In an information exchange system in which a user terminal is connected to a network, the system is capable of transmitting and/or receiving messages via the network. A display area displaying messages transmitted and/or received can be increased with an increase in the number of networks connected, thereby causing the efficiency of processes due to reduction of the display area to deteriorate when such a display area is used simultaneously with other applications. The present invention reduces the display area by centralizing messages transmitted and/or received by each network, and displays these messages to an independent area on a time series basis. The system also enables transmission of messages to the network, to which the relevant message is transmitted, by identifying the message centralized for display. As a result, manipulation efficiency of the information exchange system is improved.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information exchange system in which a plurality of users can transmit and/or receive messages via a network, and in particular, to an improvement of a message displaying method.
2. Related Art
In recent years, with the advancing technology in communication networks, information exchange systems, in which multiple users can transmit and receive messages with each other using the same network, is widely used. An example of an information exchange system is a chat system. In this example, multiple users have a common communication area (i.e., the same network) by utilizing an IRC (RFC 1459) protocol, etc. in order to transmit and receive messages among one another. Hence, users in the common communication field can observe the contents of messages originated by themselves, as well as the contents of messages transmitted by other users in the same communication field. That is, information exchange can occur while confirming messages transmitted from multiple users who are a part of the same communication field.
During information exchange in, for example, a chat system, a user who is participating in the communication does not always have to proffer his/her opinion. However, the user is only allowed to participate in messages transmitted from other users when actively a part of the common communication field. An application interface for a chat system is provided in, for example, (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. HEI 10-154117). A communication field in which users proffer therein opinions, and a communication field in which users only refer to messages of other users, can be displayed for identification. Messages in the "opinion" communication field can be transmitted and received while monitoring the contents of messages issued in the "refer" communication field.
The '117 reference discloses that the "opinion" field communication is defined as a main-channel, and the "refer" communication is defined as a sub-channel. Contents of the opinions issued on the main-channel and sub-channel can be identified through respective displays, on different display areas. An opinion area, transmitting messages to the main-channel, is displayed near the contents of the main-channel. Contents of messages issued in the channel designated by users, on the other hand, are displayed in the sub-channel. The channel designated here can be designated in a plurality of channels.
In the chat system described above, conversation from person to person is also possible. However, it is necessary to provide an individual common communication field (one common network) for each conversation partner. Additionally, a system may be provided wherein a user of a chat system has the ability to utilize various services that have been previously registered, thereby allowing various services to be used throughout the chat system. In order to transmit and receive requests and responses for these services, it is also necessary to participate in the common communication field.
Hence, the number of common communication fields (common networks or channels) increases per user, and the number of common fields designated for each reference will be increased depending on the number of conversations from person to person and the increase of services used throughout the common communication field. At present, the number tends to increase depending on the use of networks.
An increase in the number of common communication fields for reference purposes indicates that the amount of opinions displayed in the sub-channel area of the related art has also increased. Moreover, in the exemplified chat system, when different users are present on the main server, individual connections for each user are required. In this case, a plurality of windows for transmitting and receiving messages corresponding to the users are displayed, thereby narrowing the display area for manipulation of other applications.

Message display method and information exchange system and storage medium


A surgical cannula assembly includes a cannula, an adapter ring, and a housing. The adapter ring is defined at the proximal end portion of the cannula and includes a first sealing surface. The housing includes a port structure for engagement with the adapter ring. The port has a lip with a second sealing surface adapted to engage the first sealing surface. The first and second sealing surfaces are preferably annular surfaces which are non-parallel with respect to each other.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure herein relates to a cannula assembly for use in surgical procedures, and particularly to a cannula housing connection.
2. Background of Related Art
Cannula assemblies are typically used in minimally invasive surgical procedures such as laparoscopic, endoscopic, and arthroscopic operations. In minimally invasive procedures the operating instrumentation is typically deployed through a narrow cannula inserted through a small opening or incision in the body to reach an interior operating site. In some procedures, for example abdominal surgery, the body cavity is insufflated with an inert gas. Cannula assemblies are often required to have a seal to prevent the egress or entry of fluids from or into the body. For example, some cannula assemblies include a flapper valve to provide a seal between the cannula assembly and the instrumentation deployed therethrough. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,280 to Lander, herein incorporated by reference, which discloses a self sealing flapper valve for an insufflation cannula assembly.
Also, sealing is generally required between the cannula itself and the housing to which it is connected. For example, an O-ring or other gasket, is often used as a sealing component between the cannula tube and the housing, either alone or incombination with glues, adhesives, sonic welding, or the like.
It would be advantageous in certain situations, however, to have a connectable cannula and housing which facilitate sealing and which might be effectuated by the user of the product.


A mold for manufacturing a sound-absorbing duct, may include an inner mold made of an elastic material and having a channel therein, a sound-absorbing pad disposed outside the inner mold, and an outer mold disposed outside the sound-absorbing pad and having at least one first injection groove on an inner circumferential surface thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mold for manufacturing an sound-absorbing duct and a sound-absorbing duct using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mold for manufacturing an sound-absorbing duct that can reduce noise generated in the process of sucking external air flowing into an engine, and an sound-absorbing duct using the mold.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, the engines of vehicles are equipped with an intake system for taking the air outside a vehicle to burn fuel.
FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a common intake system.
As shown in the figure, the intake system includes an sound-absorbing duct 10 having an inlet 11 through which external air flows inside and an air cleaner 20 purifying the air flowing inside through the inlet 11.
At least one resonator 31 and 33 is disposed on the sound-absorbing duct 10 to reduce noise that is generated by intake resistance generated due to inflow of the external air. Further, if necessary, a one-quarter wavelength pipe 35 is disposed to reduce noise at predetermined frequencies.
However, in order to make the sound-absorbing duct 10 of the intake system according to the related art, as shown in FIG. 2, the frame of a sound-absorbing duct is formed by a metal wire 13 and a plaited thread 14 and a twisted thread 15 are made outside and inside the metal wire 13, thereby completing an sound-absorbing duct.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the frame of an sound-absorbing duct is formed by rolling a nylon wire 17 and a non-woven fabric band 19 and then the nylon wire 17 and the non-woven fabric band 19 are melted and fixed by hot melting.
However, according to this related art, it is impossible to manufacture a polygonal sound-absorbing duct due to reasons in the manufacturing process. That is, there is a problem in that it is possible to manufacture an sound-absorbing duct with a simple shape and impossible to manufacture an sound-absorbing duct with a complicated shape.
Further, there is a problem in that there are limitations in design because it is impossible to manufacture sound-absorbing ducts with various shapes according to the layout of vehicles.
Further, there is a problem in that it is required to use a material that is easy to manufacture, such that it is impossible to use a material with high sound absorption ability in manufacturing a sound-absorbing duct.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Mold for making sound-absorbing duct and sound-absorbing duct using the same


A cover for a clutch system with a hydraulic piston is axially retained by a retaining ring. The cover has a retaining feature to radially retain this retaining ring against centrifugal forces.

The present disclosure relates to a clutch system comprising a clutch (friction clutch/friction coupling) and clutch actuator for a drivetrain of a motor vehicle including a rotating shaft, for example a passenger vehicle, truck, bus, or an agricultural utility vehicle, comprising a piston displaceable in the axial direction of the clutch device to engage and disengage clutch disks of a clutch pack with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine. The hydraulically displaceable actuating piston assembly drives a piston toward a counterpressure plate on an opposite side of the clutch pack. A cover plate holds pressure in the piston.
During use, hydraulic pressure forces the cover plate axially away from the piston, which is undesirable. Moreover, with the shaft rotating, centrifugal forces may cause rotating elements to move radially outwardly and cause rotating rings to expand radially outwardly.


A depilatory wax applicator head (1) is provided. The applicator head is detachably engageable with a receptacle (7) for containing wax. The receptacle has an open end having a neck portion (6) with a non-cylindrical, elongated cross-section and extending along a longitudinal axis of the receptacle (7). A neck portion (6') may be provided by an intermediate part (12) detachably connected to the open end of the receptacle (7). The applicator head (1) is engageable with the neck portion (6, 6') along the longitudinal axis. The applicator head has an internal passageway and opposed ends of elongated cross-section. One of the ends includes a narrow outlet slot (10) and a spatula (11), and the other end has a mouth engageable with the neck portion (6, 6') of the receptacle (7). The mouth portion of the applicator head includes rigid peripherally spaced tongues (8) positioned on the inner wall of the passageway for clamping the applicator head (1) to the neck portion (6, 6') of the receptacle (7). The head also has strengthening ribs (9) extending to the outlet slot (10) to prevent deformation of the slot (10). The end of the spatula (11) can be furrowed and inclined. The walls (13) of the outlet slot (10) are inwardly convergent to facilitate the backflow of wax when the waxing operation is concluded.

Many depilatory kits exist using the application of hot molten wax that is applied onto an area of users to be depilated. Reference can among these kits be made to that described in European patent 0273495 which includes an outer housing that is tapered at one end and fully open crosswise, thereby defining a means through which the wax lying inside exits. This housing is internally fitted with a wax-containing reservoir and the wax is heated with heating elements located inside the housing, the kit having a drive button which when pushed causes the wax-containing reservoir to be deformed and thus the wax to exit through the opening provided at the front of the housing.
The kit claimed in European patent 0273495 in short provides autonomous wax heating and dispensing means and the resulting kit is altogether quite expensive, without the wax-containing reservoir being replaceable.
There are moreover kits of the kind described where the head and the reservoir proper are coupled to each other in a scarcely effective manner, undersirably allowing wax to flow through the coupling when wax is applied.


Methods are disclosed for preparing and applying an interlaced image to a curved surface. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for preparing an interlaced image for application to a curved surface, the interlaced image comprising two or more frames, such that when the interlaced image is viewed through a lenticular lens, the lens comprising a plurality of lenticules and having a base resolution, from a predetermined viewing distance, the interlaced image is viewed substantially free of distortion, the method comprising the steps of:

The present invention relates generally to multidimensional imaging using lenticular lenses, and more particularly to a method for manipulating a planar multidimensional image so that when viewed through a lenticular lens the image can be viewed on a curved surface with little, if any, distortion.
Successful sales of a product depend not only on the quality of the product itself, but also on the uniqueness of the advertising for the product. Advertising takes many forms and spans many media, but often, the best advertising is on the product itself or on its packaging. To improve sales, bright color schemes and glitzy decor are often utilized to call potential customers"" attention to the product. Recently, lenticular lens technology, which allows for multidimensional imaging on a two-dimensional, or planar, surface has come into increasing use in product and point-of-purchase displays.
Lenticular lenses are well-known and commercially available. Methods for using lenticular lens technology are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,113,213; 5,266,995; 5,488,451; 5,617,178; 5,847,808; and 5,896,230 (all of which are incorporated herein by reference).
Lenticular technology is already in use on a variety of items, such as: promotional buttons, magnets, coasters, collectibles, display posters, signs, menu boards, packaging on boxes, postcards and business cards. Lenticular technology is also in use on point-of-sale materials such as product labels and the like. These applications have a common characteristic in that the lenticular technology has been applied generally to planar or flat surfaces.
Indeed, the results when attempting to apply lenticular technology to curved surface have been less than desirable. Those skilled in the art have found that when attempting to apply lenticular technology to such curved applications, the viewer, when viewing at a predetermined viewing distance, experiences distortion. This distortion might take any of a number of forms, e.g., from seeing different images at different viewing angles (i.e., banding), to experiencing blurring or bleeding of the image. If these problems were solved, the underlying image would appear to the viewer as one continuous band, rather than the viewer experiencing multiple, broken, or banded images.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,226 to Rosenthal (which is incorporated herein by reference) describes a lenticular optical system in which image lines are compressed so that a curved image changes as a whole. Rosenthal discloses a drawing of an image on a curved, i.e., cylindrical, surface. Rosenthal teaches aligning each image line under a corresponding lenticule. Aligning the image lines equally under the lenticules creates a narrow viewing band that follows the viewer as the cylinder is turned or if the cylinder is stationary, as the viewer moves around the cylinder. Rosenthal, however, fails to describe the significant difference in optical properties of a simple curved surface and a cylindrical surface. For example, proper imaging to a curved geometric surface requires manipulating the interlaced image based on multiple variables. The variables are dependent on the curved surface. Additionally, each variable is dependent upon the shape of the surface to which the image will be applied.
What is needed, therefore, is a method for applying lenticular technology to curved surfaces so that the viewer, when viewing the multidimensional image, experiences little, if any, image distortion. To this end, a method is required for manipulating an image so that when it is applied to a curved, e.g., a frustoconical, surface and viewed through a lenticular lens, the image is substantially free of distortion. Therefore, the desired three-dimensional effect is achieved for the viewer when viewing the image at the appropriate viewing distance.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for applying multidimensional imaging using lenticular lenses to a curved surface, e.g., a frustoconical or parabolic surface, such as the type found in various packaging, point-of-purchase displays and other forms of advertising. The invention allows a viewer to see the image from a predetermined distance without experiencing significant image distortion. The method is predictable and reproducible, and thus it decreases the variance from project to project and this, in turn, decreases production costs.
These benefits are achieved by a method for preparing an interlaced image for application to a curved surface, the interlaced image comprising two or more frames, such that when the interlaced image is viewed through a lenticular lens, the lens comprising a plurality of lenticules and having a base resolution, from a predetermined viewing distance, the interlaced image is viewed substantially free of distortion, the method comprising the steps of:
A. Determining the base resolution of the lens;
B. Determining a resolution of the lens when the lens is configured to conform to the curved surface;
C. Manipulating the interlaced image, the image comprising interlaced segments, to conform with the resolution of the lens as applied to the curved surface such that the lenticules of the lens are in correspondence with the segments of the image; and
D. Outputting the interlaced image for application to the curved surface.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a substantially flat, composite blank is provided for the construction of an article having at least one curved surface, the composite blank comprising:
A. a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces;
B. an interlaced image; and
C. a lenticular lens sized and shaped to overlay the substrate, the lens comprising a plurality of lenticules, the lens having
(i) a first flat surface, and
(ii) a second opposing surface comprising lenticules,
with the proviso that the image is carried on the first flat surface and that the lenticules of the lens are in correspondence with the interlaced image such that the image can be viewed through the lenticular lens by a viewer at a predetermined viewing distance from the image with minimal, if any, distortion.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for making a substantially flat, composite blank for the construction of an article comprising at least one curved surface, the method comprising the steps of:
A. printing an interlaced image to one of a lenticular lens and a substrate such that the image is in correspondence with the lens;
B. cutting the lenticular lens to a shape corresponding to the shape of the article projected in a planar configuration;
C. applying an adhesive to at least one of the substrate and the lenticular lens;
D. applying the cut lenticular lens to the substrate to form a composite blank precursor; and
E. cutting the composite blank precursor to a shape corresponding to the article projected in a planar configuration to create the composite blank.
In another embodiment, a substantially flat lenticular blank for configuration into a curved surface is provided, the lenticular blank comprising:
A. an interlaced image;
B. a lenticular lens comprising a plurality of lenticules, the lens having
(i) a first flat surface, and
(ii) a second opposing surface comprising lenticules, and
C. a coating layer;
wherein the image is carried on the first flat surface such that the lenticules of the lens correspond with the interlaced image so that the image can be viewed through the lenticular lens by a viewer at a predetermined viewing distance from the image with minimal, if any, distortion when the image is configured into the curved surface.
In yet another embodiment, a method is provided for making a substantially flat lenticular blank for configuration into a curved surface, the method comprising the steps of:
A. affixing an interlaced image to a lenticular lens such that the image is in correspondence with the lens;
B. applying a coating layer to the image; and
C. cutting the lenticular lens to a shape corresponding to the curved surface projected in a planar configuration.
And in another embodiment, a method is provided for making a substantially flat, composite blank for the construction of an article comprising at least one curved surface, the blank comprising at least one lip to facilitate the construction of the article, the method comprising the steps of:
A. printing an interlaced image to one of a lenticular lens and a substrate such that the image is in correspondence with the lens;
B. applying an adhesive to at least one of the substrate and the lenticular lens;
C. mounting the lenticular lens to the substrate;
D. cutting a portion of the lenticular lens;
E. cutting the substrate along a desired perimeter to form the composite blank; and
F. removing a portion of the lenticular lens.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description and the drawings.

Multidimensional imaging on a curved surface using lenticular lenses

Abstract: A. determining the base resolution of the lens;

Abstract: B. determining a resolution of the lens when the lens is configured to conform to the curved surface;

Abstract: C. manipulating the interlaced image, the image comprising interlaced segments, to conform with the resolution of the lens as applied to the curved surface such that the lenticules of the lens are in correspondence with the segments of the image; and

Abstract: D. outputting the interlaced image for application to the curved surface.


This disclosure relates to a system to trigger presentation of in-vehicle content based on detected physical objects. The system may be coupled to a vehicle. The system may include one or more physical processors. The processor(s) may be configured to obtain output signals conveying detection information that facilitates detection and identification of physical objects near and/or within an interior of the vehicle. The processor(s) may be configured to identify the physical objects near or within the interior of the vehicle. The processor(s) may be configured to obtain usage information conveying recent and/or anticipated use of the physical objects. The processor(s) may be configured to control one or more vehicle components to provide content that is specific to the identity of the physical object and/or specific to the usage information.

Modern vehicles include advanced systems for navigation and entertainment. For example, navigation systems may prompt a driver of required maneuvers utilizing advanced maps as well as voice-based interactions. Entertainment systems, including audio and visual systems, are a staple in most vehicles and can be found through a vehicle. For example, a video screen may be mounted to the backs of headrests and/or on purpose built entertainment systems.

Systems and methods to trigger presentation of in-vehicle content


A leadframe support plate, particularly a heater plate, for a wire bonding apparatus comprises a frame supporting face, and a die-pad supporting face for supporting a die pad of a leadframe. The die-pad supporting face is formed with at least one burr receiving groove extending along the marginal contour of the die pad, so that the die pad of the leadframe is supported stably on the die-pad supporting face even if the marginal of the die pad has burrs.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wire bonding apparatus (wire bonder). More specifically, the present invention relates to a leadframe support plate, particularly a heater plate, for a wire bonding apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In manufacturing electronic components such as ICs, use is made of a leadframe which has a plurality of die pads at a constant pitch and a plurality of leads associated with each of the die pads. An electronic chip, generally called "die", is mounted on a corresponding die pad of the leadframe and electrically connected to the associated leads by wire bonding which is performed by using a wire bonder.
There are three methods for performing a wire bonding operation. A first method is the ultrasonic bonding in which a metal wire (made of gold or aluminum) is bonded to a chip electrode by application of ultrasonic energy. A second method is the thermo compression bonding wherein a metal wire is bonded to a chip electrode by application of thermal energy under a compressive force. A third method is the ultra thermo bonding which is the hybrid of the first and second methods. The present invention is applicable to either of these methods.
For conveniently explaining the problems to be solved by the present invention, reference is now made to FIGS. 8 through 15 of the accompanying drawings showing the prior art.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show a prior art heater plate as a typical example of leadframe support plate. The heater plate indicated by reference numeral 11 has a frame supporting face 12 and a die-pad receiving recess 13 which has a die-pad supporting face (bottom face) 13a lower than the frame supporting face. The heater plate is made of stainless steel for example and provided with an unillustrated heating means.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a leadframe L used for manufacturing electronic components has a plurality of die pads L1 (only one shown) arranged at a constant pitch, and a plurality of leads L2 surrounding each die pad. The leadframe may be made by punching a metal sheet, 0.1-0.25 mm in thickness, which is made of an iron-nickel alloy, a copper alloy, or other metal.
As shown in FIG. 11, the die pad L1 is located slightly lower than the plane of the leadframe L for carrying an IC chip D (die) as a typical example of electronic chip. The die-pad receiving recess 13 of the heater plate 11 is provided due to such an arrangement of the die pad L1.
In operation for die-bonding, a relevant portion of the leadframe L is first placed on the heater plate 11, and a presser plate P is pressed against the leadframe, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. In this state, the die pad L1 of the leadframe L is supported on the die-pad supporting face 13a of the heater plate, whereas the leads L2 are supported on the frame supporting face 12 of the heater plate under the pressure of the presser plate P.
Then, a capillary head C with a penetrating gold wire W having a ball end W1 is lowered and pressed axially against a selected electrode pad D1 of the IC chip D, as shown in FIGS. 14a and 14b. In the thermo compression bonding, the heater plate 11 imparts heat to the IC chip D. As a result, the axial compression force applied to the wire W together with the thermal energy provided by the heater plate 11 causes the wire ball end W1 to be bonded to the relevant electrode pad D1. In the ultra thermo bonding, the capillary head C is further subjected to ultrasonic vibration to increase the wire bonding strength.
Then, the capillary head C is raised and brought to a selected one of the leads L2 while allowing supply of the wire W, as shown in FIG. 14c. The wire can be bonded to the relevant lead L2 in the same manner as described above.
Finally, the capillary head C is raised without allowing supply of the wire W, thereby causing the wire to be pulled off. A new ball end W1 is formed by using a torch T for melting the wire endwise, as shown in FIG. 14d.
The same method steps are repeated for performing a wire bonding operation with respect to the other leads L2 of the leadframe.
The prior art heat plate 11 is acceptable if the leadframe is prepared by an etching method to have no marginal burr. In reality, however, a punching method is preferred for its lower cost and higher productivity, and it is inevitable in this case that the prepared leadframe will have marginal burrs B, as shown in FIG. 15.
When the prior art heater plate 11 is used for supporting the leadframe L having such marginal burrs B, the burrs cause the die pad L1 to be slightly lifted from the die-pad supporting face 13a, as shown in FIG. 16. Therefore, the support for the die pad L1 becomes unstable, and it is difficult in this condition to properly apply the axial compression force and/or the ultrasonic energy to the IC chip D, thus resulting in poor wire bonding (low bonding strength, distortion of the wire ball W1, and so on).
It should be appreciated that each lead L2 of the leadframe L also has marginal burrs. However, the burrs of the lead does not pose any problem for two reasons. First, the lead is subjected to a coining process (as required for plating) prior to performing a wire bonding operation, and this coining process serves to reduce the burrs to a certain degree. Secondly, the supporting stability for the lead L2 is ensured by the use of the presser plate P, so that the presence of the burrs may be ignored.

Plate for supporting a punched leadframe


A wafer edge polishing apparatus includes a cleaning mechanism exhibiting a superb effect of cleaning slurry residue adhered on a chuck table. This edge polishing device is provided with: a chuck table which sucks/holds a wafer; a rotation drive mechanism which rotates the chuck table; an edge polishing unit which polishes an edge of the wafer while supplying slurry to the wafer, which is rotating while being sucked/held by the chuck table; and a cleaning unit which removes slurry residue on the chuck table. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning head, and cleans the chuck table through high-pressure cleaning and brush-cleaning by using the cleaning head, wherein the cleaning head is provided with a high-pressure jet nozzle and a brush surrounding the periphery of the high-pressure jet nozzle.

Silicon wafers are widely used as a substrate material for semiconductor devices. The silicon wafers are manufactured by sequentially applying processes such as outer peripheral grinding, slicing, lapping, etching, double-sided polishing, single-sided polishing, cleaning, etc., to a silicon single crystal ingot. Particularly, recently, a technique where edge polishing is performed after double-sided polishing on the wafer is becoming mainstream with a view to making not only the front and back surfaces of a wafer but also the edge thereof free of flaws. Patent Document 1 describes a polishing apparatus for a workpiece peripheral portion capable of polishing edge faces on both front and back surfaces of the workpiece and the peripheral face thereof simultaneously.
In a wafer edge polishing process, a slurry residue adhering on a chuck table for sucking/holding a wafer becomes a problem. Abrasive grains remaining on the chuck table can damage the back surface of the wafer. This is because, when the wafer back surface is chucked in a state where the abrasive grains remain on the chuck table, a flaw is generated on the back surface. When edge polishing is performed after the double-sided polishing as described above, only a single-sided polishing process to polish only the wafer front surface is performed after the edge polishing process. That is, there is no opportunity to improve the quality of the wafer back surface, so that the flaw on the wafer back surface generated in the edge polishing process becomes particularly problematic.
To solve the above problem, it is desirable to remove the slurry residue adhering on the chuck table. Concerning the chuck table cleaning method, Patent Document 2 describes a cleaning apparatus for a chuck surface (sucking/supporting surface) of a carrier plate of a semiconductor wafer processing machine. The cleaning apparatus jets cleaning liquid such as pure water at high pressure from a nozzle toward the chuck surface to thereby clean the chuck surface. In this cleaning apparatus, the sucking/supporting surface faces downward, so that foreign matters blown off by the high-pressure cleaning liquid fall together with the cleaning liquid, with the result that the foreign matters adhering on the sucking/supporting surface can be removed without brushing. According to the cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to overcome the problem of insufficient detergency in conventional techniques in which the chuck surface is cleaned with a brush while low-pressure water is thrown thereon, and a problem that foreign matters finer than the size of brush hairs cannot be removed and a problem that foreign matters cannot be removed but are merely moved on the chuck surface can be solved.
Further, Patent Document 3 describe s a wafer chamfering device provided with a table cleaning unit that cleans the upper surface of the chuck table. The table cleaning unit includes a cleaning liquid nozzle, an air nozzle, and a cleaning brush which are arranged on the same line. The table cleaning unit is reciprocated along the upper surface of the chuck table with cleaning liquid jetted from the cleaning nozzle, and thus the cleaning brush slides on the upper surface, whereby the upper surface of the chuck table can be subjected to rinse cleaning and brush-cleaning.

Wafer edge polishing apparatus and method


Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a device that includes a first wireless network transceiver; a second wireless network transceiver; a processing system including a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations of establishing a wireless network connection to an access point via the first wireless network transceiver, wherein the access point provides a temporary network name for the wireless network connection, wherein the temporary network name is different from an original network name; providing wireless networking services via the second wireless network transceiver using the original network name; adjusting a coverage area of the wireless networking services; and connecting a network device in the coverage area to the wireless networking services via the second wireless network transceiver. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Enterprise wireless networks (Wi-Fi) may comprise dozens, hundreds or thousands of network device that connect to one of a plurality of network access points (APs). Identifying and locating such network devices can be a challenge. Furthermore, many network devices are transported by a single user, and can be grouped to provide network level information which would not be available at the device level.

System for network security and user authentication via network augmentation


Techniques are provided for reference frame management for screen content video coding using hash or checksum functions. A video data stream including a plurality of frames is received, each frame including a plurality of pixels that define content within the frame. A plurality of hash code values associated with partitioned portions of a current frame are determined, where each hash code value is determined as an output value from a hash or checksum function based upon an input value comprising pixel values for a corresponding partition within the current frame. The current frame is compared with a plurality of reference frames based upon a comparison of the hash code values of the current frame with hash code values of the reference frames. A reference frame is selected as a candidate reference frame for coding the current frame.

Desktop sharing has become an important feature in current collaboration software. It allows virtual meeting attendees to be viewing the same material or content (video, documents, etc.) during a discussion. To make desktop sharing possible, the screen content that is being shared by the sending computing device during a collaboration session must be continuously captured, encoded, transmitted, and finally rendered at receiving computing devices for display.
Desktop sharing applications can compress screen content into H.264 standard video bit streams. The screen content being shared is typically treated as ordinary camera captured video, where frames of the screen content are encoded utilizing intra-frame and/or inter-frame encoding techniques. By finding a suitable match between a current frame and a previous/reference frame, redundancies in encoding of the current frame (or portions of the current frame) can be avoided, since the coding of the reference frame (or portions thereof) can be used as a reference for the current frame, thus minimizing the coding and decoding of content that is required for the sharing of content between two or more computing devices.
However, screen content video has features and characteristics that can be different from camera video, such as the frequent page switching, scrolling back and forth within certain types of content (e.g., text documents), etc. For screen content coding using video compression, enabling multiple reference frames can greatly benefit compression efficiency, because screen content video can be efficiently encoded by inter-frame prediction using a proper reference. However, since the frame resolutions in screen content coding are relatively large, there is substantial complexity in searching among multiple reference frames in order to find the best match for the current frame.

Reference frame management for screen content video coding using hash or checksum functions


A liquid crystal display (LCD) and a method of driving the same are provided. The LCD includes a graphic controller providing raw image data and a conversion data set for correcting the raw image data, a timing controller correcting the input raw image data using the conversion data set and outputting corrected image data, a data driver receiving the corrected image data, selecting a gray scale voltage corresponding to the corrected image data, and outputting the selected gray scale voltage. A liquid crystal panel displays an image according to the level of the gray scale voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a method of driving the same, and more particularly, to an LCD and a method of driving the same that can improve image display quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
To satisfy ever-increasing demand for large screens, the pace and amount of development for lightweight and slim display devices have increased in the recent years. For example, LCDs having such advantages have been developed and widely commercialized as TV/PC monitors.
In many of these LCD devices, a graphic controller and a timing controller in an LCD TV perform signal processing on image data received from an external source to improve display quality. The signal processing usually includes gamma correction that requires bit expansion. Image data that has been subjected to signal processing by the graphic controller is input to a timing controller and is subjected to further signal processing by the timing controller according to the characteristics of a liquid crystal panel. In this case, there is a limitation on the number of bits in the image data that the timing controller and data driver can process.
That is, when signal processing of the image data increases the number of bits to improve display quality, the resultant image data is subjected to a plurality of dithering processes by the graphic controller and the timing controller to reduce the number of bits in the image data. However, noise is generated during the dithering processes, thus decreasing display quality.

Liquid crystal display with corrected image data and method of driving the liquid crystal display


A method for the arrangement of a retaining ring (10) for holding a light source in the opening (11) of a reflector (12) for a vehicle headlamp. The retaining ring (10) extends in a plane and is arranged on the back side flush with the opening (11) on the reflector (12). For the arrangement of the retaining ring (10) of the reflector (12), a molded retainer part (13) is arranged on the reflector (12) and a recess (14) is formed in the retaining ring (10). The retaining ring (10) is placed on the reflector (12), so that the molded retainer part (13) is guided through the recess (14), after which the retaining ring (10) is turned in the plane of its extent about the molded retainer part (13), so that the retaining ring (10) clamps on the molded retainer part (13).

A reflector and a light source can form, for example, basic components of a module for providing a low-beam light or a high-beam light in a vehicle headlamp. The vehicle headlamp could also be understood as a general lighting device for a vehicle, for example, as a rear tail lamp. Here it is known to insert the light source in a back-side opening of the reflector, in order to then rotate this light source in the opening over a certain angle range. Here, retaining arms arranged on the light source grip under defined areas of the retaining ring, so that the light source is arranged on the reflector on the back side by the retaining ring like a kind of bayonet coupling. For this, the retaining ring must be arranged on the reflector, for which regular threaded connections are provided. The reflector can be formed in one piece and can have a mounting neck in which the opening for holding the light source is formed. The mounting neck can also be formed as an individual component and connected to the reflector body. For the assembly of the retaining ring on the reflector, the reflector is usually supplied with the opening facing upward on a means of transport, wherein the retaining ring must be placed on the opening for the later fastening to threaded elements.
For the transport of the reflector with the means of transport, for example, with a conveyor belt, vibrations can be introduced into the reflector, wherein these vibrations lead to the placed retaining ring falling onto the top-side opening of the reflector. Here it must be ensured that the retaining ring is precisely positioned on the opening of the reflector for the subsequent, often automatic fastening by the threaded elements. Therefore, if the retaining rings slip or fall down, manual help is needed to place the retaining ring back to its precise position on the opening of the reflector. Here it is disadvantageous to use bonding agents because these require a drying time and it is desirable to secure the retaining ring in position directly after placement on the opening of the reflector, in order to feed the reflector with the placed retaining ring for the subsequent automated fastening process.
As an alternative to the fastening of the retaining ring, there are solutions that involve, for example, a clipping of the retaining ring on the reflector. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,323 A1 shows a mount for a light source in the opening of a reflector for a vehicle headlamp and a retaining ring for placement on the reflector is provided that has a base body and extends in the plane of a ring. For fastening the retaining ring to the opening of the reflector, the retaining ring has locking clips by means of which the retaining ring can be clipped to the opening of the reflector. The locking clips project perpendicular from the plane of the retaining ring and form barbed hooks so that the locking clips can be clipped into openings formed on the reflector. Retaining rings with barbed hooks are disadvantageous in automated assembly, for example, when the retaining ring is to be automatically gripped by an assembly machine and placed on the opening of the reflector, because when the retaining ring is gripped by the barbed hook, several retaining rings can become hooked together, which would impair an automatic operation.
EP 0 900 974 A2 shows another mount for a light source in the opening of a reflector for a vehicle headlamp and a retaining ring is shown with which the light source is held in the opening of the reflector. The retaining ring has a plurality of expansion elements, holding elements, and fixing tabs that each form undercuts. This likewise prevents or makes automated handling of the retaining rings more difficult.
The mounting neck arranged on the reflector is often formed as a plastic component and is produced using an injection molding method. Here it is desirable to form the mounting neck without undercuts, in order for the injection molding tool to have the simplest possible shape. If the retaining rings have barbed hooks, these must lock into undercuts so that the advantage of a simple injection molding tool cannot be achieved. If the retaining ring is clipped on the mounting neck, with the mounting neck having corresponding geometries, these must usually also be provided with undercuts, so that a clipping of the retaining ring on the reflector also does not form a satisfactory solution.

Method for the arrangement of a retaining ring on a reflector


A system and method for a pacemaker are provided, for monitoring cardiac performance and adjusting a pacing regime to ensure hemodynamically optimal pacing therapy. The pacemaker includes a sensor for measuring a physiological parameter as an indicator of cardiac performance. A processing system dithers various programmable pacing parameters and notes the resulting changes in cardiac performance. The processor analyzes the changes in cardiac performance corresponding to changes in the pacing parameters and selects those parameters resulting in maximum cardiac performance. An activity sensor may be provided to allow the processing system to consider the activity level of a patient when determining a hemodynamically optimal pacing regime.

A pacemaker is an electronic, medical device that provides electrical pulses to stimulate a patient's cardiac tissues. Each electrical pulse causes depolarization of the stimulated cardiac tissue, thus causing a heart contraction.
Pacing therapy is used to relieve the symptoms associated with certain types of abnormal heart rhythms. For example, a pacemaker may be indicated when a patient suffers from bradycardia--a condition in which the patient's heart rate is slower than is physiologically acceptable. In such a patient, the electrical pulses provided by the pacemaker serve to regulate the patient's heartbeat at a more acceptable rate.
The earliest pacemakers provided stimulation pulses at a constant rate to a single chamber of a patient's heart. The paced rate, which was set at the time of implantation, was usually a rate appropriate for the patient while at rest. If the rate had to be changed surgery was required because physical access to the pacemaker was needed to change the paced rate. Modern pacemakers provide telemetry systems for remotely reading and changing the paced rate and other pacemaker parameters.
The cardiac rhythm of a healthy person varies as a function of the person's metabolic needs. For example, when exercising a person's heart rate normally increases to keep up with the increased demands placed on the body. Because early pacemakers provided stimulation pulses at a fixed rate, pacemaker patients might suffer from fainting or lightheadedness if they exerted themselves too strenuously.
Rate-responsive pacemakers improved on fixed rate pacemakers by altering the paced rate when physiologically indicated. Typically, a base heart rate, appropriate for the patient at rest, is maintained by the pacemaker. A physiological sensor generating a signal indicative of the patient's metabolic needs is monitored by the pacemaker, which when needed, increases the paced rate above the base rate. For example, during physical exertion, a patient's metabolic need is greater, and the heart rate should be increased accordingly.
Many rate-responsive pacemakers contain a mechanical transducer, such as a piezoelectric crystal, to monitor a patient's level of activity. The piezoelectric crystal provides an electrical output when subject to mechanical stresses, such as may occur due to a patient's body movements during physical exertion. Unfortunately, some piezoelectric sensors are susceptible to providing erroneous indications of activity when subjected to vibrations.
Alternatively, physiological sensors may be used that rely on changes in, or absolute measurements of, a physiological parameter to indicate metabolic need. Ideally, the monitored parameter is readily measurable, responds quickly to changes in metabolic need, and is largely immune to outside influences. Much effort has been, and continues to be, expended in developing effective techniques and sensors for indicating a patients metabolic need. Possible parameters which may be measured as an indication of metabolic need include a patient's central venous temperature or blood oxygen saturation. Other sensors and techniques are disclosed in copending, commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/259,084, filed Jun. 13, 1994, which is herein incorporated by reference.
A signal from the mechanical and/or physiological sensor is analyzed by the pacemaker to determine the patient's metabolic need. If the sensor signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, the pacemaker may determine that the patient's metabolic need has increased and increase the pacing rate accordingly. Interpolating values from a look up table may be used to determine a rate change or delta to be applied to the current paced rate to achieve a rate suitable for the measured metabolic need. Similarly, when the sensor signal falls below the threshold, the pacemaker may reduce the paced heart rate to a level appropriate for the lower level of patient activity. Thus, rate-responsive pacing attempts to provide a paced heart rate which increases and decreases in a natural way depending on the physiological needs of the patient.
For example, a pacemaker patient may begin to walk up several flights of stairs. If the patient had a constant rate pacemaker, it would continue to pace the heart at the programmed rate--a rate that may be inappropriate for the patient's level of activity, resulting in lightheadedness or fainting. However, if the patient had a rate-responsive pacemaker, the increased exertion (relative to the patient's resting state) would be detected by the pacemaker and the pacing rate increased accordingly. Similarly, when the patient ceases climbing the stairs, the pacemaker returns to pacing at the base rate, possibly gradually reducing the rate over a period of several minutes. Thus, the paced heart rate increases and decreases according to the metabolic needs of the patient.
Another advance in pacemaker technology was the development of the "demand" pacemaker. A demand pacemaker has the ability to sense a patient's natural cardiac activity, and delivers a pacing pulse only in the absence of such activity. Demand pacemakers use sensing leads to monitor the patient's intracardiac electrogram ("IEGM") to detect spontaneous cardiac depolarizations. Pacing pulses are then only provided if a depolarization is not detected within a predetermined time interval following a previous depolarization (either natural, or paced). Providing pacing pulses only when needed decreases the power consumption of the pacemaker, thereby lengthening the useful life of the pacemaker's battery. Furthermore, sensing natural cardiac activity reduces the possibility of providing stimulation pulses during a heart's T-wave, which is otherwise known to cause fibrillation.
In a healthy heartbeat, atrial and ventricular contractions are temporally related in a way that provides increased cardiac output. A major benefit of dual-chamber or universal pacemakers is the capability of providing a pacing regime that closely approximates the natural synchrony between atrial and ventricular contractions. In patients with severely compromised cardiac performance, optimization of hemodynamic performance may be critical to successful pacing therapy. A significant number of patients, who suffer from hemodynamically compromised cardiac output associated with CHF or cardiomyopathy may benefit from optimal chronotropic pacemaker stimulation.
Furthermore, a growing body of clinical evidence suggests that for some patients having severely compromised cardiac output may show improved hemodynamic performance after several weeks or months of chronotropic pacing therapy. In particular, patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, and dilated cardiomyopathy have shown significant improvements, and seem most responsive to short A-V delays.
The dual-chamber pacemaker has the capability of providing chronotropic pacing therapy. It uses two or more leads, and may be programmed to pace and/or sense both chambers of the heart. For example, the pacemaker may be programmed to sense natural P-wave activity in the atrium, and to pace in the ventricle (P-V pacing). A universal pacemaker provides the medical practitioner a wide range of possible pacing regimes to consider when instituting pacing therapy for a cardiac patient.
When programming a universal pacemaker, the physician is thus faced with programming heart rates for resting and active conditions, but also with programming the lengths of various refractory periods, the desired A-V delay to maintain A-V synchrony, and whether to pace and/or sense either one or both chambers. Selecting the optimal combination of parameters and modes may prove difficult, especially since optimal pacing parameters and modes vary from patient to patient, and possibly from one pacemaker model to the next.
Adding to the difficulty of programming an optimal pacing regime, is the fact that pacemakers are programmed in an "open loop" manner. In other words, there is no direct and continuing feedback relating changes in cardiac performance to changes in the pacing regime.
In a typical scenario, the pacemaker is programmed at implant. During post-implant follow up visits, the physician may reprogram the pacemaker based on medical testing, as well as on patient input. However, subsequent changes in a patients cardiovascular condition may affect hemodynamic efficiency so that the pacemaker's programming no longer provides optimal pacing therapy. Since there is no feedback relating to cardiac performance, such suboptimal pacing might not be detected.
Suboptimal pacing in some patients may not only deprive the patient of the short term benefits of optimal pacing, but also the long term improvement in hemodynamic performance suggested by some clinical testing. Because of the open-loop nature of tuning programmable parameters of a pacemaker, whether rate-responsive or universal, it is difficult, if not impossible, to ensure near optimal pacing therapy. Therefore, to provide optimal pacing therapy, a "closed-loop" way of adjusting pacing parameters and evaluating cardiac performance is needed.

System and method for providing hemodynamically optimal pacing


A rotor comprising: a rotating shaft with at least one keyway formed at an outer circumferential surface thereof and ranging along an axial direction; and a rotor core that includes a key that projects out on an inner circumferential side thereof, and is fitted in the keyway; wherein: a recessed portion that widens outward along a radial direction is formed at each of two sides of the key facing opposite each other along a circumferential direction at the rotor core; a planar portion is formed at a bottom area of the recessed portion so as to lessen stress occurring on each of the two sides of the key facing opposite each other along the circumferential direction; the planar portion is a straight contoured portion extending over a predetermined length along a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the key projects out, and a connecting side surface extending to an inner circumference of the rotor core is formed continuously to an end of the straight contoured portion located on a side opposite from a key side where a key is present; a first corner portion, connecting a side surface of the key with a key-side end of the straight contoured portion, is formed as a circular arc contoured portion; a second corner portion, connecting the end of the straight contoured portion, located on the side opposite from the key side, with the connecting side surface, is formed as a circular arc contoured portion; and dimensions and shapes of various portions are determined so as to substantially equalize stress levels in the first corner portion and in the second corner portion.

A rotating electric machine used to drive a vehicle needs to rotate at a speed higher than the speed at which a standard rotating electric machine typically rotates in a different application and therefore, it is crucial that the rotor thereof achieve a sufficiently high level of strength. It is particularly important to assure a high level of strength over the area where the rotor core is fastened to the rotating shaft member. While the rotor core and the rotating shaft member constituting a rotor in the related art are often fastened together by using a clearance-fitted key, there is a concern that stress tends to concentrate readily at the key.
This issue is addressed in patent literature 1, disclosing a rotor that includes a recessed part at the key, which assumes a shape achieved by forming, continuous to each other, at a key side surface, a circular arc part having a first radius of curvature and a circular arc part having a second radius of curvature greater than the first radius of curvature, so as to reduce the extent of stress concentration.
However, a stress reducing effect greater than that disclosed in patent literature 1 is sought in order to meet the increasing need for improved rotating electric machine performance. The rotating electric machine disclosed in patent literature 2 is characterized in that the contour of a notch located at the base end of the key includes a first R (round) part extending from the key base end, a straight part extending from the first R part along a direction perpendicular to a key side end, a second R part extending from the straight part and a transition part extending from the second R part to the inner edge of a through hole formed in a core plate.

Rotor and rotating electric machine equipped with the rotor


A method and associated architecture for dividing column readout circuitry in an active pixel sensor in a manner which reduces the parasitic capacitance on the readout line. In a preferred implementation, column readout circuits are grouped in blocks and provided with block signaling. Accordingly, only column output circuits in a selected block significantly impart a parasitic capacitance effect on shared column readout lines. Block signaling allows increasing pixel readout rate while maintaining a constant frame rate for utility in large format high-speed imaging applications.

The advent of HDTV and other high-end digital imaging systems is increasing demand for large format high speed sensors. CMOS active pixel image sensors which have low power dissipation, are low cost and highly reliable, and which can typically be configured in a single chip solution, are increasingly being developed for large format high speed imaging applications. Large format sensors usually require an image pixel array of at least 1024×1024 pixels in size. Unfortunately, as the image array is made larger, it becomes difficult to increase pixel readout rate without also increasing frame rate because of parasitic capacitance limitations in current architectures.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Increasing readout speed in CMOS aps sensors through block readout


A recording apparatus is provided with a receiving device which simultaneously receives a plurality of broadcast video signals; a multiplexing device which obtains a plurality of broadcast video signals from the receiving device, putts each of the plurality of broadcast video signals into packets and converts the packets into time-division multiplexed data; and a control device which records the time-division multiplexed data in a memory apparatus in packet units using a ring buffer method and in the order of recording position, and forms chapter units in the memory apparatus from a specified group of packets for the same program when performing records.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus that records a broadcast-video signal of a broadcast program, a method for controlling it, and an information recording medium for recording control.
2. Related Art
As a prior recording apparatus, there is a recording apparatus as disclosed reference (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H9-35411) that compresses the video signal and audio signal of a broadcast program as compressed data and records that data on the recording apparatus continuously over a specified period of time for a television channel pre-set by the user without having a recording instruction from the user for each program. With this recording apparatus, when reproducing the data, the compressed data is read from the recording apparatus and expanded, making it possible to continuously or selectively view various broadcast programs over the specified time.
Also, in Reference (EP 0936811B1) a recording apparatus is disclosed that is provided with two kinds of storage units; for example, a first storage unit is a hard disc unit that stores broadcast program data in FIFO (First In First Out) format, and a second storage unit is an optical-disc unit that stores specified image data after that specified image data is detected from the image data stored in the first storage unit are known.
In the prior recording apparatuses there was a technique of constantly recording broadcast programs, and performing time-division multiplexing of the video signals and audio signals of a plurality of channels to record them in one memory apparatus.
However, since the data is recorded in a memory apparatus such as the hard disc in the recording apparatus using the ring-buffer method, when recording is performed until the memory capacity of that memory apparatus becomes full, the first recoded programs are deleted and new programs are recoded in that deleted space. Therefore, it is desirable that recording is efficiently performed by the recording apparatus even after the storage apparatus reaches its capacity.

Recording apparatus and recording control method


A nitride semiconductor light emitting diode chip includes a transparent substrate and a nitride semiconductor stacked-layer structure formed on the upper surface of the substrate, the nitride semiconductor stacked-layer structure including a light-emitting layer and a plurality of other semiconductor layers, the substrate having an arbitrary crystallographic main surface and having a thickness of more than 120 μm, thereby providing an improved efficiency of extracting light from the chip. At least one of the division planes of the chip may be angled relative to a plane perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate and the lower surface of the substrate may have a smaller area than an upper region of the nitride semiconductor stacked-layer structure to further improve the efficiency of extracting light from the chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a group III–V compound semiconductor light-emitting device, and more particularly to improvement in light extraction efficiency in a light-emitting diode chip including a plurality of nitride-based semiconductor layers stacked on a transparent substrate.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, nitride semiconductor light-emitting diode chips are manufactured by forming an epitaxial wafer having a plurality of nitride semiconductor layers including an emission layer which are stacked on a substrate and then dividing the wafer into a plurality of chips. For a conventional gallium nitride (GaN)-based semiconductor light-emitting diode chip, a substrate of sapphire or the like is generally used and a light-emitting diode device including such a chip is now commercially available.
In a light-emitting diode device with a sapphire substrate, since the substrate is insulative, it is difficult to form a structure in which a p-side electrode and an n-side electrode are provided on the upper and lower sides of the substrate, respectively, and thus it is necessary to extract light from the light-emitting diode chip through a transparent electrode. Furthermore, since the sapphire substrate has a high hardness, it is necessary to process the substrate into a thin film state and then divide the wafer into chips.
Commercially available typical nitride semiconductor light-emitting devices according to the prior art are provided by forming a GaN-based semiconductor stacked-layer structure on a sapphire substrate and reducing thickness of the substrate to approximately 100 μm and then dividing the structure into chips. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-270962, for example, in the case of dividing a GaN-based semiconductor light-emitting device layer formed on a sapphire substrate, the substrate is processed to a 80 μm thickness. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-068556 investigates a method of producing chips with a good yield rate from an epitaxial wafer including a plurality of nitride semiconductor layers stacked on a sapphire substrate, whereby the wafer having a thickness of 80 μm is divided into chips.
As understood from the above, in the conventional nitride semiconductor light-emitting diode chip, it is necessary to form a transparent electrode (typically under a p-side electrode) as well as p-side and n-side electrodes on a surface of the semiconductor stacked-layer structure included in the chip. The backside of its substrate is joined to a pedestal. Then, due to the p-side and n-side electrodes which block light, there occurs a loss in efficiency of extracting light from the chip towards the outside.
The high hardness of the sapphire substrate also causes difficulties in dicing or scribing to divide the epitaxial wafer including the sapphire substrate into a plurality of light-emitting diode chips with a good yield rate. Accordingly, after formation of the epitaxial wafer, the thickness of the substrate needs to be reduced to less than 100 μm by grinding the substrate, for example. However, the reduced thickness of the substrate decreases the efficiency of extracting light from the side surface of the substrate towards the outside. Because of these circumstances, the conventional nitride semiconductor light-emitting diode chip including the sapphire substrate suffers a great loss in extracting light from the chip towards the outside.

Nitride semiconductor light-emitting diode chip and method of manufacturing the same


A forming fabric for a papermaking machine that includes a machine-side layer and a paper-side layer. The machine-side layer includes bottom warp yarns and bottom weft yarns that weave with at least some of the bottom warp yarns. The paper-side layer includes top warp yarns and top weft yarns that weave with at least some of the top warp yarns to create a weave pattern in a repeating pattern area, and at least one of the top weft yarns includes a paper-side float in the repeating pattern area that passes over a number of consecutive top warp yarns. The forming fabric further includes a set of dual combination binder weft yarns disposed adjacent a top weft yarn. At least one dual combination binder weft yarn of the set weaves with some of the bottom warp yarns and some of the top warp yarns. Each dual combination binder weft yarn of the set includes at least one segment in the repeating pattern area that passes over at least one top warp yarn. The at least one segment is disposed adjacent to a segment of another dual combination binder weft yarn of the set. The at least one segment and the adjacent segment combine to form a long weft float that passes over the number of consecutive top warp yarns passed over by the paper-side float to match the weave pattern of the top weft yarns. The long weft float occurs at least once in each repeat of the dual combination binder weft yarns.

In the conventional Fourdrinier papermaking process, a water slurry, or suspension, of cellulosic fibers (known as the paper "stock") is fed onto the top of the upper run of an endless belt of woven wire and/or synthetic material that travels between two or more rolls. The belt, often referred to as a "forming fabric," provides a papermaking surface on the upper surface of its upper run which operates as a filter to separate the cellulosic fibers of the paper stock from the aqueous medium, thereby forming a wet paper web. The aqueous medium drains through mesh openings of the forming fabric, known as drainage holes, by gravity or vacuum located on the lower surface of the upper run (i.e., the "machine side") of the fabric.
After leaving the forming section, the paper web is transferred to a press section of the paper machine, where it is passed through the nips of one or more pairs of pressure rollers covered with another fabric, typically referred to as a "press felt." Pressure from the rollers removes additional moisture from the web; the moisture removal is often enhanced by the presence of a "batt" layer of the press felt. The paper is then transferred to a dryer section for further moisture removal. After drying, the paper is ready for secondary processing and packaging.
Typically, papermakers' fabrics are manufactured as endless belts by one of two basic weaving techniques. In the first of these techniques, fabrics are flat woven by a flat weaving process, with their ends being joined to form an endless belt by any one of a number of well-known joining methods, such as dismantling and reweaving the ends together (commonly known as splicing), or sewing on a pin-seamable flap or a special foldback on each end, then reweaving these into pin-seamable loops. A number of auto joining machines are available, which for certain fabrics may be used to automate at least part of the joining process. In a flat woven papermakers' fabric, the warp yarns extend in the machine direction and the filling yarns extend in the cross machine direction.
In the second basic weaving technique, fabrics are woven directly in the form of a continuous belt with an endless weaving process. In the endless weaving process, the warp yarns extend in the cross machine direction and the filling yarns extend in the machine direction. Both weaving methods described hereinabove are well known in the art, and the term "endless belt" as used herein refers to belts made by either method.
Effective sheet and fiber support are important considerations in papermaking, especially for the forming section of the papermaking machine, where the wet web is initially formed. Additionally, the forming fabrics should exhibit good stability when they are run at high speeds on the papermaking machines, and preferably are highly permeable to reduce the amount of water retained in the web when it is transferred to the press section of the paper machine. In both tissue and fine paper applications (i.e., paper for use in quality printing, carbonizing, cigarettes, electrical condensers, and the like) the papermaking surface comprises a very finely woven or fine wire mesh structure.
Specifically regarding forming fabrics, these fabrics typically include two layers. The first layer is a top or paper-side layer that includes top warp yarns and top weft yarns that weave with the top warp yarns. The paper-side layer contacts the paper web as the paper web is formed during the papermaking process. The second layer is a bottom or machine-side layer that includes bottom warp yarns and bottom weft yarns that weave with the bottom warp yarns. The machine-side layer contacts various components of the papermaking machine, such as rolls that support the forming fabric, during the papermaking process. In addition, forming fabrics also include binder wefts that weave with both the top and bottom warp yarns to connect the paper-side and the machine-side layers. The binder weft yarns and the top weft yarns typically include long weft floats over the top warp yarns to provide a generally continuous paper-side surface on which the paper web is formed. However, the long weft floats prevent the binder weft yarns from effectively interweaving with the top and bottom warp yarns, and therefore, the stability of forming fabrics is relatively low.
Considering the limitations of previous designs, it would be desirable to have a forming fabric with increased stability and a generally continuous paper-side surface on which a paper web is formed.

Forming fabric with dual combination binder weft yarns


An embroidery data producing apparatus for an embroidery machine which forms embroidery stitches, based on the embroidery data having information about stitch positions comprises a CPU, RAM and ROM. The RAM has a pattern data memory for storing pattern data which represents outlines of a pattern where embroidery will be given, and a embroidery data memory for storing the made embroidery data. The CPU reads the pattern data stored in an external memory device and stores the pattern data in the pattern data memory. The CPU stores the inclination angle input through the keyboard by an operator in the RAM. The CPU sets a pair of facing outlines which extend to a predetermined embroidery executing direction based on the pattern data stored in the pattern data memory. The CPU sets stitch positions on the first outline of a pair of the outlines according to a predetermined thread density. The CPU calculates the straight line which passes through the set stitch position and inclines at set inclination angle toward the embroidery executing direction. The CPU calculates the intersection where the calculated straight line and the second outline of a pair of the outlines intersect, and sets the intersect as a next stitch position following the set stitch position. The CPU stores the stitch positions set on the first outline and the stitch positions calculated on the second outline as the embroidery data in the embroidery data memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an embroidery data producing apparatus for an embroidery machine, and more particularly, to an embroidery data producing apparatus for producing the embroidery data which represents stitch positions on a pair of facing outlines extending in an embroidery executing direction.
2. Description of Related Art
An embroidery machine for embroidering a predetermined pattern, such as a one point mark, comprises a needle bar driving mechanism for reciprocating a needle bar which includes a needle at an end portion thereof, a horizontal moving mechanism for moving a work fabric in a horizontal plane, and a control device for controlling the needle bar driving mechanism and the horizontal moving mechanism. The control device controls the needle bar driving mechanism and the horizontal moving mechanism such that the needle can drop into each stitch position in sequence based on the embroidery data which represents stitch positions corresponding to the predetermined pattern. The embroidery data which represents stitch positions is automatically made by the embroidery data producing apparatus.
The embroidery data producing apparatus comprises a microcomputer, input devices such as an image scanner or a keyboard, and an external memory device. The external memory device stores the pattern data which represents an outline of the pattern, i.e., outline of an area which is filled with embroidery stitches. The microcomputer reads the pattern data stored in the external memory device and produces the embroidery data by calculating each stitch position based on the pattern data.
As shown in FIG. 9, in the case where the shape of an embroidery pattern 1 is a circle, the pattern data is made with the coordinate values which represent a plurality of points on an outer line 2 and an inner line 3 which outline the circle. First, the embroidery data producing apparatus calculates the coordinates values representative of the center point O of the pattern 1. The embroidery data producing apparatus then radially draws straight lines, the number of which is set according to a predetermined thread density, from the center point O. The embroidery data producing apparatus calculates the coordinate values which represent points of intersection of these straight lines alternating between the outer line 2 and the inner line 3 to represent stitch positions. During sewing, the needle follows the sequence between the outer line 2 and the inner line 3 of the pattern 1, for example in the clockwise direction, on the work fabric based on the embroidery data. As the result, the inside of the pattern 1 is filled with the embroidery stitches as shown.
The above-mentioned embroidery data producing apparatus produces the embroidery data for forming embroidery stitches which connect in sequence a pair of outlines. The embroidery stitches which are formed based on the embroidery data are substantially at a right angle to the pattern outline or a line parallel thereto defining the embroidery executing direction. The embroidery executing direction is the direction in which the pattern is formed, for example, from right to left, from top to bottom, clockwise or counterclockwise. A line commencing at a mid-point between the pair of outlines, adjacent the first stitch position, and passing parallel (to and through the midpoints) between the pair of outlines to a point adjacent a last stitch position defines an axis of the embroidery executing direction.
However, when embroidery stitches are formed at a substantially right angle with the axis of the embroidery executing direction (hereinafter called embroidery execution direction) and the interval between a pair of the outlines is narrow, the length of the stitches become very short. Because of this, the work fabric wrinkles and the stitches are denser or more compact and the lower thread may be pulled out through the upper surface of the work fabric. Therefore, neat embroidery stitches are not formed.

Embroidery machine that adjusts the inclination angle of embroidery stitches


The invention relates to the use of substances for the production of anions suitable for charge transfer reactions in mass spectrometers, particularly for the fragmentation of multiply positively charged biopolymer ions by electron transfer or for charge reduction by proton transfer. Diketones, particularly α-diketones, are proposed as a newly found class of substances which can be used both for the production of radical anions for electron transfer dissociations (ETD) with a high yield of fragment ions and also for the production of non-radical anions for the charge reduction of multiply charged analyte ions by proton transfer reactions (PTR). These substances have favorable properties in terms of their handling and the associated analytical methods: they are largely nontoxic, cover a favorable range of molecular masses, and their volatility means that they can be stored in unheated containers outside of the vacuum system, which facilitates the refilling of the containers.

Nowadays, the sequences of the basic building blocks of biopolymers and their post-translational modifications (PTM) are identified predominantly with the aid of tandem mass spectrometers. In the following, peptides and proteins as biopolymers are dealt with in particular, although the invention should not be limited to these. For example, oligosaccharides are a further group of biopolymers whose monomeric basic units, the sugar molecules, can be linked with each other in linear or in branched form. A key technology for these investigations is the fragmentation of the biopolymer ions in the mass spectrometer. There are two fundamentally different types of fragmentation: ergodic fragmentation and non-ergodic, electron-induced fragmentation, for each of which several methods are known. The electron-induced fragmentation of the peptide or protein ions is complementary to the ergodic fragmentation, firstly because it cleaves at different points of the amino acids within the chain of amino acids, and secondly because it does not remove the side chains of the post-translational modifications during fragmentation, as is the case with ergodic fragmentation. By comparing the fragment ion spectra obtained ergodically with those obtained non-ergodically, the sequences as well as the mass and position of the modifications can be read.
A relatively simple electron-induced fragmentation method is electron transfer dissociation. It is possible to use specific types of negative reactant ions to cleave multiply positively charged biopolymer ions, particularly peptide or protein ions, by the transfer of an electron ("ETD"=electron transfer dissociation). The reactant ions are usually radical anions of the form M•− of a molecule M; these radical anions easily give up electrons. See U.S. Published Patent Application 2005/0199804 A1 (D. F. Hunt et al.) and German Patent DE 10 2005 004 324 B4 (R. Hartmer and A. Brekenfeld). Both documents describe how multiply charged positive peptide or protein ions are fragmented by reactant ions with this method. Electron transfer dissociation is a special form of the general group of charge transfer reactions.
A second form of charge transfer reaction which is often used is the reaction between multiply positively charged analyte ions and non-radical negatively charged ions of the form (M−H)− or (M+H)−, which can be used to reduce the number of respective charges on the positive analyte ions ("PTR"=proton transfer reactions, also called "charge stripping"). In favorable cases, the non-radical anions required for this can be obtained in electron attachment ion sources from the same substances that are used for the production of radical anions for ETD (see U.S. Pat. No. 7,582,862 B2) by changing the operating conditions. The charge reduction enables highly charged analyte ions to be converted into less highly charged ions in order to reduce the complexity of the mass spectra from mixtures of many different highly charged analyte ions and to produce favorable biopolymer ions for electron transfer dissociation.
The reactions for electron transfer dissociation (ETD) and also for charge reduction by proton transfer (PTR) take place in reaction cells, in which both positive and negative ions can be stored. These can be two-dimensional RF ion traps with pseudopotential barriers at the ends, for example, but also three-dimensional RF ion traps. These reaction cells are usually filled with a damping gas, in which the ion motions are thermalized. Mass spectrometers with both types of reaction cells are commercially available and are known to those skilled in the art. The positive analyte ions and the negative reactant ions are generally introduced sequentially into the ion traps and mixed there. The reactions can then occur without any further assistance.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2005/0199804 ("'804 Application") explains that substances for the formation of ETD reactant ions can be found in the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (polyaromatic hydrocarbons). Specifically, the substances anthracene, naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, triphenylene, perylene, acridine and others are named. With some of these substances, however, the electron attachment ion source always supplies non-radical anions of the form (M−H)− also, as can be seen in Table 1 of the '804 Application, and these produce undesirable proton transfer reactions here. Thus not all of these polycyclic aromatic compounds are equally advantageous for ETD. Disadvantageous, on the whole, for all polycyclic aromatic compounds is the fact that they have very low vapor pressures. To avoid condensation in relatively cool supply lines, it is therefore necessary to keep these substances in a heated vessel close to the electron attachment ion source, which must also be heated, in the interior of the mass spectrometer. This makes refilling complicated, and may even have to be done by the manufacturer's service staff. Although it would be possible to heat all the supply lines between a heated vessel external to the vacuum system and the electron attachment ion source, it is extremely difficult to uniformly heat supply lines that pass through the wall of the vacuum system.
High ETD effectiveness of the anions of a substance means here that, on the one hand, a high yield of fragment ions is achieved and, on the other hand, no significant proportion of proton-transfer reactions occurs. According to the '804 Application, fluoranthene is particularly ETD effective in this sense.
Published U.S. Patent Application U.S. 2010/0140466 A1, incorporated herein by reference, proposes aliphatic substances with electron affinities between 0.3 and 0.8 electron volts, particularly 1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene (m=104.15 Da, EA=0.550 eV); trichloroethene, (m=131.39 Da; EA=0.400 eV), tetrachloroethene (m=165.83 Da; EA=0.64 eV) and 2,3-butanedione (m=86.09 Da; EA=0.69 eV). The advantage of these substances is that their higher vapor pressures mean that they can be kept in an unheated vessel external to the mass spectrometer, which facilitates the refilling. 1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene, which was preferred initially, has turned out to be not particularly suitable for some types of reaction cells because in these cells it very quickly loses the electrons, which are only weakly bound. As the best substance in this group, 2,3-butanedione provides good yields of fragment ions of the multiply positively charged analyte ions. The ETD effectiveness approaches that of fluoranthene.
2,3-butanedione also has disadvantages, however. Firstly, it is a respiratory and eye irritant with hotly debated toxicity (approved as butter flavor in Europe, although it is known to cause pulmonary diseases), and therefore its use is neither simple nor without risk, precisely because of its otherwise favorable vapor pressure. Secondly, it has a very low molecular mass of only 86 atomic mass units. If it is to be stored in an RF storage cell, the RF voltage must be lowered to such an extent that heavy positive ions are lost because of the limited mass range of all such storage cells. And thirdly, the electron attachment ion source which is used to produce the anions from butanedione cannot be switched to also produce the non-radical anions which can be used for proton-transfer reactions (PTR) for the charge reduction. The search for further, favorable substances for the ETD is thus not concluded.
PCT Application WO 2011/092515 discloses substances with Franck-Condon factors between 0.1 and 1.0, and electron affinities between 0.1 and 150 kJ/mol (1.55 eV). A list of more than 90 substances is provided, starting with 1,3- and 1,4-dicyanobenzol. The list contains both aromatic and aliphatic compounds from very different substance classes.
The electron affinity (EA) is the energy which must be used to remove the electron from the radical anion again, i.e., the binding energy of the added electron. This binding energy must not be too low because, otherwise, the substance hardly accepts any electrons, on the one hand, and, having accepted an electron, the anions easily lose it again, on the other hand. The binding energy must not be too high either, however, because otherwise the positive biopolymer ions cannot detach and attract the electron, i.e., cannot affect the electron transfer.
The aliphatic ETD substances listed above were taken from the extensive NIST database for organic substances (webbook.nist.gov), which represents one of the most complete databases for physical chemistry data of organic chemical substances. In its table of organic substances with known electron affinity, only around 200 substances in total are listed in the range from EA=0.3 to 0.8 eV, and few of them are suitable aliphatic compounds, whereas nearly all the polycyclic aromatic compounds from the '804 Application can be found there. It must be assumed that for a large majority of organic substances, especially aliphatic substances, the electron affinities are not known, so a search in the specialist literature promises little success.
There is a need of providing starting substances for the production of anions for charge transfer reactions, particularly substances for the production of radical anions for electron transfer dissociation with high ETD efficiency which do not have the disadvantages observed with the ETD reagents known up to now.

Alpha- and chi-diketone reactants for charge transfer reactions in mass spectrometers


A light source (110) is fixed at a position and emits light in a direction away from an optical axis (A) of an objective lens. An outer reflecting mirror (an optical member) (130) and an inner reflecting mirror (an optical member) (140) are provided as a unit so that relative positions thereof are fixed. A reflecting mirror unit (120) can be moved in directions along the optical axis (A), i.e. up and down relative to the light source (110). A free-form curved surface portion (131) of the outer reflecting mirror (130) and a reflecting surface of the inner reflecting mirror (140) reflect light in different directions depending on a position of the light incident thereon.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illumination device and a vision measuring instrument. In particular, the invention relates to an illumination device that can change a light irradiation angle toward an object.
2. Description of Related Art
A vision measuring instrument that irradiates illumination light on a to-be-measured object W to measure a shape of the object W based on an image obtained by reflected light from the object W has been known. FIG. 8 shows an overall arrangement of the vision measuring instrument. FIG. 9 shows an inner arrangement of the vision measuring instrument.
The vision measuring instrument 10 includes: a measuring unit 11 that captures an image of the object W mounted on a stage 20; an image processor 21 that analyzes a shape of the object W based on the captured image; and an illumination device 22 that illuminates the object W.
The measuring unit 11 includes: an imaging device 12 that captures an image of the object W; a movement mechanism 15 that three-dimensionally moves the imaging device 12 in accordance with a to-be-measured part of the object W; and the stage 20 on which the object W is mounted. The imaging device 12 includes an objective lens 13 and a CCD camera 14 that captures an image focused by the objective lens 13.
The movement mechanism 15 includes: a portal frame 16 slidable in front and rear directions relative to the stage 20; a Z column 18 in which a beam portion 17 of the portal frame 16 is slidable in right and left directions; and a Z spindle 19 slidable up and down in the Z column 18. The objective lens 13 for imaging the object W is attached on a lower end of the Z spindle 19. The image processor 21 processes image data obtained by the CCD camera 14.
Note that, in FIG. 9, an optical axis A of the objective lens 13 is defined as the central axis of the vision measuring instrument 10.
The illumination device 22 is attached on the lower end of the Z spindle 19 with the objective lens 13 inserted at the center of the illumination device 22. Light beams circularly arranged around the central axis (the optical axis A) are irradiated toward the object W to evenly illuminate the object W.
The illumination device 22 includes: a ring casing 23 of which lower side is open and upper surface has an insertion hole at its center; and an illuminating optical system 24 that is disposed inside the casing 23 and circularly irradiates light beams from the lower side of the casing 23.
The illuminating optical system 24 includes a plurality of LEDs 25 (light sources for light emission) circularly distributed in the overall interior of the casing 23; a reflecting mirror 26 that reflects light from the LEDs toward the object W; and dichroic mirrors 27 that introduce the light from the LEDs to the reflecting mirror 26.
The LEDs 25 emit light downward. The dichroic mirrors 27 are disposed on a lower side of the LEDs 25 and have concave surfaces to reflect the light from the LEDs 25 substantially horizontally toward the opposite side of the central axis (the optical axis A). The reflecting mirror 26 is disposed on the opposite side of the central axis (the optical axis A) relative to the dichroic mirrors 27 and has a concave surface to reflect the light from the dichroic mirrors 27 obliquely downward toward the central axis.
In the arrangement, to capture an image of the object W, initially the object W is mounted on the stage 20. Then, the illumination device 22 circularly irradiates light beams to illuminate the object W. More specifically, the light irradiated from the LEDs 25 is reflected by the dichroic mirrors 27 toward the opposite side of the central axis (the optical axis A), which is then reflected by the reflecting mirror 26 obliquely downward toward the central axis to be incident on the object W. The light reflected by the object W is captured by the CCD camera 14 via the objective lens 13. Image data from the CCD camera 14 is image-processed by the image processor 21, with which inspections are conducted, for instance, to detect an edge of the object W or dust or a scratch on the object W or to measure the size thereof.
By changing the light irradiation angle toward the object W, a surface shape such as the edge can be emphasized. In order to change the light irradiation angle toward the object, the position of the reflecting mirror 26 needs to be changed. As shown in FIG. 10, when the dichroic mirrors 27 and the reflecting mirror 26 are moved at the same speed, the light incident position on the reflecting mirror 26 will not be changed. Accordingly, it is impossible to change the light irradiation angle toward the object W.
To solve the problem, as shown in FIG. 11, it is suggested that the dichroic mirrors 27 and the reflecting mirror 26 be moved at different speeds (the dichroic mirrors 27 are moved faster than the reflecting mirror 26) to change the relative positions of the dichroic mirrors 27 and the reflecting mirror 26 in accordance with the movements (see JP-A-62-168125).
With the arrangement, the light incident position on the reflecting mirror 26 is changed as the position of the reflecting mirror 26 relative to the dichroic mirrors 27 changes, so that the light irradiation angle toward the object W can be changed. Further, by changing the light irradiation angle toward the object W, the surface shape of the object can be emphasized, so that the position of the edge or the size of the object W can be highly accurately detected based on the image data.
However, a mechanism in which gears are complexly combined is required to move the dichroic mirrors 27 and the reflecting mirror 26 at different speeds as suggested above. Accordingly, the illumination device 22 becomes extremely large and costs for preparing and assembling components thereof will be extremely increased.

Illumination device and vision measuring instrument