The invention relates to a stop valve (1, 1′, 1″) for a portable pressurized-gas container (35). A valve body (2) is provided with three connection adapters (7, 17, 18), i.e. one central connection adapter as a gas tank connection adapter (7), another connection adapter as outlet connection adapter (17) and a third connection adapter as spindle drive receiving adapter (18). Valve body (2) is made in several parts including valve body element (3) with the outlet connection adapter (17) and a spindle drive receiving adapter (18) and a radial valve seat element receiving bore (20) going to the bottom of the spindle drive receiving adapter (18). Furthermore, the valve body (2) has an oblong valve seat element (5) with gas supply bore (29) provided at the one end of the valve seat (30) and a bearing collar (26) on the other end. In its assembled state, the valve seat element (5) is inserted tightly into the radial bolt receiving bore (20). In addition, the valve body (2) has a main bolt (4) which is inserted tightly into the central main bolt receiving bore (19). Suitable gas supply bores (9, 11, 29) allow gas to flow from the connected pressurized-gas container (35) via the spindle drive receiving adapter (13) to the outlet connection adapter (17).

A generally known stop valve for a compressed-air bottle for diving applications is, in one design, in the form of a single connection valve consisting of one valve body with three connection adapters. The central connection adapter is a connection adapter for a gas container and, as such, it is provided with threads for the connection of the gas container, being as a rule an outside thread. The two additional connection adapters which are offset in axial direction are made in the form of outlet and connection adapters and as spindle drive receiving adapters and are axially offset, lying in a transversal plane radial to the axis of the gas container connection adapter. A central gas supply bore is provided, starting at the gas container connection adapter and going into the transversal area and then a radial gas supply bore to the bottom area of the spindle drive receiving adapter, where a valve seat with a gas chamber surrounding it is formed in the bottom area. This is the gas supply going from the pressurized-gas container to the valve seat.
A manually operated spindle drive with a seat seal that is adjustable relative to the valve seat is tightly installed in the spindle drive receiving adapter and held in place by screw attachment. In a known design the spindle drive is provided with a screw connection element with a rotatable upper spindle and a lower spindle with seat seal that is coupled to the upper spindle and is adjustable relative to the valve seat. An outlet gas line goes from the valve seat gas chamber to the bottom area of the outlet connection adapter. Such a stop valve is designed especially for a compressed-air bottle for diving applications, whereby demand oxygen system is connected to the outlet connection adapter.
Also generally known is a double connection valve of similar design having two valve units in one valve body that can be closed and opened independently of each other. For this purpose two outlet connection adapters and two spindle drive receiving adapters with associated valve seats and spindle drives are provided which are supplied via a gas container connection adapter. One outlet connection adapter and one associated spindle drive receiving adapter are installed in a known embodiment with 90° offset, so that a cross-shaped adapter arrangement results. It is known in this case to provide the outlet connection adapters across from each other in a so-called parallel valve arrangement or in a corner valve arrangement with 90° offset. When used as a stop valve on compressed-air bottles in diving applications the double connection valve has the function of providing the possibility to use two demand oxygen systems that can be actuated independently of each other are connected, and can in particular be used independently of each other and alternatively in case of trouble, as a safety measure. With stop valves for a portable pressurized-gas container, in particular with compressed-air bottles for diving applications, different containers with different connection threads are brought on the market. In particular different thread sizes as well as metric threads or threads in inches are used. Also, such different connection threads for the connection of demand oxygen systems are commonly sold, whereby double connection valves, corner valves or parallel valves are used depending on the individual case and in order to cover all possible variations of connection valves and geometrical layouts a great number of different designs of stop valves are required. This requires on the one hand high manufacturing expenditures and on the other hand extensive stock management of different designs together with costly logistics. In addition the manufacturing technology for the production and machining of the valve seats in the bottom area of the spindle drive receiving adapters is expensive. In case of problems with tightness due to defects on the valve seat, in particular due to wear, at least the entire valve body of the stop valve must be replaced.

Stop valve for a portable pressurized-gas container, in particular for a compressed-air bottle for diving applications


Various methods of administering medication(s) that inhibit the nonenzymatic formation of glycation and dehydration condensation complexes known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) or modulate the advanced glycation end-product receptor (RAGE) are provided.

An elevated concentration of reducing sugars (i.e., glucose) in the blood and in the intracellular environment of an animal, namely a human, typically results in the nonenzymatic formation of glycation and dehydration condensation complexes known as advanced glycation end-products (AGE). These AGE complex products form on free amino groups, on proteins, on lipids and on DNA (Bucala and Cerami, Adv Pharmacol 23:1-34, 1992; Bucala et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci 90:6434-6438, 1993; Bucala et al., Proc Natl. Acad Sci 81:105-109, 1984). This phenomenon is called "browning" or a "Maillard" reaction and was discovered early in this century by the food industry (Maillard, Ann Chim 5:258-317, 1916). The significance of a similar process in biology became evident only after the discovery of the glycosylated hemoglobins and their increased presence in diabetic patients (Rahbar, Clin Chim Acta 20:381-5, 1968; Rahbar et al., Biochem Biophys Res Commun 36:838-43, 1969). A diabetic patient's AGE level increases markedly as a result of sustained high blood sugar levels and often leads to tissue damage through a variety of mechanisms including alteration of tissue protein structure and function, stimulation of cellular responses through AGE specific receptors and/or the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (for a recent review see Boel et al., J Diabetes Complications 9:104-29, 1995). These AGE have been shown to cause complications in patients suffering from various pathological conditions, including, but not limited to, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's Disease, uremia and in atherosclerosis in persons undergoing hemodialysis.
Advanced glycation end-products bind to cell surface receptors on a variety of cells including, but not limited to, endothelial cells of the microvasculature, monocytes and macrophages, smooth muscle cells, mesengial cells and neurons through a specific receptor for AGEs, termed RAGE. RAGE is a member of the immunoglobulin super family of cell surface molecules. Increased levels of RAGE are expressed in a number of tissues including, but not limited to, aging tissues, diabetic tissues, the vasculature and the kidney. Activation of RAGE has been implicated in a variety of conditions including, but not limited to, acute and chronic inflammation, in certain complications of diabetes, nephropathy, atherosclerosis and retinopathy, Alzheimer's disease, erectile dysfunction and in tumor invasion and metastases.
The complications associated with each of these aforementioned pathological conditions places a significant burden on afflicted patients. Moreover, these complications have detrimental effects on society in general. As one example, the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus afflicts millions of individuals resulting in significant increases of morbidity and mortality rates. These increased morbidity and mortality rates, together with the great financial burden of treating diabetic complications, are major incentives to search for and develop medications having the potential of preventing or treating complications of the disease.
Certain medications have been developed that inhibit the nonenzymatic formation of glycation and dehydration condensation complexes in patients with the above-mentioned pathological conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,350, to Rahbar et al., discloses derivatives of aryl and heterocyclic ureido and aryl and heterocyclic carboxamido phenoxyisobutyric acids and of benzoic acid, which have been found to inhibit the nonenzymatic glycation of various proteins. Many other phenoxyisobutyric acid derivatives, as well as certain other compounds, are also disclosed that have similar beneficial effects. While it is beneficial to have these medications available for treatment, other health-related and/or disease related treatment concerns exist.
It is not uncommon for a patient suffering from multiple ailments and/or diseases to require disease specific treatment(s). If a patient is taking a specific medication treatment regime for a disease(s) (i.e., if the patient is taking at least one medication for each disease and/or more than one medication for at least one disease), this poses significant medication administration issues that must be overcome if the patient is to receive a therapeutic amount of a medication for the acquired disease(s). These issues include, but are not limited to, potential drug-drug interactions. Most often, these drug-drug interactions occur in the alimentary canal. These medication administration issues become even more complicated if the above-mentioned patient is to receive a therapeutic amount of a medication at predetermined time interval(s). Therefore, it may be necessary to deliver the medication via a parenteral route of administration or via a medical device (i.e., a medication releasably applied to a medical device, a medication releasably applied to a coating on a medical device and/or absorbed/adsorbed into or onto a coating or other surface that is either part of the medical device and/or applied to the medical device) to minimize and/or alleviate these medication administration issues. However, non-parenteral routes of administration are also acceptable, but a patient's complete medication profile must be contemplated to determine whether any potential drug-drug interactions exist.
In light of various patient specific factors, administration of these medicaments remains challenging. Moreover, administration of these medications has not been achieved in conjunction with a medical device prior to applicant's discovery. Applicant has surprisingly discovered effective methods of administration of these medications and also discovered medication releasing medical devices, wherein at least a portion of the medical device releasably includes, or is releasably coated with, medication(s) that inhibit the nonenzymatic formation of glycation and dehydration condensation complexes known as advanced glycation end-products.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods for inhibiting and breaking AGE complex formation


A solar cell includes a low work function cathode, an active layer of an organic-inorganic nanoparticle composite, a ZnO nanoparticle layer situated between and physically contacting the cathode and active layers; and a transparent high work function anode that is a bilayer electrode. The inclusion of the ZnO nanoparticle layer results in a solar cell displaying a conversion efficiency increase and reduces the device degradation rate. Embodiments of the invention are directed to novel ZnO nanoparticles that are advantageous for use as the ZnO nanoparticle layers of the novel solar cells and a method to prepare the ZnO nanoparticles.

Organic and hybrid organic-inorganic nanoparticle solar cells are promising sources of low-cost, large area renewable energy due to their potential to be fabricated by simple coating and printing methods. In particular, CdSe/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) based hybrid solar cells have demonstrated power conversion efficiency of about 2.8%. Despite their promise, hybrid organic/inorganic nanoparticles photovoltaic cells are not used in commercial devices. The primary barrier has been the propensity of the hybrid organic/inorganic nanoparticles solar cells to rapidly degrade in air. The mechanism of solar cell degradation is attributed to effects of oxygen and water in the active layers, as most semiconducting polymer materials degrade when exposed to humidity and/or oxygen. Additionally, photo-oxidation can be a serious problem with these materials.
The degradation of organic polymer based photovoltaic devices can be reduced to acceptable levels by sealing the components inside an impermeable package using glass and/or metal to prevent exposure to oxygen and water vapor. Attempts to create flexible packaging using hybrid multilayer barriers comprised of inorganic oxide layers separated by polymer layers with total thickness of 5-7 μm have displayed some promising results, but encapsulation methods that can reduce oxygen and moisture permeation, are expensive and typically result in increased device thickness and a loss of flexibility. To achieve flexibility and a sufficiently thin layer for printed plastic electronics, improved barrier materials are needed or a device with an inherently reduced sensitivity to moisture and oxygen is needed to enable large scale commercialization on plastic substrates.
For devices with a reduced sensitivity, Lee et al., Adv. Mater. 2007, 19, 2445 reports an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/Active-Layer/TiOx Amorphous layer/Al device, as shown in FIG. 1. The titanium oxide layer between the low work function aluminum cathode and active layer of a polymer solar cell can significantly improved the device durability. The ability of titania (TiO2) to have substantial oxygen/water protecting and scavenging effects was established, and the effect originates from TiO2's ability to act as a photocatalysis and to an inherent oxygen deficiency of TiO2. Typically, crystalline TiO2 layers are prepared at temperatures above 450° C. which is inconsistent with a process for the fabrication of polymer electronic devices. Lee et al. developed a solution-based sol-gel process that allows fabrication of a titanium sub-oxide (TiOx) layer on a polymer-based active layer as the collector and optical spacer for a polymeric solar cell. Unfortunately, the power conversion efficiency of the solar cell with a titanium sub-oxide (TiOx) layer deceased by about 50% after 6 days in a glove box ambient.
Hau et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 2008 92, 253301 reports an ITO/ZnO NPs/Active-Layer/PEDOT:PSS/Ag inverted device, as shown in FIG. 2, where ZnO NPs are ZnO nanoparticles. The ZnO NPs were used because of their good electron mobility without a thermal post-treatment. The ZnO nanoparticle layer on ITO/glass as well as ZnO NPs on ITO-coated plastic substrates were comparable in stability to those of conventional devices using LiF/Al as an electrode on glass substrate. An improved stability for the device is attributed to the PEDOT:PSS layer and Ag electrode, where the PEDOT:PSS layer acts as a barrier that prevents oxygen from entering the active layer and the ability of the Ag electrode to form a layer of silver oxide in air that increases its effective work function. The solar cells exhibited only a 20% loss of power conversion efficiency after 40 days in air. Unfortunately the cost of silver, or other less air sensitive high work function metals, such as gold, is prohibitively expensive to be substituted for Al electrodes.
Hence, there remains a need for a hybrid organic-inorganic nanoparticle solar cell that displays a good efficiency and stability at a viable price to allow commercialization.

Air stable organic-inorganic nanoparticles hybrid solar cells

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.


The present invention relates to a multi-pin pin seam used to join the a woven fabric wherein the loops are made around three or more cross-machine CD pins or pintles. Advantageously, this arrangement results in the seam area having a weave pattern that more closely conforms to that of the fabric body, and thus the risk of sheet marking and/or fabric abrasion in the seam area is reduced or eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to industrial fabrics. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-pin seam for a woven fabric wherein the weave pattern in the seam area more closely conforms to that in the weave pattern in the fabric body.
2. Description of the Related Art
The production of nonwoven fabrics is well known in the art. Such fabrics are produced directly from fibers without conventional spinning, weaving or knitting operations. Instead, they may be produced by spun-bonding or melt-blowing processes in which newly extruded fibers are laid down to form a web while still in a hot, tacky condition following extrusion, whereby they adhere to one another to yield an integral nonwoven web.
Nonwoven product may also be produced by air-laying or carding operations where the web of fibers is consolidated, subsequent to deposition, into a nonwoven product by needling or hydroentanglement. In the latter, high-pressure water jets are directed vertically down onto the web to entangle the fibers with each other. In needling, the entanglement is achieved mechanically through the use of a reciprocating bed of barbed needles which force fibers on the surface of the web further thereinto during the entry stroke of the needles.
Endless industrial fabrics play a key role in these processes. Generally, these fabrics are woven from plastic monofilament, although metal wire may be used instead of plastic monofilament when, for example, temperature conditions during a nonwovens manufacturing process make it impractical or impossible to use plastic monofilament. As is the case with other industrial fabrics like paper machine clothing, such industrial fabrics also function in the manner of conveyors on which the webs are laid down and consolidated in a continuous fashion according to the methods described above.
It should be recalled that, at one time, industrial fabrics, particularly ones used in the production of nonwovens and certain aspects of papermaking, were supplied only in endless form. This is because the fibrous web being produced is extremely susceptible to defects such as marking by any nonuniformity in the fabric or fabrics. An endless, seamless fabric, such as one produced by the process known as endless weaving, has a uniform structure in both its longitudinal (machine) and transverse (cross-machine) directions. A seam, such as a seam which may be used to close the fabric into endless form during installation on a machine, represents a discontinuity in the uniform structure of the fabric. The use of a seam, then, greatly increases the likelihood that the cellulosic or synthetic fibrous web will be marked for example.
Furthermore, some industrial machine producing products such as nonwovens have solid frames. This means that either a significant portion of the machine is taken apart or dismantled or both to install an endless fabric; or what was required was to develop fabric that had seams that could be installed and made endless by closing the seam. Early prior art fabrics had seams of various types, all of which formed a noticeable discontinuity in the fabric.
Several varieties of industrial fabrics are designed to be closed into endless form during installation of production machines. For example, papermaker's dryer fabrics may be joined into the form of an endless loop during installation in a dryer section of a paper producing machine. Dryer fabrics may be so joined with a pin seam. Other industrial fabrics, such as the aforenoted fabrics for the manufacture of nonwovens, in addition to corrugator belts, pulp-forming fabrics and sludge-dewatering fabrics and DNT dewatering fabrics, are seamed in a similar fashion.
For this reason, the seam region of any workable on-machine-seamable fabric must behave as best it can, like the rest of the fabric, in order to prevent the periodic marking of the product being manufactured by the seam region of the fabric.
Despite the considerable technical obstacles presented by these requirements, it remained highly desirable to develop an improved on-machine-seamable fabric. Ultimately, these obstacles were overcome with the development of fabrics having seams formed by providing seaming loops on the crosswise edges of the two ends of the fabric. The seaming loops themselves may be formed by the machine-direction (MD) yarns of the fabric. The seam is closed by bringing the two ends of the fabric together, by interdigitating the seaming loops at the two ends of the fabric, and by directing a so-called pin, or pintle, through the passage defined by the interdigitated seaming loops to lock the two ends of the fabric together. Needless to say, it is much easier and far less time-consuming to install an on-machine-seamable fabric, than it is to install an endless fabric, on a machine.
One method to produce a fabric that can be joined on a machine with such a seam is to flat-weave the fabric. In this case, the warp yarns are the machine-direction (MD) yarns of the fabric. To form the seaming loops, the warp yarns at the ends of the fabric are turned back and woven some distance back into the fabric body in a direction parallel to the warp yarns.
In certain instances multi-pin or pintle seams may be desired. In this regard FIG. 1B (plan view), FIG. 2B, and FIGS. 3A and 3B (cross section) illustrate a prior art standard double pin seam on an asymmetrical single layer fabric 10. As seen in FIG. 1B, the fabric 10 comprises a plurality of rows of MD yarns 14 interwoven with a single layer of CD yarns 12. In the seam area, each MD yarn 14 form a seaming loop 16 around two joining pins or pintles 18. In this way, the double pin seam is used to join the two ends of the fabric 10. Each of FIGS. 3A and 3B show a cross section of this fabric 10 (the left and right fabric ends appear separated, and the two pins 18 appear twice, for clarity only) on the machine during installation. The pins are removed from the fabric ends with the loops interdigitated and the pins reinserted creating the seam and making the fabric endless. As can be seen, a first row of MD yarns 14 is formed, then a second row and so on with this sequence of first and second rows repeated over and over to form a full width fabric 10.
As illustrated in each of FIGS. 3A and 3B, the weave pattern in the fabric body (i.e., non-seam area) is such that the MD yarns 14 define long floats over the CD yarns 12 on the fabric face, and short knuckles on the back of the fabric 10. The weave pattern in the seam area, however, is different than that in the fabric body. In the seam area, the MD yarns 14 merely form loops 16 around the pins 18 at the fabric ends. This dissimilarity between the weave of the fabric body and that of the seam area results in a discontinuity on the fabric surface. This discontinuity is also shown in FIG. 2B (cross sectional view), and unfortunately, can lead to marking of a product carried on the fabric or abrasion of the seam area of the fabric by stationary elements 10 during use.
This discontinuity also exists in the case of a standard double pin seam on a symmetrical double layer fabric. FIGS. 4D and 4E show a cross section of the fabric ends joined using the two pins 18 (In FIG. 4E, the left and right fabric ends appear separated, and the two pins 18 appear twice, for clarity only). As can be seen, a first row of MD yarns 14 is formed, then a second row, and so on with this sequence of first and second rows repeated over and over to form a full width fabric 10.
As illustrated in each of FIGS. 4D and 4E, the weave in the fabric body is such that the MD yarns 14 define knuckles on both the fabric face and back. The weave pattern in the seam area, however, is different than that in the fabric body. In the seam area, the MD yarns 14 again merely form loops 16 around the pins 18 at the fabric ends. In some instances alternative rows of MD yarns 14 can form differing loop lengths and geometries resulting in dissimilarities between the seam and the body of the fabric. As mentioned above, this dissimilarity between the weave of the fabric body and that of the seam area results in a discontinuity on the fabric surface. As previously mentioned, this discontinuity can lead to marking of a product carried on the fabric or abrasion of the fabric seam itself by stationary objects.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a seam having a weave pattern that conforms more closely to the weave pattern in the rest of the fabric.

Multi-pin pin seam for an industrial fabric


An electrical connector includes an insulating housing, a plurality of electrical terminals integrated in the insulating housing, a shielding shell, an external housing and a water-proof assembly. The shielding shell is worn around the insulating housing and has a bottom plate opened with a pair of through slots. The external housing is molded outside the insulating housing and the shielding shell, and has a bottom wall defined with a pair of through holes which are corresponding to the through slots. The water-proof assembly is embedded in the bottom of the external housing and has a pair of elastic arms elastically project upward through the through holes of the external housing and the through slots of the shielding shell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector.
2. the Related Art
A traditional electrical connector includes an insulating body, a plurality of electrical terminals and a shielding shell. The electrical terminals are integrated in the insulating body respectively. The shielding shell has a top plate, a bottom plate, a rear plate and two side plates which corporately define a receiving chamber for receiving the insulating body and the electrical terminals therein. The bottom plate of the shielding shell is die-cut upward to form a pair of elastic pieces for fastening a butting connector.
However, the traditional electrical connector does not have waterproof function. As a result, when the water or the moisture flows into the electrical connector, the traditional electrical connector is apt to result in a communication failure with the butting connector.


A method for generating dummy patterns includes providing a layout region having a layout pattern with a first density, inserting a plurality of first dummy patterns with a second density corresponding to the first density in the layout pattern, dividing the layout region into a plurality of sub-regions with a third density, adjusting a size of the first dummy pattern according to a difference between the second density and the third density, and outputting the layout pattern and the first dummy patterns on a photomask.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dummy patterns and a method for generating dummy patterns, and more particularly, to dummy patterns and a method for generating dummy patterns used in planarization process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Along with an increase in speed of semiconductor devices, downsizing and higher integration of elements, such as transistors and multilevel interconnects are now in progress. An ever increasing accuracy and precision for forming circuit layout with higher density on the wafer is therefore required. Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art will easily recognize that layout with higher density requires better surface flatness of the wafer for increasing the accuracy for forming the layout pattern. Conventionally, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is an effective and important method for wafer planarization. And result of CMP becomes critical for forming necessary elements. In detail, wafer regions with a low pattern density are known to be etched faster than wafer regions with high pattern density. Thus, for a given etch time, a disproportionately greater amount of material is etched from the low pattern density regions than the high pattern density regions. Accordingly, thickness in the low pattern density regions is smaller than that in the high pattern density regions, and thus an uneven surface having film thickness variation, dishing, or erosion is resulted. Besides the thickness variation problem, the uneven surface after CMP process further suffers serious problems such as pattern size error and poor critical size uniformity (CDU). Furthermore, it is found that different pattern densities also adversely impact other semiconductor process such as patterning process or etching process. For example, over-etching and/or incomplete etching may be resulted due to the different pattern densities on one wafer.
As a countermeasure against to the above problems, there have been proposed a method in which dummy patterns are randomly positioned in the low pattern density regions. By positioning the dummy patterns in the low pattern density regions, the pattern density is raised. Accordingly, the approach of inserting dummy patterns between design patterns is now essential for controlling variations in the flatness of the surface of a wafer or a chip.
However, the conventional approach uses dummy patterns with identical shape and size arranged in an array. Though the dummy patterns alleviate density difference between the low pattern density regions and the high pattern density regions, it is no longer competent when the wafer or the chip is formed to have more regions with varied densities due to the complexity of the integrated circuit (IC) design. Furthermore, the conventional dummy patterns also suffer from several drawbacks and limitations such as being irresistible to stress between regions with different pattern densities and increases optical proximity correction (OPC) processing time.
In view of the above, there exists a need for innovative dummy patterns and a smart method for generating dummy patterns.

Dummy patterns and method for generating dummy patterns


An air breathing direct methanol fuel cell pack includes: a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) including single cells having an electrolyte membrane, anodes on a first plane of the electrolyte membrane and cathodes on a second plane thereof, the second plane disposed opposite to the first plane; a fuel supply unit facing the first plane; an upper panel member facing the second plane of the MEA and including a first cavity and second cavity, a plurality of air vent holes formed in the first and/or second cavity and air channels connecting the first and second cavities; current collectors disposed on the cathode and anode of single cells of the MEA; conductors electrically connecting the current collectors to form electric circuitry among the single cells; and a lower panel member for forming a housing for accommodating the MEA and the fuel supply unit in cooperation with the upper panel member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cell pack of a direct methanol fuel cell for use as power of portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to an air breathing direct methanol fuel cell pack with an effective air supply unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), which generates electrical power by electrochemical reactions between methanol as fuel and oxygen as an oxidizing agent, has a high energy density and a high power density. Also, since the DMFC uses methanol directly as a fuel, external peripheral devices such as a fuel reformer are not required and the fuel is easily stored and supplied. Further, a monopolar DMFC can be operated at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and can be made lightweight and miniaturized, thus having very wide applications including mobile communications equipment such as mobile cellular phones, PDAs or laptop computers, medical appliances, military equipment and so on.
As described above, DMFCs produce electricity by electrochemical reaction between methanol and oxygen. A single cell of such DMFCs is constructed such that an electrolyte membrane is interposed between an anode and a cathode.
Both of the anode and cathode include a fuel diffusion layer for supply and diffusion of fuel, a catalyst layer at which electrode reactions, that is, oxidation/reduction of fuel, occur, and electrode backings.
As the catalyst layer for oxidation/reduction, precious metals having good characteristics even at low temperatures, such as platinum (Pt), are used, and alloys of transition metal such as ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), osmium (Os) or nickel (Ni) can also be used for preventing catalytic poisoning due to reaction byproducts, e.g., carbon monoxide. Carbon paper or carbon cloth is used as the electrode backings, and the electrode backings are waterproof for easy supply of fuel and easy exhaustion of reaction products. The polymer electrolyte membrane has a thickness of 50 to 200 pm. A proton exchange membrane having ionic conductivity is usually used as the electrolyte membrane.
The following reaction equations occur in the anode where fuel is oxidized and the cathode where oxygen is reduced, respectively.
Anode ReactionCH30H+H20→CO2+6H++6e−Cathode Reaction3/2 02+6H++6e−→3H20Overall ReactionCH30H+3/2 02→2H2O+CO2
In the anode, carbon dioxide, six protons and six electrons are generated by reaction between methanol and water, that is, oxidation, and the generated protons are transferred to the cathode via the proton exchange membrane. In the cathode, protons and electrons supplied from an external circuit react with oxygen to produce water, that is, reduction. Thus, the overall reaction corresponds to reaction between methanol and oxygen to produce water and carbon dioxide.
A theoretical voltage generated in a DMFC single cell is approximately 1.2 V. However, the open circuit voltage under room temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions is 1 V or less and an actual operation voltage is approximately 0.3 to 0.5 V because there is a voltage drop due to activation over-potential and resistance over-potential. Thus, in order to generate a desirably high voltage, several single cells are stacked and electrically connected in series. The method stacking single cells in series is largely classified as a bipolar stack type and a monopolar cell pack type. The bipolar stack type is configured such that a single separator has both a positive (+) polarity and a negative (−) polarity and is suitably used for high power capacity. The monopolar cell pack type is configured such that a single separator has only a positive (+) or a negative (−) polarity and is suitably used for low power capacity.
According to the monopolar cell pack type, a plurality of single cells are arranged on an electrolyte membrane and then the respective single cells are connected in series, thereby considerably reducing the thickness and volume of fuel cell stack, realizing a lightweight, small-sized DMFC. In the monopolar cell pack type, the electrodes on the electrolyte membrane have all the same polarity, allowing fuel to be simultaneously supplied to all electrodes, thereby advantageously maintaining fuel concentrations of all the electrodes at a constant level.
However, in the monopolar cell pack, unlike the bipolar stack in which fuel supply and electrical connection are simultaneously established due to many graphite blocks each serving as a current collector and having a fuel flow field as a fuel supply path, it is difficult to simultaneously establish fuel supply and electrical connection. For this reason, when the contact between the current collector and anode or cathode is bad and a contact area is not wide, a current loss is generated due to contact resistance. Also, since efficient exhaustion of carbon dioxide, a reaction byproduct, is difficult to achieve, carbon dioxide bubbles permeate into a liquid fuel layer, thereby impeding fuel supply, and the bubbles produced on the electrode surface prevents fuel from moving to the catalyst layer, thereby noticeably deteriorating performance of electrodes.
To solve such drawbacks, a current collector plate enabling simultaneous fuel supply and current collection is necessary and such a current collector plate should be configured to maximize a contact area between the current collector plate and an electrode, thereby preventing a current loss due to contact resistance. Also, it is necessary to cause rapid exhaustion of carbon dioxide existing at the electrode surface by installing an appropriate exhaust path of carbon dioxide, thereby allowing fuel to be smoothly supplied to the catalyst layer.
Since a DMFC uses oxygen as a reactant gas, a DMFC cell pack should be configured such that its cathode for reduction directly contacts external air. However, when a DMFC cell pack is mounted on an electronic device to be used as a power source of the electronic device, an air inlet port formed on the external surface of the cell pack may be partially shielded at a connected area between the cell pack and the electronic device or the air inlet port may be shielded by user's body or according to use surroundings of the electronic device. In this case, since oxygen is not properly supplied to the shielded portion, electrode reactions do not occur thereat.
To overcome the problem, it is necessary to provide a cell pack having a structure capable of fully inducing external air into the structure to be evenly supplied to electrode surfaces, irrespective of a connected area between the cell pack and the electronic device or use surroundings of the electronic device. Also, separate means for preventing infiltration of external foreign matter or moisture must be provided.

Air breathing direct methanol fuel cell pack


A brush applicator includes inner and outer shells with a cylindrical brush mounted to the inner shell in a cylindrical groove rimmed by clamping means that are compressed against the brush when the outer shell is forced over the inner shell.

This invention relates to liquid applicators and more particularly to flow-through brush liquid applicators in which the liquid flows through the bristles of a brush that may be used to spread the liquid, such as for example fingernail polish applicators.
In one class of flow-through brush liquid applicator, the outlet in a container for the liquid is partly closed by the bristles of a small brush but there is sufficient space provided so that liquid may flow from the container and wet the bristles of the brush as the liquid is applied to a surface. A prior art type of applicator of this class utilizes a staple that is stapled through the bristles to fasten them into the outlet of the container. It has been proposed to position the bristles at the wall of a tubular cylinder through which the liquid may flow.
The prior art type of flow-through applicators have the disadvantages of being relatively expensive and time-consuming to fasten in place to a container.


A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk and a voice coil motor (VCM) for rotating an actuator arm about a pivot in order to actuate a head over the disk. During a park operation, a latching characteristic associated with latching the actuator arm is measured and used to configure a latching parameter that reduces acoustic noise. The latching parameter is used to latch the actuator arm by seeking the head to a latching track, maintaining the head over the latching track for a predetermined interval, applying an acceleration pulse to the VCM for an acceleration pulse period, applying a braking pulse to the VCM for a brake pulse period, and applying a latching current to the VCM.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disk drives for computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk drive employing a calibrated brake pulse to reduce acoustic noise when latching an actuator arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1A shows a prior art disk drive 2 comprising a disk 4 and a head 6 actuated over the disk 4 by a voice coil motor (VCM). The head 6 is connected to the distal end of an actuator arm 8 which is rotated about a pivot 10 in order to actuate the head 6 radially over the disk 4. The VCM comprises a voice coil attached to the actuator arm 8 having a first leg 12A and a second leg 12B for conducting current in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction thereby generating a magnetic flux which interacts with the magnetic field of permanent magnets (not shown) to generate a torque to rotate the actuator arm 8 about the pivot 10 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The disk 4 comprises a plurality of tracks 14 defined by a plurality of embedded servo sectors 16, wherein disk drive control circuitry processes the embedded servo sectors 16 in order to seek the head 6 to a target track and maintain the head 6 over the target track during read/write operations.
When the disk drive is powered down (or otherwise idle), the disk drive control circuitry will perform a park operation wherein the head 6 is parked and the actuator arm 8 is latched. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the head 6 is parked on a landing zone 18 by rotating the actuator arm 8 in the counterclockwise direction. While the head 6 is parked, the actuator arm 8 is "latched" to prevent it from rotating the head 6 away from the landing zone 18. In the embodiment of FIG. 1A, a magnet 20 attached to a crash stop 22 attracts and holds a metal tang 24 attached to the actuator arm 8.
A problem with using a magnet as a passive latching mechanism is the undesirable acoustic noise generated when the tang 24 collides with the magnet 20 (or the crash stop 22 if the magnet 20 is embedded into the crash stop 22). A prior art technique for latching the actuator arm 8 applies a constant latching current to the voice coil to accelerate the actuator arm 8 until it latches. As the tang 24 approaches the magnet 20, the exponential increase in the force of the magnet and the corresponding increase in the acceleration of the actuator arm 8 further exacerbate the acoustic noise when the tang 24 collides with the magnet 20.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,987 discloses a technique for latching the actuator arm 8 by applying an alternating latching current (e.g., a square wave) to the voice coil instead of a constant latching current which reduces the acceleration of the actuator arm 8 as the tang 24 moves toward the magnet 20. However, the characteristics of the alternating latching current remain constant (e.g., constant duty cycle) throughout the latching operation which means a certain amount of undesirable acoustic noise will still occur when the tang 24 collides with the magnet 20.
There is, therefore, a need to reduce acoustic noise in a disk drive when latching the actuator arm.

Disk drive employing a calibrated brake pulse to reduce acoustic noise when latching an actuator arm


A storage device includes a control unit that performs a process of communicating with a host apparatus which is connected to the storage device through a bus, a storage unit into which data transmitted from the host apparatus are written, and a storage control unit that performs access control on the storage unit. The control unit receives an ID information item from the host apparatus after the end of a period of writing data from the host apparatus to m (m is an integer equal to or greater than 1) storage devices of a plurality of the storage devices connected to the bus, and returns an acknowledgement to the host apparatus if the data transmitted from the host apparatus have been successfully written to the storage unit of the storage device.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a storage device, a host apparatus, a circuit substrate, a liquid container, and a system.
2. Related Art
Some ink cartridges (liquid containers) for use in ink jet printers are provided with a storage device. The storage device stores information such as ink color and ink consumption. The data on the ink consumption are transmitted from a printer main body (host apparatus) to the storage device, and are written into a nonvolatile memory provided in the storage device. In such a system, the storage device returns an acknowledgement, thereby reporting to the host apparatus that the data writing operation has been completed. That is, the storage device receives data from the host apparatus, writes the data into the memory, and returns an acknowledgement after completion of the write operation. The host apparatus receives the acknowledgement and then transmits data to the subsequent storage device. Usually, the time required for performing writing into a nonvolatile memory is longer than the data communication time. Therefore, the greater the number of storage devices is, the longer the overall write process time becomes.
On the other hand, the ink cartridges are usually configured to be replaceable, and therefore a contact failure is likely to occur in an electrical connection, which may result in a transmission error, a write error, or the like. In order to prevent occurrence of such troubles, it is desirable to reduce the time required for a process of performing writing from the host apparatus to each storage device as much as possible.
To this end, JP-A-2002-14870 discloses a method that writes data simultaneously into a plurality of storage devices. This method, however, has problems such as that a host apparatus cannot receive an acknowledgement from each storage device.

Storage device, host apparatus, circuit substrate, liquid container, and system


A power converter includes a plurality of switches that interconnect first and second input terminals of the power converter with first and second output terminals of the power converter. The switches are switched to convert power from the input terminals to the output terminals. During the switching, voltage spikes are mitigated by a first RLC branch connected from the first input terminal to the first output terminal and by a second RLC branch connected from the second input terminal to the second output terminal.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to power converters. Other embodiments relate to non-isolated full bridge power converters.
2. Discussion of Art
Power supplies are electronic/electrical circuits that supply electric power to one or more electric loads. The term "power supply" is most commonly applied to collections or an assembly of electrical devices that convert one form of electrical energy to another, which are commonly referred to as "power converters." Many power supplies include two or more power converters connected together. Typically, power converters are "switching" power converters, in which multiple solid state devices are used to intermittently interrupt an input current so as to effectuate conversion of the input current to an output current having different amplitude, voltage, and/or frequency. For example, a "DC power converter" produces output power at a substantially constant output voltage and/or current.
Conventional power converters, generally, are groupings of plural solid state switches that are connected to output terminals from a first DC input terminal or from a second DC input terminal. Paired DC terminals typically are known jointly as a "DC link," while the term "DC link voltage" often is used to refer to an electrical potential difference across this DC link. Thus, a conventional DC-DC power converter is connected between an input (primary) DC link and an output (secondary) DC link.
Power converters can be "isolated" or "non-isolated." In an isolated power converter, a transformer electromagnetically couples a primary circuit of the power converter to a secondary circuit of the power converter. In other words, there is no direct electrical connection between the primary DC link and the secondary DC link. By contrast, a non-isolated power converter electrically connects the primary DC link with the secondary DC link.
Power converters can be "half bridge" or "full bridge." A half bridge power converter switches current in only one direction to a load, that is, polarity is maintained across the primary and secondary links. In contrast, a full bridge power converter can switch current in either direction to the load, fully commuting the current so that polarity can be inverted from the primary link to the secondary link.
The instant invention relates principally to non-isolated full bridge power converters. One example of a non-isolated full bridge power converter is a "dual buck" power converter.
In a typical buck power converter, a first switch, a first inductor, and a first diode form a three-way node between the first DC input terminal, a first output terminal, and the second DC input terminal. In operation, the first switch is intermittently cycled, and the first inductor smoothes resultant voltage surges to produce an averaged high voltage at the first output terminal that is less than the voltage at the first DC input terminal. In a "dual buck" power converter, a second switch, a second inductor, and a second diode form a second three-way node between the second DC input terminal, a second output terminal, and the first DC input terminal. The second switch also is intermittently cycled, in some embodiments synchronously, with the first switch, to produce an averaged low voltage at the second output terminal. The first switch, first inductor, and first diode may be referred to as a first "leg" of the converter that connects the first and second input terminals with the first output terminal; while the second switch, second inductor, and second diode form a second leg of the converter that connects the first and second input terminals with the second output terminal.
The symmetry of the dual buck power converter makes it attractive for operating in DC systems isolated from ground, because in an ideal operation the first and second branches are under the same V and I stresses. However, the circuit has an undesirable behavior under common mode perturbations. Those perturbations can be originated, for example, by jitter (asynchronicity or time difference) in the switching of active power semiconductors (exemplary solid state switches). The effect of jitter in the dual buck topology is to create large spikes in the output terminal voltages with respect to ground at the input and output DC connections. Such spikes stress the electrical insulation of the circuit components and can severely affect the converter lifetime.
In view of the above, it is desirable to provide a dual buck converter topology in which common mode perturbations are mitigated.

Apparatus and method for mitigating perturbations in a power converter


A plastic transmission filter (1) composed of mating upper (2) and lower (3) shells of synthetic resin material with at least one set of registering weld posts (10) extending between inner surfaces of the upper and lower shells; a fluid pervious centertube (4) interposed between the mating shells around the weld posts, and a filter material (5) wrapped around the centertube to form a bag filter. The filter assembly can be welded together in a single vibration welding operation and provides enhanced flow of transmission fluid by avoiding flow restrictions caused by prior art reinforcement poles.

Plastic transmission filters are used in approximately 10% of the Car industry. The current plastic transmission filter used in the market requires a complex assembly process. In addition, current transmission filter designs cause a very high pressure drop across the filter assembly, resulting in pump cavitation.
The current plastic transmission filter assembly process requires the filter media to be welded or glued to the filter lower shell at the fluid inlet, and then the upper shell is subsequently welded to the lower shell. This requires two welding processes, which adds both inconvenience and expense to the manufacturing process.
The plastic transmission filter housing has a tendency to collapse from the pressure drop during cold flow. The conventional solution in the market has been to add poles to the upper shell and lower shell to prevent the filter housing from collapsing. However this solution causes a problem by pintching the media at the poles, resulting in increased flow restriction inside the filter.


Electrostatic capacitance measurements are used to detect chemical or biological analytes, or chemical interactions, with great sensitivity. A diaphragm is coated with a material capable of selectively interacting with an analyte of interest, and interaction of the analyte with the coating exerts stresses tangential to the diaphragm's surface. These stresses cause diaphragm displacements that are sensed as varying capacitance.

The presence and concentration of analytes, as well as the progress and efficiency of chemical reactions, are typically measured directly—e.g., through optical monitoring if a reaction produces an observable change in light-absorption characteristics, or indirectly—e.g., by changes in mass or volume. Many of the methods typically employed require attachment of a label compound whose properties (i.e., fluorescent, radioactive, chemiluminescent, or absorbing) enable sensitive detection. These methods, however, require development of label reagents, add steps to the detection process, and modify the analyte. In the absence of label compounds, conventional measurements operate on a gross scale, and as a result require substantial amounts of analyte.
Enhanced sensitivity has recently been achieved using small micromachined cantilevers and flexural plate wave (FPW) sensors to facilitate monitoring chemical reactions and interactions on a microscopic scale. In the cantilever, the reaction is transduced into mechanical stresses. These stresses are detected with a high degree of sensitivity. Cantilever arrangements can be difficult to manufacture and operate due to the small size and fragility of the fingers, however, and to the need to separate analytes from the readout mechanism. Because the cantilevers are delicate, applying selective coatings can be difficult. To separate the analytes from readout electronics, optical readouts usually employing reflection may be employed. Cantilever-based approaches have achieved success primarily in specialized laboratories with personnel trained to handle the nuances of such devices.
FPW systems may utilize a diaphragm that is acoustically excited by interdigitated fingers to establish a standing wave pattern. The diaphragm is coated with the selective material, and interaction of analytes with the coating increases the effective thickness of the diaphragm, thereby affecting the frequency of the standing wave so as to indicate the degree of interaction. Because these devices are constructed of conducting, mechanical, and piezoelectric layers, bimetallic effects can produce unwanted temperature sensitivity. To reduce thermal distortions, FPW sensors are typically run at high resonant frequencies. Unfortunately, the high operating frequency itself limits sensitivity (in addition to requiring somewhat complex electronics).

Stress-based electrostatic monitoring of chemical reactions and binding

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.


A projectile including an ejectable aft fin housing assembly. The aft fin housing assembly includes aft fins that increase a distance between a center of gravity and a center of pressure of the projectile, improving passive stabilization of the projectile. Once the projectile has been passively stabilized, the aft fin housing assembly is ejected, decreasing a distance between the center of gravity and the center of pressure, improving active stabilization of the projectile.

Missiles use active stabilization systems to reduce pitch rate and enable greater control during flight. Small form factor aero-bodies (SFFA) are lower cost, lighter, and smaller compared to traditional missiles. Exemplary SFFA include drones, drone deployables, swarming MAV, precision taggant delivery, precision marking, precision sensor placement, and fireworks. Due to size and cost constraints, the active stabilization systems available to traditional missiles are not possible for SFFA.


A method of reducing discordance among components of a molded trim piece assembly includes making each of the plurality of components according to a component configuration pattern adapted to mitigate deformation of the plurality of components, and making each of the plurality of components according to a joint configuration pattern adapted to mitigate misalignment between the plurality of components at a joint. A machine includes a molded trim piece assembly configured to amount to a body of the machine, such as to a fender of the machine, which includes a plurality of components having a component configuration pattern adapted to mitigate deformation of the plurality of components and a joint configuration pattern adapted to mitigate misalignment at a joint between the plurality of components, when mounted to the body.

Trim pieces and trim assemblies for machines have long been known. Fender flares, edge protectors and a wide variety of other trim types are well known and widely used. In some instances, trim is coupled with a machine body when the machine is assembled. Alternatively, certain types of trim are available as optional or substitute components. Manufacturers commonly design trim which is specific to certain machine configurations, the designs of which may be relatively complex. To accommodate packaging constraints and the like for trim having relatively complex, three-dimensional shapes, it is common for trim to be formed from a plurality of separate components.
Trim is commonly intended to serve both ornamental and functional purposes. Depending upon intended service environment, fender flares or fender extensions of various configurations may be used on a machine to inhibit splashing of water and debris onto other parts of the machine, and to protect the machine from damage. A variety of types of trim for fenders have been developed over the years for mounting to machines used in relatively rugged service environments. While these types of trim have proven quite useful in their functional aspects, they may become unsightly due to sub-optimal manufacturing or mounting techniques, and the service environment itself. Providing a pleasing appearance to the machine remains a common goal.
As alluded to above, machine trim is often formed from multiple components. These components are typically fitted together on a machine body to follow an existing contour of the machine, such as a fender. Since contours of the machine body may be relatively complex, the use of multiple different components, typically formed of plastic, enables the relatively complex contour to be matched by multiple components of simpler design. This tends to be easier than attempting to mold one large component in the relatively complex shape necessary to match the contour of the machine body. One drawback to using multiple components is the difficulty in getting the components to properly align and/or properly mate together when assembled and mounted on the machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,644 to Logan et al. is directed to a low-profile modular fender flare. The fender flare includes plural contour pieces which are sized to accommodate packaging of the fender flare in a container of conventional size. The contour pieces are configured for attachment to the vehicle body, each piece being configured for attachment adjacent a particular portion of a vehicle wheel opening. The concerns of Logan et al. appear primarily to have been fitting a relatively long piece into a relatively small, inexpensive package. While the design of Logan et al. appears to have been successful in this regard, the fender flare components may suffer from the aforementioned problems with regard to proper alignment and mating.

Machine having trim piece assembly with reduced discordance and method


A DC-DC converter has a plurality of diverse type DC-DC converter channels whose outputs are combined to provide a composite DC power output to a load. One of the channels is a high efficiency power path that supplies the average current demand of the load. A second channel comprises a fast transient response power path which handles transient response demands.

The design of a DC-DC converter often involves a compromise between goals of bandwidth capability and efficiency. On the one hand, it is desired to provide a fast response capability to load transients, which may require a switching frequency higher than that normally required for steady state loading. A problem arises since increasing the switching frequency to achieve more gain and fast response times involves a trade-off of efficiency, as switching losses increase substantially.

Method of controlling parallel diverse conversion paths in DC-to-DC power converter


A MMIC amplifier is directly connected to the balanced feed points at the aperture of an antenna to eliminate the distance between electronics coupled to the antenna and the antenna itself, such that interfaces, components and connection lines which introduce losses and parasitic effects that degrade system performance are eliminated due the direct connection. Expanding the aperture of the antenna to accommodate the direct connection of a MMIC amplifier to balanced feed points of an antenna has been found to have no deleterious effects on antenna performance. Moreover, when coupling the MMIC amplifier to an unbalanced coaxial line, any associated ripple is minimized due to the direct connection.

Current design methodologies for microwave circuit design of MMIC amplifiers generally include the development of a matching network between the complex impedance of the active devices or transistors and a nominal 50 ohm connection impedance. Likewise, antennas are designed to provide a match between the 377 ohm impedance of free space and 50 ohms.
Often these antennas requite a transformation between balanced and unbalanced lines or between coaxial and micro-strip transmission lines. Also, note that an antenna element and an amplifier may have a long length transmission line connecting them together. The transmission line and any intermediate elements tend to degrade system performance, with degradation for very broad bandwidth applications being even greater.
In short, connections between an antenna aperture and receiver or transmitter electronics often includes multiple interfaces, components and connection lines, all of which limit and degrade system performance with their respective losses and parasitic effects. If these effects could be eliminated, the result would be a significantly improved system noise figure, out power, linearity, flatness, match, and bandwidth.
More particularly, electronics utilized in connection with an antenna, either transmitter or receiver, were previously located remotely from the antenna itself. Thus, between the electronics and the antenna there was typically a long piece of coaxial cable, connectors attaching the cable to the electronic boxes, and baluns or other devices used to match the nominal 50 ohm coax impedance to the impedance of the antenna at the antenna feed points.
While it is possible to feed an antenna with an unbalanced line, all of the separation between the antenna itself and the associated interfacing electronics adds insertion loss, resulting in lost sensitivity for a receiver and lost transmit power for a transmitter, noting that all the interfaces add up to decrease the bandwidth of operation. If the bandwidth of operation is decreased, this also decreases the ability to match the antenna to associated electronic devices.
As described in a patent application entitled "Integrated Electronics Matching Circuit At Antenna Feed Point For Maintaining Wide Bandwidth And A Low VSWR Operation", invented by David F. Meharry, Edward Urbanik, and Arturs Dinbergs, Ser. No. 12/468,109 filed May 19, 2009 and assigned to the assignee hereof, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, to provide a wide bandwidth match, integrated electronics matching circuits are placed at the feed point of the antenna above the ground plane normally utilized in printed circuit microwave antennas. The purpose of the location of the integrated electronics above the integrated circuit ground plane is to reduce to zero the connection length from the feed point to the place where the matching is done. It is noted in this patent application that the conventional length from where the initial or complete matching is done beneath the ground plane up to the antenna feed point could be considerable and sometimes exceeded 100 mils.
While this application was directed primarily to an integrated electronics matching circuit, there is still a necessity to place an amplifier having a balanced output at the feed of the antenna, noting that most antennas are designed to have a balanced input at their feed point.
There is therefore a necessity to provide electronic circuits the feed point of the antenna which present a balanced interconnection topology. This includes electronics functioning as an amplifier, rather than functioning as a balun or tuning circuit.
Assuming that one can get the electronics close to the feed point of the antenna, another benefit is that if these electronics involve balanced electronics, one can select a more appropriate impedance level for the antenna. If one provides balanced electronics at the feed point one can obtain a wide bandwidth when going to higher impedances. Thus, while nominally working at a 50 ohm input impedance, providing a balanced interconnect circuit one can provide a 100 ohm output impedance which is useful in improving bandwidth characteristics for the antenna.
There are two common broadband microwave antennas for which the above set of problems is severe. The first is the Vivaldi notch antenna which is a tapered notch. The second is a bi-cone antenna. If a way could be found to provide a balanced amplifier circuit directly coupled to the feed points of these antennas, then it would be possible to eliminate interfaces which limit and degrade system performance.

Method for direct connection of MMIC amplifiers to balanced antenna aperture

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


The invention discloses a coating solution for use in forming Bi-based ferroelectric thin films containing Bi, metallic element A (at least one selected from the group consisting of Bi. Pb, Ba, Sr, Ca, Na, K and rare earth elements) and metallic element B (at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Nb, Ta, W, Mo, Fe, Co and Cr), wherein it contains metal alkoxides of Bi, metallic element A and metallic element B respectively, and contains composite metal alkoxides formed by any two or more of said metal alkoxides; and a ferroelectric thin film, a ferroelectric capacitor and a ferroelectric memory formed by the use of such coating solution, and a method for producing the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coating solutions for use in forming Bi-based ferroelectric thin films, and ferroelectric thin films, ferroelectric capacitors and ferroelectric memories formed with said coating solutions, as well as processes for production thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to coating solutions that lead to little leakage current, are capable of forming dense Bi-based ferroelectric thin films, are applicable to electrodes other than a Pt one, and have good keeping quality. The invention also relates to ferroelectric thin films, ferroelectric capacitors, and ferroelectric memories formed with such coating solutions, as well as processes for the production thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Thin films of bismuth layer-structured ferroelectrics (BLSF) represented by the general formula (Bi.sub.2 O.sub.2).sup.2+ (A.sub.m-1 B.sub.m O.sub.3m+1).sup.2 - [where A is a mono-, di- or trivalent ion (as of Bi, Pb, Ba, Sr, Ca, Na, K or a rare earth element) or combinations of these ions; B is a tetra-, penta- or hexavalent ion (as of a metallic element like Ti, Nb, Ta, W, Mo, Fe, Co or Cr) or combinations of these ions; and m is an integer of 1-5] have recently been found to feature good characteristics such as requiring small coercive field in remanent polarization P-E hysteresis curves and hence experiencing less fatigue as a result of repeated polarization switching. This has spotlighted the potential use of BLSF thin films as materials for the fabrication of semiconductor memories and sensors (T. Takenaka, "Bismuth Layer-Structured Ferroelectrics and Their Grain Orientation" in Report of the Workshop on Applied Electronics Properties, The Japan Society of Applied Physics, pp. 1-8, Nov. 22, 1994; and "Ceramics", vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 499-503, 1995). Among the BLSF thin films so far reported, those of an SrBi.sub.2 Ta.sub.2 O.sub.9 system which are represented by the formula (Bi.sub.2 O.sub.2).sup.2+ (SrTa.sub.2 O.sub.7).sup.2- are of particular interest since the desired characteristics are conspicuous in them.
Such BLSF thin films can be formed by various methods including sputtering, CVD and coated film formation. However, due to the many metal oxides that have to be incorporated as constituents, sputtering and CVD techniques require costly apparatus and considerable difficulties are involved in controlling the composition of ferroelectric thin films at desired levels; hence, these techniques are not suitable for practical applications, particularly on large-diameter substrates. In contrast, the coated film formation technique does not need expensive apparatus and can deposit films at comparatively low cost; in addition, they provide ease in controlling the composition of ferroelectric thin films at desired levels. Therefore, the coated film process for the formation of BLSF thin films holds much promise for commercial use.
While several formulations have been proposed for use as coating solutions in the formation of BLSF thin films by the coated film process, two typical cases are those prepared by dissolving carboxylate (e.g., 2-ethylhexanate) of Sr and Bi and alkoxides of Ta in acetate esters (Proceedings of the 12th Ferroelectric Materials and their Applications meeting on May 24-27, 1995, Paper presented by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, 24-TP-11, pp. 57-58; and "Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.", vol. 34, pp. 5096-5099, 1995) and those prepared by dissolving 2-ethylhexanate of Sr, Bi, Ta, Nb, Ti, etc. in xylene to form coating solutions of a metallo-organic decomposition (MOD) type (Proceedings of the 12th Ferroelectric Materials and their Applications meeting on May 24-27, 1995, Paper presented by Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. and Symetrix Corporation, 26-TC-10, pp. 139-140). However, these coating solutions have had various problems. First, the 2-ethylhexanate of the respective metal components has a long-chain (C.sub.8) organic group, so a large portion of the coating solution is occupied by the organic content and there is much loss in the coating weight due to the burning out of the organic component in the process of film formation consisting of the application of the coating solution, baking of the applied coating and crystallization and a porous film will result. In addition, the surface morphology of coating film is not satisfactory enough to provide for easy application to the fabrication of VLSI devices. Further in addition, in order to form a thin film using the applied coating, the applied coating has to be annealed at an elevated temperature of 800.degree. C. to ensure appropriate electrical characteristics thereof, however, this is problematic from the viewpoint of semiconductor fabrication process.
The prior art coating solutions have further problems. The long-chained metal carboxylate (metallic soaps) of monobasic acids which are commonly used in the coating solutions are generally slightly soluble in polar solvents and, hence, aromatic solvents such as xylene and toluene are used to prepare the coating solutions. However, the coating solutions using such aromatic solvents have to be stored in glass or metallic containers in order to ensure that the evaporating solvents will not be lost to the ambient atmosphere. On the other hand, glass and metallic containers have the disadvantage that metallic components will dissolve out into the coating solution and this is by no means desirable in the art of semiconductor fabrication which hates the contamination with metallic impurities. Under these circumstances, it is preferred to use polyethylene or polypropylene containers which release only negligible amounts of contaminating metallic impurities, which can be protected against mechanical shocks by simple handling procedures and which are less costly and it is desired to use solvents that will leak out of the plastic containers in negligibly small amounts.
The aforementioned aromatic solvents are also very toxic to humans and subject to increasingly rigorous regulations in the methods of use, management and so forth.
If the long-chained metal carboxylate of monobasic acids are replaced by short-chained metal carboxylate of monobasic acids, little solubility is achieved in practical organic solvents. Lower alkoxides of metals are soluble in several polar solvents but on account of the great tendency to be hydrolyzed with moisture in the air, they have only poor keeping quality and practically acceptable levels of reproduction cannot be achieved in the result of coating operations.
In recent years, Pt has been employed for a lower electrode as well as an upper electrode in a semiconductor memory (ferroelectric memory) utilizing ferroelectric thin films (PZT, etc.) including the aforesaid Bi-layered ferroelectric thin film (Bi-based ferroelectric thin film). For the purpose of improving the fatigue property and simplifying fine processing, it is a general tendency to use metals such as Ir, Ru, Rh, Re and Os other than Pt, and metal oxides thereof, especially Ir, Ru and conductive metal oxides such as IrO.sub.2 and RuO.sub.2, are attracting the general attention as materials suitable for the above-mentioned purpose.
However, the conventional Bi-based ferroelectric thin films are not excellent in crystallinity and electrical characteristics on the electrodes made of Ir, Ru, IrO.sub.2 or Ru0.sub.2 other than Pt, and have such problems as film fatigue resulting from repeated polarization switching and serious leakage current. There is therefore available no report of satisfactory properties in the use of electrodes made of materials other than Pt.
Under these circumstances, it has been strongly desired to develop a coating solution that is capable of forming highly dense films of good quality, with little leakage current, leading to small contents of organic components on forming a film, soluble in a practicable organic solvent, and is excellent in keeping stability, and further, achieving a Bi-based ferroelectric thin film excellent in various properties as a ferroelectric memory even with electrodes made of materials other than Pt.

Coating solutions for use in forming bismuth-based ferroelectric thin films


A method and an apparatus for improving agent efficiency by reducing non-productive time such as time on hold and time for wrap-up statements. After an agent has been connected to a call the agent may determine that automated handling of the call is appropriate. Depending upon the status of the call the agent may specify that the call has been essentially completed or that the agent is on hold. The agent may speak the name of the connected party and this will be recorded. Then the agent is disconnected from the call and a message playing device, which may also replay the spoken name, is activated. If the response from the connected party indicates that an agent's attention is again needed then the same or a different agent is connected to the call. In addition, a party on hold is provided an estimate of the time before an agent becomes available and/or the number of parties ahead in the holding queue.

Automated dialing systems are, in general, well known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,797,911 and 4,894,857, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose automated outbound dialing and inbound call processing system. In addition, certain other advantageous techniques are described in U.S. patent application No. 478,619, filed Feb. 12, 1990, entitled "Method For Avoiding Call Blocking", and U.S. patent application No. 533,489, filed Jun. 5, 1990, entitled "Method And Apparatus For Dynamic And Interdependent Processing Of Inbound Calls And Outbound Calls", both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. These patents and patent applications are herein collectively referred to as "documents" and are herein incorporated by reference. The systems described in these documents improve the efficiency of an agent by eliminating the need for the agent to look up a customer telephone number, dialing the telephone number, waiting for the call to be answered, etc. In addition, the systems described in these documents allow certain information to be gathered without the assistance of an agent so that some incoming calls may be completely processed without agent intervention. For outbound calls the systems automatically dial the telephone number, monitor the called number for an answer and, when an outbound call is answered, automatically connect the called number to an available agent and place information regarding the called customer on the screen for the connected agent.
However, in instances where the called number is a home telephone number the desired party may not be the party who answers the phone and the agent may have to wait while the person who answers the phone locates the desired party or determines that the desired party cannot come to the telephone at that time. Likewise, if the called number is a business telephone number, the agent may be put on hold while the receptionist transfers the call to the desired party or determines that the desired party cannot be found, cannot come to the telephone because the desired party is in a meeting, etc. In such cases, the agent's time is wasted and the agent's efficiency is lowered while the agent waits for the desired party to come to the telephone or for the answering party to advise that the desired party is not available to answer the telephone.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and an apparatus which will improve agent efficiency by reducing the time that the agent is waiting and holding for the desired party to answer or for a determination that the desired party is not available.
In addition, at the end of the call, the agent may repeat to the desired party the information provided by the desired party so that the information can be verified, thank the party for his/her time or for calling, ask whether the party needs any additional information, etc. These "wrap-up" statements consume a substantial amount of time and, generally, provide very little additional information, orders, or other benefit. However, courtesy to the customer demands that these wrap-up statements be provided. Therefore, there is a need for a method and an apparatus which can improve agent efficiency by providing the wrap-up statements in a manner which provides the required courtesy and at the same time allows the agent to immediately begin handling the next call.
Circumstances occasionally arise in which the connected party is placed on hold because the connected party desires or requires the assistance of an agent and no agent is immediately available. Typically, music and/or a prerecorded message is played to the connected party. Unfortunately, the connected party has no indication of whether an agent will be available in ten seconds, ten minutes, or an hour. This leads to frustration on the part of the connected party because the connected party may prefer to call back at a later time rather than wait for an agent to become available if the wait time is going to exceed some party-defined limit. Therefore, there is a need for a method and an apparatus which notifies the connected party of the approximate wait time before an agent becomes available so that the connected party can decide to whether to hold, call back, or request a call from an available agent.

Automated voice system for improving agent efficiency and improving service to parties on hold


A vehicle having a side cover capable of sending a sufficient amount of cooling air to a radiator even without a front cover or cowling. Side covers are disposed on both right and left side surfaces for covering a radiator. An air admission portion for drawing in a cooling air for cooling the radiator is provided in each of the side covers. A main step is disposed outside of each of the air admission portions with a footpeg portion provided on a top surface thereof and a step portion projecting upwardly at a front end portion thereof. The step portion is substantially at the same position in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle as a front end of the air admission portion. The footpeg surfaces is located near a rear portion of a front wheel with the main step structure ensuring an even more comfortable and easy riding position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle having side covers on both the right and left-hand side surfaces of a body thereof for covering a radiator and to vehicle main steps provided with footpeg surfaces on both sides of a vehicle at a location near a rear portion of a front wheel.
2. Description of Background Art
A vehicle is known, wherein a floor skirt is attached to a footpeg portion and a closed section is formed by vehicle body covers including the floor skirt. See, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3340637 (FIG. 8).
The arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3340637 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 which is an explanatory view showing the basic configuration of the prior art arrangement. A floor skirt 324 extends downwardly from an outer edge of a footpeg board 323. The right and left floor skirts 324 are connected with an undercover 325 to form a closed section 384.
Air Fc is admitted through a radiator wind admission portion provided on a front surface of a front cover and flows through the closed section 384 formed by the footpeg boards 323, the floor skirts 324, the undercover 325 and the like as follows. More specifically, the air Fc mainly flows from forward to rearward at a portion disposed downwardly of the footpeg boards 323 toward the radiator. A fuel tank 308 is provided together with a reservoir tank 309, a center cover 326, a main pipe 361, a down tube 362 and a cross pipe 364.
The recent trend in popular motorcycles is to provide a simple structure having a smaller number of vehicle body covers. There is a need for an even more ingenious idea for the introduction of a cooling air in a side cover if the motorcycle is built without any front cover or cowling.
Vehicle main steps have conventionally been disposed at many different locations. Some are located near a front wheel of the vehicle. Others are located near a rear wheel of the vehicle. Still others may be located at a mid-point between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle.
In the type of main steps disposed near the front wheel of the vehicle, a main step mounting structure taking into account assemblability to a vehicle body frame is known. See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-227659 (FIG. 4).
The structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 11-227659 (FIG. 4) will be described with reference to FIG. 25.
FIG. 25 is an explanatory view showing the basic construction of the conventional structure. A main step bracket 1344 includes a vehicle width direction extension portion 1344a and a vehicle body rearward extension portion 1344b. A center portion of the main step bracket 1344 is attached via a first fixing member 1319 to a down tube 1313. The vehicle width direction extension portion 1344a then extends crosswise relative to a fore-aft direction of the vehicle. The vehicle body rearward extension portion 1344b then extends rearwardly from both ends of the vehicle width direction extension portion 1344a. The vehicle body rearward extension portion 1344b is then attached to a main pipe 1312 via a second fixing member 1316.
Main steps 1303 are then attached by way of right and left step connecting members 1351, 1352 to the vehicle width direction extension portion 1344a of the main step bracket 1344.
The position at which the main steps 1303 are disposed is at the front and below an engine. In some types of vehicles, such as a scooter type vehicle, the distance in the vertical direction between a rider's seat and the main steps 1303 is short. In addition, the distance in the fore-aft direction between the rider's seat and the main steps 1303 is long. In such a type of vehicle, the back surface of the feet placed on the main steps 1303 tends to be inclined upwardly at its front. Consideration should therefore be given to timing, at which the rider plants his or her feet on the main steps 1303.
Thus, it is necessary to take into consideration the timing, at which the rider plants his or her feet on the main steps 1303 because of the inclination involved of the back surface of his or her feet tending to be upward at its front. At the same time, a comfortable riding position must be ensured. It is even more preferable to provide a disposition and structure of the main steps 1303 meeting these requirements.


An imaging device of an embodiment comprises an aperture that transmits imaging light applied to a sample, a detector including a linear sensor comprising a linear light receiving surface extending in a first direction, a first image forming element that collects components of the imaging light in the first direction and forms an image on the light receiving surface with a first wave front aberration amount, and a second image forming element that collects components of the imaging light in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and forms an image on the light receiving surface with a second wave front aberration amount smaller than the first wave front aberration amount.

As a method of realizing an optical system of a microscope using X-rays transmitted through a wafer, a method of reducing aberration by using an elliptical mirror and a hyperbolic mirror in each of X direction and Y direction is known (for example, refer to Japanese Patent No. 6478433).
The above-described method requires four mirrors, so that there is a problem that an energy loss caused by a reflectance (<100%) of the mirror is large.
Furthermore, in a case where a length of an entire optical system is limited, there is a problem that a space for arranging the mirrors is small and it is difficult to increase a length of the mirror to enlarge a numerical aperture and a field of view.
Therefore, a problem to be solved by the embodiment is to provide an imaging device, an image generating device, and an imaging method capable of reducing the energy loss to obtain an image with high contrast, and of enlarging the numerical aperture and the field of view.

Imaging device, image generating device, and imaging method