The present invention is a method to cement a wellbore in the presence of carbon dioxide, or when the wellbore will subsequently be exposed to carbon dioxide. The wellbore is cemented using a blast furnace slag cement slurry, and the resulting set cement is considerably less susceptible to degradation by carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is a commonly occurring component of gas and oil streams. Carbon dioxide is also used in secondary oil recovery as a miscible flood component. Wellbores and wells must therefore be provided that can tolerate the presence of carbon dioxide for use as either injection wells or production wells. A problem in providing such an injection or production well is that Portland cements are typically used to cement casings in such injection and production wells, and Portland type cements are susceptible to acid attack by dissolved carbon dioxide which forms carbonic acid. Portland cements contain calcium hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide reacts with carbonic acid. Particularly at elevated temperatures, continual influx of carbonic acid convert Portland cement to a soft amorphous gel through a variety of reactions. Portland cements therefore gradually degrade while exposed to carbon dioxide. The inherently high permeability of Portland cements also causes a large portion of the cement to be exposed to this carbonic acid attack.
Eventually, remedial squeeze cementing is required to repair degraded Portland cements, or the cement will fail. This is very undesirable due to the high cost of squeeze cementing, and the unlikelihood that a squeeze cement will result in the quality cement job that is required.
Cementing is particularly difficult when carbonic acid is present when the cement is to be set. Carbonic acid inhibits proper setting of Portland type cements. Expensive additives are therefore added to the cement slurry to enable the Portland cement slurries to set when the slurry must cure in the presence of carbonic acid. Permeability of Portland cements can also be reduced by inclusion of additives in the cement slurry and the use of higher density slurries, but these measures also increase the cost of the cement.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a method to cement wellbores in the presence of carbon dioxide or carbonic acid and a method to cement wellbores when the wellbores will subsequently be contacted with carbon dioxide or carbonic acid wherein the cement is not degraded by carbon dioxide or carbonic acid to the extent that Portland cements are degraded by carbon dioxide or carbonic acid.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method to cement wellbores in the presence of carbon dioxide or carbonic acid and where the wellbore will be exposed to carbon dioxide or carbonic acid after the cement cures wherein the cement has improved tolerance to carbon dioxide or carbonic acid and wherein the cement will cure in the presence of carbon dioxide or carbonic acid.

Method to cement a wellbore in the presence of carbon dioxide


A raceway system and method within an internal cabin of an aircraft include a plurality of routing modules that are coupled together. Each of the plurality of routing modules includes a main housing that routes one or more transferring components to one or more monuments within the internal cabin. A raceway system and method for an aircraft includes a transferring component attachment system that includes a plurality of transferring component support struts, and one or more transferring components coupled to the plurality of transferring component support struts.

Certain military commercial derivate aircraft (MCDA) such as airborne warning and control system (AWACS), joint surveillance and target attack radar system (JSTARS), P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, KC-46 Tanker, and the like are manufactured based on commercial airframes. Such MCDA include various systems, sub-systems, and transferring components (that is, components that transfer an electrical signal or fluid such as air or liquid) beyond that which are typically found in commercial aircraft. For example, during a manufacturing process of a military commercial derivate aircraft, mission system wiring, environmental cooling ducts, aerial refueling tubes, liquid cooling lines, and the like are secured to various portions of a fuselage, for example.
As can be appreciated, engineering effort associated with the design of compliant installations for the various systems within the aircraft is rigorous as a result of multiple routing paths to meet requirements and avoid existing systems and structures. Each new routing path increases both the engineering design effort and manufacturing factory labor hours associated with installing structural support provisions at primary structures. The design considerations for installation of various military systems, sub-systems, and transferring components within a commercial airframe is unique for each aircraft and typically requires substantial engineering effort to define routing paths around existing commercial systems, and generate associated installation, assembly, and detail drawings for all required support provisions. Moreover, the manufacturing effort is also labor intensive in that individuals typically individually secure each transferring component to frames via support provisions and fasteners, for example.
In general, a fuselage of an aircraft includes numerous frames coupled to stringers that extend along a length of the fuselage. In order to securely mount transferring components (such as wiring, air ducts, liquid conduits, and the like) within an internal cabin formed by the fuselage, the transferring components are secured to portions of the frames and the stringers with fasteners, such as clips. As such, complex engineering is needed to determine thousands of attachment points. After the transferring components are secured to the frames and stringers, wall structures may be secured over the frames and stringers. That is, the transferring components are secured to frames and stringers that form sidewall portions, ceilings, and the like within the internal cabin. When sidewalls and other interior finishing components are installed, they cover up various transferring components, thereby reducing access to such transferring components. Accordingly, gaining access to such transferring components for maintenance, replacement, and the like may be time and labor intensive, as well as expensive.

Transferring component routing systems and methods within an interior cabin of an aircraft


A method for annotation mapping includes identifying a set of differences between a first version of a document and a second version of the document, the first version comprising annotations. The method further includes generating a position map that maps differences between the first version and the second version, where the position map facilitates the migration of the annotations from the first version to the second version.

Publishers and other content providers often make changes in the content of a book after publishing the first copy, especially in digital books where the distribution costs are extremely low. These changes can be versioned and can include changes such as correction of a typographical error or an optical character recognition (OCR) error, errors in translation or conversion of printed material, removal of extra white spaces, formatting changes, insertion or deletion of paragraphs, words, images, chapters, or any combination thereof. eReader software allows users to annotate such digital books by inserting comments, highlights, notes, reminders, links and so forth. However, a customer who has an old version of a digital book is unable to upgrade to a newer version of the content without losing the annotations they have made on this content, because the annotations are tied to that particular version of content and are not portable.
Thus, when a content provider makes new content available, customers are forced to choose between receiving the updated content and losing all of their custom annotations or manually reentering their custom annotations, or retaining the old content and preserving their annotations. Some marketplace statistics show that among all the customers who are offered an upgrade with the condition that they lose all their existing annotations, only about 20% of customers choose to upgrade. This means that the customer can not judge how much the new content has been improved without losing their annotations, and has a difficult time making this decision.


According to one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a resist and a layer to be etched on a substrate, forming a non-cured layer on the resist by supplying a metal compound containing Ru, forming a cured layer on a surface layer of the resist by using the non-cured layer, and etching the layer to be etched by reactive ion etching using the cured layer and the resist as a mask.

In a reactive ion etching (RIE) process using a resist in a semiconductor process, when a selection ratio of resist for a material to be etched is small, an etching amount of the resist increases more than necessary.
During the RIE using the resist as a mask, unevenness occurs in etching due to non-uniformity in hardness of the resist, non-uniformity of a plasma density during the RIE, and the like, and thus a width or a shape of a pattern is different in each region. As a result, roughness occurs in a pattern including the resist and a material to be subjected to the RIE.
An example of related art includes JP-A-2003-273291.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus


A metal form has a flexible panel member with a perimetral flange projected laterally from one side thereof. Each of a pair of transversely opposite side sections of the flange is segmented by a plurality of longitudinally spaced V-shaped notches having their apices adjacent the one side of the panel member to provide for a lateral flexing movement of the panel member to a preselected shape. With the panel member in the predetermined shape, the segments in each of the flange side sections are connected together against relative movement to retain the predetermined shape of the panel member. In a first preferred embodiment, each flange segment is connected to an adjacent flange segment by a flexible metal strap. In a second preferred embodiment, extended flexible metal straps are used to interconnect a central flange segment to each of the pair of adjacent flange segments.

Concrete construction forms are generally prefabricated by the manufacturer for use in a particular structural application such as corner forms, linear wall forms, or form parts for assembly on the job to build structures having a curved surface and the like. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,616,148, a form assembly enables the casting of generally curved surfaces to a particular desired curvature by the use of flexible metal sheets arranged with their side portions in an overlapping relation and having reinforcing members at such side portions that are adjustably clamped to a supporting scaffold to secure the flexible sheets in the desired curved pattern to form an arched roof. Arched roof constructions are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,436,543 and 2,933,056. U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,176 discloses a permanently formed wooden stud-truss that has a curved central arch section positioned between a pair of straight end sections. The central arch has transverse slots or notches the sides of which are moved into contact engagement to provide the desired curvature. Before being closed the slots are filled with an adhesive compound to maintain the central arch in permanent deflection.
A concrete form including a flexible panel having an adjustable curvature is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,763. The concrete form is flexible to conform to any desired curvilinear shape having no radius of curvature less than the design limitations of the form. A strap or tension member substantially coextensive with the length of the form and including a plurality of elongated openings is used in association with a plurality of nut and bolt combinations to hold the form in the desired curvilinear shape. Because the single strap extended the entire length of the form, the elongated openings became quite extended at the side edges of the form. Due to the length of the form and the relatively small radii of curvatures to which the flexible form could be made to conform, a single strap could not function for both positive and negative radii of curvatures. This prior art form, accordingly, required two straps, only one of which was used in any given structure of formwork. A flexible concrete form that would reduce the number of loose parts and simplify use of the form is desired.

Concrete form having adjustable curvature


A device for organizing and tracking medication. The device includes compartments to contain medication, and each compartment includes an access door. A sensor element can detect if the device is moved, if the access door is opened and/or closed, and/or if medications have been placed into or removed from a compartment. A processor and/or external computing system provides alarms if medications is not properly taken, a filling service for stuffing the compartments and an administration service to verify the medications are properly taken.

According to the Institute of Medicine's Jul. 20, 2006 report bearing the title of PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS: QUALITY CHASM SERIES", it is estimated that in "any given week, four out of five adults in the United States will use prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, or dietary supplements of some sort, and nearly one-third of adults will take five or more different medications". "Statistics prove prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists". This was the title of an article published by Jessica Fraser on Jul. 5, 2005 on the NATURALNEWS website which can be found at the URL of www<dot>naturalnews<dot>com. At the time the article was written, the author claimed that over 750,000 people die in the United States every year from conventional medicine mistakes with about 106,000 to 200,000 of these deaths being attributed to prescription drugs related issues. In the Institute of Medicine's Jul. 20, 2006 report, several reported statistics were provided with regards to adverse drug events (ADE) or injuries due to medication. For instance, between 380,000 to 450,000 ADEs were estimated to occur in hospitals but, the committed believed that these numbers were underestimates. The report stated that one study calculated that 800,000 preventable ADEs occur each year in long-term care facilities while another that among outpatient Medicare patients, over 530,000 preventable ADEs occur per year. These statistics are exacerbated by our "take a pill to cure the ill" culture combined with the pharmaceutical ads that flood into our homes on prime-time TV.
An article by Michael A. Steinman, MD and Joseph T. Hanlon, PharmD, MS bearing the title MANAGING MEDICATIONS IN CLINICALLY COMPLEX ELDERS "THERE'S GOT TO BE A HAPPY MEDIUM" highlights the risks and issues involved in ADEs related to elderly patients having multiple medications. The article further addresses the issue by posing several needs in the art. First, a systematic approach to approaching prescribing is essential. Second, an essential first step is to know what the patient is taking right now, and to clarify what goals you are trying to achieve by prescribing drugs. Third, it is critical to individualize care based on what benefits and harms a patient is experiencing from their drugs.
"Medication Non-Compliance Estimated to Result in More Than 300,000 Deaths Each Year" was the title of an article posed by Kathy Wetters on Oct. 17, 2010 on the RIGHT AT HOME website. In this article, Ms. Wetters states "Medication non-compliance is becoming one of the most expensive and deadly problems in healthcare today. Hospital costs due to patient non-compliance are estimated at $8.5 billion annually. And with more than 300,000 deaths annually resulting from non-compliance, healthcare professionals, caregivers and Americans are left searching for new ways to fight this avoidable issue".
In an article published by FierceHealthcare bearing the title of PATIENTS NOT TAKING MEDICATIONS COST $300B, May 27, 2011 it is stated that the lack of prescription medication adherence costs between $250 and $300 billion annually. Supporting this position, the article cites a report from Express Scripts' released in April of 2011 determining that patients not taking their prescribed medications costs roughly $259 billion per year in emergency room and docter visits, as well as inpatient hospitalizations.
The website www<dot>abovetheinfluence<dot>com is a web campaign sponsored by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and is directed to provide information about drug abuse, overdosing, and non-compliance. With regards to prescription drugs, ABOVETHEINFLUENCE writes:
"Prescription drugs are medicines that are prescribed to a patient by a doctor to manage pain, treat or cure a health condition such as pain, mental disease, diabetes, cancer, or common infections. These drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are shown to have medical benefits when prescribed and taken exactly as directed by a health provider. For people who are suffering, these drugs allow them to control their symptoms, cure or treat their diseases, control pain, or fight an infection. However, these medicines are only safe when taken exactly as directed by a doctor, healthcare provider, or as indicated on the packaging. This includes following directions on dosages, how often to take these drugs, and never taking any drug that is not prescribed for you."
"Taking prescription drugs that are not prescribed to you—or taking them in any way other than directed by a doctor—is considered non-medical use or abuse and can be as dangerous as taking an illegal drug, such as cocaine or heroin. "Misuse" of a prescription drug is taking it to treat a medical condition but not as directed by a doctor or packaging; "abuse" is taking prescription drugs with the sole intention of getting high. When misused or abused, many prescription drugs can be as dangerous and addictive as "street" drugs. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of poisonings and even deaths associated with the abuse and misuse of prescription drugs, including prescription painkillers and anti-depressants."
"In other words, even if a medication is prescribed to you, taking larger doses than prescribed, taking it more often than directed, or using it in a way that it is not intended, is abuse and can also lead to severe health consequences and addiction. Between 1995 and 2005, treatment admissions for dependence on prescription pain relievers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin) grew more than 300 percent."
"Taking prescription drugs without a prescription, not taking them as directed, or mixing them with alcohol are all unsafe and potentially deadly. A 2008 study based on 224,355 U.S. death certificates for which people died from medication errors showed that there was a 3,196 percent increase between 1983 and 2004 in deaths at home from combining prescription drugs with alcohol and/or street drugs."
"Additionally, getting prescription drugs without a prescription, called "diversion" is illegal and may put you at risk for arrest and prosecution. Regardless of how you acquire a prescription medication, using these types of drugs without a valid prescription—written for you—is unsafe and illegal."
The term "noncompliance" is used in medicine particularly in regard to a patient not taking a prescribed medication or following a prescribed course of therapy. For example, "As many as half of 'failures' of treatment to bring elevated blood pressure down to normal levels may be due to unrecognized lapses in taking antihypertensive drugs as prescribed, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of Lausannne, Switzerland." (Stephenson J, JAMA 282: 313, 1999)
Noncompliance may be overt (as with a Christian Scientist who rejects recommended therapy for religious reasons) or covert (as with children who are supposed to take an antibiotic, say they are taking it but are not, as revealed by a blood test to detect that antibiotic).
For some individuals, the number of medications that they must take can be overwhelming. Having multiple prescriptions with varying dosage schedules and amounts can become confusing. This, coupled by the similarity in the bottles and labeling, the non-descriptive naming conventions, busy schedules, etc., can easily lead to innocent mistakes by an individual that is taking the medicine—innocent mistakes that can be fatal.
Whether the cause of non-compliance is due to misuse, abuse, diversion or simply human error, it is clear that the problem is epidemic. Thus, there is a need in the art for a system to help reduce medicine non-compliance.


An apparatus and method thereof for regulating a light source are described. The apparatus includes a light-to-frequency converter that converts light received from the light source into a signal having a corresponding frequency. A circuit coupled to the light-to-frequency converter uses the frequency to regulate light that is emitted from the light source.

In a back-lighting application, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) provide illumination to a light guide or light pipe. A display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) is placed over the light guide and is thereby illuminated.
White LEDs emit light that appears white to an observer and can be used for back-lighting. Red, green and blue LEDs can be used in combination to produce many colors and intensities of light for color displays as well as white light for back-lighting.
Controlling the brightness of the LED(s) is important so that there is enough illumination to make visible the information being displayed by the LCD. With the use of multiple, different-colored LEDs, controlling the brightness of the LEDs is also important in order to achieve proper color balance.
In general, a conventional light source controller employs a feedback loop that measures the voltage produced by the light received from the light source (e.g., an LED) and adjusts the light source accordingly. Conventional controllers include a sensor that converts the light from the light source into a voltage. The controller can also include a low-pass filter, a buffer/gain amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to convert the measured voltage into a digital signal. The digital signal is received by a signal processor that determines whether the light source needs to be adjusted (e.g., made more or less brighter). The processor controls a pulse width modulation generator that drives the brightness of the light source.
Conventional controllers are problematic for a number of reasons. The low-pass filter, buffer/gain amplifier and ADC increase the size of the integrated circuit die, which can increase costs. Also, the low-pass filter, buffer/gain amplifier and ADC can each introduce noise into the circuit, which can effect the granularity of control.
A controller that can reduce die size and noise would be advantageous. A controller that can provide those advantages and also reduce power consumption and response time would be even more advantageous.

Regulating a light source using a light-to-frequency converter

Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A roll-ring conductive wheel is used to conduct electricity between the inner and outer races of rotating or moving parts. The conductive wheel is a thin-walled metal cylinder with a plurality of spokes connecting the outer cylindrical wall to a central hub. The preferred spokes are arcuate and the wheel is made flexible so that it can be compressed to an elliptical shape between the inner and outer conductive races for good electrical contact and to absorb slight deflections or gap variations between the races. The conductive wheel can have other shapes depending on the configuration of moving parts, such as a truncated cone shape for conical or wedge-shaped races.

Prior art consists of graphite or fine wire brushes that rub against conductive rings that in turn, pass electricity across a rotating device. Other methods use a thin wall metal ring (or rings) that is lightly compressed into an ellipse that conducts between two concentric rings. When multiple rings are used, they would require a means of separation that is accomplished by way of planetary gears that act as separators or plastic spacers placed between each conducting ring.
The disadvantages of prior art are many. Graphite or thin wire brushes are a source of electrical noise that is detrimental when used to pass signal. Additionally, these methods generate wear and particles that further degrades the performance of the conductive path. These devices are prone to produce sparks that can also degrade their performance and become hazardous if employed in volatile environments or areas where combustibles are stored. Although thin wall metal ring devices produce less noise, wear and spark potential, they cannot be made to provide a large contact area that is important in applications where large amounts of current is needed to be conducted across a rotating device. Furthermore, it is inherently difficult to introduce multiple rings in an effort to increase the current carrying capacity of the electrical path without the introduction of spacer materials that will in turn, rub against the rings or other separation components causing particle generation.


A focal distance adjustable laser module including a cap having a tapered laser firing hole, a lens holder press-fitted into the cap to hold a rubber packing ring and a lens on the rubber packing ring and having an inner thread at the back side, a laser diode holder holding a mounting plate and a laser diode on the mounting plate and having an outer thread at the front side threaded into the inner thread of the lens holder, a circuit board secured to the mounting plate at the back and connected to the laser diode to control its operation, and a spring mounted inside the lens holder and imparting a backward pressure to the laser diode holder to prohibit displacement of the laser diode holder relative to the lens holder.

The present invention relates to focal distance adjustable laser modules, and relates more particularly to such a focal distance adjustable laser module which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble.
Various laser modules are well known, and intensively used in laser pointers, laser range finders, etc. However, regular laser modules are still not satisfactory in function. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,430, the focal distance of the laser module is not adjustable. The focal distance of the laser module of U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,188 can be adjusted through a screw joint. However, because the two threaded members tend to displace relative to each other, the focal distance may change after an adjustment is done. In order to eliminate this problem, the screw joint must be fixed by sealing means when the focal distance is adjusted to the desired range. However, when the screw joint is fixed by sealing means, the focal distance can no loner be adjusted. FIGS. 1A and 1B show another structure of laser module according to the prior art. This structure of laser module comprises a screw cap 101, a lens 102, a cylindrical casing 103, and a mounting plate 104. The screw cap 101 holds the lens 102 on the inside, having an outer thread 114 at the rear end threaded into an inner thread 131 at the front end of the cylindrical casing 103. The mounting plate 104 holds a semiconductor chip 141 and a photodetector 142. A cover 145 which holds a glass 146 is covered on the mounting plate 104 over the semiconductor chip 141 and the photodetector 142, and then mounted with the mounting plate 104 inside the cylindrical casing 103. Because the lens 102 is finished through a grinding process by labor, its focal length is difficult to be accurately obtained. Therefore, when the laser module is assembled, the focal distance must be calibrated. However, when the inner thread 131 and the outer thread 114 are meshed together, there is gaps left in the threads, therefore the cylindrical casing 103 and the screw cap 101 tend to displace relative to each other, causing the adjusted focal distance to be changed. In order to eliminate this problem, the connecting area between the screw cap 101 and the cylindrical casing 103 must be sealed with a sealing agent when the focal distance is adjusted. However, when the connecting area between the screw cap 101 and the cylindrical casing 103 is sealed by a sealing agent, the focal distance is fixed, and can no longer be adjusted again.


A wireless device (810) obtains (904) a first transmission time interval (TTI) for transmitting a first signal, and determines (908), based on the first TTI, a first transient time associated with the first TTI that defines a first duration during which a transmit power level of the wireless device changes. The wireless device transmits (912) the first signal using the first transient time. The wireless device obtains (916) a second TTI for transmitting a second signal, wherein a length of the second TTI is different from a length of the first TTI. The wireless device determines (920), based on the second TTI, a second transient time associated with the second TTI that defines a second duration during which the transmit power level of the wireless device changes that is different from the first transient time. The wireless device transmits (924) the second signal using the second transient time.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in the downlink (DL) and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-spread OFDM in the uplink (UL).
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the LTE time-domain structure. In the time domain, LTE DL transmissions are organized into radio frames (such as radio frame 10) of 10 milliseconds (ms). Each radio frame 10 consists of ten equally-sized subframes of length Tsubframe=1 ms, as shown in FIG. 1. Each subframe comprises two slots of duration 0.5 ms each, and the slot numbering within a frame ranges from 0 to 19. For normal cyclic prefix, one subframe consists of 14 OFDM symbols. The duration of each symbol is approximately 71.4 μs.
The resource allocation in LTE is typically described in terms of resource blocks, where a resource block corresponds to one slot (0.5 ms) in the time domain and 12 contiguous subcarriers in the frequency domain. A pair of two adjacent resource blocks in the time direction (i.e., 1.0 ms) is known as a resource block pair. This is also denoted as Transmission Time Interval (TTI).
DL transmissions are dynamically scheduled (i.e., in each subframe the base station transmits control information about which terminals data is transmitted to and upon which resource blocks the data is transmitted, in the current DL subframe). This control signaling is typically transmitted in the first 1, 2, 3 or 4 OFDM symbols in each subframe and the number n=1, 2, 3 or 4 is known as the Control Format Indicator (CFI) indicated by the Physical CFI Channel (PCFICH) transmitted in the first symbol of the control region. The control region also contains Physical Downlink Control Channels (PDCCHs) and possibly also Physical Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Indication Channels (PHICHs) carrying Acknowledgement (ACK)/Negative Acknowledgement (NACK) for the UL transmission.
The DL subframe also contains common reference symbols (CRS), which are known to the receiver and used for coherent demodulation of, for example, the control information.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example downlink subframe 20A. More particularly, FIG. 2 illustrates an example DL system with CFI=3 OFDM symbols as control. In an LTE Release 8 TTI, one such portion of the DL transmission is referred to as one TTI.
Packet data latency is one of the performance metrics that vendors, operators, and also end-users (e.g., via speed-test applications) regularly measure. Latency measurements are done in all phases of a Radio Access Network (RAN) system lifetime (e.g., when verifying a new software release or system component, when deploying a system, and when the system is in commercial operation).
Shorter latency than previous generations of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Radio Access Technologies (RATs) was one performance metric that guided the design of LTE. LTE is now recognized by end-users to be a system that provides faster access to the Internet and lower data latencies than previous generations of mobile radio technologies.
Packet data latency is important not only for the perceived responsiveness of the system; it is also a parameter that indirectly influences the throughput of the system. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)/Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is the dominating application and transport layer protocol suite used on the Internet today. The typical size of HTTP-based transactions over the Internet are in the range of a few 10s of kilobytes up to 1 megabyte. In this size range, the TCP slow-start period is a significant part of the total transport period of the packet stream. During the TCP slow-start period, the performance is latency limited. Hence, improved latency can rather easily be shown to improve the average throughput for this type of TCP-based data transaction.
Radio resource efficiency could be positively impacted by latency reductions. Lower packet data latency could increase the number of transmissions that are possible within a certain delay bound. Hence, higher Block Error Rate (BLER) targets could be used for the data transmissions, freeing up radio resources and potentially improving the capacity of the system.
One area to address when it comes to packet latency reductions is the reduction of transport time of data and control signaling by addressing the length of a TTI. In LTE Release 8, a TTI corresponds to one subframe of length 1 ms. One such 1 ms TTI is constructed by using 14 OFDM or Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) symbols in the case of normal cyclic prefix and 12 OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols in the case of extended cyclic prefix. In LTE Release 13, a work item with the goal of specifying transmissions with shorter TTIs that are much shorter than the LTE Release 8 TTI is ongoing. The shorter TTIs can be decided to have any duration in time and comprise resources on a number of OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols within a 1 ms subframe. As one example, the duration of the short TTI (sTTI) may be 0.5 ms (i.e., seven OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols for the case with normal cyclic prefix). As another example, the duration of the sTTI may be 2 symbols.
As seen in FIG. 2, the TTI length consists of 14 OFDM symbols. With shortened TTIs, the TTI length can be reduced to 2-OFDM symbols, 4-OFDM symbols or 7-OFDM symbols. These are denoted as: 2-OS sTTI, 4-OS sTTI, 7-OS sTTI, respectively. As used herein, the OS can also be SC-FDMA or any type of symbol.
The shortened TTI can be used in different values in different direction, such as DL and UL. For example: a DL in a cell can use 2-OS sTTI, while an UL in the same cell can use 4-OS sTTI.
For different frame structures, such as FS1, FS2 and FS3, the sTTI that is used could be different too. The time domain structure described above in relation to FIG. 1 relates to FS1. For FS1, 2-OS, 4OS and 7 OS TTI can be used. For FS2 (which is used for Time Division Duplex (TDD)), 7-OS sTTI is one of the shortened TTI modes. Some example TTI durations are described below in relation to FIGS. 3-5.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a 7-symbol sTTI in DL. As can be seen from FIG. 3, subframe 20B is divided into two sTTIs 30A and 30B (also denoted in the example of FIG. 3 as TTI#0 and TTI#1, respectively). Each sTTI 30A and 30B consists of 7 symbols 32 (e.g., OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols). More particularly, sTTI 30A consists of symbols 32A-G and sTTI 30B consists of symbols 32H-N. In the example of FIG. 3, symbol 32D and symbol 32K contain reference signals (denoted by the notation "RS" in FIG. 3).
For 7-symbol sTTI, the sTTI structure in the example of FIG. 3 is supported for UL according to agreements in R1-1611055, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG1 #86 bis, Lisbon, Portugal 10-14 Oct. 2016, entitled "LS on Shortened TTI and processing time for LTE" (hereinafter "R1-1611055").
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of 4-symbol sTTI in DL. As can be seen from FIG. 4, subframe 20C is divided into four sTTIs 40A, 40B, 40C, and 40D (also denoted in the example of FIG. 4 as TTI#0, TTI#1, TTI#2, and TTI#3, respectively). Each sTTI 40A-D consists of 4 symbols 42 (e.g., OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols). More particularly, sTTI 40A consists of symbols 42A-42D, sTTI 40B consists of symbols 42D-G, sTTI 40C consists of symbols 42H-K, and sTTI 40D consists of symbols 42K-N. As can be seen from FIG. 4, sTTI 40A and sTTI 40B overlap (i.e., sTTI 40A and sTTI 40B both include symbol 42D) and sTTI 40C and sTTI 40D overlap (i.e., sTTI 40C and sTTI 40B both include symbol 42K). In the example of FIG. 4, symbols 42D and 42K contain reference signals (denoted by the notation "RS" in FIG. 4).
If 4-symbol UL sTTI is supported, the sTTI structure illustrated in the example of FIG. 4 is adopted, according to agreements in R1-1611055.
FIG. 5 illustrates examples of UL sTTI options. The examples illustrated in FIG. 5 show a proposal for different TTI lengths, including 7-symbol sTTI (i.e., 7-OS sTTI), 4-symbol sTTI (i.e., 4-OS sTTI), and 2 symbol sTTI (i.e., 2-OS sTTI). Similar to the example of FIG. 3 described above for the DL, with the 7-OS sTTI in the UL a subframe consisting of 14 symbols (e.g., OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols numbered 0-13 in the example of FIG. 5) is divided into two sTTIs (sTTI 0 and sTTI 1) consisting of 7 symbols each. In the 7-OS sTTI example of FIG. 5, sTTI 0 includes symbols 0-6 and sTTI 1 includes symbols 7-13, where symbols 3 and 10 contain reference signals (denoted "R" in the example of FIG. 5.
Similar to the example of FIG. 4 described above for the DL, with the 4-OS sTTI in the UL a subframe consisting of 14 symbols (e.g., OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols numbered 0-13 in the example of FIG. 5) is divided into four sTTIs (sTTI 0, sTTI 1, sTTI 2, and sTTI3) consisting of 4 symbols each. In the 4-OS sTTI example of FIG. 5, sTTI 0 includes symbols 0-3, sTTI 1 includes symbols 3-6, sTTI 2 includes symbols 7-10, and sTTI 3 includes symbols 10-13. As can be seen from the 4-OS sTTI example of FIG. 5, sTTI 0 and sTTI 1 overlap (i.e., sTTI 0 and sTTI 1 both include symbol 3) and sTTI 2 and sTTI 3 overlap (i.e., sTTI 2 and sTTI 3 both include symbol 10).
The 2-OS sTTI in the UL can have one of the two options illustrated in FIG. 5. With 2-OS sTTI Option 1, a subframe consisting of 14 symbols (e.g., OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols numbered 0-13 in the example of FIG. 5) is divided into 8 sTTIs (sTTI 0, sTTI 1, sTTI 2, sTTI 3, sTTI 4, sTTI 5, sTTI 6, and sTTI 7) consisting of two symbols each. In the 2-OS Option 1 example of FIG. 5, sTTI 0 includes symbols 0-1, sTTI 1 includes symbols 2-3, sTTI 2 includes symbols 3-4, sTTI 3 includes symbols 5-6, sTTI 4 includes symbols 7-8, sTTI 5 includes symbols 9-10, sTTI 6 includes symbols 10-11, and sTTI 7 includes symbols 12-13. As can be seen from the 2-OS sTTI Option 1 example of FIG. 5, sTTI 1 and sTTI 2 overlap (i.e., sTTI 1 and sTTI 2 both include symbol 3) and sTTI 5 and sTTI 6 overlap (i.e., both include symbol 10). In the 2-OS sTTI Option 1 example of FIG. 5, symbols 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 12 contain reference signals (denoted "R" in the example of FIG. 5), such as Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS).
With 2-OS sTTI Option 2, a subframe consisting of 14 symbols (e.g., OFDM or SC-FDMA symbols numbered 0-13 in the example of FIG. 5) is divided into 6 sTTIs (sTTI 0, sTTI 1, sTTI 2, sTTI 3, sTTI 4, and sTTI 5) consisting of two or three symbols each. In the 2-OS Option 2 example of FIG. 5, sTTI 0 includes symbols 0-1, sTTI 1 includes symbols 2-3, sTTI 2 includes symbols 4-6, sTTI 3 includes symbols 7-8, sTTI 4 includes symbols 9-10, and sTTI 5 includes symbols 11-13. As can be seen from the 2-OS sTTI Option 2 example of FIG. 5, none of sTTI 0, sTTI 1, sTTI 2, sTTI 3, sTTI 4, and sTTI 5 overlap (i.e., do not share any symbols). In the 2-OS sTTI Option 2 example of FIG. 5, symbols 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, and 11 contain reference signals (denoted "R" in the example of FIG. 5), such as DMRS.
From the UL sTTI point of view, the following is observed. First, there are three different TTI lengths that are possible for UL. Out of these, different patterns are possible for 2OS TTI. Second, dynamic indication of TTI length in fast UL grant can be done. Third, dynamic indication of DMRS position in fast UL grant can also be done. Fourth, for some of the TTI patterns, shared DMRS is possible between UEs. For some UEs, this also means that they will need to send DMRS for two TTIs when the UE is scheduled across neighboring TTIs.
As stated in TS 36.101, v14.1.0, Section 6.3.4, "[t]he General ON/OFF time mask defines the observation period between Transmit OFF and ON power and between Transmit ON and OFF power. ON/OFF scenarios include; the beginning or end of DTX, measurement gap, contiguous, and non contiguous transmission. The OFF power measurement period is defined in a duration of at least one sub-frame excluding any transient periods. The ON power is defined as the mean power over one sub-frame excluding any transient period. There are no additional requirements on UE transmit power beyond that which is required in subclause 6.2.2 and subclause 188.8.131.52."
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the general ON/OFF time mask. More particularly, FIG. 6 is reproduced from 3GPP TS 36.101, v14.1.0, FIG. 126.96.36.199-1. The ON/OFF time mask of FIG. 6 is designed for 1 ms TTI in Release 8 legacy LTE systems. The duration of ramping of power (e.g., the ramping up of power during the 20 μs transient period from the end of OFF power requirement to the start of ON power or the ramping down of power during the 20 μs transient period from the end of ON power to the start of OFF power requirement) in the mask is shorter compared to the length of sub-frame or slot, but its position has an influence on system performance. In terms of ramping up/down or transient position, a few non-limiting possibilities include: ramping outside timeslot/subframe; ramping inside timeslot/subframe; and ramping partly inside and outside timeslot/subframe. Examples of these approaches to ramping up/down are illustrated in FIG. 7 described below.
FIG. 7 illustrates examples of the different possibilities for location of the power ramps. More particularly, FIG. 7 illustrates three examples 7-(A), 7-(B), and 7-(C) of ramping up and down of power in different possible locations in time in the mask. In example 7-(A), ramping up and down of power takes place outside subframe 20D. In example 7-(B), ramping up and down of power takes place inside subframe 20E. In example 7-(C), ramping up and down of power takes place partially inside and partially outside subframe 20F.
In the current specifications, the transient period for ON/OFF mask with 1 ms TTI duration is defined as 20 μs, which is quite small compared to 1 ms TTI duration. However, a shorter TTI length (as short as 2-OS sTTI compared to 14-OS (i.e., 1 ms)) may mean that the transient period can become quite significant compared to TTI duration. For example, for 2-OS TTI duration a 20 μs transient period will be roughly 1/7th of the TTI duration, which will reduce the system performance significantly.

Adapting UE on/off transient time parameter for different transmission time interval patterns


A hot swap component is provided, which includes a movable portion and a fixed portion that may be electrically connected to each other by using electrical connectors. When a circuit breaker works, a pin that is of an electrical connector and that is located on the movable portion is correspondingly connected to a base located on the fixed portion, and the fixed portion and the circuit breaker inside the movable portion are conducted. When the circuit breaker is faulty and needs to be repaired and replaced, the movable portion can be pulled out from the fixed portion, and the circuit breaker is electrically disconnected from the fixed portion. An anti-electric shock protection mechanism of the fixed portion isolates a first base inside the fixed portion, thereby implementing safe hot swap of the circuit breaker.

With the rapid development of internet technologies and application thereof, a data center has entered a stage of large-scale construction. The increasing demand for acquiring data undoubtedly poses a more severe challenge to a power supply system of the data center. When the power supply system is faulty, power supply usually needs to be interrupted to facilitate subsequent operation and maintenance. Once power supply of the power supply system is interrupted, the data center cannot provide continuous data services, and consequently, people's normal use is affected.
Specifically, at present, the power supply system usually includes a plurality of power distribution modules, and a circuit breaker is used as a loop protection device in the power distribution module. The circuit breaker is mainly configured to close and open a loop, and cut off a circuit when an abnormal case such as short circuit or severe overload occurs, thereby effectively protecting electrical devices in the loop. Currently, the circuit breaker in the power distribution module is mostly installed in a fixed manner. For safety, when a circuit breaker of a single power distribution module in the power supply system is faulty and temporary repair or replacement is required, a general circuit breaker of the system needs to be disconnected, in other words, a general power source of the power supply system is cut off. As mentioned above, once the power supply system is powered off, data service quality of the data center is severely affected, and consequently, inconvenience to people's lives is caused.

Hot swap component and circuit breaking apparatus used with circuit breaker

Huawei Digital Power Technologies Co., Ltd.


There is disclosed a device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium. A heat source is incorporated in a first roller. A heat-resistant belt member is stretched by a second roller and a stretcher and circulated therearound. The belt member is brought into contact with the first roller to form a nip portion therebetween through which the recording medium is passed. At least one of the first roller and the second roller is provided with a cylindrical core member and a rubber layer. The cylindrical core member is formed with a first portion having a first diameter, a second portion having a second diameter which is smaller than the first diameter, and a step portion continuously connecting the first portion and the second portion. The rubber layer is secured to an outer periphery of the core member so as to cover at least the first portion and a part of the step portion.

The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimile machines and, more particularly, to a fixing rubber roller and a fixing device incorporated in such image forming apparatuses.
In a fixing device, normally, at least either a heating roller and a pressure roller is an elastic member or a rubber roller. The pressure roller is pressed against the heating roller with a predetermined pressure to form a nip. A transfer material having unfixed toner image is passed between the heating roller and the pressure roller to heat and fix the toner image. In general, the rubber roller is provided by heat-curing rubber on a circumferential surface of a rigid body or metal core roller to a predetermined thickness to mold the rubber and bond it to the core roller simultaneously.
However, since the rubber roller rotates while it is pressed against an opposite roller, both end faces of the rubber roller are bulgingly deformed by the pressure, and a problem arises, after use for a long time period, in that the end faces and the rubber layer comes off the circumferential surface of the core roller at the end faces and in the vicinity of the same.
In order to solve this problem, according to Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-20745B, both longitudinal ends of a rubber layer of a rubber roller is chamfered over a predetermined length. When the rubber roller is rotated while it is pressed against a roller provided opposite thereto, the chamfered portions are not in contact with the opposite roller or subjected to a contact pressure that is very small compared to a contact pressure applied to a region of the roller located inside the chamfered portions in the longitudinal direction of the roller. This reduces a pressure acting on end face portions of the rubber layer which can bulgingly deform the layer and prevents the problem that the rubber layer comes off the circumferential surface of the rigid core roller at the end face portions and in the vicinity of the same.
However, there is a problem in that the method involves a complicated processing step for forming the rubber layer on the circumferential surface of the rigid core roller using press cure, cutting the layer into a predetermined length, and processing the layer into a chamfered shape over a predetermined length from the longitudinal ends of the layer. In addition, there is another problem in that it is costly to stay with the processing of the rubber layer that is an elastic member because the process is difficult to perform and is not preferable in processing accuracy.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 42-14119B discloses a fixing device comprising a heating roller incorporating a heat source and a pressure roller which is pressed against the heating roller to form a fixing nip portion. The pressure roller is provided by forming a rubber layer on a circumferential surface of a hollow cylindrical rigid core roller. A driving shaft is axially inserted into the core roller, so that the pressure roller is rotatable around the driving shaft. The pressure roller is provided with a one-way clutch, so that a part of the pressure roller is allowed to undergo free rotation in a predetermined direction and to rotate at the same angular velocity as that of the driving shaft in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction.
The heating roller has a rubber layer formed on a circumferential surface of a hollow cylindrical rigid core roller and is pressed against the pressure roller to form the fixing nip portion. A rotational driving force is transmitted from one end of the driving shaft of the pressure roller. In this configuration, when the driving shaft is driven, the heating roller frictionally rotates the pressure roller at the nip portion to convey a sheet material bearing an unfixed toner image. During the conveyance, in order to prevent any change in the circumferential rotation speed of the pressure roller due to the change in the thickness of the sheet material or the shape condition of the nip portion, a configuration is employed in which the pressure roller is rotated at an angular velocity that is slightly higher than the angular rotation velocity of the driving shaft in the traveling direction of the sheet material.
Tear of a sheet material and distortion of an unfixed toner image are prevented when the heating roller frictionally rotates the pressure roller at the nip portion to convey the sheet material because the pressure roller is driven at substantially the same angular velocity as that of the driving shaft in the traveling direction of the sheet material by an action of the one-way clutch in case that a slip occurs due to unstable frictional rotation due to the width of the sheet material and the surface condition of the sheet material. It can be expected that a similar feature including a one-way clutch may be provided as part of a transmission unit such as a gear wheel that is provided separately rather than inside the pressure roller. However, such a configuration will result in a high cost because it makes the device complicated and large-sized.

Fixing rubber roller, fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating the same


Provided are an information transmission method, a terminal device and a network device. The information transmission method includes that: a terminal device receives a downlink channel sent from a first network device, the downlink channel carrying downlink scheduling information and uplink scheduling information of the terminal device; and the terminal device performs, according to the downlink channel, data transmission with the first network device. By means of the information transmission method, the terminal device and the network device provided in the embodiments of the present application, overheads of a channel can be saved, thereby saving data transmission time.

In a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), User Equipment (UE) has two basic operating modes. One is an idle mode, which is usually called a standby state. The other is a connection mode, in which there is a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection between the UE and an evolved Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). When the operating mode is the idle mode, UE needs to receive or send data, and then transfers to the connection mode for establishing a high-level signaling connection to transmit data.
However, regardless of whether a terminal device performs uplink data transmission or downlink data transmission, a downlink channel needs to be sent through an access network for scheduling, so overheads of a channel are relatively large.

Information transmission method, terminal device and network device

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


An exterior rearview mirror assembly security system for a vehicle includes an exterior mirror assembly with a security light assembly which projects a pattern of light from the exterior mirror assembly on a ground area adjacent a door of the vehicle in order to create a lighted security zone in the area. The security system further includes a control, which is responsive to approach by a person to the vehicle and actuates the security light assembly to generate the pattern of light from the exterior mirror assembly in order to provide the lighted security zone adjacent the side of the vehicle equipped with the exterior rearview mirror assembly.

This invention relates generally to security systems for vehicles and, more particularly, to remotely actuated, personal safety lighting systems. The invention is particularly adapted to incorporation in the exterior mirrors of a vehicle.
Personal security in and around vehicles has become an important concern. In particular, an increasing number of assaults and robberies are committed in parking lots while occupants are entering and exiting vehicles. While remote-operated, keyless entry systems have been incorporated in vehicles in order to unlock the vehicle and illuminate interior lights, such systems merely expedite entry to the vehicle and do not, per se, enhance security around the vehicle. Accordingly, a need exists for a vehicle security system to increase the security for vehicle occupants while entering and exiting the vehicle. Any such system would need to be aesthetically pleasing and not burdensome in use.
In order to include a security light system in a vehicle exterior mirror assembly, the security light must be rugged and resistant to environmental conditions such as water splash from road surfaces, rain and other precipitation as well as car washes. The assembly desirably must additionally be of relatively low cost and easy to manufacture in order to be acceptable to vehicle manufacturers. In addition, the security light desirably must be capable of matching a multiplicity of mirror housing designs. Moreover, the security light desirably is compact so as to fit into the interior cavity of conventional exterior mirror housings. For styling and aerodynamic reasons, exterior mirror housings are of determined and restricted size, shape, design, and interior volume. Moreover, the interior volume is already typically relatively cramped as it must accommodate not only the mirror reflector element itself and its movement, but also usually a manual or electric actuator that allows adjustment of the rearward field of view of the reflector remotely by the driver from the interior cabin of the vehicle. Also, since it is commercially desirable for a manufacturer of a security light to supply to a multitude of exterior mirror manufacturers, for their incorporation into their own particular exterior mirror assembly construction, it is desirable that the light be of a module type that is compact; that is weatherproofed; that is attachable and receivable by a wide variety of exterior mirror assembly designs; that is readily, standardly, and conveniently connectable to the vehicle electrical service and wiring already commonly found in conventional exterior mirror assemblies; and that is economic both for manufacture by the light module manufacturer and for the manufacturer of the complete exterior mirror assembly who will incorporate the light module into a mirror housing.
Importantly, the security light must be easy to service. The vehicle repair technician must be provided with easy access to the light source in order to replace the light source during the useful life of the vehicle. Furthermore, the light source should be replaceable without removing and subsequently replacing numerous fasteners. Such fasteners are not only time-consuming to remove and replace, but are subject to getting lost as well as damaged.
Additionally, it would be desirable to provide a security light system having a light module designed which could be universally adaptable to the exterior mirrors on both sides of the vehicle. The task is complicated because the light pattern illuminating the ground, such as adjacent the front and rear doors, on one side of the vehicle is generally desirably a mirror image of the ground illumination light pattern on the other side of the vehicle. Both light patterns extend outwardly from the respective side of the vehicle to a lateral outer boundary, but in opposite directions. However, the use of a light module that can produce the desired ground illumination light pattern in the respective driver""s side and passenger""s side is further complicated because the angle defined by the exterior mirror assembly case housing that contains the respective light module with respect to the center line on the vehicle is not necessarily the same for the driver""s side mirror assembly as the passenger side mirror assembly. The mounting angle xcfx86 between the casing face of the passenger side outside mirror assembly and the vehicle center line is often smaller than the mounting angle xcex8 between the casing face of the driver side assembly and the vehicle center line. Typically, xcex8, which is the drivers side angle, is between approximately 70xc2x0 and 90xc2x0. Typically xcfx86, which is the passenger side angle is between 5xc2x0 and 15xc2x0 less than the corresponding angle xcex8 on the same vehicle. Thus, a light module mounted identically into two otherwise identical mirror case housings can irradiate different areas on the left and right hand side of the vehicle when these housings are mounted on the vehicle simply because angles xcex8 and xcfx86 differ on the vehicle.
It would also be desirable to provide a light module design which could be universally adaptable in many vehicles designed by different manufacturers. This task is complicated by the wide range of designs of exterior mirrors in various vehicles. It is an onerous task to provide a light module which can be incorporated into virtually any exterior mirror design because extra space in such mirrors is often very limited.
The security light system should be compact and replaceable so that it can either be serviced or simply replaced. For a disposable light module, the cost of manufacture must be sufficiently low enough to warrant the light module to be removed and replaced in its entirety. Most or all of the above requirements must be met in order to have a commercially viable vehicle exterior mirror assembly security system suitable for use on a vehicle, such as an automobile. Indeed, the Applicants do not know of any successful commercial incorporation of a light module into an exterior mirror assembly on an automobile and believe that their inventions are the first commercially successful applications of a light module suitable for use in the exterior mirror assembly on an automobile.
The present invention is intended to provide a personal safety feature for a vehicle in the form of a light adapted to projecting light generally downwardly on an area adjacent a portion of the vehicle in order to create a lighted security zone in the area. Advantageously, the light, that preferably provides a security function, is provided as a module that is suitable for use in the exterior mirror housing designs of various vehicles. The light module is capable of low cost, easy manufacture. Furthermore, the module is compact and is substantially moisture impervious in order to resist environmental forces.
The security system is adapted to projecting a pattern of light from the exterior mirror housing on an area adjacent a portion of the vehicle that extends laterally onto the vehicle and downwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle. In this manner, a security zone is established in the vicinity of the vehicle doors where occupants enter and exit the vehicle.
According to an aspect of the invention, a mirror assembly security system includes an exterior mirror assembly having a reflective element and a casing for the reflective element. The casing includes means defining a mounting surface and a cooperative member associated with the mounting surface. The security system further includes a light module positioned in the mirror assembly for projecting light from the mirror assembly on an area in order to create a lighted security zone in that area. The light module according to this aspect of the invention includes an enclosure, a light-transmitting opening in the enclosure, a light source supported in the enclosure for radiating light through the light-transmitting opening and a cover for the light-transmitting opening. The light module further includes a positioning member mating with the cooperating member of the mirror assembly in order to orient the enclosure at a given orientation with respect to the mounting surface.
In this manner, the same light module design may be utilized on both sides of the vehicle not withstanding that the light modules generate light patterns which are different on different sides of the vehicle. The light modules can be oriented in order to orient the light pattern in a manner which is appropriate for the respective side of the vehicle.
According to another aspect of the invention, a light module for positioning in an opening in an exterior mirror assembly of a vehicle includes a housing, a pair of electrical contacts disposed on an inner surface of a housing wall, a light-transmitting opening in the housing and a cover extending over the light-transmitting opening. A light source is supported by the contacts in a manner which radiates light towards the light-transmitting opening. The housing wall and portions of the contacts on the housing wall are flexible and are adapted to deflect prior to installation of the cover. This permits insertion of the light source between the housing walls. The cover adds rigidity to the housing wall when it is installed on the vehicle so that the light source is rigidly supported in the enclosure between the contacts when the cover is installed. This aspect of the invention comprehends the provision of a light module which will be replaceable in its entirety wherein, once inserted in the housing, the light source will not be individually replaced. However, the light source is easily inserted in the housing and, when the housing assembly is complete, is securely retained in the supporting electrical contacts.
According to another aspect of the invention, a security light module for an exterior mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a housing defining a compartment. The housing has a unitary body including a side wall and a light emitting opening in communication with the compartment. The compartment defines a central axis and a light source is provided having an elongated radiating surface which is mounted in the compartment symmetrically with respect to the central axis. A reflective surface is provided which at least partially straddles the light source. A cover seals the compartment and is adapted to transmit light from the light source. The reflective surface and/or the cover individually or in combination direct light from the light source in a direction generally downwardly and rearwardly of the vehicle and outwardly from the respective sides of the vehicle. In this manner, the light module does not need to be oriented in the exterior mirror housing with the compartment directed in the general direction in which the light pattern is directed. This provides a more compact light module which may be oriented in the exterior mirror housing in a manner required in order to direct the light pattern in a desired manner which is contemplated to be different depending upon the side of the vehicle on which the light module is mounted.
By providing a lighted security zone adjacent the vehicle, users can observe suspicious activity around the vehicle. The pattern of light generated by a security light according to the invention establishes a security zone around, and even under, the vehicle in the important area where the users enter and exit the vehicle. The invention, further, conveniently combines a signal light that acts in unison with the vehicle""s turn signal, brake light, or both, with the security light, or as a stand-alone accessory, in an exterior mirror assembly. The signal light may be designed to be observed by other vehicles passing the equipped vehicle but not directly by the driver of the equipped vehicle.

Exterior rearview mirror assembly security system for a vehicle


A clock synthesis circuit includes a delta sigma modulator that receives a divide ratio and generates an integer portion and a digital quantization error (a fractional portion). A fractional-N divider divides a received signal according to a divide control value corresponding to the integer portion and generates a divided signal. A phase interpolator adjusts a phase of the divided signal according to the digital quantization error to thereby reduce noise associated with the fractional-N divider.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to generating clock signals for electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Clock synthesizers generate clock signals utilized by a wide variety of electronic products. A typical synthesizer utilizes a phase-locked loop (PLL) supplied with a reference signal from a source such as a crystal oscillator. The output frequency of the signal supplied by the synthesizer can be determined by a divider value of the feedback divider in the PLL. Thus, a reference frequency supplied to the PLL is "multiplied" based on the divider value to generate the synthesized clock frequency.
Several types of divider circuits have been utilized in PLLs. One kind of divider is the integer-N divider in which the input signal is divided by an integer number. For example, FIG. 1A illustrates the timing diagram of several integer divides including a divide by two, a divide by three and a divide by four. The signal being divided is CLKin. Note that no jitter is introduced in the frequency division process, other than noise from circuit non-idealities. FIG. 1B illustrates the simple integer divide by 2 provided by a D flip-flop (DFF) 101.
Another type of PLL architecture uses a fractional-N divider. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate fractional-N frequency division. Fractional-N frequency division changes the integer divide value to match the desired ratio. Thus, a stream of integers is supplied that approximate the desired ratio. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a timing diagram of a divide by 2.25. The input clock (CLKin) is shown as waveform 201 having a period of one unit interval (UI). The output of the fractional-N divider is shown in waveform 203. As shown in waveform 203, the divide by 2.25 is achieved by a sequence of divide by 2 for three periods and a divide by 3 for one period, assuming a first order delta sigma modulator is used to control the fractional-N divider. Waveform 205 illustrates the ideal waveform for a divide by 2.25. The quantization noise of the modulator, at the output of the fractional-N divider is shown as the difference at 207, 209, and 211, between the actual output of the fractional-N divider shown in waveform 203 and the ideal output for a divide by 2.25 shown in waveform 205.
FIG. 3 illustrates a PLL 300 with a fractional-N feedback divider 303. Delta-sigma modulator 301 supplies a divide sequence to the fractional-N feedback divider 303. The fractional-N divider 303 receives a divide value sequence corresponding to a desired divider value. The fractional-N divider 303 supplies the divided signal to phase detector 305 with noise associated with the nature of the fractional-N divider. In fractional-N synthesis, the fractional-N noise may be filtered out by the PLL loop. In addition, phase error correction may be utilized to address the jitter introduced by the divider by introducing an offset into the PLL corresponding to the jitter generated by the fractional-N divider.
However, the clock synthesizers described above may have limited frequency coverage (integer dividers) and/or require a complex loop filter and complex VCO control that increase the cost in design effort and chip area, resulting in more expensive products that may be too expensive in cost or real estate for significant portions of the clock synthesizer market.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a low-cost, flexible, clock synthesizer solution.


A new method of metal deposition with reduced metal residue after metal etching by cooling the wafer before metal deposition is described. A first patterned conducting layer is provided overlying a dielectric layer on the surface of a semiconductor substrate. The wafer is cooled to a temperature of less than about 20.degree. C. Thereafter, a metal layer is deposited overlying the first patterned conducting layer. The metal layer is etched away where it is not covered by a mask to complete formation of the metal line. Cooling of the wafer before metal deposition decreases the metal residue found after metal etching.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of metallization in the fabrication of integrated circuits, and more particularly, to a method of metallization in which metal residue is decreased after metal etching in the manufacture of integrated circuits.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture of integrated circuit devices, multiple layers of metallization are often utilized.
FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a partially completed integrated circuit device. Semiconductor device structures such as gate electrodes, not shown, may be formed in and on a semiconductor substrate 10. An insulating layer 12 is deposited over the device structures and planarized. A first metallization is performed to form metal lines 14. An intermetal dielectric layer 16 is deposited over the metal lines and filling the gaps between the lines as is conventional in the art. A second level of metallization is now to be formed.
Typically, a first barrier layer of titanium 18 is deposited over the intermetal dielectric 16. Then the metal layer 20 is deposited over the titanium layer. This metal layer 20 is typically an aluminum alloy such as AlSiCu. A capping titanium nitride layer 22 is then formed.
The metal layers 22, 20, and 18 are then etched to leave the desired metal line 24, shown in FIG. 2. However, after etching, metal residue 28 has been found on the surface of the intermetal dielectric layer 16, as shown in FIG. 2. These metal residues may cause shorting of the device. It is possible that the metal residue may be left because of silicon precipitates 26, shown in FIG. 1. It may be that these silicon precipitates are not etched away when the metal layers are etched, but themselves act as a mask so that metal residues 28 are left. These metal residues may comprise titanium from the titanium layer 18 or they may comprise aluminum or an aluminum alloy. It has been discovered that the transfer system in the metal deposition chamber can effect residue.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,828 to Lin et al teaches a method of forming an aluminum contact in which a first titanium layer is deposited at 0 to 375.degree. C., then an aluminum layer is deposited at 0 to 300.degree. C. Without breaking vacuum, another layer of aluminum is deposited at 400 to 550.degree. C. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,050 to Green et al teaches a surface treatment at a temperature of less than 100.degree. C. to produce a surface layer comprising hydroxl groups before deposition of aluminum.

Add one process step to control the SI distribution of Alsicu to improved metal residue process window

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


The present invention provides novel microfluidic devices and methods for preventing/ameliorating formation of precipitate blockages in microfluidic devices. In particular the devices and methods of the invention utilize microchannels of specific cross-sectional configuration and of specific arrangement as well as application of AC current orthogonal to the direction of fluid flow, in order to preventing/ameliorating formation of precipitate blockages in microfluidic devices.

When carrying out chemical or biochemical analyses, assays, syntheses or preparations, a large number of separate manipulations are performed on the material(s) or component(s) to be assayed, including measuring, aliquotting, transferring, diluting, mixing, separating, detecting, incubating, etc. Microfluidic technology miniaturizes these manipulations and integrates them so that they can be executed within one or a few microfluidic devices. For example, pioneering microfluidic methods of performing biological assays in microfluidic systems have been developed, such as those described by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,942,443 and 6,235,471.
Of particular concern in numerous applications utilizing microfluidic devices is the dilution or mixing of, e.g., samples, reagents, analytes, etc. often within the small-scale microchannels comprising the device. Additionally, in many experimental/assay situations it is desirous to store biological or other molecules in storage solutions such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). However, because storage solutions, such as DMSO, can adversely affect certain types of assays, etc. and/or in order to present the molecule(s) in the storage solution (e.g., DMSO) in the correct concentration, such solution is typically diluted with other fluidic materials. Unfortunately, sudden diluting of some storage solutions (e.g., DMSO) can cause precipitates to come out of solution and possibly create a precipitate blockage of a microchannel or other microelement in the microfluidic device. Additionally, unwanted precipitate blockages can also arise through, e.g., precipitation of salts, proteins, etc. due to, e.g., changes in reaction conditions (such as temperature, concentration, pH, etc.) in the microfluidic elements. Because of the possibly extremely small scale diameters of the microfluidic elements in microfluidic devices, even small amounts of precipitate can achieve either total or partial blockage of microfluidic elements. Of course, such blockages can adversely impact flow through the microfluidic elements and thus adversely impact the assays, etc. being carried out in the microfluidic device. Furthermore, partial and/or complete blockages can, in some applications, adversely effect sample plug shape (e.g., width) etc. This is especially true in high throughput systems where even small interferences can severely decrease throughput efficiency.
A welcome addition to the art would be the ability to prevent or decrease the formation of blockages in microfluidic elements due to precipitation (especially due to that of DMSO). The current invention describes and provides these and other features by providing new methods, microchannels, and microfluidic devices that meet these and other goals.

Prevention of precipitate blockage in microfluidic channels


A fast organic field effect transistor (100), which operates at low voltages, is achieved by the introduction of an oligomeric or polymeric electrolyte (131) between the gate electrode (141) and the organic semiconductor layer (121), which electrolyte (131) has a dissociation constant of at least 10−8. Said organic semiconductor layer (121) is in contact with the source electrode (111) and the drain electrode (112) of the transistor. In operation a potential (152) applied to said gate electrode (141) controls the current A between said source electrode (111) and said drain electrode (112).

There are two main categories of organic transistors: electrochemical transistors (ECT) and field-effect transistors (FET).
Typically, in an ECT the transistor channel is formed of an electrochemically active layer, and the conductivity of the transistor channel is altered by changing its electrochemical redox state (electrochemical doping). In other words, one oxidation state of the channel corresponds to low channel conductivity (the transistor is OFF), while the other oxidation state corresponds to high channel conductivity (the transistor is ON). The transistor channel is normally defined by the bulk of the electrochemical active layer located between the source and drain electrodes, which is in ionic contact with an electrolyte layer. The active section in the channel is defined by the thickness of the electrochemically active layer. In order to switch the electrochemically active layer between the two oxidation states, ions need to migrate between the electrolyte layer and the bulk of the electrochemically active layer. This migration is controlled by a voltage applied to the gate electrode. Hence, there is a transport of active ions, i.e. ions which participate in the electrochemical reaction of the switch channel, between the electrolyte and the bulk of the electrochemical active layer. A more detailed description can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,806,511.
Traditional OFETs have an organic semiconductor film (the channel) that is separated from an electrode (the gate) by a thin film insulator, made of e.g. silicon oxide, metal oxide etc. This gate-insulator-organic semiconductor sandwich is analogous to a capacitor that causes field-effect current modulation in the channel (between said source and drain electrodes which contact the semiconductor film). Hence the current between the source and drain electrodes can be adjusted, by tuning the voltage applied to the gate electrode.
Organic Field-Effect Transistors (OFET) along with other "plastic" electronic devices are a platform for printed, flexible and fully-integrated electronics. Ideally, these systems should be fast, operate at low voltage, and be robust enough to be manufactured using standard printing techniques.
Tremendous effort has been devoted to reach high capacity (per unit area) Ci between the gate and the channel to allow transistors to operate at low voltage. Various kinds of inorganic and organic high-permittivity insulators have been explored. Alternatively, molecular assembly and self-organisation techniques have been utilised to manufacture gate dielectric layers only a few nanometers thick. These latter approaches sacrifice ease-of-manufacturing for low-voltage operation.

Transistor with large ion-complexes in electrolyte layer


A turning chamber is composed of upper and lower guides disposed vertically with a gap in between. An inputting device is provided in the upper position of the opening of the turning chamber while a discharging device is disposed in the lower portion of the opening of the turning chamber. The lower guide is inclined forming a down slope toward the discharging device. A fan is provided for sending air across the underside of the sheet as it is being inputted into the turning chamber. A duct is attached to the fan and is disposed between the inputting device and discharging device with the blower port thereof directed to the lower guide. The sheet inputted through the inputting device falls due to gravity whilst air is blown across the underside of the sheet so that the sheet can be accommodated into the turning chamber.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet inverting device for use in copiers and printers with an automatic duplex printing function, and in particular to a device for inverting the face of the sheet with one side printed.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
As an example of a sheet inverting device used in conventional copiers with an automatic duplex printing function, a configuration shown in FIG. 1 was disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Sho 61 No.23,146. In this figure, a first roller or driving roller 1 is pressed against second and third rollers 2 and 3. A pair of shoot guides 4 and 5 oriented upwards are provided above the nip (B) between first and second rollers 1 and 2 and the nip (C) between first and third rollers 1 and 3, respectively. In this geometry, a sheet A is fed through the nip (B) into the pocket formed between the pair of shoot guides 4 and 5 to be held therebetween. Then, the rear end of sheet A is moved along the peripheral surface of first roller 1 so that it is caught at the nip (C) and delivered out through the nip, thus inverting sheet A.
There is another configuration as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, first, second and third rollers 1, 2 and 3 are arranged in a vertical configuration. A pair of shoot guides 4 and 5 are disposed horizontally, and a stopper 6 is provided at a position corresponding to the size of sheet A. In this geometry, sheet A is fed through the nip (B) into the pocket formed between the pair of shoot guides 4 and 5 to be held therebetween. Then, the rear end of sheet A is moved along the peripheral surface of first roller 1 so that it is caught at the nip (C) and delivered out through the nip, thus inverting sheet A.
The copy rate of a copier (the number of copies produced per min) is determined by the sheet feed speed and the sheet interval. If the sheet feed speed cannot be increased due to process requirements, the only thing which can be done for enhancing the copy rate is to shorten the sheet interval. In the case where the sheet interval is reduced, whilst one sheet is sent out from the sheet inverting device, the next sheet is fed into the sheet inverting device. As a result, two sheets pass each other inside the sheet inverting device. In such a case, the apparatus suffered from a problem in that the second sheet may touch the first sheet to be inverted and tends to roll up it causing paper jam.
Conventional apparatuses further suffered from a problem in that when a large sized sheet or a thin type sheet is conveyed into the shoot, the sheet tends to be attracted to the interior wall of the shoot due to electrostatic force, etc., thus the conveyance of the sheet is prevented causing paper jamming.


A protector includes a projector body which has an image display unit which displays an image, a member to be projected onto which an image emitted from the image display unit is to be projected, and a connecting part capable of holding the member to be projected and the projector body at a predetermined distance therebetween and capable of accommodating the member to be projected within the projector body. The member to be projected can be unfolded in an in-plane direction.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a compact, lightweight, and bright projector into which a screen is integrated is proposed (for example, refer to JP-A-5-40301 (Patent Document 1). An image information enlarging display device described in Patent Document 1 is composed of a body-side container which accommodates an image information enlarging display unit having a projection unit, and a lid having a transmissive screen. This configuration allows an image projected from the projection unit to be enlarged and displayed onto the transmissive screen.
However, in the image information enlarging display device described in Patent Document 1, since the screen is provided on the side of the lid, the size of the screen will be determined depending on the size of a projector body. Thus, if the projector body is made compact, the size of the screen will also become small. Therefore, there is a problem in that a need to view an image on a large screen cannot be met.


A method and system for allocating bandwidth in an optical communication system. During a set-up phase, a set-up message including requesting a connection is generated and includes a requested priority and requested bandwidth. When a switch receives the set-up message, the switch determines whether the available priority bandwidth for the requested priority exceeds the requested bandwidth. If the available priority bandwidth for the requested priority exceeds the requested bandwidth, the switch creates a provisional connectional which is committed to an actual connection in a subsequent connect phase. If the available priority bandwidth for the requested priority does not exceed the requested bandwidth, then the switch rejects the connection to provide a fast release.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a method and system for allocating bandwidth in a communication network.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication networks use a variety of network elements to route signals from an originating point to a terminating point. One common network element is a switch, such as a COREDIRECTOR™ switch available from CIENA Corporation, that directs signals from one link (e.g., an optical fiber) to another. FIG. 1 depicts a portion of an exemplary optical communication network including terminals 10 and 12 optically communicating through switches A–D. Typically, switches have a plurality of inputs and a corresponding plurality of outputs. When a connection is requested from terminal 10 to terminal 12, switches A–D establish the connection.
Each switch A–D includes ingress ports and egress ports. The signal transmitted on the optical communication network is often time-division mutliplexed (TDM). Thus, there must be coordination between switches so that the signal is allocated to defined time slots. For example, for a signal to be transmitted from an egress port on switch A to an ingress port on switch B, switches A and B need to have the same time slot(s) available for this signal. Existing switches have the ability to change time slots within the switch, but between switches, the egress time slot and ingress time slot must match.
The process of establishing a connection from terminal 10 to terminal 12 is conventionally performed in two phases, namely a set-up phase and a connect phase. During set-up phase, the switches A–D make a rough determination of bandwidth availability based on congestion on the network. During the connect phase, the switches allocate time slots, create cross connects, and program the logical switch.
For example, assume a request for a connection is generated at terminal 10. During the set-up phase, switch A generates a set-up message flows from switch A to switch D. Each switch A–D checks for available bandwidth and issues a release message if the bandwidth is not available. No actual bandwidth allocation is performed during the set-up phase nor is there a determination of whether a pair of ports connected by a link has the same set of available time slots. The purpose of the set-up message is to make a rough determination of whether or not this connection can be admitted under the current network conditions.
If the set-up message is processed by all switches without a release message being generated, the connect phase is initiated and a connect message is sent from switch D to switch A. In the connect phase, each switch checks for the availability of matching time slots on a pair of ports connected by a link. As an example, switch D computes a set of available time slots at an ingress port and forwards these time slots to an egress port on switch C. Switch C, upon receiving these time slots, checks if these are available on the egress port. If this check succeeds, then the connect message is forwarded to an ingress port of switch C. If the ingress port of switch C has a set of available time slots (not necessarily the same time slots reserved at the egress port), switch C forwards these time slots to an egress port on switch B. Switch C also creates a cross connection (e.g., from egress port to ingress port), programs the logical switch, and saves this information. The connect phase continues until either a switch lacks available time slots, at which time the connection is not established, or the connection is established at all switches.
The existing process of establishing a connection suffers some drawbacks. One drawback is the possibility of creating a livelock situation if two switches are each trying to create connections on the same link. Consider, for example, the case when switch A and switch D are both trying to set up connections, one from switch A to switch D and another from switch D to switch A. Assume a first connect message from switch A reaches switch B at the same time as the second connect message from switch D reaches switch C. Switches B and C will attempt to reserve overlapping sets of time slots at which point both switches B and C receive release messages from one another. At this point, switch A and switch D are notified that the connection was not established and both switch A and switch D may again request a connection. This situation may repeat a number of times, resulting in a livelock situation. The livelock situation prevents establishment of connections and results in network signals being dropped.
Another drawback to the existing set-up and connect process is the creation of one-sided or orphan connections. A one-sided connection refers to a connection having only one endpoint. Referring to a connect message from switch D to switch A, if switch C proposes a set of time slots to switch B and some of these time slots are being occupied by a one-sided connection on switch B, then a livelock situation may arise where the connection request is repeatedly denied.
Another drawback to the existing set-up and connect process is the length of delay in releasing a connection request. Consider a situation where switch A has requested several connections involving the same link but the available capacity on the link allows at most one connection. During the set-up phase, all the requested connections will be admitted because there is no confirmation of bandwidth or of available time slots during the set-up phase. In the connect phase, however, all but one of the requested connections will be denied due to the bandwidth limit. It is preferable to deny requested connections promptly to limit delay in establishing the connection. Similarly, it is preferable to establish a connection as early as possible. The existing set-up and connect process does not expedite denying or establishing connections.

Method, system and storage medium for allocating bandwidth in a communication network


A method and program product supporting adjusting a temperature of a hard disk drive (HDD) during testing. An HDD test program is performed within a pre-determined optimal test temperature range. The HDD is kept within this pre-determined test temperature range by switching HDD operation modes back and forth between a higher heat generating Rapid Seek Mode and a lower heat generating IDLE mode. The HDD is thus kept within the optimal test temperature range without the use of external heating and/or cooling devices.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to storage systems, and in particular disk drives. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method for controlling the temperature of a disk drive during testing using the disk drive's own hardware and sensors.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hard disk drive (HDD) is a digital data storage device that writes and reads data via magnetization changes of a magnetic storage disk along concentric tracks. The HDD is tested before being shipped to the customer. In addition, the customer often tests the HDD on a periodic basis after the HDD is operational. The HDD can be tested either for on/off failures or for gradual performance degradation.
On/off failures are failures in which an item fails, such as a cable breaks, a disk does not spin, a read/write head does not function at all, etc. Such failures are easy to identify and locate, but may require putting the HDD in an artificial condition, such as temperature extremes, high vibration, etc., that makes such an on/off failure more likely. Such conditions can cause undetected damage to the HDD, and thus on/off failure analysis has inherent limitation.
Gradual performance degradation occurs before an on/off failure. While such performance degradation may be caused by the same conditions that cause an on/off failure, evaluation of gradual performance degradation is typically performed under conditions much less severe than those that may cause an on/off failure.
Data produced by gradual performance degradation is used to conduct a predictive failure analysis. The gradual performance degradation data can be extrapolated or otherwise manipulated/evaluated to predict an ultimate on/off failure, or else an unacceptable performance degradation. This type of data extrapolation is referred to as Predictive Failure Analysis (PFA). PFA evaluates performance using either a "symptom driven" process or a "measurement driven" process.
The symptom driven process evaluates error logs. That is, when a failure in disk rotation speed, data read/writes, noise reduction, etc. occurs, an error log is generated, allowing the tester to identify the cause of the problem. Such a process is similar to an on/off failure analysis, except that the HDD has not entirely failed; rather only a partial function of the HDD has failed.
The measurement driven process detects Generalized Error Measurements (GEM), which detects changes in performance, although not necessarily functional errors. That is, a GEM may detect an increase in the distance between a read/write head and a disk surface, or an increase in noise in a digital signal read by the read/write head, but such increases do not cause a failure of the entire HDD or an HDD component, and thus are not considered "errors." Nonetheless, such GEMs are good indicators of potential problems, especially if the conditions causing the GEMs are allowed to persist or increase. For example, if the distance between the read/write head and disk surface (known as the "flying height" of the head) increases beyond an expected tolerance as the operating temperature of the disk surface increases, then a failure can be predicted if the temperature continues to rise beyond the normal operating temperature or remains at the normal operating temperature for an extended period of time.
Test condition parameters, including temperature, required during the detection of GEMs are established by a test engineer. For example, the test engineer may write a test program that measures flying height when the disk drive is operating at 30° C.±4°. In order to keep the HDD at or near this range of temperatures, various methods are used in the prior art. Most such methods include test bench heating or cooling devices, which force regulated hot or cold air across or into the HDD until the desired test temperature condition is reached. Such heaters/coolers require additional test bench footprint space, electrical outlets, feedback controls, and cost.
In addition, an operations computer may test its HDD periodically. Such testing also requires the temperature of the HDD to be within pre-determined levels during testing, typically, using the HDD's on-board cooling system (fan). However, such fans can only cool, not warm up the HDD.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for regulating the temperature of an HDD, which is being tested, without the need for and use of additional hardware.

Drive temperature self-adjustment for temperature-sensitive measurements

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


An erosion resistant coating for a substrate includes two or more coating layers affixed to the substrate having an increasing modulus of elasticity and hardness from an innermost layer of the coating adjacent to the substrate to an outermost layer of the coating furthest from the substrate. A method of applying a coating system to a substrate includes applying a first layer of a high hardness and high modulus of elasticity material combined with an added metal to the substrate. A second layer of the high hardness and high modulus of elasticity material combined with the added metal is applied to the first layer, resulting in a coating system wherein the second layer has a modulus of elasticity and hardness greater than the modulus of elasticity and hardness of the first layer.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to erosion resistant coatings, particularly those utilized on helicopter rotor blades, propeller blades, fan blades, wind turbine blades, or any other part subjected to FOD (foreign object damage), particulate, and/or rain erosion damage.
When operating in a harsh environment, for example, a desert, blades of rotating components are subjected to severe erosion-inducing conditions. For example, sand, foreign objects or particulates impacting the leading edges of the blades can lead to excessive wear and cause the need to repair and/or replace blades at a high rate resulting in a high logistics and maintenance impact for the user. In some environments, rain can also be a significant erosion concern resulting in significant material loss due to repeated impact stressing.
The art would well-receive an improved erosion resistance coating to reduce wear on components thereby reducing logistics and maintenance costs for the user.

Multilayered coating for improved erosion resistance