiment illustrated in the figures, typically comprises one or more dielectric layers 106 on which one or more patterned metal layers 108 are formed. The metal layers 108 are patterned, typically by photo-etching techniques, to include signal connection pads 110 on the upper surface of the dielectric layer 106 and terminal lands 112 on the lower surface thereof. The connection pads 110 are connected to the lands 112 through the thickness of the substrate 102 by plated-through holes 114, called "vias." The metal layers 108 may also be patterned to include circuit traces 116 on one or both surfaces of the dielectric layer 106 that connect one or both of the connection pads 110 and the lands 112 to each other through the vias 114.
In a conventional BGA package 100, balls 118 of a conductive metal, e.g., a lead-tin solder, are formed on respective ones of the lands 112, which are arranged in the form of a "grid," or rectangular array, to serve as signal input/output and mounting terminals of the package 100. In LGA and LCC packages, the terminal balls 118 are omitted, and the lands 112 themselves serve as the package terminals.
To effect the signal redistribution function, signal I/O pads 120 on the active surface of the die 102 may be bonded to the signal connection pads 110 on the substrate 104 with fine, conductive wires (not illustrated), or alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 6, soldered directly to the connection pads 110 using the so-called "flip-chip," or "C4," method of die attachment, typically with a flux and a solder comprising lead (Pb) and tin (Sn).
The "flip-chip" method of attaching chips to and in electrical connection with substrates was developed by, inter alia, IBM, Inc., in about 1965. Sometimes referred to as the "Controlled Collapse Chip Connection," or "C4," method (see, e.g., L. F. Miller, "Controlled Collapse Reflow Chip Joining," IBM J. Res. Develop., 239–250, May 1969), the technique involves forming bumps of a conductive metal, e.g., solder, on the signal I/O pads 120 on the active surface of the chip 102, then inverting, or "flipping" the chip upside-down and "reflowing," or fusing, the solder bumps to the corresponding connection pads 110 on the substrate 104, which is conventionally effected in a conveyor oven using a flux.
The package 100 is typically hermetically sealed by molding a dense body 122 of plastic, e.g., a filled epoxy resin, over the mounted die 102 and at least a portion of the substrate 104, or alternatively, by attaching, e.g., by soldering, a metal lid 124 (shown by dashed outline in FIGS. 5 and 6) to the substrate that covers the die. Prior to sealing, it is conventional to clean the narrow space between the die 102 and the substrate 104 thoroughly of any residual flux, then "underfill" the space with a layer 126 of a low-viscosity liquid plastic, which is then cured solid. The underfill layer 126 serves to support the die 102 above the substrate 104 and prevent the plastic of an encapsulating body 122 from penetrating into the space and forming a potentially destructive "thermal wedge" between the die and the substrate at elevated temperatures, or alternatively, to prevent any flux residue remaining in the package from the solder attachment of a lid from corroding the connection pads and the active surface of the die during the life of the package.
While the conventional BGA package 100 assembly techniques illustrated and described above afford a generally satisfactory solution to the need for a chip size semiconductor package, they are not without certain drawbacks. One of these relates to the need for using a flux in the soldering, or electrical attachment, of the die to the substrate, and the concomitant need to clean the assembly thoroughly of any flux residue before the package is sealed to prevent subsequent corrosion by the flux residue. The need for a flux in the die attachment process arises from the presence of oxide films that form on the solder and the connection pads as a result of the reaction of the metals in the solder and pads with oxygen in the atmosphere. The oxide films prevent the wetting by the solder of the surfaces to be joined. Fluxes strip and chemically bind with the oxide films at elevated temperatures and thereby "clean" the metal of the pads of any oxides and enable the solder to wet and join with the metal.
While it is possible to eliminate the use of a flux by first carefully cleaning the metal of the contacts of any oxide films and then effecting the soldering of the die to the substrate in a "reducing" atmosphere, e.g., one containing hydrogen, this procedure is relatively costly and involves the use of equipment that is complex, expensive, and potentially dangerous. It is therefore desirable to provide a method for soldering a first substrate, e.g., a semiconductor die to and in electrical connection with a second substrate, e.g., an interconnective substrate of a semiconductor package, without using fluxes or reducing atmospheres, or the complex cleaning processes that they entail.
Another drawback of the conventional package is the need for separate, costly processes and structures for hermetically sealing the active surface of the die and the electrical contacts between the die and the substrate from the ambient. It is therefore desirable to provide a method for hermetically sealing a semiconductor package without the need for these additional processes and materials, and further, to effect such a seal simultaneously with the electrical connection of the die to the substrate.
Yet another drawback of the prior art package is the widespread use of solder alloys containing lead, primarily because of the relatively low melting temperature of lead and the relatively high strength of the joints formed thereof when solidified. Lead is toxic and can have a significant, long-term adverse impact on the environment when electronic devices with solder joints containing lead are disposed of, e.g., in landfills. It is therefore desirable to provide a method of soldering a semiconductor die to a substrate using electrically conductive alloys that have relatively low melting temperatures, relatively high joint strength when solidified, but which contain no lead or other element that is harmful to the environment when disposed of.

Fluxless assembly of chip size semiconductor packages


The present invention is an insulating composite comprising (a) a first thermally reflective layer having a reflective surface and an opposing surface and (b) silica aerogel granules. The present invention further includes an insulating element in which the insulating composite is disposed within an air-impermeable container.

The present invention relates to a multilayer insulation composite and, more particularly, a multilayer insulation composite containing silica aerogel granules.
A common type of insulation used for cryogenic applications is multilayer insulation. Multilayer insulations typically consist of alternating layers of highly reflecting material, such as aluminum foil or aluminized mylar, and a low-conductivity spacer material or insulator, such as fiberglass mat or paper, glass fabric, or nylon net. Between twenty and forty such layers are commonly used for cryogenic applications including, for example, laboratory dewars, piping, on-site storage vessels, and tank trucks. In addition, multilayer insulations are advantageously kept under a high vacuum, thereby further enhancing the insulating properties of the multilayer insulations. Multilayer insulations have a very low thermal conductivity due to the fact that all modes of heat transferxe2x80x94conductive, convective, and radiativexe2x80x94are minimized. The multiple layers of reflecting material have a low emissivity and, thereby, inhibit radiative heat transfer. Convective heat transfer is inhibited by lowering the pressure (i.e., creating a vacuum) between the insulation layers. Finally, the presence of spacer material inhibits conductive heat transfer through thermal short-circuits that might otherwise exist between the layers of reflecting material.
Current multilayer insulations, however, are disadvantageous due to the need for complex vacuum pumping equipment to maintain the insulation in a highly evacuated environment. Typical multilayer insulations require vacuum levels on the order of 10xe2x88x927 to 10xe2x88x925 kPa (10xe2x88x926 to 10xe2x88x924 torr) to achieve suitable thermal performance. To sustain this low vacuum level, time consuming and expensive pumping and heating cycles are required as well as the addition of hydrogen and water getters/adsorbers. For some cryogenic applications, it would be advantageous to obtain similar thermal performance from the multilayer insulation at higher pressures in order to reduce costs associated with obtaining a vacuum.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a multilayer insulation composite which exhibit satisfactory thermal performance in cryogenic applications under higher pressures. It is another object of this invention to provide a multilayer insulation composite which exhibits improved thermal performance in cryogenic applications at low vacuum levels. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.
The present invention is an insulating composite comprising (a) a first thermally reflective layer having a reflective surface and an opposing surface and (b) silica aerogel granules. The present invention further includes an insulating element in which the insulating composite is disposed within an air-impermeable container.


A method of avoiding screen off during an Automatic Response System (ARS) service is provided. The method includes enabling a proximity sensor in a call connection, detecting one of a first gesture and a second gesture during a call, and upon detecting the first gesture, disabling the proximity sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preventing screen off due to an operation of a proximity sensor during an automatic response system service is used in the electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An Audio Response System or Automatic Response System (ARS) is a system which stores a variety of information comprising audio data in a storage device and which automatically delivers information desired by a user. The variety of information is stored in an audio format, and thus when the user accesses a system using a phone, the user is informed as to how to use the system so that the user can search for necessary information by using a sound. When the necessary information is found, the user can listen to the information. In other words, the user usually proceeds to a next step while touching one numeric character in a keypad according to a voice guidance and finally listens to the desired information.
According to the related art, an electronic device such as a smart phone employs a soft keypad which is used as an input means instead of a hardware keypad. The soft keypad is a keypad displayed on a screen. In addition, the electronic device such as the smart phone performs a "screen off" (e.g., a screen deactivation) function by using a proximity sensor to prevent a loss of electronic current of a display unit and an erroneous operation thereof during a call. For example, when the smart phone is placed close to an ear of the user to make a call, the proximity sensor located in an upper portion of the smart phone recognizes that the smart phone is proximate to the ear of the user, and thus performs the screen off function according to a sensing result of the proximity sensor. Therefore, electric current unnecessarily consumed in the display unit during the call can be decreased, and the user can avoid a case in which an end button is erroneously pressed. In general, the proximity sensor is located in an upper-right portion or an upper-left portion.
In an electronic device using a soft keypad, a user touches a button of the soft keypad which appears on a display to respond to a voice query of a synthesized sound when using an ARS service. In this case, there is a high possibility that a proximity sensor located in an upper-right portion or an upper-left portion is operated when the user touches the keypad in response to the voice query of the synthesized sound to acquire desired information. Therefore, when the user intends to press a numeric character of the soft keypad for the ARS response, a problem occurs in that the screen is turned off before the ARS response and thus a user input cannot be made.
As described above, the technique according to the related art is designed to turn the screen off by operating the proximity sensor when the smart phone is placed close to the ear of the user to make the call, for the purpose of decreasing the electric current unnecessarily consumed in the display unit during the call and for the purpose of avoiding the operation in which the end button is erroneously pressed. However, when the user presses a numeric character of a keypad in response to a synthesized sound during an ARS service, the proximity sensor may operate unnecessarily by a finger of the user. For example, when the numeric character is input by using the soft keypad during the ARS service, "screen off" may occur, which may cause inconvenience to the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for conveniently using an ARS service in an electronic device for performing a "screen off" function by using a proximity sensor to avoid an erroneous operation and a loss of electric current consumed in a display unit during a call.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.

Method and apparatus for preventing screen off during automatic response system service in electronic device


Disclosed is a double bogey arrangement comprised of four wheels mounted in an opposed fashion for supporting the T-shaped upper end of a road lane barrier. The double bogey structure includes an elastomeric mounting to absorb operating shocks while transferring lane barriers from one lane to another. The four-wheel bogey precludes problems existing with present lane barrier positioning vehicles wherein the support wheels are caught in the separation between the series of lane barriers, thereby causing damage to the support wheels and to the lane barriers.

This invention relates to the support member for the T-shaped lane dividers utilized with a lane barrier positioning vehicle. In particular, it relates to the suspension member which holds the lane barrier off the surface of the road while it is shifted from one lane to another.
In the last several years, it has become apparent that the positioning of lane barriers on major highways can drastically reduce head-on collisions. However, because of their nature, the lane barriers in their normal configurations are difficult to move from one lane to another to change the number of traffic lanes flowing in one direction. This situation is particularly apparent where the majority of the traffic will flow in one direction in the morning and in the opposite direction in the afternoon.
A lane barrier positioning vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,225, which serves to reposition lane barriers from one lane to another. This vehicle is used with a specially-configured barrier having a T-shaped cross-section at the top ad described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,225. The vehicle has a series of rollers mounted beneath the vehicle which are in an S-shaped track so that a lane barrier can be picked up at the front of the vehicle and, as the vehicle moves forward, the lane barrier is picked off the road and shifted laterally to either the right or the left of the vehicle as it traverses the highway. The distance of traverse is calculated to be equal to one lane. As a consequence, after the lane barrier positioning vehicle has passed down a multilane highway, the lane barrier separating the oncoming traffic has been shifted one lane either to the left or right so that the number of active lanes traveling in one direction is increased, while the number of lanes in the opposite direction is commensurately decreased.
This system is in use on several major bridges in the United States, as well as in other countries.
The T-shaped lane barrier is supported in the vehicle by a number of rollers that are independently suspended below the vehicle. In more recent versions, each roller may be separately suspended from the vehicle by a spring-loaded member. It should be noted that the rollers are situated opposite one another so that there are pairs of rollers that support the T-shaped head of the lane barrier. In order for the lane barrier to be shifted from one lane to another, the barrier is made in sections and jointed between each section. Thus, when the lane is shifted from right to left as it passes under the vehicle in an S-shaped pattern, each section is shifted laterally. The separation between the section is kept as close as possible; however, it has been found that the independently suspended support wheels on some occasion will "hang up" in the joint between the two lane barrier sections. While the momentum in the vehicle is generally sufficient to jar the offending wheel out of the separation, there is usually some residual damage to the lane barrier and to the support wheel. After a series of uses, the support wheel must be changed and it may become necessary for the lane barrier to be changed.
It is an object of this invention to overcome this handicap by providing better support for the support wheels affixed to the lane barrier positioning vehicle.
It is a further object of this invention to improve the mounting of the support wheels under the vehicle so that there is less damage to the lane barrier and to the wheels supporting the lane barrier.
This invention comprises a double bogey support member formed of a U-shaped bracket defining a pair of downwardly extending legs and a cross-member interconnecting the downwardly extending legs. Two pairs of bogey wheels are included so that a first pair of wheels are rotatably affixed to one downwardly extending leg, and extend inwardly therefrom, and a second set of bogey wheels is rotatably affixed to the other downwardly extending legs, and extend inwardly therefrom. A resilient structure is provided to affix the cross-member of the U-shaped bracket to the lane barrier positioning vehicle so that the two pairs of bogey wheels can engage and support the lower surface of the T-shaped head of the lane barrier.

Four-wheel, double bogey for a lane barrier positioning vehicle


An apparatus for transporting materials including an electrically conductive substrate and a protective liner being in contact with the transported materials. The protective liner includes an electrically non-conductive first layer coupled to the substrate, and an electrically conductive second layer coupled to the first layer. The first layer electrically insulates the second layer from the substrate. A monitoring device is connected to the substrate and the second layer, and configured to detect an electrical connection between the substrate and the second layer indicative of wear of the protective liner. The apparatus can be in a form of a pipe, hose, elbow, valve or tank, and may be used to transport abrasive materials.

The following paragraphs are not an admission that anything discussed in them is prior art or part of the knowledge of persons skilled in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,468 (Baldwin et al.) describes a conduit liner monitor that allows for the non-destructive determination of the status of a liner disposed within a conduit. The conduit may, for example, be an elbow, valve, pipe. At least one wire is disposed within the liner in an area of concern. The wire is connected to a receptacle located on the conduit. A status display plugs into the receptacle and checks the continuity of the wire. If a wire is broken, this information is displayed, indicating a potential problem with the liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,237 (Chevalier et al.) describes an abrasive material transport hose with wear detecting sensors. The useful life of an abrasive material transport hose can be maximized if the hose is repositioned at the first signs of internal wear. This is accomplished by disposing at least two wear sensing elements, each at a specified distance from the inwardmost surface of the inner tube, and each monitoring a condition indicative of wear of the hose at its specified distance from the inwardmost surface of the inner tube. When the innermost wear sensing element implies wear, the hose can be repositioned to extend the useful life until the outermost wear sensing element indicates wear requiring replacement of the hose.


A piezoelectric element includes an element layer, an electrode layer including one or more positive electrode layers and one or more negative electrode layers repeatedly stacked to alternate with each other on the element layers in a vertical direction, a primary positive electrode connection member connecting the positive electrode layers, a primary negative electrode connection member connecting the negative electrode layers, at least one secondary positive electrode connection member, at least one secondary negative electrode connection member, and a primary electrode connected to the primary positive electrode connection member and the primary negative electrode connection member and configured of a pair of electrodes, and at least one secondary electrode spaced apart from the primary electrode and configured of a pair of electrodes.

The present disclosure relates to a piezoelectric element and an electronic component including the same.
In various electronic devices such as portable devices, for example, cellular phones, E-book readers, game machines, Portable Media Players (PMP), etc., speakers, actuators, and the like, vibratory function has been utilized for a variety of purposes. In particular, a vibration generator is provided in mobile devices such as cellular phones to be used for silently notifying a user of call reception. In the case of vibration generators, such devices need to be small and multi-functional to keep up with the ever-increasing functionality of portable electronic devices.
Recently, as demand for electronic devices easier to use has increased, touchscreen devices, allowing for user interaction with mobile devices through touch interactions with the screens thereof, to provide an intuitive user interface, have become widespread. A haptic feedback device, disposed in such a touchscreen-equipped device, allows for the diversification of user touch interaction, in addition to the concept of allowing for user interaction with devices through touches made thereto.
Meanwhile, as compared with typical vibration generators using the principle of eccentricity to generate vibrations, vibration generators using piezoelectric elements have relatively fast response times and may be driven at various frequencies.
Further, a multilayer-type piezoelectric element may be used in various electronics. However, in the case that mobile devices receive shocks due to being dropped and have external force applied thereto, reliability of the piezoelectric element may be degraded.
Further, in the case that cracks are formed in a piezoelectric element, an operable region may be reduced, vibratory force may be reduced, and mobile electronic devices may not work properly.
In other words, when cracks are formed in the piezoelectric element, power applied from a circuit board may only be applied to a portion in which cracks are formed, while power may not be applied to a portion in which cracks are not formed. Accordingly, an effective electrode surface may be reduced, and as a result, vibratory force may be reduced.

Piezoelectric element and electronic component including the same


Disclosed herein relates to an enclosure-to-rail retaining system. The system includes, a rail that is fastenable to a structure, and an enclosure that is receptive of the rail. The enclosure has a slot therein that intersects a channel therein and is slidably engagable by a clip such that a portion of the clip can extend into the channel to thereby narrow a portion of the channel to a dimension less than a width of the rail.

A DIN rail is a standardized 35 mm wide metal rail with a top-hat shaped cross section. It is widely used, especially in Europe, for mounting circuit breakers and industrial control equipment inside equipment racks. In addition to the popular 35 mm top-hat rail several less widely used types of top-hat mounting rails have also been standardized. Top-hat rails are usually mounted in a horizontal orientation to a flat vertically oriented surface. In such an orientation the top-hat cross section provides an upwardly oriented edge and a downwardly oriented edge. The forgoing structure provides a strong stable mounting rail on which to mount enclosures that house a myriad of devices.
Attachment of enclosures to the rail is typically accomplished by sizing a horizontal channel in a surface of an enclosure that is slightly greater in width than the width of the rail. Typically a downwardly extending lip on an upper sidewall of the channel engages with the upwardly oriented edge of the rail. Thus, weight of the enclosure, and device housed therein, pull the downwardly extending lip into contact with the upwardly oriented edge of the rail and thereby hold the enclosure to a vertical surface to which the rail is attached.
Such a system, however, has the potential for the enclosure to become unintentionally disengaged from the rail if the enclosure is inadvertently bumped in a specific manner. For example, if the bump causes the downwardly extending lip on the channel to be momentarily lifted above the upwardly oriented rail edge the lip may not reengage with the edge upon resettling. If this happens the enclosure will no longer be retained on the rail and will fall with possibly damaging consequences.
To improve retention to the rail some rail mounting systems use a movable lip on one side of the channel and a stationary lip on the other side of the channel. Such a system may successfully prevent the inadvertent disengagement discussed above. Having a lip fixedly attached to either side of the channel, however, requires that the enclosure be tilted relative to the rail when installing the enclosure onto the rail. This tilting action allows the fixed lip to be positioned behind the edge of the rail before tilting the enclosure back to a square orientation with the rail, wherein the lip engages with the rail as described above. Some applications however have limited space available above and below the mounting location of the enclosure precluding the tilting necessary to engage the lip beyond the edge of the rail.
Accordingly there is a need in the art for an enclosure to rail mounting system that doesn't require clearance above or below a mounting location of the enclosure.

Enclosure-to-rail retaining system and method


Provided are a method, system, and program for authenticating a node requesting another node to perform work on behalf of yet another node. A plurality of agent nodes in the network are associated with a multi-node, wherein the agent nodes are associated with machines in the network capable of performing operations on behalf of the multi-node. A target node receives a request from a calling node for the target node to perform operations on behalf of the multi-node, wherein the target node is one of the agent nodes associated with the multi-node. The target node determines whether the calling node is one of the agent nodes associated with the multi-node and determines whether the calling node is capable of authenticating with a server. The target node performs the operations requested by the calling node in response to determining that the calling node is associated with the multi-node and is capable of authenticating with the server.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for authenticating a node requesting another node to perform work on behalf of yet another node.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a network backup environment, a client system may backup data in a storage device and coordinate the backup with a backup server. For instance, the International Business Machines ("IBM"®) Tivoli® Storage Manager product provides software for a client and server systems to backup client data. (IBM and Tivoli are registered trademarks of IBM).
In a backup environment of multiple client nodes, one client node may logon to the backup server to perform backup operations on behalf of another node having data sets to backup, which may be part of a scheduled backup. To schedule a backup operation, a backup operation may be scheduled for one node to backup data sets in an attached storage at that node or a set of backup operations may be defined and associated with nodes to perform the scheduled backup. In the second technique, a schedule is defined and nodes are associated with that schedule.
In one system, an administrator user at a Web browser may contact nodes one at a time and authenticate with the server through these nodes to have the nodes perform backup related tasks. This process is called passthrough authentication and requires that the administrator at the Web browser have authority over these nodes in order to authenticate through them to the server. The administrator at the Web browser enters their credentials at the web browser, which are then submitted to the server through the node.

Authenticating a node requesting another node to perform work on behalf of yet another node

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention concerns a deposition device in particular of crystalline coatings on at least one substrate in particular crystalline. Said device comprises a treatment chamber (5) consisting of a number of wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4), said wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4) being electroconductive and placed end-to-end, thus forming contacts (2′, 2″, 3′, 3″); a reactor housing (6) enclosing the wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber and made of a non-electroconductive material and a RF-heated coil surrounding the wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber. The invention is characterized in that a massive single-piece shield heating pipe (8) is implanted between the reactor housing (6) and the walls (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber. The material of said pipe is electroconductive so that it is heated by the eddy currents induced therein by the RF field generated by the RF coil and so that it absorbs considerably the RF field and heats the walls (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber.

Such a device is described by DE 10055182 A1. This device comprises a quartz tube within which a process chamber is located. The process chamber wall comprises a number of graphite elements, that is a top, two walls and a bottom. The individual graphite wall elements engage against one another in touching contact. The known device is surrounded by an RF coil, which generates an RF field inside the reactor housing. Said field produces eddy currents in the process chamber walls. As a result of the contact resistances in the regions where the individual wall elements engage against one another, instances of local heating or even spark discharges occur.

CVD reactor with RF-heated process chamber


Methods of forming battery electrodes are described. In one embodiment, a discrete amount of electrode material having a volume and a first shape is provided. The electrode material is deformably molded into a second shape which is different from the first shape and which defines a desired battery electrode shape. The battery electrode shape has a volume which is substantially the same as the volume of the provided amount of electrode material. In a preferred implementation, a molding cavity is provided and defines at least in part the desired battery electrode shape. The electrode material is placed into the molding cavity and pressed into the electrode shape.

Thin-profile or button-type batteries are small, thin energy cells that are commonly used in watches and other electronic devices requiring a thin profile. A conventional thin-profile battery includes two electrodes in the form of an anode and a cathode. The electrodes are separated by a porous separator. An electrolyte is present within pores of the separator.
The internal battery components are housed within a metal casing or housing formed by first and second battery terminal housing members. Typically the housing members comprise a can and a lid and are formed from stainless steel. The can is typically in electrical contact with the cathode to form the positive battery terminal, and the lid is in electrical contact with the anode to form the negative battery terminal. The can and lid are crimped or pressed together to form a fluid-tight seal which entirely encloses the anode, cathode, separator, and electrolyte. An electrically insulating sealing gasket is provided within the primary seal between the lid and the can to electrically isolate the two housing members.
One electrode material is elemental lithium, which is typically utilized within the lid as the anode electrode. The typical anode assembly method comprises placing a piece of lithium, already in its finished anode shape, to within the center of a pre-formed lid. The lithium adheres to the lid material and the lid/lithium composite can then be easily mounted to the cathode can without dislodging the lithium. Lithium is typically available in very thin foil sheets. The cost of these sheets is an expensive design consideration and adds significantly to the cost of an end product incorporating a lithium electrode. This is especially true as the thickness of the lithium electrode falls to 5 mils and below. Exemplary processing methods are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,462 entitled "Method of Forming Button-type Battery Lithium Electrodes".
This invention grew out of concerns associated with improving the manner in which battery electrodes, and in particular thin lithium electrodes are formed. In addition, this invention grew out of concerns associated with reducing the cost associated with forming thin-profile batteries which incorporate lithium electrodes.


A method for detecting a lane change by a moving vehicle is disclosed. In one embodiment, it is detected that a first heading of a moving vehicle has met a parameter defining a stable heading. It is then detected that a second heading of the moving vehicle has subsequently met a parameter defining an unstable heading. It is then detected that a third heading of the moving vehicle has subsequently met a parameter defining a stable heading within a pre-determined time parameter and that the third heading equals the first heading within a pre-defined margin. An indication is then generated that the moving vehicle has performed a lane change.

In vehicle fleet operations, monitoring driver safety is desirable to identify drivers who may be operating vehicles in an un-safe manner so that the un-safe drivers can be instructed in safe vehicle operations. Furthermore, safe operating parameters for vehicles are different depending on what type of vehicle is being operated. As an example, in the ready-mixed concrete industry, truck rollover rates are higher than other types of trucks due to the higher center of gravity of loaded concrete mixer trucks and the fact that, as the drum of the mixer rotates, concrete is displaced to the left side which makes right turn more likely to result in the truck rolling over.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Full wave voltage multipliers mostly provide only even multiples (2×, 4×, 8× . . . ). This invention details a process to produce a full wave multiplier that will provide voltage with an odd numbered multiplicand (3×, 5×, 7×, etc.) from the next-higher-numbered, and thus even-numbered, full wave multiplier (so a 3× will be devised from the 4×, a 5× from the 6×, and for any odd (n)×, from the even (n+1)×). Each of a simplified, base 3× and 5× full wave voltage multiplier are also disclosed.

The first capacitor diode or rectifier voltage multiplying circuit was invented 100 years ago by Heinrich Greinacher. Though it was only a half wave multiplier it was quickly improved to full wave, and has been a circuit standard for increasing voltage without the need for a transformer. It also is often used after a transformer for very high voltages. The primary advantages of this circuitry are smaller components, lower weight, higher voltages and less cost than transformer based solutions. The core approach to these multipliers is serial stacking of capacitors and diodes (a 2× will have single capacitors in series, a 4× will have two capacitors in series, etc.); in a sense, attaining multiplication through addition.
There are many circuits which only require low multiples of full wave input, but with one exception (U.S. Pat. No. 3,292,073, issued Dec. 13, 1966, Jones, R. E. et al.), the full wave multiples are all even numbers. That one exception's primary problem is that it requires more parts than the next higher, even-number, standard multiplier. (It has twice as many capacitors before the final output capacitor, and twice as many diodes or rectifiers for the times three multiplier.) But the Jones multiplier also is less reliable than the bracketing even-multiple circuits. (So each of the 2× and 4× multipliers are more reliable than a Jones 3× multiplier, due to the fewer parts required.) While a Jones odd number voltage multiplier might be usable in some situations, it is generally not a cost competitive product.
This invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a process to produce an odd numbered multiplier with fewer parts than the above-mentioned solution. Like the Jones odd numbered voltage multiplier, the odd-number voltage multiplier produced by the process of the present invention provides theoretically identical impedance to both phases of the alternating current (AC) voltage source, thus minimizing power line disturbances which could have resulted from the different current responses for each phase of the input power.
Also, in cases in which the source of the AC input power is a power bridge, it results in more reliable operation of the circuit; principally through preventing circuit failures such as blown transistors, which occurred as a result of the timing mismatch between the two output phases of the power bridge, primarily due to the different input impedances seen by the bridge's two phases of the standard full wave voltage multiplier.

Producing an odd number full wave voltage multiplier


A process for the casting of metals includes the steps of providing a mold, delivering a molten metal into the mold, solidifying the molten metal, and removing at least a portion of the mold. The step of removing at least a portion of the mold begins before the step of solidifying the molten metal has been finished. An apparatus to deliver a solvent to a mold is also provided.

In the traditional casting process, molten metal is poured into a mold and solidifies, or freezes, through a loss of heat to the mold. When enough heat has been lost from the metal so that it has frozen, the resulting product, i.e., a casting, can support its own weight. The casting is then removed from the mold.
Different types of molds of the prior art offer certain advantages. For example, green sand molds are composed of an aggregate, sand, that is held together with a binder such as a mixture of clay and water. These molds may be manufactured rapidly, e.g., in ten (10) seconds for simple molds in an automated mold making plant. In addition, the sand can be recycled for further use relatively easily.
Other sand molds often use resin based chemical binders that possess high dimensional accuracy and high hardness. Such resin-bonded sand molds take somewhat longer to manufacture than green sand molds because a curing reaction must take place for the binder to become effective and allow formation of the mold. As in clay-bonded molds, the sand can often be recycled, although with some treatment to remove the resin.
In addition to relatively quick and economical manufacture, sand molds also have high productivity. A sand mold can be set aside after the molten metal has been poured to allow it to cool and solidify, allowing other molds to be poured.
The sand that is used as an aggregate in sand molding is most commonly silica. However, other minerals have been used to avoid the undesirable transition from alpha quartz to beta quartz at about 570 degrees Celsius (° C.), or 1,058 degrees Fahrenheit (° F.), that include olivine, chromite and zircon. These minerals possess certain disadvantages, as olivine is often variable in its chemistry, leading to problems of uniform control with chemical binders. Chromite is typically crushed, creating angular grains that lead to a poor surface finish on the casting and rapid wear of tooling. Zircon is heavy, increasing the demands on equipment that is used to form and handle a mold and causing rapid tool wear.
In addition the disadvantages created by the unique aspects of silica and alternative minerals, sand molds with clay and chemical binders typically do not allow rapid cooling of the molten metal due to their relatively low thermal conductivity. Rapid cooling of the molten metal is often desirable, as it is known in the art that with such cooling the mechanical properties of the casting are improved. In addition, rapid cooling allows the retention of more of the alloying elements in solution, thereby introducing the possibility of eliminating subsequent solution treatment, which saves time and expense. The elimination of solution treatment prevents the quench that typically follows, removing the problems of distortion and residual stress in the casting that are caused by the quench.
As an alternative to sand molds, molds made of metal or semi-permanent molds or molds with chills are sometimes used. These metal molds are particularly advantageous because their relatively high thermal conductivity allows the cast molten metal to cool and solidify quickly, leading to advantageous mechanical properties in the casting. For example, a particular casting process known as pressure die casting utilizes metal molds and is known to have a rapid solidification rate. Such a rapid rate of solidification is indicated by the presence of fine dendrite arm spacing (DAS) in the casting. As known in the art, the faster the solidification rate, the smaller the DAS. However, pressure die casting often allows the formation of defects in a cast part because extreme surface turbulence occurs in the molten metal during the filling of the mold.
Moreover, all molds made from metal possess a significant economic disadvantage. Because the casting must freeze before it can be removed from the mold, multiple metal molds must be used to achieve high productivity. The need for multiple molds in permanent mold casting increases the cost of tooling and typically results in costs for tooling that are at least five times more than those associated with sand molds.
As a result, it is desirable to develop a casting process and related apparatus that have the advantage of rapid solidification of metal molds, while also having the lower costs, high productivity and reclaim-ability associated with sand molds.

Mold-removal casting method and apparatus


An oscillatory servo-valve fault monitor is provided for identifying faults attributable to servo-control system components. In particular, both low frequency and high frequency (oscillatory) fault responses are identified. Such oscillatory fault responses are distinguished from normal position control adjustments and transient responses. As the reaction to a fault condition is to shut down the faulty actuator and corresponding servo-control, such capability avoids inadvertent shut-downs. Independent detection paths are provided for sensing low frequency responses and high frequency responses. Each path includes a respective window comparator and up-down counter. For a given path, the window comparator defines two thresholds--in effect, a window. If the monitored signal amplitude is outside the window, then a counter or count signal is incremented. If the signal amplitude is within the window, then the counter or count signal is decremented. The time constant for counting up is less than that for counting down, so that more up counts would occur in a given time period, than would down counts for the same period. As a result, faults causing an oscillatory amplitude beyond the thresholds of the window comparator are quickly identified. If the count signals (or the count in either of the up-down counters) exceed a respective value, then the monitor indicates that a fault condition is present.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting oscillatory faults in an aircraft flight control system. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for detecting failures causing undesirable low frequency or high frequency (oscillatory) motion of an aerodynamic control-surface.
Commercial aircraft often include aerodynamic control surfaces. By altering the shape of such surfaces the flight response of the aircraft changes, enabling the pilot to alter the aircraft attitude. Typically, one or more sets of redundant actuators are coupled to a control surface to alter the surface displacement. The pilot or a primary flight computer issues commands which define actuator positions, and thus, the shape of an aerodynamic control-surface. Sensors monitor actuator positions and provide feedback signals to the primary flight computer enabling correction of actuator/surface position errors.
Faults occurring in an actuator control loop may result in undesirable oscillatory response of the actuator/surface. Typical faults leading to such oscillatory response include a worn actuator, high drift at an amplifier or a short-circuit in an electronic component. Other fault conditions also may cause oscillatory response. Such oscillation may fatigue the mechanical components (including the actuator), detract from aircraft ride quality and/or damage the aerodynamic control surface or other aircraft structure. Accordingly, there is a need to detect and correct such fault conditions.
As previously mentioned, an aircraft typically includes redundant actuators. Thus, in-flight correction involves shutting down the failed actuator and relying on the redundant actuator(s). Once on the ground the failed component is replaced.
A conventional oscillatory failure monitor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,101 (Skonieczny et. al.). As disclosed therein, redundant sensors indicative of the same physical condition provide respective input signals to a monitor. When testing for fault conditions, the two input signals are compared to generate a difference signal which then is analyzed to determine if within a prescribed tolerance. For a transition of the difference signal from within-tolerance to out-of-tolerance an up-down counter is incremented. For a difference signal which stays within-tolerance for a prescribed time period, the up-down counter is decremented (not below a zero value). Thus, if an oscillatory fault occurs at one sensor causing the difference signal to go out-of-tolerance periodically, then the up-down counter increments (twice) for each oscillation period. To avoid registering transient errors as a fault condition, a fault is registered only when the up-down counter exceeds a prescribed count. One of the problems of such an approach is that the higher the oscillation frequency exhibited for a fault, the less the difference signal amplitude. This is because the amplitude for the oscillating (failed) sensor response typically decreases as frequency increases. Skonieczny et. al. describe a region 3 shown in their FIG. 3 in which faults are not detected even though beyond the relative threshold. Skonieczny et. al. recite that fault responses at such frequencies "may not be of concern". However, faults in such higher frequency region adversely impact aircraft ride quality and fatigue mechanical components. Accordingly, there is a need for a monitoring method and apparatus which detects both low frequency and high frequency fault conditions.


A clamping circuit (100) is provided for controlling an external switch, using a control signal, in response to monitoring a voltage at a first node. When the voltage at the first node exceeds a certain voltage, the clamping circuit (100) closes the external switch to complete a current path to reduce the voltage at the first node. The clamping circuit (100) includes a voltage divider circuit, a first device, a second device, a current mirror circuit, and a switch. The voltage divider circuit, which may be implemented using a resistor (30) and a resistor (32), is coupled between the first node and a fourth node and generates a divider voltage at a third node that is proportional to the voltage at the first node. The first device and the second device may be implemented using a first bipolar junction transistor (38) and a second bipolar junction transistor (40), respectively. The first device receives the divider voltage and generates a first current, and the second device receives the divider voltage and generates a second current in response. The current mirror circuit receives the first current and mirrors the first current to the second device where a reference signal is generated at a second node that corresponds to the initial difference between the first current and the second current. The current mirror device may be implemented using a FET (34) and a FET (36). The switch, which may be implemented as FET (50), receives the reference signal and provides the control signal to the external switch when the reference signal is received at an amplitude that exceeds a threshold level.

A variety of applications use polyphase direct current (dc) spindle motors to generate rotational motion. In particular, applications such as hard disk drives and CD-ROM type drives often use polyphase dc spindle motors, such as three-phase dc motors, to rotate information platters such as the magnetic disks of a hard disk drive. Three-phase dc motors are brushless motors that generate rotational motion by selectively or commutatively providing six currents through sets or pairs of coils in a stator winding using a commutation control circuitry.
The speed of the rotational motion is controlled through the six currents applied to the stator winding coils. For example, the stator windings of a three-phase dc motor may be coupled in a "Y" configuration and include an A-coil, a B-coil, and a C-coil, all coupled at one end at a center tap node. The remaining ends of each coil are selectively or commutatively coupled to either a high side driver, a low side driver, or to an open circuit, as controlled by the commutation control circuitry.
During steady state operation, current flows from a high side driver, through a first coil coupled to the high side driver, through the center tap, through a second coil coupled to the low side driver, and to the low side driver. During this time, a third coil couples to the center tap on one end while the other end is provided as an open circuit. After a period of time, a commutation occurs so that current may now flow through the third coil and either the first coil or the second coil. A commutation is the transfer of current from one path in a circuit to another. Thus, current flows through the first coil and the second coil during a steady state operation until a commutation occurs, at which time, current then flows through either the first or the second coil and the third coil until the next commutation occurs.
A total of six currents may be provided in the stator windings of a three-phase dc motor through six commutations. The current flows, for example, may be provided through the stator coils in the following sequence: A-coil to C-coil, A-coil to B-coil, C-coil to B-coil, C-coil to A-coil, B-coil to A-coil, and B-coil to C-coil.
Each stator winding coil includes an associated resistance and inductance. As the current through a stator winding coil is switched off, as a result of a commutation or because the power is shut off, the inductance of the stator winding coil generates a corresponding inductive voltage spike according to the equation: V=L(di/dt). This voltage spike may also be referred to as a flyback voltage or inductive "kick," and is generated in response to the changing current in the coil. The inductive voltage spike, if uncontrolled, often will exceed the breakdown voltage of the associated control circuitry, such as the commutation control circuitry, resulting in its destruction.
The inductive voltage spike may be controlled using either an external or an internal Schottky power diode to provide a current path to dissipate the energy stored in the coil. These diodes may provide a current path to dissipate, for example, up to two amps. The Schottky power diodes are provided for each coil of the stator winding and may be discrete, external Schottky power diodes or internal Schottky power diodes fabricated as part of an integrated circuit. Problems arise when using Schottky power diodes to control the inductive voltage spike. External Schottky power diodes are expensive, about twenty-five cents a piece, bulky, and add significantly to overall circuitry cost. Internal Schottky power diodes take considerable die or circuit area resulting in significantly larger overall integrated circuitry.
Other solutions to the flyback voltage problem include the use of active devices, such as comparators, to continually monitor a voltage to determine if it exceeds a particular reference voltage. If the monitored voltage exceeds the reference voltage, other circuitry may be implemented to dissipate or reduce the voltage. However, these solutions suffer a serious drawback. The use of active devices, such as the comparators, require a power supply voltage, and thus, the circuitry will not operate when power is shut off during power down or in the event of a power loss. When power is shut off or lost, the currents through the stator winding coils are changing and, hence, are generating flyback or inductive voltages at high levels. These flyback voltages often exceed the breakdown voltage of the control circuitry resulting in its destruction.

Clamping circuit and method for clamping a voltage


A method of manufacturing an optical apparatus is provided. The method includes arranging a photo device above a substrate with an adhesive located between the photo device and the substrate, forming a bonding member that bonds the substrate and the photo device by curing the adhesive, and arranging, above the photo device, a transparent plate and a sealing member. The sealing member covers the photo device and is located between the transparent plate and the substrate. An elastic modulus of the bonding member is 1 GPa or less.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same.
Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-129780 proposes a method of manufacturing an IC package (optical apparatus) in which a photo sensor IC chip is fixed on a printed board and covered with a transparent resin, and the transparent resin is covered with an optically transparent member such as a glass member.

Method of manufacturing the optical apparatus


The present invention discloses a method for serving character message transmission during a telephone call over PSTN connected to the central office to which information terminals having displays are connected for telephone calls and for data communication, the method including the steps of: based on SMS message writing and transmission request for use of character message transmission service of the first information telephone subscriber during a telephone call between a first and a second information telephone subscribers among the information telephones, if the customer premise equipment (CPE) alerting signal (CAS) is transmitted from the first information telephone in order to secure data transmitting/receiving reliability, muting, at the first information telephone, a handset of the first information telephone, transferring the CAS to the second information telephone through the central office in order to data transmitting/receiving reliability, and receiving a first acknowledge (ACK) message in response; after receiving the first ACK message, transferring, at the first information telephone, a message to the second information telephone through the central office for notifying the second information telephone to get prepared for receiving the written SMS message, and receiving a second ACK message in response; after receiving the second ACK message, transferring, at the first information telephone, the written SMS message to the second information telephone through the central office, and receiving a third ACK message in response; and after receiving the third ACK message, releasing, at the first information telephone, the handset of the first information telephone, and maintaining a busy state between the first and the second information telephone subscribers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunication systems, and more specifically, to a method for serving character message transmission during telephone calls using voice channel over PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network).
2. Description of the Related Art
E-mail (electronic mail) service or SMS (Short Message Service) is available to the vast majority of terminals like computers or cellular phones. To keep abreast of such a communication environment, more people now want to get the e-mail service and SMS using their wire telephones at homes and in offices. Therefore, transmitting/receiving data over the general wire telephone networks using voice channels is no longer a dream. In fact, a number of people are already enjoying the caller ID (hereinafter, referred to as "CID", caller identity or caller identification) display service, and short message service (hereinafter, referred to as "SMS") by transmitting/receiving data through voice channels over the general wired telephone networks. Through CID display service, a terminating party (receiving party) is provided with information about a caller (name, calling time, caller's phone number) before picking up the phone, or about another caller who made a call while the terminating party being in the middle of conversation on the phone with a different person. On the other hand, SMS service enables any PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) subscriber or mobile communication subscriber to transceive an SMS message, e-mail with other Internet users, and facsimile messages. Data transmission through voice channel in such services is done by using FSK (frequency shift keying) method.
More specifically, CID display service is provided in conforming to the following procedure. In case that the CID display service is provided before a caller and a called party, talk on the phone, the central office provides CID of the caller to the called party between the first ring signal and the second ring signal. Meanwhile, if the CID display service is provided in the middle of the conversation between the caller and the called party, that is, a third party calls, the central office first transports CAS (CPE (Customer premise equipment) Alerting Signal) to the called party, and receives ACK (Acknowledgement) from the called party, and transports the CID for the third party to the called party.
Next, SMS is provided in conforming to the following procedure. To transmit SMS message from a terminal, a subscriber needs to dial a PSMSC (PSTN Short Message Service Center) number, a server for providing SMS message service, and connects to the PSMSC. In this way, the voice channel between the terminal and the PSMSC is successfully connected. Then, PSMSC transmits CAS to the terminal, and the terminal, having received the CAS, responds as ACK. In this manner, data transmission is initialized. Afterward, the terminal transports SMS message to PSMSC. Transmission of the SMS message from a terminal is almost the same with the above procedure except that the PSMSC's phone number is included in the CID of the call. The PSMSC's phone number is necessary for automatic termination. After the voice channel is connected with PSMSC, data transmission is initialized, and the PSMSC receives the SMS message that the terminal transmitted. Here, the data transmission protocol and electrical characteristic associated with the CID display service and SMS conform to short message send-receive interface technical regulation over the wire network and to data transmission interface technical regulation in PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) subscriber line for the CID display, which are established by Korea Telecom Inc.
Nevertheless, CID display services and SMS in which data can be transceived using voice channels over the general wire telephone network are possible only through a server like the PSMSC. Therefore, the services are not available when a caller and a called party want to communicate using characters in the middle of their conversation over the general wire telephone network.

Method for serving character message transmission during telephone call over PSTN


Method and system for recovering sulfur from an ammonia acid gas stream containing hydrogen sulfide comprising the steps of combusting the ammonia acid gas stream with air or oxygen to convert the ammonia and the hydrogen sulfide therein to N.sub.2 and SO.sub.x, respectively, and thus form a nitrogen and sulfur oxide enriched gas stream. The nitrogen and sulfur oxide enriched gas stream is contacted with a solid absorbent bed to extract the sulfur oxides and retain them as sulfur compounds, thus forming a nitrogen bearing stream. The absorbent bed is then contacted with a hydrogen and/or hydrocarbon bearing stream to reduce the retained sulfur compounds to hydrogen sulfide and/or sulfur dioxide and thereby form a hydrogen sulfide and/or sulfur dioxide bearing stream. Sulfur is recovered from the hydrogen sulfide and/or sulfur dioxide bearing stream. The nitrogen bearing stream is sent to an incinerator or vented through a stack.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and system for extracting sulfur from a gas stream containing hydrogen sulfide. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process and system for desulfurizing ammonia acid gases containing hydrogen sulfide.
2. Description of Prior Art
Refinery streams are typically desulfurized by the Claus process wherein elemental sulfur is produced by reacting hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide in the presence of a catalyst. The Claus system uses a combustion chamber which, at 950.degree. C. to 1,350.degree. C. (1742.degree.-2462.degree. F.), converts 50 to 70% of sulfur contained in the feed gas into elemental sulfur. Sulfur is condensed by cooling the reaction gas to a temperature below the dew point of sulfur after which the remaining gas is heated and further reacted over a catalyst. Normally, the gas passes through at least two such Claus catalyst stages.
The different stages of the process may be represented by the following equations: EQU H.sub.2 S+3/2O.sub.2 .fwdarw.SO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O EQU 2H.sub.2 S+SO.sub.2 .fwdarw.3S+2H.sub.2 O
The overall reaction is: EQU 3H.sub.2 S+30.sub.2 .fwdarw.3S+3H.sub.2 O
Claus exhaust gas still contains small amounts of H.sub.2 S, SO.sub.2, CS.sub.2, carbon oxysulfide, CO, and elemental sulfur in the form of a vapor or mist. The exhaust gas generally is subjected to post-combustion to convert substantially everything to SO.sub.2 and then further purified by Claus after-treatments.
Ammonia acid gases typically are combusted substoichiometrically at about 2300.degree. F. at the front of the sulfur plant combustion chamber to completely destroy the ammonia. A portion of a clean acid gas (ammonia free) is also introduced along with the ammonia acid gas to control the temperature. The processing of the ammonia acid gas in the combustion chamber increases the sulfur plant size due to the increase in volume of the gases that need to be processed by the sulfur plant. For example, processing of ammonia may increase the hydraulic size of the plant by 20 to 50% based on the amount of ammonia acid gas that is processed. Further, ammonia that is not destroyed in the combustion chamber will form salts. Ammonia and sulfur dioxide react to form a very dense white smog of ammonium hydrosulfide. Ammonia in significant concentration of CO.sub.2 will form ammonium bicarbonates. These salts will lay down to plug sulfur seal legs, sulfur condensers, heat exchangers and reactor beds. This salt problem reduces the reliability of the sulfur plant.

Recovering sulfur from ammonia acid gas stream


A method for securing a recording of multimedia content in a storage medium of a first electronic device, the method including an encryption operation which consists of: for each item of multimedia content to be encrypted, generating a random key within the first electronic device; encrypting the multimedia content by the random key in order to obtain encrypted multimedia content; encrypting, by a user key, the random key so as to obtain a first encrypted random key; encrypting the first encrypted random key by a root key specific to the first electronic device in order to obtain a second encrypted random key; and storing the second encrypted random key and the encrypted multimedia content in the storage medium.

A known principle to provide such protection is the use, within a digital television decoder, of a single root key, combined in a specific manner with a chipset of the decoder in question. Such a key will be referred to as a root key of the digital television decoder. The root key is not accessible through the decoders main processor.
FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a root key to encrypt data.
This figure represents a secure component 101 which, in a digital television decoder 100 within which it is installed, is a hardware component dedicated to security. Secure component 101 is the only component of the decoder able to read a root key 102, which for its part cannot be read or accessed from outside secure component 101. Root key 102 is therefore protected by extremely high degree of protection.
When decoder 100 encrypts (or respectively decrypts) a record, it transfers data 103 for encryption (respectively for decryption) to secure component 101. This component then performs an operation to encrypt 104 (respectively to decrypt) data 103 by means of root key 102, and sends the result of encryption (respectively of decryption) in the form of encrypted (respectively decrypted) data 105 outside secure component 101. Access to the record of data 103, when this data has been encrypted, is thus made impossible from outside decoder 100 incorporating secure component 101.
This solution provides a high level of security, since it is impossible to decrypt data protected by the method which has just been described without knowing root key 102, to which only secure component 101 has access. To recover encrypted data, for example by an after-sales service, it is then necessary to communicate the root key of each digital television decoder for which it is desired to recover encrypted content.
A problem is then posed: the personnel of the after-sales service, or any trusted person or entity with the root key, can access the unencrypted data, particularly when they perform a standard exchange.
Furthermore, the described solution does not enable an encrypted record to be reread on another electronic device, in particular on another digital television decoder, even if the latter also belongs to the owner of the electronic device on which the data has been encrypted.
Various solutions have been proposed in the state of the art to improve encryption security of a multimedia content, and/or to make access to the encrypted content more flexible for authorised persons, and in particular for the owners of a first electronic device, by means of which the multimedia content has been encrypted.
It has, for example, been proposed to perform the encryption operations with a key which is specific to the multimedia content which is to be encrypted. But there is then no access to the encrypted content using another decoder of television. It has also been proposed to use a common group root key, which would be shared by several digital television decoders. But the encrypted data is then less protected, since one then merely has to break (i.e. to discover how to access the unencrypted content) a single one of the digital television decoders to access the encrypted content of all the other decoders in the same group.
But no solution of the state of the art enables the following requirements to be met simultaneously:                Optimum flexibility, giving a user the possibility of accessing encrypted multimedia content from a plurality of electronic devices.        Optimum security, with the assurance that the encrypted multimedia content will not be accessible, and in particular will not be read, on an unauthorised device.        An optimal guarantee of privacy, with the possibility of authorising a third party (for example an after-sales service) to duplicate a record of an encrypted multimedia content in order to transfer it from a first digital television decoder to a second digital television decoder, whilst at the same time preventing this third party from reading the record in its unencrypted form.        Advantageously, simplicity of the security method used, restricting the scale of the calculations which must be made, and therefore restricting the volume of data which must be encrypted and/or decrypted.

Method for securing a multimedia content record in a storage medium


A bicycle carrier, including a rack and a fork mount. The rack includes cross bars for mounting on a vehicle. The fork mount includes a head portion adapted to selectively clamp the fork mount to one of the cross bars, and a skewer assembly adapted to selectively secure forks of a bicycle to the head portion. The skewer assembly includes a skewer bolt, an actuator handle that is moveable between a first position and a second position, and an adjustment member threaded onto an end of the skewer bolt that permits longitudinal adjustment of the skewer assembly to accommodate different fork dimensions. The adjustment member is accessible when the actuator handle is in the first position, but is covered by the actuator handle when the actuator handle is in the second position.

Bicycles are often transported on vehicles. Numerous racks and devices have been devised to secure bicycles to vehicles during transport. One particularly common bicycle carrier utilizes a fork mount mounted to a rack structure. The fork mount has a skewer assembly that clamps the front forks of a bicycle to secure the bicycle to the rack. Typically, fork mount-type carriers include a wheel tray that extends back from the fork mount to support the rear wheel. A securing member may be positioned along the wheel tray that includes a strap configured to secure the rear wheel to the wheel tray. Typically, these straps must be pulled tightly around the rear wheel to hold it securely during normal driving speeds and conditions.
Examples of fork mount-type bicycle carriers, and various types of securing mechanisms are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,748,630; 6,684,667; 6,601,712; 6,561,398; 6,494,351; 6,460,708; 6,431,423; 6,425,509; 6,283,310; 5,749,694; 5,745,959; 5,738,258; 5,598,959; 5,479,836; 5,416,952; 5,265,897; 4,842,148; 3,848,784; 3,828,993, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.


Thermographic elements comprising at least two layers, wherein:. at least one of the layers comprises polymer, the polymer consisting essentially of, repeating, interpolymerized units derived from 9,9-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-fluorene and isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid or blends thereof, the polymer being sufficiently low in oligomer content to allow formation of uniform film; and PA0 at least one of the layers is an imaging layer, selected from the group consisting of dye-donor layers, image-receiving layers or heat-activatable imaging layers, and a method of thermal imaging using receptor films comprising the polymer described above.

In thermal imaging or printing, images are formed by heating heat-activatable materials in an imagewise manner. Such heating is commonly conducted by means of a thermal printhead, which consists of an array of electrically heatable elements, each of which is preferably activated by a computer in a time sequence designed to produce imagewise heating. The most common forms of thermal imaging are direct thermal imaging and thermal transfer imaging.
In thermal transfer imaging processes, an image is formed on a thermographic sheet known as a receptor sheet by selectively transferring an image forming material to the receptor sheet from another thermographic sheet, known as the donor sheet, using a thermal printhead. The three broad classes of thermal transfer imaging processes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,365 (Jongewaard et al). Typically, the donor sheet has a dye-donor layer disposed upon a thin, flexible substrate such as paper or polymeric film. Depending upon the type of thermal transfer imaging process desired, the dye-donor layer may take one of several forms, such as a meltable colored wax, a diffusing dye, or heat-activatable reactants which, when combined with other reactants incorporated into the receptor sheet, form a colored compound.
Generally, in direct thermal imaging processes a thermographic sheet having a dye-containing layer containing colorless forms of heat-activatable dyes and polymeric binder is heated in an imagewise manner by a thermal printhead. Upon application of heat, the colorless forms of the dyes are converted to their colored forms so that an image is formed in the dye-containing layer. Preferably, the thermal printhead directly contacts the dye-containing layer, however, many of the dye-containing layers contain compounds, such as the polymeric binder compounds, which soften or melt and stick to the printhead reducing printhead life and image quality.
Various materials have been described as being useful as substrates for thermographic sheets. For example, white-filled or transparent films of polyester (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET)), polyethylene naphthalate, polysulphone, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyimide, polyamide, cellulose ester (e.g., cellulose acetate and cellulose butyrate), polyvinyl chloride and paper have been described as useful. However, all of these materials have one or more disadvantages which reduce their suitability as substrates for thermographic sheets. For example, some of the materials have glass transition temperatures (T.sub.g) or melting temperatures (T.sub.m) which are lower than the temperature to which substrates would be heated during thermal imaging processes, resulting in image distortion. Some of the materials have poor optical properties (e.g., high coefficient of birefringence, high % haze or are inherently colored) rendering them unsuitable as substrates for certain thermal imaging applications, some have poor film properties (e.g., poor tensile strength and elongation at break), some have poor chemical resistance and some are hygroscopic.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film has been preferred for use as substrates in thermographic sheets because it is a relatively low cost material, it is available in various thicknesses and it provides relatively good optical clarity and tensile strength. However, donor sheets made using PET film substrates have a tendency to soften or melt and stick on the thermal printhead, and friction between the PET film and the printhead can result in reduced printhead life and poor image quality. Generally, PET film of 4.5 to 6 micron thickness is used in donor sheets, but PET film of such thickness tends to dimensionally distort from the heat imparted by the printhead. Thus, donor sheets made using PET film cannot easily be reused or recycled, for example in thermal dye transfer processes. Since PET films of less than 4.5 micron thickness tend to wrinkle and tear during the thermographic element manufacturing process, e.g., on coating lines, very thin films (i.e., less than 4.5 microns) are not particularly practical for use in thermographic sheets.
One means of preventing sticking of the donor sheet to the printhead has been to select substrate materials which have softening temperatures higher than those encountered by the donor sheet in the printing process. For example, Japanese Patent application No. J6 1246-095-A, describes the use of copolymers containing acrylonitrile. However, none of the proposed materials have displaced PET film as the commercially preferred polymeric material for donor sheets.
In order to reduce sticking of thermographic sheets to the thermal printhead, antistick layers have been applied to the surface of the donor sheet contacting the thermal printhead and to the surface of the heat-activatable dye layer on thermographic sheets used in direct thermal imaging processes. For example, low surface energy compounds, such as fluoropolymers, silicones, waxes, fatty acids, and metal stearates, have been described as antistick coatings. Antistick compositions containing a low surface energy compound and a polymeric binder having a sufficiently high T.sub.g so the binder does not soften during the thermal imaging process have also been described.
One problem associated with the use of known antistick compounds or compositions is that many of the antistick compounds or compositions are not readily soluble or dispersible in commonly used organic solvents rendering such compounds or compositions difficult to use. Although some antistick compounds may be soluble in organic solvents and at the same time may exhibit antistick behavior (e.g., polymeric silicones), they may be very migratory, i.e., they spontaneously spread along surfaces for long distances, thereby contaminating large areas of the coating facilities, as well as the image-forming material and thermal imaging equipment. Further, when donor sheets are stored in roll form, some silicones may migrate from the side of the sheet to which they have been applied to its opposite side, where they may interfere with the thermal imaging process. Crosslinking or high degrees of polymerization of silicone polymers may be helpful in reducing migration, but because even small amounts of uncrosslinked silicones can have a significant negative effect upon imaging, it is difficult to achieve sufficient crosslinking. Waxes may easily be applied to the thermographic sheet, but they generally contaminate printheads to an unacceptable degree. One additional disadvantage of using an antistick layer in a thermographic sheet is that the application of such a layer requires an additional coating step.
Thus, it would be desirable to use a material as a donor sheet substrate which does not stick to the thermal printhead or dimensionally distort upon heating. However, such a material should also perform about as well as PET film in donor sheets. It would also be desirable to use, as an antistick layer, a composition possessing antistick properties which does not have the disadvantages of some of the compositions described in the art.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company