In an electroluminescence display device having, on a display panel, a display portion in which pixels are arranged in matrix, an external connection terminal is placed along a lateral side of the display panel and a vertical scan driver circuit is placed on a lateral side of the display panel which opposes the lateral side on which the external connection terminal is placed. Lines for a horizontal scan driver circuit and for the vertical scan driver circuit can be provided only on three sides of the display panel including the side on which the external connection terminal is provided, a side opposing this side, and another side. By not placing the line for the driver circuits on the remaining side, spaces can be secured on this side for a drive current line which supplies power to an electroluminescence element. With this structure, a size of a frame portion can be reduced while securing sufficient width for the drive current common line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a layout in a display panel in which an electroluminescence element (hereinafter simply referred to as "EL element") is used as a display element in each of pixels arranged in a matrix.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display devices which use EL elements, in particular, organic EL elements which are current-driven light emitting elements as a display element in each pixel, are known. Among EL display devices, active matrix display devices in which a transistor (thin film transistor or "TFT") is provided in each pixel for individually driving, for each pixel, the organic EL element provided in each pixel are now a focus of development.
FIG. 1 exemplifies an equivalent circuit corresponding to a pixel in an active matrix display device. A gate line GL is provided along a horizontal scan direction (row direction) of the display device and a data line DL and a power supply line PL are provided along a vertical scan direction (column direction) of the display device. Each pixel comprises a selection transistor Ts which is an n-channel thin film transistor, a storage capacitor Cs, a p-channel element driving transistor Td, and an organic EL element 55. The selection transistor Ts has a drain connected to a common data line DL which supplies a data voltage to pixels positioned along the vertical scan direction, a gate connected to a gate line GL for selecting pixels positioned along the horizontal scan direction, and a source connected to a gate of the element driving transistor Td.
The element driving transistor Td is a p-channel thin film transistor and has a source connected to the power supply line PL and a drain connected to an anode of the organic EL element 55. A cathode of the organic EL element 55 is formed common to the pixels and is connected to a cathode power supply CV. One electrode of the storage capacitor Cs is connected between the gate of the element driving transistor Td and the source of the selection transistor Ts. The other electrode of the storage capacitor Cs is connected to a power supply of a constant voltage such as, for example, ground and a power supply line.
In this circuit, when the gate line GL is set to the H level, the selection transistor Ts is switched on, a data voltage on the data line DL is supplied via the selection transistor Ts to the gate of the element driving transistor Td, the element driving transistor Td allows a drive current corresponding to the gate voltage of the element driving transistor Td to flow from the power supply line PL to the organic EL element 55, and light is emitted from the organic EL element 55 at brightness corresponding to the drive current. The data voltage on the data line DL is supplied to the storage capacitor Cs in addition to the element driving transistor Td and a voltage corresponding to the data voltage is stored in the storage capacitor Cs. Therefore, even when the gate line GL is set to an L level, the element driving transistor Td continues to supply the drive current because a voltage stored in the storage capacitor Cs continues to be applied to the element driving transistor Td, and, thus, the organic EL element 55 continues to emit light at brightness corresponding to the drive current.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual view schematically showing a planar structure of a panel 100 used in an active matrix organic EL display device having a built-in driver as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-102169 (hereinafter referred to as "Reference 1"). In FIG. 2, the outermost solid line represents a transparent panel substrate 102 and a display region 104, shown by a dotted line and in which the above-described pixels are arranged in a matrix form, is positioned at a position slightly above the center of the panel substrate 102. A horizontal scan driver circuit 106 (hereinafter referred to as "H-related driver") which is connected to the data line DL is formed along an upper side of the display region 104 and vertical scan driver circuits 108 (hereinafter referred to as "V-related driver") which are connected to the gate lines GL are formed along the right and left sides of the display region 104. These drivers 106 and 108 comprise a thin film transistor or the like which is formed simultaneously with the thin film transistors provided in each pixel.
The thick solid line extending in the display region 104 along the vertical direction indicates the power supply line PL. Individual power supply line PL is connected to a wide portion 110 in the horizontal direction which extends along the lower side of the display region 104 and forms a comb shape as a whole. The wide portion 110 is further connected, near the center of the wide portion 110, to another wide portion 112 extending along the vertical direction. The wide portion 112 is connected to an input terminal T1 for the drive power supply placed at the lower side of the organic EL display panel 100.
In addition to the terminal T1, a plurality of additional terminals, including a cathode terminal T2, a terminal T3 connected to the V-related driver 108, and a terminal T4 connected to the H-related driver 106, are located on the lower side of the organic EL display panel 100.
A line for supplying power to the H-related driver 106 extends from the terminal T4 at the lower side of the display panel 100 and along the lower side, right side, and upper side of the display region 104 and reaches a position which is almost at the left end of the upper side. A line for supplying power to the V-related driver 108 located on the left side extends from the terminal T3 along the lower side and the left side, and reaches the upper end of the left side. A line for supplying power to the V-related driver 108 placed on the right side extends from the terminal T3 along the lower side and the right side, and reaches the upper end of the right side. In actual devices, a shift register or the like comprising a TFT is provided in the rectangular region shown in the figure as the H-related driver and the V-related driver. A power supply line for driving these circuit elements extends to an end portion of the driver.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-4797 (hereinafter referred to as "Reference 2") discloses a display device in which the external connection terminal is provided on the lower side, the H-related driver is provided on the upper side, and the V-related driver is provided on the left side. As shown in FIG. 7 of Reference 2, a line for a higher voltage power supply (Vdd) of the power supply lines of the driver extends from the lower side to the right side and supplies a higher voltage power supply to the H-related driver on the upper side and further extends from the H-related driver to the V-related driver formed on the right side. A line for a lower voltage power supply (Vss) extends from the lower side to the left side, supplies the power supply of the lower voltage to the V-related driver, and further extends from the V-related driver to the H-related driver on the upper side. In this manner, the two power supply liens are placed in rotations opposite to each other and only one of the lines is placed on the side on which neither the H-related driver nor the V-related driver is provided. With this configuration, the space required for the line can be reduced.
In the device of Reference 1, the lines for supplying power to the H-related driver and to the V-related driver are provided on four sides of the display device. At the lower side, the line for the driver and the wide portion 110 connected to the power supply line PL are provided, and a contact region extending from the cathode terminal to the common cathode electrode of the EL elements is also provided. Because of this structure, it is difficult to reduce a width of a portion between the display region 104 and the panel substrate 102, that is, the frame portion, on the side on which the external connection terminal is formed. In addition, because the width of the frame portion of the lower side is larger compared to those of the other sides, there is a constraint in the layout when such a display panel is integrated into various devices as a display device.
Other devices are known having the V-related driver 108 placed on one side at the left or right sides, rather than having two V-related drivers 108 on the both sides. However, in these devices also, a line for supplying power must extend into a portion of the lower side, limiting reduction of the width of the frame portion.
The space required for the lines can be partially reduced by employing the structure of the device of Reference 2 in which one of the two power supply lines is laid out in a clockwise manner and the other power supply line is laid out in a counterclockwise manner, but in such a case the line itself is elongated. In particular, in the structure of Reference 2, because a high-speed operation is required for the H-related driver, the power supply line Vdd for supplying the high voltage power supply extends from the external connection terminal to the H-related driver and further to the V-related driver, as described above. In other words, the power supply line Vdd extends from the lower side of the panel and along the right side, upper side, and left side in this order. Thus, the total cumulative length of the power supply line Vdd which extends along the four sides of the panel is great, even in comparison with the power supply line Vss for the lower voltage. When the line is elongated in this manner, additional factors such as, for example, generation of voltage drop and increase of power consumption must then be considered.


The invention concerns a clamping element of a coupling device for releasably but axially and rotationally fixing tool components for dry machining (MMS technology) and for wet machining. The element provides a friction-type connection between the components to be coupled. A cooling tube is arranged at the center of the coupling device. The spindle is provided with an elongated hole run through which cooling tube passes. A variable contour between the base body and the clamping segment enables an increase in distribution of forces for the support of the clamping segments. The novel geometry of the clamping segments results in novel contours in the base body with smoother transitions, hence a better force distribution, thereby reducing material breakage and a more reliable and robust clamping. By virtue of their novel geometry, the clamping segments have an increased surface enabling larger clamping screws to be used.

The clamping system relates to parts rotated at high speeds and to the releasable connection between two components, as disclosed in patent specification DE 42 11 034. A highly efficient coupling for the area of the interface between the machine tool and tool module is described in EP 0291 048 B1 and EP 0409972 B1, as well as in EP 01035934 B1 and EP 1175272 B1. As can be seen in these documents, it is important that the components are connected reliably and are solidly clamped together.


A method is described for generating EUV radiation, comprising the steps of generating a flow of a medium (39); transporting this medium through a source space (60) connected to a vacuum pump (75), and irradiating part of the medium with an intensive, pulsed laser beam (41) focused on said part of the medium, thus creating a plasma (47) which emits EUV radiation. In order to maintain a vacuum in the source space and to prevent elements of the medium, like vapor or elementary particles, from leaving the source space through apertures (63, 64) provided in the wall of the space for passing the laser beam and EUV radiation, the flow of medium is embedded in a flow of rare gas. The invention also describes an EUV radiation source unit for performing the method and the application of the method in the manufacture of devices like IC devices, and in a lithographic projection apparatus.

The invention relates to a method of generating extremely short-wave radiation, in which a medium is transported through a vacuum space and each time a part of the medium in the vacuum space is irradiated with a pulsed and focused energy-rich laser beam, said part of the medium being converted into a plasma emitting extremely short-wave radiation.
The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a device by means of this radiation. Furthermore, the invention relates to an extremely short-wave radiation source unit and to a lithographic projection apparatus provided with such a radiation source unit.
Extremely short-wave radiation is understood to mean extreme UV (EUV) radiation, which can be used in lithographic projection apparatuses, and X-ray radiation for various applications.
Said medium may be a mobile medium, i.e. a medium which does not have a solid shape but whose shape is determined by the holder accommodating the medium or the guide by which the medium is transported. However, the medium may be alternatively a solid medium such as a metal which can be locally exploded by laser beam bombardment, in which the released particles form a plasma emitting extremely short-wave radiation. The metal medium may be a tape or a wire transported through the vacuum, or source space.
A lithographic apparatus is used, inter alia, in the manufacture of integrated electronic circuits or ICs for imaging an IC mask pattern, present in a mask, each time on a different IC area of a substrate. This substrate, which is coated with a radiation-sensitive layer, provides space for a large number of IC areas. The lithographic apparatus may also be used in the manufacture of, for example, liquid crystalline image display panels, integrated, or planar optical systems, charge-coupled detectors (CCDs) or magnetic heads.
Since an increasingly large number of electronic components is to be accommodated in an IC, increasingly smaller details, or line widths, of IC patterns must be imaged. Consequently, increasingly stricter requirements are imposed on the imaging quality and the resolving power of the projection system in the apparatus, which projection system is generally a lens system in the current lithographic apparatuses. The resolving power, which is a measure of the smallest detail which can still be imaged, is proportional to xcex/NA, in which xcex is the wavelength of the imaging, or projection, beam and NA is the numerical aperture of the projection system. To increase the resolving power, the numerical aperture may, in principle, be enlarged and/or the wavelength may be reduced. An increase of the currently already fairly large numerical aperture is no longer very well possible in practice because the depth of focus of the projection system, which is proportional to xcex/NA2, will become too small and the correction for the required image field will be too difficult.
The requirements to be imposed on the projection system may be mitigated, or the resolving power may be increased while these requirements are maintained if a step-and-scan lithographic apparatus is used instead of a stepping lithographic apparatus. In a stepping apparatus, a full-field illumination is used, i.e. the entire mask pattern is illuminated in one run and imaged as one whole on an IC area of the substrate. After a first IC area has been illuminated, a step is made to a subsequent IC area, i.e. the substrate holder is moved in such a way that the next IC area is positioned under the mask pattern, whereafter this area is illuminated, and so forth, until all IC areas of the substrate are provided with a mask pattern. In a step-and-scan apparatus, only a rectangular or annular segment-shaped area of the mask pattern and hence a corresponding sub-area of a substrate IC is illuminated, and the mask pattern and the substrate are synchronously moved through the illumination beam, while taking the magnification of the projection system into account. A subsequent area of the mask pattern is then each time imaged on a corresponding sub-area of the relevant IC area of the substrate. After the entire mask pattern has been imaged on an IC area in this way, the substrate holder performs a step, i.e. the start of a subsequent IC area is introduced into the projection beam and the mask is set, for example, to its initial position whereafter said subsequent IC area is scan-illuminated via the mask pattern.
If even smaller details are to be satisfactorily imaged with a step-and-scan lithographic apparatus, the only possibility is to reduce the wavelength of the projection beam. In the current step-and-scan apparatuses, deep UV (DUV) radiation is already used, i.e. radiation having a wavelength of the order of several hundred nanometers, for example, 248 nm or 193 nm from, for example, an excimer laser. Another possibility is the use of extreme UV (EUV) radiation, also referred to as soft X-ray radiation, with a wavelength in the area of several nm to several tens of nm. Extremely small details, of the order of 0.1 xcexcm or smaller, can be satisfactorily imaged with such a radiation.
Since there is no suitable lens material available for EUV radiation, a mirror projection system must be used for imaging the mask pattern of the substrate, instead of a hitherto conventional lens projection system. For forming a suitable illumination beam of the radiation from the EUV radiation source, mirrors are also used in the illumination system. The article xe2x80x9cFront-end design issues in soft-X-ray lithographyxe2x80x9d in Applied Optics, Vol. 23, No. 34, 01-12-93, pp. 7050-56 describes a lithographic apparatus in which EUV radiation is used and whose illumination system comprises three mirrors and the imaging, or projection, system comprises four mirrors. As is described in the article xe2x80x9cDebris-free soft X-ray generation using a liquid droplet laser plasma targetxe2x80x9d in: Applications of laser plasma radiation II, SPIE 2523 , 1995, pp. 88-93, EUV radiation can be generated by focusing a laser beam on water droplets. The required stable flux of individual micro water droplets can be obtained by means of a capillary glass tube which is vibrated by a piezoelectric driver. Due to the high temperature, each water droplet impinged upon by the laser beam is consecutively converted into a plasma which emits EUV radiation.
In EUV lithographic apparatuses, it is a great problem to illuminate the substrate at a sufficiently high intensity. A first cause of this problem, which applies to all EUV apparatuses, is that the mirrors used are considerably less than 100% reflecting. Each of these mirrors has a multilayer structure whose composition is adapted as satisfactorily as possible to the wavelength of the projection beam used. Examples of such multilayer structures are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,898. A multilayer structure which is frequently mentioned in literature is the structure consisting of silicon layers alternating with molybdenum layers. For radiation coming from a plasma source, these layers theoretically have a reflection of the order of 73% to 75%, but in practice the reflection is currently not larger than 65%. When said number of seven mirrors is used, each with a reflection of 68%, only 6.7% of the radiation emitted by the source reaches the substrate. For a lithographic apparatus, this means in practice that the illumination time should be relatively long in order to obtain the desired quantity of radiation energy on a substrate, and that the scanning velocity would be relatively small, particularly for a scanning apparatus. However, it is essential for these apparatuses that the scanning velocity is as high as possible and the illumination time is as short as possible so that the throughput, i.e. the number of substrates which can be illuminated per unit of time, is as high as possible. This can only be achieved with an EUV radiation source which supplies sufficient intensity. A second cause of the problem relates to the fact that the generated EUV radiation may be absorbed as little as possible, which means that the product of the path length traversed by the EUV radiation and the pressure in the space in which this radiation propagates must not exceed a given value. This space must be a vacuum space with a pressure of, for example, the order of 0.1 mbar if said path length is of the order of 1 m. For a larger path length, the vacuum requirement is also stricter, for example, the pressure in the vacuum space must not be higher than 10xe2x88x923 mbar. In a water plasma source, there is the problem that the vapor pressure of water at room temperature is approximately 23 mbar, which does not comply with the vacuum requirement which must also be maintained in the holder of the radiation source. Moreover, the water vapor may get through the apertures provided in the holder for passing the laser beam and leave this holder so that it will deposit on the mirrors of the illumination system and the projection system and attack these mirrors, thus reducing their reflection. Similar problems occur when other liquids and gases are used as starting media for generating EUV radiation. Such a gas is, for example, xenon in the form of clusters. As regards physical state, such xenon clusters occupy a position between molecules and a solid material. When a cluster is irradiated with a high-power laser beam, the cluster emits EUV radiation. Inter alia, also energy-rich ions are then released, which may cause great damage. Also when a metal tape or wire is bombarded with a laser beam so as to generate EUV radiation, particles are released which may cause damage and may absorb the EUV radiation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method in which the above-mentioned problems in EUV sources, and similar problems in X-ray sources, can be obviated. To this end, this method is characterized in that the medium is embedded in at least a viscous flow of rare gas which is transported through the vacuum space parallel to the direction of movement of the medium.
Vapor deposited from the mobile medium, excess medium which has not been converted into plasma and particles repelled by the plasma formed are taken along by the flow of rare gas and transported to the vacuum pump for the source space. It is thus achieved that the vacuum, or source, space remains sufficiently transparent to the extremely shortwave radiation, and it is sufficiently prevented that said elements of the medium can penetrate other spaces of the apparatus in which the mirrors of the illumination system and those of the projection system are situated. The flow of rare gas is a viscous flow so that it exerts a sufficiently large suction on the matter to be removed. The flow is preferably a laminar flow so that a return flow of the rare gas, and the elements of the medium present therein, is suppressed very effectively.
The method is preferably further characterized in that two viscous flows of rare gas are passed through a part of the vacuum space in which a part of the medium, which is not yet irradiated, propagates.
By making use of two or more extra flows of rare gas, the velocity profile of the rare gas, which profile may be disturbed by an interaction of the moving medium with the rare gas, can be restored.
The method is preferably further characterized in that helium is used as a rare gas.
The envisaged object can be eminently realized with helium which is the lightest of the rare gases and absorbs little extremely short-wave radiation. Instead of helium, for example, also argon may be used, which, on the one hand, can better drain the medium elements but, on the other hand, is more absorbing than helium.
It is to be noted that the article xe2x80x9cCharacterization and control of laser plasma flux parameters for soft X-ray lithographyxe2x80x9d in Applied Optics, Vol. 32, No. 4, 01-12-93, pp. 6910-6930 describes an EUV radiation source based on a metal medium and deals with a problem that may be caused by particles coming from the metal. It is proposed to fill the source space with helium at such a pressure that, on the one hand, collisions prevent the source particles from moving away from the source and, on the other hand, a minimal quantity of EUV radiation is absorbed by the helium. To this end, the helium must fill the entire source space so that more helium is required and the risk of absorption of EUV radiation is greater than in the radiation source unit according to the invention. The specific problems, which occur when liquid or gaseous media are used, are not mentioned in the article.
Furthermore, it is noted in the article xe2x80x9cDebris-free soft X-ray generation using a liquid droplet laser plasma targetxe2x80x9d in SPIE, Vol. 2523, Applications of laser plasma radiation II, 1995, pp. 88-93 that the number of contaminated particles formed during irradiation of ethanol or water droplets for generating EUV radiation, is three times smaller than the number of particles for irradiating a solid material. Then, however, source particles may still reach optical elements of the apparatus in which the EUV radiation is used. To avoid this, the article proposes use of a localized flow of rare gas. However, this flow is passed along the surface of the optical elements to be protected and is not passed through the source space. However, a larger quantity of helium is required for this purpose, and the absorption is greater again.
A first embodiment of the method is characterized in that a metal is used as a medium which, upon irradiation with a laser beam, forms a plasma emitting extremely short-wave radiation.
For the metal medium, various metals such as iron, tin and carbon are suitable. This medium preferably has the shape of a tape or a wire. A second embodiment of the method is characterized in that a liquid is used as a medium which, upon irradiation with a laser beam, forms a plasma emitting extremely short-wave radiation.
This embodiment is preferably further characterized in that a continuous flow of individual water droplets is used as the flow of liquid medium.
Water is a relatively clean medium and good results have already been achieved with a radiation source in which a flow of water droplets is used.
A third embodiment of the method is characterized in that a clustered gas is used as a medium which, upon irradiation with a laser beam, forms a plasma emitting extremely short-wave radiation.
This embodiment is preferably further characterized in that the gas is xenon.
Good results appear to be achieved with an extremely short-wave radiation source in which this gas is used.
The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a device, in which the dimensions of the smallest details are smaller than 0.25 xcexcm, on a substrate, in which method different layers of the device are formed in successive steps by imaging by means of EUV radiation, for each layer, first a specific mask pattern on the substrate coated with a radiation-sensitive layer and by subsequently removing material from, or adding material to, areas marked by the mask image. This method is characterized in that the EUV radiation is generated by means of the method described hereinbefore.
The invention further relates to an extremely short-wave radiation source unit comprising:
a source space connected on a first side to a vacuum pump;
an inlet device on a second side of the source space for introducing the medium into the source space;
a pulsed high-power laser, and
an optical system for focusing the laser beam supplied by the laser on a fixed position within the source space where it passes. This radiation source unit is characterized in that the source space is connected on the second side to a rare gas inlet for establishing a viscous flow of rare gas in the source space enveloping the medium, which flow is parallel to the direction of movement of the medium.
A first embodiment of this radiation source unit, in which the source space is enclosed by a wall having apertures for causing the laser beam to enter into and exit from the source space and for causing the generated extremely short-wave radiation to exit from the source space, is characterized in that a tube is arranged in the source space on the second side of the source space and parallel to the direction of movement of the medium, which tube is connected to said inlet for establishing the viscous flow of rare gas.
This embodiment is preferably further characterized in that a second tube is arranged parallel to the first tube in the source space, which second tube is connected to said inlet for establishing a second viscous flow of rare gas parallel to the direction of movement of the medium.
A second embodiment of the radiation source unit is characterized in that the source space is formed by a first closed part on the first side, a second closed part on the second side and a central part which communicates with the ambience, in that the wall of the second source space part is formed by a tube which is connected to said rare gas inlet, and in that the wall of the tube and the wall of the first source space part have such a shape at the area of the central part of the source space that they constitute an ejector geometry.
Due to the extra suction caused by the ejector, or jet pump, geometry, it is prevented that rare gas can leak through the apertures and raise the pressure in the apparatus spaces accommodating optical components.
A third embodiment of the radiation source unit is characterized in that the source space is formed by a first closed part on the first side, a second closed part on the second side and a central part which communicates with the ambience, in that the wall of the second source space part is formed by an annular tube which is connected to said rare gas inlet, and in that the wall of the tube and the wall of the first source space part have such a shape at the area of the central part of the source space that they constitute an annular ejector geometry.
As compared with the second embodiment, this embodiment has the advantage that the tube which is a part of the jet pump is narrow so that a satisfactory operation of this pump is ensured, and that it also provides the possibility to create some distance between the focus of the laser beam and the position where the medium passes. Especially for the case where liquid droplets or gas clusters are used as a medium, the risk that a droplet or cluster is not impinged upon by the laser beam will be smaller. Since the density of the laser energy in this droplet or cluster then remains limited, the number of energy-rich ions and radicals repelled by the plasma may also remain limited.
A metal, a gas or a liquid may be used as a mobile, plasma-forming medium in the above-mentioned radiation source unit, as defined in claims 15-21.
Finally, the invention relates to a lithographic projection apparatus for imaging a mask pattern on a substrate provided with a radiation-sensitive layer, which apparatus comprises an illumination system for illuminating the mask pattern and a projection system for imaging the illuminated mask pattern on the substrate, the illumination system comprising an EUV radiation source, while the optical components of the illumination system and those of the projection system are present in a vacuum space. This apparatus is characterized in that the EUV radiation source is an EUV radiation source unit as described hereinbefore.
These and other aspects of the invention are apparent from and will be elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

METHOD OF GENERATING EXTREMELY SHORT-WAVE RADIATION, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A DEVICE BY MEANS OF SAID RADIATION, EXTREMELY SHORT-WAVE RADIATION SOURCE UNIT AND LITHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH SUCH A RADIATION SOURCE UNIT


A stator of a motor includes a stator core formed of a plurality of teeth and an annular yoke connecting the teeth to each other, and windings wound on the teeth. A rotor of the motor confronts the stator while supported rotatably, and includes a rotor magnet, a rotor core, and a position sensing magnet. The motor further includes a position sensor for sensing a rotational position of the rotor and a circuit board for supplying an electric current to the windings in response to the rotational position of the rotor. The rotor magnet, the rotor core, and the position sensing magnet are integrated into one unit, which is mounted on a shaft of the rotor.

FIG. 5 shows a motor structure of prior art 1, and this motor is formed of stator 40 and rotor 50. Stator 40 comprises the following elements: stator core 41, winding 43 wound via insulator 42 on respective teeth of stator core 41 in a concentrated manner, terminal 44, circuit board 45, resin mold 46 for sealing all or parts of the elements discussed above, and bracket 47. Three-phase windings are regularly used in this motor. Circuit board 45 includes various components necessary for driving the motor.
Rotor 50 is placed inside of stator 40, and has shaft 53 at the center of rotor core 52. Shaft 53 is rotatably supported by two bearings 54. Rotor 50 forms a surface magnet rotor, i.e. rotor magnet 51 is mounted on an outer wall of rotor core 52. Rotor 50 rotates on shaft 53 due to the interaction between the magnetic field formed by an electric current running through winding 43 wound on stator 40 and the magnetic poles of rotor magnet 51.
Driving of the motor needs to regulate the electric current running through winding 43 in response to a rotational position of rotor 50, so that some means is needed for accurately sensing the rotational position of rotor 50.
In a conventional manner, position sensor 61, such as a Hall element or a Hall IC, mounted to circuit board 45 is used in many cases as a means for sensing the rotational position for the motor to sense the rotational position of rotor 50.
At this time, extra-close placement of rotor magnet 51 mounted on rotor 50 to position sensor 61 allows sensing a major magnetic flux, which rotates rotor 50, generated from rotor magnet 51. However, in actual, presence of a coil end, namely, a protruding part of winding 43 from stator core 41, sets a limit to the closer placement of rotor magnet 51 to position sensor 61. The extra-close placement of rotor magnet 51 to position sensor 61 also refers to the close placement of position sensor 61 to stator core 41 or winding 43. As a result, position sensor 61 is affected by the magnetic flux, which is generated by the electric current running through winding 43 and issued from stator 40, so that the accuracy of sensing the rotor position is lowered, for position sensor 61 originally aims to sense the rotor position by sensing the magnetic flux issued from rotor magnet 51.
FIG. 6 shows a motor structure of prior art 2. Elements similar to those of prior art 1 shown in FIG. 5 have the same reference marks, and the descriptions thereof are omitted here. The motor of prior art 2 differs from the motor of prior art 1 in the following point: As shown in FIG. 6, position sensing magnet 62 is mounted to rotor 50 besides rotor magnet 51. Position sensing magnet 62 is axially magnetized so that the magnetic flux generated from magnet 62 can positively interlink with position sensor 61, which thus accurately senses a rotational position of rotor 50. This structure is disclosed in, e.g. Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-299207.
The motor of prior art 2, however, has discrete components of rotor magnet 51 and position sensing magnet 62, so that variations are obliged to happen in the positional relation between magnet 51 and magnet 62 both mounted to rotor core 52. The variations sometimes lower the accuracy of sensing the position, and the structure discussed above increases the number of steps of assembling rotor 50.


A roll stiffness control apparatus of a vehicle, which includes a controller that estimates a remaining capacity of front wheels to generate a lateral force and a remaining capacity of rear wheels to generate a lateral force, and that sets a roll stiffness distribution ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheels so as to reduce a difference between the remaining capacity of the front wheels to generate a lateral force and the remaining capacity of the rear wheels to generate a lateral force.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a roll stiffness control apparatus of a vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a roll stiffness control apparatus of a vehicle, which controls a roll stiffness distribution ratio between front wheels and rear wheels based on a remaining capacity of the front wheels to generate a lateral force and a remaining capacity of the rear wheels to generate a lateral force such that the roll stiffness distribution ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheels is changed to an appropriate value.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP(A) 06-211018 discloses a known roll stiffness control apparatus of a vehicle, for example, an automobile. This roll stiffness control apparatus calculates a target yaw rate of a vehicle, and controls a roll stiffness distribution ratio between front wheels and rear wheels such that an actual yaw rate of the vehicle comes closer to the target yaw rate.
With such a roll stiffness control apparatus, the roll stiffness distribution ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheels is controlled such that the actual yaw rate of the vehicle comes closer to the target yaw rate. It is, therefore, possible to improve running stability of the vehicle during cornering without affecting acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, unlike a case where braking forces/driving forces of the wheels are individually controlled so that the actual yaw rate of the vehicle comes closer to the target yaw rate.
Generally, when the roll stiffness distribution ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheels is controlled, a vertical load ratio between a right wheel and a left wheel changes on each of a front wheel side and a rear wheel side. Accordingly, a longitudinal force and a lateral force which can be generated by each wheel also change, and a turning limit of the vehicle also changes. However, in the above-mentioned conventional type of roll stiffness control apparatus, a force which can be generated by each wheel is not taken into account. Therefore, there is room for improvement in control of the roll stiffness distribution ratio between the front wheels and the rear wheels, which is performed so as to improve the turning limit of the vehicle.

Roll stiffness control apparatus of vehicle


Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for automatically checking and acting on one or more claims. Implementations include actions of receiving claim information associated with one or more claims, wherein each of the one or more claims includes a factual claim, processing the claim information based on a domain vocabulary to identify at least one of one or more keywords and one or more categories, for each claim of the one or more claims: identifying one or more facts relevant to the claim, and determining an accuracy of the claim based on the one or more facts generating a confidence score reflecting an overall confidence in the one or more claims based on respective accuracies, and transmitting at least one of the one or more claims and the confidence score for display in a graphical user interface (GUI).

In many consumer-facing industries (e.g., insurance, banking, retail, healthcare, public services), consumers can be in direct communication with a customer service representative. In some examples, the customer service representative collects information from the customer in order for decisions to be taken based on the provided information. Organizations, however, must guard against the risk of taking action based on incorrect information provided by the customer. Consequently, the verification of information is often delegated to a centralized authority. For example, in the insurance industry, customer claims collected by a user-facing customer service representative are delegated to an expert in claims analysis. This results in delays and overheads as information is transmitted and analyzed. Further, customer service representatives often work from a script in order to ensure that necessary information is collected from the customer. Following a script, however, can hinder focusing on the natural flow of the conversation between the customer and the customer service representative.


An antenna is positioned relative to one or more other components within a metal or alloy case member/back cover assembly of an electronic timepiece having a radio communication function to facilitate reception of radio waves by the antenna, and/or to reduce negative effects on the signal reception ability of the antenna caused by one or more other components. Thus positioning the antenna improves its reception, while the external appearance of the timepiece can be maintained or enhanced by using metal or alloy for the case member/back cover assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an electronic timepiece with a radio communication function such as a radio-controlled timepiece, and relates more particularly to an electronic timepiece with a radio communication function having an antenna positioned within the timepiece relative to one or more other components to facilitate reception of radio waves by the antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radio-controlled timepieces having an antenna to receive a radio signal containing standard time information and adjust the time based on the received time signal are one type of electronic timepiece with a radio communication function for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals from external sources and transmitting RF signals to external devices. Radio-controlled timepieces that have the antenna disposed externally to the case so that the antenna can easily receive RF signals have been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. H11-223684, FIG. 4). This radio-controlled timepiece can receive RF signals with good reception by means of the antenna even if the case member is metal without the metal case interfering with RF signal reception. However, locating the antenna externally to the case detracts from the appearance of the radio-controlled timepiece.
Some radio-controlled timepieces also have solar power generating means, thermal power generating means, or other electrical generating means assembled with the movement of the timepiece, and use the generated output of such generating means to drive the timepiece (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2003-121569, FIG. 1). However, while the antenna is disposed in the movement and the arrangement of the generating means and antenna are shown in the figures for the radio-controlled timepiece of this patent application, the location of the movement relative to the case is not described. As a result, there could be interference with signal reception by the antenna if, for example, the case is metal, and poor signal reception could result in some situations.
Radio-controlled timepieces having the antenna housed inside the case have also been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2002-31690, FIG. 6). The solar cell circuit board in this radio-controlled timepiece is located inside the movement at a position covering the antenna. However, because the solar cell circuit board is usually made from stainless steel or other metal, the circuit board can interfere with signal reception.
A radio-controlled timepiece in which the dial is made from ceramic or other non-metallic material has also been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2003-139869, FIG. 1). The back cover or case member of this radio-controlled timepiece, however, must be made from ceramic in order to lower the possibility of interference with signal reception, thus detracting from the appearance of the radio-controlled timepiece. If the back cover or case member is made of metal in order to improve the appearance, signals cannot be received with good reception because the antenna is surrounded by the back cover and case member.

Electronic timepiece with radio communication function


A method for identifying defects in a web of material is provided. The method may include monitoring one or more characteristics of a web translating along a travel path. The one or more characteristics may include one of position, speed of travel, and direction of travel. The method may include identifying a candidate for a defect by detecting one or more deviations in the web at a first time frame. The method may include monitoring one or more characteristics of the candidate for a defect at one or more subsequent time frames. The method may include determining whether the candidate is a defect by comparing the one or more characteristics of the candidate at one or more subsequent time frames to the one or more characteristics of the web. A related system is also provided.

This invention relates generally to a web monitoring system and associated methods. Web monitoring systems and methods are widely used for capturing video images of random events in a manufacturing environment. Examples of manufacturing environments include a manufacturing facility that may be producing a web such as paper or cardboard. These systems typically operate under video monitoring during which video images of the environment are recorded. Specifically, the video monitoring is configured for detecting a triggering event within the environment. A triggering event may be the capturing of a defect such as a tear or puncture in the web. Upon the occurrence of the event, the video image of the event is thus recorded, or "captured" for later viewing by the system operator. Optionally, at the occurrence of the event, the manufacturing line may be shut down so that the malfunction causing the triggering event may be located and any issues associated therewith may be resolved. After the event is captured, the video image of the event may be replayed so that the event can be analyzed.
Prior systems suffered from an over-inclusion of reporting triggering events. For systems that are user monitored, a user was required to monitor the system at all times and determine, on a case by case basis, whether each triggering event was a defect in the web. False positives may have routinely been detected by prior art systems. For example, a water droplet passing between a monitoring camera and web may be a triggering event captured by the web monitoring system, but is not a defect. Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method that is able to more precisely identify triggering events as defects in the web.


In some aspects, a grid-point-spacing ratio is computed for a one-dimensional fluid flow model. The one-dimensional fluid flow model represents a flow path for well system fluid in a subterranean region, and the grid-point-spacing ratio is computed based on a parameter of the flow path. Grid points for the one-dimensional flow model are generated based on the grid-point-spacing ratio.

The following description relates to generating grid points for use in fluid flow simulations, for example, in a simulation of well system fluid in a subterranean region.
Flow models have been used to simulate fluid flow in wellbores and other environments. A flow model can use a numerical technique such as a finite difference method for the simulation. A finite difference method can include a distribution of grid points over the simulation domain.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Generating a smooth grid for simulating fluid flow in a well system environment


In the microwave oven of square waveguide type or coaxial tube type, the waveguide or inner conductor of the tube type is gradually declined from the inlet toward the outlet of the oven. A top slot is provided so that containers may be moved along the slot with their bottom portions being received in the oven and the contents heat sterilized. There is laid on a bottom surface of the oven a support rail for the bottoms of the containers, and this rail is gradually thickened from the inlet toward the outlet. More preferably, two or more such microwave ovens may be serially connected and the containers may be moved therethrough to heat sterilize medical fluids within each container in a stepwise manner.

This invention relates to an apparatus utilizing microwave to heat-sterilize a sealed container filled with medical fluid and particularly to a microwave oven of coaxial tube type or waveguide type for such purpose.
The sealed container, for example, an ampoule filled with medical fluid such as injection medicine is conventionally subjected to a sterilizing treatment during its manufacturing process.
As means for sterilization, those employing microwave or auto clave are well known.
The means utilizing the microwave is well known, for example, from Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. 1973-59976 entitled "Method and apparatus for sterilization of medical fluid contained within ampoule", Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. 1973-104381 entitled "Method and apparatus for sterilization of ampoule filled with liquid" and Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. 1975-38985 entitled "Sterilizer for ampoule filled with liquid".
The applicant of this application also has already proposed "Apparatus and method for sterilization of sealed container utilizing microwave " in U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,443 and Japanese Patent Application No. 1989-147666 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/530414, U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,504).
The microwave heater of oven type is also well known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,895.
However, it has been difficult for the heating means utilizing the auto clave to control the temperature of individual sealed containers and such heating means sometimes has encountered a problem of medical fluid decomposition. Furthermore, it has been impossible for such heating means to realize a continuous process of manufacturing.
The conventional heating means utilizing the microwave has been inconvenient in that the microwave can not be efficiently absorbed by the sealed container and, to compensate for this, it has been necessary to increase output of the microwave oscillator. In addition, the well known heating means utilizing the microwave has been disadvantageous also in that the sealed container of a large volume can not be adequately sterilized. More specifically, most of such conventional apparatuses have been provided with a single microwave irradiation oven and, therefore, the output of the microwave oscillator for this single oven has had to be increased to heat the sealed container of a large volume. As a result, an extremely intense microwave energy has been concentrated onto the sealed container passing by the oscillator and there has been an anxiety that the temperature of medical fluid could not be controlled.
Specifically, the intense microwave energy is absorbed by the medical fluid contained within the sealed container, leading to a sudden rise of the temperature thereof, and it becomes difficult to control the temperature to a desired level. There have been further problems such as rupture of the container due to a sudden pressure rise within the container and damage of the container due to electric short caused by a high electrolytic intensity of the microwave between the sealed container and the medical fluid contained therewithin.
It has been impossible for the conventional microwave heating apparatus of oven type not only to irradiate a plurality of sealed containers evenly with the microwave but also to achieve a local irradiation and, accordingly, no stable sterilization has been expectable. Particularly in the well known apparatus disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,895 which is adapted to convey objects to be heated into respective cavities and to heat them within the respective cavities, there must be provided partition between each pair of adjacent cavities and there must be provided a mechanism used to open and shut these partitions. With a consequence, the mechanical construction is necessarily complicated and heating must be stopped everytime the partitions are opened. Such requirement results in a large heat loss and makes a continuous heating process impossible. The apparatus disclosed by the above-mentioned U.S. Patent has been unpractical for heat-sterilization of ampoule, vial or the like which unexceptionally requires a high accuracy of heat-sterilization, because this apparatus of prior art can not control heating of such object with a desired accuracy.

Sterilizer for sealed container utilizing microwave


An external power source such as a battery is used to initially supply power to start an alternator and generator. Once the system has started it is not necessary for the battery to supply power to the system. The battery can then be disconnected. The alternator and electric motor work in combination to generator electrical power. The alternator supplies this electrical power to the two inverters. One inverter outputs part of its power to the lamp load device and part back to the electric motor/generator. This power is used to power the electric motor. The second inverter supplies power to the specific load devices that are connected to the system.

Electrical energy occurs naturally, but seldom in forms that can be used. For example, although the energy dissipated as lightning exceeds the world's demand for electricity by a large factor, lightning has not been put to practical use because of its unpredictability and other problems. Generally, practical electric-power-generating systems convert the mechanical energy of moving parts into electrical energy. While systems that operate without a mechanical step do exist, they are at present either excessively inefficient or expensive because of a dependence on elaborate technology. While some electric plants derive mechanical energy from moving water (hydroelectric power), the vast majority derives it from heat engines in which the working substance is steam. Roughly 89% of power in the United States is generated this way. The steam is generated with heat from combustion of fossil fuels or from nuclear fission.
In electricity, machine used to change mechanical energy into electrical energy. It operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction. When a conductor passes through a magnetic field, a voltage is induced across the ends of the conductor. The generator is simply a mechanical arrangement for moving the conductor and leading the current produced by the voltage to an external circuit, where it actuates devices that require electricity. In the simplest form of generator the conductor is an open coil of wire rotating between the poles of a permanent magnet. During a single rotation, one side of the coil passes through the magnetic field first in one direction and then in the other, so that the induced current is alternating current (AC), moving first in one direction, then in the other. Each end of the coil is attached to a separate metal slip ring that rotates with the coil. Brushes that rest on the slip rings are attached to the external circuit. Thus the current flows from the coil to the slip rings, then through the brushes to the external circuit. In order to obtain direct current (DC), i.e., current that flows in only one direction, a commutator is used in place of slip rings. The commutator is a single slip ring split into left and right halves that are insulated from each other and are attached to opposite ends of the coil. It allows current to leave the generator through the brushes in only one direction. This current pulsates, going from no flow to maximum flow and back again to no flow. A practical DC generator, with many coils and with many segments in the commutator, gives a steadier current. There are also several magnets in a practical generator. In any generator, the whole assembly carrying the coils is called the armature, or rotor, while the stationary parts constitute the stator. Except in the case of the magneto, which uses permanent magnets, AC and DC generators use electromagnets. Field current for the electromagnets is most often DC from an external source. The term dynamo is often used for the DC generator; the generator in automotive applications is usually a dynamo. An AC generator is called an alternator. To ease various construction problems, alternators have a stationary armature and rotating electromagnets. Most alternators produce a polyphase AC, a complex type of current that provides a smoother power flow than does simple AC. By far the greatest amount of electricity for industrial and civilian use comes from large AC generators driven by steam turbines.


A belt installation tool having a first member (18) engagable with a pulley hub whereby a belt installation radial load is transmitted to the pulley hub. A body (10) having a tool engagement portion (15) disposed radially from the pulley hub. A second member (11) radially extending from the body opposite the first member, the second member having a lateral urging surface (12) for laterally urging a belt into a pulley groove. A roller (17) having a conical surface (17A) extending normally from the body at a radius substantially equal to or less than a pulley flange radius and in a direction opposite a pulley, the roller cooperatively disposed with the lateral urging surface whereby a belt is borne from the roller to the lateral urging surface during belt installation.

Belt drive systems comprise a significant and widely used form of mechanical power transmission. Generally a belt runs between two or more pulleys, more particularly a driver and driven pulley and idlers.
In order to efficiently transmit power between the pulleys, the belt is installed with a predetermined preload or tension. The amount of tension is generally a function of the horsepower and torque requirements of the drive. Increased horsepower or torque requirements will generally require a commensurate increase in the belt tension.
In order to achieve the proper tension, one or more of the pulleys are loosened during belt installation so the shaft or shafts can be moved to allow a slack condition in the belt. Then, the belt is looped over the pulleys. The loosened pulley or pulleys are then pulled or tightened into a predetermined position, resulting in a belt tension being created in the belt. This process requires the pulley(s) to be mechanically adjusted in order to properly preload the belt.
Belts may be installed on pulley systems using other methods. For systems with an automatic tensioning device the tensioner is set, the belt is placed, and the tensioner is released to its operational location.
Another method of installing a belt involves use of a tool that presses the belt into a pulley groove without the need for mechanically adjusting the pulleys in a fixed center system. The tool stretches the belt while laterally forcing it into a pulley groove while imposing lateral forces on the pulley.
Representative of the art is U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,391 B2 to Gerring et al. (2004) which discloses a tool for installation and removal of power transmission belts from fixed center pulleys in a power transmission system.
Reference is also made to co-pending application Ser. No. 10/437,803 filed May 14, 2003 which discloses a belt installation tool.
What is needed is a belt installation tool that substantially eliminates lateral forces on a pulley during belt installation. What is needed is a belt installation tool having a roller extending from the body at a radius equal to or less than a pulley flange radius and in a direction substantially normal to a pulley plane defined by a pulley groove. What is needed is a belt installation tool having an arcuate portion for engaging a pulley hub rim. The present invention meets these needs.


An anti-reflective cosmetic composition for skin is disclosed. The composition includes a material that, when applied to skin, forms a layer of the material that adheres to the skin, has a thickness of from about 60 nm to about 140 nm, and a refractive index of between about 1.1 and 1.4. The layer reduces the Fresnel component of light reflected from skin. In addition, cosmetic compositions that include colored, shaped additives that mimic the appearance of colored structures in healthy skin are disclosed.

The invention relates to skin cosmetics.
Skin cosmetics are generally designed to give skin a more youthful, healthy appearance. One aspect of this goal is reducing the visibility of wrinkles and eliminating oily glare. Most existing skin cosmetics are creams or powders which, when applied to skin, create an opaque layer which hides wrinkles and diffuses reflected light. Covering skin with an opaque substance, however, can give skin a homogenous, unnatural appearance.
The invention is based on the discovery that if a cosmetic layer or coating is applied to skin that specifically reduces the Fresnel component of reflectance, without affecting other skin optics parameters, the coating will obscure wrinkles and give the skin a more natural, youthful appearance. In addition, by including in a skin cosmetic colored additives that mimic natural chromophoric structures in skin, the overall appearance of the cosmetic will be more lifelike and natural.
In general, in one aspect, the invention features an anti-reflective cosmetic composition for skin. The composition includes a material that, when applied to skin, forms a layer of the material that adheres to the skin, has a thickness of from about 60 nm to about 140 nm and a refractive index of between about 1.1 and 1.4. The layer reduces the Fresnel component of light reflected from skin.
Embodiments of this aspect of the invention can include one or more of the following features. The layer has a thickness of between about 80 nm and 120 nm, e.g., 95-100 nm, and a refractive index of between about 1.2 and 1.3, e.g., 1.22. The layer can be a molecular monolayer including amphipathic molecules, such as straight-chain phospholipids. The amphipathic molecules can have lengths of between about 95 nm and 100 nm. In addition, the layer can include a trapped gas to reduce the index of refraction of the layer. The trapped gas can be in one or more microspheres or microbubbles having diameters less than about 55 nm. The composition can also include a carrier, such as water.
Alternatively, the molecular monolayer can include a monomer, where the monomer, when activated, polymerizes to form the molecular monolayer. The monomer includes a negatively charged moiety, such as an amine group or a carboxyl group, that is attracted to stratum corneum. Activation of the monomer can be triggered by application of the material to skin. The cosmetic composition can also be an aerosolizable liquid that can be sprayed onto skin to form the layer.
The cosmetic composition can further include a chromophore having a natural skin color. The chromophore can be, e.g., melanin granules or liganded hemoproteins. The layer formed by the composition can be generally translucent or transparent.
Instead of a molecular monolayer, the layer can be, e.g., a monolayer including a trapped gas to reduce the refractive index. The trapped gas can be in one or more microspheres or microbubbles. The layer can include microspheres and can further include a packing agent. The packing agent is, e.g., a polymer such as polyvinylalcohol, polymethyl methacrylate, polydimethyldiallylammonium. The microspheres can be encapsulated by a capsule substance having a negatively charged moiety, such as a polycarbonate group.
In another aspect, the invention features a method of reducing Fresnel reflectance from skin. The method includes applying a cosmetic composition to skin, such that a material in the composition forms a layer on the skin. The layer has a thickness of between about 60 nm and 140 nm and a refractive index of between about 1.1 and 1.4.
Embodiments of this aspect of the invention can include one or more of the following features. The layer is a monolayer. The composition includes a carrier, and the method further includes removing carrier and non-bound material from the skin, e.g., by washing or allowing the carrier to evaporate after formation of the monolayer, such that only the monolayer remains on the skin.
In another aspect, the invention features a cosmetic composition having colored, shaped additives that mimic the appearance of colored structures in healthy skin and a carrier. The additives are mixed into the carrier in an amount sufficient to mimic spectral texture of healthy skin when applied to the skin.
Embodiments of this aspect of the invention can include one or more of the following features. The carrier can include a chromophore having a natural skin color, e.g., the color of melanin or oxyhemoglobin. The colored structures mimicked by the additives can be mimics of natural structures in skin such as hair follicles, sweat duct openings, fine hairs, freckles, or blood vessels. The additives can be dyed polymers, and have shapes such as threads, disks, or beads. The composition can further include a material that forms a layer when the material is applied to skin. The layer has a thickness of between about 60 nm and 140 nm and a refractive index of between about 1.1 and 1.4.
An xe2x80x9camphipathic moleculexe2x80x9d is a molecule having a polar end and a lipophilic end.
As used herein, xe2x80x9cspectral texturexe2x80x9d describes the spatial variation in the reflectance spectrum caused by endogenous skin pigments localized in structures such as blood vessels, freckles, vellus hairs, pores, and follicles.
As used herein, a microsphere is a small sphere of a capsule substance, e.g., albumin or a natural or synthetic polymer, that surrounds a gas. A microbubble is a small pocket of gas within a solid or liquid.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting.
The new cosmetics provide the advantage of reducing the visibility of wrinkles and coarse details in skin without affecting other skin optics parameters, such as spectral texture and color, to give the skin a more natural, youthful appearance. The anti-reflective cosmetics are non-toxic and are easy to apply. In addition, the new cosmetics that include colored additives allow wrinkles and skin blemishes to be obscured, without making the skin appear homogenous and unnatural. Sunscreens and moisturizers can easily be added to the new cosmetic compositions.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the claims.


A system and method for processing receipt image data is disclosed. The system includes an image capture device and an image splitting module. In one embodiment, the image capture device is augmented to capture in a single scan four images arranged in a 2×2 grid pattern, nine images arranged in a 3×3 grid pattern, twelve images arranged in a 3×4 grid pattern or sixteen images arranged in a 4×4 grid pattern. The image splitting module recognizes scans of the image capture device that include multiple images and splits the images for the proper processing by the rest of the system.

An expense report system relies on capturing receipts to carry out its assigned functions. When large numbers of receipts are involved, capturing receipts one at a time is time consuming and error prone. The operator can easily forget to capture a receipt or capture a receipt more than once, thus providing incorrect information to the expense report system. Attempting to capture multiple receipts in a single scan does not work because the system treats the multiple receipts as a single receipt and does not correctly process the capture data.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, the approaches described in this section may not be prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Expense report system with receipt image processing


In one aspect the present disclosure relates to a system for measuring an internal resistance of a battery. The system may involve: a processor; a load module responsive to the processor for applying a load across the battery; a current sense subsystem for sensing the current flowing to the load module and generating a sensed current signal in accordance therewith; a multiplexer module in communication with the current sense subsystem for detecting voltages with the load coupled across the battery and uncoupled from the battery, and generating voltage signals in accordance therewith; and a filtering and amplification subsystem responsive to the multiplexer module, for filtering and amplifying a level of each of the voltage signals to produce modified voltage signals for use by the processor in determining the battery internal resistance.

The internal resistance of a battery indicates the capacity of the battery to supply power to a load or circuit. The internal resistance may be measured periodically to insure that a battery meets a predetermined state of health (SOH). Based on field testing of various types of batteries, such as lead, lead acid and lead calcium batteries, once the internal resistance increases to more than 25% above its nominal value, the battery is unable to meet its capacity requirements and fails capacity tests.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic model is shown of battery resistance. The model includes a natural capacitance XC, electromechanical resistance RE, and metallic resistance RM. Metallic resistance RM is in series with a parallel combination of the electromechanical resistance RE and natural capacitance XC.
Electrochemical resistance RE represents the internal resistance of the battery and includes a series combination of resistances RPASTE, RELECTROLYTE, and RSEPERATOR. RPASTE represents a resistance that is presented by cell paste used on metallic grids of the battery. RELECTROLYTE represents a resistance of electrolytes in the battery. RSEPARATOR represents a resistance of the separators in the battery.
Metallic resistance RM includes a series combination of resistances RGRID TO POST, RGRID, RSTRAP, RTERMINAL POST. RGRID TO POST represents a resistance presented by a junction resistance between a battery post and a metallic grid that connects a plurality of battery cells. RGRID represents a resistance presented by the metallic grid. RSTRAP represents a resistance presented by a conducting bar or wire that connects the battery post to a post of another battery. RPOST represents a resistance presented by the battery post.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an oscilloscope trace shows an example of battery voltage during an internal resistance test that is performed in accordance with the prior art. The battery voltage is represented by trace 20. A horizontal axis 22 represents time at 100 mS per division. Prior to time 24, the battery voltage is at a float voltage. Float voltage is the battery voltage when the battery is fully charged and unloaded.
At time 24, an electrical load is applied to the battery. The battery voltage drops exponentially to a loaded voltage at time 26. The battery internal resistance can be estimated by ΔV/I, where ΔV is the difference between the unloaded voltage and the loaded voltage, and I is the battery current. After time 26 the load is removed and the battery voltage recovers to the float voltage. FIG. 2 shows that each iteration of the battery resistance test can take about 400 mS.

System and method for measuring battery internal resistance


A variable orifice for controlling the flow of pulverized coal and air in a pipe leading to a cool burner comprises a plurality of flow restriction poles extending into the pipe. The poles are radially adjustable to vary the amount of restriction to flow. Indicia are provided to indicate the position of the inner ends of the poles.

A coal-fired burner in a power plant receives pulverized coal in an air stream through one or more pipes sometimes called "burner lines". Control of the flow in these lines is needed to prevent burner line plugging, unbalanced coal flow, poor combustion in the burner, and excessive emissions. Existing orifices need to be changed from time to time to overcome many of these problems. What is needed is an on-line orifice which is capable of being adjusted to reduce burner line plugging and maintain a more balanced flow of coal, resulting in better combustion in the burner and lower emissions. The orifice should be capable of speedy adjustment without having to shut down the equipment.
In accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention about to be described, pulverized coal in an air stream is delivered to a coal burner by a pipe having a variable orifice comprising a plurality of flow restriction poles which project radially into the pipe. The poles lie in a common plane and are radially adjustable toward and away from each other to vary the amount of restriction to flow. Indicating means are provided to indicate the position of the poles. Preferably, the poles are easily removed when repair or replacement is necessary. Adjustment can be effected without interrupting the flow of coal in the pipe or otherwise shutting down the equipment.
One object of this invention is to provide an on-line variable orifice having the foregoing features and capabilities.
Another object is to provide an on-line variable orifice which is composed of a relatively few simple parts, is rugged and durable in use, is capable of easy adjustment without requiring the equipment to be shut down, and is capable of being inexpensively manufactured and assembled.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when considered with the accompanying drawings.


Disclosed herein is a surface functionalized poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and methods for making the same. The surface functionalized poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) disclosed herein is applicable in the general field of microfluidics, bioMEMS (bio-microelectromechanical systems), soft lithography and other related biotechnology fields.

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is the choice of material for a wide range of applications (Whitesides, G. M. Nature 2006, 442, 368-3731; Psaltis, D.; et al. Nature 2006, 442, 381-386; El-Ali, J.; et al. Nature 2006, 442, 403-411) due to its many advantageous properties. These properties include chemical inertness, non-toxicity, ease of handling, and commercial availability. Strategies for PDMS surface modification have been developed, such as physisorption and chemical coupling. Physisorption of materials to a PDMS surface, such as surfactants (Huang, B.; et al. Science 2007, 315, 81-84) and polyelectrolytes (Liu, Y.; et al. Anal. Chem. 2000, 72, 5939-5944) are driven by hydrophobic and electrostatic forces, respectively. Chemical coupling is stable but generally involves high-energy bombardment (i.e., plasma) to PDMS surface (Donzel, C.; et al. Adv. Mater. 2001, 13, 1164). A number of issues are associated with chemical coupling: (1) plasma treatment is easy, but not sustainable (Olah, A.; et al. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2005, 239, 410-423), (2) high-energy bombardment has the tendency to damage PDMS and is only applicable to planar surfaces because of its limited penetration depth, and (3) the concentration gradient in "grafting to" strategy prevents the preparation of thick and dense films (Ma, H.; et al. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2005, 16, 640-648).

Light sensitive initiator integrated polydimethylsiloxane


An object is to provide a thermal transfer printer having an inexpensive configuration and capable of making a tension given to an ink ribbon as constant as possible, even when a secular change and an environmental change occur in a DC motor used as a supply motor and a winding motor. A supply motor control unit controls a supply motor of an ink ribbon supply unit. A winding motor control unit controls a winding motor of an ink ribbon winding unit. A remaining amount detection unit detects a remaining amount of an ink ribbon. A variable calculation unit acquires parameters for an armature current, an applied voltage, and a rotational speed of each of the supply motor and the winding motor, and calculates variables to be used for controlling the supply motor and the winding motor on the basis of the acquired parameters.

A thermal transfer printer produces one printed matter by performing the following processing. First, a sheet is conveyed at a constant speed by a conveyance motor. While the sheet is conveyed, a supply motor supplies an ink ribbon and a winding motor winds the ink ribbon. Next, the sheet and the ink ribbon are pressed by a thermal head and a platen roller. Finally, the ink ribbon is heated by the thermal head, and the ink applied to the ink ribbon is thermally transferred to the sheet.
During the thermal transfer of the ink to the sheet, the ink ribbon is required to be supplied and wound at a constant tension. When the tension of the ink ribbon on the winding side is small, the pressed sheet and ink ribbon cannot be separated, and the sheet gets stuck. This phenomenon is called jam. When the tension is large, wrinkles occur in the printed matter.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for making a tension given to an ink ribbon constant by changing a voltage applied to a DC motor that winds the ink ribbon, in accordance with a remaining amount of the ink ribbon.
Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of detecting a load of a sheet conveyance motor by a torque sensor, and changing a rotational speed of the conveyance motor in accordance with a comparison result between the detected load and a reference value. When the technique described in Patent Document 2 is applied to a winding motor, a load on the motor can be made constant, so that the tension of the ink ribbon can be made constant.


An elevator device that is installed on one or more ladders to lift loads from the ground to a desired position on a roof. A base securing device can be added to each of the ladders to insure stability. An outrigger mounted on a user's truck can be employed to further stabilize the ladders. The elevator device includes a ladder attachment assembly to affix the device to a ladder or ladders, a lateral travel section, and a roof top mounting device. A ladder stabilization bracket that affixes the ladder to a parapet or balcony can be employed for additional stability of the device. Several winch mechanisms are utilized to position the device and raise loads. The device can be easily adapted for use on flat roofs with a parapet through the addition of a ladder stabilization bracket. The elevator device can also readily be used on flat roofs without parapets, pitched roofs, and even to load trucks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction equipment, and more particularly is a ladder mounted elevator device to raise loads.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People in the construction and building service industries are well aware of the many items that need to be raised to the roofs of various structures. The most common items to be lifted are of course the items that are installed on the roofs—roofing materials and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment. These items are usually far to heavy to simply be carried up a ladder by a workman.
Various pieces of equipment have been utilized to resolve the elevating problem, among them cranes, cherry pickers, and helicopters. While these machines are certainly effective in raising the required loads, they are also expensive to operate, sometimes prohibitively so. Moreover, these machines require operating manpower in addition to that required for the actual installation at hand.
The prior art discloses many devices that have been proposed to address the problems of raising loads to a rooftop or to another elevated location. Various ladder hoists, hoist attachments, and ladder attachments to facilitate lifting have been offered for use in the painting, maintenance, HVAC, and construction trades.
Many such devices are essentially winches attached to a ladder, such as the "Lifting Device for Use with a Ladder" by Campbell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,287, issued Jun. 15, 1999. Another such device is the "Ladder Hoist Attachment" of Larson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,795, issued Jul. 8, 1986. Still another is the "Stabilized Ladder Power Winch System" of Pate, U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,108, issued Aug. 18, 1992. Still another is the "Extension Ladder Hoist" of Ziegelmann, U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,228, issued Dec. 5, 1978.
Other lifting devices incorporate a ladder or a ladder-like element with a hoist support arrangement to yield a portable hoist. One such device is the "Lift and Portable Lift" of Krotov, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,356. A similar device is the "Portable Hoist" of Killeen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,248, issued Sep. 1, 1987. A device that connects the hoist support to the terminal end of a ladder is the "Portable Swiveling Lift Device" of Sears, U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,185, issued Apr. 14, 1998.
The lack of widespread use of these prior art devices is attributable to their having one or more of the following shortcomings: (1) insufficient anchoring of the base of the ladder; (2) insufficient stabilization of the portion of the ladder from which the lifting force is applied; (3) lack of a safe and secure means of securing the upper end of the ladder; (4) the failure to provide sufficient power and mechanical advantage to lift large loads; (5) lack of easy portability; and (6) lack of compatibility with existing ladders.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ladder elevator device that can be affixed to a standard ladder.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device that has a stable base.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device that has adequate means of securing the lifting device to the roof top or other elevated area.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a device that is easily portable, but has adequate lifting power.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings.


In an electrical plug connector having multiple metal contacts situated in parallel to each other for electrically contacting metal contact pins of a mating plug, a separate contact terminal is situated upstream from at least one of the contacts according to the invention, which electrically conductively contacts the at least one contact and is designed for being penetrated by a contact pin.

In addition to sensors and actuators, control units are also contacted with the aid of electrical plug connections. Almost all control units are sensitive to overvoltages or unfavorable contacting sequences since these may damage the electronic components therein. In order to remedy this, in some control units extended ground pins have been introduced in order to achieve early "grounding" during the plug-in process. However, these conventional extended ground pins have, among others, the following disadvantages:                first contacting of the extended ground pins is not reliable over all tolerance positions. It works in many cases but, due to tolerances, not always, since the ground pins are not sufficiently long for this purpose.        much longer pins, which are expensive and difficult to manufacture within the tolerance, are needed on male plugs of the control unit.        the extended ground pins are fixedly defined regarding their position. In another control unit wiring, a novel interface having the extended ground pins is needed and is to be defined at another location.

Electrical plug connector having an upstream contact terminal


A device for detecting a compound in a sample includes a substrate and a self-assembled monolayer. The substrate includes a support with a metallized top surface, and the self-assembled monolayer includes an alkanethiol attached to the metallized top surface of the substrate and having a functional group that reversibly or irreversibly interacts with the compound. A liquid crystal is disposed on the self-assembled monolayer opposite the side of the self-assembled monolayer attached to the metallized top surface of the substrate. The liquid crystal includes a moiety that interacts with the functional group of the alkanethiol. When the compound is present in a sample that that contacts the self-assembled monolayer, the orientation of the liquid crystal is altered.

The ability to detect the presence of compounds in samples is extremely important in commerce and everyday life. The field of analytical chemistry has thus seen continuous development in this area. Although various methods have been developed that allow for the detection of various target species in samples taken from sources such as the environment, a continuing need remains for devices and methods for detecting such compounds.
While certain methods have been developed for the detection of organoamines and organophosphorus compounds, a need remains for methods which do not require expensive instrumentation and which are both convenient and easy to use. Organophosphorus compounds such as organophosphonates are known to destroy nerve impulse transmissions between nerve fibers, muscles, and glands within mammals and insects. Therefore, these compounds have been utilized as nerve agents for chemical warfare and as pesticides in commercial agricultural applications. The toxicity of many of these materials, as measured by the LD50 value, from inhalation into the lungs of the most common such chemical warfare agents is around 200 ppbv. Furthermore, organophosphonates may be delivered through a variety of routes including by absorption through the skin, by injection into a vein, by injection under the skin, and by oral delivery. The exposure criteria for many pesticides and insecticides is less clear because a wide variety of organophosphonates have been synthesized. Conventionally, exposure of agricultural workers to organophosphonates is conducted using body fluids because measurements of vapor concentrations of these materials remains difficult. Therefore, occupational monitoring of these compounds has focused on measuring the enzymatic activity of cholinesterase in blood samples, by analyzing metabolite byproducts in urine samples, and by analyzing saliva or perspiration.
Past studies for detecting organophosphonates have employed a wide range of coating materials and schemes for transducing physical changes in the states of the coatings. These schemes include: optical techniques that use fiber-optic micromirrors and waveguides; electrical resistivity methods; mass-sensitive methods such as quartz crystal microbalances and surface acoustic wave devices; cantilever sensors that deflect upon absorption of analyte; lanthanide ions that luminesce upon coordination of the organophosphonate with the copolymer; and surface analytical techniques such as infrared spectroscopy. M. A. Butler, A. J. Ricco, Anal. Chem., 1992, 64, 1851; J. F. Giuliani, N. L. Jarvis, A. Snow, ACS Symposium Series No. 309., 1986, 320; M. Eldefrawi, K. Rogers, A. Eldefrawi, Pesticides and the Future: Toxicological Studies of Risks and Benefits, Reviews in Pesticides Toxicology 1, edited by Hodgson, E., Roe, R. M., Motoyama, N., Department of Toxicology, University of North Carolina, Raleigh, 1991; E. S. Kolesar Jr., R. M. Walser, Anal. Chem., 1988, 60, 1731; E. S. Kolesar Jr., R. M. Walser, Anal. Chem., 1988, 60, 1737; S. W. Oh, Y. H. Kim, D. J. Yoo, S. M. Oh, S. J. Park, Sensors Actuat B., 1993, 13–14, 400; O. S. Milanko, S. A. Milinkovic, L. V. Rajakovic, Anal. Chim. Acta., 1992, 269, 289; W. P. Carey, B. R. Kowalski, Anal. Chem., 1986, 50, 3077; M. S. Nieuwenhuizen, J. L. N. Hartveld, Sensors Actuat B., 1994, 18–19, 502; M. S. Nieuwenhuizen, J. L. N. Hartveld, Talanta., 1994, 41, 461; J. W. Grate, S. N. Kaganove, S. J. Patrash, R. Craig, M. Bliss, Chem. Mater., 1997, 9, 1201; L. Bertilsson, K. Potje-Kamloth, H.-D. Liess, B. Leidberg, Langmuir 1999, 15, 1128; G. Li, L. W. Burggraf, Appl. Phys. Lett., 2000, 76, 1122; A. L. Jenkins, O. M. Uy, G. M. Murray, Anal. Comm., 1997, 34, 221; and A. L. Jenkins, O. M. Uy, G. M. Murray, G. M. Anal. Chem., 1999, 71, 373.
The detection of biogenic amines is important because these compounds are markers of the freshness of foods such as fish and meat. Common biogenic amines such as histamine, putrescine, and cadaverine are produced by the microbial decarboxylation of the amino acids histidine, ornithine, and lysine, respectively. In order to provide a fresh and safe food supply, governments such as the United States have placed maximum limits for these materials in foods. A convenient and simple method for detecting these compounds is thus an important problem that has not yet been resolved.
Past studies of the binding of low molecular weight compounds such as amines to receptors hosted on surfaces have employed one of three general transduction schemes; optical techniques that utilize fluorescence, chemiluminescence or waveguide/surface plasmon resonance; electrical methods utilizing potentiometric, amperometric, and conductive techniques; and mass-sensitive methods such as quartz crystal microbalance and surface acoustic wave devices. T. M. Swager, Acc. Chem. Res., 1998, 31, 201; E. Delamarche, A. Bernard, H. Schmid, B Michel, J. A. Biebuyck, Science, 1997, 276, 779; E. V. Groman, J. M. Rothenberg, E. A. Bayer, M. Wichek, Methods Enzymol., 1990, 184, 208–217; L. Yang, S. S. Saavedra Anal. Chem., 1995, 67, 1307; L. S. Jung, C. T. Campbel, T. M. Chinowsky, M. N. Mar, S. S. Yee, Langmuir, 1998, 14, 5636; R. P. Buck, E. Lindner, Acc. Chem. Res., 1998, 31, 257; M. Niculescu, C. Nistor, I. Frébort, P. Pe , B. Mattiasson, E Csöregi, Anal. Chem., 2000, 72, 1591; J. Wang, Q. Chen, C. L. Renschler, C. White, Anal. Chem., 1994, 66: 1988; H. Bayley, C. R. Martin, Chem. Rev., 2000, 100, 2575; C Barnes, C. D'Silva, J. P. Jones, T. J. Lewis, Sensors and Actuators A, 1992, 31, 159; M. Rodahl, F. Hoeoek, B. Kasemo, Anal. Chem., 1996, 68, 2219; S. Yao, K. Chen, D. Liu, L. Nie, Anal. Chim. Acta., 1994, 294, 311; J. W. Grate, Chem. Rev., 2000, 100, 2627; and S. J. Martin, G. C. Frye, S. D. Senturia, Anal. Chem., 1994, 66, 2201.
Although many of the conventional assay methods work well in detecting the presence of target species, most conventional assay methods are expensive and often require instrumentation and highly trained individuals, which makes them difficult to use routinely in the field. For example, the detection of analytes using fluorescence or chemiluminescence techniques requires the use of labels while electrical, mass-sensitive, and surface plasmon techniques require complex instrumentation. Thus, a continuing need exists for assay devices and systems which are easier to use, which do not require complex instrumentation, and which allow for evaluation of samples in remote locations where quick results may be required.
Recently, assay devices that employ liquid crystals have been disclosed. For example, a liquid crystal assay device using mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) containing octanethiol and biotin supported on an anisotropic gold film obliquely deposited on glass has recently been reported. Gupta, V. K.; Skaife, J. J.; Dubrovsky, T. B., Abbott N. L. Science, 279, (1998), pp. 2077–2079. In addition, PCT publication WO 99/63329 published on Dec. 9, 1999, discloses assay devices using SAMs attached to a substrate and liquid crystal layer that is anchored by the SAM.
Although various methods have been used to detect the presence of a compound in a sample, a continuing unmet need exists for a simple device and method that may be used to rapidly detect the presence of a compound in liquid or gaseous samples. A continuing need also remains for a method of manufacturing a device for use in detecting the presence of compounds in a sample.

Detecting compounds with liquid crystals