A motor or generator assembly including a motor or generator machine and mounting structure supporting the machine on an appliance is provided. The machine presents an axially extending, radially outermost circumferential face and a pair of axially spaced apart, radially projecting axial margins. The mounting structure includes a pair of at least substantially radially extending plates and a base configured for connection to the appliance. The plates extend at least in part adjacent respective ones of the axial margins and at least in part define a machine-receiving space therebetween. The machine is mounted on the brackets so as to be positioned at least in part in the machine-receiving space. The base is positioned at least substantially radially outside the circumferential face of the machine and presents a pair of axially spaced apart side faces, with each of the plates being secured against a respective one of the side faces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electric motor or generator assembly for use in an appliance. More specifically, the present invention concerns a mounting base for securing an electric motor or generator assembly in an appliance.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that electric motors or generators are used in a variety of applications, including, but not limited to, appliances (such as exercise bicycles, rowing machines, ceiling fans, dishwashers, and washing machines) and vehicles (such as cars and golf carts). In an exercise bicycle, for instance, an electric generator might be provided. The generator is driven by the pedaling of a user and in turn supplies electricity to a display showing parameters such as the user's simulated speed or distance, the amount of time pedaled, et cetera.
Conventional mounting structure for supporting the motor or generator may include brackets or plates supporting the motor or generator. Time-consuming alignment of the brackets and shimming between the rotor and stator are often necessary during installation of the motor or generator on the appliance. A need therefore exists for a precisely formed mounting arrangement that can be created efficiently and cost-effectively and that minimizes the installation envelope required for the motor or generator assembly as a whole.


An isolation technique is provided for improving the overall planarity of filled isolation regions relative to adjacent silicon mesas. The isolation process results in a silicon mesa having enhanced mechanical and electrical properties. Planarity is performed by repeating the steps of filling isolation trenches, patterning large area isolation trenches, and refilling isolation trenches to present an upper surface having indents which can be readily removed by a chemical-mechanical polish. The silicon mesa upper surface is enhanced by utilizing a unique set of layers stacked upon the silicon substrate, and thereafter patterning the substrate to form raised silicon surfaces, or mesas, having the stacked layers thereon. The patterned, stacked layers include a unique combination of dissimilar compositions which, when removed, leave a silicon mesa upper surface which is recessed below the adjacent, filled trenches. The patterned stacked layers incorporate a polysilicon and/or oxide buffer which prevents deleterious migration of nitrogen from the overlying nitride layer to the underlying silicon mesa upper surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductor fabrication and more particularly to an improved process of forming a silicon mesa between trench isolation regions, the silicon mesa having enhanced mechanical and electrical properties.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The fabrication of an integrated circuit involves placing numerous devices in a single semiconductor substrate. Select devices are interconnected by a conductor which extends over a dielectric which separates or "isolates" those devices. Implementing an electrical path across a monolithic integrated circuit thereby involves selectively connecting isolated devices. When fabricating integrated circuits it must therefore be possible to isolate devices built into the substrate from one another. From this perspective, isolation technology is one of the critical aspects of fabricating a functional integrated circuit.
A popular isolation technology used for an MOS integrated circuit involves the process of locally oxidizing silicon. Local oxidation of silicon, or LOCOS process involves oxidizing field regions between devices. The oxide grown in field regions are termed field oxide, wherein field oxide is grown during the initial stages of integrated circuit fabrication, before source and drain implants are placed in device areas or active areas. By growing a thick field oxide in field regions pre-implanted with a channel-stop dopant, LOCOS processing serves to prevent the establishment of parasitic channels in the field regions.
While LOCOS has remained a popular isolation technology, there are several problems inherent with LOCOS. First, a growing field oxide extends laterally as a bird's-beak structure. In many instances, the bird's-beak structure can unacceptably encroach into the device active area. Second, the pre-implanted channel-stop dopant oftentimes redistributes during the high temperatures associated with field oxide growth. Redistribution of channel-stop dopant primarily affects the active area periphery causing problems known as narrow-width effects. Third, the thickness of field oxide causes large elevational disparities across the semiconductor topography between field and active regions. Topological disparities cause planarity problems which become severe as circuit critical dimensions shrink. Lastly, thermal oxide growth is significantly thinner in small field (i.e., field areas of small lateral dimension) regions relative to large field regions. In small field regions, a phenomenon known as field-oxide-thinning effect therefore occurs. Field-oxide-thinning produces problems with respect to field threshold voltages, interconnect-to-substrate capacitance, and field-edge leakage in small field regions between closely spaced active areas.
Many of the problems associated with LOCOS technology are alleviated by an isolation technique known as the "shallow trench process". Despite advances made to decrease bird's-beak, channel-stop encroachment and non-planarity, it appears that LOCOS technology is still inadequate for deep submicron MOS technologies. The shallow trench process is better suited for isolating densely spaced active devices having field regions less than one micron in lateral dimension.
The trench process involves the steps of etching a silicon substrate surface to a relatively shallow depth, e.g., between 0.3 to 0.5 microns, and then refilling the shallow trench with a deposited dielectric. Some trench processes include an interim step of growing oxide on trench walls prior to the trench being filled with a deposited dielectric. After the trench is filled, it is then planarized to complete the isolation structure.
The trench process eliminates bird's-beak and channel-stop dopant redistribution problems. In addition, the isolation structure is fully recessed, offering at least a potential for a planar surface. Still further, field-oxide thinning in narrow isolation spaces does not occur and the threshold voltage is constant as a function of channel width.
While the trench isolation process has many advantages over LOCOS, it cannot in all instances achieve complete global planarization across the entire semiconductor topography. The upper surface of fill dielectric in large isolation areas are at lower elevation levels than the upper surface fill dielectric in small isolation areas. Further manipulation of the fill dielectric surface is needed to provide an elevationally uniform fill dielectric surface across both large isolation areas (e.g., greater than 2.0 microns per side) and small isolation areas (e.g., less than 1.0 micron per side). The trench process presents many additional problems besides that of local planarization. First, conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes exhibit a tendency to form cusps and/or voids at the midline between closely spaced active areas, hereinafter termed "silicon mesas". Those voids can lead to reliability problems and inadequate isolation performance. Second, conventional planarization techniques used to remove the fill dielectric from the upper surface of silicon mesas may over etch the fill dielectric in the isolation areas relative to the silicon mesas. An over etched fill surface which is elevationally lower than an adjacent active area silicon mesa causes the mesa sidewall and corner to be partially exposed. Any exposure at the silicon mesa corner or sidewall causes inappropriate fringing field effects and/or parasitic sidewall conduction. It is therefore important when choosing a planarization method, that the method not expose the silicon mesa corner or sidewall. Lastly, it is important to protect the silicon mesa upper surface during the fill procedure and subsequently during planarization. The silicon mesa surface must be left in pristine condition so as to allow formation of a high quality gate or tunnel oxide thereon. Local thinning of the resulting gate and/or tunnel oxide cannot be tolerated in high density integrated circuits employing short channels.

Semiconductor trench isolation process resulting in a silicon mesa having enhanced mechanical and electrical properties


A necessary packet is extracted from each of a plurality of transport streams, and the extracted packets are reconstructed to one transport stream. Plural packets from the reconstructed one transport stream are descrambled using a conditional access module, and the necessary packets are separated. Each packet separated from the reconstructed one transport stream is decoded. The conditional access module has information needed to descramble the packets from the plurality of transport streams that are in the reconstructed one transport stream.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to digital processing apparatus and method which are suitable for use in a system which performs broadcasting by a stream of MPEG (Moving Picture Coding Experts Group) 2 like digital satellite broadcasting or digital terrestrial broadcasting. More particularly, the invention relates to such apparatus and method which enable a plurality of simultaneously broadcasted programs to be received without changing a CA (Conditional Access System) system, thereby enabling recording of a back program in the same time slot on a different channel, reproduction of a multiscreen, PinP (Picture in Picture) reproduction, or the like.
2. Background Art
In Japanese digital broadcasting (digital satellite broadcasting, digital terrestrial broadcasting, digital CATV (Cable Television)), an MPEG2 system (ISO/IEC 13818-1 GENERIC CODING OF MOVING PICTURES AND ASSOCIATED AUDIO: SYSTEMS Recommendation H. 222.0) is adopted. Such a system has been formed on the basis of the standards of ARIB (Association of Radio Industrial and Businesses).
According to the MPEG2 system, a system for multiplexing individual streams of encoded video/audio, additional data, and the like and reproducing them synchronously with one another has been specified. There are two types of systems such as MPEG2-PS (Program Stream) and MPEG2-TS (Transport Stream).
Since the MPEG2-PS has been made on the assumption that it is applied to transmission and storage of data in an environment where no errors occur and redundancy can be reduced, it is used in a digital storage media such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or the like using a powerful error correction code.
The MPEG2-TS has been made on the assumption that it is applied to an environment such as broadcasting, communication network, or the like where a transmission error of data occurs, and a plurality of programs can be constructed in one stream. Therefore, the MPEG2-TS is used in digital broadcasting or the like.
In the MPEG2-TS, a plurality of TS (Transport Stream) packets of a fixed length of 188 bytes are collected so as to construct a transport stream. The length of TS packet of 188 bytes has been determined in consideration of matching performance with a length of ATM (A synchronous Transfer Mode) cell.
The TS packet is constructed by a packet header of a fixed length of 4 bytes and an adaptation field and a payload of a variable length. A PID (packet identifier) and various flags have been defined in the packet header. The type of TS packet is identified by the PID.
A PES (Packetized Elementary Stream) packet in which the individual streams of video, audio, and the like have been enclosed is divided into a plurality of TS packets having the same PID numbers and transmitted. For example, the MPEG2 system is used for encoding the video data. An MPEG2-AAC (MPEG2 Advanced Audio Coding) system is used for encoding the audio data in, for example, BS (Broadcast Satellite) digital broadcasting.
The PES packet in which data such as subtitles and the like has been enclosed is also divided into a plurality of TS packets and transmitted in a manner similar to the packet of video and audio.
Further, a packet of information of SI (Service Information) described by a table in a section format is contained in the transport stream. There is PSI (Program Specific Information) as SI for all stations. The PSI is information necessary for a system which selects and receives a program of a desired broadcast. As such information, there are a PAT (Program Association Table), a PMT (Program Map Table), an NIT (Network Information Table), a CAT (Condition Access Table), and the like.
A PID and the like of the PMT corresponding to the program number have been described in the PAT. Video data, audio data, and additional data included in the corresponding program, and the PID of a PCR are described in the PMT. A carrier frequency at which a target program is transmitted has been described in the NIT. Information regarding identification of a limited receiving system and information regarding individual information such as contract information or the like are described in the CAT. There is an EIT (Event Information Table) as SI which is used for services of a broadcasting company. A broadcasting schedule of programs has been described in the EIT. The EIT is used for an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) or recording reservation.
As digital broadcasting of such an MPEG2 system, digital CS (Communication Satellite) broadcasting and digital BS (Broadcast Satellite) broadcasting have already been started. In the digital BS broadcasting, broadcasting of an HDTV (High Definition Television) has been performed in addition to an ordinary SDTV (Standard Definition Television). Execution of the digital terrestrial broadcasting is also being examined.
In such an MPEG2 system, the CAT system is adopted as a process for limited reception. Keys for the limited reception have a triple-layer structure comprising a master key, a work key, and a scramble key. The work key is updated in a relatively long period, encrypted by the master key, and transmitted in the section format as an EMM (Entitlement Management Message) packet. Encrypted personal contract contents have been described in the EMM. Scramble key information is encrypted in a relatively short period and transmitted in the section format as an ECM (Encryption Control Message) packet. The PID with which the EMM is transmitted is designated by a limited reception descriptor in the CAT (Condition Access Table). The PID with which the ECM is transmitted is designated by a limited reception descriptor in the PMT.
In the receiver, the CAT is received. By receiving the CAT, the PID of the EMM is notified. The EMM for the user himself which coincides with the individual ID (card ID) in an IC card is then received. Information of this EMM is sent to the IC card and contract contents are stored in the IC card.
When a desired program is received, the NIT is obtained, a channel list is searched from the NIT, and a carrier frequency at which a desired program is being broadcasted is obtained. When the carrier frequency of the desired program is obtained, a receiving frequency is set into the carrier frequency at which the desired program is being broadcasted. The PAT is obtained at the carrier frequency. Program information in each carrier and the PID of the PMT showing the contents in each program have been described in the PAT. The PID in which the PMT of the desired program has been described is obtained from the PAT. Components (video/audio) of the desired program and the PID of the ECM necessary for descrambling are obtained from the PMT.
To descramble the scrambling, the packet of the ECM is received and information of the ECM is sent to the IC card. Only when the decryption is permitted on the basis of the contract contents stored in the IC card, a decrypt key is returned from the IC card. The decrypt key and the PID of the components to be descrambled are set into a descrambler. The packet of each component of the desired program is descrambled by a descramble key.
The descrambled packet of each component is sent to a demultiplexer. The video PES packet and the audio PES packet for receiving the desired program are separated by the demultiplexer. The video PES packet and the audio PES packet are then decoded.
The CA system of the MPEG2 has been described in the following patent literature (JP-A-8-265723).
As mentioned above, in the MPEG2 system, the limited reception by the CAT is performed. The limited reception by the CAT is performed on the assumption that one program is monitored by one receiving system. Therefore, to simultaneously monitor and record a plurality of programs, a plurality of receivers and a plurality of CA systems which are necessary for monitoring them are needed.
For example, upon recording of what is called a back program (program in the same time slot on a different channel), a program which is being simultaneously broadcasted by another program is recorded while the user is watching a certain program. In such back program recording, it is necessary to simultaneously receive a plurality of programs. In the case of processing in such a manner that display screens of two reception programs are simultaneously displayed onto one display screen like "PinP", it is necessary to simultaneously receive a plurality of programs.
In the limited reception by the CAT of the conventional MPEG2 system, when a plurality of programs are simultaneously received as mentioned above, it is necessary to make a plurality of monitor contracts. However, it is not practical to make a plurality of monitor contracts in order to simultaneously receive a plurality of programs.

Data processing apparatus and method, and digital broadcasting receiver


The present invention offer a semiconductor testing apparatus which is able to test all functions of a semiconductor device in a short time. The semiconductor testing apparatus comprises a conditional imperative statement part storing therein all statements concerning conditional setting for the measuring means, a first comparison part for comparing statement received from the control means with the respective statements stored in the conditional imperative statement part, and a second comparison part for comparing the statements received from the control means with the respective statements stored in the memory means.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor testing apparatus for executing functional tests of a semiconductor device.
In case of executing functional tests of a semiconductor device, generally the semiconductor device is operated using the procedure of a testing program, thereby to determine whether it outputs an expected data or not. And from the result of the output, whether the semiconductor device is good or no good is judged. As a result of having a great variety of functions, however, in case of testing all functions of the semiconductor device, it is necessary to prepare a testing program for the respective functional test and to test all functions running these testing programs by turns. As a variety of functional tests of the semiconductor device, there are, for example, a test of read only memory(ROM), a test of random access memory(RAM), etc.
In the following, a conventional semiconductor testing apparatus 18 is elucidated in detail referring to FIG. 7. The conventional semiconductor testing apparatus 18 consists of a control unit 19 that is a central processing unit and so on, a memory 2 for storing a testing program 3 to execute each functional tests of a semiconductor device 8 and a hardware 6 for executing all functional tests of the semiconductor device 8. Usually as a testing program 3, plural programs (3a, 3b, - - - ) are prepared for the respective functional tests (T1, T2, - - - ) of the semiconductor device 8. The hardware 6 consists of plural units 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, the respective units 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e taking shares of the respective functional tests (T1, T2, - - - ) of the semiconductor device 8.
The control unit 19 reads one of statements configured in the testing program 3 in the memory 2, decodes it and order the hardware 6 to execute the decoded statement. After the hardware 6 finish executing of the decoded statement, the control unit 19 reads the next statement configured in the testing program 3.
As statements configured in the testing program 3, there are, for example, a statement concerning the conditional setting for the hardware 6, a statement concerning the power-on for the hardware 6, a statement concerning the power-off for the hardware 6 and a statement concerning the execution of functional tests of the semiconductor device 8.
In case of this conventional example, for instance, after the hardware 6 finishes executing of the program 3a, the control unit 19 reads the next program 3b in the memory 2 and sets the condition of the respective units 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e of the hardware 6. In other words, in the case that it is not necessary to alter the conditional setting of the unit 6a, that is to say, even in the case that the conditional setting of the unit 6a in the next functional test may be the same as the previous conditional setting of the unit 6a, the condition of the unit 6a using the procedure of the program 3b is set again.
The statement concerning the power-off for the hardware 6 is configured at the end of the respective programs (3a, 3b, - - - ) for the purpose of protecting the semiconductor testing apparatus 18 and the semiconductor device 8. The statement concerning the power-off for the hardware 6 is executed by the control unit 19 and it turns off power to the hardware 6 by the control unit 19. And in the occasion that the next functional test is executed, the statement concerning the power-on for the hardware 6 is executed by the control unit 19. But in the case that the conditional setting of the hardware 6 in the next functional test is the same as the previous conditional setting of the hardware 6, or in the case that to alter the conditional setting of the hardware 6 under the power-on has no adversely influence upon the semiconductor device 8 and the semiconductor testing apparatus 18, it is not necessary to turn off power to the hardware 6.
In the above-mentioned two cases, unnecessary statement concerning the conditional setting for the hardware 6, unnecessary statement concerning the power-off for the hardware 6 and unnecessary statement concerning the power-on for the hardware 6 has been executed and it has wasted time. As a result, there was a defect that the conventional semiconductor testing apparatus 18 takes unnecessarily long time to test all functions of the semiconductor device 8.
Hitherto, as for the means to avoid taking this unnecessarily long time, the respective programs (3a, 3b, - - - ) are optimized so that a renewal testing program deleted all of unnecessary statements is drawn up. And an example of an optimization processing system is shown in FIG. 6. In the case shown in FIG. 6, a testing program 15 is optimized and a renewal testing program 17 is drawn up, wherein all of unnecessary statement is deleted by the optimization processing system 16.
In case of this example shown in FIG. 6, however, it is necessary to develop each system and each software to optimize each programs (15a, 15b, - - - ) to prepare for testing the respective functions of the semiconductor device. And as a result a huge cost and process are required.

Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., Ltd.


A brushless DC motor driver for driving a brushless DC motor which comprises at least one coil wherein the control unit is adapted for applying a PWM driving signal to the at least one coil of the brushless DC motor such that a current through the at least one coil is always bigger than a pre-defined undercurrent limit.

Brushless direct current (BLDC) motors typically comprise a magnetic rotor and one or more stator coils. Such brushless DC motors may for example be used in fans for air cooling purposes or to move any medium (e.g. gases and liquids). Such fans are used in a wide range of applications. Typical BLDC motors are designed based on wire wound coils. Such coils have a typical L/R between 100 μs and 1 ms.
It is known from prior art, that BLDC motors are driven with a PWM frequency in order to control their speed, current or the torque, that they produce. The applied PWM frequencies should be high enough, so that acoustic noise is not in the human audible spectrum and they should be low enough in order to manage switching losses. Further, the PWM should have a certain resolution, what might be in the range of 8 to 10 bit or even 7 bit for low cost single coil fandrivers. Following these constraints, a PWM frequency of 15 kHz to 30 kHz is typically chosen. In applications where reducing switching losses is very important, even lower switching frequencies are applied, as low as 5 kHz or lower. An example of a PWM driven BLDC motor with PWM commutation frequencies of 5 and 20 kHz is described in US2016049890.
A motor control system using 8-bit PWM to control the commutation is described in US20060186846A1.
In BLDC motors the BEMF acts as a torque converter to transfer the electrical power into mechanical power. This BEMF may accelerate the rotor for current flowing through the coil in a given direction and may act as a braking force if current flows in the opposite direction. Such interaction is the main cause for increased acoustic noise and reduced efficiency in low inductance BLDC motors which are driven using a prior art motor driver applying PWM duty cycle control.
In order to avoid such noise/efficiency shortcomings when driving low inductance motors using PWM control, other driving mechanisms are applied. Prior art drivers, such as the Melexis US168 low noise and low voltage single coil fan/motor driver, may for example apply linear control.
Linearly driven motors may, however, be less power efficient that PWM driven motors. There is therefore a need for PWM drivers for driving low inductance brushless DC motors.

Driver and method for low inductance motor


A vessel for the takeup of light liquid floating on the water surface and a corresponding mother vessel has at least one air-filled cavity which is adapted to be filled or discharged with water for the adjustment of the draught, a light liquid receiving assembly located at the front vessel part and a light liquid receiving, the light liquid receiving room communications with the outside water so that the received light liquid progressively displaces the water in the light liquid receiving room.

As a result of increasingly dangerous oil spilled accidents with tankers large amounts of the light liquid transported by the tanker, especially crude oil, spread on the sea or on corresponding inland waters. Normally, these light liquid amounts have to be very quickly removed in order to avoid greater environmental damages, for example a contamination of bank portions and beaches, by the light liquid layer.


Each pixel includes: a light emitting element; a capacitor; a driving transistor that has a control terminal, an input terminal, and an output terminal and supplies a driving current to the light emitting element to emit light; a first switching unit that diode-connects the driving transistor and supplies a data voltage to the driving transistor in response to a scanning signal; and a second switching unit that supplies a driving voltage to the driving transistor and connects the light emitting element and the capacitor to the driving transistor in response to an emission signal, wherein the capacitor is connected to the driving transistor through the first switching unit, stores a control voltage being a function of the data voltage and the threshold voltage of the driving transistor, and is connected to the driving transistor through the second switching unit to supply the control voltage to the driving transistor.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device and a driving method thereof, and in particular, a light emitting display device and a driving method thereof.
(b) Description of Related Art
Recent trends of light-weighted and thin personal computers and televisions sets also require light-weighted and thin display devices, and flat panel displays satisfying such a requirement is being substituted for conventional cathode ray tubes (CRT).
The flat panel displays include a liquid crystal display (LCD), field emission display (FED), organic light emitting display (OLED), plasma display panel (PDP), and so on.
Generally, an active matrix flat panel display includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and displays images by controlling the luminance of the pixels based on given luminance information. An OLED is a self-emissive display device that displays image by electrically exciting light emitting organic material, and it has low power consumption, wide viewing angle, and fast response time, thereby being advantageous for displaying motion images.
A pixel of an OLED includes a light emitting element and a driving thin film transistor (TFT). The light emitting element emits light having an intensity depending on the current driven by the driving TFT, which in turn depends on the threshold voltage of the driving TFT and the voltage between gate and source of the driving TFT.
The TFT includes polysilicon or amorphous silicon. A polysilicon TFT has several advantages, but it also has disadvantages such as the complexity of manufacturing polysilicon, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost. In addition, it is difficult to make an OLED employing polysilicon TFTs for large displays.
On the contrary, an amorphous silicon TFT is easily applicable to a large OLED and manufactured using fewer number of process steps than the polysilicon TFT. However, the threshold voltage of the amorphous silicon TFT shifts over time under a long-time application of a DC control voltage such that the luminance is varied for a given data voltage.
In the meantime, a long time driving of the light emitting element shifts the threshold voltage of the light emitting element. As for an OLED employing an n-type driving TFT, since the light emitting element is connected to the source of the driving TFT, the shift of the threshold voltage of the light emitting element changes the voltage at the source of the driving TFT to vary the current driven by the driving TFT. Accordingly, the image quality of the OLED may be degraded.

Display device and driving method thereof


A reduction gear for forming a geared motor having a motor and a reduction gear is provided. The reduction gear for a geared motor includes an intermediate orthogonal gear head having an orthogonal transfer mechanism for changing a rotational direction of power delivered from the motor into an orthogonal direction and houses the orthogonal transfer mechanism in a separate intermediate casing. The reduction gear further includes a rear stage parallel gear head having a parallel shaft reduction mechanism including an output shaft serving as a final output shaft of the geared motor when the geared motor is formed, the rear stage parallel gear head being capable of directly connecting to a rear stage of the intermediate orthogonal gear head, with the parallel shaft reduction mechanism being housed in a separate rear stage casing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reduction gear, a geared motor, and a product group thereof for use with industrial and transportation machinery and so forth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally it is known a reduction gear of an orthogonal or parallel shaft type for reducing power delivered from a motor or the like or for changing its rotational direction. In general, a motor is combined with the orthogonal shaft type reduction gear to change the rotational direction of power delivered from the motor, or with the parallel shaft type reduction gear to reduce only the speed thereof.
Alternatively, when the rotational direction needs to be changed and the speed needs to be reduced at the same time, a geared motor may be constructed in a combination of a motor and a reduction gear in which both the orthogonal transfer mechanism and the parallel shaft reduction mechanism are housed in one casing.
Although gear transfer mechanisms, friction transfer mechanisms or the like are available as reduction means for use with reduction gears, the gear transfer mechanism is employed mostly because the gear transfer mechanism can reduce the size of the resulting system and the cost thereof.
However, to construct a geared motor using prior art reduction gears, a separate (independent) reduction gear has been combined with a motor. Therefore, a variety of reduction gears to be prepared has required, for example, according to the size, type, use of the motor.
This has raised a stock cost of the reduction gear for reduction gear manufactures, and has raised a purchase price of the reduction gear for reduction gear users. The reduction gear users also needed to buy a new geared motor each time a slight change in use situation was made.
Furthermore, for gear arrangement convenience in the reduction gear, input and output shafts were restrictively positioned, resulting in a restricted position (or direction) for attachment of the reduction gear. Thus, the reduction gear could not be said to meet user needs (or user usability).

Reduction gear for geared motor, geared motor, and product group thereof


Disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining the birefringence autocorrelation length of a fiber in a non-destructive manner. The PMD of an optical fiber is measured over a first optical spectrum. A Faraday rotation angle is measured over a second optical spectrum. The birefringence autocorrelation length is determined from the measuring of the PMD and the Faraday rotation angle.

The present invention relates generally to optical fibers, and more particularly to measuring the birefringence autocorrelation length in optical fibers.
Fiber optic technology and fiber optic transmission systems have revolutionized telecommunications. The main driving force behind this revolution is the promise of extremely high communications bandwidth. A single wavelength of modulated laser light can carry vast amounts of information sufficient to comprise literally hundreds of thousands of phone calls or hundreds of video channels.
In a fiber optic transmission system, information may be conveyed on multiple optical signals, each centered on a different wavelength. Digital signals can be represented by modulating laser light, e.g., by rapidly turning the laser light on and off to represent the two possible states of a digital bit, i.e., "1" and "0", or "on" and "off". This process may be referred to as on-off-keyed modulation. Other types of modulation of the light also exist to convey information, including both digital and analog forms. The wavelength signal is generally emitted from a device called an optical transmitter such as a laser. In the frequency domain, this signal is centered about a frequency of the optical carrier, such as, for example, 193,000 GHz, but the signal may also include numerous frequency components spaced very closely about the nominal center frequency.
An optical signal is transmitted in a fiber optic transmission system using, generally, an optical transmitter, which includes a light source or laser, an optical fiber, optionally optical amplifier(s), and an optical receiver. A modulated optical signal arriving at an optical receiver must be of sufficient quality to allow the receiver to clearly distinguish the modulation pattern of the light sent by the transmitter (e.g., the on- and off-pulses). Noise, attenuation, and dispersion are a few of the impairments that can distort an optical signal and render the optical signal marginal or unusable at the receiver. The distortion of an optical signal makes it extremely difficult or impossible for an optical receiver to accurately detect and reconstitute the original signal. Some of these distortions broaden the various light pulses, potentially resulting in overlapping pulses so that it is difficult to distinguish the various pulses from each other. This may result in increased errors in transmitting information. Conventionally, a properly designed optical link can maintain a sufficiently low Bit Error Rate ("BER").
Dispersion can be a major contributor to the distortion of an optical signal, which may increase the BER of the optical signal. The distortion caused by dispersion generally increases as the bandwidth of each light pulse or data rate increases and as the optical fiber transmission distance increases.
One type of dispersion is Polarization Mode Dispersion ("PMD") which is an effect related to the polarization of the optical signal. It is well known that monochromatic light (as from a laser) is polarized and that, for a given beam of light, the state of this polarization may be expressed with excellent approximation in terms of two principal polarization modes represented by two orthogonal axes that are normal to the axis of propagation. Thus, an optical signal may be considered as a superposition of two polarization signals, each aligned with the two principal polarization modes of the fiber. As such an optical signal propagates through the optical fiber, the two polarization signals travel or propagate at different speeds, due to the birefringence (or double refraction) of that fiber. The different velocities associated with the two different principal polarization modes result in one of the two polarization signals leading the other polarization signal. The delay between the leading signal and the trailing signal is referred to as the Differential Group Delay ("DGD") (denoted by τ). This speed difference in the two polarization signals causes pulse broadening and restricts the usable bandwidth of each optical carrier.
At each frequency, two polarization axes may be identified in a fiber—a fast axis and a slow axis. Light that is polarized along the fast axis has a greater velocity than light which is polarized along the slow axis. Light polarized along either of these axes is said to be in a principal polarization state. Any signal propagating in that fiber can be expressed as a combination of signals polarized along these two axes—i.e. as a combination of the two principal polarization states. The "polarization state" of the light expresses how much of the light is polarized along each of the axes as well as the relative phase between these two components. The light in a pulse is usually a mixture of both polarizations and will therefore spread due to the velocity difference between the portion of the light polarized along the fast and slow axes. This velocity difference is due to the birefringence of the fiber, a characteristic or property of the material. And just as the state of polarization can be thought of as having a specific orientation, so too the local birefringence has an orientation with respect to the fiber.
In many optical fibers, not only is birefringence present, but the birefringence is nonuniform and varies along the length of the fiber. In other words, the local birefringence, β(z), as a function of the position z along the fiber, may vary in either magnitude or orientation.
Many different phenomena may contribute to causing the birefringence, including, for example, asymmetrical fiber optic transmission media, mechanical stresses and strains applied to the fiber optic media, and other physical phenomena such as temperature gradients and changes. With these multiple phenomena affecting the birefringence in an essentially random fashion along a fiber, β becomes a statistical quantity. Depending on the number and magnitude of these sundry causes, β(z) may vary slowly or rapidly along the fiber. Beginning at an arbitrary point z=0 in the fiber, typically there is a small distance over which P(z) changes very little, and then there will be a distance over which it is changing, becoming less correlated with the magnitude and orientation of β(0). Following that, β(z) will become completely decorrelated with β(0). Thus, a calculation of the normalized autocorrelation of P for a given fiber will have a specific width (e.g., when the autocorrelation falls from 1 to ½) which corresponds to the distance along the fiber for which the local birefringence changes only slightly in orientation or magnitude. This quantity is commonly referred to as the birefringence autocorrelation length.
A fiber traditionally has to be cut in order to measure the local birefringence β(z) or its autocorrelation length. This destructive procedure is necessary because the birefringence varies along the fiber's length and spatially-resolved polarization-sensitive optical techniques (such as polarization optical time-domain reflectometery, P-OTDR) cannot determine all types of birefringence. Specifically, P-OTDR is incapable of sensing any local circular birefringence in the fiber because the probe light must retrace its path through the exact same local birefringence, but in the reverse direction.
In order to determine the birefringence autocorrelation length in a fiber, the fiber is cut into particular sections, and the DGD, for example, is determined for each fiber section. The fiber's DGD is then plotted against the fiber's length to determine the relationship between the fiber's DGD and its length. It has been found that when local birefringence is constant in orientation and magnitude, the DGD associated with the fiber is a linear function of the fiber's length. When β varies significantly over length, the relationship between a fiber's DGD and its length is proportional to √{square root over (L)}. The crossover point between a linear relationship of DGD with length and a √{square root over (L)} relationship is often viewed as representing the birefringence autocorrelation length.
The birefringence autocorrelation length is often viewed as being extremely important in describing the polarization properties of a fiber and so there is great interest in measuring a fiber's birefringence autocorrelation length. However, as discussed, the use of destructive techniques to measure this value introduces a new set of problems. For example, connecting the many segments of a fiber after cutting it to determine the birefringence autocorrelation length may introduce abnormalities and deformities (such as additional loss and reflections). But, even with optically perfect splices, such a procedure is very labor intensive and therefore costly.
As a result, there remains a need to determine the birefringence autocorrelation length of a fiber in a non-destructive manner.

Method and apparatus for measuring the birefringence autocorrelation length in optical fibers


For a push slide switch in which as a knob is slid, terminals and are electrically connected, click springs and are provided, which have a characteristic that as displacement level is increased, stress increases, and as the displacement level is more increased, the stress decreases sharply. The click springs and are arranged so that force necessary for operation of the knob decreases sharply when the terminals are electrically connected.

The present invention relates to a slide switch in which as a knob is slid, terminals are connected electrically, and particularly to a slide switch which causes an operator to recognize that the terminals are electrically connected more effectively than in a case that a knob is abutted against an abutting part.
Further, the invention relates to a slide switch and a push slide switch, in which as a knob is slid, terminals are connected electrically, and particularly to a slide switch and a push slide switch, in which connection states of more terminals than terminals in the related case can be switched by a slide operation of the knob.
Heretofore, a push slide switch in which as a knob is slid, terminals are connected electrically, has been known. An example of this type of push slide switch has been disclosed in JP-A-2001-229781.
A push slide switch described in JP-A-2001-229781 is so constituted that: as a knob is slid, a coil spring is compressed; and as an operator releases the knob, the knob returns to a neutral position (home position) by the restoring force of the coil spring. Namely, in the push slide switch described in JP-A-2001-229781, as the knob is slide, the force necessary for operation of the knob increases gradually, and when terminals are electrically connected, the force necessary for operation of the knob does not change greatly. Therefore, the operator cannot recognize, by the change of the force necessary for operation of the knob, that the terminals have been electrically connected.
Therefore, in the related arts, when the terminals have been electrically connected, the knob is directly or indirectly abutted against an abutting part so that the operator can recognize that the terminals have been electrically connected. Namely, in the related arts, by other methods than the method in which the knob is directly or indirectly abutted against the abutting part, the operator cannot recognize that the terminals have been electrically connected.
Further, in the push slide switch described in JP-A-2001-229781, as the knob is slid from the neutral position (home position) to the right side, one terminals are electrically connected, and as the knob is slid from the neutral position (home position) to the left side, the other terminals are electrically connected. Namely, in the push slide switch described in JP-A-2001-229781, a state in which the knob is arranged in the neutral position (home position) and the terminals are not electrically connected, a state in which the knob is slid from the neutral position (home position) to the right side, and one terminals are electrically connected, and a state in which the knob is slid from the neutral position (home position) to the left side, and the other terminals are electrically connected are switched by the slide operation of the knob.
Namely, in the push slide switch described in JP-A-2001-229781, there are three connection states of the terminals, which can be switched by the slide operation of the knob, but four or more connection states of the terminals cannot be switched by the slide operation of the knob.    Patent Reference 1: JP-A-2001-229781


A club head for a golf putter includes a bottom surface, a toe, a heel opposite the toe and a ball striking side on one side of the club head. The ball striking side extends between the toe and the heel and has a center disposed between the heel and the toe. A face insert is carried by a portion of the club head and defines at least part of a ball striking surface on the ball striking side of the club head. The face insert is adapted to absorb energy near the center of the ball striking side so as to produce a coefficient of restitution that is substantially similar and consistent over a majority of the ball striking surface. The face insert deadens the ball striking side at or near the center of the club head so that the distance of putts, whether struck near the center or whether mis-hit and struck closer to the heel or toe, are substantially the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf clubs, and more particularly to a golf putter that produces a highly consistent putting distance regardless of where on the putter face that the ball is struck.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most golf clubs including putters produce the most accurate and longest distance shot when the ball is struck on what is known as the xe2x80x9csweet spotxe2x80x9d. The sweet spot of a putter is typically located at or near the geometric center of the club face. Attempts have been made with all golf clubs to increase the size of the sweet spot so that mis-hits, such as when balls are struck on a portion of the club face that is not the sweet spot, will still produce a shot having relatively the same distance as when the ball is struck directly on the sweet spot.
Club manufacturers have devised numerous ways to increase the performance of golf clubs so that a ball travels travel further when mis-hit. Nearly all of these attempts involve trying to increase the size of the sweet spot to reduce the effects of a mis-hit. However, the putting stroke requires a club head speed that is only a fraction of the speed required for virtually all other golf shots. The result is that most club head design improvements do not significantly improve putter performance. In addition, such club head designs often require expensive materials, result in more complicated dies and molds for making the club heads, and are highly design intensive, thus resulting in a more expensive putting product.
Mis-hits are a major cause of putting problems both for highly skilled and modestly skilled golfers. The more skilled golfer can notice any change in distance resulting from even the slightest mis-hit. Less skilled golfers may be less sensitive to distance changes when slightly mis-hitting the ball, but are much more likely to mis-hit the ball more often and by larger margins. In either case, both the highly skilled and modestly skilled golfer putt inconsistently.
One example of a commonly used putter that is designed to increase the size of the sweet spot is manufactured by the Wilson(copyright) Sporting Goods Company and is identified as model no. 8813. This putter includes a putting head with a putting face with a thickness near the top edge that is consistent but relatively thin. The bottom of the putting head is much thicker and varies over the length of the putting face. More mass is provided near the toe and near the center to increase the size of the sweet spot. However, mis-hits still result in shorter putts when struck on the toe or heel of the ball striking surface.
Another method of increasing the mass of the putter near the toe is to provide one or more recesses and to place weighted elements in each of the recesses. The weighted elements are manufactured from a material having a higher density than the material of the putter head. In this manner, the mass of the toe can be increased in order to increase the torque applied to the putting head near the toe, away from the hosel, to increase the distance of putts struck nearer the toe.
One object of the present invention is to provide a putter that produces putts of substantially equal distance whether struck on the heel or toe of the putter face. Another object of the present invention is to provide a putter that has a putter face which produces putts of substantially equal distance whether struck on the toe, the heel, or at the center of the putting face. A further object of the present invention is to provide a putter that is designed to shorten the distance of putts struck at the center of the putting face to substantially match the distance of putts struck on the heel or toe of the putting face. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a putter having a putter face insert that deadens the sweet spot and is relatively light in weight, relatively simple to manufacture, and utilizes readily available materials to construct the insert.
These and other objects, features and advantages are provided by a putter constructed in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, a club head for a golf putter has a bottom surface, a toe, a heel opposite the toe, and a ball striking side that extends between the heel and the toe. The ball striking side has a center disposed between the heel and the toe. A face insert is carried by a portion of the club head and defines at least part of a ball striking surface on the ball striking side of the club head. The face insert is adapted to absorb energy near the center to produce a substantially consistent coefficient of restitution over a majority of the ball striking surface.
In one embodiment, the face insert of the club head is formed from a material that is softer than a material of the club head. In another embodiment, the face insert is formed from a Balata rubber material.
In one embodiment, the face insert of the club head includes a face section having a toe end, a heel end, a back surface facing the ball striking side, and a front surface opposite the back surface. The face insert also includes an energy absorbing section disposed near the center and extending from the back surface of the face section.
In one embodiment, the face section of the face insert has a generally oblong shape covering a portion of the ball striking side of the club head. The ball striking side of the club head and the front surface of the face section together define the entire ball striking surface. In another embodiment, the face section has a size and shape that matches a size and shape of the ball striking side of the club head so that the front surface of the face section defines the entire ball striking surface.
In one embodiment, the energy absorbing section is a generally circular cylinder having an axis substantially perpendicular to the front surface of the face insert.
In one embodiment, a toe thickness of the face section from the toe end to near the center is less than or equivalent to a heel thickness of the face section from near the center to the heel end. In another embodiment, the toe thickness and the heel thickness are constant from the toe end and from the heel end, respectively, to near the center. In an alternative embodiment, the toe thickness of the face section from the toe end to near the center and the heel thickness of the face section from near the center to the heel end each become gradually thicker over a portion of the face section approaching the center. In a further embodiment, the toe thickness is greater than or equivalent to the heel thickness.
In one embodiment, the club head also includes a recess in the ball striking side of the club head wherein the face insert is received in the recess.
In one embodiment, the club head also includes a bore near the center in the ball striking side of the club head wherein the energy absorbing section of the face insert is received in the bore. A shallow recessed section surrounds the bore in the ball striking side of the club head and at least a portion of the face section back surface contacts the shallow recessed section. The back surface of the face section portion is adhered to the ball striking side of the club head within the shallow recessed section. In another embodiment, the entire face section is received in the shallow recessed section and the front surface of the face section is co-planar with the ball striking side of the club head beyond a perimeter edge of the face section. In this embodiment, the front surface of the face section and the exposed portion of the ball striking side of the club head together define the entire ball striking surface. In an alternative embodiment, the front surface of the face section covers the ball striking side of the club head and defines the entire ball striking surface.
In one embodiment, the club head also includes at least one weight insert carried in a corresponding recess in the club head. The at least one weight insert is formed from a material that has a density greater than a density of a material forming the club head.
In another embodiment of the invention, a golf putter has a shaft with an upper end and a lower end. A grip is carried on the upper end of the shaft. A club head is carried on the lower end of the shaft and is formed from a club head material. The club head has a bottom surface, a toe, a heel opposite the toe, a ball striking side extending between the heel and the toe, and a center disposed between the heel and the toe. A face insert is carried by a portion of the club head and defines at least part of a ball striking surface on the ball striking side of the club head. The face insert is formed from a material that is softer than the club head material. In one embodiment, the face insert is formed from a Balata material.
In one embodiment, the face insert of the face section has a toe end, a heel end, a back surface facing the ball striking side, and a front surface opposite the back surface. An energy absorbing section is disposed near the center and extends from the back surface of the face section.
In one embodiment, a toe thickness of the face section from the toe end to near the center is less than a heel thickness of the face section from near the center to the heel end.
In another embodiment, the golf putter also includes a bore near the center in the ball striking side of the club head wherein the energy absorbing section of the face insert is received in the bore. A shallow recessed section surrounds the bore in the ball striking side of the club head. At least a portion of the face section back surface contacts the shallow recessed section. The back surface of the face section is adhered to the ball striking side of the club head.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the entire specification including the drawing figures and claims. Although preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed and described herein, the following description is provided in order to illustrate aspects of the present invention and not in any way to limit the scope of the invention. Many modifications and changes can be made to the present invention as described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is intended to include such changes and modifications.


A system and method are provided for manufacturing a coil structure for a magnetic head. Initially, an insulating layer is deposited with a photoresist layer deposited on the insulating layer. Moreover, a silicon dielectric layer is deposited on the photoresist layer as a hard mask. The silicon dielectric layer is then masked. A plurality of channels is subsequently formed in the silicon dielectric layer using reactive ion etching (i.e. CF4/CHF3). The silicon dielectric layer is then used as a hard mask to transfer the channel pattern in the photoresist layer using reactive ion etching with, for example, H2/N2/CH3F/C2H4 reducing chemistry. To obtain an optimal channel profile with the desired high aspect ratio, channel formation includes a first segment defining a first angle and a second segment defining a second angle. Thereafter, a conductive seed layer is deposited in the channels and the channels are filled with a conductive material to define a coil structure. Chemical-mechanical polishing may then be used to planarize the conductive material.

Computer systems generally utilize auxiliary memory storage devices having media on which data can be written and from which data can be read for later use. A direct access storage device (disk drive) incorporating rotating magnetic disks is commonly used for storing data in magnetic form on the disk surfaces. Data is recorded on concentric, radially spaced tracks on the disk surfaces. Magnetic heads are then used to read data from the tracks on the disk surfaces.
FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a method of manufacturing a coil structure associated with a magnetic head, in accordance with the prior art. FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an initial stack 100 with which a prior art coil structure may be manufactured. As shown, the stack 100 includes a first layer 102 including Al2O3 or some other material. Deposited on the first layer 102 is a second layer 104 including Cr or the like. A third layer 106 is deposited on the second layer 104. The third layer 106 is constructed from a conductive material such as Cu or the like.
On the third layer 106 is a fourth layer 108, typically masked photoresist, that is exposed and developed to define a plurality of channels 110. Such channels 110, in turn, define a coil structure. A conductive material 111, such as Cu, is then typically electroplated into the channels. The fourth layer 108 is then wet stripped and the layers 104, 106 ion milled away. An insulation material, like photoresist is introduced between the channels to form a coil structure with a plurality of electrically isolated turns. FIG. 2 illustrates another cross-sectional view of the stack 100 of FIG. 1 after the coil structure has been completed.
A coil structure is thus provided with a certain pitch (Z) and aspect ratio (Y/X). A high aspect ratio is desirable, for a given coil width (X), as the coil resistance decreases with increasing aspect ratio. This reduced coil resistance will lead to reduced device heating during operation (i.e. writing induced protrusion). Traditionally, however, such aspect ratio is limited due to inherent deficiencies with the ion milling process. For example, ion milling may exhibit difficulties in removing the third layer 106 and the second layer 104 if the ratio (Z/X) is too small. Incomplete removal of any conducting layers during ion milling results in electrically shorted coil turns.
There is thus a need for a magnetic head coil structure and a method of manufacturing the same with high aspect ratios without the problems associated with the prior art.

Magnetic head coil system and damascene/reactive ion etching method for manufacturing the same

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A mass spectrometer and a method of operating same is provided. The mass spectrometer has an elongated rod set. The rod set has an entrance end and an exit end. An RF drive voltage is applied to the rod set to radially confine a first group of ions and a second group of ions of opposite polarity in the rod set. An entrance auxiliary RF voltage is applied to the entrance end and an exit auxiliary RF voltage to the exit end relative to the RF drive voltage, to trap both the first group of ions and the second group of ions in the rod set.

Typically, linear ion traps store ions using a combination of a radial RF field applied to the rods of an elongated rod set, and axial direct current (DC) fields applied to the entrance end and the exit end of the rod set. Linear ion traps enjoy a number of advantages over three-dimensional ion traps, such as providing very large trapping volumes, as well as the ability to easily transfer stored ion populations to other downstream ion processing units. However, there have been problems with the use of such linear ion traps.
One such problem is that it has not typically been possible to simultaneously store positive ions and negative ions in a linear ion trap. This problem is due to the fact that while a particular axial DC field may provide an effective barrier to an ion of one polarity, the same DC field will accelerate an ion of opposite polarity out of the linear ion trap. Thus, linear ion traps relying on DC barrier fields have not typically been used to simultaneously store ions of opposite polarities.
Accordingly, there remains a need for linear ion trap systems and methods of operating linear ion traps that allow ions of opposite polarity to be trapped simultaneously.

Method for providing barrier fields at the entrance and exit end of a mass spectrometer


Basic intermediate or large pore zeolites having a Constraint Index less than 12 are useful as catalysts in the dehydrogenation-aromatization of cyclic dienes, in the isomerization of olefins and in the aldol condensation, and particularly in the cyclization of acetonylacetone to 3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for effecting base-catalyzed reactions, such as aldol condensations and cyclizations, and the dehydrogenation, aromatization and isomerization of olefins using a basic zeolite as the catalyst.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The aldol condensation is an old and well known base-catalyzed reaction extensively described in the chemical literature and widely used to prepare a variety of compounds having industrial utility. The condensation is typified by the reaction of acetaldehyde with itself to form beta-hydroxybutyraldehyde when heated in a solution containing a base. Beta-hydroxybutyraldehyde, on further heating and/or when treated with acid, forms crotonaldehyde, due to the propensity of beta-hydroxy carbonyl compounds to eliminate water. The first step in the condensation is the formation of an enolate anion by removal of a hydrogen alpha to the carbonyl group in an acetaldehyde molecule: ##STR1## The second resonance form of the enolate anion adds to the carbonyl group of another molecule of acetaldehyde: ##STR2## Beta-hydroxybutyraldehyde is formed when the adduct combines with a proton. It is important to note that both enolate formation and addition are equilibrium reactions.
Other aldehydes and ketones having a hydrogen alpha to the carbonyl group and capable of forming an enolate anion react in a similar fashion. For example, the aldol condensation of ketones is typified by the reaction of acetone with itself to form diacetone alcohol, and then, on dehydration, mesityl oxide.
It is not necessary that an aldehyde or ketone react with itself or that the carbonyl compound to which the anion adds also contain an alpha hydrogen atom. For example, acetone reacts readily with formaldehyde, which lacks an alpha hydrogen. Thus, it is possible to have mixed aldol condensations:
(a) aldehyde to another aldehyde; PA0 (b) ketone to another ketone; PA0 (c) aldehyde to ketone; PA0 (d) ketone to aldehyde.
If both carbonyl reactants have alpha hydrogens, it is apparent that two different enolate anions can be formed and a mixture of products may result. The amount of each product formed will depend on the equilibrium constants and rates of reaction for the anion-forming and addition steps.
It is also possible for a compound having two carbonyl groups to undergo an internal aldol condensation and cyclize. For example, when a solution of gamma-diketone containing a base is heated, a cyclopenten-1-one is produced.
Aldol condensations are generally effected in an aqueous and/or alcoholic solvent in the presence of a base, such as sodium hydroxide. The overall course of the reaction and yield of product obtained depends on the equilibrium constants and rates of reaction for the intermediate steps involved. The product is generally isolated by a series of steps involving acidification of the reaction mixture, extraction with a water-immiscible non-polar solvent, separation of the aqueous and organic layers, drying of the organic layer, and distillation to recover the product.
Other base-catalyzed reactions are described in the book titled "Base-Catalyzed Reactions of Hydrocarbons and Related Compounds", authored by Herman Pines and Wayne M. Stalick, Academic Press New York, 1977. For example, the base-catalyzed dehydrogenation and aromatization of dienes is discussed at pages 498 and 499; alkali metal amides and alkali metal naphthalenes are disclosed as catalysts for the conversion of cyclohexadienes to benzene. The isomerization of olefins, particularly 1-enes to 2-enes, is discussed at pages 26 and 27; metal amides, metal hydrides, organoalkali metal compounds, alkali metals supported on inert carrier materials, metal hydroxides and metal oxides are stated as having shown activity as catalysts for the isomerization of olefins.

Base-catalyzed reactions using zeolite catalysts


A mobile terminal capable of digital broadcast reception and supports a touch screen function, and a picture-in-picture (PIP) display control method for the mobile terminal. The PIP display control method includes processing a received digital broadcast signal into channel signals of individual channels, displaying video data of a selected channel signal on a main screen occupying an entire display area, and displaying video data of another selected channel signal on a sub-screen in the main screen; checking whether a touch event occurs to one of the main screen and the sub-screen; displaying control icons on one of the touched main screen and the touched sub-screen when a touch event occurs to one of the main screen and the sub-screen; and controlling digital broadcasts on channels associated with the main screen and sub-screen in response to occurrence of touch events to the control icons.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile terminal and, more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of digital broadcast reception and supporting a touch screen function, and to a picture-in-picture (PIP) display control method enabling separate control of a main screen and a sub-screen for the mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In digital broadcasting, a broadcasting station broadcasts a digitally modulated multimedia signal including audio, video and text. Broadcast receivers receive and reproduce the broadcast multimedia signal. Digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) and digital video broadcasting (DVB) are examples of digital broadcasting. DMB may be divided into terrestrial DMB or satellite DMB.
To extend multimedia features, advanced mobile terminals, such as mobile communication terminals, notebook computers, personal digital assistants, personal multimedia players, etc., have recently been equipped with digital broadcast receivers.
In particular, a mobile terminal supporting a PIP feature enables simultaneous viewing of two digital broadcasts on a main screen and a sub-screen. For example, video images on the main channel are displayed on the main screen occupying the entire display area, and video images on the PIP channel are displayed on the small sub-screen within the main screen.
In a mobile terminal supporting a conventional PIP feature, a user has to select the main screen or the sub-screen through key inputs for switching broadcast channels or adjusting audio volumes. Hence, a user is inconvenienced by having to input a plurality of keys to switch broadcast channels or to adjust audio volumes for the main screen and the sub-screen. For example, a user inputs a key to select the main screen, and inputs another key to switch broadcast channels or to adjust audio volume for the main screen. Then, the user inputs another key to select the sub-screen, and inputs another key to switch broadcast channels or to adjust audio volume for the sub-screen.
Further, because display operations of a mobile terminal supporting the conventional PIP feature are controlled in a preset rigid manner, display control operations, such as exchanging between the main channel and PIP channel, adjusting size of the sub-screen, moving the sub-screen, etc., are difficult to use.

Mobile terminal having digital broadcast reception capability and PIP display control method


Delivery systems for in situ forming foam formulations are provided. The devices may include various actuation mechanisms and may entrain air into fluid formulation components in a variety of ways, including mixing with air and the addition of compressed gas.

In situ forming polymer foams, such as the Arsenal Foam Technology commercialized by Arsenal Medical (Watertown, Mass.), have a number of important biomedical applications, including the prevention or treatment of hemorrhage, particularly from non-compressible or difficult-to-visualize wounds, vascular embolization, arteriovenous malformation, AV fistulas, space filling and bulking (e.g. following surgical resection, or for cosmetic purposes), prevention of tissue adhesion, hernia repair, prevention or treatment of reflux, and temporary or permanent occlusion of body lumens for a variety of applications including sterilization, prevention of calculus migration during lithotripsy, and other applications. The diversity of applications for in situ forming foams reflects significant advantages possessed by such foams relative to existing technology, including, without limitation their incorporation of well characterized, biocompatible materials; the ability to deliver in situ forming foams to closed cavities, for example intravascularly; the ability to deliver in situ forming foams to difficult-to-access body sites; the ability of in situ forming foams to expand into empty space or into space filled with blood, and the ability of the foam to fill a body cavity.
In situ forming foams are typically generated by delivering and mixing multiple liquid-phase components (such as a polyol component and an isocyanate component, which form a polyurethane foam). Each such liquid-phase component may comprise multiple different materials or agents that determine the mechanical properties of the foam and/or the kinetics of foam formation. Pores within the foam may be formed by a blowing reaction and/or by the entrainment of gas before or during foam formation. While blowing agents are effective to drive the foaming and expansion of in-situ forming foams, blowing agents or their byproducts may be toxic, and entrained gas may be preferred for applications in which such toxicity is preferably avoided.
In situ forming foams are particularly well suited to treating injuries in challenging settings such as in remote settings, and on the battlefield. However, in spite of their advantages, in situ forming foams have not been widely used because of the technical challenges associated with developing suitable in-situ foaming formulations for different applications and delivering such formulations to specific anatomical sites. Additionally, to maximize their efficacy in challenging settings such as on the battlefield, delivery systems for in situ forming foams should preferably be easy to assemble, provide a safe way to access the target site in the body, have a minimal number of parts, and rapidly aerate, mix, and deliver volumes of approximately 80-200 mL of in situ foaming formulations to patients. While low-viscosity materials can be aerated by simple shaking, gas entrainment poses a significant challenge in higher viscosity formulations, which may be necessary to generate foams having desirable physical and therapeutic characteristics.
There is, accordingly, a need in the art for delivery systems for efficiently delivering viscous gas-entrained in situ forming foam formulations to sites of interest in patients' bodies in non-clinical settings such as on the battlefield.

Delivery system for in situ forming foams and methods of using the same


An electrical machine includes a stator and a rotor. The stator has a central opening that is configured to receive the rotor. The rotor includes a generally cylindrical first section comprising a first material mounted on an axially extending shaft within the central opening. The rotor further includes a second section having a second material of a predetermined thickness that is plated integrally over at least a portion of the first section. The second material has a higher electrical conductivity relative to the first material. In certain embodiments, the electrical machine may include a stator support structure having a clamping member comprising a first material and configured to rigidly position the stator around the rotor. The stator support structure further includes an electrically conductive layer comprising a second material plated integrally over the clamping structure, wherein the second material has a higher electrical conductivity relative to the first material.

The invention relates generally to an electrical machine, and more particularly to a rotor of an electrical machine, such as a motor and/or generator. Specifically, embodiments of the present technique provide improved loss characteristics in an electrical machine.
Typically, an electrical machine includes a rotor and stator that are utilized to convert electrical power to mechanical power or vice versa. The stator generally includes a large number of laminations of a magnetic material that are stacked together. Within the center of the laminations, a central opening is formed throughout the length of the stator. The rotor may also include magnetic materials that are mounted on a shaft, which is disposed within the central opening of the stator.
The stator may include coils or windings that form magnetic poles in the stator, while the rotor may also include windings or be a solid portion of magnetic material. For instance, the stator may include windings that are located adjacent to the central opening of the stator, while the rotor may include windings that are located on the outside of the rotor adjacent to the stator.
Generally, a time-varying magnetic field is capable of producing eddy currents in electrically conductive materials, such as those from which the stator and rotor are formed. The magnetic metals usually exhibit a relatively high electrical resistivity. Because eddy current formation primarily depends on electrical and magnetic properties of the rotor surface, the magnetic fields produced around the rotor induce eddy currents in the rotor. These eddy currents dissipate energy via resistive heating in the rotor that increases the temperature of the rotor. As a result, eddy currents reduce the efficiency of the electrical apparatus and present thermal problems for the electrical apparatus. Further, the transient behaviors of the electrical machine are, in part, dictated by the rate at which induced eddy currents decay in the rotor surface. Thus, these eddy currents may impact the operation of the electrical machine.
To reduce the heat from the eddy currents, the electrical and magnetic properties of the rotor surface may be modified by attachments to address these problems. However, such attachments may not be advantageous in electrical machines operating at high speeds, such as speeds exceeding 10,000 revolutions per minute because the centrifugal forces and centrifugal stress imposed on such attachments by rotation of the rotor may cause the attachments to disintegrate from the rotor.
Accordingly, there exists a need for controlling rotor magnetic and electrical properties, especially near the surface of the rotor, while providing a desirable mechanical strength for use in high-speed electrical machines.

Electrical machine with improved loss characteristics and method of making same


A draft inducer blower for high efficiency furnaces, including a blower housing which facilitates maximum air flow efficiency through the blower housing while reducing air flow noises. The blower housing generally includes a housing body and housing cover which define an exhaust transition therebetween, which transitions the air flow from the circular main cavity of the blower housing to the blower housing outlet. The housing body and housing cover are attached to one another via a lobed joint along the exhaust transition, and each include complementary, smoothly contoured inner surfaces to facilitate smooth air flow through the exhaust transition toward the outlet. Additionally, the housing body and housing cover include cooperating cutoff surfaces which form a broadly radiused cutoff within the blower housing to reduce or eliminate the blade pass noise associated with contact of the air flow from the impeller with the cutoff.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air moving devices, and in particular, to blowers of the type which are used with high efficiency (e.g., 90% or higher efficiency) furnaces for drawing air from outside of a building into the furnace to support combustion and to expel combustion exhaust products outside of the building. More particularly, the present invention relates to a blower which provides more efficient air flow through the blower housing with decreased blower noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
In high efficiency furnaces, standard chimney air-draw effects are not sufficient to assure the required air flow through the furnace heat exchangers, and therefore, high efficiency furnaces utilize draft inducer blowers to provide sufficient air flow through the furnace. In particular, the blowers of high efficiency furnaces pull flue gases through the furnace heat exchangers and then push the flue gases out through exhaust piping to the exterior of the building. The length of the flue piping is limited by the static pressure induced on the flue gases by the draft inducer blower, and higher static pressures typically allow longer runs of flue piping. One measure of the efficiency of the draft inducer blower is the static pressure generated by the blower on the flue gases at a given air flow rate, wherein a blower is more efficient if it can generate higher pressures and air flows for a given power input to the electric motor which drives the blower impeller.
One known blower for a high efficiency furnace is shown in FIGS. 1–4, and generally includes a blower housing 20 having a housing body 22 and a housing cover 24. Housing body 22 is typically formed as a molded plastic component, having a cylindrical outer wall 26, a planar, annular top wall 28, and an axially recessed, planar, circular wall 30 to which electric motor 32 is mounted. Housing body 22 further includes an integral, tubular exhaust transition 34 projecting tangentially therefrom, having a circular outlet 36 to which an exhaust pipe (not shown) is connected. Housing cover 24 is a substantially flat, molded plastic circular plate which is attached to housing body 22 by being captured between housing body 22 and wall 38 of a furnace, as shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, a plurality of bolts 40 are inserted through respective mounting lugs 42 in housing body 22 and into a set of corresponding holes 44 in furnace wall 38 to thereby attach the blower housing 20 to the furnace. Holes 44 in furnace wall 38 are disposed in a standard pattern with a predetermined, fixed diameter, typically about 9.25 inches. An impeller 46, shown in FIGS. 2–4, is disposed within the interior of blower housing 20 between housing body 22 and housing cover 24, and is mounted for rotation upon drive shaft 48 (FIG. 4) of motor 32.
In operation, rotation of impeller 46 by motor 32 draws exhaust gases through a centrally disposed circular inlet 50 (FIG. 4) in housing cover 24 from the furnace into the blower housing 20, and the exhaust gases are discharged through outlet 36 of exhaust transition 34. Although the foregoing blower housing has proven to be effective for use with high efficiency furnaces, improvements to same are desired.
First, during the molding of housing body 22, tubular exhaust transition 34 is formed by a cylindrical-shaped exhaust transition mold (not shown). After the plastic material of housing body 22 cures, the exhaust transition mold is pulled outwardly from housing body 22 in a tangential or radial direction with respect to housing body 22. At least one other larger inner mold (not shown), which is cylindrically-shaped, is used to form the interior of housing body 22 and, after the plastic material of housing body 22 cures, is pulled away from housing body 22 along the axial direction with respect to housing body 22. Notably, it is not practical to shape the inner end of the exhaust transition mold to fit perfectly tangentially along the cylindrical outer surface of the housing body interior mold. Therefore, the exhaust transition mold is shaped to project radially outwardly from the cylindrical outer surface of the housing body interior mold a short distance. Thus, when housing body 22 is molded, the exhaust transition mold forms a recessed area 52 in exhaust transition 34, best shown in FIG. 3, which is radially offset from outer wall 26 of housing body 22. Problematically, this recessed area 52 defines an abrupt outward step or "bump" in the air flow through exhaust transition 34 which, as shown by the air flow arrows in FIG. 3, causes undesired turbulence and swirl in the air flow in recessed area 52 as the air flow passes through exhaust transition 34 toward outlet 36 of housing body 22.
Additionally, as may be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the intersection of the cylindrical exhaust transition mold and the cylindrical housing body interior mold which are used to form housing body 22 forms a sharp exhaust cutoff 54 within housing body 22, which is present in blower housing 20 and in many other known blower housings. Cutoff 54 is located proximate exhaust transition 34, and defines the point within blower housing 20 which separates the air flow through exhaust transition 34 from the remainder of the air flow within blower housing 20. As may be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer edge of impeller 46 is disposed very close to cutoff 54 to maximize the efficiency of air flow in blower housing 20 and to prevent back flow of air through the gap between impeller 46 and cutoff 54 into exhaust transition 34. As represented by the air flow arrows in FIG. 3, as impeller 44 rotates, a blade pass noise is generated as pressure waves exhausting the blade passages of impeller 46 impinge upon cutoff 54.
Known blower housings have included features for masking the foregoing blade pass noise. For example, a blower housing disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,439 includes either a noise cancellation rod located within the outlet of the blower housing, or a nose-like projection projecting inwardly from the exhaust transition. Noise generated from one of the foregoing components interferes with, and substantially cancels out, the blade pass noise generated by the impeller blades passing the sharp cutoff. U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,259 to Ahmed et al. discloses a blower housing having a fin near the cutoff to provide a vortex in the air flow near the cutoff to reduce noise. However, these and similar methods only mask the blade pass noise, rather than eliminating such noise.
What is needed is a draft inducer blower housing for high efficiency furnaces which is an improvement over the foregoing.


A flexible metallic sheet has a lower edge, parallel side edges and an upper edge. The sheet has spaced long notches. A plurality of rods is provided. Each rod has an interior end with a tab. Each tab is formed with an aperture. Each rod has an exterior end. A primary cap has a circular bottom, a cylindrical side wall and a recess. A ring is provided within the recess. The ring pivotally supports the apertures.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable grill system and more particularly pertains to reconfiguring a grill between an expanded operative orientation for cooking purposes and a collapsed inoperative orientation for transporting and storage purposes, the reconfiguring being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of grill systems of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, grill systems of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of transporting and storing grill systems of known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,753 issued Feb. 16, 1988 to Neyman relates to a Barbecue Apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,824 issued Dec. 18, 1990 to Shinier relates to a Roll-Up Campfire Cooking Grill Assembly. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,468 issued Aug. 28, 2001 to Webster relates to a Roll-Up Grill with integral Fold-Up Support Frame.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a portable grill system that allows for reconfiguring a grill between an expanded operative orientation for cooking purposes and a collapsed inoperative orientation for transporting and storage purposes, the reconfiguring being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner.
In this respect, the portable grill system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of reconfiguring a grill between an expanded operative orientation for cooking purposes and a collapsed inoperative orientation for transporting and storage purposes, the reconfiguring being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved portable grill system which can be used for reconfiguring a grill between an expanded operative orientation for cooking purposes and a collapsed inoperative orientation for transporting and storage purposes, the reconfiguring being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A hydrolizable polymer-containing textile article and method for producing the same is provided that has been chemically modified by treating the article with certain branched chain amines to reduce the strength of the fibers contained therein, thus rendering the article less prone to the formation of objectionable pill balls, thereby increasing wearer comfort and retaining the desired appearance of the article, and thereby extending the useful life of the article.

This invention relates to a process for chemically modifying textile articles which contain hydrolizable polymers to reduce pilling tendency.
Hydrolizable polymers, such as polyester, possess many attributes that lead to their use for many items of commerce, such as fibers, films and molded products. Among these attributes are strength and toughness of the products, lack of reactive surface groups that can lead to staining, and various other advantages. However, many of these attributes can become problematic for certain end uses of the polymers. For example, the tenacity and other strength properties of the hydrolizable polymers such as polyester contribute to their outstanding performance as textile fibers and various other applications, such as films. However, this same strength characteristic can result in a phenomenon known as pilling if this fiber is manufactured, for example, into a spun yarn or in the manufacture of certain microdenier yarns.
Pilling results from fibers being pulled out of the fiber bundle and becoming entangled into a "ball" due to mechanical action, such as rubbing that, for example, fabrics encounter during normal use. Fabrics composed of cellulosic fibers experience similar action, but because the fiber is much weaker, the "pill balls" tend to break off before they become objectionable. These "pill balls" are a detriment to the appearance and comfort of textile articles. Reducing or eliminating the pilling propensity of hydrolizable polymer-containing textile articles would typically extend the useful life of the end-use product, such as a garment, by retaining its original appearance and comfort. Various products introduced by the fiber producers, such as low pill T-351 Trevira® polyester fiber from Hoechst-Celanese, have resulted in some degree of success in reducing pilling tendency. U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,450 to E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company suggests that by controlling the relative viscosity and the break elongation of polyester fibers, one can reduce the pilling tendency of fabrics containing those spun polyester yarns.
Two major disadvantages are typically associated with fiber modifications made by the fiber producers in attempting to resolve the pilling issue. First, if the fiber producer lowers the to fiber strength to the level required for good resistance to pilling, it becomes difficult for the yarn manufacturer to spin the yarn without excessive breaks and resulting off-quality. This necessitates further treatment to adequately reduce the yarn strength, such as alkaline hydrolysis after fabric formation or in a subsequent laundering step, to provide good resistance to pilling. Second, due to the vast number of fiber options (such as denier, cross-section, staple length, etc.) desired in the market, the fiber producer experiences cost, quality, and capacity issues associated with the spinning of small quantities of specialty fibers.
Textile manufacturers face a multitude of challenges in attempting to resolve the pilling issue on textile articles containing hydrolizable polymers. For example, textile chemists have applied binders to increase the force required to remove fibers from the fiber bundle; however, this typically results in detrimental changes to the feel of a fabric, and the effect is generally reduced by washing the fabric or end-use product (i.e. a garment). Some effort has been devoted to lowering the fiber strength by various chemical treatments. Hydrolysis with, for instance, sodium hydroxide does indeed lower the fiber strength, but it is difficult to precisely control this process and the resulting fabric also undergoes a significant weight loss. Aminolysis of the ester linkage of the polymer, such as addressed by Farmer in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,051, incorporated by reference herein, indeed can achieve the desired properties in many instances, but also can adversely affect the dyeing of the resulting fabric. This disadvantage is addressed by commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,656 to Kimbrell which discloses a method for improving the dyeing of fabric treated with the Farmer chemistry. In addition, the structure of the amines disclosed by Farmer, especially those preferred by Farmer, can lead to chemical handling issues in textile finishing facilities (as will be discussed further herein) and also to quality issues resulting from attempting to handle such chemicals. Furthermore, it has proven difficult to control the batch to batch variation, within a somewhat narrow range, on certain styles, which in turn, leads to significant treated yardage that is not acceptable, either due to poor pilling performance or excessive strength loss.
More specifically, Farmer describes in U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,051 that organic amines are a particularly preferred class of compounds for this type of reaction, resulting in generally good control of the degree of pilling improvement obtained. Farmer discloses the use of aliphatic amines containing at least 10 carbon atoms. In addition, Farmer states that fatty diamines such as n-coco-1,3-propanediamine, are the preferred amines for this process.
It has been found that the use of the above-mentioned fatty diamines can impart detrimental variability to the textiles treated by this process. First these fatty diamines, especially those containing greater than 10 carbon atoms, tend to solidify at or around room temperature. This necessitates special storage and handling requirements in a typical textile dyeing operation such as, for example, drum heaters or other heating equipment to maintain the amine at a temperature above its melting point. Second, these compounds, such as the n-coco-1,3-propanediamine preferred by Farmer, are mixtures of unbranched carbon chains containing from 8 to 18 carbon atoms. This mixture tends to separate according to the size of the carbon chain resulting in unacceptable variations of the chemical composition and the degree of strength reduction obtained by this process. This again leads to special chemical handling requirements to minimize this potential variable, such as the use of drum mixers. Finally such diamines are known to adsorb and react with carbon dioxide from the air, resulting in an insoluble carbamate that does not react with polyester or other hydrolizable polymers. Without special attention to controlling the exposure of these amines to the air, various mixtures of products result. The net result can be less than the necessary amount of active amine being used to obtain the required strength reduction necessary to achieve good pilling performance. All of these potential chemical variations result in a process that can be very difficult to control within acceptable product performance tolerances.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Chemical modification of hydrolizable polymer-containing textile articles