The invention is an apparatus and method for producing a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition from powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles and a linear array of boron fibers. The boron fibers are applied onto the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles and then are processed within a processing component having an impregnation bar assembly. After passing through variable-dimension forming nip-rollers, the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles with the boron fibers become a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composite tape. A driving mechanism pulls the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles with boron fibers through the processing line of the apparatus and a take-up spool collects the formed hybrid boron-fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite tape.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the preparation and fabrication of prepreg tapes and ribbons for automated tow placement and relates specifically to the preparation of polyimide resin/carbon fiber/boron fiber unidirectional solvent-free tape and ribbon having encapsulated boron fibers evenly distributed throughout the tape or ribbon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automated tow placement (ATP) is a process where composite ribbons or tapes are robotically managed and continually fed onto a tool or part surface and adhered by the application of heat and pressure. ATP is particularly sensitive to the quality of the composite ribbon when working with low-flow matrix materials. The simultaneous assembly of adjacent ribbons (typically 4 to 34) or wide tape offers significant advances in the lay-up of composite materials. However, ribbons or tapes made from low-flow matrix materials typically lack a cross-sectional dimensional integrity, and more importantly, a standard rectangular cross-section. These structural defects complicate the ATP process and frequently render poor results. Although ribbons are bonded to their vertical neighbor (directly below) satisfactorily, the failure to make quality parts is generally attributed to the poor bonding of adjacent ribbons to each other and the quality of tape being used. Low-flow thermoplastic parts made by using slit prepreg tapes are typically unconsolidated and exhibit excessive porosity and void content.
Ideally, tapes used in the ATP process should be fully consolidated. Consolidation means the voids in a composite material have been eliminated during melt-processing. One method of accomplishing consolidation is pultrusion. This technique requires full ingestion of the unconsolidated composite material within an enclosed die with an exit area less than the inlet area. Pultrusion has a slow production rate.
Another method of accomplishing some consolidation is disclosed by Sandusky in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,395,47. Sandusky discloses an apparatus and method for providing a consolidated, unidirectional, continuous, fiber-reinforced composite ribbon. The apparatus includes a pre-melting chamber, a stationary bar assembly, and a loaded, cooled nip-roller apparatus. Examples given by Sandusky discuss the manufacture of ribbons having a width of 0.250 in. and three inches.
Sandusky employs a number of techniques which make the fabrication of a uniform, fully consolidated three-inch wide tape difficult. First, the shaping means has a fixed gap between its rollers which leads to the fabrication of material with a fixed cross-section. Without the adaptiveness of a variable cross-section, a precise uniform-shaped tape or ribbon will be produced only if enough composite material is fed through the forming device to fill the fixed opening. During periods when the powder content of the fiber tow drops below the desired amount, the shape of the tape or ribbon becomes irregular and jagged, which facilitates the generation of voids.
Second, Sandusky lacks a collimation device for maintaining the orientation of each individual fiber tow bundle. Such a device is essential in the manufacture of a uniform product with respect to thickness. If the individual tows are out of alignment they can overlap and create a tape which is not a consistent thickness across its width.
Third, the lack of a dedicated drive component for the processing line is a critical problem. The tows need to maintain a zero speed differential across the width of the tape during processing. If the individual tows are moving at differing velocities, the tape will not combine and consolidate. Accordingly, a process for producing a fully-consolidated, uniform tape is desired. One example of a dry powder impregnation method is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/185,142, filed Nov. 3, 1998, entitled Method and Apparatus to Fabricate a Fully-Consolidated Fiber-Reinforced Tape from Polymer Powder Preimpregnated Fiber Tow Bundles for Automated Tow Placement (Belvin et al.), the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/185,142 discloses the manufacture of a three-inch wide product from powder pre-impregnated fiber-tow bundles.
Typically, carbon fiber composites can provide excellent mechanical properties. However, in certain applications carbon fiber alone does not provide adequate compressive strength. A solution to this problem is the hybridization of carbon fiber composites with boron reinforcing fibers.
Current technology for making boron/carbon prepreg and composites from polyimides includes utilizing solution coated prepreg with residual solvent. Boron fibers are calendered onto xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d prepreg to make a hybrid boron/carbon fiber prepreg. This technique only pushes the large diameter boron fibers partially into the xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d prepreg. The resultant prepreg contains boron fibers that are essentially sitting on the prepreg surface and are not fully encapsulated within resin. This material also requires solvent removal during cure, a process which is labor intensive and costly.
The need for a technique to process high temperature polyimides into composites without a solvent is apparent. The hazards and expense of solvent removal and recovery are critical to this composite technology. Developing a dry polyimide tape will allow for ATP by a robot and will significantly reduce the cost of processing composite materials into parts. A process which utilizes significantly less or no solvent and results in a higher quality intermediary and end product is essential to the use of these polyimide composites in large quantities.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to manufacture a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition.
Another object is to manufacture a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition of consistent thickness across its width.
Another object of the invention is to manufacture a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition with minimal voids therein.
Still another object of the present invention is to manufacture a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition having geometric accuracy regardless of changes in the powder content along the length of the fiber tow bundles.
The foregoing and additional are attained by providing a method of producing a consolidated, hybrid boron-carbon fiber-reinforced composite tape comprising the steps for dispensing at least one linear array of boron fibers; sandwiching the dispensed linear array of the boron fibers with a plurality of powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles, heating the sandwiched linear array of the boron fibers to a specific processing temperature which melts the polymeric matrix of the tow bundles; spreading the heated tow bundles across an impregnation bar assembly to encapsulate the linear array of boron fibers with the heated tow bundles and to shape the heated tow bundles to an initial width, wherein the encapsulated boron fibers are dispersed in a substantially uniform manner; pulling the shaped tow bundles using a drive mechanism, thereby enabling the polymeric matrix of the shaped tow bundles to consolidate fully into the hybrid boron-reinforced composite tape; and taking-up the consolidated hybrid boron-reinforced composite tape.
The present invention further includes an apparatus for producing a consolidated, hybrid boron-reinforced composite tape comprising a dispensing means for supplying at least one linear array of the boron fibers; an applying means for positioning a plurality of powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles along a length of the dispensed linear array of the boron fibers; a processing component for heating the positioned tow bundles and linear array of the boron fibers to a specific processing temperature which melts the polymeric matrix of the tow bundles and disperses boron fibers into the polymeric matrix, the processing component having an entrance and an exit, the processing component including an impregnation bar assembly positioned near the exit of the processing component for wetting-out the filament array of the heated tow bundles with boron fibers and for spreading the heated tow bundles with boron fibers to an initial width; a variable dimension forming nip means, positioned in operable relationship to the processing component, for shaping the heated precursor tape into a predetermined width, the variable dimension forming nip means being actively cooled and capable of imparting a selected pressure, wherein the hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composite tape is formed; a driving means, positioned in operable relationship to the variable dimension forming nip means, for pulling the shaped tow bundles with boron fibers, the driving means maintaining a constant speed across the width of the shaped tow bundles with boron fibers, thereby enabling the polymeric matrix of the shaped tow bundles with boron fibers to consolidate fully into the consolidated, boron-fiber-reinforced composite tape; and means for taking-up the boron-fiber-reinforced composite tape.
Additionally, the present invention includes a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition produced from the process comprising the steps of providing powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles; applying at least one linear array of boron fibers along the length of the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles; heating the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles and applied boron fibers to a specific processing temperature which melts the polymeric matrix of the heated powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles; and encapsulating the applied boron fibers with the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles, wherein a hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition is formed.
The method for manufacturing the hybrid boron reinforced polymer matrix composition begins with the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles being mounted onto a pay-out creel for delivery. Concurrently, a linear array of boron fibers is dispersed and applied to the powder pre-impregnated fiber tow bundles. The spools of tow bundles are individually tensioned at this point to facilitate the alignment of the filaments of each bundle. This tensioning also aids in the spreading of the bundles in the processing component. The tow bundles are then fed through a collimation device to maintain the alignment of the individual tow bundles during processing. The collimation device ensures consistent thickness across the width of the processed material. If the alignment changes, a tape or ribbon will have an irregular shape and will not be a placeable grade tape, i.e., acceptable for use with the ATP process.
This alignment also facilitates the forming of the molten pre-preg or polymeric matrix into a precise shape and dimension. The bundles then proceed through the processing component. The processing component comprises two parts: an oven or furnace and an impregnation bar assembly. The oven is heated to a specific processing temperature for each individual polymeric matrix depending on the powdered resin of the tow bundles. Preferably, when processing requires a high temperature to melt the polymeric matrix material, an inert gas such as nitrogen is used as a process medium inside the oven to induce melting without oxidation. While still inside the oven, the tow bundles are pulled through the impregnation bar assembly. This assembly encapsulates or wets-out the filaments of the tow bundles and spreads the tow bundles to an initial width and shape. The tension which is created back at the pay-out creel is instrumental in this spreading process, with greater tension further assisting the spreading of the fiber tow.
Upon exiting the process component, the molten tow bundles with boron are fed through the variable dimension forming nip means having two rollers. The variable dimension forming nip means cools the molten tow bundles and shapes them into a precise, predetermined width. Preferably, the invention uses nitrogen as the cooling medium. Additionally, because the variable dimension forming nip means does not have a defined gap between the two rollers, the rollers allow for changes in powder content along the fiber tow bundles during processing by varying the cross-section along the length of the composite tape. Powder content can vary along the length of the towpreg as much as xc2x18% depending on the type process used to coat the clean tow bundles.
The next component is the self-contained driving means. The self-contained driving means pulls the total number of bundles and boron fibers needed to fabricate the tape through the process. The driving means maintains the speed of the process and removes any speed differential between the individual tow bundles. This constant speed in turn eliminates a shearing force which would create gaps and splits in the finalized tape. Thus, the driving means allows the resin content of the bundles to flow together. As a result, the method produces a fully-consolidated hybrid boron composite tape, which is spooled by a motorized take-up system.

Process of making boron-fiber reinforced composite tape

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


The present invention concerns a method of oxidizing a cycloalkane to form a product mixture containing a corresponding alcohol and ketone, said method comprising contacting the cycloalkane with a hydroperoxide compound in the presence of a heterogenous catalyst comprising gold.

The liquid phase aerobic oxidation of cyclohexane to a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol, called K/A-oil, is a relevant process in the chemical industry. Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone are precursors of adipic acid and caprolactam, which are key intermediates in the production of nylon-6 and nylon-6,6 polyamides. The first step in this process is the thermal air oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexyl hydroperoxide (CyOOH). Then, this hydroperoxide is decomposed to the K/A-oil according to the following scheme (1):

This deperoxidation step is currently catalyzed either by an aqueous solution of NaOH containing Co2+ cations or by an organic solution containing Cr6+ compounds but it is becoming necessary, for environmental reasons, to replace such homogeneous processes with new non-toxic heterogeneous catalytic systems.
Most efforts up to the moment have focused on the use of metal exchanged molecular sieves, polymer and silica-supported transition metal complexes, or transition metal oxides and hydroxides. While some of these materials show relatively good activities and selectivities to K/A-oil, most of them suffer from deactivation and/or metal leaching, thus preventing their industrial application.
Gold catalysts are known to carry out the deperoxidation reaction.


A vehicle electronic key system includes a control device mounted on a vehicle and an electronic key for transmitting a response signal in response to reception of a request signal from the control device. The control device includes means for outputting a request signal to the electronic key in response to the ON operation of a main switch of the vehicle (request signal generation means, a transmission circuit, and a transmission antenna), means for detecting a response signal from the electronic key (a reception circuit and response signal matching means), and means for performing an alarm output (monitoring means, a third drive circuit, and an alarm lamp) when no response signal is detected in spite of the output of the request signal.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-349110 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-349117 exist as known examples of electronic key systems for a vehicle. The electronic key systems for a vehicle disclosed in these patent documents have activation means (switches) arranged in a door handle and trunk lid of the vehicle. If a user operates (activates) these activation means, communication with the electronic key commences, comparison is carried out between an ID transmitted from the electronic key and an ID registered in the controller, and a door lock is released at a stage when a result is obtained that there is ID matching.
Also, in the patent documents mentioned above, an activation means (a switch) is also provided in an ignition knob, and after a user has boarded a four-wheeled vehicle, communication with the electronic key is carried out again, by operation of the ignition knob, and an ID comparison is carried out in order to allow the engine to be started. Then, when results of the ID matching comparison have been obtained, the engine is started.
That is, with the electronic key system for a four-wheeled vehicle of the related art, the electronic key has functions for unlocking a door and allowing starting of the engine.
An electronic key system that has a transmission antenna provided for each door of a four-wheeled vehicle, which can release only the door that a portable device is closest to independently of the other doors of the vehicle, has also been proposed as related art (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-317754).
Also, as an electronic key system applied to a motorcycle, a system has been proposed that is intended to achieve reliable theft prevention, by generating a random number based on a time taken from a power supply of an immobilizer turning ON to starting of the engine (start time data), generating an authentication key and an authentication code by encoding information inherent to the key based on the random number, and carrying out authentication using the authentication key and the authentication code (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-12123).
Since the electronic key is carried by the user, there is a danger of the key being dropped inside the vehicle when the key is not in use. In the case of a four-wheeled vehicle, however, there is only a very low possibility of the electronic key being lost after use, even if it is dropped inside the vehicle.
However, when the electronic key system for a four-wheeled vehicle is applied, as is, to a motorcycle, for example, if the electronic key is dropped by the user after starting the engine, there is not a problem if it is noticed that the key has been dropped. However, if the motorcycle moves without noticing that the key has been dropped, the key may become lost and it will not be possible to restart the engine.
In the related art, in a system that has been applied to a motorcycle, theft prevention is a main consideration, and for example, after boarding the vehicle once authentication of the normal user is complete, the security system is stopped. As a result, if the electronic key is dropped during travel, for instance, there is a danger that it will not be detected.
Naturally, even with a four-wheeled vehicle, if the electronic key is dropped close to the door, the probability of the electronic key becoming lost is high, and in this case also, it will not be possible to restart the engine.
The present invention has been conceived in view of these types of problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic key system for a vehicle that can output a warning if a user drops an electronic key while the vehicle is stopped or during travel, and that can reduce, to as low as possible, the probability of the electronic key being lost when dropped by the user.


A method for gateway recovery processing and device, the method comprising: a first mobility management unit receiving Packet Data Network (PDN) connection signaling, and triggering a paging procedure for a terminal; in response to determining that the paging procedure fails, the first mobility management unit setting and storing flag information, wherein the flag information is used to indicate that the PDN connection signaling is in a suspended state; and in a case where the terminal moves from a coverage area of the first mobility management unit to a coverage area of a second mobility management unit, the first mobility management unit sending the flag information to the second mobility management unit, wherein the flag information is used for the second mobility management unit to trigger a Serving Gateway (SGW) to send a bearer update request message to a PDN Gateway (PGW).

At present, the standard workgroup of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is working on researching evolution of a Packet Switch (PS) core and a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System Radio Access Network (UTRAN), with a research subject called as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), to achieve a purpose of enabling an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) to provide a higher transmission rate, generate a shorter transmission delay, simultaneously implement packet optimization and support mobility management between an Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), the UTRAN, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and another non-3GPP access network.
A present SAE architecture, as shown in FIG. 1, includes the following network elements: an Evolved Radio Access Network (E-RAN), a Packet Data Network (PDN) and an EPC. The EPC includes the following network elements: a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a mobility management unit in a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) being a Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN); a Serving Gateway (SGW); a PDN Gateway (PGW); a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF); and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS).
In a related technology, User Equipment (UE) may be in a Power Saving Mode (PSM), the PSM including a power saving state or an Extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX) state. In the PSM, it is impossible for an MME to page the UE, and the UE is also in an unreachable state. At this moment, if the MME learns about the unreachable state of the UE after receiving bearer management signaling, the MME notifies a PGW of information indicating that the UE is temporarily unreachable. FIG. 2 shows steps when the MME receives the bearer management signaling in the related technology.
In Step 201, the PGW sends a bearer establishment request message to an SGW, the message containing bearer Quality of Service (QoS), a Traffic Flow Template (TFT), a charging Identifier (ID) and an uplink Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) of the PGW.
In Step 202, after the SGW receives the bearer establishment request message, the SGW forwards the bearer establishment request message to the MME, the message containing the bearer QoS, the TFT and an uplink TED of the SGW.
In Step 203, after receiving the bearer establishment request message, the MME checks a state of the UE, and if the UE is in an idle state and the UE activates the PSM, the MME starts performing a procedure for paging to an Evolved Node B (eNodeB), and simultaneously sets a paging timer; and after timeout of the paging timer, if the MME has yet not received any paging response, the MME determines that the paging procedure fails.
In Step 204, after receiving a paging message, the eNodeB starts to page the UE.
In Step 205, if not receiving any paging response before timeout of the timer in Step 203, the MME determines that paging fails; and the MME returns a bearer establishment response message to the SGW, the message containing a special cause value informing to the SGW that the UE is in the PSM and temporarily unreachable, and moreover, the MME sets a flag to indicate that PDN connection signaling initiated by a network is currently in a suspended state.
In Step 206, the SGW returns a bearer establishment response to the PGW, the response message containing the special cause value indicating the PGW that the UE is in the PSM and temporarily unreachable, the PGW receives the special cause value, and the PGW may try the same bearer establishment process only after receiving a bearer update request.
Although the UE is in the PSM, the UE may still move. When the UE moves to a new mobility management unit, as shown in FIG. 3, the mobility management unit may further select to provide service for the UE to the original SGW, and sends a message in Step 305 to the SGW. However, if the UE moves only in a system (for example, in an E-UTRAN system), maybe the SGW will not send any bearer update request message to the PGW. If the PGW does not receive a bearer update request, the PGW may always not initiate PDN connection signaling, which makes it impossible to transmit some downlink services to the UE for a long time.
In the related art, it is impossible to transmit a downlink service to UE due to the fact that a PGW cannot be notified that the UE moves to a new mobility management unit.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Gateway recovery processing method and device


A heat sink assembly includes a base frame and a heat sink having a module engagement surface configured to be in thermal communication with an engagement surface of a pluggable module. The heat sink assembly also includes transfer links extending between the heat sink and the base frame. The transfer links are movable to transfer the heat sink with respect to the base frame. The heat sink is movable between a recessed position and an elevated position, wherein the transfer links maintain the heat sink in a predetermined orientation with respect to the engagement surface of the pluggable module as the heat sink is transferred, between the recessed position and the elevated position.

The subject matter herein relates generally to heat sink assemblies, and more particularly, to liftable heat sink assemblies for pluggable modules.
Various types of fiber-optic and copper based pluggable modules or transceivers that permit communication between electronic host equipment and external devices are known. These pluggable modules may be incorporated into connector assemblies that can be pluggably connected to the host equipment to provide flexibility in system configuration. The pluggable modules may be constructed according to various standards for size and compatibility. The pluggable modules are plugged into a receptacle that is mounted on a circuit board within the host equipment. The receptacle typically includes an elongated guide frame having a front that is open to an interior space, and an electrical connector disposed at the rear of the receptacle within the interior space for mating with the pluggable module.
Due to increases in the density, power output levels and/or switching speeds of fiber-optic and/or copper based pluggable modules or transceivers, there is a corresponding increase in the heat generated by such devices. The heat generated by the operation of these devices can lead to significant problems as some of the devices may be destroyed if the core temperature is too great, or the performance of the device may be substantially degraded. Known techniques used to control the temperature of individual devices include the use of heat sinks, heat pipes and fans.
Known heat sinks, or other cooling equipment, are not without disadvantages. For instance, the types of heat sinks in use today tend to be somewhat cumbersome to assemble and manufacture. Additionally, some systems employ heat sinks which are manufactured in such a way that the heat sinks are integral with the pluggable module being cooled, and are thus difficult to handle efficiently in high-volume manufacturing environment. Heat sinks are less efficacious when used with modular electronic devices. For example, in order to facilitate maintenance and fast replacement of failed pluggable modules, the pluggable modules can be removed from, or inserted into, the receptacle. As the pluggable module is slid into and out of the receptacle, it may become problematic to maintain an efficient thermal connection between the pluggable module and the heat sink. Typically, as the pluggable module is loaded into and removed from the receptacle, the pluggable module slides along the interface of the heat sink. Some known heat sinks provide a thermal interface material at the interface of the heat sink to improve the thermal contact therebetween. Difficulties arise when the pluggable modules slide along the thermal interface material. For example, the thermal interface material may be easily damaged or destroyed by the sliding action.
A need remains for a cage assembly that may be used repeatedly without diminishing and/or damaging a thermal interface of a heat sink. A need remains for a heat sink assembly that may be disengaged from the pluggable module during insertion and removal of the pluggable module within the receptacle.

Heat sink assembly for a pluggable module


A single-pull reel which includes an upper cover, a bottom cover configured to engage with the upper cover, a cord-rotating disc, a clamping member provided on a top section of the cord-rotating disc, the bottom portion of the cord-rotating disc being provided with a sliding groove, a spiral spring having an inner end and an outer end, the inner end being engaged with the notch of the axle of the upper cover, a cord divided into a first section and a second section, a positioning ball mounted within the sliding groove of the cord-rotating disc thereby forming an engaged sliding movement, and the bottom cover having an inner face provided with a multi-functional rail in combination with the positioning ball to provide a clockwise and counterclockwise movement of the cord-rotating disc thereby causing the positioning ball to provide alternately a loosening and tightening operation of the cord.

(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in the positioning structure of a single-pull reel, and in particular to a positioning structure which is durable in use, easy to operate and accurate in positioning and reduces noise in operation.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional type of positioning a cord within a reel is the application of a steel bead. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the reel A10 comprises a front cover A1, a spiral spring A2, a sliding seat A3, a transmission cord A4, a positioning steel bead A5 and a rear cover A6. In this conventional structure, the sliding seat A3 contains the spiral spring to restore the transmission cord A4 to its original position. The steel bead A5 slides within the sliding seat A3 so as to position the cord A4. The bottom section of the sliding seat A3 has a passage A31 so that the steel bead A5 could roll, engage and disengage within the passage A31. Thus when the sliding seat A3 is pulled at a high speed and high speed retraction, the steel bead passage A31 will also in operation. Under this condition, the steel bead passage A31 under a high speed rotation, does not comply the requirements of stable engaging and sliding, thus extreme gap and error are formed. Relatively, design on rail is difficult and high precision is needed. Thus the cost of producing the rail is high. In addition, when there is a friction and the error on the gap is too large, the dislocation of the steel bead A5 is expected and thus, the function of positioning is lost. As a result, frequent dislocation of cord in the reel occurs and the longevity is lost.

Positioning structure of a single-pull reel


Provided is a method of manufacturing a circuit board. The method includes: preparing a base substrate including a core layer and a first conductive layer that is formed on at least one surface of the core layer and includes an internal circuit pattern; forming a build-up material to cover the first conductive layer; forming in the build-up material at least one cavity through which the core layer and the first conductive layer are exposed; forming a laminated body by curing the build-up material in which the at least one cavity is formed; and forming a second conductive layer including an external circuit pattern on an outer surface of the laminated body.

1. Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to manufacturing a circuit board including a cavity and a chip package, and a circuit board manufactured by using the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As sizes of components of electronic devices have recently reduced and consumers prefer one product with various functions, the number of components of an electronic device has increased. Accordingly, there is a demand for technology for mounting many electronic components on a circuit board at a high density.
A multi-layer circuit board is an element of an electronic device which is formed by stacking a plurality of substrates as multi-layers in each of which electronic components are mounted. Since a multi-layer circuit board may perform more electrically complex functions than a single-sided board or a double-sided board, and may enable electronic components to be mounted thereon at a high density, the multi-layer circuit board is widely applied to a variety of electronic devices.
In particular, there is a recent demand for a system integration technology for making an electronic product light, thin, short, and small, and a technology of manufacturing a cavity printed circuit board (PCB) has attracted attention as a system integration technology. In a cavity PCB, since components are, instead of being completely embedded on a PCB, embedded in a cavity that is formed in a direction in which a chip is mounted, it is much more efficient in the cavity PCB to replace the components or check the components than in an embedded PCB.
However, a multi-layer technology is rarely applied to a cavity PCB. This is because it is difficult to accurately form a cavity and an internal circuit in the cavity may be damaged during plating or etching performed in a PCB process.
In particular, in a method of selectively forming a cavity by using laser drilling in a PCB on which finished components are stacked, since it is difficult to adjust a depth, an internal circuit pattern and an internal insulating layer may be frequently damaged. Also, when a cavity is formed by using a router, since there is a big difference in processing precision and the cavity has to be formed individually, product reliability during mass production may be reduced and it is difficult to mass produce devices due to low productivity. Also, a method of selectivity forming a cavity by precisely punching a position of the cavity in a finished product by using a punching device inevitably results in damage to an outer wall of the cavity. Due to the damage to the outer wall of the cavity, de-lamination due to moisture absorption and damage to a bottom surface of the cavity are caused. Due to costs of manufacturing the punching jig, overall manufacturing costs are increased and a design width of the cavity is very small. When a cavity is formed and components are stacked before an insulating layer is stacked, since it is difficult to control the flow of a thermosetting resin, smears tend to be produced and an additional desmear process has to be performed. Also, since it is difficult to completely remove smears, the reliability of a substrate is reduced and mass productivity is reduced.

Method of manufacturing circuit board and chip package and circuit board manufactured by using the method


An energy absorbing system includes a tube section having a distal end and an energy absorber mounted to the tube section and receiving its distal end, the energy absorber including a folding section and a compressing section inward, the folding section being adapted to fold opposed walls of the tube section and the compressing section being adapted to compress the tube section after it has been folded.

Energy absorbers are used in various applications. One such application is on public roads to cushion vehicle crashes. For example, energy absorbers are commonly employed within guardrails provided along the sides of roads as well as in crash cushions mounted on stopped or slow-moving construction vehicles to absorb the energy of a crashing vehicle.
While many energy absorbers exist that are effective at cushioning crashes, they are often undesirably expensive to manufacture and replace. It would therefore be desirable to have a highly effective energy absorber that is less expensive so that high energy absorption per unit cost can be achieved.

Systems and methods for absorbing energy


An automatic animal watering system has a manifold for transporting drinking water, a controlled volume dispenser in the manifold for receiving a volume of drinking water, an inlet valve, and an outlet valve. A plurality of drinking valve assemblies is provided in fluid communication with the manifold between the inlet and outlet valves. A fluid sensor, capable of responding to changes in one or both of the water volume and pressure, is provided in the manifold between the inlet and outlet valves. The volume of drinking water available to the drinking valve assemblies can be regulated as a function of time to limit maximum potential leakage. The system also includes a controller receiving signals from the fluid sensor and generating a response to changes in the monitored water volume or pressure, thereby limiting potential water leakage in the system.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an automatic animal watering system, and more particularly, relates to an automatic animal watering system providing a controlled volume of drinking water to animal cages. The invention additionally relates to a method of operating such a system.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Providing drinking water to caged animals, particularly in laboratories and other facilities having hundreds or thousands of cages, faces many unique challenges that are not otherwise confronted when watering animals. Due to the complexity and size of modern facilities, large populations of test animals are often required. These test animals typically include small mammals such as mice or rats, but may also include larger test animals. Isolating one or more test animals in a confined cage is often required to prevent comingling of the entire test population and to control experimental variables. To conserve space as well as to provide easy access and visual inspection, these cages are often stored in elongated rows, which are stacked upon one another to form a rack of cages. The individual cages within the rack must each be supplied with water for test animal drinking.
Drinking water is supplied to the caged animals via animal-operated drinking valves. The typical drinking valve includes a stem that dispenses water when the stem is deflected by an animal. The valves may receive water from bottles or bags located within the cage or via manifolds that receive water from a central source of an integrated automated watering system. Manifolds typically are preferred in larger facilities because the monitoring and refilling of individual bottles is time consuming, particularly with large test populations.
However, automated water systems, like any closed system, are susceptible to forming leaks. Any such leak may result in the flooding of one or more cages on a rack at the risk of the well-being of the animal or animals housed therein and potentially jeopardizing the associated research.
Additionally, as these conventional automated water systems combine individual drinking valves with a plumbing system connected to a single high-volume water source, there is often no mechanism for isolating the water supply, and attendant risk of leaks, to less than all of the cages mounted on a particular rack. It is likewise impossible to determine where such a leak is located within the rack. This concern is particularly significant in situations in which the volume of water supplied to each individual drinking valve must be limited due to 1) a desire to minimize the potential harm by reducing leakage at any location to a set volume, 2) the constraints of a given experiment requiring limited water distribution to each cage, and/or 3) a desire to determine the rate of water consumption per cage. Prior systems also typically were incapable of monitoring water flow to individual cages or rows of cages without employing other monitors, such as flow meters or cameras, hence reducing the capability of such systems to monitor and control the water supply to individual cages or rows of cages.
Thus, despite prior attempts to design an automatic animal water system, there remains need for improvement.
For example, there is a need to mitigate the potential harmful effects of a leak at a given rack or a given location on a rack by quickly identifying and isolating the location of the leak while maintaining water supply to at least part of the remainder of the racks or remainder of locations on an individual rack.
There is also a need to permit monitoring and control of the volume of water supplied to individual cages or to at least an easily monitorable group of cages, such as the cages on one row of a rack, or even supplied to a rack.

Volume based automatic animal watering system


A safety system for a two piece tree climbing stand includes a safety cable that is secured to the climbing cable of the tree stand so as not to interfere with the two pieces of the stand as the tree stand is maneuvered up a tree. An elongated resilient sleeve is adapted to surround both the climbing cable and the safety cable so that the safety cable is secured to the tree climbing cable until the sleeve is removed. The safety cable is adapted to be secured to the safety harness worn by the tree climber and to the climbing cable of the tree stand.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a safety harness system for a two piece climbing tree stand typically used for hunting purposes. The harness system is designed to protect the tree climber from falling at all times when ascending, while hunting and when descending the tree using a two piece tree stand.
2. Description of Related Art
Two piece climbing tree stands are known in the art and include a first piece adapted to support a user's feet and a second piece including a seat for the user as the user waits for animals to appear. Such a system is disclosed by Yerger in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,138. As disclosed by Yerger at the time of his invention a separate flexible belt was used that wrapped around the tree and was attached to a harness worn by the hunter. As explained by Yerger, the belt was prone to interfere with the movement of the two pieces of the tree stand as the user ascends or descends the tree. Yerger's solution was to provide a stiffening means to the belt and to releasably attach the stiffened belt to the upper portion of the tree stand using an attachment device such as a spring clamp. Yerger's strap can easily become disassociated with the tree stand and is cumbersome to attach to the tree stand especially in the dark as is the case when most hunters arrive at the tree stand and ascend the tree. Yerger removes his strap each time he disassembles the stand and must reassemble, normally in the dark, each time he assembles the tree stand, whereas according to the current invention, the safety strap is permanently attached and requires no assembly at the hunting site.

Safety harness system for a two piece climbing tree stand


Multiple use fabric conditioning compositions comprising blooming perfume are useful for conditioning fabric.

Heretofore, most dryer-added fabric conditioning products contain a perfume to deposit some fragrance onto the laundered fabrics, both to provide an olfactory aesthetic benefit and to serve as a signal that the fabrics are clean. Fabric conditioning compositions in the art commonly contain perfumes to provide a good odor to fabrics. Typical perfume compounds and compositions can be found in the art including U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,184, Brain and Cummins, issued Mar. 20, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,417, Whyte, issued Jun. 24, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,705, Moeddel, issued May 7, 1985; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,272, Young, issued May 1, 1979. Due to the high energy input and large air flow in the drying process used in the typical automatic clothes dryers, a large part of the perfume provided by such fabric conditioning products has been lost out the dryer vent. Even for the less volatile components, only a small fraction remains on the fabrics after the drying cycle. The loss of the highly volatile fraction of the perfume is much higher. Usually the loss of the highly volatile fraction is substantial, often practically total. Due to this problem most laundry perfumes have been composed mainly of less volatile perfume components to survive the drying cycle and thus provide better "fabric substantivity." The main function of a small fraction of the highly volatile perfume components in these perfumes is sometimes just to improve the fragrance odor of the product itself, rather than significantly impacting on the subsequent fabric odor. However, some of the non-substantive, volatile perfume ingredients can provide a desirable fresh and clean impression to the fabrics, and it is highly desirable that these ingredients be deposited and present on the dried fabrics. Methods have been devised using perfume carriers to deliver these desirable, highly volatile perfume ingredients from dryer-added fabric conditioning products. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,564 issued Apr. 7, 1992 to Gardlik et al. discloses the use of cyclodextrins to encapsulate the volatile perfume ingredients for use in dryer-added fabric conditioning sheets, to deliver such perfume to the fabrics. U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,835 issued Nov. 3, 1998 to Severns et al. discloses the use of pro-perfumes which are subsequently hydrolyzed to release volatile perfume ingredients in dryer-added fabric conditioning compositions. U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2003/0013632 A1 published Jan. 16, 2003 to Santos et al. discloses the use of zeolites as a perfume carrier to deliver volatile perfume ingredients from dryer-added sheets. Efforts are continued to find ways to deliver the neat, free volatile perfume ingredients without having to use the expensive and/or complicated perfume carriers.
Dryer-added fabric conditioning products provide a better convenience to the consumer as compared to the rinse-added fabric conditioning products because they spare the consumer the requirement of having to be present right at the beginning of the rinse cycle.
There are two main types of dryer-added fabric conditioning products, namely, single use product and multiple-use products. Single use products, most commonly in the sheet form coated with a fabric conditioning active composition, calls for adding a single sheet into an automatic clothes dryer containing a wet laundry load, at the beginning of the drying cycle. Examples of this type of product are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,692 to Gaiser and U.S. Pat. No. 3,686,025 to Morton et al.
Multiple-use fabric conditioning products are placed in the interior of the dryer to release the fabric conditioning active to successive laundry loads. Each multiple-use product lasts many drying cycles, from a few cycles to about 50 or more cycles, and thus provides a better convenience to the consumer than single use products. One type of multiple-use products consists of a dispenser that is attached to the interior of an automatic clothes dryer, said dispenser having a permeable surface and containing a fabric conditioning active composition that is a solid at room temperature and is softenable at the operating temperature of said clothes dryer. In use, the hot operating temperature of the clothes dryer softens or melts the conditioning active which then passes through the permeable surface and is transferred to the fabric being treated by contact to provide the desired fabric conditioning benefits. Multiple-use products of this type are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,008 issued Jun. 29, 1976 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,685 issued Jan. 25, 1977, both to Mizuno et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,977 issued Apr. 17, 1979 to Morganson et al.
Another type of multiple-use products has the conditioning active not covered by a permeable surface, but is instead exposed to be transferred to the fabric. The products can be attached to the interior of the dryer, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,034 issued Oct. 3, 1972, U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2003/0192197 A1 published Oct. 16, 2003 to Griese et al., and U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2003/0195130 A1 published Oct. 16, 2003 to Lentsch et al. The products can also be unattached and tumbled along with the clothes in the dryer interior, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,199 issued Jul. 11, 1972 to Hewitt et al. The softener active, which is preferably solid at room temperature, can soften or melt under the clothes dryer operating temperature, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,676,199 and 3,696,034, or only softens at a temperature above the clothes dryer operating temperature, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. Nos. 2003/0192197 and 2003/0195130 A1.
It is very desirable to be able to provide volatile perfume ingredients to fabrics to impart a freshening benefit. Accordingly, there is a need for a dryer-added fabric conditioning composition that can deliver a higher level of volatile perfume ingredients than conventional dryer-added fabric conditioning products. In the fabric conditioning product art, the beneficial effect of the product form on volatile perfume delivery is not known or appreciated. The present invention provides a dryer-added product that can deliver such a perfume benefit.

Multiple use fabric conditioning composition with blooming perfume


Electrically conductive polythiopheneamine polymer networks are provided comprising conjugated crosslinks between polythiopheneamine polymer segments of the network. The network can be formed by crosslinking amine functional polythiopheneamine polymers, such as by crosslinking condensation reaction with conjugated polyketone crosslinkers. The amine functional polythiopheneamine polymers can be prepared by polymerization, such as by electropolymerization of amine functional thiophene monomers (the amine functionality generally being protected during polymerization) and, optionally, suitable conjugated copolymerization monomers such as thiophene, pyrrole and/or amine functional pyrrole.

Electrically conductive polymers are increasingly finding application in electrical and electronic devices, for example, as organic electrodes and the like. Enhanced conductivity is desirable to lower dissipation and, more generally, to meet the needs of more demanding applications. Electrically conductive polymers are commonly made by electropolymerization at an electrode. Typically, essentially insoluble films are produced from suitable unsaturated reactant materials forming conjugated polymer chains. The polymer chains can be made conductive, or more conductive, by doping with known materials, such as iodine, AsF.sub.6 anions, etc. The dopant is thought to facilitate the transfer of charge (electrons or holes) along the conjugated polymer chain or, to a limited extent, from one polymer chain to another. Conductivity is thought to be limited by such chain-to-chain hopping processes. In principle, higher conductivities would perhaps be achievable by increasing the length of the conjugated polymer chains. If conjugated chains suitable for conductive polymers are made by electrode polymerization of reactant monomers in a good solvent for the short polymer chains, they will dissolve from the surface of the electrode into the solvent resulting in disadvantageously short polymer chains. Typically, electropolymerization synthesis procedures result in relatively short conjugation length.
Also, the polymerization process typically generates polymers with a certain level of defects in the conjugation, for example, through the introduction of sp.sup.3 carbons into the backbone of the polymer intended to be conjugated entirely through unsaturated sp.sup.2 and/or sp sites. Such defects in the polymerization process limit the conductivity of the polymer material. Conductive polymers may be prepared using conventional solution based polymerization processes. These processes are known to suffer potentially the disadvantage of generating the above mentioned sp.sup.3 defects in the polymer backbone, reducing the conductivity of the polymer.
The use of electropolymerization to produce conducting polypyrrole polymer films is discussed by Diaz et al in Electrochemistry of Conducting Polypyrrole Films, J. Electroanal. Chem., 129 (1981) 115-132. The Diaz et al article describes the electropolymerization reaction process and reports the production of polypyrrole polymer films which are highly conducting when in the oxidized state. Specifically, polypyrrole polymer films are prepared by electropolymerization of pyrrole on a platinum electrode surface in an acetonitrile electrolyte solution. In addition, the preparation of poly-N-methylpyrrole and poly-N-phenylpyrrole films are described.


An integrated rapid non-destructive detection system for multi-index of meat quality comprises a spectrometer for obtaining near-infrared spectra of a sample; an industrial tablet computer, comprising: a model embedding module for storing multiple prediction models; a model determining module connected with model embedding module and configured to call prediction model; an index prediction module connected with spectrometer and model determining module for receiving near-infrared spectra and predicting index data of the sample combining with called prediction model; wherein the number of detector elements of spectrometer is determined by an ultimate minimal resolution, and a resolution of the sample is controlled to the ultimate minimal resolution during an acquisition process; which realizes automatic black-white calibration, non-destructive detection of multi-index, improves building efficiency of model, while maintaining building stability, and optimizes detection instrument volume.

Meat quality mainly includes edible quality, processing quality, nutritional quality and safety quality. Currently, evaluation methods for meat quality are mainly based on physical and chemical detection method and sensory evaluation method, wherein the results of the sensory evaluation method are not objective enough, and the physical and chemical detection method mainly adopts physical or chemical analysis methods to detect indexes of meat quality, these methods provide objective and credible detection results with high accuracy, but the pretreatment is cumbersome and the samples will be destructed, which is difficult to meet the requirement for short-term detection of large-scale samples in an actual production. Indexes used to evaluate the edible quality of meat mainly include color, tenderness, etc., the indexes used to evaluate the processing quality mainly include water holding capacity, pH, etc.; the indexes used to evaluate nutritional quality mainly include protein content, fat content, moisture content, UFA (unsaturated fatty acid), total contents of essential amino acid, etc.; and the indexes used to evaluate the safety quality mainly include total viable counts, total volatile basic nitrogen, biogenic amines, etc.
Near-infrared spectroscopy has been successfully used in the evaluation of meat quality in recent years, the patent application No. CN201510965311.6 discloses a rapid non-destructive detection method for multiple quality indexes of fresh beef, which achieves detecting six indexes simultaneously including cholesterol content, moisture content, fat content, protein content, shear force and water holding capacity of fresh beef by building a multi-prediction model. And there are still some problems to be solved. Firstly, multi-index detection would usually cause that a spectrometer needs more optical sensing components, resulting in large volume and high cost of the equipment. To reduce the volume and the cost of the equipment and meanwhile meets the need of multi-index detection is an urgent problem to be solved. Secondly, building a partial least squares regression prediction model of some index between the spectral data and the reference value of samples of calibration set usually faces the problems of large amount of spectral data and low modeling efficiency, which in particularly is more obvious for multi-index prediction.

Integrated rapid non-destructive detection system for multi-index of meat quality

INSTITUTE OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES


When it has been estimated that there is substantially no toner remaining in a toner supply unit based upon the amount of toner that has been supplied from the toner supply unit, a supply roller for supplying toner from the toner supply unit to a developing unit is rotated by a prescribed amount. After the supply roller has thus been rotated, a user is notified of the fact that no toner remains in the toner supply unit.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that uses an electrophotographic image process employs a process cartridge system in which a developing unit, a photosensitive drum and process means for acting upon the photosensitive drum are integrated into the form of a cartridge and the cartridge is capable of being removably installed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. In accordance with this process cartridge system, maintenance of the image forming apparatus can be performed by a user himself without relying upon a serviceman, thereby greatly enhancing operability. For this reason, such an image forming apparatus is in wide use.
However, because the amount of toner that can be contained in the cartridge is limited, this process cartridge system has certain drawbacks.
Specifically, when an image forming apparatus has a high frequency of use, a process cartridge system with a small toner capacity requires that the cartridge be replaced very frequently and, as a result, usability is poor. Further, when the cartridge is replaced, not only the toner but also the cartridge components (photosensitive drum and charge roller, etc.) and developing unit are replaced in their entirety. This invites an increase in running cost.
Accordingly, a toner supply system in which the developing unit, etc., is placed on the side of the main body of the image forming apparatus and use is made of a so-called toner supply cartridge that merely supplies toner from the cartridge has become the most widely employed system in equipment such as copiers that have a high frequency of use. A disadvantage of this toner supply system is that maintenance of the image forming apparatus such as replacement of consumable parts is almost impossible for the user to perform. This makes maintenance by a serviceman necessary and increases the burden upon the user.
A toner-supply-type process cartridge that has the advantages of both the process cartridge system and toner supply system has been proposed in recent years. This system comprises at least a process cartridge, which has a developing unit for visualizing by toner an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier (photosensitive drum), and a toner supply unit for supplying the developing unit with toner. By removably installing these two units in the main body of an image forming apparatus, maintenance and usability are improved and running cost is lowered.
Such a toner supply unit has means for sensing the amount of toner in the toner supply unit and, based upon the result of sensing, is capable of notifying the user of the fact that the toner supply unit should be replaced. An example of means of sensing the amount of toner in the toner supply unit is (A) an arrangement in which the toner supply unit is provided with various well-known sensors, such as by providing the inner wall of the vessel with a piezoelectric sensor and sensing the electrostatic capacitance of the toner, and in which a light-transmitting system, etc., is used. Further, as described in Japanese Patent No. 2575404, (B) there is a method in which means for sensing the mixing ratio (toner concentration) of, e.g., a two-component developer consisting of toner and carrier is provided on the side of the developing unit that is supplied with the toner. When the output of the toner concentration sensing means is equal to or greater than a fixed value (i.e., when the toner concentration is below a fixed value), it is sensed that there is no toner in the toner supply unit on the grounds that toner is no longer being supplied. Further, (C) there is a method which relies upon toner consumption information as from the output of a toner concentration sensor or from image dot information, wherein the total amount of toner that has been supplied is estimated by adding up and storing the number of revolutions of a toner supply screw of the toner supply unit and the absence of toner is sensed based upon the result of the estimation.
In the case of (A), the fact that the toner supply unit is provided with sensing means for sensing the amount of toner directly makes it possible to give an indication of remaining amount of toner during usage and to notify of the absence of toner at an appropriate timing. However, a problem is that the cost of the toner supply unit, which is the replaceable unit, rises by an amount commensurate with the sensing means provided.
Further, in the case of (B), notification of absence of toner can be given at the stage at which the toner supply unit truly runs out of toner. However, an indication of remaining amount of toner during usage cannot be presented and it is also not possible to give an early warning indicating approximately how much longer the toner supply unit can be used until replacement is required. Further, in the case of (C), which is the converse of (B), the amount of consumed toner can be estimated by adding up and storing the number of revolutions of the toner supply screw, which has a strong relationship to amount of consumed toner. This is extremely effective in that the amount of toner remaining in the toner supply unit during usage can be displayed in stages and the user can be notified of the timing for replacement of the toner supply unit. However, at the stage where absence of toner is determined, an error with respect to the actual amount of remaining toner can occur and there is the danger that the user will be alerted in advance to replace the toner supply unit regardless of the fact that toner still remains. By combining (B) and (C), an indication of amount of remaining toner can be presenting during usage and the user can be notified of absence of toner at the stage where the toner supply unit has actually run out of toner. In this case, however, a discrepancy develops in the period of time from estimation of absence of toner to sensing of the fact that toner has actually run out. For example, once an indication that the amount of remaining toner is 1% is given, it may be a long while before toner actually runs out and printing becomes impossible. On the other hand, printing may become impossible in a short period of time following the indication. Thus there is the possibility that the user will become confused.

Image forming apparatus and method of controlling same


One example charge pump is provided. The example charge pump includes a degeneration circuit, a charging current source transistor, a switch circuit and a discharging current source transistor. The charging current source transistor provides a charging current. The degeneration circuit is coupled between a first terminal of the charging current source transistor and a power supply terminal. The degeneration circuit degrades a first voltage corresponding to the power supply terminal to a second voltage. The switch circuit is coupled between a second terminal of the charging current source transistor and a load. The switch circuit controls a charging current output to the load.

With continuous development of wireless communications technologies, a user has increasingly higher requirements on quality and speed of data transmission performed on electronic products. In this case, for a radio frequency circuit that is applied to the foregoing electronic product to implement data transmission, generally a transmitter needs to have a relatively low error vector magnitude (EVM).
The EVM mainly depends on noise of a phase-locked loop (PLL) in the radio frequency circuit and linearity of a transceiver (TRX) in the radio frequency circuit. When linearity of the TRX is good, the noise of the PLL is a main factor that affects the EVM.

Charge pump, phase-locked loop circuit, and clock control apparatus


A copper alloy powder for an electrically conductive paste is provided, which is characterized in that the copper alloy powder comprises 80 to 99.9 mass % of Cu and 0.1 to 20 mass % of one or two elements selected from the group consisting of Ta and W and has an average particle size of 0.1 to 1 μm. This copper alloy powder has a higher starting temperature for sintering, higher oxidation resistance and better heat resistance than a copper powder.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor has hitherto been manufactured as follows. A large number of ceramic dielectric sheets onto which a metal powder paste is printed or sprayed are mutually stacked and laminated so as to obtain an electrode structure. After this laminate obtained by stacking and laminating is pressed and bonded into one piece, sintering is performed to connect external lead-out electrodes. This laminated ceramic capacitor has such characteristics that: the capacitance-volume ratio is high, the internal inductance is small, and it can be used in a high frequency band, for example, as high as GHz order, since it is possible to reduce the thickness of effective dielectrics.
Since ceramic dielectrics and internal electrodes are simultaneously sintered for this laminated ceramic capacitor, it is necessary that material for internal electrode has a higher melting point than the sintering temperature of the ceramics and does not react to ceramics. For this reason, noble metals such as Pt and Pd were used in the past as materials for internal electrodes. However, these materials had the disadvantage of high price. In order to eliminate this disadvantage, Ag—Pd alloys have been used as electrode materials by lowering the sintering temperature of dielectric ceramics of 900° C. or more and 1100° C. or less, or internal electrodes using inexpensive base metals have been put to practical use. Recent years have seen requirements for the use of laminated ceramic capacitors that can be operated in a high frequency band higher than the GHz order. For this reason, low electrical resistivity is a prerequisite condition for materials for internal electrodes and at present Cu is regarded as a promising candidate.
However, because of its low melting point Cu has the problem that the cracking and delamination of internal electrodes or poor sintering of dielectrics and the like are apt to occur due to a great temperature difference between melting temperature of Cu and sintering temperature dielectrics. Furthermore, Cu is easily oxidized in the sintering process by the oxygen in the atmosphere, posing the problem that the poor sintering of internal electrodes occurs and the electrical resistivity increases due to the mixing of oxides. Oxidation can be prevented by converting the atmosphere into a reducing one, however, ceramic dielectrics are then reduced and impossible to exhibit their good performance as dielectrics.
Therefore, a metal powder that starts sintering at a higher temperature than Cu and is not oxidized by the atmosphere during sintering is required.

Copper alloy powder for electrically conductive paste


A glass film laminate includes a supporting glass and a glass film peelably laminated to the supporting glass. A contacting surface of the glass film and a contacting surface of the supporting glass directly contact each other without an adhesive therebetween. The contacting surface of the supporting glass includes a first region and a second region with a surface roughness smaller than a surface roughness of the first region. An adhesive force between the supporting glass and the glass film is greater at the second region than at the first region.

In recent years, from the viewpoint of space saving, there have been widely used flat panel displays such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an OLED display, and a field emission display, in place of a CRT type display which is conventionally widely used. Further reduction in thickness is demanded for those flat panel displays. In particular, it is required that the OLED display be easily carried by being folded or wound and be usable not only on a flat surface but also on a curved surface. Further, uses on both flat surfaces and curved surfaces are not limited to only display devices. For example, if a solar cell or an OLED lighting device can be formed on a surface of an object having a curved surface, such as a surface of an automobile body, or a roof, a pillar, or an outer wall of a building, the applications thereof may expand. Substrates and cover glasses used for those devices are therefore required to be made thinner and to have high flexibility.
An illuminant used for an OLED display deteriorates in quality through contacting with gasses such as oxygen and water vapor. Thus, a substrate used for the OLED display is required to have high gas-barrier property, and hence the use of a glass substrate for the substrate is expected. However, glass used for a substrate is weak in tensile stress unlike a resin film, and hence is low in flexibility. Thus, application of a tensile stress on a surface of a glass substrate by bending the glass substrate leads to the breakage of the glass substrate. In order to impart flexibility to the glass substrate, the glass substrate is required to be made ultrathin. Thus, a glass film having a thickness of 200 μm or less is proposed as described in Patent Document 1 below.
A glass substrate used for electronic devices such as a flat panel display and a solar cell is subjected to various treatments associated with electronic device production, such as a treatment for providing a film such as a transparent conductive film and a washing treatment. However, when a glass film is used as a glass substrate for those electronic devices, the glass film breaks easily due to even a slight stress change, because glass is a brittle material. Thus, there is a problem in that the handling of the glass film is very difficult, when the above-mentioned various treatments associated with electronic device production are carried out. In addition, there is another problem in that a glass film having a thickness of 200 μm or less is rich in flexibility, and hence the positioning of the glass film is difficult when the treatments associated with production are carried out, and displacement or the like in patterning may occur.
Thus, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a laminate is proposed as described in Patent Document 2 below. Patent Document 2 below proposes a laminate in which a supporting glass substrate and a glass sheet are laminated via a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer that may be maintained almost stably even after its repeated use. According to such laminate, even if a glass sheet having less strength and rigidity by itself is used, the production of a liquid crystal display device may be carried out by sharing a conventional production line for a liquid crystal display device, and after completion of the production processes, the supporting glass substrate can be peeled. Further, thermal warpage or the like can be prevented from occurring to some extent because a glass substrate is used as a supporting member. In addition, such a problem in that the laminate is displaced when positioning and patterning during treatment associated with production is unlikely to be occurred, because the supporting member has a high rigidity.


Disclosed is a process for treating waste sulfuric acid generated from a process for producing titanium dioxide pigment by treating titanium slag with sulfuric acid. The waste acid is treated in a first step with a calcium-containing material to produce a gypsum suspension which is filtered and from which a filtrate is recovered. The filtrate is treated in a second step with a calcium-containing substance and clarification solids from the treatment of the titanium slag with sulfuric acid. A precipitate is produced in this second step which is subsequently filtered. The precipitate is suitable for disposal in a landfill.

The "sulfate process" has long been used to extract titanium dioxide from titanium slag. Titanium dioxide is an extremely important chemical product used in a wide variety of ways in various industries. A titanium slag usable in this process typically consists mostly of titanium dioxide, the rest being impurities, primarily the oxides of iron, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, calcium and manganese. The term titanium slag is known in the art to include titanium in slag form, titanium ore and blends of slag and titanium ore.
Briefly, the sulfate process of importance to understand this invention is as follows. Titanium slag is reacted with concentrated sulfuric acid to form titanyl sulfate as well as other sulfates. Next, in a clarification step, the product of the preceding step is separated from the muddy residues that it contains leaving a solution containing titanium sulfate.
The muddy residues obtained at the clarification step are generally filtered, washed, and then transported to a burial site.
The commercial exploitation of the sulfate process produces enormous quantities of waste sulfuric acid. Most industrial installations discharge this acid into oceans and rivers.

Treatment of waste sulfuric acid by gypsum precipitation in a titanium dioxide process


A multi-voltage multiplexer system includes multiple voltage inputs, each voltage input providing a different input voltage, and multiple control inputs operative to select one of the input voltages for output. Each of multiple transistors is connected to a different one of the voltage inputs and to a different one of the control inputs, and the transistors are connected to an output such that the selected input voltage is provided at the output. A bulk of each of the transistors is connected together to form a bulk network, and the bulk network is connected to the gate of each transistor such that the transistors connected to non-selected voltage inputs have gates set at approximately the maximum of the input voltages.

Multiplexers are used in a wide variety of applications to select one or more of several different inputs as an output. In some applications, different voltage levels are provided as different inputs to a circuit, to provide different functionality depending on the voltage level input that is selected by the multiplexer. For example, in some integrated circuit applications such as Flash or EEPROM memories, there is a need to have, on the same circuit net, one given voltage level during one operation (such as writing) and another voltage level during a different operation (such as reading). Analog applications may also require multiple voltage level supplies to output on a common net.
In some applications, the inputs can have very different voltage levels. Digital control signals are typically the most suitable signals to select which of the inputs is provided to the circuit. In many such circuits, the output voltage is desired to be identical to the selected input voltage, with little or no voltage drop caused by the multiplexer. In addition, high reliability of the multiplexer is desired, so that the selected input voltage is output with minimal variation and fluctuations during dynamic behavior (such as a different selection of input to the multiplexer).
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one type of prior multiple voltage multiplexer 10. Multiplexer 10 receives multiple voltage inputs, each input providing a different voltage value. For example, inputs V1, V2 and V3 can be 1.2 volts, 5 volts, and 15 volts, respectively. Digital control signals CTRL1, CTRL2, and CTRL3 are used to select the desired input voltage to be output by the multiplexer, where these signals select voltages V1, V2, and V3, respectively, to be output. One control signal is set to a high level to allow the associated voltage to be output, while the other control signals are set low.
Each control signal is input to a level shifter 12a, 12b, or 12c, which also receives an level input of the voltage V1, V2, or V3 as shown. When the control signal is low, a level shifter 12 provides a low signal (zero voltage) as the output signal OUT1, OUT2, or OUT3. When the control signal is high, the input voltage V1, V2, or V3 is provided as the output OUT1, OUT2, or OUT3 of the level shifter, respectively. This allows a control signal of any digital voltage to be shifted to the proper voltage level needed for the multiplexer to function.
A native transistor device 14a, 14b and 14c is connected to the OUT1, OUT2, and OUT3 signals, respectively, at the gates of the transistors. The voltage V1, V2, or V3 is connected to the source of the transistor 14a, 14b, 14c, respectively, and the drains of the transistors are connected to a VOUT output node. These native devices have the property of having a threshold voltage of Vt close to −0.1 volts. This means that these devices are off with a gate to source voltage below −0.1 volts and on with a gate to source voltage above −0.1 volts.
If voltage V1 is desired to be transferred onto VOUT, then the CTRL1 signal is asserted (set high). Level shifter 12a outputs the voltage V1 to the gate of the transistor 14a, and the voltage V1 on the source is passed to VOUT with a voltage drop equivalent to the native transistor threshold voltage of transistor 14a, including the body effect of the transistor. This body effect can be considered negligible if V1 stays around 1 or 2 volts. However, the body effect can reach 0.3 volts as soon as V1 reaches 15 volts. The other pass transistors 14b and 14c are off because their gate to source voltage is −VOUT or −V2 or −V3, which is less than −0.1 volts.
Thus, if an input voltage level is high, such as 12 or more volts, the body effect is not negligible and provides a significant voltage drop on the output voltage. This characteristic creates a significant disadvantage for the multiplexer of FIG. 1 in many applications, because the output signal has a different value than the input voltage signal to the multiplexer (signal integrity loss).
FIG. 2 is schematic illustration of a different prior multiple voltage multiplexer 20. As in the circuit of FIG. 1, different voltage inputs V1, V2, and V3 can be input to the multiplexer 20, and one of these inputs can be selected to be output onto the VOUT output node. The control signals CTRL1, CTRL2, and CTRL3 similarly select which of the input voltages is propagated onto the VOUT node.
In multiplexer 20, inverters 22a, 22b, and 22c are connected to the control signals CTRL1, CTRL2, and CTRL3, respectively. The inverted control signal is input to a level shifter 24a, 24b, or 24c, which provides a signal OUT1, OUT2, or OUT3, respectively. As in the circuit of FIG. 1, the level shifters 24a, 24b, and 24c are provided with an input carrying the voltage V1, V2, or V3, respectively. Each level shifter output signal is connected to the gate of a transistor 26a, 26b, or 26c, which is connected to voltage V1, V2, or V3 at its source, respectively, and to the VOUT output node at its drain. Transistors 26a, 26b, and 26c are PMOS transistors, non-native devices that can hold the maximum driven input voltage, and have their bulk terminals connected to their drains.
If voltage V1 is desired to be transferred to VOUT, then the CTRL1 signal is asserted (set high) and the other control signals are set low. The CTRL1 signal is inverted by inverter 22a to a low signal that is input to level shifter 24a, and level shifter 24a outputs a zero voltage to the gate of the transistor 26a. This allows the voltage V1 to pass to VOUT without any voltage drop by the transistor 26a. At this time, the bulk of the transistor 26a, which is connected to the VOUT node, is lower than V1 for a given amount of time until V1 is transferred to VOUT. Depending on this delay (based on the VOUT load and initial Vbulk voltage) or on the dynamic behavior of the VOUT node when switching to different voltage inputs, the transistor 26a can stay with a bulk to source voltage much below (−0.6) volts. This biasing injects a strong current into the n-well of the transistor 26a, triggering PNP bipolar transistor behavior, and resulting in a short or long term reliability issue of the transistor 26a so that the transistor may not function properly under these conditions. For reliable transistor operation, it is desired to keep the PMOS bulks at Vb+0.5v>Vs, where Vb is the bulk voltage and Vs is the source voltage; this is especially true when VOUT is switching from one voltage level to another. Multiplexer 20 does not maintain such voltages. In addition, this second scheme does not work if V1 is selected (by signal CTRL1) and V2 is greater than V1. In such a case, VOUT is approximately equal to V1, and Vbs of transistor 26a is (V1−V2), which is less than zero. If (V1−V2) is less than about −0.5 volts, this will lead to a reliability issue. In other words, this second scheme requires specific input voltage level control for V1, V2, and V3.
Thus, both these existing multiplexer designs provide disadvantages, either in the form of an undesired voltage drop, or in unreliable behavior under certain conditions.
Accordingly, what is needed is a multiplexer that can multiplex multiple inputs providing different voltages, without any significant voltage drop and without reliability issues. The present invention addresses such a need.


A linking order forming section forms linking orders of intermediate objects. A linker starting section starts a linker based on the linking order that is formed by applying a genetic algorithm, etc. to form an executable object. A comparing section compares a program size of the formed executable object with the minimum value stored in a storing section. If the program size is smaller than the minimum value, the storing section stores this program size as the minimum value and also stores the linking order at that time. The linking order that can provide the minimum program size can be obtained effectively without the manual intervention by repeating a series of steps by using a repeating section.

An intermediate object linking method in the background art will be explained with reference to FIG. 6.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the intermediate object linking method in the background art. First, a list of intermediate objects as linked object is input (step 50). Then, the linking process such as the linking of the intermediate objects, etc. are executed in compliance with the order in the list of the intermediate objects input in step 50 to form an executable object.
Then, the CPU that has a plurality of adressings for the memory access holds a plurality of branch instructions in response to branch distances in the formed executable object.
Here, the program size of the branch instruction is different based on the branch distance. More particularly, the program size of the branch instruction is increased larger as the branch distance becomes longer. In addition, since this branch distance is changed according to the linking order when the intermediate objects are linked, sometimes the program size of the executable object containing the branch instruction is changed according to this linking order.
In general, the smaller program size is preferable. Therefore, the designer must prepare a number of linking orders of the intermediate objects, then form the executable object by executing the linking process such as the linking of the intermediate objects, etc. sequentially, and then search the linking order of the intermediate objects which permits the minimum program size of the executable object.
In the method in the background art, there are several problems to search the linking order of the intermediate objects that permits the minimum program size of the executable object.
First, the first problem is that, since the examination of the linking order of the intermediate objects is manually carried out, such examination to get the executable object of the minimum size takes much time and labor.
Then, the next problem is that, since the combination of the linking order of the intermediate objects is large in number, it takes a lot of time and it is very difficult to decide the linking order of the intermediate objects that can form the executable object of the minimum size. If the number of the intermediate objects is N, a total number of the linking order of the intermediate objects is increased up to N! (factorial).

Intermediate object linking method and unit

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An electronic engine fan control device is disclosed. The control device includes means for detecting engine coolant temperature, operation of the vehicle air conditioning load, and vehicle road speed. The control device also includes means for generating first and second temperature signals in response to engine coolant temperature. The control device further includes override signal generating means for generating first and second override signal under certain temperature, or certain load and speed conditions. The control device finally includes means for comparing the first and second temperature signals and the first and second override signals for generating a control signal to operate the vehicle fan. A method for controlling an engine fan is also disclosed including the steps of detecting engine coolant temperature, air conditioning load and road speed and generating corresponding signals. The method further includes the steps of comparing the temperature, load and speed signals to preselected values and generating a control signal to operate the engine fan.

Conventional motor vehicles are generally designed with an engine cooling system including a liquid coolant that circulates about the engine block to transfer heat away from the engine during operation. The cooling system also generally includes a radiator to disperse the heat absorbed by the liquid coolant. Many motor vehicles are also designed with an air conditioning system that includes an air conditioning coolant condenser, such as Freon, which also operates to disperse heat.
To facilitate the dispersion of heat from vehicle engine cooling and air conditioning systems, motor vehicles generally include a fan to drive air over the radiator and condenser at lower vehicle speeds where air flow over the radiator and condenser is minimal. The fan can be engaged by a fan clutch independently responsive to either engine coolant temperature or air conditioning coolant gas pressure within the condenser.
In operation, however, this design can suffer from various problems. For example, the fan is generally engaged only as long as the engine temperature or condenser pressure exceed given set points. Thereafter, the fan is disengaged and the engine temperature or condenser pressure again begin to increase to the point where the fan is once again engaged. During low speed operation of the vehicle, and especially during idle conditions, this can result in excessive cycling of the fan mechanism as well as frequent temperature and condenser pressure switch failure. Excessive cycling problems are generally compounded during operation of the air conditioning system when either the engine temperature or condenser pressure can independently cause the cooling fan to be engaged.
Switch failure, as well as temperature or pressure detector failure, can result in rapid engine or air conditioning system overheating. Excessive cycling of the fan mechanism reduces fan mechanism lifespan and overall engine fuel economy and may result in increased difficulty in system troubleshooting. Inadequate cooling can secondarily result in poor reliability of system components. Finally, conventional engine fans lack controlled responsiveness to the cooling requirements of other vehicle system including transmission fluid, power steering fluid and especially air-to-air intercoolers.
Various systems have been implemented in an effort to address some of these problems. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,766 issued to Claypole. Claypole discloses a motor vehicle cooling fan power management system comprising a microprocessor based electronic control unit for engine fan control in response to engine temperature, engine speed, vehicle road speed and the on/off state of the air conditioning system. Depending on the cooling needs of the engine, the duration of a constant voltage signal to the engine cooling fan is varied via a pulse-width modulator. The voltage signal is directly operative to drive the engine cooling fan at variable speeds.
However, Claypole fails to overcome over-heating problems associated with failure of temperature or pressure switches and detectors. Claypole also fails to address control of the cooling requirements of other vehicle systems including transmission fluid, power steering fluid and air-to-air intercoolers. Moreover, the use of microprocessors increases the expense of the system and, absent additional logic circuits, limits the number of inputs for the purposes of controlling fan operation based on other vehicle operating systems. The use of microprocessors also increases the electromagnetic radiation of the system thereby creating greater interference with other electronic vehicle systems.
Additionally, the Claypole system discloses an engine fan driven directly by a voltage signal from a pulse width modulator. As a result, the Claypole system is operable only with smaller motor vehicles, such as passenger cars, which do not utilize engine cooling fans having high horsepower requirements. Larger motor vehicles having engine cooling fans with high horsepower requirements, such as heavy duty trucks, would suffer significantly reduced engine efficiency upon operation of the engine cooling fan under the Claypole system. Finally, such a pulse width modulation system is neither compatible with, nor directed to the efficient control of an engine fan clutch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,742 issued to Sturges discloses a temperature control system for an internal combustion engine having a variable speed cooling fan. The Sturges system utilizes a pulse width modulation voltage signal generator to alternatively open and close a solenoid valve thereby controlling a fluid pressure level operative to drive the cooling fan. As a result, however, the Sturges system is neither compatible with, nor directed to the efficient control of an engine fan clutch.
U.K. Patent Application No. 2,142,445 A discloses a cooling-fan driving control system for a vehicle utilizing an electronic control unit for controlling engine fan clutch and fan operation responsive to engine coolant temperature, engine speed and engine load. The system utilizes digital logic to engage the engine fan when coolant temperature exceeds a high selected temperature, and to disengage the engine fan when coolant temperature is below a low selected temperature. When coolant temperature is between the high and low selected temperatures, the engine fan is controlled solely in response to engine speed and load.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,139 issued to Bier discloses a cooling system for water-cooled vehicle engines that utilizes dual engine coolant temperature detectors and an override responsive to temperature detector failure to control engine fan operation. However, Bier is a microprocessor based system. As such, it includes the attendant problems associated therewith such as added expense, limited input, and increased electromagnetic radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,320 issued to Ide et al discloses a cooling fan controlling apparatus for vehicle with air conditioner. Ide et al utilizes a digital electronic control unit responsive to the vehicle air conditioning system to control engine fan operation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,922 issued to Noba and Japanese Patent No. 58-39513 disclose engine fan control systems utilizing dual cooling fans for greater cooling capacity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,100 issued to Barthel et al discloses a system for controlling refrigerant flow in an air conditioning system.
The prior art devices discussed above provide a general background in respect of the control of engine cooling fans. These devices suffer variously from lack of universal response to multiple vehicle systems requiring cooling, lack of compatibility with a variety of motor vehicle cooling systems, and complex components.

Method and electronic device for controlling engine fan


Described herein are devices and methods for limiting the torque applied to surgical screw during a surgical procedure in which a surgical screw is passed into a vertebra, such as, for example, a spinal fusion procedure. A surgical screw driver is configured to prevent an excessive amount of torque from being delivered to the vertebrae through a surgical screw. When an excessive amount of torque is delivered to the handle of a surgical screw driver, it is prevented from being transmitted to the surgical screw and is thus not delivered to the vertebrae. Excessive force in the form of excessive torque transmitted to a vertebrae may cause a fracture along with possible mispositioning or displacement of a surgical screw.

Intervertebral disc disease and disc erosion as well as vertebral disease and vertebral deformity can cause severe back pain, and the typical pathophysiology of chronic back pain is a compression of a spinal nerve due to one of these spinal abnormalities.
When two vertebral bodies are separated by an eroded intervertebral disc, it can lead to a vertebral body collapsing onto the vertebral body directly below it. The collapse of the first vertebral body onto the second vertebral body deforms the vertebral anatomy, which can lead to a compression or pinching of a spinal nerve that can be exacerbated with motion.
The compression or pinching of a spinal nerve typically causes severe radiating pain down the distribution of the compressed or pinched nerve.
A typical surgical treatment for a compressed or pinched spinal nerve is a spinal fusion procedure. A spinal fusion procedure fuses two or more vertebrae together to eliminate the motion of these vertebrae, thus alleviating the nerve compression due to abnormal motion of the vertebrae.
A typical way to perform a spinal fusion procedure is by placing pedicle screws through the vertebral pedicles and into the vertebral bodies of two or more collapsed vertebra, and then attaching supporting bars to the pedicle screws. The supporting bars attached to the pedicle screws that are positioned within the vertebrae function similarly to scaffolding, connecting and fixing vertebrae together by fixing together pedicle screws embedded in the vertebrae.
A pedicle screw typically comprises a reticulating head referred to as a tulip. After the pedicle screw has been placed, a tulip may be used to align and secure a supporting bar that is coupled with that tulip. Once a desired position of a supporting bar is achieved a setscrew is used to fix the supporting bar to the tulip.
Torque applied to the pedicle screw and tulip setscrew to achieve proper placement and proper vertebral fixation is transferred to the vertebral pedicle and vertebral body. Too much torque applied to either the pedicle screw or tulip may fracture the vertebra through which a pedicle screw is placed or cause damage to the pedicle screw assembly.
Numerous other orthopedic procedures involve the placement of screws into bone, including, for example, bone fixation devices such as those used in long bone fracture reductions and fixations and in halos. Similar to vertebral fixation, too much torque applied when a screw is placed into a bone may cause fracture of the bone tissue or failure of the medical device.