A dual-tank etch method which is suitable for the stripping of a silicon nitride layer from a pad oxide layer provided on a substrate, and etching of the pad oxide layer to a desired target thickness, is disclosed. The method includes providing a first processing tank containing a silicon nitride-stripping chemical; stripping the silicon nitride layer from the pad oxide layer by placing the substrate in the first processing tank; providing a second processing tank containing an oxide-etching chemical; and etching the pad oxide layer to the desired target thickness by placing the substrate in the second processing tank. By carrying out the pad oxide-etching step and the silicon nitride-stripping step in separate processing tanks, accumulation of silicon oxide precipitates in the second processing tank is avoided.

The fabrication of various solid state devices requires the use of planar substrates, or semiconductor wafers, on which integrated circuits are fabricated. The final number, or yield, of functional integrated circuits on a wafer at the end of the IC fabrication process is of utmost importance to semiconductor manufacturers, and increasing the yield of circuits on the wafer is the main goal of semiconductor fabrication. After packaging, the circuits on the wafers are tested, wherein non-functional dies are marked using an inking process and the functional dies on the wafer are separated and sold. IC fabricators increase the yield of dies on a wafer by exploiting economies of scale. Over 1000 dies may be formed on a single wafer which measures from six to twelve inches in diameter.
Various processing steps are used to fabricate integrated circuits on a semiconductor wafer. These steps include sequential deposition of conductive and insulative layers on the silicon wafer substrate; formation of a photoresist or other mask such as titanium oxide or silicon oxide, in the form of the desired metal interconnection pattern, using standard lithographic or photolithographic techniques; subjecting the wafer substrate to a dry etching process to remove material from one or more conducting layers from the areas not covered by the mask, thereby etching the conducting layer or layers in the form of the masked pattern on the substrate; removing or stripping the mask layer from the substrate typically using reactive plasma and chlorine gas, thereby exposing the top surface of the conductive interconnect layer; and cooling and drying the wafer substrate by applying water and nitrogen gas to the wafer substrate.
The numerous processing steps outlined above are used to cumulatively apply multiple electrically conductive and insulative layers on the wafer and pattern the layers to form the circuits. Additional techniques, such as dual damascene processes, are used to form conductive vias which establish electrical contact between vertically-spaced conductive lines or layers in the circuits. The finished semiconductor product includes microelectronic devices including transistors, capacitors and resistors that form the integrated circuits on each of multiple die on a single wafer.
In the semiconductor industry, CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) technology is extensively used in the fabrication of IC devices. CMOS technology typically involves the use of overlying layers of semiconductor material with the bottom layer being a dielectric layer and the top layer being a layer of doped silicon material that serves as a low-resistivity electrical contact gate electrode. The gate electrode, also referred to as a gate stack, typically overlies the dielectric layer.
In the semiconductor fabrication industry, silicon oxide (SiO2) is frequently used for its insulating properties as a gate oxide or dielectric. As the dimensions of device circuits on substrates become increasingly smaller, the gate dielectric thickness must decrease proportionately in field effect transistors (FETs) to approximately 3 to 3.5 nonometers. Accordingly, device performance and reliability can be adversely affected by such factors as interfacial defects, defect precursors and diffusion of dopants through gate dielectrics, as well as unintended variations in thickness in the gate oxide layer among central and peripheral regions of the layer.
Two types of CMOS device structures which are commonly fabricated in semiconductor technology include the MOSCAP (metal oxide semiconductor capacitor) structure and the MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) structure. Both of these structures include a substrate on which is deposited a dielectric layer having a high dielectric constant (k), such as a pad oxide layer. A silicon-containing gate, or gate stack, is deposited on the dielectric layer and connects a pair of trench oxide layers (in the case of a MOSCAP structure) or source and drain regions (in the case of a MOSFET structure).
FIG. 1 is a cross-section of an example of a polysilicon gate 20 formed between a source 16 and a drain 18 of a device 30 on a semiconductor wafer substrate 10. An STI (shallow trench isolation) structure 32 includes a shallow trench 12 filled with trench oxide 14 and separates devices from each other on the wafer substrate 10. A polysilicon silicide, or polycide 22, typically composed of nickel or cobalt, is deposited on the polysilicon gate 20, and an insulating layer 28 is deposited on the polycide 22. A source silicide 24 is deposited on the source 16, and a drain silicide 26 is deposited on the drain 18.
As shown in FIG. 2, an STI structure 36 is fabricated by initially depositing a pad oxide layer 42 on a silicon substrate 40 and a silicon nitride layer 44 on the pad oxide layer 42. One or more trenches 38 is etched through the silicon nitride layer 44 and the pad oxide layer 42, into the substrate 40. A liner oxide layer 46 is then deposited on the sidewalls and bottom of the trench or trenches 38. After a liner densification step, each trench 38 is filled with a trench oxide 48, followed by chemical mechanical planarization of the oxide layer 50 above the trench oxides 48. During the CMP step, the silicon nitride layer 44 serves as a polish-stop material to prevent over-polishing of the STI structure 36.
In a subsequent silicon nitride etching step, the silicon nitride layer 44 is then etched or stripped from the underlying pad oxide layer 42. This is accomplished typically by dipping the wafer substrate 40 into a wet bench tank that contains hot phosphoric acid (H3PO4). In a subsequent pad oxide etching step, the pad oxide layer 42 is etched to a desired target thickness.
The silicon nitride etching step and the pad oxide etching step are typically both carried out in the same wet bench tank that contains hot phosphoric acid. During the silicon nitride etching step, silicon oxide (SiO) is generated as a reaction by-product and accumulates in the wet bench tank. Accordingly, as a lot of successive wafers is processed, the quantity of silicon oxide which accumulates in the tank increases with the run number of the lot. The level of silicon oxide in the tank eventually reaches a saturation point (120 ppm).
One of the problems associated with the conventional method of etching the silicon nitride layer and the pad oxide layer in the same wet bench etch tank is that the etch rate for the pad oxide layer is indirectly proportional to the quantity or concentration of silicon oxide precipitates in the tank. Because the quantity of silicon oxide in the tank increases as the process run number increases, the pad oxide layer for wafers in the higher run number range cannot be etched to within the desired target thickness. Thus, the number of runs in a processing sequence must normally be restricted in order to attain precise control of the pad oxide layer thickness.
Placing a restriction on the number of runs in a processing sequence, however, has limitations, since the variation in pad oxide layer thickness among wafers in such a sequence can vary by as much as 40 angstroms (typically about 70˜110 angstroms). Furthermore, the silicon oxide precipitates form quickly in the processing tank and have a tendency to become attached to the wafer surface. This induces surface defects in the devices being fabricated on the wafers. Accordingly, a novel method is needed for the etching of a silicon nitride layer from a pad oxide layer and etching of the pad oxide layer to a desired target thickness, such as during the fabrication of STI structures on semiconductor wafers, while eliminating or substantially reducing the formation of silicon oxide precipitates in the oxide-etching medium.
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method for etching an oxide layer to a selected target thickness.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method for stripping a silicon nitride layer from a pad oxide layer and etching the pad oxide layer to a selected target thickness.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method in which a silicon nitride layer is stripped from a pad oxide layer and the pad oxide layer is etched to a selected target thickness in separate processing tanks.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method which is capable of achieving a thickness for a pad oxide layer to within about 5 angstroms of a target thickness for the layer.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method which prevents or substantially reduces the accumulation of silicon oxide precipitates in a processing tank in which the etching of a pad oxide layer to a selected target thickness is carried out.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel dual-tank etch method which is suitable for any process in which it is necessary to strip a silicon nitride layer from a pad oxide layer and etch the pad oxide layer to a selected target thickness, including but not limited to the fabrication of shallow trench isolation (STI) structures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel dual-tank etch method which eliminates or substantially reduces the formation of defects on wafers caused by silicon oxide precipitates in an etchant medium.

Dual-tank etch method for oxide thickness control

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Ltd


This invention relates to a water-soluble lubricant composition for a sleeve surface lubricating oil, an operating fluid, a cutting oil, a rolling oil, a drawing oil, a press oil or the like, which does not pollute the environment and has superior lubricity, metal corrosion preventing property, antifoaming property and antiseptic property. The water-soluble lubricant composition of this invention containing surfactants (a) and one or two salts (b) selected from among carboxylates and sulfonates is characterized in that the above one or two salts (b) selected from among carboxylates and sulfonates are alkaline earth metal salts or zinc salts and that substantially no nitrogen ingredients are contained and the amount of nitrogen contained represents its amount in impurities, or 0.5 wt % or below of nitrogen.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a water-soluble lubricant composition for a sleeve surface lubricating oil, an operating oil, a cutting oil, a rolling oil, a drawing oil, a press oil or the like. More particularly, this invention relates to a water-soluble lubricant composition which does not pollute the environment and has superior lubricity, metal corrosion preventing property, antifoaming property and antiseptic property.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A water-soluble lubricant composition for metal processing generally contains a mineral oil, a fat or oil, a carboxylic acid, an extreme pressure agent, a surfactant, an antifoaming agent, a metal corrosion preventing agent, an anti-oxidant, an antiseptic agent and the like and is diluted with water before use. The lubricant composition usually contains a nitrogen compound for giving it lubricity and the property of preventing metal corrosion in an aqueous system. Those nitrogen compounds include primary to tertiary alkanolamines, alkylamines, alkylarylamines, aralkylamines, cyclohexylamine, alkoxyalkylamines, diamines, addition products of alkylamine alkylene oxides, carboxylic acid amides and carboxylic acid alkylolamides (Japanese Patent Laid-open Nos. 7894/1980, 40400/1986, 235499/1986, 98696/1989, 201400/1989, 215889/1989, 242694/1989, etc.).
However, use of such water-soluble lubricant compositions for metal processing containing nitrogen compounds exerts a bad influence upon the earthly environment and contributes to environmental pollution.
Specifically, (1) although lubricants consisting of these compositions, after being used for metal processing, are subjected to waste water treatment and then discarded, these waste fluids still contain large amounts of nitrogen compounds. Therefore, discarding these waste fluids in waste water systems or sea areas results in eutrophication of rivers, lakes and seas thereby causing water pollution, red water and the like. Besides, (2) although it is theoretically possible to incinerate these waste fluids, in such a case, nitrogen compounds contained in the compositions are converted into the form of NOx and, when a sulfur compound is contained as an extreme pressure agent in the composition, the sulfur compound is converted into the form of SOx. These resulting compounds cause acid rain.
In addition, the conventional lubricant containing a nitrogen compound is unfavorable because it relatively easily foams, putrefies and corrodes non-ferrous metals. Especially when the lubricant is diluted with water and then supplied at high pressure to metallic parts to be processed, the lubricant significantly foams and causes problems such as its reduced performance and contamination of working environments.


A portable communication and audio system includes a radio telephone for receiving a first audio signal and transmitting a corresponding first radio signal through a transmitter to another location, and for receiving a second radio signal through a receiver and converting it to a second audio signal. An audio device provides a third audio signal. A microphone receives the first audio signal. A headset with first and second speakers is provided for selectively listening to the second or the third audio signal. A user-operated switch selectively disables the first speaker in a first state or the microphone in a second state. A state-indicating apparatus produces a signal indicating the state of the user-operated switch. A control apparatus, responsive to the state-indicating apparatus, enables telephone usage by connecting the microphone to the transmitter and connecting the second speaker to the receiver when the user-operated switch is in the first state, and connects the first and second speakers to receive the third audio signal when the user-operated switch is in the second state. The system preferably includes a pivotable boom depending from the headset, with the microphone being located on the boom. The audio device can be separate from the radio telephone. The system preferably includes a momentary, user-controlled switch and control apparatus for implementing a control function for a selected one of the radio telephone and the audio device.

Previously portable or mobile telephone and communication units have been developed to perform several different tasks such as voice mail, facsimile mail, electronic mail, interactive voice response, automated audio text services, automated attenuated surface services electronic messaging services, radio paging services, speech recognition/speech synthesis, TDMF tone detection, voice recognition, interface of voice and data between public switched telephone network PSTN, the packet switched public data network, and portable telephone telephones. (For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,373.)
However, all of these units lack the capability to listen to public audio broadcast programs or stored digital audio programs from a compact disc player or cassette player while being able to simultaneously be alerted to incoming messages.
Many manufacturers sell headsets for portable cellular telephones on the market. Also different light-weight digital audio devices are available
However there is no system available where a digital cellular telephone and a digital audio device are combined to work integrally together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,065 describes a solar-powered audio-entertainment device comprising a solar-powered cassette player, radio receiver or CD player in wireless connection with a headset. Such invention does not comprise a telephone and is not connected for wireless telecommunication.
A portable cordless telephone transceiver-RF-receiver is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,661. Such invention is a cordless telephone transceiver having a broadcast RF receiver. Use of this type of unit is restricted to a very limited area. It does not allow the listener free mobility because it is dependent on one RF transceiver and its area coverage is usually equal to one apartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,061 discloses a similar type cordless telephone as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,661 except having a cassette player instead of a radio receiver. Both of these previous devices lack the complete portability which is typical for cellular telephone.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,497,338 and 5,497,373, two personal communicators are disclosed. Personal communicators are capable to of sending and receiving faxes, e-mail and information either through a telephone line or via cellular network and to show messages on a display panel. These patents do not disclose an audio device or a headset.
A broadcast receiver and mobile telephone for motor vehicles is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,705. This invention is restricted to a vehicle environment and does not have a headset. It is designed to be installed to a vehicle permanently and it cannot be used outside of the vehicle.
A headset for use with a radiotelephone is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,812. This headset can be used to carry on a phone conversation through an external speaker and microphone located in a headset. Such headset cannot be used to listen to an audio program while having the telephone in a stand-by mode. Also, the headset circuitry cannot produce an output tone when a push button is pressed, because the switch is connected in the ground return where it disconnects the earphone. The very best that this approach can do is to output a tone when the push button is released, not when it is pushed, which would be awkward. Every push-button telephone gives tones when the number keys are pressed, not when it is released. Without the beep each time the button is pushed, the user may loose track of the number of pushes or be uncertain as to whether or not the button was pushed far enough.
A headset for hands-free wireless telephone is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,596.638. Such invention is meant to be used only with a mobile telephone and cannot be used to switch operation between a telephone and an audio device.

Personal portable communication and audio system


A sandwich panel is manufactured-by providing: a first step (a), (b) of attaching another end portion of an insert 1 whose one end portion is made sharp to an inner side of a facing member 2 in which a hole is cut in advance; a second step (c) of pressing the insert 1 into the core member 4 such that the one end portion of the insert 1 force-cuts a core member 4; and a third step (d) of attaching another facing member 2 to a side of the core member 4 opposing the insert-inserting side thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sandwich panel used as a structural member of an artificial satellite, a space antenna, or the like, and a method of manufacturing the sandwich panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, a description will be given of the structure of a conventional sandwich panel and a method of assembling the same. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional sandwich panel fabricated by a most common manufacturing process. In addition, a sandwich panel shown in FIG. 16 is the one shown in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 275930/1992. In FIGS. 15 and 16, reference numeral 2 denotes a facing member; 3, a film-like adhesive agent; 4, a coremember; 7, an insert; 7a, an upper flange; 7b, a threaded portion; 7c, a lower flange; 8, a filler; 9, an adhesive agent; 10, a fitting hole; 11, an insert; 11a, a flange; 11b, a threaded portion; 12, a through hole; and 13, an escape. First, a description will be given of the function of the insert incorporated in the sandwich panel. In FIGS. 15 and 16, the inserts 7 and 11 have threaded holes in the threaded portions 7b and 11b. Some apparatus, though not illustrated, is generally mounted on the surface of the sandwich panel used as a structural member of a satellite. The insert serves as a threaded hole for mounting this apparatus and a grounding plate of the apparatus. Since the apparatus is generally mounted by a plurality of screws, a screw pitch must be secured with high accuracy. In addition, as can be seen from FIG. 15, the upper surface of the insert 7 is attached in such a manner as to be located at a somewhat sunken position from the facing member 2. The purpose of this is to effect the radiation of the apparatus efficiently. Namely, by causing the apparatus and the facing member 2 to be brought into close contact with each other, the heat which is generated in the apparatus is transmitted to the facing member 2, and the heat is introduced to a radiating portion by a heat pipe (not shown) incorporated in the sandwich panel. However, if the upper surface of the insert 7 projects above the facing member 2, the close contact between the apparatus and the facing 2 is prevented.
Next, a description will be given of the method of manufacturing the sandwich panel shown in FIG. 15. First, a pair of assemblies in each of which the film-like adhesive agent 3 is attached-to the facing member 2 are prepared, and the core member 4 is sandwiched by them. In this state, heat is applied from the outside while applying pressure to allow the adhesive agent 3 to cure. The fitting hole 10 is cut in the thus-prepared sandwich panel by end milling. The inside diameter of the fitting hole 10 is in a fitting relationship with the outside diameter of the upper flange 7a of the insert 7, and serves to position the insert 7.
Next, after the adhesive agent 9 is applied to the bottom of the fitting hole 10, the height of the insert 7 is made capable of being positioned at a desired position by an unillustrated jig or the like. The insert 7 is then supplied, and the adhesive agent 9 is left to cure. After the curing of the adhesive agent 9, the filler 8 is supplied through such as a hole (not shown) provided in the upper flange 7a of the insert 7. When the filler 8 cures, the insert 7 and the core member 4 are firmly secured to each other. In a case where vehement vibrations are applied such as during the launching of the satellite, the apparatus on the sandwich panel also vibrates, so that a large pulling load is applied to the insert 7. However, the reason that the sandwich panel is not broken during such a time is that the load is distributed since the pulling load acting on the insert 7 is transmitted to the core member 4 through the filler 8.
Next, referring to FIG. 16, a description will be given of a structure and a manufacturing method which are different from those of the sandwich panel shown in FIG. 15.
The insert 11 has the same function as that of the insert 7 shown in FIG. 15. The insert 11 differs greatly from the insert 7 in that the insert 11 is bonded to the reverse side of the facing member 2 and that the filler 8 is not used. Namely, the major characteristic is that the heat is distributed since the apparatus mounted on the sandwich panel can be brought into close contact with the facing member 2 at a portion other than the through hole 12 through which the fixing screw is passed and that the pulling load applied to the insert 11 is transmitted to the facing member 2 through the upper flange 11a having a large outside diameter.
Next, a description will be given of the method of manufacturing the sandwich panel shown in FIG. 16. First, the through hole 12 is cut in the facing member 2 to which the insert 11 is attached. Subsequently, the insert 11 is bonded to the facing member 2 by some method. At this time, the hole 13 is provided in advance in the core member 4 in a separate step as a space for disposing the insert 11 on the inner side of the core member 4 (this step will be referred to as that of escape machining, and the hole as the escape). In an ensuing step, the core member 4 with the escape 13 machined therein is positioned and supplied onto the facing member 2 with the insert 11 bonded thereto and the film-like adhesive agent 3, and the facing member 2 and the film-like adhesive agent 3 on the opposite side are supplied. In this state, if pressurization and heating are effected to cure the adhesive agent 3, the sandwich panel incorporating the insert 11 is formed.
With the sandwich panel of the conventional structure shown in FIG. 15 referred to above, not only is it necessary to effect assembly by using a jig or the like while exercising caution so that the upper surface of the insert does not project from the upper surface of the facing member and does not become excessively depressed, but also it is necessary to pour the filler so that voids will not be created inside. For this reason, there has been a problem in that the insert attaching operation becomes a difficult and time-consuming operation. Further, the hole for attaching the insert must be machined in the sandwich panel after the adhesive agent is cured; however, there has been a problem in that an extreme risk is entailed in the provision of mechanical processing in such a sandwich panel that a heat pipe, for instance, is embedded in its interior as with a heat pipe panel used in a structural member of a satellite. Namely, if the heat pipe becomes damaged due to poor workmanship in the hole machining, ammonia which is a deleterious substance jets out.
In addition, the insert used in the conventional structure required the lower flange portion for retaining the solidified filler to sufficiently ensure pulling strength, the upper flange for fitting to the fitting hole, and the small diameter portion which provides the space for the filler to enter and is used to reduce the weight of the insert itself. For this reason, the component shape becomes that with a large cutting allowance, so that there has been a problem in that the unit cost of the component becomes high.
Meanwhile, with the sandwich panel of the conventional structure shown in FIG. 16, not only is it necessary to effect hole cutting or escape machining before the sandwiching of both the facing member and the core member, but also it is necessary to accurately position the facing member with the insert bonded thereto and the core member provided with the escape machining. Therefore, there has been a problem in that productivity is poor. Further, since a lateral force is applied to the core in the escape machining of only the core member before sandwiching the facing member and the core member, there has been a problem in that the core is liable to become deformed, and the productivity is further aggravated.
In addition, as for the insert as well, since it is necessary to make compatible the making the weight as light as possible and the enlarging of the area of the portion coming into contact with the facing member to alleviate the shearing force, the allowance still becomes large, pushing up the unit cost.
The present invention has been devised to overcome the above-described problems, and its object is to provide a method of manufacturing a high-quality sandwich panel with high productivity by making it possible to improve the shape of the insert and its attaching method, improving the operating efficiency in the insert attaching step, and lowering the unit cost of manufacturing the insert itself.
According to a first method of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a sandwich panel in which a core member is provided between a pair of facing members, and to which an insert for mounting an apparatus thereon is attached, comprising: a first step of attaching another end portion of the insert whose one end portion is made sharp to an inner side of one of the facing members in which a hole is cut in advance; a second step of pressing the insert into the core member such that the one end portion of the insert force-cuts the core member; and a third step of attaching the other one of the facing members to a side of the core member opposing the insert-inserting side thereof.
According to a second method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the first method, the one end portion of the insert is provided with a line of intersection of two planes so as to be made sharp.
According to a third method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the second method, the line of intersection is provided in such a manner as to abut against the core member in parallel.
According to a fourth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the first method, the one end portion of the insert is formed in a conical shape.
According to a fifth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to any one of the second to fourth methods, the line of intersection or an apex of the conical shape of the one end portion of the insert intersects with a central axis of the insert.
According to a sixth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the first method, in the first step, after the insert itself is heated, the insert is pressed against a film-like adhesive agent laid on the facing member, and a part of the film-like adhesive agent is thereby fused to bond and fix the insert to the facing member.
According to a seventh method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the first method, a projecting portion is provided at the other end portion of the insert, and the projecting portion of the insert is fitted in the hole cut in the facing member in the first step so as to effect the positioning of the insert.
According to an eighth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the first method, the insert has a small-diameter portion on its side where the facing member is attached, the diameter of the small-diameter portion being smaller than that of the one end portion, an expandable adhesive agent which foams on heating is wound around the small-diameter portion before the second step, and the expandable adhesive agent is allowed to cure in the third step.
According to a ninth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel, the insert has a flange the diameter of which is identical or substantially identical with that of one end portion of the insert on a surface attached to the facing member.
According to a tenth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the eighth method, the one end portion and the small-diameter portion of the insert are formed as separate component parts.
According to an eleventh.method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the eighth method, a stepped portion or a groove portion is provided at the small-diameter portion of the insert to allow the expandable adhesive agent to flow around the stepped portion or the groove portion.
According to a twelfth method of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a sandwich panel according to the first method, a thermosensitive material is used as the one end portion of the insert to allow the material to fill a space between the insert and the core member in the third step.
In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a sandwich panel in which a core member is provided between a pair of facing members, and to which an insert for mounting an apparatus thereon is attached, wherein the insert is attached to an inner side of one of the facing members in which a hole is cut, an end portion of the insert on a side away from a facing-member attaching side thereof is made sharp, and the insert is attached by force-cutting the core member by the end portion.

Sandwich panel and method of manufacturing the sandwich panel


A heating device includes a heater (2) having a heating portion (6) which generates heat by energization; a housing (4) which contains the heating portion and forms a passage (18) for a heating medium between the housing and the heating portion; a temperature sensor (26) for detecting the temperature of the heating medium in the passage; and an inverter for interrupting energization of, that is, the carrying of current to, the heater depending on the temperature of the heating medium detected by the temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is brought into contact with the heating portion.

It is known that a heating device of this kind includes a heater having a heating portion which generates heat by energization; a housing which contains the heating portion and forms a passage for a heating medium between the housing and the heating portion; a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the heating medium in the passage; and an energization interrupting means for interrupting the carrying of current to the heater depending on the detected temperature of the heating medium.
Patent Document 1 discloses a heating device which is provided with a thermostat or a thermal fuse at the outside of the housing, on a surface shared with the heating face of the heating portion. Thus, the heating device prevents accidental heating of the passage with no heating medium while preventing a malfunction in the thermal fuse.
Patent Document 2 discloses a heating device which is provided with a thermal fuse at the current-carrying terminal. Heat transferred from the heating portion via the current-carrying terminal causes the heating device to interrupt the carrying of current to the heater regardless of the level of the heating medium in the passage so as to prevent accidental heating of an empty passage.
Patent Document 3 discloses a heating device which is provided with a convex on the inside of the housing. The heating device prevents accidental heating of the passage with no heating medium by placing a thermal fuse into contact with the heating portion via the convex of the housing.


A device for interconnecting and multiplexing a plurality of interfaces is disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, three serial communications ports are interfaced such that any two may be interconnected for communications. A novel circuit comprising a plurality of buffers is employed to allow selection of the interconnection scheme by a controller. The design is scalable and is characterized by low cost, low printed circuit board area requirements, and graceful function. In the preferred embodiment, a PDA, wireless transceiver, and cradle interface of a personal communications device are effectively interconnected and multiplexed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for multiplexing a plurality of communication resource interfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern electronic devices continue to evolve into ever-higher levels of integration. While devices used to implement a given electronic function were once wired together from discrete components, now, highly integrated 'chips' are produced to consolidate the discrete components and functions into a single package. This lowers cost, reduces size and makes more reliable product manufactured in this manner. Examples of such highly integrated devices include wireless telephones, personal digital assistants, radio transceivers, media recorders and players, device controllers and all kinds of other devices and functions.
Today, designers of integrated systems that combine more than one of these integrated devices into a single product are faced with the task of integrating integrated devices. For example, if a designer wishes to integrate a wireless telephone and a personal digital assistant, they must design a circuit for accomplishing such integration or create an entirely new integrated device which incorporates all the components and functions desired for the integrated product. The latter approach may be an expensive and risky investment in an emerging market.
Aside from sharing power supply and ground circuits, highly integrated devices must communicate in some fashion because there is usually a software application dedicated to each integrated device. To yield a gracefully functioning integrated product, it is necessary to integrate both the hardware and the software. This usually implies a parallel or serial communications port interconnecting the two integrated devices. This can be straight forward in the case where two devices are integrated into a product. Serial communications protocols and physical interfaces are often times preferred because a smaller quantity of printed circuit board area is required to route the relatively fewer circuit traces. However, where there are more than two devices integrated into a product, the connection of a plurality of interfaces are more problematic.
Where three or more integrated devices are integrated into a product, the designer must design a communications interface, or multiplexing circuit that not only interconnects the various devices, but also deals with issues of contention between the devices that inevitably arise. Of course, the design of such circuitry is within the ability of many designers, given there are not great limitations placed on cost, development time, and printed circuit board area required. However, this is rarely the case. In modern, highly integrated, devices that compete in open markets, there is always a great pressure to hold size and cost down, while at the same time providing short product development cycles and good reliability.
Thus there is a need in the art for a low cost device for interconnecting and multiplexing three or more interfaces among devices.


Systems and methods for automated account mapping in a wireless subscriber billing system are disclosed. An external ID associated with a wireless client device is captured from a billable event communicated between a wireless client device and a wireless subscriber billing system. Then, the external ID is associated with a Subscriber ID (SID) used to communicate a billing request to an operator billing system.

1. Field
The present invention generally relates to wireless subscriber billing systems, and more specifically to automated account mapping for an external purchase charged to the wireless subscriber.
2. Background
Advances in technology have resulted in smaller and more powerful personal computing devices. For example, there currently exist a variety of portable personal computing devices, including laptops, wireless computing devices, such as portable wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and paging devices that are each small, lightweight, and can be easily carried by users. A wireless device is any device that can communicate with other devices without being physically attached to them. Most wireless devices communicate with each other through radio frequencies.
More specifically, the portable wireless telephones, for example, further include cellular telephones that communicate voice and data packets over wireless networks. Further, many such cellular telephones are being manufactured with relatively large increases in computing capabilities, and as such, are becoming tantamount to small personal computers and hand-held PDAs. However, these smaller and more powerful personal computing devices are typically severely resource constrained. For example, the screen size, amount of available memory and file system space, amount of input and output capabilities (e.g., size of keypad and display) and processing capability may each be limited by the small size of the device. Because of such severe resource constraints, it is often typically desirable, for example, to maintain a limited size and quantity of software applications and other information residing on such remote personal computing devices (client devices).
Some of the personal computing devices utilize an application programming interface (API) or application programming interfaces (APIs), sometimes referred to as runtime environments and software platforms, that are installed onto their local computer platform and which are used, for example, to simplify operations of such devices, such as by providing generalized calls for device specific resources. Generally, an API can be considered a set of routines used by an application program to direct the performance of procedures by the computer's operating system.
Further, some such APIs are also known to provide software developers the ability to create software applications that are fully executable on such devices. In addition, some APIs are known to provide mechanisms for secure communications between such personal devices (i.e., clients) and remote devices (i.e., servers) using secure cryptographic information.
Examples of such APIs include versions of the Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless software (BREW®)) developed by QUALCOMM, Inc., of San Diego, Calif. BREW® can cooperate with a computing device's (e.g., a wireless cellular phone) operating system, and can, among other features, provide interfaces to hardware features particularly found on computing devices. BREW® can also provide these interfaces on such computing devices at a relatively low cost with respect to demands on device resources and with respect to the price paid by consumers for devices containing BREW®. Additional features of BREW® include its end-to-end software distribution platform that provides a variety of benefits for wireless service operators, software developers and computing device consumers. At least one such currently available end-to-end software distribution platform includes logic distributed over a server-client architecture, where the server performs, for example, billing, security and application distribution functionality, and the client performs, for example, application execution, security and user interface functionality.
In conventional wireless systems, a wireless client device can obtain these additional services, application and/or content from one or more servers. Typically, a server that controls billing will associate a specific Subscriber Identification (SID) to the transaction so that the transaction can be billed to the appropriate account. The SID may not be any number known to the subscriber and therefore may not be usable outside the wireless client device-to-server transaction environment. Accordingly, this limits the ability for wireless subscribers to use their established accounts for purchases other than those hosted by their carrier/operators.
The foregoing description of the related art is merely intended to provide an overview of some of the billing related processes in wireless subscriber systems and as an introduction to the BREW®) platform, which can be used in embodiments of the invention. However, the invention is not to be construed as being limited to a specific implementation, operating platform or environment.

Automated account mapping in a wireless subscriber billing system


This disclosure describes techniques for intelligently grouping, ungrouping, collapsing, and/or expanding columns of data for effective presentation on a display screen. In one example, a method includes accessing, by a computing device, data organized into a plurality of columns, each column having one or more data characteristics; determining, by the computing device and based on at least some of the data characteristics of the columns, one or more column groups, each column group including a subset of the plurality of columns; determining, by the computing device and based on attributes of a window for presentation of the data, whether the plurality of columns will fit within the window; and in response to determining that the plurality of columns will not fit within the window, outputting a user interface presenting a column group as a single column within the window so that the plurality of columns fits within the window.

Computing devices often present tabular data in a grid-based user interface having rows and columns. In some cases, such a user interface includes a vertical scroll bar, and the computing device responds to interactions with the vertical scroll bar by changing the subset of rows displayed within the user interface. Similarly, such a user interface often includes a horizontal scroll bar, and the computing device responds to interactions with the horizontal scroll bar by changing the subset of columns displayed within the user interface. Some users find that using scroll bars, particularly horizontal scroll bars, is both awkward and inefficient.

Computing device user interface having auto-grouping of data columns


A valve assembly (1) for use particularly in a deviated wellbore of an oil, gas or water well comprises a body (50) with an axis and first and second resiliently deformable seats (20, 25) to seat a valve closure member (10a) such as a ball, the seats being deformable to allow passage of the ball at different first and second fluid pressures acting on the seated valve closure member. The first and second seats are axially spaced from one another on a control sleeve (60) on opposite sides of an inner end of a selectively operable fluid outlet conduit connecting the bore with an external surface of the valve assembly, and operation of the valve assembly at pressures between the first and second pressures opens and closes the outlet while maintaining the ball between the first and second seats.

Circulation tools employ plugs released into the bore of a tubular of an oil, gas or water well which then temporarily seals the bore. The resulting build-up of fluid pressure is, in some cases, then utilised to actuate a tool further downhole, or alternatively to create jets of fluid into the annulus for cleaning or similar purposes.
In many cases the plug is released under gravity into the tubular and carried downhole under the flow of fluid from the surface, coming to rest on the valve seat below. Often the plug is deformable to provide a better seal between the plug and the seat. This deformation further allows for the plug to be forced through the valve seat in order to clear the central bore of the tubular and permit, for example, wireline tools to be passed through. Wellbore operations in horizontal wells generally cannot use dropped balls to activate tools, as the ball can become unseated from the tool in deviated and horizontal wellbores.

Valve assembly and method of controlling fluid flow in an oil, gas or water well


A lubrication system for a gate valve having a moveable gate and a gate sealing element located between first and second housing sections. The lubrication system includes a cartridge having a lubricant for lubricating the gate sealing element. The lubrication system also includes a plunger element for moving the lubricant from the cartridge to the gate sealing element. In addition, the lubrication system includes a lubricant passageway located between the plunger element and the gate sealing element for supplying the lubricant moved by the plunger element to the gate sealing element. Further, the lubrication system includes a plunger contact member attached to the gate by an attachment element wherein the plunger contact element engages the plunger element. Energizing an actuator causes movement of the gate and corresponding movement of the plunger element to cause the lubricant to move from the cartridge to the gate sealing element.

This invention relates to valves used to control the flow of process media, and more particularly, to a Lubrication system for a gate valve wherein movement of the gate valve causes the movement of lubricant through a lubricant passageway which is then provided to valve sealing members to lubricate the valve sealing members.
Gate valves or knife gate valves are used to control the flow of fluid, such as slurries and other process media, in a pipeline. Such valves include a housing having a fluid passageway and a moveable gate for opening or closing the fluid passageway. The gate is configured to slide between a pair of opposed sealing sleeves that are located within the housing. In an open position, the gate is moved out from between the sealing sleeves thus opening the fluid passageway and enabling the flow of fluid between inlet and outlet ports of the valve. When this occurs, ends of the sealing sleeves move axially and contact each other to form a seal to inhibit leakage of fluid. In a closed position, the gate is moved in between the sealing sleeves to thus close the fluid passageway. In this position, the sealing sleeves seal the gate to inhibit leakage of fluid.
The gate valve may also include a secondary seal to seal the gate valve. The secondary seal acts to inhibit fluid, which may seep through the sealing sleeves, from leaking around the gate or toward an actuator end of the gate valve. It is desirable to lubricate the sealing sleeves in order to optimize performance and extend their life. A technique used to lubricate the sealing sleeves involves applying a lubricant to the secondary seal. Contact between the gate and the secondary seal then transfers lubricant to the gate. The gate then transfers lubricant to the sealing sleeves via contact between the gate and the sealing sleeves. It is desirable to provide improved techniques for lubricating the secondary seal.


A digital video production switcher processes a plurality of video signals in a production environment. The switcher includes a control panel for receiving operator inputs and switching unit for receiving video input signals and for providing video output signals. The switcher also includes a pair of tightly coupled, independent processors synchronized to the video frame rate: a control processor and a general purpose processor. The control processor controls the "live critical" production functions. The control processor provides control signals, in response to operator inputs, that program the switching unit to provide desired video output signals in real time. The general purpose processor runs an open architecture operating system and provides control signals, in response to operator inputs, that cause the switching unit to provide desired video output signals in real time.

In television programming, video switchers receive video input signals from various video sources and direct (or "switch") to the switcher outputs for transmission (or recording) picture images from selected sources. The video sources can include network feeds, satellite feeds, cameras, receivers and recorders. Switching can be done manually by an operator or automatically by programming the switcher to perform a plurality of operations (or "transitions") in an predetermined sequence. Transitions can include cuts, fades, mixes and combinations thereof.
A conventional video switcher typically includes a switching unit, mix/effects (M/E) amplifiers, a control processor and a control panel. An operator manipulates various knobs, levers, and switches on the control panel. The control processor controls the switching unit and M/E amplifiers to provide the video output signal. The switching unit receives video input signals and provides the input signals to the M/E amplifiers. The M/E amplifiers, responsive to control signals from the control processor, combine selected input signals to produce a video output signal. For convention switchers capable of supporting live broadcasts, the control processor is synchronized to the video frame rate and provides real time switching functionality within 1/60th of a second.
Over the years, video switchers have utilized various types of technology. Known analog video switchers have used analog circuitry and a single processor running a proprietary closed architecture operating system. Known digital switchers have used one or more processors running a proprietary closed architecture operating system. For example, the Grass Valley Group manufactures a digital production switcher (Model 2200.TM.) having multiple processors running a proprietary closed architecture operating system. These closed architecture switchers are essentially fixed in their capabilities when manufactured and are generally not upgradeable by third parties.
In recent years, video switcher companies have attempted to take advantage of the increased capability of standard platform computing systems (i.e., PC-based open architecture systems). By way of example, Pinnacle manufactures a digital switcher (Alladin.TM.) that operates in conjunction with a personal computer (PC). The switcher couples to the PC through a SCSI port. The switcher includes a control processor running a proprietary closed architecture operating system, and the PC includes a general purpose processor running an open architecture operating system. The control processor provides real time switching for live broadcasting. The PC processor provides non-real time switching (e.g., off-line image processing and image storage), but is incapable of providing real time switching functionality. In another example, Matrox manufactures a digital switcher (DigiMix.TM.) that includes standard platform computing capability. More specifically, the switcher includes a control processor and a general purpose processor. However, the two processors are not independent of each other, and the general purpose processor is not synchronized to the video frame rate. Thus, the switcher is incapable of providing real time switching functionality.
The assignee of the subject application, ECHOlab, Inc., manufactures two switching products that include standard platform computing capability. ECHOlab's PC-A is a two-channel audio switcher on a standard IBM circuit card that can be plugged into a PC. ECHOlab's PC-3 is a video switcher on a standard IBM circuit card capable of being plugged into a PC. Both products can be controlled by an on-board control processor or a general purpose processor running the Windows.TM. NT operating system on the PC. After installation of either product in the PC, the two processors are independent of each other and tightly coupled.
The PC-3 is incapable of providing real time switching functionality in live broadcast environment for at least two reasons. First, the general purpose processor is not synchronized to the video frame rate. Second, Windows.TM. application software running on the general purpose processor provides the control panel as a window on the PC display. Thus, the control panel would not survive a PC failure in a broadcast environment.

Digital video switcher including a general purpose processor and a control processor


The present invention is directed to improving the yield in fiber terminating processing, and to preventing the occurrence of transmission loss due to stress concentration at an optical fiber bend or due to variations in ambient temperature. In one exemplary embodiment, a channel is sandwiched between adhesive layers and an optical fiber is passed through the channel.

Optical interconnection sheets for arranging a large number of optical fibers in two dimensions are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 2574611 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2001-141936, 2001-147330, and 2002-174736. In any of these disclosed optical interconnection sheets, each individual optical fiber is directly bonded to a film by means of an adhesive or glue.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-147330 discloses reinforcing an optical fiber portion from an optical interconnection sheet (optical fiber sheet). The optical fiber was covered with a reinforcing tube and bonded to the sheet by sandwiching the tube between two sheets as shown in FIG. 4. However, the optical fiber portion fixed to the sheet via the reinforcing tube is only a portion of the optical fiber. The remaining larger portion of the optical fiber is directly bonded to the sheet.
The end portion of each optical fiber arranged on the optical interconnection sheet is subsequently connected to an optical connector or the like. Because the optical fiber is directly bonded to the film, if the fiber terminating process fails, the entire optical connection sheet including the other optical fibers will be rendered unusable, decreasing the fabrication yield. Therefore, the end portion of the optical fiber should be provided with an extra length allowing for such failure. Even with the extra length, the situation would be the same if the same failure was repeated.
Another problem may arise when the optical fiber is directly bonded to the film. Transmission loss may occur due to stress concentration at a fiber bend or due to a strain caused by differences in thermal expansion. Expansion arises when the materials expand or shrink due to temperature changes during a temperature test or changes in ambient temperature during use.
Thus, there is a need to provide an optical interconnection sheet that can improve the yield in fiber terminating processing, and can prevent the occurrence of transmission loss due to stress concentration at an optical fiber bend or due to variations in ambient temperature.


A communication device includes a ground element and an antenna element. The antenna element is close to an edge of the ground element, and includes a first metal portion and a second metal portion. The first metal portion has a plurality of bends, and includes a first segment and a second segment. The first segment and the second segment are close to each other, and are substantially parallel to the edge of the ground element. The first segment is disposed at the outmost periphery of the antenna element from the edge of the ground element. The second segment is disposed between the first segment and the edge of the ground element, and has a shorted point coupled to the ground element. The second metal portion is disposed between the second segment and the edge of the ground element, and has a feeding point coupled to a signal source.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to a communication device, and more particularly, relates to a communication device comprising a low-profile and wideband antenna element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the modern mobile communication age, to satisfy the demands for different functions and portability of mobile communication devices (e.g., tablet computers or smart phones), stable communication quality has becomes more and more important for users, in particular, for applications of WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) and LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication systems in the modern tablet computers. Allocating a wideband antenna element with high radiation efficiency to a communication device is a common method for maintaining stable communication quality. However, a conventional wideband antenna element should have a predetermined distance to a ground plane to reduce the mutual coupling therebetween. This requirement causes an additional space required for the wideband antenna element embedded inside the communication device, which increases the antenna height above the ground plane and limits the application of the wideband antenna element.
To solve the foregoing problem, there is a need to design a low-profile and small-size wideband antenna element. The wideband antenna element should have high radiation efficiency and be able to be disposed within a limited space of a mobile communication device.

Communication device and antenna element therein


Aspects of the invention provide virtual hover zones. When a user lowers a hovering stylus while remaining within a hover zone, cursor control is modified to be more easily controllable by the user. If the user pauses the stylus in mid-air before lowering the stylus, and if the stylus remains within the hover zone, then upon touchdown the cursor may be moved to the projection of the location where the stylus was paused. Any action that may be taken in response to the touch down may be sent to the projection location as well. Also provided are cursor control zones. A dampening zone may be used to provide dampened cursor movement feedback in response to movement input provided by a pointing device. Also, a dead zone may be used to prohibit cursor movement in response to movement input provided by the pointing device.

Touch-sensitive surfaces are rapidly becoming more common in computing devices. They are very convenient as they allow a user to make natural gestures familiar to the user in other contexts, such as by entering handwriting using a special stylus such as an elongated pen-like object having a pointed tip. The term touch-sensitive surface or device will be used herein to refer to such surfaces or devices, such as digitizers that may be separate from or integral with a display, that are configured to detect the touch of a stylus. The term "stylus" as used throughout herein includes any type of stylus such as a specially-designed stylus device (e.g., a pen) or even a user's finger. Various touch-sensitive surfaces provide for a hover function, meaning that the touch-sensitive surface is capable of detecting the presence of the stylus without the stylus actually touching the touch-sensitive surface. For example, some touch-sensitive devices can detect the presence of a stylus within approximately 2 centimeters of their touch-sensitive surfaces. This is referred to as hovering with the stylus. This capability may allow the user to position the cursor over an area prior to taking an action such as generating a left mouse button down command, also known as a left click. Hovering with a stylus is similar to moving the cursor using a mouse, and pressing down with the stylus (e.g., by tapping the stylus on the surface of the touch-sensitive device) is similar to pressing the left or right buttons of the mouse.
However, precise targeting using a stylus and touch-sensitive surface can sometimes be difficult, especially where accuracy is important. For example, if a user desires to tap a stylus on a particular point of a touch-sensitive display device, the user may receive feedback in the form of a displayed cursor that follows the movements of the stylus while it is hovering and prior to the tap. This allows the user to see where the intended tap location will be. However, as the stylus approaches the touch-sensitive device and eventually comes into contact with it, the actual tap location may differ from the intended location. Small targets, parallax, poor digitizer quality, and shaky hands can contribute to such targeting difficulties.
Accordingly, there is a need for ways to overcome, counteract, or minimize such targeting difficulties.

Targeting in a stylus-based user interface


Provided a battery cell having a plurality of electrodes and a battery module using the same. In order to configure the battery module only by connections of the electrodes without including a separate bus bar and improve the degree of freedom of the connections, the battery cell having cathode terminals and anode terminals protruding to the outside includes: a plurality of electrode terminals selected from the cathode terminals or the anode terminals and formed on both sides of the battery cell opposing each other. The battery cell having the plurality of electrodes and the battery module formed is various forms according to a layout of a vehicle using the same may be configured.

In recent years, a secondary battery capable of being charged and discharged has been spotlighted as a power source of an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (REV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (P-HEV), or the like that has been suggested as a countermeasure for solving air pollution from an existing gasoline vehicle, diesel vehicle, or the like, using fossil fuel. Unlike small mobile devices, middle or large sized battery modules in which a large number of battery cells are connected to each other in accordance with the need for a high output and large capacity have been used in middle or large sized devices such as automobiles, and in the case of configuring various devices by applying such middle or large sized battery modules, an electrical connection structure between the unit battery modules is an important factor that whether or not it is applied is determined according to a structure of the device. For example, in a case in which a plurality of cell packs are mounted in a limited space of a platform of an electric vehicle in consideration of the electrical connection structure, there is a problem in that it is necessary to add additional parts or change a structure of a battery module coupling according to positional characteristics of electrode terminals of the respective battery modules.
In addition, there is a problem that a separate bus bar is often used when the battery modules are coupled according to the restriction of the positions of a positive terminal and a negative terminal which are final terminals of the battery module. If whether or not the bus bar is coupled is applied differently depending on the device structure in which the battery module is mounted and applied, not only productivity of the battery module assembly may be reduced but also an operation performance and driving reliability of various devices to which the battery module is to be applied are greatly affected. In addition, considering a recent trend that the field of application of the secondary battery is diversified, the necessity of improving the degree of freedom of design by the electrical connection of the battery module is increasing more and more.
Accordingly, in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2014-0072698 (battery module assembly, Jun. 13, 2014), terminal portions are formed on both side ends of a bus bar applied to a battery module configured by stacking pouch-type secondary batteries having cathode and anode terminals protruding from both sides thereof to improve the conventional bus bar, thereby improving the degree of freedom of design of a connection of a plurality of battery modules. However, in the above-mentioned document, the conventional problem, of providing a separate bus bar for interconnecting the cathode and anode cells in constructing the battery module using the secondary battery having the electrodes formed one by one on both sides is not solved. In the case of the conventional battery module constituting the module by connecting the electrodes through the bus bar, a process such as welding according to a configuration of the bus bar is further required, resistance of the bus bar is increased, thereby reducing efficiency of the battery, and a quality control becomes difficult.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2014-0058058 (battery module, May 14, 2014), a cathode tab and an anode tab of a battery cell protruding outwardly are cut to connect a plurality of stacked battery modules only by the connection of the cut electrodes. However, since the battery cell in the above-mentioned document has the cathode tap and the anode tap formed only in one direction, there is a limit to the scalability of connecting a plurality of unit modules, and one cathode tab and one anode tab are cut to form a pair of cutting portions, thereby causing a structural limitation that electrodes having the same polarity should be formed to be adjacent to each other.
As such, in the conventional secondary battery, one cathode electrode or anode electrode is formed on both sides facing each other, or the cathode electrode and the anode electrode are formed on one side facing the same direction. Therefore, when the cells are connected in series with or in parallel to each other, the configuration of the battery module is limited and it is difficult to apply the battery module to various configurations according to a layout of the vehicle.
In addition, a battery module of a high-efficiency, large-capacity electric vehicle recently requires a 2P12S module formed by connecting two cells in parallel to each other and connecting 12 sets of a pair of cells connected in parallel to each other in series with each other. Such a battery module is provided by stacking batteries having one electrode formed on opposite sides thereof in one direction, and needs to additionally include a separate bus bar so that the pair of cells connected in parallel to each other is connected in series with the other pair of adjacent cells. As such, if the bus bar is additionally included, problems are caused that energy efficiency of the battery module is deteriorated due to an increase in unnecessary contact resistance between the electrodes and a process quality of the battery module is deteriorated because a consistent work process for connecting the batteries is not performed.

Battery cell having a plurality of electrodes and battery module using the same


A semiconductor device assessment apparatus that electrically assesses a semiconductor device formed on a semiconductor substrate includes a holding unit having a surface to hold the semiconductor substrate thereon, and a detection unit to detect irregularity on the surface of the holding unit. The holding unit on the surface includes a plurality of grooves formed such that when the semiconductor substrate is held on the surface, the grooves overlap a periphery of the semiconductor substrate and also have a portion located outer than the periphery of the semiconductor substrate.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device assessment apparatus, and more specifically to a semiconductor device assessment apparatus capable of positionally detecting a semiconductor device.
Description of the Background Art
In a semiconductor device production process, semiconductor devices formed on a semiconductor substrate may have their electrical characteristics assessed before the semiconductor substrate is diced into individual semiconductor devices. In this case, the semiconductor device is assessed via an assessment apparatus generally including a stage (or a holding unit) to hold the semiconductor substrate during an assessment and a probe electrically connected to a pad of the semiconductor device formed on the semiconductor substrate. In the assessment, the semiconductor substrate is previously disposed with its center positioned at a reference position on the stage. This allows a plurality of semiconductor devices formed on the semiconductor substrate to be registered with respect to the stage all at once, and once they have been registered, the probe and the stage can be relatively moved to assess each semiconductor device individually. The semiconductor substrate may have its center position matched to the reference position on the stage by a method utilizing a peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 6-302676 discloses an apparatus to inspect a wafer for foreign matters. More specifically, a wafer is placed on a table and a peripheral portion of the wafer that projects radially outer than the table is exposed to incident light, which is reflected by a mirror that is provided under the wafer adjacent to the peripheral portion's back surface to obtain an image of and near the wafer.

Semiconductor device assessment apparatus


A measuring device is disclosed for capacitive pressure and/or temperature measurement, particularly for tire pressure control systems, having at least one sensor, which has a capacitive measuring element to detect a state value, which is applied at an output-side measuring node of the measuring element, with at least one A/D converter operating according to the dual-slope method, with a charging/discharging circuit, for mutual charging and discharging of the measuring element and for generating a sawtooth-shaped measuring potential at the measuring node as a measure for the capacitance of the measuring element, with a period counter, which determines the periods of the measuring potential, and with a clock counter, which determines the cycles of a clock signal, which lie within the duration of at least one period of the measuring potential. The invention relates to a measuring method for capacitive pressure and/or temperature measurement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measuring device and a measuring method for capacitive pressure and/or temperature measurement, such as, for example, for tire pressure control systems. Although it can be used in principle in any pressure and temperature measuring devices, the present invention and its underlying situation will be described below with reference to wireless pressure and temperature measuring devices with use of transponders and here particularly for tire pressure control systems.
2. Description of the Background Art
Transponders are microelectronic elements, which are designed to be able to store information. For this purpose, transponders have an antenna array to enable contactless reading out and modification of the stored information. In the case of transponders, an electromagnetic signal transmitted by the base station is received by the transponder and demodulated.
Active, semipassive, and passive transponders are differentiated depending on the design of their energy supply. In contrast to active transponders, passive transponders do not have their own energy supply, so that the passive transponder obtain the energy necessary for demodulating and decoding the received electromagnetic signal from the electromagnetic signal itself. This occurs by absorption modulation of the transmitted electromagnetic waves. In currently employed passive 110-140 kHz transponder systems, this is realized in the electromagnetic near field by inductive coupling. The energy range achieved thereby is within the range of a few centimeters to about half a meter and depends inter alia on the specific national HF regulations.
Passive transponders are employed in the field of contactless communication for identification (RFID=Radio Frequency Identification), in tire pressure control systems, and the like. In the case of a tire pressure control system, typically piezoresistive or capacitive pressure sensors are employed for determining tire-specific parameters, particularly tire pressure and tire temperature, whereby the present invention relates also to capacitively designed pressure sensors.
The absolute value of the capacitance of the pressure sensor, which corresponds to the actual tire pressure of the automobile tire, is to be determined by the capacitive pressure sensor. The tire temperature is determined in a similar way with the internal reference capacitance. In this case, the temperature-dependent charge of the reference capacitor is evaluated. A voltage is applied to the pressure sensor to measure this capacitance. The charge stored in the capacitor of the pressure sensor, which thereby contains information on the actual tire pressure, is subsequently determined in an AD converter using suitable converter methods. The challenge in determining the actual tire pressure from the charge stored by this capacitor now is the highest measuring accuracy possible, a resolution of less than one per thousand being required in current tire pressure control systems.
A/D converters used today or conventional corresponding converter methods in fact perhaps achieve such a high accuracy in the resolution, but do not take into account the integratability of the pressure sensor. In particular, the capacitive pressure sensor for tire pressure measurements as a component of an integrated circuit, which is disposed on a wheel of a vehicle or vulcanized into its rubber material, must be as small as possible and therefore made area-optimized. A/D converters and capacitive pressure sensors in use today, which are designed for a high accuracy, are not suitable here or only suitable conditionally when designed for this. Moreover, these have a relatively long converter time to determine the capacitance of the capacitive pressure sensor and thereby the actual tire pressure. A long converter time, however, is directly associated with a high energy consumption, which is essential to avoid, however, particularly in tire pressure control systems in which the transponder must obtain the energy from the electromagnetically transmitted signal.
A pressure and temperature sensor with wireless transmission of measured data for microelectronic circuits is described in the article by Werner Schulz, "A wireless integrated pressure sensor" in the journal Elektronik, 7/2000, page 54. As a result of the low power consumption, the current supply can be obtained here from the field of a base station up to a meter away.
In the German textbook by Tietze and Schenk "Semiconductor Circuit Technology," 11th edition, pages 1059-1060, a generally known so-called dual-slope method is described, furthermore, by means of which the capacitance of a capacitor can be determined.

Measuring device for capacitive pressure measure


A system for printing data on a corresponding one of a plurality of record forms. The system includes a unit for distinguishing each of a plurality of record forms from each other, a data control unit governed by the distinguishing unit for transmitting data corresponding to the distinguished record form and a printing unit controlled by the data control unit for printing the transmitted data on the distinguished form.

This invention relates to a data printing system, and more particularly to a data printing system and related method of printing data on different type forms.
In FIG. 1, a conventional data printing system employs a plotter device 11 as a printing device. A control part 12 functions as a data management device. It stores various types of data that are keyed in from a keyboard 13 to the control part 12. Such data may be, for example, sale amount data for one day for each of various sale articles. These sale amount data are arranged to be displayed on a display 14.
In such a system, we may first of all explain the case where the sale amounts for one day are plotted on respective record forms over, for example, one week, changing the record form for each sale article. The sequence of sale amount data of each sale article sent from the control part 12 is set beforehand for example as sale articles A, B, C, . . . . Consequently, the sequence of record forms accommodated in a tray 15 is made to correspond to the order of output of sale data before the plot operation. Thus, the tray 15 holding record forms arranged in an order matching this sequence is loaded, then a print request is keyed in from the keyboard 10. Thereupon, the control part 12 sends the sale data to the plotter device 11, in the sequence: the sale article A, the sale article B, the sale article C . . . . First of all, in the plotter device 11, one record form is taken out of the tray 15 and set in a prescribed position 16. After that, the record form is sent to a form receptacle 17 after the sale data of the sale article A is plotted. Next, one record form is again taken out from the tray 15, and set in the prescribed position 16, the sale data is plotted, and the form is sent to the form receptacle 17. In this way, the sale data of the sale articles A, B, C, . . . is plotted on respective record forms.
However, in the above-described system, the sequence of the sale data sent from the control part 12 is preset, so, when the sale data is plotted, the record forms and the data output are in the same sequence. Therefore, with the increase in the number of record forms, the task of making these sequences match becomes troublesome.

Data printing system with scanning of forms


The present invention, in certain embodiments, discloses a method for acquiring marine seismic data using a seismic acquisition system where shot points are determined and shot records recorded. A time at which the source vessel will be substantially at a shot point position is predicted and the seismic source is activated at the shot point. The shot is recorded and the next location for recording a shot is determined. If the source vessel has passed the determined next shot point position, the seismic source is activated and a shot is recorded. If the source vessel has not reached the next shot point, a time delay is implemented until the shot point is reached. The method allows for efficient acquisition of seismic data under varying field conditions by resembling a distance based shot point determination method unless a time based acquisition method becomes more appropriate due to field conditions or other operational considerations.

This method is directed to marine seismic data acquisition systems and, in one aspect, such systems with a streamer, streamers, and/or one or more seismic sources towed by one or more powered vehicles. This invention is related to the field of Common Mid-Point (CMP) marine seismic data acquisition.
In the field of marine seismic data acquisition, seismic signal sources, e.g. air guns, are towed behind a vessel, which may also tow a set of seismic sensors. The sensors are normally contained in streamers that are comprised of seismic signal receivers, e.g. hydrophones, which are sensitive to reflections and refractions from sound impulses emitted by seismic sources.
It has long been known that for high quality data, multiple samplings of the same subsurface areas are required. The addition of multiple signals from the same subsurface reflection point results in an increase in the information in signals along with a cancellation of the noise. This process is commonly known as the Common Mid-Point method.
FIG. 1A shows schematically a marine seismic survey system. A ship 14 tows a seismic source 5 of any known type, for instance air guns. Activating or firing a seismic source initiates acoustic energy which propagates from the source through the water and the earth. Also towed by ship 15 in this example are one or more sets of seismic sensors 13 or seismic receivers usually referred to generally as streamers. Acoustic energy propagated through the earth from subterranean features and may be detected by seismic sensors. The seismic sensors in the streamers may be single sensors or groups of sensors. The same vessel often tows streamers and sources, but this varies with survey acquisition logistics. Streamer 13 contains, as an example for the illustration, 15 sensors or groups of sensors; sensor 11 is closest to source 5 while sensor 19 is furthest away. Modem streamers may contain hundreds of sensors or sensor groups. Modem seismic acquisition systems may contain many streamers and several sources all in operation to acquire data in an area.
FIG. 1B shows how seismic energy propagates from the seismic source 5 to the streamer 13 sensors. Each time a seismic impulse is generated by a source, there is a corresponding midpoint (or Common Mid-Point, CMP) for every seismic sensor in a streamer. Seismic energy generated by source 5 travels to midpoint or CMP 1 and is reflected back to seismic sensor 11, the nearest sensor to source 5 of streamer 13. Seismic energy also reflects off of CMP 2 and travels to seismic sensor 19, the furthest sensor from source 5 of streamer 13. Of course, there are midpoints or CMPs corresponding to each seismic source impulse with each of the streamer 13 sensors. For example, the streamer shown in FIG. 1B contains 15 seismic sensors, and so each seismic impulse generated by source 5 would produce 15 CMPs from CMP 1 to CMP 2 inclusive.
FIG. 1C shows how the addition of another seismic source 7 towed, for example by ship 18, will produce CMPs from a source following the acquisition system in the direction of survey as demonstrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Here, the seismic energy travels from seismic source 7 to CMP 4 and back to the seismic sensor 19 nearest the source 7. Seismic energy travels from source 7 to CMP 3 and then the seismic sensor 11 furthest from source 7. Again, there are CMPs for each seismic sensor and seismic source pair, each time a source generates a seismic impulse.
As is known in the art, the number of times the same subsurface mid-point areas are sampled is commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9cfoldxe2x80x9d of the survey. A uniform distribution of fold over a survey area is desirable. A method or system that will lead to efficient acquisition of seismic surveys having a uniform distribution of fold is desirable. Uniformity in fold distribution results in a more even and predictable subsurface resolution, and therefore, seismic surveys with a more uniform fold distribution are desirable and operational changes that result in a haphazard or unpredictable fold distribution are not desirable.
Another way to improve subsurface resolution is to increase the areal resolution of a seismic survey by moving sampling bins closer together by decreasing the size of the subsurface sampling areas known as midpoint or CMP bins. Subsurface sampling areas (e.g. CMP spacing) need to be made as small as operational and economic constraints will allow.
The recording systems used for marine seismic data acquisition normally allow firing of shots based on distance, the Distance Shooting method, or based on time, the Timed Shooting method. For geophysical reasons (for instance, fold uniformity) the preferred option is to fire shots based on distance. However, when currents in the seismic survey area are too strong the Distance Shooting method may be problematic to implement and up to half of the expected shots may be missed. Under strong current conditions the timing method may be preferred. Recording systems are set up to handle either the xe2x80x98distance shooting methodxe2x80x99 or the xe2x80x98timed shooting method,xe2x80x99 but not both at the same time. Recording systems must normally not be acquiring data for a switch between one system and the other to be made. This results in an interruption of the survey acquisition program and can be an inefficient use of resources.
Marine seismic operations are often large, complex and expensive. There are recognized needs for improving the efficiency of seismic field operations. A system and method that will increase survey efficiency and streamline operational logistics is highly desirable. The present invention addresses these recognized needs.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system to acquire seismic data efficiently without having to interrupt field operations to change from one acquisition method, for example based on timed shooting, to another method, for example based on distance or position shooting. The prior art does not disclose systems or methods to improve the efficiency of the use of acquisition equipment as embodied in the present invention.
The present invention, in certain embodiments, discloses a method for acquiring marine seismic data using a seismic acquisition system where shot points are determined and shot records recorded. A time at which the source vessel will be substantially at a shot point position is predicted and the seismic source is activated at the shot point. The shot is recorded and the next location for recording a shot is determined. If the source vessel has passed the determined next shot point position, the seismic source is activated and a shot is recorded. If the source vessel has not reached the next shot point, a time delay is implemented until the shot point is reached. The method allows for efficient acquisition of seismic data under varying field conditions with minimal operational interruptions by acquiring data using a distance based shot point determination method unless a time based acquisition method becomes more appropriate due to field conditions or other operational considerations.


A guest operating system (OS) of a virtual machine (VM) receives a first request from an application to enable memory deduplication for a memory page associated with the application, identifies a mergeable memory range for memory space of the guest OS, where the mergeable memory rage is associated with guest OS memory pages to be deduplicated, and maps, in a page table of the guest OS, a page table entry for the memory page to a memory address within the mergeable memory range. The guest OS causes a hypervisor to enable deduplication for the memory page responsive to detecting an access of the memory page by the application.

A virtual machine (VM) is an emulation of a computer system. When executed on appropriate hardware, a VM creates an environment allowing the virtualization of an actual physical computer system (e.g., a server, a mainframe computer, etc.). The actual physical computer system is typically referred to as a "host machine." Typically, a component on the host machine known as a "hypervisor" (or a "virtual machine monitor") manages the execution of one or more virtual machines or "guests", providing a variety of functions such as virtualizing and allocating resources, context switching among virtual machines, etc. The operating system (OS) of the virtual machine is typically referred to as the "guest operating system" or "guest OS." In some implementations, the guest OS and applications executing within the guest OS can be collectively referred to as the "guest."
Virtualized computer systems can use a technology referred to as "memory deduplication" that allows memory pages that include identical information to be "merged" by the hypervisor. This process can map a single physical memory page (a "mergeable" memory page) to be mapped to multiple virtual addresses managed by the hypervisor.

Selective memory deduplication for virtual machines


A remote device comprising a remote clock oscillator with relatively low precision, a receiver that receives time packets transmitted periodically from the hub device via the satellite, each time packet including a hub real time clock (RTC) value and a hub network clock reference (NCR) value, a remote RTC counter that represents a remote RTC value at the remote, a remote NCR counter that represents a remote NCR value at the remote, and processing circuitry that extracts the hub RTC value and the hub NCR value from a current time packet, compares contents of the current time packet with contents of a previously received time packet, and adjusts the remote RTC counter based on the result of the comparison to synchronize the remote RTC value at the remote with the hub RTC value.

The disclosure relates in general to satellite communication and, in particular, to an apparatus and method for time synchronization in a satellite network.
Normal communication within a satellite network utilizes network clock reference (NCR) based synchronization (as described in DVB-RCS/RCS2). However, applications that use remote devices that communicate within the satellite network sometimes require highly accurate time and frequency synchronization. Traditionally, when an application needs highly accurate time and frequency synchronization, the application that uses a remote device within a satellite network utilizes an individual GPS receiver to synchronize time and frequency to a common master clock (e.g. cellular backhaul or industrial automation). Oftentimes, however, many applications that use many remote devices need highly accurate time and frequency synchronization within a satellite network. As a result, when applications are connected to different remote devices within traditional satellite network, each application may require an individual GPS receiver in order to synchronize time and frequency.

Time synchronization in a satellite network


The object is to provide a technique for predicting a time for performing maintenance of optical communication in an electronic component mounting device in which optical communication is performed. A controller in a time prediction process reads the voltage of an electrical signal from a storage section, calculates the slope with respect to time of the read voltage, and based on the amount of decrease with time of the voltage outputted from an AD converter, the time at which the voltage becomes to be equal to or less than a threshold value is calculated. The time at which the output value of the optical signal outputted from the mounting head will become equal to or less than the threshold value is then estimated.

For a system comprising a control device and a movable unit controlled by the control device, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for causing the control device and the movable unit to perform an appropriate process when the transmission path for transmitting control information transmitted from the control device is disconnected.


Systems and methods are disclosed to provide a highly convenient and practically automated system for creation of highly-realistic menisci for CG characters. Creating the meniscus in the correct place and maintaining its correlation with moving eyes and eyelids was in the past difficult. The systems and methods disclosed provide a highly-realistic way to create and control such features. The systems and methods may create the meniscus in a procedural fashion, allowing the meniscus to properly track movements of character eyes and eyelids and to be animated in a highly-realistic fashion.

The meniscus around the eye is an important element in making realistic eyes for computer-generated (CG) characters. The meniscus is essentially a watery layer that forms where the eyelid contacts the eyeball. Creating a meniscus in the correct place and making its appearance realistic is a highly challenging problem in CG modeling.
Prior attempts at modeling menisci involve creating a number of modeled spans around an eye to achieve, e.g., a highlight between the eyeball and tear duct. But such custom modeling is highly time- and effort-consuming.
This Background is provided to introduce a brief context for the Summary and Detailed Description that follow. This Background is not intended to be an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter nor be viewed as limiting the claimed subject matter to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages or problems presented above.

System and method for procedural CG eye meniscus


A new rubber expansion joint for preventing distortions, cracks, and breaks in building materials normally caused by thermal movement. The invention includes a method of making an expansion joint member from used tires and using the resulting expansion joint member by installing it into a structure to create an expansion joint.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of making expansion joints and more particularly pertains to a new rubber expansion joint for preventing distortions, cracks, and breaks in building materials normally caused by thermal movement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of methods of making expansion joints is known in the prior art. More specifically, methods of making expansion joints heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art methods of making expansion joints and related objects include U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,558; U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,947; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 285,006; U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,118; U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,542; U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,954; U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,216; U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,721; U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,947; U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,722; U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,750; U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,110; U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,925; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,953.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new rubber expansion joint. The inventive device includes a method of making an expansion joint member from used tires and using the resulting expansion joint member by installing it into a structure to create an expansion joint.
In these respects, the rubber expansion joint according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of preventing distortions, cracks, and breaks in building materials normally caused by thermal movement.