This invention pertains to a process of making ASTM quality masonry cement, mortar cement, and stucco cement (also called plastic cement) and to the products themselves which are useful in making ASTM quality mortar for masonry construction or ASTM quality stucco for plastering construction. These cements are classified as hydraulic cements and are made using selected pozzolan(s), such as natural pozzolan and fly ashes, Portland Cement, hydrated lime, and an air-entraining agent. Other additives, such as fibers, may be added to further modify its properties. The pozzolans act as functional ingredients in the mix rather than as a filler. As a result, concentrations of greater than 25 wt. % and more pozzolan can be produced.

Historically, mortar and stucco was made by mixing lime putty with sand and water on a job site. The lime putty typically was made at the job-site from quick lime and water, but prior to use, it had to be aged for several months in an earthen pit. Additives were added to the mortar or stucco to change its behavior and permanence. These additives included pozzolans, blood, animal fiber, vegetable fiber, cactus juices, and clay, to name some of the more common ones. This method was conventional up to the late 19th century.
These mortars and stuccos had only a compressive strength of about fifty to a few hundred pounds per square inch after 28 days, but they continued to gain strength for many months. They also tended to remain flexible and maintained good bond (as related to the compressive strength) and maintained excellent extent of bond. As a result, water penetration through walls at the brick/mortar interface was slight. Further, excess hydrated lime in the system led to autogenous healing in the event a crack occurred at the brick/mortar interface. Disadvantageously, this mortar and stucco took an extended time to cure. As such, only a few rows of brick could be laid per day, and a brown coat could not be added to the scratch coat on a stucco application for a week or more.
With the advent of Portland Cement in the later part of the 19th century, small amounts were added to the mortars and stuccos to reduce the time of set. With time, larger amounts of Portland Cement were added to further reduce the time of set. A positive effect of the added cement was increased early compressive strength. This higher compressive strength was equated with higher quality. However, higher compressive strengths generally correspond to less flexibility of the mortar and, thus, a more brittle characteristic. As such, in areas with high wind, or other loads, this may not be a desirable characteristic. Regardless, these mortars and stuccos tended to maintain good bond and maintain excellent extent of bond. Also, autogenous healing occurred in these cement/lime mortars such that water penetration through walls at the brick/mortar interface was slight.
Improvement to the 19th century technology occurred in the early 1930's when finely divided hydrated lime became available in bags. This resulted in the lime not having to be slurried and aged on the job-site, or if it was, the time of aging was reduced to a matter of days.
As a convenience to the tradesmen using a mortar, masonry cement was developed and was marketed in the 1930's. The masonry cement of the 1930's typically consisted of cement clinker and limestone ground together with vinsol resin as an air-entraining agent and as a grinding aid. This product allowed the tradesman to mix the masonry cement, sand, and water to obtain a mortar. This eliminated the need to produce lime putty on the job site and reduced the potential for errors in mixing hydrated lime and Portland Cement. The proportions of the cement clinker and the limestone would be adjusted to produce an acceptable compressive strength To make the mortars workable, as much as 22% air was entrained into the mortars. The amount of entrained air was regulated by the amount of vinsol resin added to the mix before milling
Unfortunately, the limestone and entrained air did not provide bond. Therefore, the bond strength of mortars and stuccos made with this masonry cement usually was not very good. Also, there was little or no unreacted hydrated lime in the system, and since the Portland Cement in the system was usually fully hydrated, autogenous healing did not occur. The cement, which provided a non-flexible binder, further aggravated the problem. With movements of the wall, the extent of bond could gradually be decreased. Accordingly, numbers of individuals and companies have developed improvements to masonry cement and mortar, as well as to stucco and other hydraulic cements over the years.
Definitions that are used commonly in the industry and as will be used throughout the instant specification and claims are as follows:
Where "ASTM" prefaces a paragraph, the definition in that paragraph was taken directly from an ASTM standard.
Air Content (of Freshly Mixed Mortar)
ASTM The volume of air (or other gas) voids in freshly mixed cement mortar usually expressed as a percentage of total volume of the mortar.
Air Entraining Agent
A chemical that is blended with a cement to increase the amount of entrained air in the mortar or concrete mix. Vinsol resin and various sulfonates are commonly used.
Cement, Hydraulic
ASTM A cement that sets and hardens by chemical interaction with water and is capable of doing so under water.
Portland cement is a hydraulic cement.
Cement, Hydraulic, Blended
A hydraulic cement that is produced by blending two or more components and meets either ASTM C-595 or ASTM C-1157. Type IP cement is made by blending a pozzolan with a Portland cement
Cement, Masonry
ASTM A hydraulic cement for use in mortar for masonry and plastering construction, containing one or more of the following materials: Portland cement, Portland blast furnace slag cement, Portland-pozzolan cement, natural cement, slag cement, or hydraulic lime; and in addition usually containing one or more materials such as hydrated lime, limestone, chalk, calcareous shell, talc, slag, or clay as prepared for this purpose.
Cement Mortar
A mixture of cement, sand, and water, and possibly other ingredients, into a paste like consistency.
Cement, Mortar
ASTM A hydraulic cement, primarily used in masonry construction, consisting of a mixture of Portland blended hydraulic cement and plasticizing materials (such as limestone or hydrated or hydraulic lime), together with other materials introduced to enhance one or more properties such as setting time, workability, water retention, and durability.
Cement, Plastic
ASTM A hydraulic cement, primarily used in Portland cement-based plastering construction, consisting of a mixture of Portland or blended hydraulic cement and plasticizing materials (such as limestone or hydrated or hydraulic lime) together with other materials introduced to enhance one or more properties such as setting time, workability, water retention, and durability.
Cement, Portland
ASTM A hydraulic cement produced by pulverizing Portland-cement clinker, and usually containing calcium sulfite.
A cement that meets the ASTM C-150 standard.
Cement, Portland, Clinker
ASTM A clinker, partially fused by pyroprocessing, consisting predominately of crystalline hydraulic calcium silicates.
Cement Portland Type I
A Portland cement for general use.
Cement, Portland Type II
A Portland cement designed to provide moderate sulfate resistance.
Cement, Portland Type III
A Portland cement designed to provide high early strength.
Cement, Portland Type IV
A Portland cement designed to provide low heat of hydration
Cement Portland Type V
A Portland cement designed to provide high sulfate resistance.
Cement, Stucco
Same as plastic cement Stucco cement tends to be used in the east and plastic cement tends to be used in the west
CMU
Concrete masonry unit. This can range from concrete block to concrete brick.
Concrete
ASTM A composite material that consists essentially of a binding medium within which are embedded particles or fragments of aggregate; in hydraulic-cement concrete, the binder is formed from a mixture of hydraulic cement and water.
Fly Ash
ASTM The finely divided residue that results from the combusting of ground or powdered coal and that is transported by flue gases
Fly Ash, Class C
ASTM Fly ash normally produced from lignite or subbituminous coal that meets the applicable requirements for this class as given herein. This class of fly ash, in addition to having pozzolanic properties, also has some cementitious properties. (ASTM C618)
Class C fly ash usually consists of a mixture of amorphous silica and alumina and crystalline calcium-silicates and calcium-aluminates
Fly Ash, Class F
ASTM Fly ash normally produced from burning antracite or bituminous coal that meets the applicable requirements for the class as given herein. This class fly ash has pozzolanic properties. (ASTM C-618)
Texas lignite also produces a Class F fly ash. Class F fly ash usually consists of a mixture of amorphous silica and alumina.
Fly Ash, Martin Lake
A Class F fly ash produced at the Martin Lake Power Plant near Tatum, Tex. The plant burns Texas lignite.
Fly Ash, Parish
A Class C fly ash produced at the Parish Power Plant near Houston, Tex.
Fly Ash, Rockdale
A Class F fly ash produced at the ALCOA Power Plant near Rockdale, Tex. The plant burns Texas lignite.
Lime
Lime is a general term that includes all forms of burned lime: quick lime, hydrated lime, and hydraulic lime. Limestone and precipitated calcium carbonate are occasionally erroneously referred to as lime.
Lime, Hydrated
ASTM A dry powder obtained by treating quicklime with water enough to satisfy its chemical affinity for water under the conditions of its hydration.
Lime, Hydrated, Dolomitic
Hydrated lime that contains a significant amount of magnesium.
Usually it contains 35% to 40% magnesium compounds (usually MgO and Mg(OH)2) and 60% to 65% calcium compounds (usually CaO and Ca(OH)2). Since it is more difficult to hydrate the magnesium compounds, this lime, when used for masonry purposes, is usually pressure hydrated
Lime, Hydrated, Double
Hydrated lime that has been produced by a pressure hydrator. The lime has not been hydrated twice, but this is the vernacular of the trade.
Life, Hydrated, High CALCIUM
Hydrated lime that contains in excess of 95% calcium compounds.
Lime, Hydrated, Magnesian
Hydrated lime that contains between 5% and 35% magnesium compounds and 65% and 95% calcium compounds.
Lime, Hydrated, Pressure
Hydrated lime that has been produced by a pressure hydrator.
Lime, Hydrated, Type N
ASTM Normal hydrated lime for masonry purposes.
ASTM C-207 does not have a requirement on un-hydrated oxides, or for plasticity.
Lime, Hydrated, Type S
ASTM Special hydrated lime for masonry purposes.
ASTM C-207 limits the un-hydrated oxides to 8% and requires a plasticity figure of not less than 200 within 30 minutes of mixing with water.
Lime, Putty
Lime putty is quick lime that has been slaked and stored in a putty consistency for an extended period of time. The traditional method was to slake and store in a covered ditch (18″ wide by 36″ deep and covered with ^″ soil) for 6 months or more. The process produced maximum workability since all or most hard-to-hydrate particles were fully hydrated. In more recent years water is added to hydrated lime in containers and it is stored for a few days prior to use.
Masonry
A general term for brick, stone, block or other similar materials combined with a mortar.
Mortar
A mix consisting of usually a cementitious binder and a fine aggregate that is used to position and hold brick, block, stone, or other similar materials into permanent position.
Polymers
Modifiers for mortar and stucco that add one or more special properties. Those properties in fresh mortar are usually related to entrained air, amount of water needed, or water retention. In set mortars those properties are usually related to flexural bond, water absorption, or water resistance.
Pozzolan
A substance which in itself is not a cement but when combined with moisture and hydrated lime under ambient temperature conditions will produce cementitious properties. Pozzolans are usually amorphous silica, amorphous compounds will be slightly dissolved and then will combine with the calcium source to form hydrated mono-, di-, and tri-calcium silicates, aluminates, and ferrates. These are the same compounds that form when Portland cement is hydrated.
Pozzolan, Class C
A man-made pozzolan that meets the standards defined in ASTM C-618. The combination of the concentrations of silica, alumina, and iron are between 50% and 70%. Usually this class of pozzolan has some natural cementing properties from the calcium silicates, aluminates, and ferrates that it contains. Examples of Class C pozzolans include fly ashes made with sub-bituminous coal, such as Wyoming coal, and some lignites.
Pozzolan, Class F
A man-made pozzolan that meets the standards defined in ASTM C-618. The combination of the concentrations of silica, alumina, and iron are between 70% and 100%. Usually this class of pozzolan does not have substantial natural cementing properties. Examples of Class F pozzolans includes fly ashes made from anthracite coal and the Texas lignites.
Pozzolan, Natural
A pozzolan that occurs naturally. Such pozzolans include volcanic tuffs, volcanic ash, diatomaceous earth, some clay as well as other substances. Processing of natural pozzolans may include crashing, milling, drying, calcining, and air separation.
Pozzolan, Rio Grande, Class N
Rio Grande Pozzolan was one of the first natural pozzolans that was commercially produced in the United States. A natual pozzolan that was produced by Pozzolana, Inc. from volcanic ash in Starr County (Rio Grande City, IX), Tex. from the early 1950s through the 1960s. We periodically obtain samples of this volcanic ash and process it in the lab following the same procedure used by Pozzolana, Inc.
Pozzolanic Activity Index
An ASTM test where 20% of the Portland cement in a mix is replaced with the pozzolan to be tested. The pozzolanic activity index is the percentage of strength the replacement mix reaches at 7 days and 28 days when compared with a non-replacement mix. A minimum pozzolanic activity index of 70%/o is required after 7 days and 28 days. With this replacement level to a great extent the test reveals that the pozzolan passing this test does not have deleterious properties. Ground limestone with no pozzolanic properties has been known to pass the test. Discussions are underway to modify the test to require a higher level of substitution, possibly as high as 35%.
Stucco
A finish which traditionally is applied in three coats. A scratch coat, a brown coat, and a texture or finish coal
Stucco, Brown Coat
The second coat of stucco that is applied to a lath. It is used as a thickness builder and a leveling coat.
Stucco, Finish Coat
The third coat of stucco that is applied to a lath. It is used as a color coat and/or a texture coat.
Stucco, Scratch Coat
The first coat of stucco that is applied to a lath. It is usually scratched with horizontal striations to assist in a physical bond to the second coat.
Tri-Modal Particle Distribution
Normal particle distribution of a substance is a bell curve or a spike. With some fly ashes, the particle size distribution contains two or three spikes. With these spikes, the packing factor increases and the resulting packed fly ash has fewer voids than a product with a normal type distribution. Fewer voids usually equate to less water penetration through the mix.
Today mortar and stucco generally are defined as a mixture consisting of usually a cementitious binder, a fine aggregate, and water. A mortar typically is used to position and hold brick, block, stone, or other similar materials in to permanent position. A stucco typically is a finish which traditionally is applied in three coats and is used in plastering construction.
The cementitious binder in mortar can comprise hydraulic cements such as masonry cement (ASSM C-91) and mortar cement (ASTM C-1329), and the like, and in stucco can comprise hydraulic cements, such as stucco cement (ASTM-1328), and the like. Hydraulic cements simply are cements that set and harden by chemical interaction with water and are capable of doing so under water. These hydraulic cements typically are comprised of a variety of components including among other things Portland Cement and pozzolan(s), such as natural pozzolan, fly ash Class "F", or combinations of "F" and fly ash Class "C". Accordingly, numerous varieties of hydraulic cements exist today with one providing different advantages over the next.
Regardless of the numerous varieties of cements, this invention manages to improve upon the conventional technology of today by creating a balanced hydraulic cement composition comprising a pozzolan(s), Portland Cement, hydrated lime, and an air-entraining agent. The compositions of the invention meet the rigorous tests set forth for example in ASTM C-91 "N" and "S", C-1329 "N"; 1328"S" and other ASTM testing procedures. At the same time, the mixes are relatively inexpensive due to the inclusion of extremely high ranges of fly ash and/or type "N" pozzolan therein.
In comparison testing of this invention using ASTM testing guidelines against other conventional masonry, mortar, and stucco cements, the mortars and stuccos produced by this invention required less mixing water, were less likely to effloresce, were less likely to develop fungal and algal growth, were more water resistant, exhibited autogenous healing continued to gain strength for over one yea when tested according to ASTM test procedures, were less likely to leak under high wind and rain conditions, and were less likely to burn the tradesmen's hands since the amount of alkali oxides and hydroxides are lower.

Masonry, mortar, and stucco cement compositions


An annular sealing gasket for forming a sealing connection between a first tubular member and a second tubular member. The annular sealing gasket comprises a flexible sealing portion adapted to form a sealing connection between a first tubular member and a second tubular member and a body region adapted for supporting the flexible sealing portion and anchoring the annular sealing gasket to a secured connection. The body region further comprises spaced first and second conical legs extending convergingly away from the body region transversely from the flexible sealing portion.

For the transport of fluids that includes both liquids and gases, it is desirable to form a fluid-tight sealed connection when jointing two or more pipe sections together. Numerous applications exist for transporting drain or storm, potable, or waste water using pipe sections fabricated from thermoplastic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and the like.
One common pipe configuration for the transport of fluids includes dual-wall corrugated piping, having a smooth interior wall, optimizing fluid flow characteristics and a corrugated outer wall for enhanced strength and durability. Connecting the dual wall corrugated pipe sections is generally achieved by installing an oversized end of a first corrugated pipe section referred to as a bell over a spigot located at the end of a second corrugated pipe section. Seated in the one of the many corrugated sections or annular grooves of the spigot's outer diameter is typically a gasket that assists in forming a fluid-tight seal between the pipe sections. One example of a gasket design for such application, as well as for other purposes includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,905 that issued Dec. 30, 2008 and assigned to SpringSeal, Inc. (Streetsboro, Ohio) entitled PERMANENTLY LUBRICATED FILM GASKET AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE (hereinafter "the '905 patent"), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The elastomeric gasket contacts each of the pipe sections to form a sealed connection assembly between the pipe sections.
Typically, a large frictional force is encountered when the spigot and the gasket are inserted into the bell of the outer pipe section. As one end of the inner pipe is pushed into the enlarged end or bell of the outer pipe section's pipe connector, the gasket is at times, undesirably pulled from the groove by the large frictional force. When the pipe is not properly sealed, ground water may leak into the pipe or fluid may leak out of the pipe and contaminate the ground or area surrounding the pipe sections.
It is not uncommon for the joining sections of the corrugated pipe to be exposed to numerous forces causing stress to the gasket over the life of the connection. Such stress may allow the gasket to move from its desired location or allow debris to infiltrate the gasket seat, reducing the effectiveness of the sealing assembly connection.


The deposition of graphene is accomplished by various techniques that result in a change of the graphene's solubility in the liquid medium. The solubility change enables the deposition of the graphene onto the substrate. Once the graphene is deposited onto the substrate, the at least partially coated substrate may be separated from the liquid medium. The substrates may then serve as a carrier to deliver the graphene to a desired application.

Graphene is a carbon allotrope that is theoretically embodied in a singular plane of carbon atoms. Graphene is commonly represented in the literature as a two dimensional honeycomb lattice with sp2-bonded carbon atoms. In practice, those of ordinary skill in the art often refer to graphene as carbon material represented not only as a singular plane but also as multiple layers of singular carbon planes. Due to its unique structure, graphene possesses outstanding electrical mobility, or charge transport properties, but demonstrates little optical absorption. The noted features of graphene make it very desirable in certain applications, such as, semiconductor and photovoltaic articles.
Thermodynamically stable solutions of graphene have been created through conventional processes. In certain processes, common graphite is exfoliated and then dissolved into single-layer sheets of graphene. Graphene may be capable of imparting very desirable mechanical, thermal, chemical and electrical properties in its application. However, solution delivery of graphene becomes problematic due to the relatively large volume of solvent present with the graphene. The removal of the solution must be addressed in order to render the delivery of graphene viable using this format.
Electrically conductive materials may be employed as fillers in polymeric matrices. Conventional conductive fillers, such as carbon black, are added to polymer compositions at significantly larger loading levels of generally 15-25 percent by weight, leading to embrittlement and the loss of impact resistance. Carbon nanotubes are similarly effective at relatively lower loading levels than carbon black, specifically less than 5 percent by weight. However carbon nanotubes are expensive, offer poor structural reinforcement, and create industrial hygiene concerns through their handling and use. The conductive polymer field would benefit from advances that address conductivity without adversely affecting other properties of the polymer composite.

Graphene coated substrates and resulting composites


A display device comprises a backlight module, a display panel and a first glue layer. The backlight module comprises a light guiding plate, a flexible reflecting sheet and a light source. The light guiding plate is provided with a light incoming face, a light outgoing face, a back face and a plurality of side faces. The flexible reflecting sheet is provided with a first area segment and a plurality of second area segments. The back face of the light guiding plate leans against the first area segment; the second area segments are connected to the first area segment and are bent relative to the first area segment; and at least part of the second area segments cover the side faces of the light guiding plate correspondingly. The light source is arranged on the flexible reflecting sheet and is aligned with the light incoming face of the light guiding plate. The light outgoing face faces the display panel. The display panel and the backlight module adhere to each other through the first glue layer. The first glue layer is located between the display panel and the second area segments of the flexible reflecting sheet. The invention also discloses an assembling method of the display device. Thus, the display device can achieve the frame narrowing function.

With the development of display technology, flat display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diode displays (OLEDs) have advantages of high image quality, power saving, thin body, and wide application range to have gradually replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) displays and are widely used in various consumer electronic products, such as mobile phones, televisions, personal digital assistants, digital cameras, notebook computers, and desktop computers to become the major display devices.
Most of the liquid crystal displays on the present market are backlight type liquid crystal displays, which comprise a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight module. The working principle of the liquid crystal display panel is that the Liquid Crystal is injected between the Thin Film Transistor Array Substrate (TFT array substrate) and the Color Filter (CF) substrate. The light of backlight module is refracted to generate images by applying driving voltages to the two substrates for controlling the rotations of the liquid crystal molecules.
Compared with the LCD display panels, the OLED display panel possesses advantages of being thinner, lighter, active lighting, continuous adjustable light color, low cost, fast response, low power consumption, low driving voltage, wide usage temperature range, simple production process and high illuminating efficiency and possible flexible display, and therefore is considered as "dream display". The OLED display panel can be categorized into two major types according to the driving methods, which are the Passive Matrix (PM) type OLED and the Active Matrix (AM) type OLED, i.e. the direct addressing and the Thin Film Transistor (TFT) matrix addressing.
With the continuous improvement of display technology, the side frame of the LCD is getting narrower and narrower. The LCD side frame includes the fixture part and the black matrix. The fixture part is generally composed of a metal frame for acting the fixing function. The black matrix is used to block the edges of the LCD display to prevent the light leakage. Therefore, being completely frameless cannot be achieved. In addition, the scanning circuit of the AMOLED is disposed on the left side frame and right side frame in the front surface of the display to occupy a certain space, thus affecting the large-screen high-definition design of the display structure for now. Due to the array structure of the scanning circuit, it leads to a wider frame of the display but the customer's demand for a narrower frame, such as a mobile phone becomes higher and higher. Therefore, it is urgent to propose a frameless display structure for meeting the development trend of display screens.

WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A first output voltage Vcc is obtained via a first switching element from an external power supply, and a second output voltage Vme via a second switching element cascade-connected to the first switching element. The first switching element has a base current continuously controlled by a first comparator/amplifier to maintain the voltage Vcc at a predetermined value. The second switching element has a base current continuously controlled by a second comparator/amplifier to maintain the voltage Vme at a predetermined value. A third switching element connected in parallel to the first switching element and controlled by a duty-factor control circuit makes a bypass power supply to maintain a current flowing through the first switching element not more than a predetermined value. Thus, a constant voltage control device obtaining two types of stabilized voltages from external power supply of large voltage variation can reduce power consumption and improve voltage control accuracy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a constant voltage control device that supplies difference types of stabilized voltages such as DC 5V and DC 3.3V or DC 2.5V from an on-vehicle battery to an on-vehicle electronic device including a microprocessor and various memories and, more particularly, to an improved constant voltage control device for decreasing power consumption of a constant voltage-controlling power transistor to suppress heat generation.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In order to achieve higher-speed operation and reduction in power consumption of a microprocessor to be mounted on an on-vehicle electronic control device and the like, it has been a technique widely adopted in practical use to decrease a voltage applied to an operation part or various memories, thereby applying thereto a stabilized voltage different from that of an input/output circuit section.
For example, the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 352675/2001 "Power Supply for On-Vehicle Computing Unit" proposes a power supply circuit in which a first switching element for obtaining a stabilized voltage of DC 5V from an on-vehicle battery and a second switching element for obtaining DC 3.3V are connected in series.
Further, the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 316482/2003 "Power Supply Circuit" discloses means in which a switching-type primary power supply regulator is disposed for obtaining a primary power supply voltage from an on-vehicle battery, and a plurality of dropper-type secondary power supply regulators are connected to a primary voltage output of which voltage is dropped and stabilized, thereby obtaining various stabilized voltages of DC 5V or DC 3.3V.
Furthermore, the Japanese Patent No. 3143284 "DC Stabilized Power Supply Unit" discloses means in which a switching-type primary chopper regulator and a dropper-type secondary series regulator are connected in series to obtain a stabilized voltage of lower ripple fluctuation and lower power consumption.
Additionally, the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 98874/1998 "DC Stabilized Power Supply" discloses means in which a switching-type primary chopper regulator and a dropper-type secondary series regulator are connected in parallel to obtain a stabilized voltage of lower ripple fluctuation and lower power consumption.
According to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 352675/2001 "On-Vehicle Computing Unit Power Supply", both first and second switching elements are dropper-type voltage regulators, so that a problem exists in too much power consumption of the first switching element at the time of a high power supply voltage of an on-vehicle battery and a large load current.
In contrast, according to the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 316482/2003 "Power Supply Circuit", it is certain that a power consumption of dropper-type secondary power supply regulators for obtaining DC 5V is enormously reduced due to the series connection of a switching-type primary power supply regulator. But, for example, when an output voltage from the primary power supply regulator is DC 7V, a voltage drop amount of the dropper-type secondary power supply regulator for obtaining DC 3.3V is 7V−3.3V=3.7V, so that a problem exists in that a power consumption is not sufficiently reduced.
In particular, a voltage drop amount of the secondary power supply regulator for obtaining DC 2.5V is 7V−2.5=4.5V, resulting in too much power consumption. Thus, when disposing a plurality of switching-type primary power supply regulators, a problem exists in larger-sized and more expensive device.
On the other hand, "DC Stabilized Power supply Unit" of the Japanese Patent No. 3143284 and "DC Stabilized Power Supply" of the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 98874/1998 are for obtaining a single stabilized voltage, and do not propose means for obtaining plural types of stabilized voltages.
In the case of "DC Stabilized Power Supply" of the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 98874/1998, being the invention relevant to the present invention, a problem exists in that output voltages from a pair of regulators connected in parallel are difficult to be in coincidence accurately, and that over-voltage ripple of a switching-type primary chopper regulator cannot be eliminated.


A ground fault detection circuit includes an AC power supply and a plurality of resonance circuits. The plurality of resonance circuits are connected between at least one current path formed of a plurality of loads and the AC power supply. Each of the plurality of resonance circuits has the same resonance frequency as the frequency of the AC power supply.

For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-1017 (PTD 1) discloses a heating power supply device for heating a negative resistance load. This power supply device includes a power supply transformer and a plurality of thyristor rectifiers connected to the power supply transformer. A load is connected to each of the thyristor rectifiers. The power supply device further includes a semiconductor switch for connecting a plurality of loads to at least one of the plurality of thyristor rectifiers in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel combination.
Furthermore, the configuration for detecting a ground fault in the load connected to the power supply device has also been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 58-175922 (PTD 2) discloses a semiconductor power conversion system having the following configuration. Specifically, the semiconductor power conversion system includes a series path formed of an alternating-current (AC) power supply that supplies an AC output having a frequency different from an output frequency of a semiconductor power conversion device, an element for series resonance that has a frequency of this AC power supply as a resonance frequency, and an impedance element for monitoring a ground current. The series path is interposed between the load of the semiconductor power conversion device and a ground.

TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION


A coaxial connector with an F female waveguide is configured to limit exchange of certain RF signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of manufacture for conducting electrical signals. In particular, F-Type connectors are equipped to reject RF ingress.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIGS. 1, 2, 3A-C, and 4 show prior art F-Type connectors. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view 100 of a prior art F female port 102 mounted to a wall plate 104. FIG. 2 shows a side view 200 of FIG. 1 revealing a coaxial cable 208 attached via an F male connector 206 to the F female port and leaving a room facing attachment end 204 of the F female port exposed to stray signals and/or RF ingress 210.
FIGS. 3A-C show a cross-sectional view 300A, side view 300B and a perspective view 300C of a prior art F splice with female ports 332, 334 at opposed ends. This splice provides interconnected internal contacts 312, 314 for engaging respective coaxial cable center conductors and a body 316 for engaging F male connector couplings such as threaded nuts and having electrical continuity with respective coaxial cable outer conductors. The splice body 316, such as a metallic body, provides for transport of a coaxial cable ground signal.
Threads 322, 324 at opposing ends of the splice tubular body 316 provide a means for engaging F male connector couplings at the splice end ports. The splice assembly end ports 332, 334 typically include an inwardly directed shallow metal lip 342 that may be rolled from the body or provided in another fashion, for example by fixing a shallow ring at the tube end. The lip provides peripheral support to a disc shaped end insulator 344 within the splice body. An insulator central aperture 346 is for receiving a center conductor of a coaxial cable. Behind this insulator is the internal contact 312 (314) mentioned above.
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a bulkhead port 400. To the extent that connector internals are insertable from only a single end, the connector may be referred to as "blind." The port has an F female port 432 at one end and a mount 450 at an opposed end. Similar to the splice above, the port includes an electrically conductive body 416, an internal contact 412 behind an insulator 444 held in place by a port end lip 442. An aperture 441 in the insulator provides for inserting a coaxial cable center conductor into the port contact 412 and body threads 422 provide for engaging an F male connector coupling such as a threaded nut.
Unlike the splice 300A-C, the bulkhead port 400 has a mount 450 at one end that may be separate from or include portions of a device/equipment bulkhead or portion(s) thereof. The mount supports the bulkhead port from a base 452. A contact 412 trailing portion 481 passes through a hole in a base insulator 456 and then through a hole 458 in the base. As may be required, the base is insulated from the contact by an air gap or by another means known to skilled artisans.
These prior art connectors may become the source of future problems as proliferation of RF devices such as cellular telephones crowd RF spectra and increase the chances RF ingress will adversely affect interconnected systems such as cable television and satellite television signal distribution systems.
Persons of ordinary skill in the art have recognized that in cable television and satellite television systems ("CATV"), reduction of interfering radio frequency ("RF") signals improves signal to noise ratio and helps to avoid saturated reverse amplifiers and related optic transmission that is a source of distortion.
Past efforts have limited some sources of the ingress of interfering RF signals into CATV systems. These efforts have included increased use of traditional connector shielding, multi-braid coaxial cables, connection tightening guidelines, increased use of traditional splitter case shielding, and high pass filters to limit low frequency spectrum interfering signal ingress in active home CATV systems.
The F connector is the standard connection used for cable television and satellite signals in the home. For example, in the home one will typically find a wall mounted female F connector or a coaxial cable "drop" splitter or isolator for supplying a signal to the TV set, cable set-top box, or internet modem.
A significant location of unwanted RF signal and noise ingress into CATV systems is in the home. This occurs where the subscriber leaves a CATV connection such as a wall-mounted connector or coaxial cable drop connector disconnected/open. An open connector end exposes a normally metallically enclosed and shielded signal conductor and can be a major source of unwanted RF ingress.
As shown above, a CATV signal is typically supplied to a room via a wall mounted connector or in cases a simple "cable drop." These and similar cable interconnection points provide potential sources of unwanted RF signal ingress into the CATV system. As will be appreciated, multiple CATV connections in a home increase the likelihood that some connections will be left unused and open, making them a source of unwanted RF ingress. And, when subscribers move out of a home, CATV connections are typically left open, another situation that invites RF ingress in a CATV distribution system.
Known methods of eliminating unwanted RF ingress in a CATV system include placing a metal cap over each unused F connector in the home or, placing a single metallic cap over the feeder F port at the home network box. But, the usual case is that all home CATV connections are left active, and when unused, open, a practice the cable television operators and the industry have accepted in lieu of making costly service calls associated with new tenants and/or providing the CATV signal in additional rooms.
The inventor's work in this area suggests current solutions for reducing unwanted RF ingress resulting from open connectors are not successful and/or not widely used. Therefore, to the extent the CATV industry comes to recognize a need to further limit interfering RF ingress into CATV systems, it is desirable to have connectors that reduce RF ingress when they are left open.
Prior art exists which attempts to accomplish this goal but is generally thought to be prohibitively expensive, impractical, or mechanically unreliable. For example, one prior art method disclosed in patent applications of the present inventor disconnects the center conductor contact when the F female is not connected to a male connector. Another method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,098,113 where an electronic method differentially cancels noise common to both the center conductor and shield and requires an electric power source. These methods are relatively expensive compared with at least some embodiments of the present invention. They also have reliability limitations due to either of included mechanical or electrical elements.
Presently, it appears the industry has little interest in RF ingress reduction solutions similar to those proposed herein. However, in the inventor's view, there are good reasons to pursue the invention herein to maintain signal quality.

Coaxial connector with ingress reduction shield


A system suitable for use in a speech recognition system or other voice processing system extracts features related to the frequency and amplitude characteristics of an input speech signal using a plurality of complex band pass filters by processing the outputs of adjacent bandpass filters.

This invention relates to a speech feature extraction system for use in a speech recognition, voice identification, voice authentication systems. More specifically, this invention relates to a speech feature extraction that can be used to create a speech recognition system or other speech processing with a reduced error rate.
Generally, a speech recognition system is an apparatus that attempts to identify spoken words by analyzing the speaker""s voice signal. Speech is converted into an electronic form from which features are extracted. The system then attempts to match a sequence of features to previously stored sequence of models associated with known speech units. When a sequence of features matches a sequence of models in accordance with specified rules, the corresponding words are deemed to be recognized by the speech recognition system.
However, background sounds such as radios, car noise, other nearby speakers can make it difficult to extract useful features from the speech. In addition, ambient conditions, such as the use of a different microphones or telephone handsets, a different telephone line, the speaker""s distance from the microphone interfere with system performance. Differences between speakers, changes in speaker intonation or emphasis, and even the speakers health can also adversely impact system performance. For a further description of some of these problems, see Richard A. Quinnell, xe2x80x9cSpeech Recognition: No Longer a Dream, But Still a Challenge,xe2x80x9d EDN Magazine, Jan. 19, 1995, p. 41-46.
In most speech recognition systems, the speech features are extracted by cepstral analysis, which generally involves measuring the energy in specific frequency bands. The product of that analysis reflects the amplitude of the signal in those bands. Analysis of these amplitude changes over successive time periods can be modeled as an amplitude modulated signal.
Whereas the human ear is a sensitive to frequency modulation as well as amplitude modulation in received speech signals, this frequency modulated content is only partially reflected in systems that perform cepstral analysis.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a speech feature extraction system capable of capturing the frequency modulation characteristics of speech, as well as previously known amplitude modulation characteristics.
It also would be desirable to provide speech recognition and other speech processing systems that incorporate feature extraction systems that provide information on frequency modulation characteristics of the input speech signal.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a speech feature extraction system capable of capturing the frequency modulation characteristics of speech, as well as previously known amplitude modulation characteristics.
It also is an object of this invention to provide speech recognition and other speech processing systems that incorporate feature extraction systems that provide information on frequency modulation characteristics of the input speech signal.
The present invention provides a speech feature extraction system that reflects frequency modulation characteristics of speech as well as amplitude characteristics. This is done by a feature extraction stage that included a plurality of complex band pass filters in adjacent frequency bands. The output of alternate complex band pass filters is multiplied by the conjugate of the output of the bandpass filter in the adjacent lower frequency band and the resulting signal is low pass filtered.
Each of the low pass filter outputs is processed to compute two components: a FM component that is substantially sensitive to the frequency of the signal passed by the adjacent bandpass filters from which the low pass filter output was generated, and an AM component that is substantially sensitive to the amplitude of the signal passed by the adjacent bandpass filters. The FM component reflects the difference in the phase of the outputs of the adjacent bandpass filters used to generate the lowpass filter output.
The AM and FM components are then processed using known feature enhancement techniques, such as discrete cosine transform, melscale translation, mean normalization, delta and acceleration analysis, linear discriminant analysis and principal component analysis, to generate speech features suitable for statistical processing or other recognition or identification methods.


A new driver circuit and receiver circuit for transmitting and receiving a differential signal pair. The driver circuit includes true and complement signal generating elements that generate a differential signal pair in tandem. Each of the true and complement signal generating elements includes a high-gain element and at least one low-gain element. The delay circuit is responsive to the true and complement data signal for iteratively controlling the high-gain element and low-gain element of each signal generating element to effect the generation of the differential signal pair, the delay circuit controlling the high-gain element with a delay relative to the low-gain element to thereby reduce ringing in the differential signal pair. The receiver circuit receives a differential receive signal pair, comprising true and complement receive signals having selected conditions over a pair of input lines and generates a true and complement data signal. The receiver circuit, during normal receiving operations, generates true and complement signals in response to the differential receive signal pair. During a test mode, the receiver circuit, in separate steps, compares the voltage levels of the true and complement receive signals to threshold voltages and generates an error signal if the selected true or complement receive signal does not have the proper relationship to the voltage level of the threshold voltage.

Digital electronic systems are generally fabricated from a number of integrated circuit chips that mount on printed circuit boards. The printed circuit boards carry traces that facilitate the transfer of signals representing digital information among the chips and other components on the boards. A digital system may comprise a number of boards mounted in one or more cabinets, and it is generally necessary to interconnect the boards to facilitate transfer of signals among the boards. Within a single cabinet, the wires in the form of backplanes or cables may be used to transfer signals among the broads, and between cabinets cables are typically used as transmission lines to transfer the signals.
In particular between cabinets, but also between boards and in some cases between chips on the same board, "differential" signaling is typically used. In differential signaling, two physical signals are transmitted together as a "differential pair" to facilitate the transfer of a single bit of information, with the logical state of the information bit being represented by the difference in voltage levels between the signals. If, for example, one signal of the differential pair is at a high voltage level and the other is at a low voltage level, the logical state of the information bit may be taken as asserted, or a "one." On the other hand, if the states of the signals are reversed, the logical state of the information bit may be taken as negated, or a "zero."
Differential signaling may be used for a number of reasons. Differential signaling may be used to reduce the likelihood that information transferred can be corrupted due to some types of noise, or undesirable voltage changes, which may be induced in the lines carrying the signals between the signal driver and the receiver. The lines which carry differential signal pairs are typically routed adjacent each other, and if noise is induced in one line it will likely also contemporaneously be induced in the other and with the same amplitude, resulting in what is generally known as "common-mode noise." Since the state of the information bit is represented by the difference between the voltage levels in the two lines, the noise voltage in the two lines will cancel.
In addition, differential signaling may be used when routing lines between components of a digital system that are powered by different power supplies, particularly if such components are in separate cabinets. In such systems, the voltages provided by the power supplies may be different, in which case the absolute voltage levels of the signals between the components may also be different. This is a particular difficulty in connection with components of a system that are housed in diverse cabinets. Since in differential signaling the state of the information bit is represented by the difference between voltage levels in the two lines carrying the differential signal pair, rather than by their absolute voltage levels, such offsets, which are termed "common-mode voltage shift," will be present in both lines of the differential signal pair and canceled when the voltage difference is determined.
The rate at which information bits can be transmitted in a digital system depends on a number of factors, with a primary factor being the rate at which transitions in a signal's voltage level can be made to occur on the line carrying the signal. However, a sharp transition can also cause a problem, in particular resulting in generation of noise, known as "ringing," at the beginning of a transition. That form of noise is one type of "differential noise," that is, noise that is individually generated and coupled over each line of the differential signal pair. In differential noise, the amplitude and timing of the noise are not necessarily the same on both lines and thus can not be corrected by taking the difference between voltage levels in the lines carrying a differential pair.
Another problem arises in some very large digital systems, particularly those with a large number of interconnection lines, namely, the maintenance of the lines among components to ensure that correct information is being transferred. In some large digital systems, the components may be connected by hundreds or even thousands of lines, and, if a line is faulty, incorrect information may be transferred. The problem may be exacerbated in a system that employs differential signaling, particularly if only one line of a differential signal pair is faulty. When that occurs, the information bit represented by the differential signal pair may generally be correctly received, with erroneous bits being received only intermittently. Thus, in such cases it may be difficult to determine even the fact that one line of the differential signal pair is faulty.


An electrically powered oil well pipe extractor includes a standard well servicing rig having a winch driven by a combustion engine. An auxiliary vehicle has an electric motor connected through a transmission or torque convertor, through a drive shaft, to the winch on the well servicing rig. The combustion engine is disengaged from the winch and the winch is driven by the electric motor on the auxiliary vehicle during pipe extraction operations at a well site having electric power available. Exhaust emissions and noise are significantly reduced.

Oil or gas wells are typically drilled to depths of hundreds or thousands of feet. Sections of well pipe are linked together and are lowered into the well. For various reasons, it occasionally becomes necessary to pull the well pipe from the well. This can require large lifting forces since the well pipe can weigh several pounds per foot and hundreds or thousands of feet of pipe must be lifted from the well.
Specialized well servicing rigs have been used for pulling is well pipe. These rigs are generally driven to the well where a derrick on the rig is erected over the well. A winch on the rig is used to pull the well pipe from the well. Workers on an elevated platform on the derrick unhook well pipe from the winch cable and temporarily store the extracted well pipe along side the derrick. Workers on the ground around the well uncouple or separate well pipe sections as they are extracted from the well. Accordingly, the well servicing rig can extract well pipe much more quickly and easily than e.g., a general purpose crane.
The winch or draw works on the well servicing rig is typically powered by the rig's internal combustion engine. Winching accordingly generates substantial exhaust emissions and noise. When working on "town lot" wells, i.e., wells located in or near residential areas, it is especially desireable to reduce noise and emissions from operations at the well site, including pipe extraction operations. In the Southern California area, emissions from oil refineries and oil fields are limited by government regulations. Any increase in emissions generated by expanded operations, etc., must be compensated for by reduced emissions in other areas. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce all emissions associated with oil well operations in Southern California oil fields.

Auxiliary vehicle for electrically powering a well pipe extractor


A system, method, and apparatus for injection molding conductive bonding material into a plurality of cavities in a surface are disclosed. The method comprises aligning a fill head with a surface. The mold includes a plurality of cavities. The method further includes placing the fill head in substantial contact with the surface. At least a first gas is channeled about a first region of the fill head. The at least first gas has a temperature above a melting point of conductive bonding material residing in a reservoir thereby maintaining the conductive bonding material in a molten state. The conductive bonding material is forced out of the fill head toward the surface. The conductive bonding material is provided into at least one cavity of the plurality of cavities contemporaneous with the at least one cavity being in proximity to the fill head.

In modern semiconductor devices, the ever increasing device density and decreasing device dimensions demand more stringent requirements in the packaging or interconnecting techniques of such devices. Conventionally, a flip-chip attachment method has been used in the packaging of IC chips. In the flip-chip attachment method, instead of attaching an IC die to a lead frame in a package, an array of solder balls is formed on the surface of the die. The formation of the solder balls is normally carried out by through-mask evaporation, solder paste screening, or injection molding of solder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,143, which is commonly owned by International Business Machines Corporation, discloses the injection molded solder (IMS) technique and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. One of the advantages of the IMS over other solder bumping techniques is that there is very little volume change between the molten solder and the resulting solder bump. The IMS technique utilizes a solder head that fills boro-silicate glass (or other material) molds that are wide enough to cover most single chip modules. A wiper is sometimes provided behind the solder slit passes the filled holes of the mold to remove excess solder.
The IMS method for solder bonding is then carried out by applying a molten solder to a substrate in a transfer process. When smaller substrates, i.e., chip scale or single chip modules are encountered, the transfer step is readily accomplished since the solder-filled mold and substrate are relatively small in area and thus can be easily aligned and joined in a number of configurations. For instance, the process of split-optic alignment is frequently used in joining chips to substrates. The same process may also be used to join a chip-scale IMS mold to a substrate (chip) which will be bumped. One problem with current IMS systems are the fill heads uses to place solder in the cavities of the molds. These fill heads are restricted to linear deposition of solder into rectangular molds. That is, the mold and the solder head are moved linearly with respect to each other such that the cavities move perpendicular to a slit in the solder head thereby filling the cavities as they pass. Another problem with IMS is that the molds are limited to a rectangular configuration, which encourages the linear deposition of the solder.
Another problem with current fill heads used for IMS and other solder bumping techniques is that they do not provide precise temperature control with response time required to accurately control solder melt and solidification. Current fill heads are designed with resistive (electric) heaters in the solder head. The heater is built into the surface of the fill head where the head contacts the substrate being filled. The performance of a heater of this design is limited by a time delay for the heat to be generated in the line and then the conduction of the fill head. Also, there is a time delay for cooling of the solder in the cavities because the fill head does not provide a means for cooling the solder.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

Fill head for injection molding of solder


A water injection foaming devolatilizing method, and an apparatus for practicing the method according to the invention are designed as follows: A molten polymer material is kneaded in a water-injection dispersion zone (11) of an extruding machine having a pair of screws (6) each of which is turned in the same direction. Water is supplied to the molten polymer material, thus the water being dispersed therein while the molten polymer material is kneaded. In a devolatilizing zone (12) downstream of the water-injection dispersion zone, the volatile components in the molten polymer material are removed by being gasified together with the water. In this water injection foaming devolatilizing method, the molten polymer material is smoothly extruded from the filling zone (10) to the water-injection dispersion zone (11), and in the latter zone (11) water injection is performed with increased pressure due to the aid of a ring (15), thereby to achieve the devolatilizing of the molten polymer material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a polymer water injection foaming devolatilizing method, and an apparatus for practicing the method, and more particularly to a novel improvement to remove volatile components from a molten polymer material with high efficiency.
2. Related Art
Heretofore, as for a conventional water injection foaming devolatilizing method, and a conventional apparatus for practicing the method, an extruding machine designed as shown in FIGS. 2 through 5 is employed. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 designates a cylinder showing a part of the upper portion of a twin screw type extruding machine 2. In the upper surface of the cylinder 1, a material supply port 3, a water injection port 4, and a vent port in the stated order as viewed from upstream. And in the cylinder 1, two screws which turn in the same direction are rotatably provided in such a manner that they are engaged with each other.
The cylinder 1 has a filling zone 10, a water injection zone 11 having a water injection port 4, and a devolatilizing zone 12 having the vent port 5 in the stated order as viewed in the direction of flow. The aforementioned screw 6 in the filling zone is made up of a full-flight screw 6a, the screw in the water injection dispersion zone 11 is made up of a second ring 13, a plurality of kneading-dispersing screws 14, and a first ring 15 which are arranged in the stated order as viewed in the direction of flow, and the screw 6 in the devolatilizing zone 12 is made up of a full-flight screw 6b.
FIG. 3 shows a pressure-reduction expansion zone 17. More specifically, in the structure shown in FIG. 3, a pressure-reduction expansion zone special ring 16 (shown in FIG. 4) is provided immediately behind the first ring 15 of the devolatilizing zone.
Under the condition, the polymer material supplied from the material supply port 3 is being extruded by the screw 6 while being molten and kneaded, the water injected from the water injection port 4 is dispersed in the high temperature molten polymer material under high pressure which is filled in the injection water dispersion zone. This high pressure is maintained by the extruding action of the screw 6 located upstream of the second ring 13 and by the damming action of the first ring 15, and it is higher than the saturated steam pressure of water when the injected water is dispersed in the high temperature molten polymer material. The devolatilizing zone 12 located downstream of the first ring 15 is in vacuum state. Hence, when passing through the first ring 15, the pressure of the molten polymer material is abruptly reduced, and the water dispersed in the molten polymer material is abruptly foamed. In this case, the volatile components contained in the molten polymer material start to disperse into the foams through the foam/polymer interface from the instant the foaming phenomenon occurs. On the other hand, in the foamed molten polymer material, the foams therein are broken by the shearing action of the screw 6 in the devolatilizing zone located downstream of the first ring 15. As a result, the volatile components in the foams are dispersed outside of the molten polymer material, and discharged outside through the vent port 5.
On the other hand, by means of the pressure-reduction expansion zone special ring 16 located immediately behind the first ring 15, the molten polymer material is slowly reduced in pressure after passing through the first ring 15, so that the foams grow sufficiently; that is, they are long in retention time. As a result, the molten polymer material is sufficiently degassed.
The conventional water injection foaming devolatilizing method and apparatus are designed as described above. Therefore, they suffer from the following problems. First, since the extruding machine employs a pair of rings, and one of the rings is provided upstream of the water injection dispersion zone, the resistance of flow thereat is high. Hence, when the molten polymer material passes through the clearance between the ring and the cylinder, the pressure of the molten polymer material is reduced, so that the water injection pressure and the amount of extrusion are not high enough. Second, at the clearance section of the ring, shearing heat is generated. Hence, it is impossible to improve the devolatilizing efficiency; that is, it is impossible to obtain a large number of revolutions of the screw, a high water injection pressure, and a high water dispersion effect. Third, the region between the pressure-reduction expansion zone special ring 16 located downstream of the pressure-reduction expansion zone and the first ring 15 located upstream thereof is not self-cleaned.

Water injection foaming devolatilizing method and apparatus


Embodiments of the present disclosure include a method for forming a semiconductor device, a method for forming a MISFET device, and a MISFET device. An embodiment is a method for forming a semiconductor device, the method including forming a source/drain over a substrate, forming a first etch stop layer on the source/drain, and forming a gate dielectric layer on the first etch stop layer and along the substrate. The method further includes forming a gate electrode on the gate dielectric layer, forming a second etch stop layer on the gate electrode, and removing the gate dielectric layer from over the source/drain.

While the scaling down of the device feature size in a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) continues in the pursuit of smaller, faster, and more complex circuit functions on a single integrated circuit, maintaining high drive current at scaled voltages and smaller metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MISFET) gate dimensions generally becomes more important. Device drive current is closely related to parameters such as gate dimension, gate capacitance, and carrier mobility. Among the various technology innovations made to maintain high MISFET drive current, high-k (dielectric constant) gate dielectrics and metal gate electrodes are commonly adopted to increase gate capacitance of MISFETs in advanced technology.
Silicon oxide (SiO2) is widely used as gate dielectric layer for MISFETs. However, device feature size scaling in advanced technology may lead to a very thin gate SiO2 layer and, thus, the gate leakage current may become unacceptably large. High-k gate dielectrics may be used to replace SiO2 (k=3.9) gate dielectric in a sense that high-k gate dielectrics provide a thicker gate dielectric layer and hence leak less, while being able to maintain a desired large gate capacitance and thus a large device drive current. Drive current performance also may be improved through the use of metal gates. Compared to a conventional polysilicon (poly) gate, the use of metal gates tends to increase device drive current by eliminating the poly depletion effect.

MISFET device and method of forming the same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for clustering heterogeneous events. During operation, the system finds a partition of events into clusters such that each cluster includes a set of events. In addition, the system estimates probability distributions for various properties of events associated with each cluster. The system obtains heterogeneous event data, and analyzes the heterogeneous event data to determine the distribution of event properties associated with clusters and to assign events to clusters.

1. Field
This disclosure is generally related to analyzing heterogeneous events. More specifically, this disclosure is related to a method and system for analyzing a large set of event data by introducing a probability model to cluster heterogeneous events.
2. Related Art
For many applications, it is useful to analyze heterogeneous, information-rich events. Heterogeneous events are events that may vary by different factors, including event type, descriptors, location and time. For example, one type of heterogeneous event can be found in military applications. The military may monitor field operations that produces events such as meetings between people of interest, field reports filed by personnel, images and sounds recorded by equipment deployed in locations of interest, and improvised explosive device (IED) explosions.
Depending on context, analysts may classify events as shallow or deep. Shallow events are those for which relatively little information is available beyond event type, location, and time. Deep events are those for which a rich set of information is available, such as a long field report or a video sequence capturing the event.
Systems for analyzing event data may collect homogenous or heterogeneous event data. When events are homogenous, all events are of the same type (e.g., observing a pine tree of a particular species) and are characterized by the same set of descriptors (e.g. the girth, height, and age of the tree). Another example of a homogenous event is a "check-in" event where certain software applications may produce events when users check into a venue at a certain time and location.
When the events are heterogeneous, multiple event types are present (e.g. meetings, patrols, and IED explosions), and each event is characterized by a potentially different set of descriptors. For example, an IED detonation can be characterized by descriptors such as power and materials used. These descriptors are inapplicable to other events such as meetings between people, which is characterized by a different set of descriptors (e.g., the set of people involved and the meeting duration). Modeling heterogeneous events is particularly important when there are interactions between events (e.g. meetings between suspected terrorists may precede planting an IED).
Current approaches for analyzing events cannot scale to very large data sets. Furthermore, such approaches typically only deal with homogenous events where arguments are of the same type and described by the same set of descriptors. To process data sets containing heterogeneous events, one can split the heterogeneous events into several data sets, each restricted to a particular type of event. This approach, however, does not allow for modeling interactions between events.
Some researchers have proposed techniques for analyzing interactions between heterogeneous events. Such proposals typically involve manually constructing detectors for specific activities of interest. For example, some researchers have proposed detectors for intrusion detection. However, such manually constructed detectors may not be used for exploratory analysis. Furthermore, each new detection task requires manually developing a dedicated detector. This is a complex, time-consuming and error-prone procedure.

Scalable spatiotemporal clustering of heterogeneous events


A closure system for a vehicle includes a closure member movable relative to the vehicle between an open position and a closed position. The closure member includes a flexible panel and a plurality of support members supporting the flexible panel. A first support member is attached to and is movable with the closure member between the open position and the closed position. The first support member includes a recess receiving the flexible panel and the plurality of support members therein when the closure member is in the open position.

Closure systems for vehicles typically include at least one panel that is movable relative to a vehicle between an open position and a closed position to selectively close an opening of the vehicle. In the open position, the panel exposes an interior compartment of the vehicle while in the closed position the panel seals the interior compartment generally preventing entry of debris such as snow and rain.
While conventional closure systems adequately move between an open position and a closed position to selectively expose an interior compartment of a vehicle, conventional closure systems suffer from the disadvantage of requiring storage of the closure panel when the closure panel is in the open position. For example, a conventional sunroof panel must be stored between an outer panel of a vehicle (i.e., a roof panel, for example) and a headliner of the vehicle when the sunroof panel is in the open position. Storing the sunroof panel between the outer panel of the vehicle and the headliner necessarily requires a sufficient amount of space between the outer panel and the headliner to accommodate the sunroof panel, which increases the overall height of the vehicle and/or reduces the size of the interior compartment
In addition to retractable panels such as sunroofs, conventional closure systems may also include closure panels that are selectively removable from a vehicle when in the open position. Such conventional systems include hard-top systems and T-top systems. In either system, closure panels of the vehicle may be selectively removed from the vehicle to expose a passenger compartment of the vehicle. While removal of such panels adequately exposes a passenger compartment of the vehicle, removal of the closure panels requires storage of the closure panels either within a storage space of the vehicle (i.e., a trunk, for example) or in a space external from the vehicle,
Storing the closure panel within the vehicle consumes available storage space and therefore diminishes the overall utility of the vehicle. Similarly, storing the closure panel in a space exterior from the vehicle such as, for example, a garage, increases the likelihood that the panels may become damaged during movement and/or storage and also prevents a user from returning the closure panels to a closed position when the vehicle is driven away from the storage space. Storing such hard-top closure panels either within the vehicle or external from the vehicle results in complexity for the user and a diminished utility of the vehicle.


Methods of administering methyldopa to a subject in a fasting state to increase bioavailability of the methyldopa.

There are numerous advantages to enhanced bioavailability of an oral drug delivery method, including the improvement in efficacy following administration, reducing the required frequency of administration, which results in improved patient compliance. The effects of drug therapy depend not only on the drug release pattern from the formulation, but also on the kinetics of drug absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. The absorption of a drug from the gastrointestinal tract is dictated by the location of the dosage form in the gastrointestinal tract, the GI contents, and, in the case of some drugs, the existence and function of active transport mechanisms. Some drugs are more efficiently absorbed from the upper part of the GI tract while others are absorbed from the lower parts of the gastro-intestinal tract. For drugs absorbed only in the stomach or certain regions of the small intestine (called "windows of absorption"), once such drugs pass this region, very little or no drug absorption takes place. Therefore, in instances where the drug is not absorbed uniformly throughout the gastro-intestinal tract, the rate of drug absorption will not be constant in spite of the drug delivery system delivering the drug at constant rates into the gastro-intestinal fluids.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate


A fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engines, which includes a pump piston guided in a cylinder bore driven to reciprocate axially by a cam drive. With a face end, the pump piston defines a pump work chamber, which communicates with an injection valve via a pressure conduit and which is supplied with fuel and relieved via a fuel line. Supply onset and supply end are controllable via a feed pump and a magnet valve are disposed in the fuel line, which communicates with a fuel supply vessel (33) to control supply onset and end of supply. In order to relieve a pressure of the high-pressure chambers, especially at high engine speeds, a fuel tapping device, which is controllable as a function of pressure is connected to a relief line that branches off from the fuel line.

The invention is based on a fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engines as defined hereinafter. In a fuel injection apparatus of this kind, known from an earlier German patent application number P 39 434 192 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,047), a pump piston axially guided in a cylinder bore of a pump housing is driven to reciprocate by a cam drive. With its face end remote from the cam drive the pump piston defines a pump work chamber in the cylinder bore into which a fuel supply line discharges and which is connected via a pressure conduit to an injection valve protruding into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine to be supplied. Both the quantity of fuel to be injected and also the beginning of the high-pressure delivery of the fuel found in the pump work chamber and therefore the beginning of the injection are regulated via the diversion process by means of a magnet valve that opens on either end, which is disposed in the fuel feed line, and which is controlled as a function of the operating parameters of the engine to be supplied.
Since the known unit fuel injector is driven mechanically via the cam drive as a function of the speed of the engine to be supplied, it has the disadvantage of a very steep increase of the injection pressure in the pump work chamber as the speed of the engine increases. The result, in a unit fuel injector design with an admissible maximum pressure at the nominal capacity point of the engine, or in other words at high engine speeds, is that the injection pressure in the lower speed range is not high enough. For an optimal combustion and the attendant low level of pollutant emissions, however, high injection pressures in the lower speed range are already necessary, which cannot be attained with the known unit fuel injector.

Fuel injection apparatus for internal combustion engines


Method and apparatus for vibration-based automatic condition monitoring of a wind turbine, comprising the steps of: determining a set of vibration measurement values of the wind turbine; calculating a frequency spectrum of the set of vibration measurement values; calculating a cepstrum of the frequency spectrum; selecting at least one quefrency in the cepstrum, and detecting an alarm condition based upon an amplitude of the cepstrum at the selected quefrency, and a wind turbine therefor.

For detecting particular conditions in mechanical systems, automatic condition monitoring systems are known which measure and analyse vibrations occurring in the mechanical system. In order to provide reliable monitoring with high safety and a minimum number of false alarms, which could occur due to difficulties in clearly distinguishing between fault frequencies background noise and/or random frequency peaks, it is desirable to optimize the accuracy of the employed automatic evaluation methods in such systems.
Automatic vibration monitoring systems of the state of the art are typically based on one of the following approaches:
A very common approach is to perform rms (root mean square)-measurement pursuant to ISO 10816. Here, the rms typical at a frequency band of 10 to 10000 Hz is calculated, thus obtaining a scalar value that can be continuously compared to a specified threshold level. However, detecting irregular behaviour of the system that has been present initially is not supported by this approach, and neither can the type of damage be characterized in detail.
Another approach is to define a plurality of different rms-bands located at frequencies of particular interest. For instance, frequency spectra such as obtained from FFTs (fast Fourier transforms) or envelope FFTs on envelopes can be used as input data, and the output result is a scalar value for each of the defined bands, which can be compared to threshold levels. Here, damages can be detected at a rather early stage.
However, this approach does not provide for reliable separation of frequencies that lie close to another, so that neighbouring effects significantly impair the reliability of results and thus the applicability of such systems. Further, this approach suffers from a significant sensitivity to variations in background noise or randomly occurring signals in significant frequency bands. Consequently, these systems may produce false alarms and thus provide only a limited specificity. Moreover, such systems typically provide unsatisfactory results in environments where the amplitude level of a fault vibration signature is about equal to the amplitude level of the general background noise of the system.
A further approach is to compare frequency spectra to alarm masks. Such alarm masks can be defined based on reference spectra at the run-in of the mechanical system. Here, typically one or more alarm masks are applied to the reference spectrum. As soon as a mechanical irregularity occurs, such as tooth damages of a gear, sidebands will be produced that pass through the mask and trigger an alarm.
While this approach provides for a fault detection at an even earlier stage than the approach discussed before, it generally suffers from the same limitations as that approach.
A still further approach is proposed in published patent application EP 1 548 419 A1. Here, it is proposed to apply a cepstrum analysis to a frequency spectrum in order to diagnose irregular behaviour of a bearing unit of a railway vehicle axle.
However, such an approach requires a significant extra effort in data processing due to its particular result form. Also, the evaluation of amplitudes in this approach is difficult to reproduce. Here, the provided amplitudes are still less representative than with a plain frequency spectrum.
The limitations of the approaches as described above are of particular significance in automated condition monitoring of wind turbines, particularly of gears or gear boxes of wind turbines. In a wind turbine, there is a number of different vibration components. While some of these components are relevant for monitoring, others are not. Particularly for tooth damages in a planet stage in a wind turbine gearbox, a vibration signal originating from an irregularity is of a low energy content, as compared to the energy content of signals of properly working components or background noise signals. Also in the frequency domain, the signal of any particular of the multitude of the monitored components appears rather mixed with signals of the other components, and also with general background noise. Particularly with advanced monitoring scenarios in wind turbines comprising a multitude of components with similar characteristic vibration frequencies, neighbouring effects are likely to occur.


A facilitation and enhancement of interactions between a caller and a called party, such as a call center. The enhancement of interactions between a mobile device caller and a call center is by the communication of the mobile device caller's location and/or preferences to the call center. The communication can be in the form of a data structure stored on a computer-readable storage device, which may be transmitted from the mobile device caller to a call center controller. The data structure contains a caller identification entry, which allows the call center to match the data structure with a caller. In addition, a caller context entry associates additional data to the caller identification entry. The additional data includes at least one preference and/or location of the caller. Processor-based methods are disclosed to create, transmit, and/or utilize the data structure.

Mobile phone users often become frustrated when interacting with call centers or other called parties, such as in noisy environments. Interactive voice response ("IVR") systems and call center agents tediously force users to navigate through verbal prompts or menus, which take excessive amounts of the user's valuable time.
The problem can be particularly acute when a user attempts to interact with a call center in a noisy environment. In such situations, background noise can overwhelm the user's verbal responses, making proper recognition of the user's utterances difficult, if not impossible. As a result, the user may repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempt interactions with the call center or called party. Unable to interact in a convenient or timely manner, the user may ultimately experience dissatisfaction and frustration.
An IVR system or a human agent may needlessly ask a user questions and waste the time of the user. For example, a user may spend minutes navigating through an initial series of questions or menus of an IVR system, such as those which ask a user for his language or other preferences, e.g., "press one for English, or marque numero dos para Español."
Given these and other problems, a need exists for a system that overcomes the problems, as well as provides additional benefits. Overall, the examples herein of some prior or related systems and their associated limitations are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the following Detailed Description.

Enhancing information delivery to a called party


Disclosed herein is a semiconductor light emitting device including: (A) an underlying layer configured to be formed on a major surface of a substrate having a {100} plane as the major surface; (B) a light emitting part; and (C) a current block layer, wherein the underlying layer is composed of a III-V compound semiconductor and is formed on the major surface of the substrate by epitaxial growth, the underlying layer extends in parallel to a <110> direction of the substrate, a sectional shape of the underlying layer obtained when the underlying layer is cut along a virtual plane perpendicular to the <110> direction of the substrate is a trapezoid, and oblique surfaces of the underlying layer corresponding to two oblique sides of the trapezoid are {111}B planes, and the top surface of the underlying layer corresponding to an upper side of the trapezoid is a {100} plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor light emitting device, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for forming an underlying layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a semiconductor laser having low threshold current Ith, a semiconductor laser having a separated double hetero junction (SDH) structure that can be formed through one time of an epitaxial growth step (hereinafter, referred to as an SDH semiconductor laser) is known from e.g. Japanese Patent No. 2990837.
For this SDH semiconductor laser, initially a projection part extending along the {110}A plane direction is formed on a substrate having the {100} plane as its major surface. Subsequently, through crystal growth over the major surface of this substrate, a light emitting part arising from stacking of compound semiconductor layers is formed on the {100} plane of the projection part (for convenience, referred to as the projection surface). The light emitting part has e.g. a structure arising from sequential stacking of a first compound semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, an active layer, and a second compound semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type. The sectional shape obtained when this light emitting part is cut along a virtual plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the projection part is e.g. a triangle, and the side surface (oblique surface) of the light emitting part is the {111}B plane. In general, the {111}B plane is known as a non-growth surface in MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition referred to also as MOVPE (Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy)), except for special crystal growth conditions. Therefore, in the case of the SDH semiconductor laser, after the light emitting part whose side surface is the {111}B plane is formed, "self growth stop" of the crystal growth of the light emitting part is kept even if the MOCVD is continued thereafter. The inclination angle (α) of the {111}B plane is 54.7 degrees.
In the present specification, the crystal planes shown below are represented as the (hkl) plane and the (hk-l) plane, respectively, for convenience.
(hkl) plane
(hk l)plane
In addition, the directions shown below are represented as the [hkl] direction and the [hk-l] direction, respectively, for convenience.
[hkl]direction
[hk l] direction
On the other hand, the {100} plane part as the major surface of the substrate except the projection part (for convenience, referred to as the recess surface) does not involve a non-growth surface. Thus, if the MOCVD is continued, a compound semiconductor layer formed through crystal growth from the recess surface will completely cover the light emitting part in the self growth stop state in time. The compound semiconductor layer formed through crystal growth from the recess surface has, on the second compound semiconductor layer, a structure arising from sequential formation of a layer for adjustment of the current block layer position (hereinafter, referred to simply as the adjustment layer) a current block layer, and a burying layer. In general, controlling the thickness of the adjustment layer makes it possible to form a structure that permits current injection only to the active layer of the light emitting part through formation of the current block layer at an intermediate phase before the compound semiconductor layer formed through crystal growth from the recess surface covers the light emitting part (in particular, when the upper surface of the compound semiconductor layer is about to reach both the side surfaces of the active layer formed in the light emitting part).
In this manner, for the SDH semiconductor laser, the respective compound semiconductor layers can be formed based on one time of a crystal growth step. In addition, the active layer can be completely surrounded by compound semiconductor layers favorable for light confinement by selecting materials whose energy band gaps are sufficiently wider than that of the active layer, i.e., materials having lower refractive indexes, as the materials used for the compound semiconductor layers that vertically sandwich the active layer in the light emitting part (the first compound semiconductor layer and the second compound semiconductor layer) and the materials used for the current block layer, the burying layer, and the adjustment layer located outside the light emitting part. Due to this feature, the shape of a beam emitted from the semiconductor laser whose light emitting surface is the end surface of the projection part can be brought close to a perfect circle. That is, as the far field pattern (FFP), the following relationship can be achieved.θ//≈θ⊥
Furthermore, depending on e.g. the efficiency of coupling with a lens, it is often needed that the shape of a beam emitted from the semiconductor laser is an ellipse. For such a case, the θ// of the FFP can be set small e.g. by employing a so-called flare-stripe structure, in which the width of the projection part near the ends of the projection part is increased (refer to e.g. Japanese Patent No. 3399018). Moreover, employing the flare-stripe structure can achieve high light output.

Semiconductor light emitting device, method for manufacturing same, and method for forming underlying layer


Antireflective hardmask compositions and techniques for the use of antireflective hardmask compositions for processing of semiconductor devices are provided. In one aspect of the invention, an antireflective hardmask layer for lithography is provided. The antireflective hardmask layer comprises a carbosilane polymer backbone comprising at least one chromophore moiety and at least one transparent moiety; and a crosslinking component. In another aspect of the invention, a method for processing a semiconductor device is provided. The method comprises the steps of: providing a material layer on a substrate; forming an antireflective hardmask layer over the material layer. The antireflective hardmask layer comprises a carbosilane polymer backbone comprising at least one chromophore moiety and at least one transparent moiety; and a crosslinking component.

In the microelectronics industry, as well as in other industries involving construction of microscopic structures, e.g., micromachines and magnetoresistive heads, there is a desire to further reduce the size of structural features. In the microelectronics industry in particular, while the size of microelectronic devices is being reduced, a greater amount of circuitry for a given chip size is being required.
Effective lithographic techniques are essential to reducing the size of structural features. Lithography impacts the manufacture of microscopic structures, not only in terms of directly imaging patterns on the desired substrate, but also in terms of making masks typically used in such imaging.
Most lithographic processes use an antireflective coating (ARC) to minimize the reflectivity between an imaging layer, such as a radiation-sensitive resist material layer, and an underlayer to enhance resolution. However, these ARC materials impart poor etch selectivity to the imaging layer due to the layers' similar elemental compositions. Therefore, during etching of the ARC after patterning, a lot of the imaging layer is also consumed, which may have been needed for additional patterning during subsequent etch steps.
In addition, for some lithographic techniques, the radiation-sensitive resist material employed does not provide resistance to subsequent etching steps sufficient enough to enable effective transfer of the desired pattern to the layer underlying the radiation-sensitive resist material. In many instances, a hardmask layer is used for example, where an ultrathin radiation-sensitive resist material is used, where the underlying layer to be etched is thick, where a substantial etching depth is required, where it is desirable to use certain etchants for a given underlying layer, or any combination of the above. The hardmask layer serves as an intermediate layer between the patterned radiation-sensitive resist material and the underlying layer to be patterned. The hardmask layer receives the pattern from the patterned radiation-sensitive resist material layer and transfers the pattern to the underlying layer. The hardmask layer should be able to withstand the etching processes required to transfer the pattern.
While many materials useful as ARC compositions are known, there is a need for improved ARC compositions with high etch selectivity to the radiation-sensitive resist material, to the hardmask layer and to the underlying layer. Further, many of the known ARCs are difficult to apply to the substrate, e.g., applying these ARCs may require the use of chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, special solvents, high temperature baking or any combination of the above.
Thus, it would be desirable to be able to perform lithographic techniques with high etch selectivity yet sufficient resistance to multiple etchings. Such lithographic techniques would enable production of highly detailed semiconductor devices.

Antireflective hardmask and uses thereof


A method is provided for determining command-to-process correspondence. The method includes identifying, by the hardware processor, initial processes resulting from executions of container immutability change events for each of multiple containers in a cluster, based on an execution time, a process identifier and a process group identifier for each of the container immutability change events. The method further includes checking, by the hardware processor, if an initial process from among the identified initial processes matches an entry in a database that stores external container commands and at least one respective process resulting from executing each of the external container commands. The method also includes designating, by the hardware processor, a particular external command, from among the external container commands stored in the database, as having a correspondence to the initial process, responsive to the initial process matching the at least one respective process resulting from executing the particular external command.

The present invention generally relates to information processing, and more particularly to correspondence of external operations to containers and mutation events. A container can be a minimum package of a cloud application, which runs using a pre-built image. Currently, container immutability, which refers to not changing a container since its build time, is an important policy in cloud and other applications. However, users can change files and execute processing in a running container from outside of the container, using an external operation. File change events and/or process execution events that are generated by this kind of (external) operation are referred to as "mutation events". A single external operation can generate a large number of mutation events, so it is difficult to find correspondence by checking them manually. Thus, there is a need for an automated, computer-based approach to determine the correspondence between external operations and mutation events.

Correspondence of external operations to containers and mutation events

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