A new method of forming an improved buried contact junction is described. A gate silicon oxide layer is provided over the surface of a semiconductor substrate. A polysilicon layer is deposited overlying the gate oxide layer. A hard mask layer is deposited overlying the polysilicon layer. The hard mask and polysilicon layers are etched away where they are not covered by a mask to form a polysilicon gate electrode and interconnection lines wherein gaps are left between the gate electrode and interconnection lines. A layer of dielectric material is deposited over the semiconductor substrate to fill the gaps. The hard mask layer is removed. The polysilicon layer is etched away where it is not covered by a buried contact mask to form an opening to the semiconductor substrate. Ions are implanted to form the buried contact. A refractory metal layer is deposited overlying the buried contact and the polysilicon gate electrode and interconnection lines and planarized to form polycide gate electrodes and interconnection lines. The dielectric material layer is removed. An oxide layer is deposited and anisotropically etched to leave spacers on the sidewalls of the polycide gate electrodes and interconnection lines to complete the formation of a buried contact junction in the fabrication of an integrated circuit.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the fabrication of integrated circuit devices, and more particularly, to a method of forming simultaneously a tungsten polycide gate and an improved buried contact without a trench in the fabrication of integrated circuits.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a typical buried contact process of the prior art. FIG. 1 illustrates a partially completed integrated circuit device. Isolation regions, such as shallow trench isolation (STI) 12, are formed in and on the semiconductor substrate 10. A gate oxide layer 14 is grown upon the surface of the substrate. Typically, a so-called "split poly" process is used wherein a first layer of polysilicon 16 is deposited over the gate oxide layer to protect the gate oxide from the photoresist process. A layer of photoresist is coated over the polysilicon layer 16 and patterned to form the photoresist mask 20.
The polysilicon and gate oxide layers are etched away where they are not covered by the photoresist mask to form an opening where the buried contact is to be formed. As illustrated in FIG. 2, ions 22 are implanted into the semiconductor substrate through the opening to form the buried contact junction 24.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the second layer of the split poly 26 is deposited over the first polysilicon layer and within the opening. A tungsten silicide layer 28 is deposited over the second polysilicon layer. A second photoresist mask 30 is formed over the substrate.
Referring now to FIG. 4, the tungsten silicide layer, two polysilicon layers, and gate oxide layer 28, 26, 16, and 14 are etched to form gate electrode 32 and polysilicon interconnection line 34. Source/drain regions 36 are formed.
As device dimensions and cell size continue to decrease for high density and improved performance in integrated circuits, there is a growing demand for lower junction leakage and lower contact resistance. However, the contact resistance and junction leakage will increase in the conventional buried contact process if there is misalignment of the photoresist mask during polysilicon etching.
FIG. 5 illustrates the case in which the photoresist mask 30 is shifted to the left. Buried contact trench 35 is formed. This causes an increase in both contact resistance and leakage current. FIG. 6 illustrates the case in which the photoresist mask is shifted to the right. A disconnection gap 37 is left between the buried contact 24 and the source/drain region 36. This increases contact resistance by causing a high series resistance.
A number of patents disclose methods for improving a device in which a buried contact trench has been formed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,552 to J. M. Huang teaches the use of a low dielectric constant spacer to provide better immunity of the buried contact trench. U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,881 also to J. M. Huang teaches linking the buried contact junction and the source junction by an extra high dosage N+ implant to overcome the disadvantages of a buried contact trench. U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,051 to Chen et al teaches a thin polysilicon layer within the buried contact trench. U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,152 to Pan et al discloses the use of a PSG spacer to solve the buried contact trench problem.
Other patents teach methods to avoid forming a buried contact trench. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,848 to H. W. Chin teaches the use of a reverse tone oversized buried contact mask to prevent formation of a buried contact trench. U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,231 to M. S. Liang et al teaches the use of sidewall spacers to prevent the formation of a buried contact trench in DRAM technology. Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/389,630 (TSMC-97-243) to K. C. Huang et al teaches forming a buried contact after formation of the gate electrode and interconnection lines and selective deposition of tungsten over the buried contact and gate electrode.
Still other patents teach other buried contact processes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,362 to Wu teaches a process in which a silicide layer is deposited over the buried contact region followed by a polysilicon layer and topped with a second silicide layer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,259 to Kolar et al teaches forming a silicide over the buried contact region and depositing polysilicon overlying the silicide.

Technology for high performance buried contact and tungsten polycide gate integration

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A variable capacitor is formed from a pair of electrodes and a dielectric interposed between the electrodes over a substrate, and an external input is detected by changing capacitance of the variable capacitor by a physical or electrical force. Specifically, a variable capacitor and a sense amplifier are provided over the same substrate, and the sense amplifier reads the change of capacitance of the variable capacitor and transmits a signal in accordance with the input to a control circuit.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device in which a display device and a control circuit are provided over an insulating substrate. In particular, the present invention relates to a display device including a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as a TFT) over an insulating substrate such as a glass substrate, or a plastic substrate and a semiconductor device including a control circuit.
2. Related Art
In late years, expectations for a so-called "system on panel" in which a driver circuit and a control circuit as well as a display device such as a liquid crystal display device are integrally formed over an insulating substrate such as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate are increased. The control circuit here refers to a CPU, a memory, a controller, and the like.
Using such a "system on panel", weight saving, cost reduction, miniaturization, lower power consumption, and improvements in reliability of a semiconductor device are expected.
When an external input unit is used for such a system on panel, a connector of the input unit can obstruct miniaturization and can also be a major factor of the bottleneck of the reliability. Accordingly, by arranging the input unit including a keyboard in the same substrate, such a system on panel can be more sophisticated.
As for an existing semiconductor device, input operation is performed by pushing or touching a button-like input unit with a finger or the like.
For example, a liquid crystal display device often uses glass for a counter substrate. When an input unit is to be integrated on the glass substrate, it is desirable to form buttons from glass directly on the substrate; however, that is not easy due to the nature of the material.
Further, when plastic is employed for the counter substrate, the number of steps is increased by forming the button into the liquid crystal display device; therefore, reduction in yield or reduced reliability can be caused.

Semiconductor device comprising a plurality of sensors

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A system for fabricating a dental restoration to restore a tooth at a restoration site in a dentition of a patient is disclosed. The dentition includes a restoration dental arch and an opposing dental arch. The restoration dental arch include the restoration site and the opposing dental arch is opposite the restoration dental arch. The system includes an impression apparatus, a motion capture apparatus, an interface apparatus, and a restoration design system. The impression apparatus is configured to capture an impression of the dentition of the patient. The motion capture apparatus is configured to capture a plurality of location data points that represent the locations of the opposing dental arch relative to the restoration dental arch. The interference model generation system is configured to generate an interference model for the restoration site. The restoration design system is for designing a restoration using the interference model.

Teeth are typically classified as anterior or posterior. Anterior teeth are in the front of the mouth; posterior teeth are in the back of the mouth. Typically, a patient has six upper anterior teeth and six lower anterior teeth. The anterior teeth usually have a narrow incisal edge. In a patient who has a normal bite relationship, the incisal edges of the upper anterior teeth are positioned slightly further towards the front of the patient's mouth than the incisal edges of the lower anterior teeth. In this arrangement, the incisal edge of the lower anterior teeth may contact the rear-facing (or lingual) surface of the upper anterior teeth.
A patient can have as many as ten upper posterior teeth and ten lower posterior teeth, although it is quite common to have fewer (e.g., wisdom teeth are frequently removed). The posterior teeth have an occlusal surface that faces the teeth on the opposite arch and forms the biting surface.
A dental restoration is used to restore a tooth or multiple teeth. For example, a crown is a dental restoration that is used to restore a single tooth. A bridge is another example of a dental restoration. A bridge restores multiple teeth. In some circumstances, dental restorations are used to restore functionality after a tooth is damaged. In other circumstances, dental restorations are used to aesthetically improve a patient's dentition.
Generally, a dental restoration must fit harmoniously with the patient's surrounding dentition, and especially with the opposing dentition. For example, the occlusal surface (i.e., the biting surface) of a restoration should be carefully designed to avoid interfering with the closure and movement of the jaw.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for fabricating a dental restoration


A recording head arrangement is disclosed which may be employed in a video signal recording and/or reproducing device in which a video tape is helically wound on a drum carrying recording heads for recording and/or reproducing a video signal. The video signal is divided for representing upper and lower half images on a screen. The recording head arrangement includes first and second heads mounted on the drum adjacent each other. The first and second heads have the same azimuth angle which is inclined in a first direction with respect to a direction perpendicular to the head advancing direction. Third and fourth heads are mounted on the drum 180 degrees spaced from the first and second heads, respectively. The third and fourth heads have the same azimuth angle which is inclined in a second direction, opposite to the first direction. The first and second heads are scanned to form first and second tracks spaced apart by approximately one track width for recording and/or reproducing the first half image, and the third and fourth heads are scanned to form third and fourth tracks spaced apart by approximately one track width and in an interlaced manner with the first and second tracks for recording and/or reproducing the second half image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video signal recording and/or reproducing device which magnetically records and reproduces a video signal, that is, a video tape recorder.
2. Description of the Prior Art and the Problems
A television video signal magnetic-recording device, that is, a video tape recorder is well-known device for producing and preserving a video signal. Recently, a video tape recorder using magnetic recording technology has increased in acceptance as a device to record and reproduce video signal, such as obtained from a television program, or video camera or from a package soft.
Recently, requirements for high quality pictures have become higher, and for this purpose, a high vividness TV form, that is, a high density television (hereinafter called HDTV) has been proposed, and some development of a video tape recorder for such HDTV has being proposed. However, HDTV uses a wide band signal range which is about 5 times as wide as the usual television signal band. Thus, a very fast signal transmission rate is required.
If the video tape recorder for the HDTV were to be made based on the conventional video tape recorder system, it is necessary to make the diameter of a rotary drum carrying recording heads by about five times as big, i.e., about 30 cm. Such a big size drum is not acceptable from the practical viewpoint.
To realize the recording of such a wide band signal, remarkable developments have been made on high density recording since the recent development of magnetic recording technology, such that the recording density is improved every year. For example, by using a newly developed recording medium, such as metallic tapes and metallic heads, the recording density has been improved greatly. Thus, the amount of medium used for recording a certain amount of data has been reduced due to many new developments.
However, a number of problems still remain due to the following reasons:
(1) For television broadcasting, the wide band video signal should be transferred and recorded on a real time basis; PA0 (2) For accurately recording and reproducing the video signal in a wide band, it is necessary to increase the relative speed between the magnetic head and the recording medium; PA0 (3) The speed of a revolution of rotary drum mounted with the magnetic head is limited to a certain speed due to mechanical and structural limitations; and PA0 (4) The size of the rotary drum should preferably be smaller than a certain size for home use appliances, and from the viewpoint of mass-production.
The one segment recording (or non-segment recording) system in which one frame video signal is recorded on one track can not be realized. To overcome this problem, a two segment recording system has been proposed in which one frame is divided into two segments which are recorded on two tracks, one segment on each track. Alternately, a two channel recording system is also proposed in which the recording is effected two tracks at a time to prevent the deterioration of the transfer frequency reduction.
To determine which recording system should be used is very important because the track alignment determined by the selected recording system differs, and also consideration should be made on compatibility between different models and also on the effect of cross talk between neighboring tracks caused by the variation of head width.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a prior art track format employing a two segment recording system such that, for one field, four tracks are used, each of two heads scanned twice for recording two segments. According to this system, one picture frame is divided into upper and lower halves, each half being recorded on two tracks in parallel. With this system, the video signal can be reproduced to provide a proper image on the screen (FIG. 2a) at the ordinary reproducing speed, but at the high speed reproducing mode, the monitored video image on the screen will be doubled in upper and lower half portions of the screen (FIG. 2b) due to the separate recording of the video signal on the tape and also to the slant scanning of the magnetic head over the tape under the high speed reproducing mode.
In a magnetic recording and/or reproducing system, the difference in the azimuth angle between the recording head and the reproducing head gives rise to a reproduction loss shown by the following equation: ##EQU1## in which, L is an azimuth loss, .theta. is an azimuth difference angle, W is the track width and .lambda. is the recording wavelength.
This equation shows that, provided that the azimuth difference in the same track width is the same, the shorter the wavelength, that is, the higher the frequency, the larger the azimuth loss generated.
An azimuth recording system has been developed in which the neighboring two tracks are recorded and reproduced with recording and reproducing heads having different azimuth angles. When this system is employed, the cross talk between the neighboring track is reduced.
Referring to FIG. 3, an example of a prior art magnetic head arrangement provided on drum 1 is shown. The rotary drum 1 rotates in a direction of arrow F. There are four magnetic heads 3, 4, 5 and 6, which are also referred to as A-head, B-head, C-head and D-head, mounted on drum 1 for recording and reproducing the video signal. A-head and C-head are positioned on opposite sides of center axis 2 and similarly B-head and D-head are positioned on opposite sides of center axis 2.
FIG. 4 shows an example of positions of A-head 3 and B-head 4. A head 3 and B head 4 have gaps 7 and 8, respectively, which are slanted in opposite directions at an azimuth angle .theta. with respect to a direction perpendicular to the head running direction indicated by arrowed G. C-head 5 and D-head 6 are arranged in the same manner.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, if rotary drum 1 has a diameter .phi. of 76 mm, with a revolution speed of 3,600 rpm, a tape applying angle of 180.degree.+.alpha.=216.degree. (.alpha. is a margin angle for voice signal area and head switching area), a tape feeding speed of 79.8 mm/sec, and a track width of 24.8 .mu.m, a track pattern like the one shown in FIG. 1 will be formed on a magnetic tape 11.
That is, one frame is formed by 8 tracks, and picture information is divided into two segments for upper half and lower half of the screen image. The picture is also divided into a first field (even field) and a second field (odd field). Tracks 13 and 13' are used for the upper half of the first field, tracks 14 and 14' are used for the lower half of the first field, tracks 15 and 15' are used for the upper half of the second field, and tracks 16 and 16' are used for the lower half of the second field. In FIG. 1, N represents the divided order of the video signal. The voice signal is recorded on a PCM voice track 17.
The above track pattern, however, has the following problems. Since track 13 recorded by A-head 3 for the video signal of the upper half of the first field is located closely adjacent track 13' recorded by B-head 4 for the video signal of the upper half of the first field, a cross talk will be produced between tracks 13 and 13' in spite of the different azimuth angle, particularly for the low frequency range signal. Thus, the reproduced image will be deteriorated in C/N degradation of color signals, color blur or color irregularity. Although such a problem can be overcome by providing a space (guard band) between the tracks, this will not provide the high density recording.
In addition, when the video signal is recorded according to the pattern shown in FIG. 1, the reproduced picture on the screen will be proper (FIG. 2a) under the normal speed reproducing mode, but will be improper (FIG. 2b) under the double speed reproducing mode. Under a triple speed, or faster, reproducing mode, the picture will be utterly deformed.

Recording head arrangement for video signal recording and/or reproducing device


The present invention is directed to a low density flexible polyurethane foam and the process of making the same from a polyisocyanate composition and an isocyanate reactive composition wherein the polyisocyanate composition comprises a semi-prepolymer which is the reaction product of an excess of a base isocyanate formulation with a polyoxyethylene polyol, said base isocyanate formulation comprising a mixture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polyphenylpolymethylene polyisocyanate, said diphenylmethane diisocyanate comprising, inter alia, 2, 4'-MDI in prescribed amounts, whereby the functionality of the base isocyanate formulation ranges from 2.07 to 2.12 and said isocyanate reactive composition comprises water, a second polyoxyethylene polyol, a cross-linker and catalyst.

Polyurethane foams formed by the reaction of a polyisocyanate with a polyhydroxyl-containing compound in the presence of a suitable catalyst are widely accepted as padding materials for cushions in furniture, automobiles and the like.
Polyurethane foam formulations typically require a blowing agent to generate the gas to fill and expand the polyurethane foam cells. The resultant density of a polyurethane foam is controlled by the quantity and efficiency of the blowing agents. While carbon dioxide may be generated as a blowing agent through the reaction of water with the polyisocyanate, the use of low-boiling inert liquids, in particular, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), to augment or replace the chemical blowing action, has led to certain property advantages in the final foams, such as improved softness and higher elasticity.
However, the CFCs used as blowing agents and for other purposes are now suspected to be linked to the depletion of ozone in the upper atmosphere where the generally inert CFCs are decomposed by ultraviolet light. To avoid this potential problem, polyurethane foams blown only with carbon dioxide have acquired renewed interest.
Flexible polyurethane foams have been manufactured for more than thirty years from organic polyisocyanates and polymeric polyol using water as the primary blowing agent. Until recently, the polyisocyanate most commonly used in the production of flexible foams has been tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), but recent years have seen an increasing use of diphenylmethane diisocyanates (MDI), especially 4,4'-MDI, 2,4'-MDI, 2,2' MDI and polymers thereof.
However, water blown flexible polyurethanes produced heretofore have problems associated therewith affecting the stability thereof. These problems need to be overcome in order to produce a useful product. For example, the use of carbon dioxide generated from the reaction of water with isocyanate as a sole blowing agent necessitates formulations containing relatively large amounts of water to obtain low density foam grades; this increase in water makes the foam unstable.
One method of making the foam more stable is to increase high functionality (f.gtoreq.3) polyisocyanate oligomers of the MDI series in the polyisocyanate composition during processing. These higher functionality oligmers ("polymeric MDI" oligomers) produce much crosslinking in the molecular structure of the foam polymer. This helps prevent the foam from collapsing or recessing during rise. The need for this stabilization increases as the foam density decreases. Unfortunately, the added crosslinking detracts from desired mechanical properties and processing characteristics of MDI flexible foam. It causes the foam system to build viscosity faster and gel earlier in the reaction profile (i.e., at lower % conversion of --NCO groups)--thereby hindering the ability of the reacting system to "flow". Poor flow causes difficulties in filling complex molds, especially at low foam densities. The added crosslinking also reduces ultimate elongation and tear strength of the final foams.
The foams can also be made stable by increasing the EO ("ethylene oxide") content of the polyols in the isocyanate reactive composition. However, this increases compression sets, produces tight foams and reduces flow. Yet another way to stabilize the polyurethane foam is via the use of highly potent surfactants. However, this would result in poor fatigue, low resilences and high compression sets.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to develop a low density flexible polyurethane foam which does not suffer from the problems discussed hereinabove.
It is additionally an object of the invention to achieve stability (in low density systems) with reduced crosslinking, in particular, by using lower levels of the higher functionality (f.gtoreq.3) "polymeric MDI" oligomers in the polyisocyanate component. This object is directed primarily to all-MDI based, all-water blown (CFC free) flexible foams of densities less than 3.0 PCF, but greater than 1.6 PCF.
Another object of the invention is to achieve improved mold flow (mold filling ability) without increasing mold residence time. This object must be achieved within the design limits of two-component foam processing machines now in wide use.
Yet another object is to improve physical properties such as elongation and tear strength of the foams, without compromising other important physical properties, such as compression-set resistance.


A device applied to regulating the flow rate of air flowing in a rotary shaft of a turbomachine, the shaft including at least one through orifice for passing air. The device at least one shutter member for shutting the orifice and secured to a deformable blade presenting bi-linear behavior, the blade being secured to the shaft and being suitable for deforming under the effect of the centrifugal force that results from the shaft rotating such that the shutter member is suitable for taking up two different positions depending on the speed of rotation of the shaft: one position in which it shuts the orifice; and another position in which it releases the orifice to allow air to pass through.

The present invention relates to a device for regulating the flow rate of air flowing in a rotary shaft of a turbomachine, and in particular in a compressor shaft of such a turbomachine.
In a turbomachine, it is common practice to take air for various purposes, in particular to regulate the pressurization of oil enclosures so as to prevent oil leaks, or to cool certain parts of the turbomachine.
The functions of pressurizing and cooling these portions of the turbomachine are performed by taking air that normally comes from the high and low pressure compressors of the turbomachine, with the choice depending on the temperature and pressure conditions desired for the air that is taken. Air as taken in this way generally passes inside the shafts of the compressor or the turbine so as to be delivered to the oil enclosures for pressurizing or to the components of the turbomachine that need cooling.
The taking of air from the high and low pressure compressors thus depends on the speed of rotation of the shaft driving those compressors. For pressurizing oil enclosures, it becomes necessary, at low speeds, to take air that is highly compressed in order to ensure good sealing of the oil enclosures.
However, taking highly compressed air at high speed is harmful for the lifetimes of sealing systems. It can lead to certain sensitive parts of the turbomachine being heated excessively, and that is penalizing in terms of performance.
European patent No. 0 698 739 B1 discloses a device for taking air that comprises a toroidal shell placed in a wall that is swept by a flow of air, the shell being suitable for pivoting about an axis to go from a position in which it projects maximally from the wall to a position in which it is retracted in the wall. Nevertheless, that device does not enable the flow rate of the air that is taken to be regulated as a function of the requirements for air.

Method of regulating the flow rate of air in a rotary shaft of a turbomachine


The invention includes an apparatus and method for switching packets through a switching fabric. The apparatus includes a plurality of input ports and output ports for receiving arriving packets and transmitting departing packets, a switching fabric for switching packets from the input ports to the output ports, and a plurality of schedulers controlling switching of packets through the switching fabric. The switching fabric includes a plurality of virtual output queues associated with a respective plurality of input-output port pairs. One of the schedulers is active during each of a plurality of timeslots. The one of the schedulers active during a current timeslot provides a packet schedule to the switching fabric for switching packets through the switching fabric during the current timeslot. The packet schedule is computed by the one of the schedulers active during the current timeslot using packet departure information for packets departing during previous timeslots during which the one of the schedulers was active and packet arrival information for packets arriving during previous timeslots during which the one of the schedulers was active.

As the volume of Internet traffic continues to grow, telecommunications equipment providers and telecommunications service providers continue working to increase network transmission capacity between switches and switching capacity within switches. The rapid growth in network transmission capacity, however, has shifted the network bottleneck from network transmission capacity to switching capacity. Due to the need to rapidly scale switching capacity to match the fast growth of network transmission capacity, high-speed switch architectures have been intensely studied recently. The most common types of switches include shared-memory switches, output-queued switches, and input-queued switches.
A basic issue in scaling switching capacity is memory-bandwidth, particularly for output-queued switches since speed-up proportional to switch size is required at the output ports. While input-queued switches do not inherently require such speedup, input-queued switches may have throughput bounds due to output port contention. The potential of input-queued switches for maintaining good switching performance with reduced memory-bandwidth requirements (as compared to shared memory switching architectures and output-queued switching architectures) have made input-buffered switches preferred for high-speed switching applications. Disadvantageously, however, existing input-queued switches have numerous issues impacting both switch stability and switching throughput.
While input-queued switches avoid the requirement of large speed-up at the output ports, a major bottleneck in scaling input-queued switches is the scheduler needed to keep the input-queued switch stable and achieve high throughput. Several approaches have been proposed to solve this problem, including pipelining the implementation, reducing the frequency of scheduling computations, and eliminating the scheduler altogether using a two-stage load-balancing architecture. Such approaches, however, fail to keep the input-queued switch stable and achieve high throughput. Furthermore, approaches which eliminate the scheduler in favor of a two-stage load-balancing architecture require a speed-up of the switch and additional mechanisms to re-sequence out-of-order packets, and often do not have good performance with respect to packet delay.
In existing input-queued switches, a scheduler uses a scheduling algorithm which determines matching (e.g., maximum weighted matching problem) between input ports and output ports. As the number of ports and associated line speeds continue to increase, it becomes increasingly difficult to solve the matching problem within required time frames. For example, for lines having line rates of 40 Gbps (OC768) that convey 64-byte packets, a match must be computed every 12.8 nanoseconds. Although approaches to decrease the frequency of matching computations have been proposed (e.g., decreasing frequency of matching by increasing packet size, using the same matching for multiple time frames, or pipelining the matching computation), such approaches fail to keep the input-queued switch stable and achieve high throughput.

Method and apparatus for operating fast switches using slow schedulers


Filters and filter assemblies including one or more shield elements to protect the filter media of the filters during installation of the filters into a filter housing of the filter assembly are provided. A filter includes first and second media packs, a housing seal system, a handle and a shield element. Filter media packs extend from a first end to a second end in a diverging manner. The first end has a length dimension and a width dimension that extend transversely. A shield element projects over the first and second media packs at the first end a span in the width direction of at least 40% of the width dimension defined by the first and second media packs and projecting a span in the length direction of at least 5% of the length dimension defined by the first end.

Filter elements are used to filter fluid such as air to prevent damage or reduced functionality of downstream systems. Typically, the filter elements are configured to be a replacement part such that when they become clogged or their useful life is otherwise spent, they can be replaced.
One particular type of filter element utilizes a plurality of panels of filter media operably mounted to a frame. The panels of filter media are operably sealed relative to each other on three sides to form a cavity that is open on a single side.
It has been determined that when pleated filter media is used to form the panels and the pleats extend generally perpendicular to the insertion direction of the filter elements into a corresponding housing, the pleats can be damaged due to improper user installation. More particularly, if the user pushes on the pleated media rather than the frame, the panels may tear causing an undesirable leak path. Further, some embodiments of filter housing include covers that include projections that extend toward the filter element. Unfortunately, if these projections are pushed into the pleated media, the pleated media can likewise be damaged.
The present invention relates to improvements over the state of the art for this type of filter element.


A method and apparatus for controlling the relative states between a rotating load member driven by a motor via a transmission where the velocity and position of the rotating load member are determined and the velocity and position of the motor are determined. The information concerning the velocity and position of the load and motor are used by a controller to generate a torque signal for controlling the velocity and position of the motor such that there is increased relative damping and relative stiffness between the rotating load member and the motor.

In an image-forming apparatus wherein an image (latent image) is formed on an image-bearing member such as a drum or belt which is movable along an endless path, it is required that the speed of the movement of the surface of the image-bearing member (also referred to as the "load") is maintained at a predetermined speed. If the surface speed is different from the predetermined speed, or if the surface speed is not uniform, the image formed on the image-bearing member is contracted or expanded, whereby the formed image is distorted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,662 attempts to control the load velocity by sensing and controlling the velocity of the load directly. Use of this mechanism maintains a constant rotational speed of the drum output. This method assumes that mechanical constraints allow placement of a suitable velocity and/or position sensor at the load. Also assumed is that transmission nonlinearities do not result in control instabilities and that the cost of a separate sensor with reasonable resolution is not prohibitive.
The prior art is replete with techniques for controlling the velocity of a belt, where a load is driven through a belt transmission by a servo controlled motor. The velocity of the load is controlled by controlling the velocity of the motor. For example, if a constant velocity is desired from the load, the motor is servo driven at a constant velocity. Because any transmission system has compliance, it will oscillate or "ring" if torques are applied at the load; the motor will also receive a measure of the torque disturbance, but the servo system will substantially eliminate any velocity variation at the motor. It should be noted that the motivation was to provide constant velocity at the load; however, in practice, the compliance of the transmission results in velocity variations at the load.
Unstable surface speeds can result from a deformation of the transmission which transmits the driving force from the motor to the drum. Because the surface speed of the drum is not controlled, but is allowed to change, the sharpness of the image formed on such a surface is degraded.
A potential solution would be to drive the motor based on the velocity of the load. A couple of problems arise; first sensing the load velocity is often much more difficult than sensing the motor velocity due to mechanical constraints. Secondly, nonlinearities in the transmission can cause control instabilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,568 attempts to eliminate oscillations in an endless belt by introducing a second motor to drive the load motor in such a way that velocity variations of the belt are eliminated.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,541,709 and 4,723,145 both refer to methods of minimizing the velocity errors between an image-bearing member and a transfer material-bearing member. Both use a motor for each of the movable members. Neither addresses the effect of compliance in the transmission between either motor and its load. The present invention serves to minimize the effects of this compliance through the use of a single motor and measurement of the relative states between the motor and the image-bearing member.

Controlling the speed of an image-bearing member using relative states


A container guide includes a guide rail and a single piece having a main body and retainers. At least one of the retainers is arranged in either a through passage or a recess in a surface-area portion of the main body. Each retainer includes a bent rail bar and a rail support. A portion of the rail support comprises a support arm that is perpendicular to a plane defined by the surface-area portion of the main body. The guide rail is arranged directly on the support arms for guiding the container.

In a container treatment plant, it is often necessary to move containers along a path. Such containers include bottles, tetra packs, and similar containers. A transport device handles moving the container. However, it is often necessary to have a couple a guide to the transport apparatus so that the containers slide along the guide.
A typical container-treatment plant is called upon to handle many kinds of containers of different sizes and shapes. These are often called "container formats." Certain components of a container-treatment plant may change when the container format changes. These parts are often called "format parts." The guide is often such a format part. Thus, when switching over to a different container format, it is often necessary to also switch the guide.
Container guides are also susceptible to being contaminated by food, for example as a result of container breakage or of a container tipping over. It is therefore useful if the guide can be cleaned easily.

Apparatus for guiding containers for a conveyor


Ion exchange fibers comprising a polymer component having a main chain of a syndiotactic poly(1,2-butadiene) structure and containing ion exchange functional groups introduced at least part of side chain ethylene groups. These fibers may be suitably formed into a non-woven fabrics, and thus an ion exchange cloth can be obtained, which has excellent ion exchange capacity, flexibility excellent processing capacity, high mechanical strength and elongation. The ion exchange fibers have excellent ion exchange capacity with respect to fluid such as water or gas and thus can be used as cartridge filters and fiber-filled filters.

Ion exchange polymers are useful in many industrial fields such as electrical engineering, electronics, semiconductors, precision engineering, food industries, medicine, nuclear power and water treatment.
Conventional ion exchange resins include styrene-divinyl benzene copolymer, acrylic acid- or methacrylic acid-divinyl benzene copolymer.
As conventional ion exchange fibers, conjugate fibers, in which a polymer of aromatic monovinyl compounds constitutes a sheath component, are used as base fibers, as disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 186/1974, Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 94,233/1975, Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 12,985/1977 and Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 120,986/1977. Other conventional techniques involving melt spun fibers of styrene-divinyl benzene copolymer are disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 81,169/1973.
Dry spun fibers of baked polyvinyl alcohol are disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 71,815/1980 and Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 184,113/1987, and acrylonitrile fibers are disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application (Kokai) No. 50,032/1980.
In the prior art, however, with a thermoplastic polymer for manufacturing fibers the melt fluidity is reduced very much in proportion to the increasing cross-linking of the thermoplastic polymer. In this case, therefore, it is impossible to use the usual extruder, but it is necessary to use a very high pressure specific extruder for manufacturing such fibers.
Further, baked polyvinyl alcohol fibers or the like are hard and fragile, and it is difficult to subject them to the ususal processing of fibers such as carding, webbing, spinning to spun yarns, fabrication, knitting and producing non-woven fabrics, etc.

Ion exchange fibers and method for manufacturing the same


Low VOC automotive sealer compositions containing reactive urea/urethane compounds are disclosed. Sealers and tintable sealers utilyzing the reactive urea/urethane compounds have improved physical properties with a faster dry times without sacrificing other desirable properties. These compositions are found to be useful for automotive refinish according to this invention.

In order to meet EPA regulations, the use of high solids coatings having reduced amount of solvents and its application using high volume low pressure spray gun has become customary. Typically, low VOC coatings have been found to exhibit below average drying when compared to conventional automotive coatings with longer dry times and short pot life.
To apply topcoat, wet on wet over sealer, the faster dry time of the sealer is preferred and advantagenous for the painter to do more repair jobs per day. Also for the improved efficiency of the repair jobs for automotive refinish body shops, the early sanding properties of the primer is desirable.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the low VOC sealer and tintable sealer compositions with faster drying chacteristics are disclosed. These improved physical properties are achieved without sacrificing other desirable properties.

Automotive undercoat coating compositions containing reactive urea/urethane compounds


A method for forming a metallization layer (30). A first layer (14) is formed outwardly from a semiconductor substrate (10). Contact vias (16) are formed through the first layer (14) to the semiconductor substrate (10). A second layer (20) is formed outwardly from the first layer (14). Portions of the second layer (20) are selectively removed such that the remaining portion of the second layer (20) defines the layout of the metallization layer (30) and the contact vias (16). The first and second layers (14) and (20) are electroplated by applying a bi-polar modulated voltage having a positive duty cycle and a negative duty cycle to the layers in a solution containing metal ions. The voltage and surface potentials are selected such that the metal ions are deposited on the remaining portions of the second layer (20). Further, metal ions deposited on the first layer (14) during a positive duty cycle are removed from the first layer (14) during a negative duty cycle. Finally, exposed portions of the first layer (14) are selectively removed.

An integrated circuit comprises a large number of semiconductor devices, such as transistors, that are formed on a semiconductor substrate or, more colloquially, a "chip." These devices are selectively interconnected by one or more patterned layers of a conductive material, typically aluminum, to form a circuit that performs a desired function. These layers are referred to as "metallization" layers. As integrated circuits become more complex, designers reduce the minimum feature size of the constituent devices of the circuit, so as to fit more devices on a chip. With this reduction in size, it becomes more difficult to achieve proper pattern definition using conventional techniques such as photolithography and dry etch techniques for forming metallization layers. Further, designers have attempted to use copper instead of aluminum as the principle metallization material in the metallization layers, due to perceived advantages in resistivity, ductility and melting point. Unfortunately, developers have not been able to create a reliable technique for patterning a copper layer.
For example, one process using electro-deposition for forming a copper metallization layer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,168. According to this process, a conductive barrier layer is deposited on a semiconductor substrate. Further, a photoresist reverse image of the maskwork normally used to etch the metallization pattern is created on the substrate. The wafer is then transferred to an electrolytic bath in which the copper is complexed with EDTA molecules. A fixed voltage is applied between a voltage source and the semiconductor substrate to deposit the copper ions on the barrier layer that is not covered by the photoresist layer including contact/via openings on the semiconductor substrate. Unfortunately, when the substrate is placed in the electrolytic bath, the photoresist material may lift-off from the substrate thus depositing copper in areas where it is not required.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a method for forming a metallization layer that avoids the disadvantages and problems of prior techniques.

Method for forming a metallization layer


An image processing apparatus acquires user information and changes a default setting value for at least one of a plurality of processes that are defined in a process definition file. The changed default setting value is displayed on a setting screen. The image processing apparatus changes the default setting value based on the frequency with which a setting value has been changed by a user that corresponds to the user information in processing in accordance with the process definition file.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that performs setting of image processing, an image processing setting method for the image processing apparatus, and a storage medium that stores a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image processing apparatuses have been known that read an image on an original and generate image data by a reading function, and that transmit the generated data to destinations by a transmission function. In these cases, a user designates a reading parameter used when the image on the original is read, and also designates a transmission protocol, a transmission destination and the like used when the generated image data is transmitted. In the case where a series of processes is executed by combining a plurality of functions as above (for example, reading function and transmission function), a wide range of contents needs to be designated by the user, and thus operations are troublesome.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-104151, a configuration is described in which in the case where a user selects a plurality of functions, a selection frequency of each function is stored every time the user performs a selection operation, and in which if the selection frequency of a function exceeds a predetermined threshold, that function is displayed preferentially on an operation unit. It is described that, as a result, in the case where the operation unit can only perform one line function display and menu items of the functions are further in hierarchical structure, it is possible to preferentially display a setting function that the user often uses through less operations, and thus it is possible to reduce user operations.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-287860 describes a system in which in the case of executing multiple services in coordination with each other, an instruction sheet that defines the content of multiple processes that are to be executed is created in advance and stored in a server that is network-connected to an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus obtains the instruction sheet from the server, and processes a document in accordance with definitions described in the instruction sheet. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-287860, a configuration is described in which a user only needs to instruct the execution of the instruction sheet that has been prepared in advance in order for processes of the content described in the instruction sheet to be executed in order, thus enabling reducing user operations.
Here, it is assumed that the above-mentioned instruction sheet is changeable by the user to a certain extent. This is due to the fact that in an environment where multiple users use an image processing apparatus, it is conceivable that one instruction sheet is shared with multiple users, although it would be expected that different settings are needed for each user in order to satisfy the usage levels of all users. For example, even if an instruction sheet defines that monochrome processing is performed on an image read from an original, it is conceivable that there are users who desire to transmit an image that has undergone color processing. In other words, users who desire such color processing need to change the monochrome processing setting to color processing every time, and thus the above-mentioned system requires much time and effort.

Image processing apparatus, image processing setting method and storage medium for changing a default value based on a frequency with which a setting value has been changed by a user


The invention provides a fastener (10) for a screen panel (20), the fastener including a base section (12) at least two outer engagement means (14) extending from opposite side zones of the base section, the two outer engagement means at least partially opposing one another; and at least one inner engagement means (16) located between the outer engagement means; the inner and outer engagement means including retaining formations (14.2, 16.2) adapted to engage a complementary receiving formation in a screen panel (20) in a snap fit configuration.

Vibratory screening machines are well known in industry, and are frequently used for screening of particulate materials such as mineral ores encountered in the mining industry. In use, the particulate material is conveyed along a vibrating screen deck comprising a plurality of screen panels located adjacent one another on a supporting frame. The screen panels typically have screening apertures provided therethrough, which are suitably sized for allowing particles below a predetermined size to fall through the screen panel, whilst larger particles continue to travel on top of the screen panel.
Due to the nature of the screening process, the screen panels are prone to substantial wear, and it is required that the screen panels making up the screen deck be replaced from time to time. From a maintenance perspective, it is desirable for the replacement process to be as simple and quick as possible. However, existing fastening systems usually comprise a plurality of individual fastening elements that need to be removed and subsequently replaced, thus rendering the replacement process difficult and time consuming. Some existing fastening arrangements for instance comprise fasteners that urge the screen panel against the supporting frame by sandwiching the screen panels between the supporting frame and upper parts of the fastening members. Although this arrangement results in a sturdy and reliable fastening arrangement, it will be appreciated that replacement of the screen panels may be an time consuming process, as all the fastening members first need to be removed before the screen panels can be replaced, and conversely all fastening members must be replaced after the panels have been replaced. In addition to the adverse effect on replacement time, the removal and replacement of the fastening members may also result in loose parts getting lost during the replacement process.

Screen panel fastener and fastening arrangement


An illumination lamp is provided. The illumination lamp includes a hollow pillar tube being light-transmissive, at least one inner light tube accommodated in the hollow pillar tube, and an electrode set disposed at one distal end of the hollow pillar tube and electrically connected to the inner light tube in the hollow pillar tube.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an illumination device, more particularly to an illumination lamp.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional fluorescent lamp tubes (i.e. Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamps), are classified into Type T5˜T12 in accordance with sizes and light capabilities. Normally, as compared to these lamp tubes among Type T5˜T12, Type T8 lamp tubes are larger in size (25.4 mm in diameter), higher in power consumption (about 15-32 Watts), lower in light capability, longer in average product life (about 7,500-20,000 hours) and cheaper. Type 5 lamp tubes are new in generation, more compact in size (16 mm in diameter), lower in power consumption (about 8-13 Watts), higher in light capability, shorter in average product life (about 5,000 hours) and more expensive.
Although these conventional fluorescent lamp tubes fail to get improved power consumption, light capability, average product life and price, and fail to provide functions for proportional lightness modulation, these conventional fluorescent lamp tubes are used. Thus, whenever these fluorescent lamp tubes become useless and need to be dumped due to becoming obsolete or malfunction, these obsolete or malfunctioning lamp tubes are sometimes discarded or broken. Throwing these tubes away wastes society resources in dealing with debris of these lamp tubes.
Thus, issues are raised up on how the described disadvantage in high power consumption, low capability, short average product life and high price be solved, and how the waste of resources can be minimized.


A voltage dropping circuit for a semiconductor device is provided. The voltage dropping circuit includes a control unit for producing a reference voltage from a first specified voltage, an output unit for generating a second specified voltage which is a half of the first specified voltage in accordance with the reference voltage, a timer circuit for generating a driving pulse which becomes active intermittently, and a switch circuit for operating the control unit when the driving pulse is active and stopping the operation of the control unit when the driving pulse is not active.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voltage dropping circuit for a semiconductor device, and more particularly, it relates to a voltage dropping circuit with which power consumption during a standby time can be reduced.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, semiconductor integrated circuits have been increasingly miniaturized. In particular, this tendency is most noticeable in dynamic RAMs. With the miniaturization of transistors, their supply voltage must be reduced for various reasons, such as lifetime shortening of transistors caused by hot electrons. For example, the supply voltage for transistors having a 0.6 .mu.m gate length must be 4 V or less (e.g., 3.3 V),in general, while the supply voltage which has conventionally been widely used for ICs is 5 V. Consequently, an internal voltage dropping circuit has been used in ICs so that the supply voltage from outside is reduced from 5 V to 3.3 V to be applied to transistors inside.
FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the constitution of a conventional (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage generating circuit as the internal voltage dropping circuit for a semiconductor device.
As shown in FIG. 5, the conventional (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage generating circuit for a semiconductor device is composed of an output transistor control unit 1 and an output transistor unit 2. The output transistor control unit 1 includes two resistors 1a and 1b for dividing a V.sub.CC supply voltage, an n-channel FET 1c and a p-channel FET 1d which are connected therebetween. A voltage increase control terminal 1e outputs a reference voltage which is higher than half the V.sub.CC supply voltage ((1/2) V.sub.CC voltage) by the pinch-off voltage of the FET 1c, while a voltage decrease control terminal 1f outputs a reference voltage which is lower than the (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage by the pinch-off voltage of the FET 1d.
The output transistor unit 2 includes an n-channel FET 2a which is connected between the V.sub.CC power supply and a (1/2) V.sub.CC power supply terminal 3 and a p-channel FET 2b which is connected between the (1/2) V.sub.CC power supply terminal 3 and ground. The reference voltages from the voltage increase control terminal 1e and voltage decrease control terminal 1f are applied to the gates of the FETs 2a and 2b, respectively. When the actual voltage at the (1/2) V.sub.CC power supply terminal 3 becomes lower than the (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage, the FET 2a is activated. In contrast, when the actual voltage at the (1/2) V.sub.CC power supply terminal 3 exceeds the (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage, the FET 2b is activated, thus maintaining the (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage supplied from the (1/2) V.sub.CC power supply terminal 3.
The foregoing conventional (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage generating circuit is designed so that the output transistor control unit 1 always allows the passage of driving current therethrough. However, it has been desired particularly in recent years to minimize the power consumption of semiconductor devices on standby, because of their battery driving and for other reasons.
The conventional (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage generating circuit is therefore disadvantageous in that the presence of driving current in the output transistor control unit 1 prevents the power consumption of a semiconductor device from decreasing during a standby time.
An application of the (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage generating circuit to DRAMs as semiconductor devices is disclosed in Jun. 7th, 1990 IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits, A 1.5 V Circuit Technology for 64 Mb DRAMs, pp 17-18, which shows a schematic view of the conventional (1/2) V.sub.CC voltage generating circuit in FIG. 15 thereof.

Voltage dropping circuit for semiconductor device


A transport stream (TS) is recorded and the recorded TS is reproduced simultaneously. An input PID parser extracts the first packet only to be recorded, the second packet to be recorded and to be used for controlling, and the third packet to be used only for controlling from among the TS packet that constitutes the TS supplied from a descrambler. The first and second packets are supplied to a receiver and supplied to a hard disk drive (HDD) for recording. The second and third packets are supplied to an MUX. On the other hand, the TS packet stored in the HDD is read out and supplied to the MUX by way of an output PID parser. The MUX multiplexes the second or third packet supplied from the input PID parser and the TS packet read out from the HDD, and supplies the multiplexed packet to a CPU that controls a descrambler or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data processing apparatus and a data processing method, and a recording medium, and more particularly relates to a data processing apparatus and a data processing method, and a recording medium that are capable of simultaneous recording and reproducing of a digital satellite broadcast program.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, the digital satellite broadcasting has been started practically, and various digital satellite broadcast receiving apparatus have been commercialized.
However, no digital satellite broadcast receiving apparatus having a built-in storage device such as a hard disk or the like for recording a digital satellite broadcast program has not yet been commercialized at present time.
Furthermore, in the commercialization of such digital satellite broadcast receiving apparatus, it would be likely needed in the future that such a digital satellite broadcast receiving apparatus is provided with a simultaneous recording and reproducing function like so-called delayed playback that is a function for reproducing a digital satellite broadcast program recorded in a storage device while the received digital satellite broadcast program is being recorded in the storage device.

Data processing apparatus and method with packet parsing


The present invention is an easily mobilized compact module that combines habitable quarters and integrated interior and/or exterior multipurpose storage structures. Mobilization may be via trailer, truck bed, helicopter, adjustable jacks or other conveyance means. The module may be easily and quickly removed and reattached to one of the aforementioned mobilization means via attachable height-adjustable legs, hoist, crane, or forklift with locking turnbuckles, bolts, or other hold-downs. The module is built of a rigid exoskeleton designed for enclosure habitat and for utility as a base for attaching items or equipment. It has various end cap options such as doors, windows, or solid panels, as a user dictates. The interior of a module has modular panels that form many configurations for functional use and/or storage. The interior also has a useful endoskeleton or useful interior storage structure for attaching useful items such as soft stowage and electrical wires thereto. The module may be used as a single unit or attached together to form a larger habitable structure.

This invention relates generally to a portable or mobile habitation module. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile habitation module that may also secure gear on or within the mobile habitation module.
Many people spend time in the outdoors to enjoy recreational activities such as camping, hiking, and fishing. Habitable temporary shelters such as camping trailers or vans including habitable space are often used in order to provide a base for their activities as well as protect inhabitants from the elements of the outdoors when sleeping or otherwise utilizing shelter. Such habitable temporary shelters may have other useful purposes including by agencies such as the Department of the Interior or the Department of Defense for military purposes. Other purposes for the temporary habitable shelters may be professional such as for storm chasers, astronomers, and other professionals who may have a need to be outdoors in order to carry out professional duties. Commonly camping trailers or vans, or other habitable, temporary shelters may be used as first aid stations or field offices in urban locations. The habitable, temporary shelters may be useful, for example, to aid athletes and fans alike at various sports venues (e.g., marathoners on city streets or fans at a football stadium).
There are many small, habitable modules available on the market today, both vehicle-based and trailer-based. Many of the habitable modules on the market are hard-shell habitats that are not easily mobile. The smaller habitable modules are not capable of withstanding rugged terrain that is common when traveling to rugged or recreational areas or other regions where such habitable vehicles may be used. At the same time, the larger habitable modules may have difficulty in traversing rugged terrain. The larger habitable living modules further may not be able to be towed by smaller vehicles like cars. Moreover, habitable temporary shelters are not adaptable for different usages. Other habitable living modules presently on the market may be tall and bulky, for example recreational vehicles (RVs). As such, such habitable living modules may present clearance issues during cross-country travel, or they may present visibility issues for drivers of the vehicles.
There are also many separate products devoted to securing gear or equipment on or within a vehicle. These products, however, generally serve only to act as a storage unit, and they do not provide for living habitable space. People who use small habitable vehicles to camp and enjoy the outdoors, or even people who must be outdoors to serve professional purposes, often need a habitable space that also provides adjustable or modifiable storage for computers, monitoring devices, tools, tables, awnings, clothing, hammocks, or other useful equipment. Yet, presently, current products on the market are designed for only one mode or the other. The consumer is forced to decide, for example, on a camping trailer, truck camper, or small non-portable weatherproof unit rack or storage container. Some of the units and habitats are designed for recreational use and some for professional use. Users of both habitable vehicles and storage vehicles desire a solution module that is able to not only be habitable, but also is capable of securing gear or equipment. As it stands now, consumers are forced to decide between, for example, a camping trailer or a cargo trailer, a truck camper or a tarp, or a small non-portable weatherproof tool box or rack unit.
What is needed is a designed systematic solution that can provide outdoor enthusiasts including the military and those that rely on being in the outdoors for professional purposes with the ability to solve multiple problems, situations, and scenarios they may currently face. The solution should be a habitable space for use outdoors that should be tough enough for being transported off-road in rugged terrain, but also lightweight enough to be towed by the smallest of cars, in a truck bed, or hoisted by a helicopter or other means of transportation to be delivered to remote, emergency locations or within the confines of a city. The solution should be comfortable but still be useful to the many situations and users for which it is intended. Moreover, the solution should have the ability to be arranged and re-arranged for differing scenarios, including being fully usable as a stand alone module or in conjunction with a supportive structure such as a truck or trailer and further capable of being modular and connectable to form an even larger structure.

Compact combined habitation module and utility rack with multiple deployment modes


Ceramic beads having a bimodal pore distribution are prepared by a process involving a) formation of a ceramic particle slurry, b) adding a foamable prepolymer to the slurry to form a mixture, c) dispersing the mixture as beads in a second liquid, d) polymerizing and foaming the prepolymer, e) recovering the beads and firing them to remove the polymer and bond the ceramic particles. The beads can optionally be joined by sintering. Beads with a monodal pore distribution can be made by using a nonfoaming prepolymer.

Porous ceramic materials have received growing attention in recent years for their potential use as catalyst supports, molten metal filters, diesel exhaust filters, combustion burners, thermal insulation, etc. The specific use of the ceramic will depend on the size of the porous ceramic body, the nature of the porosity (closed or open), and ceramic composition among other factors.
These porous ceramic materials have been made by several methods over the years. A good overview of these methods can be found in an article "Processing of Porous Ceramics" by J. Saggio-Woyansky, American Ceramic Society Bulletin vol. 71, No. 11, November 1992, p. 1674-1682. Two principal methods are a) impregnation of a polymer "sponge" with a ceramic slurry followed by firing to remove the polymer, and b) foaming of a ceramic slurry followed by firing the foam. The sponge technique generally produces open (reticulated) pore structures. The foaming technique may produce reticulate and/or closed (vesiculated) pores depending on the foaming technique used and the conditions employed.
For many catalyst support and biological support applications, it is generally desirable to have a ceramic with predominantly reticulate porosity to increase the surface area of the ceramic which is accessible to the medium surrounding the porous ceramic. Further, it is often desirable that the porous ceramic have combinations of micropores and reticulate macropores to allow greater access to the ceramic surface. Interconnected macropores facilitate the passage of fluid through the ceramic.
For many catalyst and biological support applications, the support is typically placed in contact with a fluid reaction medium or biological medium. In these and other applications, the porous ceramic is often used in the form of beads. Generally, spherical beads are preferred. Unfortunately, the need for such ceramic beads with reticulate macroporosity has been unmet.


A robotic turntable drive arrangement in a robotic roller hemming system includes a turntable having a top plate and a lower frame. The top plate is rotatable about the lower frame. The turntable further includes a plurality of lock positions. The arrangement also includes a robot having an arm adapted for engagement with the turntable top plate. Movement of the robot arm while the robot arm is engaged with the turntable top plate rotates the turntable top plate.

It is known in the art relating to robotic roller hemming to utilize a motorized turntable to rotate a fixture to position a part to be hemmed thereon in front of a robotic roller hemmer. The fixture is driven into required orientations to allow for complete hemming of the perimeter of a workpiece, for example a closure panel, being hemmed. The use of a motorized turntable undesirably increases the cost of such roller hemming arrangements. For simpler workpiece/closure piece configurations, the turntable may be eliminated and replaced with a fixed unit. A fixed unit, however, severely limits reach and access to the fixture. Also, a fixed unit is only usable with a minimum number of fixture configurations.

Robotic turntable drive arrangement in a robotic roller hemming system


A recording method performs recording on a recording medium using a pigment ink and a reaction liquid that has a higher surface tension than that of the pigment ink and contains a polyvalent metal salt capable of agglomerating the pigment ink. The method includes the steps of applying the reaction liquid on the recording medium, and bringing the pigment ink into contact with a surface of the reaction liquid that is present on the recording medium so that a filmy agglomerate, composed of an agglomeration of pigment aggregates produced by contact between the reaction liquid and the pigment ink, is formed on the surface of the reaction liquid applied on the recording medium. The pigment aggregates migrate on the surface of the reaction liquid toward a boundary between the reaction liquid and the recording medium, and by the migration of the pigment aggregates, an agglomeration of the pigment aggregates is formed along the surface of the reaction liquid, and thereby the filmy agglomerate is formed on the surface of the reaction liquid.

Inkjet recording methods are such methods that recording is performed by ejecting and depositing droplets of a recording liquid (ink) onto recording media such as paper. According to a method in which an electrothermal converter, as ink-ejecting energy supplying means, is used to provide thermal energy for the ink so as to produce bubbles to eject ink droplets by means of the bubbles, a high-density multi-orifice recording head can be easily realized and high-resolution and high-quality images can be recorded at a high speed (Japanese Patent Publication Nos. S61-59911, S61-59912, S61-59914).
However, inks conventionally used in inkjet recording generally include water as a main component and a solvent with a high boiling point, such as glycol, for the purpose of preventing the inks from drying and clogging. And when recording is performed on plain paper using such inks, inks can sometimes penetrate the inside of recording paper, resulting in insufficient image density or non-uniform image density, which may be attributed to non-uniform distribution of loaded fillers or sizing agents on the surface of the recording medium (recording paper).
Particularly when intending to produce color images, since a plurality of different color inks are overlapped one by one, color inks can sometimes spread or be non-uniformly mixed (hereinafter this phenomenon is referred to as bleeding) at the boundaries between images of different colors, and thus the resultant images are not satisfactory ones.
As means for prevent ink bleeding, disclosed is use of an ink which includes a compound for improving the penetration of the ink, such as a surfactant (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S55-65269). This method certainly improves the penetration of ink into recording paper and prevents bleeding to some extent, but on the other hand, it allows the colorants in the ink to penetrate deep into the recording paper, which causes such problems as decrease in image density or sharpness or strike-through of images on the back side of the recording medium. Furthermore, since it improves the ink wettability on the surface of the recording paper, ink is more likely to spread, which unfavorably causes decrease in resolution or occurrence of feathering.
There are also disclosed methods in which a liquid that contributes to production of better images is deposited on recording paper prior to ejection of a recording ink. For example, a method is disclosed in which a solution of a polymer such as carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol or polyvinyl acetate is ejected onto recording paper before printing (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S56-89595). This method might cause a problem of poor fixing properties of ink because the solution itself is poor in dry-ing properties, though it can prevent bleeding.
To overcome the above described problem, there are disclosed methods: in which recording is performed by applying, on recording paper a liquid containing an organic compound that has 2 or more cationic groups per molecule and then applying an ink containing an anionic dye thereon (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S63-29971); in which recording is performed by applying an acidic liquid containing, for example, succinic acid on recording paper and then applying an ink thereon (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S64-9279); and in which a liquid that makes a dye insoluble is applied on recording paper prior to recording (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. S64-63185).
In any one of the above described methods, bleeding can be prevented to some extent. However, it is after a reaction liquid has penetrated into a recording medium that coloring ink is provided onto the recording medium, and therefore, when coloring ink is provided, the reaction liquid is present in the inside of the recording medium, but not on the surface thereof, and almost all the reaction occurs in the inside of the recording medium. This results in problems of insufficient color development and strike-through, which is such a phenomenon that the colorant can be recognized on the back side of the recording medium.
As described above, there is a fear that when ink is reacted with a reaction liquid on the surface of a recording medium, it will not fix on the medium satisfactorily, whereas when ink is reacted with a reaction liquid in the inside of a recording medium, it will not develop color satisfactorily.
There is also a proposal in which reaction of polyvalent metal ions and carboxyl groups is used to prevent bleeding (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-202328). In this case, though bleeding is effectively prevented by the reaction of a polyvalent metal ink and carboxyl groups, there still remains a fear that when coloring ink is highly penetrative to the recording media, problems will occur of decreased color development and strike-through, because the liquid containing polyvalent metal ions are first impregnated into the recording medium and then reacted with coloring ink. Thus, this proposal lacks viewpoint of color development and still has the problem to be solved toward increase in color development, though it is effective in preventing bleeding.

Inkjet recording method and recording product


Non-corrosive concrete reinforcing members are formed by pultruding reinforcing fibers through resin to produce an elongated core and a plurality of elongated flanges extending radially outward from the core. A slot is formed through a portion of the elongated core such that each flange has a free inner edge adjacent the slot. The reinforcing member is thereby bendable along the slot in a direction transverse to the elongated core.

Concrete and other masonry or cementitious materials have high compressive strength, but relatively low tensile strength. When concrete is employed as a structural member, such as in a building, bridge, pipe, pier, culvert, or the like, it is conventional to incorporate reinforcing members to enhance the tensile strength of the structure. Historically, the reinforcing members are steel or other metal reinforcing rods or bars, i.e., "rebar". Such reinforcing members may be placed under tension to form prestressed concrete structures.
Although steel and other metals can enhance the tensile strength of a concrete structure, they are susceptible to oxidation. For example, ferrous metal rusts by the oxidation thereof to the corresponding oxides and hydroxides of iron by atmospheric oxygen in the presence of water. When it is poured, concrete is normally at a pH of 12 to 14 (i.e., at high alkalinity) due to the presence of hydroxides of sodium, potassium, and calcium formed during the hydration of the concrete. As long as a pH in this range is maintained, steel within the concrete is passive, which may result in long-term stability and corrosion resistance.
Exposure to a strong acid, or otherwise lowering the pH of concrete, can cause steel contained in concrete to become corroded. For example, chlorine ions permeating into the concrete can cause corrosion. Sources of chlorine ions include road salt, salt air in marine environments, and salt-contaminated aggregate (e.g., sand) used in making the concrete. When the reinforcing steel corrodes, it can expand and create internal stresses in the concrete. These internal stresses can lead to cracking, and ultimately disintegration, of the concrete. Moreover, cracking and crumbling concrete may expose additional steel to atmospheric oxygen, water, and sources of chlorine ions.
Various solutions to the corrosion problem of steel rebar have been offered. Non-corrosive coatings on the concrete, the steel rebar, or both have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,193 to Olsen et al. proposes a steel-reinforced concrete product, such as a manhole cover, having a coating of a corrosion-resistant gel coat layer and an intermediate layer of fiberglass between the concrete and the gel coat layer. The gel coat layer is described as being a "hardenable polymeric fluid material." U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,491 to Goldfein proposes steel rebar members having chemical conversion iron oxide coatings, such as black iron oxide. U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,738 to Graf proposes steel rebar having an outer layer of a synthetic material (e.g., epoxy resin) and an intermediate layer of aluminum or aluminum alloy between the outer layer and the steel. Unfortunately, in general these exemplary coatings tend to be expensive and have received mixed results and acceptance.
There has also been interest in replacing steel with various fiber-reinforced resins. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,642 to Okamoto et al. proposes a reinforcing member for civil and architectural structures made from a mixture of reinforcing fibers and thermoplastic fibers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,334 to Petrina proposes a non-metallic laminated composite reinforcing rod for use in reinforced or prestressed concrete. A corrosion-resistant fiber-reinforced rebar, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,109 to Kaiser et al. comprises a fiber reinforced thermoset core and an outer cladding formed of sheet molding compound (SMC). These materials are formed into rebar through modified pultrusion processes.
Some rebar components are desirably curved or bent in order to follow the contour of the surrounding concrete structures. Unfortunately, rebar formed from fiber-reinforced resins may be difficult to bend in the field without causing the rebar to crack or break. Forming non-linear articles via pultrusion processes may also be troublesome. Because pultrusion involves pulling material through an elongated heated die which at least partially cures, and therefore stiffens, the pultruded article, establishing bends or curves-in the articles without sacrificing the advantages provided by pultrusion may be problematic.

Non-corrosive reinforcing member having bendable flanges


A flowable material to isolate or treat a surface consists of a plurality of manufactured composite particles. Each composite particle includes a core, and a sealant layer at least partially encapsulating the core. The core is relatively dense compared to the sealant layer, and the composite particle has a specific gravity greater than one. The sealant layer includes a clay mineral, a pozzolanic material and/or activated carbon. A sealant layer formed of a pozzolanic material creates a hardened underwater barrier layer. The sealant layer can also include natural fibers such as cellulose or man-made fibers such as glass, carbon or plastics to mechanically improve the geotechnical properties of the layer when hydrated. The composite particles can also include a material to treat the contaminants or otherwise improve the surrounding environment.

The invention relates generally to materials for isolating or treating a surface, and more particularly to a flowable material for forming a barrier layer having low permeability over a contaminated underwater surface or a land surface.
A significant number of lakes, ponds, marshes, river beds and ocean areas near coastlines are contaminated with environmentally hazardous materials. Examples of such materials include polychlorinated biphenyls ("PCB's"), white phosphorus, synthetic organic compounds, and various metals. Many of these materials, once introduced by one means or another, settle on the bottoms of such bodies of water or become attached to sediments. The resulting contaminated sediments are detrimental to the ecosystem, especially wildlife which utilizes the body of water, such as fish, foraging waterfowl and small vertebrates. In some cases the contaminants are slowly released from the sediments and re-introduced into the water column.
In some cases, it is not feasible to remove or treat such sediment in situ. Thus, to prevent the wildlife from coming into contact with the contaminated sediment and to seal the sediment from coming into contact with the water column, it has been proposed to form an underwater barrier layer over the contaminated sediment. Previous methods have been relatively difficult and expensive to install, and have been susceptible to damage. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a durable, relatively simple and inexpensive material for forming a barrier layer over a contaminated underwater surface. At times it would also be desirable to provide a method of forming a barrier layer over a contaminated underwater surface which could be repeated occasionally to allow for replenishment of the barrier layer. Other times it would be advantageous to form a more permanent underwater barrier layer which forms a hard shell over the contaminated surface. It would frequently be desirable to apply a material to the underwater surface to treat a particular type of contamination, or to restore or improve the surface.
Landfill sites are typically constructed by completing an excavation in the ground and lining the excavation to form a containing system prior to filling with waste materials. Unfortunately, the landfill is susceptible to leaching contaminants into the surrounding ground and possibly into the water table. The upper surface of the landfill attracts pests such as birds and rodents which can possibly carry diseases. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a low permeability barrier layer useful as a liner for a landfill to prevent the leaching of contaminants into the ground, and useful as a low permeability cap to keep pests away from the waste material and to minimize infiltration of water. If the landfill were covered by such a cap or included such a liner system, it would be important for quality control purposes to provide a relatively uniform distribution of materials in the cap or liner system.
In addition to landfill sites, other land surfaces such as newly excavated ponds or reservoirs could also benefit from such a barrier layer to hold the water in and prevent leakage into the surrounding area. A barrier layer could also be used to cover hazardous waste sites. Thus, there is a need for a material capable of forming a low permeability barrier layer on land surfaces. It would particularly be advantageous if the barrier layer could withstand repeated freeze/thaw and dehydration/rehydration cycles resulting from meteorological or climatological variances. In remediation projects it could be advantageous to use free-flowing aggregate-like materials to fill excavations where stability and a water retarding barrier are desirable.

Flowable material to isolate or treat a surface


An optical scanning rangefinder has been developed that creates a depth map of its surroundings by scanning a beam of modulated, collimated light and observing reflections from proximate surfaces. The scanning system uses dual rotating prisms to deflect the transmitted beam and collect a portion of the reflected light, which is focused on a photodetector and converted to an electrical signal. This signal is amplified, AC coupled, and inverted. The inverted signal drives the modulator for the light source. When sufficient light is received by the detector, this sytem forms an oscillator, the frequency of which depends on the distance to the illuminated surface. This frequency can easily be measured to a high degree of accuracy, and the distance to the surface derived from it. The scanner achieves a field of view of 360 degrees horizontally by 52 degrees vertically.

This invention relates in general to techniques for distance measurements and in particular to a rangefinder with range to frequency conversion and method for using the rangefinder.
Several techniques for measuring distance with light signals are in common use today. They can be divided in two general categories, those that use the speed of light in some way to determine distance, and those that do not. The latter group usually uses a light projector located some distance from both the surface being lit and the detector. The detector then measures the direction of the light from both the surface being lit and the detector and triangulation is used to determine the surface's position. The accuracy of these systems depends on the separation distance between the emitter and detector, and typically works over a relatively narrow range of distances.
The distance measurement device disclosed here uses the speed of light as the basis for its distance measurement. It does this in a way that has not been used before and that provides several advantages to current techniques, as will be shown. Many of the problems of the currently used techniques described below are solved, and absolute distance is measured in a way that is potentially more accurate than either of these methods. As will be evident, this technique also has the ability to accomplish ranging at a lower cost than these systems.
There are several common methods of distance measurement based on the speed of light. The simplest of these is to emit a pulse of light and measure the time it takes for the reflected light to return to the detector, which is generally located close to the light source. The resolution is limited by the ability of the timing system used to discriminate small differences in time, and by factors such as the ability to determine the exact center of a return signal pulse which typically varies in amplitude. This method is suitable for measuring long distances, such as the distance to the moon, since the pulses can be of high power and detectable at long range.
Another method of deriving distance from the speed of light is to transmit an amplitude modulated light beam and to compare the phase of the return signal with the phase of the outgoing signal. The relative phase of the two signals depends on the distance to the subject and the frequency of the modulation used. The applications for this method are similar to the applications for the invention disclosed here.
The accuracy of the phase comparison method is limited by the ability of the phase detector used to resolve phase and the amount of isolation that can be obtained between the incoming and outgoing signals. Higher frequencies improve the resolution but worsen the crosstalk problem. This technique has been demonstrated to attain resolutions of 0.1 millimeters in the paper entitled "Laser Range Finding Sensor Robotics," by Clergeot et al. from ROVISEC-6, 1986. This method of ranging has the additional problem that the range reading aliases at range intervals equal to half the wavelength of the modulation. For example, with 50 MHz modulation (6 meter wavelength), it is not possible to distinguish between actual distances of n, n+3, n+6, . . . meters, since all of them will result in the same detected phase difference. Multiple frequencies or some other technique must be used to resolve this ambiguity in many practical applications. U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,123 discloses a method of optical distance measurement that uses a phase-locked loop (PLL) to create an oscillation frequency dependent on the range to the target. The PLL approach requires phase detection electronics that are susceptible to the same sources of error as conventional phase measurement. The PLL electronics require a frequency synthesizer that is complex, expensive and susceptible to errors. The PLL approach requires significant time to lock on to the frequency corresponding to the distance to the target. This is a disadvantage when the target is moving rapidly or when the beam is scanned to measure the distances of different objects in the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,721 describes a LIDAR scanning system that uses phase angle detection to measure the distance to objects, and moving mirrors to deflect the beam and collect reflected light. The device in that patent uses separate transmit and receive optics to reduce the crosstalk. The patent describes the resultant problem of parallax, a well as the problem of phase ambiguity, both of which limit the depth of field of that device.
None of the above described systems is entirely satisfactory. It is therefore desirable to provide a distance measurement system in which the above described difficulties encountered by the above described systems are alleviated.

Scanning rangefinder with range to frequency conversion


A graphical user interface in the form of a transparent keyboard may be positioned over an existing computer display. The user may input textual data through the keyboard by selecting keys in the transparent keyboard display. The text entry may then appear on the computer display in non-transparent or conventional format.

This invention relates generally to display devices for processor-based systems.
A large number of processor-based systems have relatively limited input/output capabilities. For example, some handheld computer systems have no associated keyboard. Text entry may occur using a touch screen as one example. The user may enter data through an on-screen keyboard by touching the appropriate areas for each key-using a stylus or finger.
A number of other handheld computer devices including Internet tablets and personal digital assistants (PDAs) may have a need for better ways to facilitate data entry. Providing an on-screen-dedicated keyboard takes up an excessive amount of the available display space. This is especially so, since in many situations, no data entry may be required yet a portion of the display may be lost to accommodate the keyboard.
A user may wish to enter data into a dialog box or web page field. Thus, the user would like to see the dialog box and the keyboard at the same time. With many limited display screens, this is not possible. For example, there may be insufficient display space to enable data entry through the on-screen keyboard as well as to enable a clear view of the available information.
A number of devices include keyboards of sufficiently reduced size that data entry for text information is somewhat difficult to accomplish. In these cases as well, it may also be desirable to have a better way to enter textual data into processor-based systems.
Thus, there is a continuing need for better ways to facilitate the entry of data without using a physical keyboard.

On-screen transparent keyboard interface


Disclosed are a novel self-assembled amino acid supramolecular polymer, a preparation method therefor, and an application thereof. The self-assembled supramolecular polymer is N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine or a salt thereof, and the salt thereof comprises sodium N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alaninate and potassium N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alaninate. The disclosed polymer is more effective at inhibiting bacteria and removing pesticides, and can be widely applied to the daily chemical, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries. Further disclosed are three methods for preparing the compound. The methods produce products in high yields and are suitable for industrial production.

Surfactants are indispensable for many fields such as daily chemical industry, agriculture, pharmaceutical industry, etc. There are dozens of surfactants currently used in the market, but the main surfactants that are commonly used include sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (AES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (K12). While these three major surfactants have been used for decades or even over a hundred years, their negative effects in use have gradually emerged, and their impact on human safety and the environment is frequently reported.
Among other surfactants, there may be mentioned, for example, sugar alkyl glycosides (APG), and amino acid surfactants, such as lauroyl-L-glutamic acid, lauroyl glycine, lauroyl sarcosine and the like. They are biomass based surfactants with high safety, good biodegradability and excellent skin feel, and thus have attracted more and more attention. However, because of the poor detergent power of this type of surfactants, they are rarely used alone as primary surfactants; instead, they often need to be used in conjunction with other primary surfactants. Hence, the troublesome problems caused by the primary surfactants used as daily chemicals in terms of safety and biodegradability haven't been solved fundamentally.
A self-assembled N-lauroyl-L-alanine polymer may be formed in the presence of a certain amount of lauric acid, but the polymer cannot be obtained by previous patent methods. The effect of the polymer is better than that of the compounds obtained by the patent methods. Therefore, a self-assembled N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine supramolecular polymer is prepared according to the present disclosure.
The self-assembled N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine supramolecular polymer is a novel self-assembled amino acid supramolecular polymer synthesized on the basis of in-depth research on N-lauroyl-L-alanine, and it has the basic properties of N-lauroyl-L-alanine. However, because it has an extra group of hydrogen bonds, the whole structure is more stable and not easy to split. In addition, it comprises one more L-alanine moiety which makes the whole chain longer, similar to the length of stearic acid. It has a stronger ability to combine with oil than N-lauroyl-L-alanine. The resulting ring has a larger space which can encapsulate more organic molecular compounds and biological materials, thereby changing some physical and chemical properties of the encapsulated substances. Since N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine itself is derived from biological materials, it has natural safety and biodegradability. Hence, it is expected to be used more widely and change the living environment of human beings greatly.
The sodium salt of the self-assembled N-lauroyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine supramolecular polymer has two groups of hydrogen bonds, so it can form a two-dimensional planar structure which has stronger structural connectivity. The resulting network structure is not easy to break. Furthermore, a single molecule includes an additional L-alanine moiety, so that the chain of the single molecule is longer, similar to the length of the eighteen-carbon sodium stearate. Therefore, it has stronger detergent power and encapsulating capacity.

Self-assembled amino acid supramolecular polymer, preparation method therefor, and application thereof