According to an aspect, a device includes a touch screen display and a controller. The touch screen display displays a lock screen in a locked state. The controller causes the touch screen display to display an activated icon corresponding to an activated function on the lock screen.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a device, a method, and a storage medium storing therein a program. More particularly, the present application relates to a device including a touch screen, a method of controlling the device, and a storage medium storing therein a program for controlling the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A touch screen device having a touch screen has been known. Examples of the touch screen devices include, but are not limited to, a smartphone and a tablet. The touch screen device detects a gesture of a finger, a pen, or a stylus pen through the touch screen. Then, the touch screen device operates according to the detected gesture. An example of the operation according to the detected gesture is described in, for example, International Publication Pamphlet No. 2008/086302.
The basic operation of the touch screen device is implemented by an operating system (OS) built into the device. Examples of the OS built into the touch screen device include, but are not limited to, Android, BlackBerry OS, iOS, Symbian OS, and Windows Phone.
Most of touch screen devices move to a locked state when a period during which no operation is performed by a user continues for a certain period of time. The touch screen device does not accept the user's operation in the locked state except for a specific operation. The specific operation is, for example, an unlock operation for releasing a locked state.
The touch screen device frequently moves to the locked state. Therefore, a lock screen is frequently displayed by the user. For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a device, a method, and a program capable of improving operability of the lock screen.

Device, method, and storage medium storing program


A method of joining fiberglass-reinforced composite pipes includes joining an inner tube of each pipe by fusion to form a fused bond, joining fiber reinforced polymer tubes of each pipe by depositing a silica glass particle epoxy directly on the fused bond and on bonded edges of the fiber reinforced polymer tubes as a composition to cover tube edges and the fused inner tube bond, and curing the composition.

Fiberglass-reinforced composite pipes (FRP) offer a low-cost and corrosion-free alternative to steel pipe for transporting high pressure compressed gases and liquids such as compressed hydrogen, natural gas (high content methane), carbon dioxide and oil. FRPs are considered to be the leading solution for transportation of corrosive gases including compressed hydrogen and high content hydrogen sulfide (H2S) oil. One problem with FRP lies in properly joining the pipe segments in the field. The state-of-the-art FRP joining techniques use metal compression fittings sealed with O-rings. Another problem is related to repairing damaged in the field FRP pipes. Repairing requires replacing the damaged FRP pipe sections with new pipe and joining with metal compression fittings sealed with O-rings. However. metal compression fittings have limitations when used for transportation of compressed gases such as hydrogen and natural gas.
First, they suffer from major failure modes includes O-ring extrusion from the metal joint and corrosion of the metal parts. When the O-ring moves out of the metal joint, the metal becomes exposed to the hydrogen and corrodes. Second, the O-rings can contaminate the hydrogen, reducing fuel cell lifetime for fuel cells that use hydrogen. Third, due to their multi-component structures they are expensive.
Joining requires both leak-proof connections of the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) gas barrier layer, and the fiber-reinforced polymer layer. The lowest cost method for field assembly of FRP pipe systems consists of adhesive bonded joints. However, the current particle-reinforced adhesives cannot provide sufficient mechanical robustness of the joint. The primary factors responsible for the poor mechanical performance includes the absences of inter-particle connections and the absence of a robust structured order.
US Patent Application Publication No 2017/0058070 presents a general discussion of mechanically robust, chemically linked, particle networks. However, that discussion focuses on single layer networks, not multi-layer joints.

Materials and method for joining fiber reinforced pipeline


A method for working or forming metals which consists in usings an aqueous lubricant containing as water-soluble extreme pressure additive, methanesulphonic acid or water-soluble methanesulphonic acid salt. The water-soluble methane sulphonic acid salt is an alkali or alkaline-earth, ammonium, alkanol amine or ethoxylated fatty amine salt. The inventive aqueous lubricants have good extreme pressure properties and good properties with respect to corrosion.

Metal working or forming operations require the use of a lubricant in order to reduce the forces between the part to be worked and the tool, to remove the chips and fragments, to cool the part or the plate worked, and to control its surface texture. Oil-based lubricants have conventionally been used. These are whole oils or emulsions to which lubricity promoters, antiwear (AW) and/or extreme pressure (EP) additives may have been added. EP additives are generally compounds containing sulfur. At the high temperatures prevailing at the contact between the metal parts during metal working operations, the sulfur compounds decompose. A layer of iron sulfide is formed on the surface of the parts, hindering the processes of welding and adhesion.
Whole oils have excellent lubricating properties, but when production rates are high, the removal of the heat generated requires the use of emulsions. However, the use of emulsions also tends to be limited because, over time, they deteriorate and give off foul odors. This is why the use of aqueous fluids is steadily spreading. These are either synthetic fluids, which are aqueous solutions based on water-soluble additives, or semisynthetic fluids which are oil-in-water microemulsions containing a large quantity of emulsifiers. However, while the aqueous fluids effectively remove the heat and display improved resistance to bacterial proliferation, they are often limited to metal working operations in which the friction and wear conditions are not too severe. This is because EP additives have been developed specifically for oils, so that very few of these additives are water-soluble and therefore suitable for aqueous fluids.
While numerous oil-soluble EP additives are available, the number of water-soluble EP additives is much smaller. In Lub. Eng. 1977, 3(6), 291-298, R. W. Mould et al. describe the EP properties of a number of water-soluble sulfur-bearing additives, such as sodium salts of thiosalicylic, 2-mercaptopropionic, 2,2′-dithiodibenzoic, 2,2′-dithiodipropionic and dithiodiglycolic acids. Similarly, the use of water-soluble salts of 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid has been the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,552 and JP 63 265 997. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,833, dithiodiglycol is used in combination with a derivative of polyoxyalkylene glycol to improve the extreme pressure properties of aqueous lubricants. The use of derivatives of aminosulfonic acids as additives in aqueous lubricating systems has been the subject of patent application WO 8602941. More recently, in Japanese patent application JP 10 110 181, the water-soluble salts of 3,3′-dithiodipropionic acid were combined with alkyl thioacids in aqueous drawing and stamping lubricants.
However, these products are not sufficiently stable in water. They promote bacterial proliferation and liberate hydrogen sulfide, causing the aqueous fluids to emit a strong odor. Their formulation thus requires the use of a large quantity of bactericides, which is incompatible with the quantities usually permitted in aqueous lubricants. Furthermore, some of these extreme pressure additives are incompatible with most of the other additives routinely used in synthetic and semisynthetic formulations.
Recently, lubricant compositions containing salts of sulfamic acid amines with extreme pressure effect have been the subject of patent application WO 00/44848. However, sulfamic acid is highly corrosive. Moreover, its low solubility precludes the production of liquid concentrates that are easy to use in the formulations. Furthermore, to limit the environmental impact of the lubricant formulations used in the field of metal working and forming, it is particularly important to employ readily biodegradable additives.

Method for working or forming metals in the presence of aqueous lubricants based on methanesulfonic acid


A system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an air handling system for an internal combustion engine includes an air handling control mechanism responsive to a mechanism command to control fluid flow through an air handling system of an internal combustion engine. An engine controller is configured to compute predicted responses of a number of engine operating parameters each as a different function of the mechanism command, and to compute a corresponding number of correlation coefficients each as a function of one of the engine operating parameter signals and a corresponding one of the predicted responses. The controller is operable to diagnose a fault associated with the air handling control mechanism if at least some of the correlation coefficients are below a first threshold, and to diagnose a properly functioning air handling control mechanism if at least some of the correlation coefficients are above a second threshold.

The present invention relates generally to diagnostic systems for internal combustion engines, and more specifically to systems for diagnosing fault conditions associated with air handling systems including EGR components, a variable geometry turbocharger, a wastegate and/or an exhaust throttle.
When combustion occurs in an environment with excess oxygen, peak combustion temperatures increase which leads to the formation of unwanted emissions, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx). This problem is aggravated through the use of turbocharger machinery operable to increase the mass of fresh air flow, and hence increase the concentrations of oxygen and nitrogen present in the combustion chamber when temperatures are high during or after the combustion event.
One known technique for reducing unwanted emissions such as NOx involves introducing chemically inert gases into the fresh air flow stream for subsequent combustion. By thusly reducing the oxygen concentration of the resulting charge to be combusted, the fuel burns slower and peak combustion temperatures are accordingly reduced, thereby lowering the production of NOx. In an internal combustion engine environment, such chemically inert gases are readily abundant in the form of exhaust gases, and one known method for achieving the foregoing result is through the use of a so-called Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system operable to controllably introduce (i.e., recirculate) exhaust gas from the exhaust manifold into the fresh air stream flowing to the intake manifold.
EGR operation is typically not required under all engine operating conditions, and known EGR systems accordingly include a valve, commonly referred to as an EGR valve, for controllably introducing exhaust gas to the intake manifold. Through the use of an on-board microprocessor, control of the EGR valve is typically accomplished as a function of information supplied by a number of engine operational sensors.
In addition to an EGR valve, air handling systems for modern turbocharged internal combustion engines are known to include one or more supplemental or alternate air handling control mechanisms for modifying the swallowing capacity and/or efficiency of the turbocharger. For example, the air handling system may include a wastegate disposed between an inlet and outlet of the turbocharger turbine to selectively route exhaust gas around the turbine and thereby control the swallowing capacity of the turbocharger. Alternatively or additionally, the system may include an exhaust throttle disposed in line with the exhaust conduit either upstream or downstream of the turbocharger turbine, wherein the effective flow area of the exhaust is throttle is controlled to thereby control the efficiency of the turbocharger. Finally, the turbocharger may include a variable geometry turbine, wherein the swallowing capacity of the turbocharger is controlled by controlling the geometry of the turbine.
Regardless of the number or type of air handling control mechanisms used, it is important to monitor the functionality of such mechanisms for faults or failures that may occur during operation thereof. For example, if any of the foregoing air handling control mechanisms fail due to valve sticking or similar faults, it is desirable to monitor such conditions and log appropriate faults when they occur. However, it is not desirable to monitor the operation of such air handling control mechanisms using actual air handling control mechanism sensors since some failures attributable to the air handling control mechanisms may not be distinguishable from failures attributable to the sensors themselves. What is therefore needed is a system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with air handling control mechanisms that compares the effect of the air handling control mechanisms on one or more engine operating parameters with predicted behavior thereof. Such a diagnostic system should further include the capability of distinguishing air handling control mechanism failures and fault conditions from those associated with the one or more engine operating parameter sensors.
The foregoing shortcomings of the prior art are addressed by the present invention. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an air handling control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprises an air handling control mechanism responsive to a mechanism command to control fluid flow through an air handling system of an internal combustion engine, means for modeling a predicted response of an engine operating parameter as a function of the mechanism command, means for monitoring the engine operating parameter and producing an engine operating parameter signal corresponding thereto, means for computing a correlation coefficient as a function of the engine operating parameter signal and the predicted response, and means for diagnosing a fault associated with the air handling control mechanism if the correlation coefficient is below a first coefficient threshold.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an air handling control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprises an air handling control mechanism responsive to a mechanism command to control fluid flow through an air handling system of an internal combustion engine, an engine parameter sensor producing an engine operating parameter signal indicative of an operational state of an engine operating parameter, and an engine controller modeling a predicted response of the engine operating parameter as a function of the mechanism command, the engine controller computing a correlation coefficient as a function of the engine operating parameter signal and the predicted response and diagnosing a fault associated with the air handling control mechanism if the correlation coefficient is below a first coefficient threshold.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an air handling control mechanism for an internal combustion engine comprises an air handling control mechanism responsive to a mechanism command to control fluid flow through an air handling system of an internal combustion engine, a number of engine parameter sensors producing engine operating parameter signals indicative of operational states of a corresponding number of different engine operating parameters, and an engine controller modeling predicted responses of the number of engine operating parameters each as a different function of the mechanism command, the controller computing a number of correlation coefficients each as a function of one of the number of engine operating parameter signals and a corresponding one of the predicted responses, the controller diagnosing a fault associated with the air handling control mechanism if at least some of the correlation coefficients are below a first coefficient threshold.
One object of the present invention is to provide a system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an air handling system for an internal combustion engine.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an EGR valve, a wastegate, an exhaust throttle and/or a variable geometry turbocharger.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a system for diagnosing fault conditions based on predicted responses of a number of engine operating conditions each modeled as a function of an air handling mechanism control signal.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments.

System for diagnosing fault conditions associated with an air handling system for an internal combustion engine


A connector comprises a terminal member, an elastic member, and a housing having a cavity receiving the terminal member and the elastic member. The terminal member has a contacting face and a back face opposite to the contacting face. The contacting face has a serration region with a serration formed thereon and adapted to contact an electrical wire. The elastic member is adapted to press a pressed region of the back face opposite to the serration region.

A coil made by winding an electrical wire, such as an enameled wire, is present in a motor. A connector is required to connect the electrical wire to an external circuit. A terminal used in such a connector has an uneven portion, also referred to as a serration. A face of the terminal having the serration formed thereon is pressed against the electrical wire to pierce a coating of the electrical wire and form an electrical connection between the terminal and the electrical wire.
Japanese Patent No. H11-307146A discloses a connector including a terminal divided into first and second members each having different roles. The first member is an elastic member in the shape of a cantilever and has a contacting face in the shape of a circular arc with serrations to be pressed against the electrical wire. The second member has a connecting portion for the external circuit and presses the first member against the electrical wire.
The connector in Japanese Patent No. H11-307146A has a structure in which a distal end portion of the cantilever shape of the first member is pressed by the second member. This structure allows the first member to be pressed against an electrical wire having a predetermined thickness with a suitable pressing force. However, the first member can be pressed only against an electrical wire in a narrow range of thicknesses with a suitable pressing force. The connector requires a different design for each electrical wire having a different thickness, and is costly to manufacture due to its narrow range of applicability.


There is provided an animal feed composition comprising Polyhalite in a concentration between 0.5%-5% w/w.

The costs of animal and marine feeds comprise a major portion of the expenses incurred in the farming of these animals.
In poultry, for example, feed efficiency is a major variable that determines the final cost of a kilogram of poultry meat. Depending on the country and species concerned, the proportion of feed in the broiler's farming running costs ranges from 40 to 70% of the total cost of production. The Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), which varies depending on the type of production applied, is always a very helpful benchmark to determine the profitability of a farm. When aiming to increase the revenue of the poultry enterprise, it is important to improve the Feed Conversion Ratio and thus reduce the feed costs.
Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector in agriculture with an annual growth rate of close to 10%. This is due to the fact that world fisheries have reached a plateau while the demand for fish is growing. Tilapia fish are rapidly growing sector of aquaculture with the current world production reaching 4.5 million tons per year. For comparison—the Salmon annual production reaches only 1.4 million tons.
In a typical aquaculture farm, fish feed represents about 50-60% of the total direct production expenses. Since the cost of feed is the major expense in the fish production unit, any change that will lead to more efficient utilization of the feed will have a substantial impact on the profitability of these production systems in addition to the beneficial environmental effects.
Fish utilize protein for energy purposes and therefore compared to terrestrial animal feeds, fish feeds are rich in proteins, often amounting to 40-50% of the feed. Usually the source of protein is fishmeal that is becoming a rare and expensive commodity. The nitrogenous products (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) and phosphorous stemming from either leftover food, or partially digested protein and food are harmful to the fish themselves, can lead to growth retardation and at high levels cause mortality. A reduction in the amount of food wastage produced by the fish and especially those harmful to the environment will enable substantial saving on production of fish at high densities; concomitantly the effluents of the fish farms will not have an adverse impact on the environment.


A circuit and method for driving a power transistor device. The circuit for driving a power transistor device has a driver having an input and an output, the output coupled to a control input of the power transistor device and the input coupled to a primary control voltage source for driving the power transistor device. A current sensing device is coupled to the power transistor device for providing a signal proportional to the current in the power transistor device. An amplifier is coupled to the current sensing device for providing a substantially linear control signal proportional to the current in the power transistor device, the linear control signal being provided to the input of the driver as a secondary drive signal for driving the power transistor device when a current level in the power transistor device greater than a threshold level is detected. A detector is provided for detecting when the current in the power transistor device is greater than the threshold level. The detector is coupled to the current sensing device and to a reference level source, and provides an overcurrent signal to the driver for switching the driver from being driven by the primary control voltage source to the secondary drive signal. The secondary drive signal drives the driver so as to reduce the current level in the power transistor device. The driven power transistor device is preferably a power MOSFET or IGBT.

The present invention relates to driver circuits for power transistors and, more particularly, to a gate driver circuit employing current sensing, current limiting and current overprotection. The invention further relates to methods for power transistor protection in the event of an overcurrent. The present invention is particularly applicable to MOSFET and IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) power transistors.
The provision of practical and economical current sensing circuitry in MOSFET and IGBT driver circuits for automatically protecting the power transistors from excessive overcurrents has long been sought by driver circuitry circuit designers and, in particular, in the high side of high side--low side MOSFET and IGBT power circuits.

Power transistor driver circuit with current sensing and current overprotection and method for protecting power transistor from overcurrent


Dry offset printing unit having at least one plate cylinder and at least one blanket cylinder, and being equipped with a cooling circuit wherein a fluid coolant circulates, includes at least one chill roller incorporated into the cooling circuit, the at least one chill roller being bringable into contact with the surface of the at least one blanket cylinder.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for cooling the surface of a blanket of a printing unit cylinder and, more particularly, in a dry offset printing unit of a rotary printing press which has at least one plate cylinder and at least one blanket cylinder, the printing unit being equipped with a cooling circuit wherein a fluid circulates.
Published European Patent Document EP-0,480,230 describes a thermal regulator or control for a printing plate disposed on a plate cylinder for dry offset printing. The thermal regulator is formed with a chamber for sweeping the plate with cold air, wherein fans and a refrigerating device supplied with refrigerant from a refrigerating source or plant on the outside are provided. The cooling of the refrigerant is regulated or controlled as a function of a temperature determined by the regulator or control. The construction of this heretofore known device is bulky because a coil for the refrigerant requires a path which is of such great length as to be able to cool the air.
Published European Patent Document EP-0,553,447 describes a system for cooling a printing plate of a printing press. A transverse member for blowing in cooling air is arranged lengthwise across the surface of the plate in order to keep the temperature thereof at a desired value. The transverse member houses at least one heat exchanger and at least one blower as well as at least one air reflux duct, all of which together form a cooling-air circuit. The air blown in at the surface of the plate is recycled by this circuit towards the intake side of the heat exchanger and is discharged again by the blower over the surface of the plate, possibly being mixed with fresh air after having passed through the heat exchanger. The transverse member for blowing in air represents a compact system, which does not consume very much energy, for cooling the surface of the plate. However, a drawback exists in that droplets of condensed moisture undesirably reach locations on the printing plate.
Published European Patent Document EP-0,627,308 describes a device for cooling rotary members of printing units. It has an in-blowing device including an internal circuit for recirculating the cooling air which has been deflected by the rotary member to be cooled. A cold-air generator is situated outside the in-blowing device and is connected thereto by an air inlet pipe. Energy is economized in the production of cold air, and the cold-air inlet pipes can have a relatively small cross section because a small amount of this air is all that is required. In this case too, a drawback of such a device is that droplets of condensed water may reach regions on the printing plate where they are highly undesirable and run the risk of considerably reducing the quality of the prints produced.
Published European Patent Document EP-0,638,418 describes a system for cooling cylinders of a printing press. It has at least one compressed-air inlet pipe including at least one orifice for blowing in cold air against a cylinder to be cooled. At least one recirculation circuit which is separate from the cold air arriving through the compressed-air pipe is provided, on the one hand, for sucking up the air directed through the in-blowing orifice onto the cylinder by a blower which is included in this circuit and, on the other hand, for blowing it back in onto the cylinder in parallel with the cold air. In this way, the temperature of the cold air can act upon the cylinder without a preliminary change in temperature. The cold air deflected by the cylinder is returned to the latter in order to participate in the cooling thereof.
Published European Patent Document EP-0,652,104 describes a dry offset printing unit. The dynamics of the printing unit are to be improved, and an accumulation of ink on the blanket is to be avoided. To this end, the plate cylinder supports a printing plate in the form of a sleeve, and/or the blanket cylinder supports a transfer plate in the form of a sleeve.
The printing and/or transfer plate may be slipped over the corresponding cylinder or cylinders via an opening formed in a cheek or jaw of the printing press which can be uncovered.
It should be noted that the maintenance of a given temperature is a crucial factor in dry offset printing.
Rapid fluctuations in temperature may have catastrophic consequences in dry offset printing. The heating-up which results from the operation of the printing units may be compensated for by internally cooling the compartments of the frame or the inside of the cylinders and no longer raises any problems. It has been discovered that a crucial parameter is the surface temperature of the blanket or of a sleeve forming a blanket. The work of compressing the layers of rubber causes the surface of the blanket to heat up very quickly, whereas it cools down quickly when the printing unit stops. Attempts at combating the heating-up by internally cooling the blanket cylinder with a cold-water circuit have been made. However, because the structure of the blanket has an insulating effect, the temperature of the fluid coolant has to be reduced considerably. Condensation may therefore occur on the end surfaces of the cylinder even though the blanket surface remains barely cooled.

Device for cooling the surface of a blanket of a printing unit cylinder


The power supply apparatus of the present invention comprises a fuel cell, a secondary battery for supplying power to a load, a power measurement section for measuring the output power of the fuel cell, a power converter which inputs output of the fuel cell, controls the output power so that the input voltage or the input current approaches the operation target value, supplies the output power to the load and/or the secondary battery and conducts a power conversion, and a control section which controls quantity of fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell, and also indicates to the power converter of an operation target value that comes within predetermined range which includes the smallest quantity of fuel the fuel cell discharges, wherein the control section sequentially indicates a plurality of the target values for power measurement to the power converter, the power measurement section measures the output power of the fuel cell for each target value for power measurement, and the control section seeks the target value which gives the maximum power within a plurality of output powers, and updates the operation target value based on that value.

The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus having a fuel cell.
Currently, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery is used as a power supply apparatus in portable electronic/electrical equipment such as a personal computer. However, the secondary battery can consecutively supply power for only a maximum of about 4 hours to a personal computer. Recently, the fuel cell that can consecutively supply power for 20 to 40 hours to a personal computer is drawing attention.
It is circulation type fuel cell that is a representative type fuel cell which uses methanol for fuel. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a circulation type fuel cell in the conventional art. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 111 denotes a return pump, reference numeral 112 denotes a dilution tank, reference numeral 113 denotes a methanol pump, reference numeral 114 denotes a methanol tank, reference numeral 1105 denotes a fuel cell control section, reference numeral 116 denotes a fuel cell, and reference numeral 1107 denotes a gas-liquid separator. The fuel cell 116 has a stack 122, a fuel pump 123, and an air pump 124.
Methanol (CH3OH) of a several to a 100% concentration is stored in the methanol tank 114.
The methanol pump 113 pumps methanol into the dilution tank 112 from the methanol tank 114 based on a command by the fuel cell control section 1105. The dilution tank 112 dilutes methanol of a several to a 100% concentration to a 5% wt methanol. The fuel pump 123 pumps diluted methanol into the stack 122 from the dilution tank 112 based on a command by the fuel cell control section 1105. The air pump 124 pumps air into the stack 122 based on a command by the fuel cell control section 1105.
In the stack 122, methanol is supplied to a fuel electrode (−), and air is supplied to an air electrode (+). At the fuel electrode (−), in the area referred to as a three-phase interface where methanol and water which are reactants, a catalyst (an electrode surface), and electrolyte comes in contact, methanol reacts with water and turns into carbon dioxide, hydrogen ions, and electrons (CH3OH+H2O→CO2+6H++6e−). Hydrogen ions pass across a polymer membrane, while electrons pass across an external load, and respectively reach the air electrode (+). At the air electrode (+), atmospheric oxygen comes in contact with hydrogen ions at the three-phase interface, deprives electrons from the catalyst (an electrode surface) and reacts, turning into water (3/202+6H++6e−→3H2O).
The stack 122 discharges the 3 to 5% wt methanol that is spent, carbon dioxide, and water from the fuel electrode (−) side. The stack 122 discharges water and air from the air electrode (+) side. The gas-liquid separator 1107 isolates carbon dioxide from the gas comprising methanol, carbon dioxide, and water which are discharged from the stack 122, and discharges it. The return pump 111 pumps the remaining isolated methanol and water into the dilution tank 112. Methanol and water are reused for producing a diluted methanol in the dilution tank 112.
A fuel cell system and a fuel cell control method of the conventional art which operates at the operating point with the highest energy conversion efficiency is disclosed in the Official Gazette of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-12059. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the fuel cell system of the conventional art. A reformer 1228 produces a hydrogen-rich gas (a reforming gas) containing hydrogen by the steam reforming reaction of methanol, from methanol and water that was poured in as fuel 1224. The fuel cell 1236 generates power using this hydrogen-rich gas as a fuel gas. The Control section 1220 derives a characteristic of output current-output voltage that corresponds to the quantity of gas taken in, and calculates from that characteristic the highest point of energy conversion efficiency in the fuel cell 1236. The fuel cell 1236 is operated at this point.
In the conventional circulation type fuel cells, there is a disadvantage that a considerable quantity of methanol is exhausted together with carbon dioxide, since it is difficult to divide only the carbon dioxide from spent fuel. Therefore, 10% of the quantity of supplied methanol at most is transformed into an effective power. Hence, the fuel utilization ratio is small.
The fuel cell system and the fuel cell control method in the conventional art have a disadvantage that the apparatus becomes expensive and upsizes, since it has a reformer. In the conventional art, the fuel cell 1236 is operated at the best point of energy conversion efficiency (=power generation efficiency×gas utilization ratio). Due to necessity of sufficiently supplying fuel to the fuel cell system, if the fuel cell system and the fuel cell control method of the conventional art were applied to a non-circulation type DMFC (Direct Methanol Fuel Cell), a large quantity of unused methanol would be discharged. Therefore, the fuel cell system and the fuel cell control method of the conventional art are not suitable for a non-circulation type DMFC.
A non-circulation type fuel cell as a type of the fuel cell that discharges spent fuel without circulating fuel is known. In the fuel cell, methanol supplied from the entry port of the fuel cell is gradually consumed, and is discharged from the exit port. However, there is a disadvantage that the output voltage of the fuel cell will drastically drop when supplied methanol is insufficient in contrast to the current to be outputted. In the conventional non-circulation type fuel cell with a view to making the fuel cell output the power with stability and deal with the sudden changes of load, substantial quantity of unused methanol is discharged from the fuel cell. However, methanol cannot be discharged as it is because of its toxicity. Since unused fuel is discharged to some extent, non-circulation type fuel cell was thought as not suitable for a fuel cell using toxic methanol for fuel.
Furthermore, the fuel cell system and the fuel cell control method of the conventional art has a characteristic of output current-output voltage of the initial period on a ROM in advance as a standard curve characteristic, and by reading this out, the highest point of energy conversion efficiency is calculated. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the fuel cell cannot generate power that is targeted, when operating temperature deviates from an ideal value, or when the highest point deviates due to various factor such as the secular change of the fuel cell.
The present invention is made in view of these disadvantages mentioned above, and is intended to provide a stable power supply apparatus with a clean discharge and outstanding fuel utilization ratio, even when the fuel cell undergoes a secular change, or goes under various conditions such as temperature of a fuel cell or quantity of water of the electrolysis membrane of a fuel cell.

Power supply apparatus having control section for controlling quantity of fuel to be supplied to fuel cell

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A correction circuit includes a timing control circuit for dividing a drive period assigned for drive of display devices into plural calculation slots, a luminance calculation circuit for calculating luminance including an effect of a voltage drop for each calculation slot, an accumulation circuit for temporally accumulating the luminance for each calculation slot, a corrected data determination circuit for outputting, as a corrected data, the value determined in accordance with the calculation slot at the time point when the accumulated luminance reaches a target luminance value, and a conversion circuit for converting the corrected data into modulation data to be applied to a modulation circuit. The width of the calculation slot is shorter than the width of the slot for pulse width modulation in at least a part of the drive period. The conversion circuit reduces the bit width of the corrected data by pseudo-gradation processing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-257553 discloses a technique for controlling the pulse width of the voltage applied to each of the modulation electrodes to compensate for the variation in the amount of the electron beams emitted from plural electron-emitting devices due to the variation of the voltages applied to the electron-emitting devices.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-248920 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,361) discloses an image forming apparatus using electron-emitting devices arranged in simple matrix. This image forming apparatus includes a drive signal generating means for outputting a drive pulse to plural column wirings for driving a cold cathode devices connected to a selected row wiring. This drive signal generating means outputs a drive pulse corrected by a correction value corresponding to each column wiring.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-223131 (US 2003/0006976 A1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,161), discloses a configuration in which in order to reduce the hardware for calculating the correction value, the row wirings have plural reference positions for which a correction value is determined. The apparatus also discloses the configuration in which the correction values other than those for the reference positions are determined by interpolating the correction values determined for the reference positions. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-223131 (US 2003/0006976 A1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,161) further discloses a method for calculating the voltage drop amount using a degenerate model and an algorithm for calculating the correction value from the voltage drop amount.
In the method disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-223131 (US 2003/0006976 A1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,161), the voltage drop amount is estimated from the image data before correction and the correction value of the image data is determined based on the voltage drop amount thus estimated. In the case where the shape of the drive pulse changes due to the correction, the voltage drop status changes and the emission current amount may also change. The method disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-223131 (US 2003/0006976 A1; U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,161), however, approximately ignores the change in the voltage drop status due to the correction. In the case where this correction method is used for a display panel large in voltage drop amount, therefore, the correction error is so large that the image quality may be deteriorated.

Image display apparatus, correction circuit thereof and method for driving image display apparatus


A semiconductor device includes a serial communication interface connector, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, a memory controller, and a memory reader/writer. The serial communication interface connector is capable of being connected to a serial communication interface terminal of electronic equipment. The memory controller includes a memory interface connected to the non-volatile semiconductor memory and a copyright protection function and controls the non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory reader/writer includes a controller interface connected to the memory controller and a serial communication interface connected to the serial communication interface connector.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device. For example, it relates to a USB memory device with a copyright protection function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a universal serial bus (USE) memory using a flash memory has been widely utilized as a removable recording medium for use in a personal computer (PC).
The USB memory device, however, has no mechanism for protecting the copyright of content recorded in the USB memory device and it cannot record the content which requires copyright protection, or even if it can, the content cannot be reproduced in a PC and the like.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-317054 discloses a memory having a USB interface and a secure digital (SD™) interface, which can be switched between a USB function and an SD™ function. However, when using the USB function, the SD™ function is not available.

Semiconductor device with copyright protection function


Systems and methods are provided for editing an image of a vehicle interior to isolate the occupant of a vehicle seat. An image generator (102) generates an image of a vehicle interior. A contour generator (104) produces a contour image from the generated image. A model selector (106) selects a contour model from a plurality of contour models according to the similarity of the contour model to a portion of the contour image. An image editor (108) removes a portion of the generated image representing at least a portion of the vehicle seat according to the selected contour model to produce an image of an occupant of the vehicle seat.

Actuatable occupant restraining systems having an inflatable air bag in vehicles are known in the art. Such systems that are controlled in response to whether the seat is occupied, an object on the seat is animate or inanimate, a rearward facing child seat present on the seat, and/or in response to the occupant's position, weight, size, etc., are referred to as smart restraining systems. One example of a smart actuatable restraining system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,226.
Pattern recognition systems can be loosely defined as systems capable of distinguishing between classes of real world stimuli according to a plurality of distinguishing characteristics, or features, associated with the classes. Many smart actuatable restraint systems rely on pattern recognition systems to identify the nature of the occupant of a vehicle seat. For example, if it is determined that a seat is empty, it is advantageous to refrain from actuating a protective device. In addition, the classification can provide knowledge of certain characteristics of the occupant that are helpful in tracking the occupant's movements in the vehicle. Such tracking can further increase the effectiveness of the actuatable restraint system.
One difficultly in classifying a vehicle occupant arises in separating the portion of an image representing a vehicle seat from the portion of the image representing its occupant. A past solution has been to classify the combined image of the seat and its occupant, with an empty seat as an additional occupant class. This method, while effective, requires very fine discrimination from the classifier or classifiers used to make the determination, as the presence of the seat back can mute certain characteristics desirable for distinguishing between the classes. For example, the seat back can be misconstrued as an adult torso when a rearward facing child seat is present, causing a misclassification of the occupant as an adult.
Just as the presence of the seat back is inconvenient for classifying a vehicle occupant, the presence of the headrest in an image can complicate attempts to identify and track an occupant's head. The headrest has a similar shape to a low resolution human head. It is at the same height as the head and near the same location, making it a favorable candidate for head identification. Removing the headrest from a pool of head candidates prior to determining the position of the head could greatly increase the robustness of a head tracking algorithm.

Method and apparatus for determining the position of a vehicle seat


A semiconductor device includes a leadframe having a first face and an opposing second face, a portion of the first face defining a die pad, a diffusion barrier deposited on at least a portion of the die pad, and at least one chip coupled to the diffusion barrier.

Market demand for smaller and more powerful electronic devices has driven the development of compact packages having increased functionality. One particularly economical and useful semiconductor package includes a supporting leadframe, a chip electrically coupled to the leadframe, and encapsulating material molded over a first surface of the leadframe and the chip. The encapsulating material thus defines an upper exterior surface of the package, while a second non-encapsulated surface of the leadframe defines a lower exterior surface of the package that is configured to be coupled to a printed circuit board. Conventionally, these forms of semiconductor packages provide multiple input and output connection areas, and are attachable to a wide range of semiconductor boards.
The leadframe provides a support structure for the package. Some semiconductor packages include chip-by-chip packages that have a first chip coupled to but electrically isolated from a metal leadframe, and a second chip coupled to and in electrical communication with the leadframe. It is desired to maintain a potential voltage difference between the first chip and the second chip in these chip-by-chip packages. However, over time, metal ions from the metal leadframe will diffuse through the isolating adhesion layer coupling the first electrically isolated chip to the leadframe. Eventually, the undesirable diffusion of the metal ions to a backside of the first electrically isolated chip will negatively affect performance of the chip and performance of the semiconductor package.
For these and other reasons there is a need for the present invention.

Semiconductor device with leadframe including a diffusion barrier


A method and system for opportunistically downloading data from a server computer system to client computer systems. The server computer system has a point-to-point transmission mechanism for receiving data from each client computer system and has a broadcast transmission mechanism for broadcasting data to the client computer systems. Each client computer system has a broadcast receiver for receiving data broadcast by the broadcast transmission mechanism when the client computer system is in a receiving state. In a preferred embodiment, the server computer system selects data to be downloaded from the server computer system to the client computer systems, and broadcasts the selected data using the broadcast transmission mechanism. Each client computer system that is in the receiving state receives the broadcasted data and sends a confirmation that the client computer system has received the broadcasted data to the server computer system using the point-to-point transmission mechanism. Conversely, when a client computer system enters the receiving state, it sends a request to send the selected data to the server computer system using the point-to-point transmission mechanism. The server computer system receives the sent request and transmits the selected data to the client computer system that sent the request when the server computer system has not received confirmation that the client computer system that sent the request received the broadcasted data.

As computer systems become more and more common in the workplace and in the home, the demand for transmission of information between these computer systems is increasing. Many computer system are interconnected through networks such as the Internet. Although each computer system connected to such a network can receive data from and send data to each other computer system, there are difficulties in using such networks. For example, because such computer systems are based on the telephone network, data transmission typically occurs at a relatively slow transmission rate. Also, when the same data is to be sent to multiple computer systems, the same data must be transmitted multiple times, that is, once for each computer system that is to receive the data.
When many computer systems need to receive the same data, some computer systems broadcast the data using satellite transmission. With satellite transmission, the same data can be sent only once and received by many computer systems. Although satellite transmission rates are very fast, there are several disadvantages of transmitting data by satellite. First, the cost of transmitting data by satellite can be prohibitive. Second, the cost of each computer system is increased because each computer system needs a satellite receiver. Third, if a computer system is not running at the time of transmission, the computer system cannot receive the transmission. Consequently, satellite transmissions are often repeated at periodic intervals to ensure that each computer system receives the transmission. Of course, the repeating of such transmissions can be expensive and may be unnecessary because all computer svstems, or least all those that care about the transmission, may have been running and actually received the data when it was first transmitted. Moreover, since such satellite transmissions typically only occur in one direction, there is generally no way of ensuring that all the intended recipient computer systems actually received a satellite transmission.
It would be desirable to have a transmission mechanism that would combine the advantages of the network computer systems and of satellite transmission, while minimizing their disadvantages.

Method and system for confirming receipt of data opportunistically broadcast to client computer systems


An integrated control system for a motor vehicle including at least one drive axle having left and right axle shafts each provided with a wheel mounted thereon. The integrated control system comprises a vehicle torque control system, a vehicle body roll control system, and a common source of a fluid pressure provided to operate both the vehicle body roll control system and the vehicle torque control system. The vehicle torque control system includes at least one fluid actuated clutch provided to regulate a drive torque distribution between the wheels of the motor vehicle in order to improve traction of the motor vehicle on a drive surface. The vehicle body roll control system includes at least one force device provided to tilt a vehicle body relative to a vehicle chassis so as to counteract a rollover-inducing force.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control systems for motor vehicles in general, and more particularly to an integrated fluid control system having a vehicle body roll control system and a vehicle torque control system operated by a common source of a fluid pressure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various torque control systems provided to regulate a drive torque distribution between drive wheels of the motor vehicle in order to improve drive traction of the motor vehicle on a road surface, are known, such as limited slip differentials employed to automatically limit slip and bias the torque distribution between a pair of rotary members. Typically, such systems are hydraulically actuated and, thus, require a source of a hydraulic pressure, such as a hydraulic pump.
Also, known are vehicle body roll control systems that include hydraulic power actuators coupled between sprung and unsprung masses of the motor vehicle and adapted to apply a force in opposition to a rolling displacement of a body of the vehicle due to lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and so counteract the vehicle body roll. Conventionally, the vehicle body roll control systems are also hydraulically actuated and require a source of a hydraulic pressure.
Normally, each of the torque control system and the body roll-control system are provided with a separate, dedicated hydraulic pump that increases complexity and overall cost of the motor vehicle. Therefore, it is the intent of this invention to overcome these shortcomings of the prior art by providing a common source of a fluid pressure to operate both the vehicle body roll control system and the vehicle torque control system.

Integrated torque and roll control system


A method and apparatus for emulating VPLS within an ATM network. Provider Edge devices are configured for VPLS connections. For each pair of provider edge devices supporting the same VPLS ID, one device establishes a virtual circuit between the pair. Thus, a full mesh of virtual circuits is established between provider edge devices, and a VPLS-like service can be offered to users without having to implement MPLS. Establishing the virtual circuits within a PNNI hierarchy maybe facilitated by each provider edge device propagating through the hierarchy an information group containing an association between the ATM address of the device and a VPLS ID, so that each provider edge device learns all ATM addresses to be associated with each VPLS ID. The method of advertising ATM addresses can be applied to other services requiring a number of interconnections between provider edge devices, such as Virtual Private Networks.

Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) is a proposed standard that would allow private local area networks (LANs) to be established over a public network. The VPLS presents an Ethernet interface to the users. Bridging is done at Provider Edge devices (PEs), such that the core public network need not know that a VPLS is being set up. The core network must simply guarantee the reachability of the VPLSs between the PEs.
VPLS as currently defined requires that the core network be a MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Once the PEs are configured with VPLS identifiers (IDs), the MPLS core network allows automatic advertising between the PEs. Each PE advertises to other PEs which VPLS IDs are supported by the PE, and advertises a MPLS label which other PEs can use to communicate with the PE with respect to each particular VPLS ID. As this VPLS ID to MPLS label mapping information is shared among multiple PEs that advertise the same VPLS ID, a mesh of MPLS label switched paths is generated to interconnect all the PEs involved in each VPLS.
Several service providers have already established large Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks. In order to implement VPLS (as currently defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force) over an ATM network, service providers would have to add an MPLS signaling protocol to the ATM network, which would be costly and operationally challenging. An alternative would be to emulate VPLS over an ATM network using a mesh of virtual circuits. However, a significant problem for a service provider wishing to emulate VPLS over an existing ATM network is the inability to automatically establish the mesh of connections between PEs providing the bridging for the VPLS. ATM nodes advertise reachability information using a Private Network-Network Interface (PNNI) routing hierarchy, defined in ATM Forum Technical Committee, "Private Network-Network Interface Specification, v.1.1", af-pnni-0055.002, April 2002. Under PNNI, each ATM node belongs to a peer group. An ATM node advertises its reachability information to all nodes within its peer group, but only the peer group leader advertises this information outside the peer group. Furthermore, the information advertised by the peer group leader to nodes outside the peer group is limited. There is currently no means by which an ATM node can advertise VPLS ID support to nodes outside its peer group. This means that an owner of an ATM network cannot offer VPLS-like services to customers, without either tedious manual configuration of virtual channels for each pair of PEs and for each VPLS ID, or adding an MPLS signaling protocol to the network.

Providing VPLS-like service over native ATM networks


A resist composition containing a base component (A) that exhibits changed solubility in a developing solution under action of acid, a photoreactive quencher (C), and an acid generator component (B) that generates acid upon exposure, and further containing an acid (G) having a pKa of 4 or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a resist composition and a method of forming a resist pattern that uses the resist composition.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-273759, filed Dec. 14, 2011, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
In lithography techniques, for example, a resist film composed of a resist material is formed on a substrate, and the resist film is subjected to selective exposure followed by development, thereby forming a resist pattern having a predetermined shape on the resist film. A resist material in which the exposed portions of the resist film become soluble in a developing solution is called a positive-type, and a resist material in which the exposed portions become insoluble in a developing solution is called a negative-type.
In recent years, in the production of semiconductor elements and liquid crystal display elements, advances in lithography techniques have led to rapid progress in the field of pattern miniaturization. Typically, these pattern miniaturization techniques involve shortening the wavelength (and increasing the energy) of the exposure light source. Conventionally, ultraviolet radiation typified by g-line and i-line radiation has been used, but nowadays KrF excimer lasers and ArF excimer lasers are starting to be introduced in the mass production of semiconductor elements. Furthermore, research is also being conducted into lithography techniques that use an exposure light source having a shorter wavelength (and a higher energy level) than these excimer lasers, such as extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV), electron beam (EB), and X-ray.
Resist materials for use with these types of exposure light sources require lithography properties such as a high resolution capable of reproducing patterns of minute dimensions, and a high level of sensitivity to these types of exposure light sources. As a resist material that satisfies these conditions, conventionally a chemically amplified resist composition has been used, which includes an acid generator component that generates acid upon exposure, and a base component that exhibits changed solubility in a developing solution under the action of acid.
Numerous compounds have already been proposed for the acid generator component for chemically amplified resist compositions, including onium salt-based acid generators, oxime sulfonate-based acid generators, diazomethane-based acid generators, nitrobenzylsulfonate-based acid generators, iminosulfonate-based acid generators, and disulfone-based acid generators.
Resins (base resins) are typically used as the base components of chemically amplified resist compositions.
For example, in an alkali developing process where an alkali developing solution is used as a developing solution, a chemically amplified resist composition for forming a positive-type resist pattern typically contains an acid generator component and a resin component that exhibits increased solubility in an alkali developing solution under the action of acid. If the resist film formed using this resist composition is selectively exposed during formation of a resist pattern, then acid is generated from the acid generator component within the exposed portions, and the action of this acid causes an increase in the solubility of the resin component in an alkali developing solution, making the exposed portions soluble in the alkali developing solution. As a result, by performing alkali developing, the unexposed portions remain as a pattern, resulting in the formation of a positive-type pattern.
As the resin component, a resin that exhibits increased polarity under the action of acid is typically used. When the polarity of the resin is increased, the solubility in an alkali developing solution increases. On the other hand, when the polarity is increased, the solubility in an organic solvent decreases, and therefore if a solvent developing process that uses a developing solution containing an organic solvent (an organic developing solution) is employed instead of the alkali developing process, then within the exposed portions of the resist film, the solubility in the organic developing solution decreases relatively, meaning that during the solvent developing process, the unexposed portions of the resist film are dissolved in the organic developing solution and removed, whereas the exposed portions remain as a pattern, resulting in the formation of a negative-type resist pattern. This type of solvent developing process that results in the formation of a negative-type resist pattern is sometimes referred to as a negative-type developing process (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Currently, resins that contain structural units derived from (meth)acrylate esters within the main chain (acrylic resins) are widely used as base resins for chemically amplified resist compositions designed for use in ArF excimer laser lithography or the like, as they exhibit excellent transparency in the vicinity of 193 nm (for example, see Patent Document 2). Here, the term "(meth)acrylate ester" is a generic term that includes either or both of the acrylate ester having a hydrogen atom bonded to the α-position and the methacrylate ester having a methyl group bonded to the α-position. The term "(meth)acrylate" is a generic term that includes either or both of the acrylate having a hydrogen atom bonded to the α-position and the methacrylate having a methyl group bonded to the α-position. The term "(meth)acrylic acid" is a generic term that includes either or both of acrylic acid having a hydrogen atom bonded to the α-position and methacrylic acid having a methyl group bonded to the α-position.
In order to improve the lithography properties and the like, the base resin typically includes a plurality of structural units. For example, in the case of an aforementioned resin component that exhibits increased polarity under the action of acid, typically, a base resin is used that contains a structural unit having an acid-decomposable group that decomposes under the action of the acid generated from the acid generator component, resulting in increased polarity, and also contains a structural unit having a polar group such as a hydroxyl group, and a structural unit having a lactone structure and the like.
One known technique for further improving the resolution is a lithography technique known as liquid immersion lithography (hereafter also referred to as "immersion exposure"), in which exposure (immersion exposure) is conducted in a state where the region between the objective lens of the exposure apparatus and the sample is filled with a liquid (an immersion medium) that has a larger refractive index than the refractive index of air.
By using immersion exposure, it is considered that higher resolutions equivalent to those obtained using a shorter wavelength light source or a higher NA lens can be achieved using the same exposure light source wavelength, with no reduction in the depth of focus. Furthermore, immersion exposure can be conducted using existing exposure apparatus. As a result, it is expected that immersion exposure will enable the formation of resist patterns of higher resolution and superior depth of focus at lower costs, and in the production of semiconductor elements, which requires enormous capital investment, immersion exposure is attracting considerable attention as a method that offers significant potential to the semiconductor industry, both in terms of cost and in terms of lithography properties such as resolution.
Immersion lithography is effective in forming patterns having all manner of shapes. Further, immersion exposure is capable of being used in combination with super-resolution techniques such as phase shift methods and modified illumination methods that are currently under investigation. Currently, techniques using an ArF excimer laser as the exposure source are the most actively researched immersion exposure techniques. Further, water is mainly being investigated as the immersion medium.
In recent years, the addition of a photoreactive quencher to a chemically amplified resist composition has also been proposed (for example, see Patent Documents 3 and 4). A photoreactive quencher is a salt formed from an anion and a cation, which, prior to exposure, has a quenching action that traps acid generated from the acid generator or the like via an ion exchange reaction, but which decomposes upon exposure, resulting in a loss of the quenching action. Accordingly, when a resist film formed using a chemically amplified resist composition containing such a photoreactive quencher is subjected to exposure, in the exposed portions, the photoreactive quencher loses its basicity relative to the acid generated from the acid generator or the like, whereas in the unexposed portions, the photoreactive quencher traps the acid, thereby suppressing the diffusion of acid from the exposed portions into the unexposed portions, resulting in improved lithography properties.

Resist composition and method of forming resist pattern


A fastening device for establishing a self-adjusting fastening connection between at least two elements. The fastening device includes a frame having at least one opening and a connection to one of the at least two elements. It includes a rod with corrugations, the rod being movable through the at least one opening and it includes a connection to one of the at least two elements and a holding device including at least two locking elements, each locking element including at least one surface including dents/grooves corresponding to the corrugations. The frame or the holding device includes an at least partly tapered shape, and an elastic mechanism forcing the holding device against the frame and thereby the locking elements against each other. A method of establishing a fastening connection between at least two elements with a fastening device is also included.

The present invention relates to a fastening device and assembly for establishing a fastening connection between a container and a ship and to a method of establishing a fastening connection between a container and a ship.
Shipping is an example of an area in which fixation and retaining of objects is very relevant. Especially, as transportation by ship usually requires more substantial fixation in order to retain the objects in place e.g. during frequently changing weather conditions. Various methods and devices have been suggested in order to secure the objects, such as containerized cargo, to the deck of a ship e.g. a containership.
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate a common example of a modern containership seen from above and from the side, respectively. The containership comprises a number of containers located on the ship deck as well as below deck (not illustrated on the figures). To facilitate the carriage of a significant amount of containers the containers are closely stacked on deck in a height of several containers e.g. four containers on top of each other and four columns of containers across the ship deck as illustrated in FIG. 2a.
Once the containership is at sea, the containership's pitching, yawing and particularly its rolling affects the container stacks. Especially, if the containership encounters heavy weather, it may experience rolls of as much as 30 degrees from vertical. The rolling of the containership requires that the fixation is continuously adjusted in order to keep it tight and thus the containers secure on deck.
FIG. 2a further illustrates that space may be present between the top and bottom of the stacked containers e.g. due to pebbles, dirt or local unevenness of the containers. Upon the influence of the load, the ship's pitching, yawing and rolling motion and vibrations, the pebbles, dirt etc. may give way and the containers move closer together after some time, and thus the fixation needs to be readjusted to keep it tight.
FIG. 2b illustrates a well-known system of fixating and lashing containers to the deck or the hatch cover of a containership. The system comprises rods set up in traverse patterns over the faces of the containers and when containers are stacked, e.g. four or more high, double-height crosses that span two layers are superimposed on a bottom row of single-height crosses. The containers are also held together with twistlocks engaging with the top and bottom corners of containers positioned on top of each other. The twistlocks ensure that the upper container layers, which are not lashed by the system, stay in place.
A turnbuckle is provided for each rod to provide a manually adjustable connection to the deck of the ship. The tightening of the rods is performed from deck level by a ship worker or assistant equipped with a turnbuckle spanner or a similar handling tool.
The spanner is used to engage and turn the body of the turnbuckle in a left or right direction, whereby the left and the right screw threaded rod ends in the turnbuckle are turned closer or further apart.
A modern containership often carries thousands of containers on deck. A problem is the lashing of the deck containers since it involves numerous turnbuckles which all must be tightened during loading at port, frequently at sea in order to secure the container cargo from going overboard and releasing during unloading at port. The turnbuckles often weigh between 10 and 25 kilograms. The workers thus carry a significant weight load at the lashing. After establishment of the lashing the workers are facing the demanding task of tightening the thousands of turnbuckles with turnbuckle spanners. The tightening of the turnbuckles must be performed in all kinds of weather and often under very cramped conditions, as the containers are stacked very close to each other.
The tightening of the turnbuckles requires much man power and is obviously very time consuming, which is especially disadvantageous at port as many efforts have been made by the owners of the containerships to minimize the time the ships are at port. The lashing is thus very costly in time and money for the companies that operate the containerships.

Fastening device for securing a container to a ship


A system and method for applying a material for improving the adhesion between the surface of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) elements and a coating applied thereto is disclosed. The system comprises the mixing of an adhesion promoter with de-ionized water and applying it to the surface of the TPO elements to be coated. Preferably, the application occurs in an atmospherically controlled enclosure. The application of the adhesion promoter is preferably accomplished by flowing the mixture over the TPO elements through an application device that minimizes agitation and splashing of the mixture. Multiple parameters of the application system may be monitored and regulated. Upon completion of the application process, the treated TPO elements are preferably dried in an oven, leaving a thin layer of adhesion promoter over the surface thereof. Use of the application device ensures that minimal defects are present in the dried adhesion promoter layer.

Environmental concerns have led to an attempted reduction of pollutants from a multitude of sources. Manufacturing facilities, have been required to operate under increasingly stringent emissions guidelines. These emissions guidelines require, in part, a reduction of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
In a manufacturing environment, VOC's have a wide variety of uses. For example, certain VOC's have been commonly employed for the purpose of cleaning and preparing various plastic components for receiving a material coating, such as paint. More specifically, such VOC's are particularly useful for cleaning and preparing thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) components for coating with a primer or paint product. Not only are such VOC's effective for the removal of grease and other contaminants which may reside on these components, they also act on the surface of the TPO to promote adhesion with the forthcoming primer or paint coating.
In an attempt to reduce emissions, it has become essential to drastically reduce or eliminate the use of VOC's. For similar reasons, most automobile manufacturers also now employ a water-based paint and/or primer rather than traditional solvent-based products.
New plastic formulations have been developed which may be cleaned via non-VOC methods, and which are better able to bond with water-based paint and/or primer. However, TPO exhibits inherently poor wettability—meaning that it tends to repel moisture. Without the use of trichloroethylene or similar materials to prepare the surface, providing adequate paint adhesion is of great concern. For this reason, manufacturers utilizing a water-based cleaning system and water-based paint, typically provide the TPO components with a primer coat prior to the final paint or color coat.
Unfortunately, primer coating is a costly process. One reason is that a large portion of the sprayed primer is typically lost rather than deposited on the component. Additionally, once the components have received a primer coat, it is generally necessary to cycle them through an oven to allow the primer to fully dry. Therefore, it is desirous to develop a system and method that will allow a paint coating to be applied directly to the surface of a TPO component, without the need to first apply a coat of primer.
The present invention satisfies this need. The system and method of the present invention applies a water-based adhesion promoter to each TPO component. The adhesion promoter application preferably occurs after the component has undergone a cleaning process. After the adhesion promoter is applied and dried, a thin layer will remain on the surface of the TPO component. This thin layer of adhesion promoter is sufficient to provide the necessary adhesion between the component and the forthcoming paint coat.
The adhesion promoter application system of the present invention may monitor a variety of parameters during operation, including, for example: line speed of the component; temperature of the component; temperature of the adhesion promoter; adhesion promoter nozzle distance and angle; adhesion promoter flow rate; nozzle spray pattern; setting zone time, temperature and relative humidity; and pre-oven and oven time, temperature and relative humidity. The adhesion promoter application system of the present invention may also be adapted to distinguish when a part is present within the system and to provide periodic water flushing in order to prevent adhesion promoter build-up.
Therefore, the adhesion promoter application system of the present invention allows a paint coat to be applied to the surface of a TPO component without the need to first apply a primer coat. As such, the present invention may provide a reduction in material, equipment and labor costs, as well as an increase in production capacity.

Adhesion promoter application system and process


An ink jet head that can be easily connected to an external circuit is provided without an increase in the number of production procedures. Diaphragms and a diaphragm external electrode having the same thickness as the diaphragms are formed on a silicon substrate that is a first substrate located on the same plane as the diaphragms. The diaphragm external electrode is located within 2 xcexcm from the individual external electrodes of a plurality of electrodes on a second substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet head, and, more particularly, to an ink jet head utilizing electrostatic force and a method of producing such an ink jet head.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink jet head installed in an ink jet recording apparatus used as an image recording apparatus, such as a printer, facsimile machine, copying machine, or plotter, comprises nozzle holes to discharge ink droplets, discharging chambers (also referred to as pressurized chambers, pressurized liquid chambers, liquid chambers, or ink passages) communicating with the nozzle holes, and an energy generating unit for generating energy to pressure the ink in the discharging chambers. By driving the energy generating unit, the ink in the discharging chambers are pressurized, so that ink droplets are discharged through the nozzle holes. Normally, such an ink jet head is of an ink-on-demand type that discharges ink droplets only when ink is required for recording.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-51734 discloses an ink jet head in which piezoelectric elements are employed as the energy generating unit for generating the energy to pressurize the ink in the discharging chambers. The diaphragms that forms the wall surfaces of the discharging chambers are deformed by the piezoelectric elements to change the content volume of the discharging chambers, thereby discharging ink droplets. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 61-59911 discloses an ink jet head in which a heat generating resistor is employed to heat the ink to form bubbles in the discharging chamber. The bubbles pressurize the ink so that ink droplets are discharged.
In the former ink jet head using the piezoelectric elements, however, the process of bonding piezoelectric chips to the diaphragms to give pressure to the discharging chambers is very complicated. Since an ink jet recording apparatus is required to perform a high-quality operation at high speed, it is necessary to employ a plurality of high-concentration nozzles in the ink jet head. However, the process of producing minute piezoelectric elements and the process of bonding a number of piezoelectric elements are very complicated and time-consuming. Furthermore, it is necessary to produce the piezoelectric elements in a thickness of approximately 30 to 150 xcexcm. However, with the conventional machine accuracy in size and shape, it is difficult to obtain uniform printing quality.
Also, in the latter ink jet head using the heat generating resistor, there is a problem that the heat generating resistor is damaged by the repetitive rapid heating and cooling, and by the shock at a time of bubble bursting. As a result, the life of the ink jet head becomes shortened.
To eliminate the above problems, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-71882 suggests an ink jet head in which the diaphragms that form the wall surfaces of the discharging chambers are deformed by electrostatic force so as to change the content volume of the discharging chambers, thereby discharging ink droplets. This ink jet head utilizing electrostatic force is advantageous in being small in size, having high density and high printing quality, and lasting for a long period of time.
In the ink jet head utilizing electrostatic force, it is necessary to apply an electric voltage from an external circuit to the diaphragms and the electrodes adjacent to the diaphragms so as to deform the diaphragms by electrostatic force.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-307218 discloses an ink jet head in which a first substrate that forms diaphragms and liquid chambers and a second substrate that forms electrodes are bonded to each other. An external electrode for diaphragms (a diaphragm external electrode) is disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate, and external electrodes for electrodes (individual external electrodes) are formed in concave portions of the second substrate. Here, a vertical-direction distance between the diaphragm external electrode and the individual external electrodes are equivalent to the thickness of the first substrate. Therefore, a method in which a special-purpose FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) cable having a top portion branched into two ends is used to have connection with an external circuit has been suggested.
However, having to connect the diaphragm external electrode to the individual external electrodes by the special-purpose FPC cable with the two branched top ends makes the connecting process troublesome and time-consuming. Also, the FPC cable is costly, and the production costs of the ink jet head are increased accordingly.
If the diaphragms and the electrodes are arranged at shorter intervals so as to obtain a high-density ink jet head, a yield decrease might be caused due to defective bonding or damage to the diaphragms when an electrode substrate is bonded to a silicon substrate as a diaphragm substrate having the diaphragms formed by performing anisotropic etching on the silicon substrate. Also, misalignment is often caused, and a number of bonding processes need to be performed. In view of this, this conventional ink jet head is not suitable for mass production.
On the other hand, if a silicon substrate is used as an electrode substrate while an n-type or p-type impurity layer is used as electrodes (as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-71882), it is easier to form narrow gaps between the diaphragms and the electrodes than in the case where a metal film that might generate particles at the time of film formation is used. Also, a high-quality thermal oxide film can be formed as an electrode protection film on the electrodes. However, junction leak or punch-through between the electrodes is caused, resulting in poor reliability.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide ink jet heads and methods of producing the same, in which the above-mentioned problems are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a high-density ink jet head having external electrodes that can be easily connected to an external circuit, and a method of producing this ink jet head without increasing the number of production steps.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by an ink jet head having a diaphragm external electrode that located on the same plane as diaphragms. Accordingly, the ink jet head can be easily connected to an external circuit without using a special FPC.
The above ink jet head further includes individual external electrodes disposed within 2 xcexcm from the diaphragm external electrode, so that the ink jet head can be more easily connected to an external circuit.
In the above ink jet head, the individual external electrodes are aligned with the diaphragm external electrode, so that the ink jet head can be easily connected to an external circuit without using a special FPC.
In the above ink head, the diaphragms and the diaphragm external electrode are formed on a first substrate, the electrodes and the individual external electrodes are formed on a second substrate, and parts of the first substrate corresponding to the individual external electrodes on the second substrate are removed while the diaphragm external electrode is maintained. Accordingly, a decrease in yield due to defective bonding or damage to the diaphragms can be prevented. Furthermore, the formation of the diaphragm external electrode and the exposure of the individual external electrodes can be carried out at the same time.
In the above ink jet head, the diaphragms and the diaphragm external electrode are formed on a first substrate, and a metal layer is formed on the diaphragm external electrode. Thus, the corrosion resistance to etching of the ink jet head can be increased.
In the above ink jet head, the metal layer on the diaphragm external electrode has a multi-layered structure. Thus, the corrosion resistance can be increased, and the production costs can be reduced.
In the above ink jet head, a layer of the metal layer in contact with the first substrate is made of a metal that can be in ohmic contact with silicon. Thus, the contact resistance of the ink jet head can be reduced.
In the above ink jet head, the outermost layer of the metal layer is made of a metal that has resistance against an etching species based on halogen. Thus, the ohmic contact can be easily achieved while the corrosion resistance is maintained.
The objects of the present invention are also achieved by a method of producing an ink jet head, comprising the steps of:
bonding a first substrate having diaphragms and a diaphragm external electrode formed thereon to a second substrate having electrodes and individual external electrodes formed thereon, with a predetermined distance being left between each of the diaphragms and each corresponding one of the electrodes;
forming a contact portion having the same thickness as the diaphragms, the contact portion including at least a region on the first substrate corresponding to a region including the individual external electrodes on the second substrate and a part to become the diaphragm external electrode; and
removing the region of the contact portion except the part to become the diaphragm external electrode. In accordance with this method, an ink jet head having a diaphragm external electrode that can be easily connected to a connector such as an FPC can be obtained without increasing the number of production steps.
In the above method, the bonding step is an anodic bonding step that includes the steps of forming a SiO2-film gap spacer on the first substrate that is a monocrystal silicon substrate, or forming concave portions in the second substrate that is a glass substrate, so that the predetermined distance is maintained between each of the diaphragms and each corresponding one of the electrodes. Thus, an ink jet head having a diaphragm external electrode that can be easily connected to a connector such as an FPC can be obtained without increasing the number of production steps.
In the above method, the bonding step includes the steps of:
forming a SiO2-film gap spacer in the first substrate that is a monocrystal silicon substrate and/or in the second substrate that is also a monocrystal silicon substrate; and
bonding the first substrate and the second substrate directly to each other, so that the predetermined distance is maintained between each of the diaphragms and each corresponding one of the electrodes. Accordingly, an ink jet head having a diaphragm external electrode that can be easily connected to a connector such as an FPC can be obtained without increasing the number of production steps, and narrow gaps can be formed with great precision.
The above method may further comprise the step of forming a protection film having resistance to etching on the part to become the diaphragm external electrode, prior to the removing step. Accordingly, etching margins can be increased, and excellent ohmic contact can be achieved.
The above method may further comprise the step of forming a protection film having resistance to etching in the region other than the region to be removed from the first substrate by etching, prior to the removing step. Accordingly, etching can be performed without a mask. Thus the production costs and the number of production steps can be reduced. Also, a decrease in yield can be restricted. Furthermore, the bonding of liquid chambers formed on the diaphragm substrate becomes easier, and the wettability can be increased.
In the above method, the relationships
(a/x) greater than 1 and
(a/y) less than 1,
are satisfied, wherein: x represents a short side of an opening of each of the diaphragms; y represents a short side of the contact portion; and a represents a thickness of the first substrate. Accordingly, etching can be performed without a mask, and the production costs and the number of production steps can be reduced. Also, a decrease in yield can be restricted. Furthermore, side etching can be avoided, and contamination on the bonding surfaces of the liquid chambers formed on the diaphragm substrate can be prevented.
In the above method, when etching is performed on the first substrate, a part between the part to become the diaphragm external electrode and the adjacent individual external electrode is maintained. Accordingly, the size the diaphragm external electrode can be desirably controlled.
In the above method, the relationships,
(a/x) greater than 1,
(a/z) greater than 1, and
(a/y) less than 1,
are satisfied, wherein: x represents a short side of an opening of each of the diaphragms; y represents a short side of the contact portion; z represents a short side of the diaphragm external electrode; and a represents a thickness of the first substrate. Accordingly, etching can be performed without a mask, and the production costs and the number of production steps can be reduced. Also, a yield decrease can be restricted.
The above method may further comprise the steps of:
forming a p-type or n-type impurity layer on a part of each of the electrodes adjacent to each corresponding one of the diaphragms;
forming a heat-resistant film on the contact portion; and
forming a connecting hole between the impurity layer and the heat resistant film. Accordingly, the reliability of the electrode substrate can be increased.
The objects of the present invention are also achieved by a method of producing an ink jet head, comprising the steps of:
bonding a silicon wafer that is a first substrate having diaphragms and a diaphragm external electrode formed thereon to a second substrate having electrodes and individual electrodes formed thereon;
performing etching on the first substrate, leaving a contact portion including a region corresponding to the individual external electrodes on the second substrate and a part to become the diaphragm external electrode;
cutting the silicon wafer into head chips; and
removing the region corresponding to the individual external electrodes from the contact portion. Accordingly, an ink jet head having high reliability can be obtained at low production costs.
In the above method, when the diaphragm external electrode is formed, a metal layer having a low etching rate compared with silicon is formed on the part to become the diaphragm external electrode. Accordingly, the first substrate can be protected from corrosion when the diaphragm external electrode is formed on the first substrate.
In the above method, an etching mask made of a material that does not generate a product is used. Accordingly, the reliability in connection with a connector can be increased.
In the above method, the etching mask may be made of quartz. Accordingly, the reliability in connection with a connector can be further increased.
In the above method, the etching mask may be made of alumina. Accordingly, the reliability in connection with a connector can be further increased.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Ink jet head and method of producing the same


Techniques are described for efficiently embedding frame masks in a video stream. In some solutions, a computer implemented method includes operations for encoding a frame of video data comprising an array of pixels to generate an encoded video frame and transmitting the encoded video frame. The array of pixels can include foreground pixels and background pixels. The foreground pixels can have respective original luma values which are bounded within a first luma range. In certain examples, encoding the frame of video data can include converting the original luma values of the foreground pixels to updated luma values which are bounded within a second luma range. The second luma range can be shifted and/or compressed from the first luma range.

In a video call, foreground segmentation (also referred to as "background subtraction") can be performed at the sender side, which can separate each frame of video image into foreground and background. The sender can generate a frame mask, such as a foreground mask (also referred to as "alpha mask"), per video frame. For video containing color images, a video frame can also be referred to as a "color frame." In some circumstances, such a frame mask can be used on the sender side, e.g., to blur or replace the background of the video-captured person before transmitting the video. In other circumstances, such a frame mask can be transmitted to the receiver side, where the video-captured person without the original background can be rendered on top of screen sharing content (e.g., using a virtual background or in the so-called "weather person presentation mode"). For example, the receiver can use the frame mask to show the video-captured person without the original background as a participant in a team meeting of multiple participants (e.g., in the "Together Mode" scene of Microsoft Teams®). However, transmitting the frame masks reliably and efficiently from the sender to the receiver can pose technical challenges. Therefore, there exists ample opportunity for improvement in technologies related to transmitting frame masks in a video stream.