An electronic still camera comprises: a image pick-up section including a front surface and a image pick-up lens provided on the front surface; an image receiving section having a rear surface and a monitor provided on the rear surface, for displaying an image which has been taken; and a connecting portion for pivotally connecting between one end of the image pick-up section and one end of the image receiving section, the connecting portion including a vertical shaft such that the monitor is set being opposite to the image pick-up lens when the image receiving section is rotated backward round the vertical shaft, and the monitor is set being faced with the image pick-up lens when the image receiving section is rotated forward round the vertical shaft.

The present invention relates to an electronic still camera, the image pick-up lens and the monitor of which can be accommodated inside.
In a conventional example of this type electronic still camera, an image pick-up section and an image receiving section are integrated with each other and formed into a camera body, and a image pick-up lens is arranged on the front surface of the camera body and a monitor for displaying an image, which has been taken by this camera, is arranged on the rear surface of the camera body. However, according to the above arrangement, the monitor and the image pick-up lens are fixed in the opposite direction to each other. Therefore, it becomes difficult for a photographer to visually check the monitor in the case of taking a picture.
In order to solve the above problems, the following arrangement is conceived. The monitor is pivotally connected to the camera body, so that the direction of the monitor can be changed.
However, according to the above conventional arrangement, the visual angle of the monitor can be only adjusted. Although the monitor can be protected when it is directed to the camera body, the image pick-up lens is exposed outside. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a protective cover for protecting the image pick-up lens. Accordingly, the number of parts is increased, which raises the production cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic still camera in which the image pick-up lens and the monitor can be accommodated inside the camera so that they are not damaged, without increasing the number of parts.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an electronic still camera comprising: a image pick-up section including a front surface and a image pick-up lens provided on the front surface; an image receiving section having a rear surface and a monitor provided on the rear surface, for displaying an image which has been taken; and means for pivotally connecting between one end of the image pick-up section and one end of the image receiving section, the connecting means including a vertical shaft such that the monitor is set being opposite to the image pick-up lens when the image receiving section is rotated backward round the vertical shaft, and the monitor is set being faced with the image pick-up lens when the image receiving section is rotated forward round the vertical shaft.
In the case of taking a picture in the above arrangement, the image receiving section is rotated backward round the vertical shaft, so that the monitor in the image receiving section can be set being opposite to the image pick-up lens in the image pick-up section. Due to the foregoing, it is possible to take a picture of a photographic object by the image pick-up lens while a photographer is visually checking an image on the monitor. In the case of not taking a picture, the image receiving section is rotated forward round the vertical shaft, so that the monitor can be set being opposed to the image pick-up lens.
In the above arrangement, when the image receiving section is rotated backward round the vertical shaft, it is possible to adjust a visual angel of the monitor. Also, when the image receiving section is rotated forward round the vertical shaft, the monitor is opposed to the image pick-up lens, and the monitor and the image pick-up lens can be accommodated between the image pick-up section and the image receiving section. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide a protective cover for protecting the monitor and the image pick-up lens. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the production cost.
Furthermore, in the electronic still camere described above, the image receiving section further includes: an image receiving main body in which the monitor is provided; an auxiliary section which is connected to one end of the image pick-up section via the vertical shaft; and a horizontal shaft protruding from the image receiving mai body, wherein the image receiving main body is pivotally engaged with the auxiliary section via the horizontal shaft such that the image receiving main body can be rotated round the horizontal shaft and slid along the auxiliary section.
In the above arrangement, when the main body of the image receiving section is rotated round the vertical and the horizontal shaft and slid along the auxiliary section, it is possible to freely adjust a visual angle of the monitor in the vertical and the transverse direction.
Still further, in the electronic still camera described above, the image receiving section further includes: an image receiving main body in which the monitor is provided; an auxiliary section which is connected to one end of the image pick-up section via the vertical shaft; a pair of horizontal shafts concentrically attached to upper ends on both sides of the image receiving main body; a guide groove extending in the vertical direction formed in the auxiliary section, and engaging with one of the horizontal shafts; a connecting piece fixed to the other horizontal shaft having a leading end; and a guide groove extending in the vertical direction formed in the other end of the image pick-up section, and engaging with the leading end of the connecting piece, wherein the leading end of a connecting piece enters the guide groove from an upper end opening of the guide groove.
In the above arrangement, when the connecting piece fixed to the other horizontal shaft is engaged with the guide groove in the image pick-up section, the main body of the image receiving section can be integrally connected with the image pick-up section. Also, when one of the horizontal shaft and the connecting piece are elevated along the guide groove, and also when the main body of the image receiving section is rotated upward and downward round both horizontal shafts, the monitor provided in the main body of the image receiving section can be set in a desired oblique or a horizontal condition. Therefore, the electronic still camera becomes handy.
Still further, in the electronic still camera described above, the other horizontal shaft is movably attached to the image receiving main body such that the other horizontal shaft can be moved in a predetermined range in the transverse direction of the other horizontal shaft, and a spring for pulling the other horizontal shaft backward is arranged in the image receiving main body.
In the above arrangement, when the connecting piece engaged with the guide groove in the image pick-up section is pulled by the spring to the main body of the image receiving section, the image pick-up section and the image receiving section can be drawn closer to each other, so that they can be integrated with each other.
Still further, the electronic still camera described above, further comprises: a click stop mechanism for temporarily stopping the rotation of the other horizontal shaft at a predetermined angle.
In the above arrangement, it is possible to fix the main body of the image receiving section at a desired oblique angle by the click stop mechanism.
Moreover, in the electronic still camera described above, the click stop mechanism includes a wheel concentrically provided on the other horizontal shaft and also includes the spring engaging with an outer circumferential surface of the wheel, a plurality of recesses are formed at regular intervals on an outer circumferential surface of the wheel in the circumferential direction, and a protruding section formed by locally bending the spring is engaged with the plurality of recesses.
In the above arrangement, the spring to draw the other horizontal shaft backward is also used for the click stop mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts, and also it is possible to reduce the production cost.
Moreover, in the electronic still camera described above, the monitor comprises a liquid crystal image plane and a transparent tablet attached onto the liquid crystal image plane.
In the above arrangement, it is possible to conduct a touch operation on the transparent tablet so as to cut away and store a necessary portion of an image displayed on the monitor, and also it is possible to synthesize or edit the image.


A smart load center panel (10) accepts two hot legs from each of two power sources, and selectively connects each of a plurality of breakers to one of the two power sources under processor control. A dielectric chassis (12) provides structural support and electrical isolation for a plurality of individual circuit boards (28), each including a pair of breaker stabs (26) and a relay (24) operative to selectively connect each breaker stab (26) to a different power source. A bus bar assembly (20) comprises two bus bars for the hot legs of each of two power sources, and insulates the bus bars from each other and from inadvertent contact. A master printed circuit board (40) comprises slits (43, 45) defining the individual circuit board (28) except at the edges. After mounting and soldering, the edges are cut away, yielding a plurality of individual circuit boards (28). Neutral and ground bus bars (46, 52) are mounted to the side of the panel housing (12), behind a flange of a front opening.

In the face of global climate change, generally attributed to the burning of fossil fuels, there is a large interest in renewable power sources, such as solar. Global demand has driven the cost of photovoltaic (PV) panels consistently lower—a drop of over 70% in the decade since 2006. Lower costs, together with incentives such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit, have contributed to a sharp rise in the installation of both residential and commercial solar power facilities. The U.S. achieved 1 million solar installations in 2016, generating over 29 GW of electricity.
One challenge inhibiting the growth of "local" solar power—i.e., residences and buildings, as opposed to power generation farms—is the integration of solar power with "grid" power from a utility. Rarely can a facility go completely off-grid. Solar power availability is obviously dependent on the weather. Additionally, many PV installations cannot drive high demand appliances, such as a well pump, water heater, or clothes dryer. Accordingly, many solar installations are only used to power a subset of the circuits in a building. However, when grid power is temporarily unavailable, such as following a hurricane or ice storm, it is advantageous to utilize the solar power more extensively.
Furthermore, many utilities tie power pricing to demand—charging higher rates during peak usage hours in an attempt to balance usage. In these cases, it is advantageous to be able to switch circuits between solar and grid power based on the utility's pricing model (which is often tied to the time of day).
In a typical residential electrical installation, power is derived from a 240V transformer with a center tapped secondary. The transformer is connected to one phase of the (typically) 3-phase AC grid power. The center tap of the transformer is neutral (white wire), and two "hot" legs L1 (black) and L2 (red), tapped at either end of the transformer secondary winding, each carry a potential of 120V referenced to the neutral, 180° out of phase with each other. Across the hot legs—L1 to L2—is 240V. A ground (green or bare copper wire) is connected to the neutral only at the service drop. This is known as a 3-wire, single-phase, mid-point neutral system, also referred to as split-phase (and often erroneously called 2-phase).
FIG. 1 depicts a typical, grid-powered breaker panel, with the breakers removed to show the bus bars. The vertical bus bars (A and B in FIG. 1) are each connected to a different hot leg—e.g., L1=A and L2=B. Tabs, known as breaker stabs, protrude alternately between the bars A and B. Each 120V circuit connects to a single breaker, which clips onto one breaker stab, connecting to 120V on either L1 or L2. A (black) wire from the breaker is then routed out of the box, and to a series of loads (light switches, electrical outlets, and the like). A (white) neutral wire, and in most modern installations a (green or bare) ground wire return from the load(s) to the panel. The return and ground wires are each connected to a separate bus, typically located to the sides of the breaker bars, as shown in FIG. 1. Note that, because the breaker stabs are close to the centerline of the panel, there is ample space between the neutral/ground buses and the panel sides, to facilitate the routing of a plurality of wires.
The slots for each breaker are numbered, with odd numbers on one side and even on the other. For example, a 16-breaker panel may be arranged as:
1 A 2
3 B 4
5 A 6
7 B 8
9 A 10
11 B 12
13 A 14
15 B 16
In this example, circuits 1 and 2 will be on leg A (L1), circuits 3 and 4 on leg B (L2), and so on down the panel.
For 240V circuits, a double pole breaker spans two slots on one side, and connects to two adjacent breaker stabs. Since the A/L1 and B/L2 stabs alternate, in any position, the double breaker connects between L1 and L2, for 240V.
The Background section of this document is provided to place embodiments of the present invention in technological and operational context, to assist those of skill in the art in understanding their scope and utility. Unless explicitly identified as such, no statement herein is admitted to be prior art merely by its inclusion in the Background section.


Metal nitride coatings are deposited effectively by the decomposition of single source metal imido-amido-amine precursors prepared by the reaction of a pentavalent metal halide with a primary amine or hydrazine. With hydrazine-derived precursors, TaN coatings may be deposited at temperatures as low as 400 degrees Celcius or lower.

Metal nitride coatings are known to have a number of chemical and physical properties which make their use desirable in myriad technical applications. Such nitrides are generally hard, refractory materials and may be useful, for example, in such diverse applications as wear-resistant coatings for cutting tools, superconductive films, diffusion barriers and gates in integrated circuits, and in solar control panels.
Metal nitride films may be prepared in several ways. For example, a metal target located near the substrate to be coated may be subjected to plasma containing nitrogen. The corresponding metal nitride is then deposited onto the substrate. This method suffers from the drawbacks of slow and uneven deposition, more particularly a problem when large substrates are to be coated. Like other "line of sight" deposition methods, this method exhibits poor conformal coverage on substrates with high three dimensional character. This poor conformal coverage is particularly a problem in the electronics industry where integrated circuits, for example, have numerous peaks and valleys which require uniform coverage. Moreover, some substrates are sensitive to the high energy environment and thus cannot be coated in this way. Finally, such techniques require the use of relatively high vacuum apparatus, a concern of special importance with physically large substrates.
Laser ablation techniques may also be used. In this case, a target of metal nitride is a ablated in vacuuo by a laser beam, the ablated metal nitride then forming a coating on the substrate. Unfortunately, the ablation process results in generation of clusters of metal nitride particles containing from 2 to 100 metal nitride units. Smooth, highly crystalline coatings are difficult to prepare with this method. Like other "line of sight" physical deposition methods, laser ablation suffers from the drawback of poor conformal coverage.
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes generally exhibit excellent conformal coverage, and have been used to prepare metal nitride coatings. For example, the CVD reaction of niobium pentachloride with ammonia and hydrogen at 950-1000.degree. C. affords NbN coatings, as reported by G. I. Oya and Y. Onodera, J. APPL. PHYS., 45, 1389 (1974). The high temperatures used in this process precludes use in many applications, for example in integrated circuit coatings.
Treatment of Nb(NR.sub.2).sub.5 with ammonia at 200-450.degree. C. at atmospheric pressure has provided NbN coatings according to R. Fix et al., CHEM. MATER., 5 614 (1993). However, this method, like that of Oya, requires two reactants, a variation in the relative concentrations of which can affect the stoichiometry of the coating. Fix et al. also disclose preparation of Ta.sub.3 N.sub.5 coatings. Such coatings have also been prepared by the gas-phase ammonolysis of tantalum pentachloride at 600-1000.degree. C. as reported by K. Hieber, THIN SOLID FILMS, 24, 157 (1974). The foregoing methods, however, are not suitable for the preparation of the often preferred TaN coatings, which may be achieved through the CVD reaction of tantalum pentachloride, nitrogen, and hydrogen in the temperature range of 700-1000.degree. C., as reported by T. Takahashi et al., J. LESS COMMON MET., 52, 29 (1977). Once again, the high temperatures involved, as well as the necessity for three reactant streams, render such processes problematic.
It would be most desirable to be able to obtain metal nitride coatings from but a single precursor by CVD. The use of a single precursor obviates the need for separate reactant streams, and the accompanying necessity to carefully monitor the concentrations of these streams. H. T. Chiu et al., in J. MAT. SCI. LETT. 11, 96 (1992), reported that the complex (Et.sub.2 N).sub.3 Ta(.eta..sup.2 EtN=CMeH)! serves as a single source precursor to TaN coatings between 500-650.degree. C. K. Sugiyama et al., J. ELECTROCHEM. SOC., 122, 1545 (1975) has described deposition of tantalum nitride coatings of unspecified composition from the single source precursor Ta(NEt.sub.2).sub.5 !. There have been no known reports of single source precursors to niobium nitride coatings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,642 discloses formation of coatings from single source precursors of the formula TiCl.sub.2 (NR) (NH.sub.2 R).sub.2 !.sub.3. However, it is desirable to identify other single source precursors for metal nitride coatings, and particularly, to provide precursors which are able to prepare tantalum nitride coatings having TaN stoichiometry. It is more particularly desirable to identify precursors which may be used to prepare such coatings at low temperatures so as to have widespread applicability as well as economy in application.

Process for the preparation of metal nitride coatings from single source precursors and precursors suitable therefor


An electronic control system for individually operated magnetic valves and valve cascades automatically switches to individual operation or cascade operation by a switching logic. The switching logic detects the presence of an actual value signal of a main valve of a valve cascade so that the electronic control system is automatically adjusted to cascade operation in this case. In the absence of an actual value of the main valve, a cable interruption is detected and the final stage is locked. At-14 Volts at the main stage actual value input, the electronic control system is adjusted to the individual operation of a magnetic valve.

The invention concerns an electronic control system for magnetic valves which are operated individually or in cascade.
Different drives can be used for the actuation of valves. Valves can be provided with a magnet drive for controlling low outputs, while higher outputs require a hydraulic drive. Accordingly, with lower output requirements a magnetic valve operated individually can be electrically adjusted by means of a regulator. With higher output requirements a magnetic valve is connected upstream of a hydraulically actuated main valve and the pressure medium for actuating the main valve is controlled via the magnetic valve. Together with the main valve, the magnetic valve forms a valve cascade in which the magnetic valve is operated as a pilot valve. The regulating voltage put out by the regulator does not act directly on the main valve which is actually to be adjusted, but rather is applied to the controlling magnet of the magnetic valve. A regulating voltage can be derived from a comparison between the reference value and actual value of the position of the main valve, which regulating voltage controls the magnetic valve connected upstream in such a way that the valve position of the main valve is adjusted to the reference value.
The electronic control system used to generate the regulating voltage is usually accommodated in a control unit arranged separately from the valves. Depending on the type of valve--individually operated magnetic valve or valve cascade including pilot valve and main valve--different circuit arrangements are used for the two different types of control. This has the disadvantage that the construction of the electronic control system must be adapted to the respective operating type - individual operation or pilot operation.

Electronic control system for magnetic valves operated individually or in cascade


An X-Ray tube is provided. The X-Ray tube includes a frame structure surrounding at least a portion of an electron beam source and an electron beam target. The frame structure has a cooling system integrated therein. The cooling system includes at least one air/fin layer; and a sub-cooled working fluid in thermal contact with the at least one air/fin layer, the sub-cooled working fluid being adapted to undergo a phase change in response to heat introduced to the frame structure by one or more of the electron beam source and the electron beam target, wherein the phase change facilitates transfer of the heat to the at least one air/fin layer.

Computed tomography (CT) imaging systems are a commonly used medical imaging tool. CT imaging, also sometimes referred to as computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning, is based on the variable absorption of X-Rays by different tissues. CT imaging systems generate cross-sectional images of a subject.
A typical CT imaging system includes an X-Ray tube and a series of X-Ray detectors, mounted opposite the X-Ray tube, on a circular gantry. During imaging, a patient is placed on a table that passes through the center of the gantry. As the patient passes through the gantry, the gantry rotates around the patient. The X-Ray tube and X-Ray detectors on the gantry capture images of the patient from many different angles. A computer then compiles these images and produces a three-dimensional representation of the patient.
If the table moves continuously through the gantry as the gantry rotates around the patient, as occurs in many conventional CT imaging systems, the images are produced in a helical pattern. This procedure is commonly referred to as helical scanning.
The X-Ray tube in CT imaging systems typically comprises an electron beam source (cathode), a backscattered electron beam collector and an electron beam target (anode). The electron beam source, collector and target all function in generating the X-Ray beam that is used for imaging. The X-Ray beam in CT imaging systems is typically produced having a fan-shaped pattern. The shape of the X-Ray beam can be altered using a collimator, e.g., to increase or decrease the width of the beam.
The generation of the X-Ray beam by the X-Ray tube creates enormous amounts of heat, especially in the areas surrounding the electron beam target. Ninety-nine percent of the primary electron beam power is converted to thermal energy in the tube, while one percent is converted to X-Ray energy. This heat has to be removed to maintain proper operation of the X-Ray tube. Current CT imaging system designs employ forced convection cooling of the X-Ray tube using a working fluid which is then pumped to a remote fluid-to-air heat exchanger. The remote fluid-to-air heat exchanger cools the working fluid by forced air cooling. This low power density solution is mass and geometry inefficient.
Further, during imaging, it is important that patients stay very still, to prevent blurring of the image by motion. In some instances, e.g., during chest scans, in order to prevent motion, patients must hold their breath. This can be difficult and uncomfortable.
Thus, to minimize this trauma, designers are seeking to increase gantry speeds, so as to decrease the scanning time. This requires higher power levels at the X-Ray tube. Higher power levels mean higher levels of heat generation. These higher heat levels, however, can reach, or exceed, the capacity of current cooling systems. Therefore, more effective and efficient cooling techniques for CT imaging systems are needed.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for improved CT imaging cooling systems.

Systems and apparatus for integrated X-Ray tube cooling


A protective coating for protecting a component from corrosion and oxidation at a high temperature and from excessive thermal stress, has a heat insulation layer including a ceramic material and an adhesion-promoting layer including a rhenium containing metal alloy. The metal alloy belongs to the alloys covered by the general term MCrAlY, where M represents cobalt and/or nickel and Y represents yttrium and/or at least one equivalent metal from the group including scandium and the rare earth elements. The protective coating is distinguished by high oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance of the alloy, by outstanding thermal fatigue properties and an effective and permanent bond between the alloy and the ceramic heat insulation layer. As a result of the heat insulation, the temperature at the outer surface of the protective coating can be considerably higher than with purely metallic protective coatings, without an increased thermal load being exerted on the component. The protective coating is therefore particularly suitable for a gas turbine component exposed to a hot combustion gas, for example a guide vane, a rotor blade or a heat shield.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multilayer protective coating for protecting a component from corrosion and oxidation at a high temperature and from excessive thermal stress, a process for coating a component with a multilayer protective coating, and a component, in particular a gas turbine component, which is coated with a multilayer protective coating.
A metal article, in particular a gas turbine blade, which is known from Published European Patent Application 0 266 299 A2, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,618, has a protective coating for protecting the metal article at elevated temperature. The protective coating includes a ceramic heat insulation layer of zirconium oxide with yttrium oxide added, and an adhesion layer, connecting the heat insulation layer to the metal article, including an alloy composed of the following elements by weight: 15-40% cobalt, 10-40% chromium, 6-15% aluminum, 0-2% hafnium, 0-7% silicon, 0.01 to 1.0% yttrium and the remainder nickel. The adhesion layer and the heat insulation layer can be applied to the metal article by atmospheric plasma spraying.
Metallic protective coatings for metallic components, in particular for gas turbine components, which are intended to increase their corrosion resistance and/or oxidation resistance, are known in the prior art. In the case of stationary gas turbines with material temperatures of about 950.degree. C. and gas turbines in aircraft engines with inlet temperatures of about 1100.degree. C., an inlet temperature increase which influences the thermodynamic efficiency has been achieved by the use of specially developed alloys as base materials for components, such as guide vanes and rotor blades, that are subjected to high thermal loads. It has been possible to consider temperatures substantially above 1000.degree. C. for those components, particularly as a result of the use of monocrystalline superalloys. In addition to thermomechanical stresses, such a component is also exposed to chemical attack, for example by a combustion gas with a temperature up to more than 1300.degree. C. In order to ensure sufficient resistance to such an attack, the component is usually covered with a metallic protective coating. The protective coating must have sufficiently good mechanical properties. The protective coating should be sufficiently ductile to be able to comply with any deformations of the base material, particularly with regard to the mechanical interaction between the protective coating and the base material of the component. It should also have as little susceptibility to cracking as possible, in order to prevent corrosion and oxidation of the base material.
A plurality of protective coatings is known under the general term MCrAlY, where M represents at least one of the elements from the group including iron, cobalt and nickel and further essential components are chromium, aluminum and yttrium or a metal which is selected from the group including scandium and the rare earth elements and is equivalent to yttrium.
Such an alloy which is used in a process for improving the oxidation resistance of a superalloy component covered with a protective coating is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,299. The protective coating contains 15-45% chromium, 7-20% aluminum and 0.1-5% yttrium (data in each case in percent by weight). The yttrium may be replaced by lanthanum and cerium. In addition, the protective coating optionally contains a mixture of further elements from the group including platinum, rhenium, silicon, tantalum and magnesium in an amount of up to 10%. That U.S. patent does not reveal the extent to which the addition of one of those optional elements contributes to the improvement in the oxidation resistance of the superalloy. Furthermore, the wide ranges for possible admixing which are specified in little detail provide no qualification of the protective coating for particular conditions, for example in a stationary gas turbine with high inlet temperature, if it is operated not only under full load but also under part load over prolonged periods.
A protective coating which is intended to improve the corrosion properties and oxidation properties in a surface temperature range of 600.degree. C. to 1150.degree. C. is described in Published European Patent Application 0 412 397 A1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,238. The protective coating contains an amount of 1 to 20% rhenium in addition to 22-50% chromium, 0-15% aluminum and 0.3-2% yttrium or another element from the group including the rare earths. The action of the rhenium with regard to an improvement in corrosive and oxidizing effects resembles the positive actions of platinum. Due to the good thermal conductivity of the metallic protective coating, a component covered with the protective coating is exposed to virtually the same thermal load as the protective coating itself.
Published International Patent Application WO 89/07159 describes a two-layer metallic protective coating including two different alloys. An outer alloy of those alloys is covered by the general term MCrAlY and contains (stated in % by weight) 15 to 40% chromium, 3 to 15% aluminum and 0.2 to 3% of at least one element from the group including yttrium, tantalum, hafnium, scandium, zirconium, niobium, rhenium and silicon. That alloy in turn is preferably surrounded by a thermal barrier layer, in particular on a component cooled from the inside, for protection against particularly high temperatures. The thermal barrier layer may be zirconium oxide with added yttrium oxide. Oxidation of the alloy prior to application of the thermal barrier layer is envisaged in order to prevent possible flaking of the thermal barrier layer from the alloy.
Published European Patent Application 0 532 150 A1 describes a component covered with a protective layer and including a superalloy, for example a turbine blade. The protective coating contains at least 2% (stated in % by weight) tantalum as an essential element in addition to chromium and aluminum. The protective coating optionally contains up to 1% yttrium and up to 4% rhenium. In the case of a protective coating including such an alloy, Published European Patent Application 0 532 150 A1 considers a coating including a ceramic thermal barrier to be possible but does not discuss the interaction between the alloy and the thermal barrier, which interaction is critical in the case of temperature changes.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,055,705, 4,321,310 and 4,321,311 relate to protective coatings for gas turbine components including superalloys based on nickel or cobalt. According to those patents, a protective coating includes a ceramic heat insulation layer which preferably has a columnar crystal structure and is present on an adhesion promoting layer which in turn is present on the base material of the gas turbine component and binds the heat insulation layer to the base material. The adhesion promoting layer includes an alloy of the type MCrAlY. It is essential that the adhesion-promoting layer develops, between itself and the heat insulation layer, a thin aluminum oxide layer on which the heat insulation layer is anchored.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,477 presents a process for applying a ceramic heat insulation layer to a gas turbine component. That process includes a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, in which compounds that are intended to form the heat insulation layer are vaporized through the use of an electron beam and an atmosphere having a defined and carefully controlled oxygen content is produced in the environment of the component.

Protective coating for protecting a component from corrosion, oxidation and excessive thermal stress, process for producing the coating and gas turbine component


An endoscope apparatus includes an endoscope that has a solid-state image-pickup device in which charges are accumulated in order to pick up an object image. The endoscope apparatus further comprises a memory in which a plurality of pieces of information on the accumulation period during which charges are accumulated in the solid-state image-pickup device is stored, and a drive unit that controls the accumulation period, during which charges are accumulated in the solid-state image-pickup device, on the basis of the pieces of information on the accumulation period stored in the memory. The endoscope further includes an optical member whose surface is shaped rotationally asymmetric. Correction information stored in a memory and associated with the optical element is used to correct an output signal of the solid-state image-pickup device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus that acquires an image using an image pickup device in which charges are accumulated in order to pick up an object image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, endoscope apparatus for use in endoscopic examinations comprise an endoscope such as an electronic endoscope including a solid-state image-pickup device, a processor, a light source unit, and a monitor.
The conventional endoscope apparatus has an insertional unit of an endoscope inserted into a body cavity. Illumination light emanating from a light source unit is transmitted over a light guide, which is built in the endoscope, to illuminate an object. Light reflected from the object forms an optical image on a solid-state image-pickup device by an objective lens incorporated in the distal section of the endoscope. The solid-state image-pickup device photoelectrically converts the optical image. An output signal resulting from the photoelectric conversion is inputted in a processor serving as a signal processing apparatus. The processor performs signal processing. A video signal resulting from the signal processing is transmitted to a monitor to be displayed.
In recent years, a technique as follows has come to prevail: excitation light is irradiated to a region to be observed in a living-body tissue; and light caused by auto-fluorescence of the living-body tissue induced by the excitation light or light caused by fluorescence induced by an chemical agent injected into a living body is captured as a two-dimensional image by a solid-state image-pickup device. The fluorescence image is used to assess the condition of a lesion such as a carcinoma (kind of lesion or humectant range). Development of a fluorescence observation system for enabling observation of fluorescence is under way.
In auto-fluorescence, when excitation light is irradiated to a living-body tissue, the fluorescence is generated at the long wavelength side due to the excitation light. Fluorescence materials contained in a living body include, for example, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), flavine mononucleotide (FMN), and collagen. Recently, the correlation between diseases and materials that are intrinsic to living bodies and that generate fluorescence is being investigated. Observation of fluorescence enables diagnosis of carcinomas or the like.
Talking of chemifluorescence or fluorescence caused by a chemical agent, fluorescence substances to be injected into a living body include hematoporphyrin (HpD), photofrin, and α-amino levulinic acid (ALA). These chemical agents have a specific property of accumulating in a carcinoma or the like. Therefore, when any of the agents is injected preliminarily into a living body in order to observe fluorescence, a lesion can be diagnosed. Other technique is such that a fluorescence substance is administered to a monoclonal antibody and accumulated in a lesion by utilizing antigen-antibody reaction.
A fluorescence observation system disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-29313 aims at acquisition of a fluorescence monochrome image, in the system, the sensitivity of a CCD incorporated in the distal section of an endoscope is varied and controlled such that the average brightness values exhibited by a fluorescence image, that is, the average brightness of an image displayed on a monitor will remain constant.
According to the conventional fluorescence observation system, when excitation light is irradiated to the mucosa of the bronchus or the alimentary tract, auto-fluorescence occurs. The intensity of light caused by auto-fluorescence is much feebler than that of reflected light resulting from irradiation of normal illumination light. Moreover, the ratio of the intensity of auto-fluorescence to the intensity of reflected light may greatly vary depending on a region such as the superior alimentary tract (esophagus and stomach) or the inferior alimentary track (large intestine).

Endoscope apparatus with solid-state pick-up


Disclosed is a MEMS device having lower, upper and release chambers with a similar pressure and/or a similar gaseous chemistry. The MEMS device includes a top MEMS plate and a bottom MEMS plate. The MEMS device also includes a lower chamber between the bottom MEMS plate and the top MEMS plate, and an upper chamber between the top MEMS plate and a first sealing layer. The MEMS device further includes a release chamber between the top MEMS plate and a second sealing layer, the release chamber allowing gaseous content of the upper and/or the lower chambers to be released. Also disclosed is a double release method for releasing gaseous content of the upper and/or the lower chambers.

In Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices, mechanical and electronic components may be combined to form miniature electronic devices in sealed cavities. Although MEMS devices may take a variety of forms to perform various functions, in general, the cavities which are part of MEMS devices need to be sealed with a particular pressure, such as a sub-atmospheric pressure, to suit the needs of a particular application. Sealing the cavity of a MEMS device at a particular pressure provides the MEMS device with a desired operating pressure, which is designed to be impervious to changes in pressure that may be experienced by unsealed portions of the semiconductor die within which the MEMS device resides.
One commonly utilized technique for forming a sealed MEMS cavity involves a process in which a MEMS cavity is sealed and shut using a sealing layer. However, utilizing a sealing material to seal a MEMS cavity may require various physical and chemical processes that may result in emission of gases from the sealing material into the MEMS cavity. For example, moisture may react with the sealing material to form bubbles in the sealing layer and outgas into the MEMS cavity. Also, some semiconductor wafers may undergo high thermal budget processes after the formation of the sealing layer, which can cause deformation of the sealing material and emission of gases into the MEMS cavity.
The emission of gases from the sealing layer into the MEMS cavity undesirably alters the operating pressure inside of the MEMS cavity, and also contaminates and damages mechanical or electronic components inside the MEMS device, thereby impairing device performance.

MEMS device with sealed cavity and release chamber and related double release method


A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided, for example, to detect and to provide alerting of a part of a vehicle subsequently moving into the path of travel of a bicyclist or other vehicle. In the context of a method, one or more events indicative of a part of a vehicle subsequently moving into a path of a bicyclist are detected. The method also includes taking an action, responsive to detection of the one or more events, to reduce the risk to a person outside the vehicle or another vehicle proximate the door of the vehicle, such as by providing an alert as to the vehicle subsequently moving into the path of the bicyclist or to at least temporarily prevent the vehicle from subsequently moving into the path of the bicyclist.

Vehicles frequently park alongside or immediately adjacent to a lane of traffic. For example, a road may include one or more lanes of traffic extending in each of two opposed directions. Along one or both opposed sides of the road, vehicles may be permitted to park, at least during certain days and/or certain times of days. As such, traffic, such as both vehicular traffic and bicyclists, passes adjacent to the parked vehicles.
As a result of the proximity of the parked vehicles to the lanes of traffic, a parked vehicle may create issues for the traffic passing nearby. For example, an occupant of a parked vehicle may open the door of the parked vehicle into a lane of traffic. A bicyclist or another vehicle traveling along the road may then strike the open door, thereby potentially damaging the bicycle and/or the vehicles and also subjecting the bicyclist and/or the occupant of the vehicle to injury.
Alternatively, a bicyclist or another vehicle traveling along the road may swerve away from the parked vehicle in response to the sudden opening of the door of the parked vehicle. Although this evasive maneuver may avoid the open door, the bicyclist or other vehicle may advertently swerve into another lane of traffic and, as such, be involved in a traffic accident in instances in which other vehicles are in the other lane of traffic.
Parked vehicles may create other types of issues for a bicyclist and other vehicles traveling along the road adjacent to the parked vehicle. For example, the driver of the vehicle that has been parked along a road may cause the vehicle to pull out from the parking space and into a lane of traffic. Even in instances in which the driver of the vehicle that has been parked checks for oncoming traffic, a bicyclist or other vehicles approaching the parked vehicle may be difficult to see in light of the relative position of the parked vehicle to the path of travel the bicyclist or other vehicle. As such, the driver of a vehicle that has been parked may cause the vehicle to be pulled out from a parking space into a lane of traffic in front of an approaching bicyclist or other vehicle, thereby creating an obstacle for the bicyclist or other vehicle. In some instances, the bicyclist or other vehicle may collide with the vehicle that was previously parked and that has now pulled out of the parking space and into the lane of traffic, while in other instances, the bicyclist or the other vehicle may take evasive action by swerving into another lane of traffic or coming to an abrupt halt in order to avoid the vehicle that was previously parked and that has now pulled out of the parking space and into the lane of traffic. Such evasive actions taken by the bicyclist or the other vehicle create the possibility of a traffic accident with yet another vehicle traveling along the road.

Method and apparatus for taking an action based upon movement of a part of a vehicle into a path of travel


A device for isolating and containing gas reactive materials includes a novel valve arrangement that is actuatable in conjunction with the movement of a pre-loaded metal diaphragm. The pre-loaded diaphragm force is sufficient to form a fluid tight seal when the device is disconnected from a gas supply line thereby sealing the interior of the device from the surrounding environment.

This invention relates generally to devices for isolating and containing gas reactive materials. Particularly, this invention relates to gas purifiers, filters and monitors that are useful in the microelectronics manufacturing industry. More particularly, this invention relates to gas purifiers having an in-gland diaphragm valve assembly for isolating and containing gas to be purified from the surrounding environment.
Devices of various types for purifying, filtering or monitoring gases are used widely in the industry. For example, gases used in the fabrication of semiconductors must be of ultrahigh purity as the semiconductor chip geometry has become smaller. Gas purifiers have been used in the microelectronics industry for many years to remove molecular and particulate contamination from these gases.
Since many of the gases used in semiconductor manufacturing are toxic or corrosive, they can pose environmental and health concerns if they become exposed to the surrounding environment. Gas purifiers are typically disposable devices since the reactive material used as the purifier element is consumed upon use. Additionally, upon installation the surrounding environment can enter the purifier thereby consuming a portion of its useful life. This exposure to the surrounding environment also lengthens the preparation time for the gas line as moisture and other impurities must be purged from the system prior to use. Consequently, there is a need to isolate the purifier from the gas supply line and to contain any gas within the purifier during installation and removal of the purifier. Most often this isolation and containment during changeout of the purifier is accomplished through the use of a pair of isolation valves positioned externally of the purifier element adjacent the inlet and outlet fittings which attach the purifier to the gas supply line. The primary function of the isolation valves is to enhance safety when removing the disposable purifier from the gas line during maintenance and to protect the reactive purifier material from exposure to the surrounding environment. However, the disadvantage of using external isolation valves is that they are expensive, increase the internal volume of the system and also add to the overall bulkiness of the purifier. Such bulkiness creates significant additional costs, especially since semiconductors are manufactured in a clean room environment.
Attempts have been made to eliminate the need for external valves in gas purifiers. An example of such a design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,747 which discloses a gas purifier with poppet valves which are integrally located within the purifier element thereby eliminating the need for external valves. Because specially designed gaskets are used, a large force is required to actuate the poppet valves. Thus, this patent teaches using a pair of spring stacks, one at the inlet and the other at the outlet, to apply sufficient force on the poppet valve necessary to make a reliable seal. FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a poppet valve arrangement representative of the type used in U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,747. The use of springs is undesirable because they are a potential source of contamination due to their increased surface area, the majority of which is not swept by the fluid thereby producing significant dead volume. Also, springs are prone to stress cracking of the surface of the spring material which could product contaminants. In addition, the valve of this patent is assembled using press-fit machine components, a technique which creates trapped areas or dead volumes inside the unit. Dead volume areas can entrap fluids causing corrosion to occur which could ultimately effect the purity of the supply gas. Also, for ultrapure applications, such as commonly encountered in the microelectronics industry, it is highly desirable to electropolish the finishes of those surfaces which come in contact with the supply gas. It is known that springs are very difficult to electropolish and thus are more susceptible to corrosion.
Accordingly, the need exists for an improved gas isolation and containment device of simpler design and with reduced dead volume and improved surface finishes to avoid contaminants from entering the gas stream being purified and monitored. Moreover, there is a need to be able to change these devices without exposing personnel to hazardous gases and to install replacement devices without exposing the reactive material to the surrounding environment.

Apparatus for isolating and containing reactive medium


Methods and systems for acquiring a freehand or cursive signature on a secondary device with a touch receiving surface for use on a primary device without a touch receiving surface are provided. The primary device sends a message to the secondary device requesting a signature. The user responds by signing her name, using a finger or stylus, on a touch receiving surface. As the user signs her name, the signature is displayed on the secondary device and transmitted to the primary device. The signature may then be stored, displayed, analyzed, or validated by the primary device.

Signing a freehand or cursive signature using a mouse or similar desktop input device may be cumbersome, and result in a distorted or unrecognizable signature. However, secondary devices, such as a smart phone or tablet may be equipped with a touch screen or stylus input that allows easy touch or stylus input, enabling entry of clear and accurate signatures. There is a need for users to be able to enter clear and accurate signatures when working on a first device that does not have a touch screen, stylus, or similar input device by securely signing on a secondary device equipped with a touch screen or electronic stylus.

Secure signature creation on a secondary device


An introduction device for introducing a roll of wrapping material to a wrapping device includes a support for supporting a roll of wrapping material, the support being movable between a loading position and an operating position, an actuating device having a pivotable pressure arm and a roller mounted onto the pivotable pressure arm, the actuating device adapted to pivot the pressure arm and bring the roller into contact with and to exert pressure onto the roll of wrapping material during the wrapping operation, and a device for activating the actuating device based upon the position of the support.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an introduction device for introducing a wrapping material into a wrapping device, such as a round baling press used to produce generally cylindrical bales.
2. Background of the Invention
Various devices are known wherein a wrapping material roll can be inserted into a wrapping device. In one such known device, a roll of wrapping material is deposited onto a support which is capable of bringing the roll into an operating position.
The underlying problem of known devices is the need for additional manual intervention after the initial insertion of the wrapping material roll in order to make the wrapping device operationally ready. Therefore, there is a need for an introduction device for a wrapping device that eliminates further manual intervention of the wrapping material roll after the initial insertion and before the wrapping device is operationally ready.


A system for managing an occupant in an occupant compartment of an automotive vehicle, a structure for use in an automobile, and methods of use thereof are provided for protecting an occupant during a near side impact collision.

Side impact crashes represented, in 2002, 26% of all fatal collisions (second only to frontal crashes) with an estimated total of 782,900 nonfatal and 9812 fatal injuries. Reports from a survey of the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) showed that injuries to the chest occurred in 39.7% of surviving occupants, followed by injuries to the head (25%), the pelvis (11.7%), and the abdomen (8.4%). In a study of the 119 crashes currently entered in the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) database, 71 (60%) of occupants had pelvic fractures of at least AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Score). The mortality rate from motor vehicle induced pelvic injury ranges from 8.6% to 50%, with 25%-35% of survivors having unsatisfactory results after treatment. Compared to patients in motor vehicle crashes without pelvic injury, those with pelvic injury were significantly more injured, had higher blood loss, longer hospital stays, more genitourinary injuries, and higher mortality rates.
LC-I (lateral compression) pelvic fractures, involve structures in direct contact with the incoming door. LC-I fractures are stable, may be treated non-surgically and usually result in little internal disruption. In contrast, LC-III fractures involve not only injury to structures such as the sacrum or iliac wing and pubic ramus on the door side, but also structures on the opposite side. The LC-III fracture is highly unstable, involves rupture of pelvic area blood vessels, has significant associated internal hemorrhage, and damage to internal organs, and must be treated surgically by stabilization of both the anterior and posterior pelvic ring. Operative treatment of pelvic injuries, particularly open reduction and internal fixation is associated with significant surgical risk including deep infection, nerve injuries, and malreduction. In a near side impact collision, pelvic fracture has been described as occurring from direct contact with the intruding door. Further studies have shown that LC-III pelvic fracture occurs on the side opposite the door. This type of pelvic fracture implies contact with some other structure in the vehicle. In several CIREN crash investigations of near-side impacts, evidence was found of hard contact of the pelvis through the belt buckle into the center console.
Crash investigations and laboratory testing have also shown that several factors can result in serious injury to the occupant's chest and abdomen. Specifically, the armrest can act as a punch, intruding into the chest wall causing rib fracture and internal organ injuries. In addition, in many impacts, where a passenger car door is hit high, near its upper border by the front end structures of an SUV or truck, the top of the door tilts inward, accentuating the contact of the door with the occupant's chest. Since the chest is softer than the pelvis, the door and armrest will intrude into the chest before the door contacts the pelvis and starts to accelerate the occupant away.
A need exists in the art to better protect an occupant of an automotive passenger compartment from serious injury resulting from a near side impact collision when the striking vehicle is a truck or sport utility vehicle which impacts the struck vehicle at varying elevated positions and angles. A need exists in the art further to reduce serious pelvic fractures and thoracic injuries to vehicle occupants from near side impact collisions.

Structure and system for occupant protection in a side impact automobile collision and methods of use thereof


In an LCD projector or other projection type display apparatus which uses a lamp such as a xenon lamp for a light source, the lamp is cooled efficiently without increasing ambient noises or without causing the whole apparatus to become large-sized, and at the same time the lifetime and the reliability of a fan which cools the lamp is made improved. When fans 3 and 4 which are disposed on a front side of the lamp mounted with a heat sink 1 rotate, external air of ordinary temperature is taken inlet and guided into ducts 5 and 6 so as to be blown onto the front face of the lamp by means of the fans 3 and 4. Then, high temperature air which was warmed by being blown onto the lamp is exhausted from an outlet to the outside.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection type display apparatus using a lamp such as a xenon lamp for a light source and to an apparatus for cooling that lamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
An LCD projector is widely used as a video display apparatus for a large-sized screen. An LCD projector, as is well known, is constituted such that radiated light from a light source is condensed and irradiated onto a liquid crystal panel and the light modulated by the liquid crystal panel corresponding to a video signal is projected onto a screen.
A discharge lamp is widely used as a light source of the LCD projector. Among these discharge lamps, a xenon lamp has a strong spectrum component of a red color as compared with other discharge lamps (ultra high voltage mercury lamp, etc.) so that it has an advantage that natural color rendering properties can be realized without emphasizing a blue color or a green color too much.
However, on the other hand, the heat-radiation value becomes great, because the xenon lamp has a need for high wattage for realizing the same brightness as that of other discharge lamps. Therefore, it becomes very important for an LCD projector using a xenon lamp as a light source to cool the xenon lamp.
Heretofore, it is known that for an LCD projector using a xenon lamp operating as a light source, a fan is disposed on the rear side of the xenon lamp and air suction is carried out by the fan such that cooling air is taken in from the front side of the xenon lamp (for example, see Patent Reference 1).
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a brief overview according to such a conventional cooling system. A heat sink 52 is mounted on a xenon lamp 51 and the xenon lamp 51 and the heat sink 52 are contained in a lamp duct 53.
A fan 54 is disposed on the rear side (right direction in the drawing) of the lamp duct 53. Air suction is carried out by the fan 54 such that cooling air is taken in from the front side (left direction in the drawing) of the lamp duct 53 into the lamp duct 53. This air is exhausted to the rear side through the fan 54 after passing through the xenon lamp 51 and the heat sink 52.
[Cited Patent Reference 1] Jap. Registered Pat. No. 3348653 (see paragraph Nos. 0004 and 0017, FIGS. 1 and 6)
However, there are disadvantages such as (a) or (b) as described below in the conventional cooling system.
(a) It is important to prevent the temperature increase of a glass (usually sapphire glass is used) which is disposed at the front face of the xenon lamp and operates as a light radiation plane in order to maintain the temperature of the xenon lamp. However, in a case when air suction is carried out by the fan on the rear side of the xenon lamp, it is not easy for the air to hit the glass directly and even if it hits, the force thereof is weak, so that it is difficult to adequately prevent the temperature increase of the glass.
In addition, if it is conversely attempted to prevent the temperature increase of the glass, the rotational speed of the fan should be made considerably high or a considerably large-scaled fan should be used. However, this will create an increase in ambient noises and the whole LCD projector becomes large sized.
(b) The temperature of the fan will increase, because high temperature air warmed by the xenon lamp and the heat sink will hit the fan. As a result, lubrication oil applied to the rotational axis of the fan motor will evaporate so as to increase rotational resistance thereof and at the same time abnormal noises will be generated or burning will occur in the fan such that the life time and the reliability of the fan will be lowered.

Projection type display apparatus and lamp cooling apparatus


A device to bake farinaceous foods such as cakes, cookies, breads, pies, and pizzas more rapidly and flavorfully, with retention of desire food textures and reduced risk of burning by the use of intermittent application of radiant energy. The preferred embodiment rotates farinaceous ingredients in front of a radiant heat source. The preferred embodiment may control oven temperatures by regulating the amount of outside cool air fan forced into the oven cavity.

Baking of farinaceous foods such as cakes, cookies, breads, pies, and pizzas, has changed little in the last several hundred years. Modern ovens still heat air inside a cooking cavity and transfer cooking energy to the farinaceous article being baked using the heated air.
There are several problems with this method of cooking. First, ovens using this method are inherently slow because they must, in sequence, activate a heater, such as an electrical coil, which then heats air, which then moves to the food being cooked, and transfers its heat to the food being cooked. Each step in this process is time consuming resulting in a long overall process. The process is also very inefficient.
Current variations on this method include moving the hot air inside the cooking cavity by using a fan, also referred to as convection cooking, and by using microwave energy to help speed the baking process.
Adding air movement, as in convection cooking, only helps reduce the time it takes to move the hot air from the heater to the food being cooked and to transfer the heat from the hot air to this food. The heater must still be activated to heat the air used to cook the food.
Adding microwave cooking to conventional ovens reduces baking times, but may unfavorably change the taste and texture of the foods being cooked, as for example, by making bread become rubbery.
What is needed is a method of cooking cakes, cookies, breads, pies, and pizzas as well as other foods, which reduces cooking times and increases cooking efficiency, while maintaining or enhancing food textures and flavors. A further benefit of the this method should be that it is simple to use and forgiving to an unskilled user. Versatility in offering other modes of cooking would also be desirable.


At least one core hole is provided adjacent an edge of a rock crusher component and removably receives a connector capable of attachment to a lifting line. In one embodiment, the connector is a bolt and the core hole has an enlarged portion for receiving a nut in a non-rotating fit. The nut receives a set screw plug when the bolt is removed. In another embodiment a hook and eye member is employed and the hook portion thereof engages the enlarged portion of the core hole. The connector includes a bracket that connects it with a lift line.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a lift line connection for rock crusher components.
Manufacturers of rock crushers universally use manganese steel and variations of it for the construction of wear mantles or jaw plates. These components require replacement after a given amount of service, or they require repair at times, and it is customary in the trade to weld eyes to upper portions of these heavy parts for handling by cranes or other powered machinery.
Manganese steel and variations of it are austenitic and require welding rods made of stainless steel or welding rods made especially for welding such steels. These types of steel cannot safely be welded with the usual carbon steel welding rods since the latter are designed to weld only mild steels. The special rods for welding manganese steel and its variations are very expensive and workmen often substitute carbon steel welding rods to save expenses, or the improper welding rods are sometimes used because of ignorance of the workmen or simply because of improper instructions or the failure to receive proper instructions. When using the improper welding rods to weld the lifting eyes onto the manganese rock crusher components, the weld-bonding fusion area between the weld beads and the manganese steel is brittle and cannot withstand an impact nor much tension and will break like glass, thus possibly resulting in serious accidents.

Lift line connection for rock crusher components


An environmental sensor comprises a graphene thin-film as an environmentally responsive material. Such graphene films exhibit negative temperature coefficients (NTC), resulting in rapid decreases in electrical resistance as temperature increases, as well as a much faster response time than any other NTC material reported in the literature. The graphene film is also mechanically stable under bending, and, therefore, can be adapted for use in a mechanical sensor or pressure sensor, because the electrical resistance of the graphene film changes upon deflection and/or changes in pressure. The electrical resistance of the graphene film also increases in response to increases in environmental humidity. The electrical resistance changes of the graphene film can also be used as a sensing mechanism for changes in chemical and biological parameters in the environment of the sensor.

Temperature sensors such as thermistors are used in various applications, such as in gas sensors or in battery packs for optimization of battery life. Temperature sensors have elements with temperature-dependent electrical resistances. The temperature-resistance coefficient (i.e., the change in resistance with change in temperature) is positive for platinum-based materials and negative for metal oxides and semiconductors (i.e., metal oxides and semiconductors exhibit negative temperature coefficients ("NTC")). Such sensor elements are typically fabricated in the form of discs and pellets. For advanced applications, NTC elements should maintain their properties over time (i.e., they should not age too quickly for long-term use), and should remain mechanically flexible. The mechanism of tracking the electrical resistance as response to environmental conditions can also be used in other sensing applications such as sensing mechanical strain or stress, pressure, humidity, or the chemical and biological species. Respectively, the corresponding changes in electrical resistance can be directly correlated to the mechanical strain or stress, relative humidity and concentrations of chemical or biological species in gas or liquid media.

Graphene-based films in sensor applications

THE TRUSTEES OF THE STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY


A portable telephone with a camera is disclosed, in which a functionality of a camera being rotated to an object in any desired rotational angle without a main body turned around. The portable telephone comprises a main body having a control panel installed on a front face of the main body and a rotation-support part formed in an upper end of the main body, a folder having a display panel and a speaker installed on a front face of the folder and having a connecting part formed in a low end of the folder, the connecting part being rotatably coupled to outer sides of the rotation-support part, and a camera module being rotatably coupled to inner sides of the rotation-support parts.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable telephone with a built-in camera, and more particularly, to a portable telephone with a camera having a rotatable lens which enables users to aim an object in a desired rotational angle as wide as possible.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, Portable telephones include cellular phones or Personal Communication Systems (PCS) having wireless communication capabilities. Nowadays as the need of video/image communication emerges, as well as voice communication, a portable telephone with a camera can be suggested to satisfy this demand.
By considering FIG. 1, a conventional portable telephone with a camera can be described as follows. Inside of a main body 1 of the portable telephone, a camera 3 is mounted on the fixed location of an upper body. This type of portable telephone with a camera is unable to aim an object with any various angles without rotating a whole body, since the camera lens is formed into an embody of a portable telephone. For instance, since the camera lens is always facing out in the same direction of a LCD from the main body 1, users cannot aim a lens toward an object on the other side while they're looking at the LCD. Therefore in order to shoot an object on the other side (in the opposite direction of a LCD face), the main body 1 of a portable telephone needs to be turned around. Afterwards, users cannot check an aiming position of the camera lens, since not being able to look at the LCD on the main body. In short, by facing the main body out of users' side, they're unable to look at the image of pictures through the LCD panel such as a viewfinder of a camera. And also once it is turned around, it is hard to use function keys on a control panel. This leads to one of drawbacks.
FIG. 2 illustrates another example of conventional portable telephones with a camera. In an upper end of a main body 1 of this portable telephone, a camera lens 3a is installed separated from the main body 1. In this case, this camera can only rotate with limited angles, for instance rotating up and down in a sense. This type of portable telephone with a camera gives a limitation such that it rotates in narrow angles. Since even the camera lens is exposed and sticks out on the edge of the main body 1, it is quite easy to be damaged and contaminated.
FIG. 3 illustrates another example of conventional portable telephones. In FIG. 3, a camera is mounted on an upper end of a main body. This camera rotates only on a horizontal axis. In this case, not being capable of rotating on a vertical axis (front to back of the main body 1), the horizontal rotational movement of camera doesn't give enough angles to shoot an object in a desired position. Unfortunately this type of camera on a portable telephone could not solve the problem in the previous example, such as easily damaged and contaminated of a camera lens.


A method and apparatus employing selectable hardware accelerators in a data driven architecture are described. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a plurality of processing elements (PEs). A plurality of hardware accelerators are coupled to a selection unit. A register is coupled to the selection unit and the plurality of processing elements. In one embodiment, the register includes a plurality of general purpose registers (GPR), which are accessible by the plurality of processing elements, as well as the plurality of hardware accelerators. In one embodiment, at least one of the GPRs includes a bit to enable a processing element to enable access a selected hardware accelerator via the selection unit.

Multiprocessing digital signal processors generally use a hierarchical or peer-to-peer processor array. Unfortunately, when new processing elements are added to the digital signal processors, a rewrite of pre-existing code is often required. Moreover, the software that runs the digital signal processors is dependent on hardware timing and is thus not portable across different silicon process technologies. As a result, binary or assembly code written on one version of these processors may not be portable to other versions that have different processing elements. One technique for implementing multiprocessing digital signal processors is the use of a data driven architecture.
In contrast to a data driven architecture, processors currently in widespread use are developed according to so-called Von Newman logic. According to Von Newman logic, processors sequentially process instructions, one at a time. In addition, Von Newman processors operate using a clock to control data input/output (I/O) and execute programs one instruction at a time. As a result, increasing processing speed requires an increase in clock frequency that leads to increased power consumption.
In other words, the functioning of a microprocessor requires synchronization of data transfer and writing data to memory. One method of synchronizing is to tie all circuits to a common signal called a clock signal. Unfortunately, because the majority of internal circuitry is tied to this clock, the internal circuitry does not perform well when processing data intensive applications. In contrast, data driven architectures utilize processors that process without regard to data sequence and only when data is available. Accordingly, because multiple programs are read whenever multiple data is input, data processing is performed in parallel within data driven architectures.
Hardware accelerators are designed to accelerate commonly used data processing functions or operations to improve and speed up processing. In a data driven architecture, several hardware accelerators may be embodied in digital processing units to improve data processing performance. Unfortunately, the number of hardware accelerators that can be controlled within a digital processing unit is limited by several factors such as addressing of the hardware accelerators. As a result of these limitations, the number of hardware accelerators is limited to a few very large and complex hardware accelerators. This desire conflicts with the desire to have several smaller and simpler hardware accelerators within the digital processing units of the data driven architecture.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for selectable hardware accelerators in a data driven architecture


Hyperbranched aramids, made from an aromatic aminodicarboxylic acid or an aromatic aminodicarboxylic acid, and optionally an aromatic aminocarboxylic acid are disclosed. The hyperbranched aramids are useful as aids for the processing of aramid solutions. Also disclosed are novel monomers used to make the hyperbranched aramids.

Hyperbranched polymers, sometimes also called dendrimers or starburst dendrimers are known, see for example a review article by D. A. Tomalia, et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Eng., vol. 29, p. 138-175 (1990), which is hereby included by reference. Most of these polymers are systematically built up, layer upon layer, by the controlled reaction of polyfunctional monomers, as described in Tomalia, et al. However, as also described on p. 153 of Tomalia, et al., there have been a few studies on such polymers where uncontrolled chain growth is carried out, usually in a single polymerization step. Polymers made in a single step are more conveniently made, but usually contain "defects", such as incomplete branching, when compared to polymers made by stepwise buildup of polymeric layers. None of the polymers described by Tomalia are aramids, that is contain amide groups in which both the nitrogen and carbonyl carbon atoms are bound directly to aromatic rings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,630 describes the synthesis of hyperbranched polyarylenes by the uncontrolled polymerization of aromatic monomers of the AB.sub.2 type. These reactions involved the formation of carbon-carbon bonds between benzene rings, and not the formation of amides.
C. J. Hawker, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 113, p. 4583-4588 (1991) describe the formation of "dendritic polyesters" by the uncontrolled self-condensation (polymerization) of 3,5-bis(trimethylsiloxy)benzoyl chloride to form a hyperbranched polyester. No mention is made of polymers containing amide groups.
K. E. Ulrich, et al., Polym. Mater. Sci., vol. 64, p. 237-238 (1991) report on an uncontrolled (one step) polymerization of 5-bromoresorcinol to form an aromatic polyether. No mention is made of amides.
N-Sulfinylaminobenzoyl chlorides are known, see for example S. L. Kwolek, et al., Macromolecules, vol. 10, p. 1390-1396 (1977). No mention is made of trifunctional compounds.


A semiconductor integrated device and a method of forming the same, the semiconductor integrated device includes a substrate, at least one shallow trench isolation, a memory cell device and a poly-insulator-poly capacitor. A capacitor region and a memory cell region are defined on the substrate. The at least one shallow trench isolation is formed in the substrate. The memory cell device is disposed on the at least one shallow trench isolation in the memory cell region and includes a double polysilicon gate. The poly-insulator-poly capacitor is disposed on the at least one shallow trench isolation in the capacitor region, wherein the poly-insulator-poly capacitor directly contacts the at least one shallow trench isolation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor integrated device and a method of forming the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor integrated device having a capacitor structure and a memory cell structure, and a method of forming the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs), a semiconductor capacitor may be implemented to provide a capacitive component within the design of a semiconductor integrated device. The applications for these capacitors can include mixed signal (analog/digital) devices, radio frequency devices, and even decoupling capacitors for the filtering of high frequency signals and improved noise immunization. In the current semiconductor field, though the fabricating processes are improved with the aim of reaching high yields, it is found that integration of the manufacturing methods of those different kinds of semiconductor devices is very complicated and difficult. Therefore, a method for fabricating a capacitor integrated with a memory cell is still in need.

Semiconductor integrated device including capacitor and memory cell and method of forming the same


Mobile terminals capable of transmitting and receiving HTML data etc. are prepared for actualizing simple bidirectional communications specified in a local area, and some broadcasting channels are prepared for ensuring the communications between the mobile terminals. A contrivance is that a receiver is able to transmit a return mail with respect to the broadcasting data received via the broadcasting channel, and the bidirectional communications at a stage just before persons concerned meet directly each other can be actualized.

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for transmitting and receiving information through radio communications.
In recent years, a variety of communications architectures have been structured with advancements of information processing apparatuses. There can be given a multiplicity of examples such as television broadcasting and radio broadcasting in the form of one-way communications oriented to a multiplicity of unspecified receivers, and a portable telephone and a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) etc., in the form of bidirectional communications between specified individuals.
Further, with a preparation of the INTERNET in recent years, it is feasible to have an easy access to WWW (World Wide Web) information in the world. Hypertext information mixed with texts and images, which are used therefor, are going to be settled down as new information expressing means.
In providing the WWW information through the INTERNET, however, the world-wide information can be collected, and while on the other hand there has not yet been established such a technology as to certainly activate communications between target users in a given local area by transmitting the information to within this local area.
What is known in this connection is a technology for combining television broadcasting with INTERNET, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-162818. According to this technique shown therein, domain information of INTERNET is multiplexed in TV broadcasting signals and then transmitted.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-122173 by the present application discloses a technique of transferring from a base station the information exhibiting a prompt reporting characteristic such as newspaper to portable terminal devices by feeble radio waves. Moreover, there is also known a technique of distributing the information only to the users existing in a specified area by using local media such as a mini-FM station.
Those techniques might be effective in combining the INTERNET technology with the broadcasting technology and providing the information to a specified local area.
Each of those conventional techniques, however, deals with the one-way communications from the broadcasting station to the users. Accordingly, the users are unable to readily transmit the information to each other in the same manner as receiving the information.


This invention relates to a metal organic compound, a catalytic composition comprising said metal organic compound, a process for homo- or co-polymerizing isoolefines in the presence of said metal organic compound and a method of stabilizing a compound of the general structure (II) [R′HC(CRR″)2]2+[M2X9]−, in which R is a group of the formula SiR1R2R3, R″ is hydrogen, C1 to C12 alkyl, a C6 to C14 aryl or a C7 to C20 alkylaryl, M is Zr or Hf, X is a halogen atom, and R1 to R3 is a C1 to C12 alkyl group, with a compound R′ of the formula M′R4R5R6, in which M′ is Si, Ge, Sn or Pb and R4 to R6 is a C1 to C12 alkyl group as well as a non-coordinating anion of the general structure [M2X9]− in which M is Zr or Hf and X is a halogen atom.

Carbocations have long been regarded as important intermediates in organic reactions but are generally too unstable to be isolable.
Three types of carbocations have so far been isolated, and several of these have been structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction: (1) carbocations stabilized by heteroatoms in α-positions, notably O and N but including F and Cl; (2) carbocations with phenyl substituents; (3) tertiary-alkyl carbocations. These structural aspects have been summarized in Interactions between carbocations and anions in crystals. T. Laube, Chem. Rev. 1998, 98, 1277.
Carbocations carrying three alkyl substituents have proved isolable in several cases.
These include the parent ion CMe3+ as Sb2F11− salt (see: First X-ray crystallographic study of a benzyl cation, cumyl hexafluoroantimonate(V), and structural implications. T. Laube, G. A. Olah and R. Bau, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 3087.) Low-temperature techniques are required to generate, crystallize and structurally characterize these compounds, which implies that their application is limited by their thermal instability and isolation techniques in SbF5-based media.
None of these examples contains Si or Sn substituents.
Cationic polymerization of olefins is known in the art.
Conventionally, cationic polymerization is effected using a catalyst system comprising: (i) a Lewis acid, (ii) a tertiary alkyl initiator molecule containing a halogen, ester, ether, acid or alcohol group, and, optionally, (iii) an electron donor molecule such as ethyl acetate. Such catalysts systems have been used for the so-called "living" and "non-living" carbocationic polymerization of olefins.
Catalyst systems based on halogens and/or alkyl-containing Lewis acids, such as boron trichloride and titanium tetrachloride, use various combinations of the above components and typically have similar process characteristics. For the so-called "living" polymerization systems, it is conventional for Lewis acid concentrations to exceed the concentration of initiator sites by 16 to 40 times in order to achieve 100 percent conversion in 30 minutes (based upon a degree of polymerization equal to 890) at −75° to −80° C.
Examples of the so-called "living" polymerization systems are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,683 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,321, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, these patents teach the use of Lewis acids in combination with organic acids, organic esters or organic ethers to form cationic polymerization initiators that also create a complex counter anion. Apparently, the complex counter anion does not assist in or cause proton elimination.
In the so-called "non-living" polymerization systems, high molecular weight polyisobutylenes are prepared practically only at low temperatures (−60 to −100° C.) and at catalyst concentrations exceeding one catalyst molecule per initiator molecule. In practice, many of these catalyst systems are applicable only in certain narrow temperature regions and concentration profiles.
In recent years, a new class of catalyst systems utilising compatible non-coordinating anions in combination with cyclopentadienyl transition metal compounds (also referred to in the art as "metallocenes") has been developed. See, for example, any one of:
published European patent application 0,277,003A;
published European patent application 0,277,004;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,401; and
published International patent application WO92/00333.
The use of ionising compounds not containing an active proton is also known. See, for example, any one of:
published European patent application 0,426,637A; and
published European patent application 0,573,403A.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,001 discloses a carbocationic process for the polymerization of isobutylene which utilizes a catalyst system comprising, for example, a metallocene catalyst and a borane.
WO-A 1-00/04061 discloses a cationic polymerization process which is conducted at subatmospheric pressure in the presence of a catalyst system such as Cp*TiMe3 (the "initiator") and B(C6F5)3 (the "activator"). Such a system generates a "reactive cation" and a "non-coordinating anion" (NCA). Using such a catalyst system a polymer having desirable molecular weight properties may be produced in higher yields and at higher temperatures than by conventional means, thus lowering capital and operating costs of the plant producing the polymer.
The wide range of NCAs disclosed in WO-A1-00/04061 includes, boron, phosphorus and silicon compounds, including borates and bridged di-boron species.
The polymerization of isobutylene with small amounts of isoprene, to produce butyl rubber, presents unique challenges. Specifically, as is well known in the art, this polymerization reaction is highly exothermic and it is necessary to cool the reaction mixture to approximately −95° C. in large scale production facilities. This requirement has remained, notwithstanding advances in the art relating to the development of novel reactor designs and/or novel catalyst systems.
Further, it is the case that the copolymers so produced have markedly lower molecular weights than homopolymers prepared under similar conditions. This is because the presence of isoprene in the monomer feed results in chain termination by β-H elimination.
It would be desirable to be able to obtain high molecular weight isobutylene-based polymers, and in particular isobutylene-based copolymers, in high yield, at relatively high temperatures (as compared to the methods of the art) and under more environmentally-friendly conditions. This has not been demonstrated to date.

Process for preparing isobutylene-based polymers


A semiconductor wafer including an identification indication is provided. The wafer includes a convex edge with an upper surface area and a lower surface area. The identification indication is in a marking region which is disposed on a lower side surface of the convex edge. The lower side surface has a wide region where the marking region is located. This wide region has a width that is wider than an upper side surface of the wafer and thus makes a cross-section of a side of the wafer asymmetrical. With the present invention, the entire top surface of the semiconductor wafer can be utilized for a semiconductor chip region and prevents manufacturing problems associated with the uneven nature of the identification indication when the identification is located on the top surface of the wafer.

In order to analyze various process steps in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, a method for identifying each semiconductor wafer is usually required. Conventionally, identification indications such as letters, numerals, or bar cords are written on each of the semiconductor wafers. The identification indication provides a method to identify each wafer after process conditions are applied to each of the wafers. By having an identification indication on each wafer the results of exposing the wafers to the conditions can be analyzed. This analysis of the effects of process conditions on wafers makes failure analysis and process feedback feasible, thus reducing the time for developing products and preventing errors from being repeated.
Generally, the identification indication is carved on top of the semiconductor substrate using a laser beam.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a top plane view of a semiconductor wafer having an identification indication in accordance with the prior art. FIG. 2 is a diagram of a perspective view of a marking region illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view diagram taken along a line I-I′ of FIG. 2, which shows dots that are formed by laser marking.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a marking region 20 is disposed at an edge 15 of an upper side of a semiconductor wafer 10. The marking region 20 is where an identification indication is written. Therefore, the usable chip region 25, in which semiconductor devices are formed, is decreased by as much area as is needed for the marking region 20. If the area of the chip region 25 decreases, then fewer chips can be produced per wafer, which leads to an increase in the unit cost of the semiconductor production.
In addition, the identification indication is composed of dots 30 that are conventionally formed by laser beam. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the dots 30 do not have flat shapes. This potentially can cause problems during the subsequent process of forming the semiconductor circuits on the wafer such as particle defects due to the non-uniform shape of the identification indication. In addition, the non-flat shapes of the dots 30 may cause a chuck defect while the semiconductor wafer 10 is being fixed.

Semiconductor wafer having identification indication