A system and method for controlling operation of a diesel electric traction vehicle of the type including a synchronous generator driven by a diesel engine for producing alternating current (AC) electric power, the AC electric power being converted to direct current (DC) electric power and transferred over a DC link to a plurality of DC to AC inverters, and each of the inverters being coupled to transfer controlled frequency power to at least one AC electric traction motor coupled in driving relationship to at least one wheel-axle set of the vehicle. A computer-based control system controls operation of the engine, generator and inverters in response to a power command signal. The control system computes power supplied by the generator from calculated torque developed by the AC traction motors and electric power losses in the inverters and other circuit elements coupling power from the generator to the motors. The computed generator supplied power is compared to the power command signal and engine operation is adjusted so as to minimize any difference between the commanded power and the computed power.

This invention relates generally to electrical propulsion systems for diesel electric locomotives equipped with alternating current traction motors and, more particularly, to a method for controlling locomotive operation without use of a direct current sensor.
In a conventional diesel electric locomotive, a thermal prime mover (typically a 16 cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine) is used to drive an electrical transmission comprising a synchronous generator that supplies electric current to a plurality of alternating current (AC) traction motors whose rotors are drivingly coupled through speed reducing gearing to the respective axle wheel sets of the locomotive. The generator typically comprises a main three-phase traction alternator, the rotor of which is mechanically coupled to the output shaft of the diesel engine. When excitation current is supplied to field windings on the rotating rotor, alternating voltages are generated in three-phase armature windings on the stator of the alternator. These voltages are rectified to produce a controlled amplitude DC voltage on a DC link which is connected to DC terminals of one or more inverters. The inverters invert the DC voltage to a controlled frequency of AC power to be supplied to the field windings of the AC traction motors. The effective AC excitation frequency produced by the inverters controls the speed of the AC motors with power being controlled by pulse width modulation of the AC waveform.
In normal motoring operation, the propulsion system of the diesel electric locomotive is so controlled as to establish a balanced steady state condition wherein the engine driven alternator produces, for each discrete position of a throttle handle, a substantially constant optimum amount of electrical power for the traction motors.
The propulsion control system conventionally includes means for limiting or reducing alternator output voltage as necessary to keep the magnitude of the DC link voltage and the magnitude of DC link current from exceeding respective predetermined safe maximum levels or limits. Typically, both the DC link voltage and the DC link current are monitored with appropriate sensors which provide both a feedback control of the propulsion system operation and also serve to prevent over-voltage and/or over-current conditions. At low locomotive speeds, the traction motor armatures are rotating slowly so that their back EMF is low. A low alternator voltage can now produce a maximum motor current which in turn produces the high tractive effort required for acceleration. On the other hand, the alternator voltage magnitude must be held constant and at a high magnitude whenever locomotive speed is high since the traction motor armatures are rotating rapidly and have a high back EMF and the alternator voltage must be high to produce the required load current.
In addition to providing current feedback signals for controlling alternator operation during motoring (a propulsion mode of operation of the locomotive in which the AC motors are powered to drive the locomotive in either a forward or reverse direction), the DC link current sensor is also used to control engine operation during self-loading (a test mode with the locomotive at rest in which alternator power is dissipated in a dynamic braking resistance grid coupled to the DC link) to test engine, alternator and associated controls. The DC link current sensor also provides inputs to a failure detection circuit for identifying short-circuit currents associated with a shoot-through condition typically caused by switching device failures in one of the inverters or any other shorted condition at or reflected onto the DC link. Accordingly, the DC current sensor at the DC link has been considered to be a necessary feature for locomotive systems.
A detriment of the DC link current sensor is its relatively high cost. Further, failure of the sensor may require shutting down the associated locomotive. The DC link current sensor is unusual because of the need to monitor a wide range of DC current, e.g., anywhere from a few tens of amperes up to several thousand amperes. Additionally, the sensor is connected in a relatively high voltage circuit, e.g., the nominal DC link voltage may be about 1400 volts but can spike up above 2000 volts. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for overcoming the cost and failure disadvantages associated with use of a conventional DC link current sensor.

AC locomotive operation without DC current sensor


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for partial etching or pattern etching using an electrolysis reaction, wherein, conventionally, there was the problem that an etching line could not be finely formed on a cell edge because of apparatus problems concerning alignment accuracy. The present invention provides a method and apparatus with which fine line etching is possible and which can form a line on a cell edge.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing partial etching and pattern etching by an electrolytic reaction.
Specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in the method and apparatus for removing a shorted portion and for device separation by etching a surface layer of a semiconductor device, such as a photovoltaic cell.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, thin-film etching has been carried out for device separation in a device having on a substrate a thin film of metal, a semiconductor, a transparent conductive film and the like, and for removing a short between thin films caused by mechanical stress at the cut surface. Examples of the above-mentioned device include various devices, for example, a photovoltaic cell, such as a solar battery, a sensor and the like, a light-emitting device (photoemitters), such as a photosensitive apparatus, an EL device and the like, and a transmissive or reflective device, such as a liquid crystal device, an electrochromic device and the like. In particular, for a solar battery fabricated through deposition onto a long metal substrate, it is necessary to divide the long substrate into small cells, and depending on the design it may be necessary to further electrically separate into small zone faces in the small cell interior. When divided up by cutting, the cut end surface becomes a shunt due to a short caused between the metal substrate and the transparent conductive film. Here, the word "shunt" encompasses not only a complete conductive state but also a state in which an insulation resistance value drops from slight conductance, irrespective of the amount. Even if it does not become a shunt, because the electrode at the cut surface is made bare, there is a possibility of a shunt forming as a result of stress during use. Thus, etching line formation is required as a preventative measure.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a planar surface of an etched solar battery of a small cell that was cut from a long substrate. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 1201 denotes a substrate, reference numeral 1202 denotes an etching line inside the cell and reference numeral 1203 denotes a periphery etching line. As is clear from looking at FIG. 12, an etching line is a region that does not participate in generating electricity because the upper portion electrode is removed. Thus, from the viewpoint of effectively extracting power, it is preferable to form the lines as fine as possible. From the same perspective, it is also preferable to form the lines as far as possible on the cell edge.
FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of the line 13A-13A from FIG. 12, which explains the shunt state of a photovoltaic cell cross-section. In FIG. 13A, reference numeral 1201 denotes a substrate, reference numeral 1301 denotes a semiconductor layer, reference numeral 1302 denotes an upper electrode and reference numeral 1303 denotes a shunt portion. For a solar battery, the substrate 1201 consists of metal and is about 0.15 mm thick, a semiconductor layer 1301 is approximately several μm and an upper electrode 1302 is approximately several tens of nm. If the semiconductor layer 1301 is in a dark state, specific resistance is at least about 1×1010·cm. Since the upper electrode is 1×103·cm, if an above-described shunt portion is not present, the space between the substrate and the upper electrode is effectively in an insulating state. If cutting was carried out by shirring or a press machine, the upper electrode 1302, which consists of a thin film, deforms as a result of being subjected to stress, thereby coming into direct contact with the metal substrate 1201, whereby a low-resistance shunt portion is formed. In other cases, even if the deformation does not cause a direct contact, a low-resistance shunt portion is formed as a result of the damage received from the stress. In this case, normal characteristics can be restored by using etching to remove the upper electrode 1302 of the shunt portion. That is, an etching line should be formed on the position of the shunt portion 1303. FIG. 13B shows the situation after the shunt portion 1303 of FIG. 13A has been etched. Reference numeral 1304 illustrates the condition in which the upper electrode 1302 has been removed by etching. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view along the line 14-14 in FIG. 12. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 1202 denotes an etching line, and the other reference numerals which are also indicated in FIG. 13A denote the same members as those in FIG. 13A.
FIG. 19 illustrates the IV properties when a shunt is present, and also when a shunt is not present, in a solar battery. When a shunt is present, as in FIG. 13A, the shunt resistance Rsh is, for example, about 1000Ω, wherein the IV curve is sloped. However, when a shunt has been removed by an etching line, as in FIG. 13B, the shunt resistance Rsh is, for example, about 1000 KΩ, wherein the IV curve is much better, being something close to a rectangle.
Examples of a conventional electrolytic etching method and apparatus for forming an etching line as discussed above include, for example, the suitable methods and apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-115877 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-227000. The methods disclosed in these publications employ an electrode, which comprises a working electrode for dissolving a subject etching object by an electrochemical reaction and an auxiliary electrode for suppressing diffusion of the etching region resulting from the working electrode, wherein an insulating member is formed on the working electrode and/or the auxiliary electrode by a laminating or coating process.
In the above-described conventional art, the working electrode has the same shape as the etching pattern and is positioned facing the object being etching in an extreme proximity thereto, whereby a highly accurate etching pattern can be achieved.
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating one example of a conventional electrolytic etching apparatus. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 801 denotes a working electrode, reference numeral 802 denotes an insulating member, reference numeral 803 denotes an auxiliary electrode, reference numeral 804 denotes the electrodes in entirety, reference numeral 805 denotes a substrate of the subject etching object, reference numeral 806 denotes an electrolyte, reference numeral 807 denotes an electrolysis bath and reference numeral 808 denotes an electrolysis power source.
The working electrode 801 is an electrode for dissolving the subject etching object by an electrochemical reaction. The auxiliary electrode 803 is used as a guard electrode, which absorbs a part of the electric field from the working electrode 801 to suppress diffusion of the etching region.
FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic sketch views illustrating the electric field distribution of a conventional electrolytic etching apparatus. FIG. 11A is a view showing the electrode position in a central portion, and FIG. 11B is a view showing the electrode position in an end surface portion. FIGS. 11A and 11B show the situation where the working electrode 1101 has a plus electric potential, the substrate 1105 is a ground (electric potential=0) and the auxiliary electrode 1103 has been impressed with the same electric potential as the substrate 1105. As can be understood from FIGS. 11A and 11B, the electric field 1108 can be broadly divided up into an electric field heading from the working electrode 1101 to the upper electrode 1107 and an electric field heading from the working electrode 1101 to the auxiliary electrode 1108. The electric field headed from the working electrode to the upper electrode is involved as it is in the reaction with the upper electrode layer, wherein the spreading condition of that electric field has a close relationship with etching line width. The electric field heading from the working electrode to the auxiliary electrode is restricted in its electric field width due to its absorption of a part of the electric field originally heading from the working electrode to the upper electrode layer, thus acting to prevent the etching line width from unlimited spreading.
FIG. 9 illustrates a conventional electrolytic etching apparatus suitable for cases of etching the periphery of a rectangular substrate using the basic configuration of FIG. 8. FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration in which an etching electrode 904 mounted in a rectangle on a substrate upper portion is arranged having a narrow gap in the space between it and the substrate 905.
FIG. 10 illustrates an electrolytic etching apparatus, which further employs a rotating drum suitable for continuous processing in the apparatus shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1001 denotes an XY robot for substrate conveyance, reference numeral 1002 denotes a substrate absorption pad, reference numeral 1003 denotes a rotating drum and reference numeral 1009 denotes an air cylinder for etching electrode drive.
In this apparatus, the substrate is mounted on the rotating drum 1003 and is immersed in an electrolyte 1006 by rotating. After this, the substrate is moved by the air cylinder 1009 until the electrode 1004 strikes a strike pin (not shown), whereby a fixed space is secured from the substrate 1005. This space is usually designed to be extremely narrow, at about 0.1 mm to 1 mm, which prevents the electric field from leaking, whereby a fine etching line can be formed. After the electrode position has been decided, current is passed from the power source 1008 to carry out electrolytic etching.
As described above, to effectively extract the power of a solar battery, it is important that the etching lines be as fine as possible and be formed as far as possible on a cell edge so that the effective region can be as broad as possible.
However, in a conventional electrolytic etching method, it was impossible to form a fine line on a cell edge because of alignment problems with the electrode position accuracy and substrate position accuracy.
That is, if the alignment accuracy of the electrode position and the substrate position is, for example, 0.2 mm, unless either the etching line is widened by 0.2 mm more than the originally required width, or the electrode is positioned about 0.2 mm inside the originally required position, the etching pattern may not form at all on the substrate edge. In a region in which an etching pattern is not formed, because shunt portions in the cell remain, cell output worsens.
Trying to solve this problem by improving the alignment accuracy would require a large-scale mechanical apparatus, which makes implementation extremely difficult.
Because of the above-described points, forming a fine etching line on a cell edge was difficult, which was a limitation on effective extraction of power.

Electrolytic etching method and method of producing a solar battery

Abstract: Provided is a an electrolytic etching method of a substrate which is formed having a subject etching layer on a surface, having the steps of providing a fixed gap from a substrate end surface which is external to an end surface of the substrate for placing a working part of a working electrode and passing current between the substrate and the working electrode.


A system is provided that, in some aspects, determines a user's intent to place a wager or redeem a wager based on bar codes generated by a client device operated by the user.

In certain wagering systems, paper vouchers and tickets may be used to place wagers. However, a user may accumulate many pieces of paper for a single wager. For example, a user may receive a paper voucher, a paper ticket, and an additional paper voucher if the wager is successful. The amount of paper may be multiplied if a user conducts multiple wagers.


An electric machine includes a housing having an outer surface and an inner surface defining an interior zone. A solenoid mounting section is provided on the housing. The solenoid mounting section includes a shift lever opening that extends from the outer surface through the inner surface. A solenoid tower is mounted to the housing. The solenoid tower extends from a first end detachably coupled to the solenoid mounting section to a second end configured to receive a solenoid. The first end includes an opening that registers with the shift lever opening. At least one of the solenoid mounting section and the solenoid tower includes a seal.

Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electric machines and, more particularly to a starter motor having a removable solenoid tower.
Conventional internal combustion engines employ a motor starter to initialize motor rotation. Once initialized, combustion gases provide energy to maintain the motor rotation. Thus, once the engine begins normal operation, the motor starter must disengage. A typical motor starter includes an armature having a commutator and a plurality of windings arranged within a magnetic field. Electrical energy is passed through two or more brushes into the commutator. The electrical energy is transformed into magnetic energy that causes the armature to rotate. The rotation of the armature is imparted to a flywheel of the internal combustion engine.
The motor starter typically includes a gear that is selectively moved into engagement with the flywheel. A solenoid, mounted to the motor starter, selectively extends the gear into engagement with the flywheel upon activation of the starter motor. The gear is retracted upon cessation of power to the motor starter. In addition to the gear, the motor starter typically includes a clutch which ensures that the flywheel does not over spin the motor starter when the internal combustion engine starts.

Starter motor including a removable solenoid tower


An expandable portion of an implant has a total volume and includes a plurality of chambers, each having a volume less than the total volume. At least one of the chambers includes a biocompatible media which is liquid at room temperature. The at least one chamber is closed, so that by increasing the temperature of the liquid, the pressure in the chamber increases.

Bone fixation devices made of polymeric materials are today commonly used as pins, screws or pegs. One clinical problem encountered is that the pullout strength of these devices is quite low. To increase the holding strength, welding, e.g. by heat introduction of these polymeric implants is used. Depending on the anatomical shape or density of the bone, welding may not sufficiently increase the holding strength. Another clinical problem can arise due to thin or weak bone structures.


Described herein are embodiments of a hard mask including a surface to reduce adhesion to an anti-reflective material deposited on a surface, wherein the surface to reduced adhesion provides use of a process to remove the anti-reflective material deposited on the surface that minimizes damage to an interlayer dielectric layer below the hard mask and methods of manufacturing the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor devices and more specifically to patterning of an interlayer dielectric layer.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The fabrication of semiconductor devices with smaller dimensions and the increasing switching speeds of transistors necessitate the use of copper lines and low-k interlayer dielectric (ILD) layers to accommodate the high speed signals. The use of the copper and low-k interlayer dielectric layers reduces the resistance of the metal interconnects and the capacitance between the metal interconnects to enable the high speed signals to be transmitted. Because low-k interlayer dielectric layers are affected by similar process techniques that are used to pattern and remove other layers used to create a semiconductor device, the low-k interlayer dielectric layer is susceptible to being altered from the shape or characteristics the layer was designed to exhibit.
A current solution to protect a low-k interlayer dielectric layer is to form a hard mask layer over a low-k interlayer dielectric to protect the low-k interlayer dielectric layer from processes performed on other layers. For example, an anti-reflective layer and a photoresist layer may be formed over an interlayer dielectric layer for patterning the interlayer dielectric layer as necessary to form a semiconductor device. Once the low-k interlayer dielectric layer is patterned, the remaining photoresist and anti-reflective layer must be removed. In the absence of using a hard mask layer that separates the interlayer dielectric layer from the anti-reflective and the photoresist layers, an etch process or a chemical mechanical polishing process performed to remove an anti-reflective layer and a photoresist layer would result in degradation of the interlayer dielectric layer. As mentioned above, the degradation results because the chemistries that are used to etch or remove photoresist and anti-reflective layers are the same chemistries that may be used to remove an ILD layer. Therefore, the characteristics or dimensions of the patterns in the ILD may be significantly altered during the etching or removal of an anti-reflective and photoresist layers. This ultimately would result in unreliable operation of semiconductor devices or low manufacturing yields of properly operating semiconductor devices. Therefore, the use of a hard mask is needed to protect the ILD layer from the processes used to alter other layers.
Problems arise in the use of a hard mask when the material used for the hard mask reacts with the layer deposited above the hard mask. Such a reaction may create a strong adhesion between the hard mask and the upper adjoining layer, such as an anti-reflective layer, making an adjoining layer more difficult to remove. Therefore, a more aggressive chemistry must be used, longer exposure to a removal process must be used, or a combination of an aggressive chemistry and longer exposure to a removal process must be used to remove the upper layers from the hard mask. The use of a more aggressive chemistry and longer exposure to a removal process results in excessive degradation of an interlayer dielectric layer. Such degradation includes the interlayer dielectric layer unpredictably undercutting the hard mask. Because degradation of the interlayer dielectric layer, such as undercutting, effects the characteristics and dimensions of the interlayer dielectric layer the operating characteristics of a semiconductor device and reliability of a semiconductor device are degraded.

Hard mask for low-k interlayer dielectric patterning


A curable composition exhibiting excellent moldability without mold staining or delamination is provided, including an epoxy resin, a curing agent for the epoxy resin, and a polyphenylene oxide compound having a glass transition temperature between about 165° C. and about 190° C. The polyphenylene oxide compound may be provided as a melt blended mixture of two polyphenylene oxide compounds having distinct glass transition temperatures. The curable compositions may further include a bulk filler, and are therefore particularly useful as molding compounds encapsulation of electrical and/or electronic parts in transfer molding operations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to curable compositions having long term moldability, particularly epoxy-based molding compounds exhibiting moisture resistance and long term moldability without staining the mold surface.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
Epoxy resins are widely used in molding compounds for coating electrical and electronic devices. Such epoxy molding compounds used for encapsulation are generally prepared from a blend of an epoxy resin and phenol hardener, along with other ingredients including fillers, catalysts, flame-retardant materials, processing aids, and colorants. Epoxy resins in such molding compounds are traditionally diepoxides which include two epoxy groups per molecule, which are reacted with a co-reactant (cross-linking agent or hardener), such as an acid dianhydride, diamine, or diphenol oligomers. Diphenol oligomers, such as those derived from novolac phenols, cresol phenols and bisphenol A, are particularly preferred in the art as hardeners due to their high reliability.
An important feature of such epoxy molding compositions is their ability to mold within standard industry molding operations to provide an encapsulated electrical or electronic device which does not include any defects, whether functionally or cosmetically. For example, during the molding operation, the molding composition is subjected to increased temperatures to cause curing of the composition and encapsulate the electronic device. The composition should exhibit appropriate adherence to the surfaces of the electronic device to prevent delamination, should not include any voids, blisters, knitlines, etc., and should properly release from the mold equipment without causing any staining, flow marks, or the like.
The Joint Electron Devices Engineering Counsel (JEDEC) has set forth a series of test parameters for proper moldability for such molding compositions. JEDEC Level 1 testing requires molding materials to be exposed to 85° C. and 85% relative humidity for a period of 168 hours, after which time the molding materials are heated to a temperature of 260° C. The molding material is then analyzed for any voids or defects and for delamination.
It is recognized in the industry that stress reliever compounds such as polyphenylene oxide can be incorporated into such molding compositions to reduce package stress and improve interface adherence properties required for achieving the JEDEC Level 1 testing procedures. However, such polyphenylene oxide compounds may cause the molding equipment to develop mold stains, or may cause defects in the aesthetics of the molded article such as flow marks on the article, during prolonged use. For example, typical transfer molding operations may involve a single piece of molding equipment which is continuously charged with a molding composition in the form of a pellet. The pellet is heated and flowed or forced into a molding cavity to envelop an electronic substrate contained in the mold cavity and to cure, thereby encapsulating the substrate in a desired shape according to the shape of the mold. During prolonged use, the molding equipment is continuously charged with a substantial number of pellets, commonly referred to as "shots". After prolonged use, mold stains may develop in the molding cavity and/or flow marks may appear on the molded articles, believed to be due to one or more compositions within the molding compound forming a streaking effect.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide molding compositions that exhibit long term moldability including interface adherence properties capable of meeting industry standards without adverse affects such as mold staining or flow marks.


Device per preparing in advance magazines (21) for films to be introduced in a film developing machine, comprising a flat table (32) provided on the upper part of the preparation station (27) of the machine, which is shaped with a set of seats adapted to house the materials and the tools provided to join the films to be developed, which are either contained in their rolls in the case of films of size 135 or introduced in a suitable container (67) in the case of films of different sizes, with the associated leader (63).. Such joining, in particular, is carried out directly on the magazine (21) which rests on a suitable seat of the flat table (32).. Each so prepared magazine is inserted in the loading station (23) of the film developing machine, where the file is fully unrolled therefrom and, in the case of film of size 135, also cut at its terminal end.. The particular shape of the magazine (21) and of the loading station (23) of the film developing machine are described, which permit the treatment of film of each size by avoiding any possible slipping of the films out of the associated magazine (21).

The present invention relates to a simple and practical device for preparing film magazines for film developing machines, as well as to a new film magazine adapted to contain films of different sizes and to permit the automatic developing thereof in a film developing machine.
Developing machines for differently sized films are known, and substantially comprise a closed casing into which the films to be developed are introduced from a loading station. The films are hooked or connected in a suitable way to a feeding mechanism which transports such films through a series of tanks containing different chemical treatment baths of conventional types in which the films are progressively treated and developed. Then the films arrive at a subsequent drying station where the developed films are thoroughly dried with conventional means and, finally, the films arrive at a storage station external to the machine where they can be picked up.
In particular, the films which are exposed and are wound around their respective reels are introduced to a preparation station normally adjacent to the loading station. The preparation station is a light-proof station and is provided with flexible tubes for receiving the operator's hands during the handling of such films. From here the films are transferred into a suitable container and thereafter they are connected at their one end to a correspondent "leader" constituted by a sheet of plastic material. Tape is used to join the film and leader on both surfaces of the same. Finally, a self-adhesive label for identifying the film is normally applied on the end of the film. Afterwards, the so prepared film is disposed in a feeding mechanism of the loading station and is engaged by such mechanism so that each leader and the film connected thereto are entrained by the feeding mechanism so as to be moved through the different treatment tanks and the drying and storage stations of the machine.
Instead of the above-mentioned joining method, other film developing machines of conventional kind use a specific type of magazine adapted to contain films of different sizes. These magazines are introduced to the loading station of the machines whereby the films are automatically entrained by the feeding mechanism.
In particular, in the prior art machines the films are loaded in the magazine by always handling the film within the preparation station in the above-mentioned conventional manner.
However, the manner in which the films to be developed must be inserted into the developing machine is inconvenient.
In the machines which do not employ a magazine, the different operations of preparing the films and introducing the films to the feeding mechanism of the loading station of the machines must be carried out with precision in order for the films to be perfectly aligned with the feeding mechanism and thus effectively entrained.
In practice, undesirable inconveniences may occur which may be irreparable. For instance, a casual and unintentional extraction of the film from its respective container may occur, particularly during the transferring thereof from the preparation station to the loading station. In addition, the machines which employ the magazines are limited to handling and developing only films with a pre-established size (at present, exclusively to size 135). Thus, it is impossible to develop films of different sizes in the same conventional machine of this type.

Film magazine for feeding film developing machines and device for preparing said magazine


A light bar includes an optical fiber, a mounting member, and a fiber supporting member. The fiber supporting member is connected to the mounting member. The optical fiber is supported by the fiber supporting member.

There are many types of lights using optical fiber that are commercially available. These lights are used both in home and commercial settings.
One example of such a light is a lamp including a base and a multi-strand optical fiber. The optical fiber is inserted into the base and the strands of the optical fiber form a sphere above the base. In this lamp, light is emitted in all directions.
In this type of lamp, there is no directionality to the light emitted. Therefore, it is somewhat difficult to control the lighting of a room wherein the lamp is located. Also, the lamp is not easily affixed to a generally vertical surface.
Other examples of fiber optic lights include a tubular member through which a multi-strand optical fiber is inserted. The tubular member includes a plurality of openings for receiving the strands of the optical fiber. Many types of such lights are commercially available. However, there is typically no flexibility in the manner through which a tubular member is mounted to a surface or supported by a base.
In addition, commercially available lights have a geometry that makes assembly of the light difficult.
Against this background, there exists a need in the industry to provide a novel fiber optic light bar.


In an apparatus and method of selecting a label switched path (LSP) in a network management system, a status analyzing unit analyzes and digitizes performance information, fault occurrence, and fault history of a link. A link weight managing unit which determines link weight values using a predetermined weight calculation algorithm on second constraints that corresponds to qualitative information related to performance analysis of a path. An LSP selecting unit selects a path, from among paths on a path list, that satisfies first constraints which corresponds to objective information related to a path selection required by the administrative network policy, and, when there are several selected paths, selects a path that minimizes expense using the link weight values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method of selecting a label switched path (LSP) in a network management system, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method of selecting an LSP from an ingress node to an egress node in a multi protocol label switch (MPLS) system, where constraints are reflected in a network status. The apparatus and method are practical in terms of increasing reliability and adaptability of the network, since a path is calculated by arbitrating priority between network policies.
2. Description of the Related Art
One conventional technology is searching for a path, having various constraints, such as constraints on bandwidth, delay, etc., combined with a Dijkstra's algorithm, which is a method of selecting a shortest path. The current conventional technology has been used as a path selection algorithm for a routing protocol called OSPF-TE (open shortest path first-traffic engineering), and exchanges information about a status of an adjacent network in order to obtain more accurate information about a status of an adjacent network. An example of the current conventional technology is a method of selecting a path based on quality of service (QoS), which calculates and selects the path based on the expense and delay of a link. However, in the current conventional technology, processing selecting path is difficult when constraints conflict, and the network is loaded due to flooding information between devices.
Another conventional technology is a method of supporting a label switched path (LSP) from an ingress node to an egress node with a service level agreement (SLA). The method sets the LSP, monitors the status of a link and utilization of the link, and re-arbitrates the set LSP in a centralized network management system. In the current conventional technology, a load generated while exchanging information, that is to be transmitted to each node, is reduced using the centralized network management system so as to ensure high efficiency of path calculation. However, the conflict between the constraints cannot be suitably controlled.

Apparatus and method of selecting label switched path in network management system

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


Techniques for producing higher fidelity interferometer measurements by reducing sensitivity to spurious sources include reducing the coherence length of an electromagnetic beam. In addition, multiple surfaces within an optical system may be measured by electronically tuning the position of a coherence plane along the optical paths of an interferometer. A phase modulator is used in conjunction with a long coherence length electromagnetic source to generate beams for each leg of an interferometer. Providing a controlled broadband RF signal to the phase modulator increases the bandwidth of the beam and thereby reduces the coherence length of the beam. This reduces the spurious contributions to the output interference fringes from undesired surfaces along the beam path.

Coherence is a property of waves, such as those in the electromagnetic spectrum, in which light is a subset. The property of coherence enables two waves to exhibit interference. When waves interfere, parts of the waves may add constructively or subtract destructively. Coherence, or the degree of coherence, is a parameter that quantifies the ability of the two waves to interfere with each another. The property of coherence is used in various applications such as interferometry, positioning, optical testing, holography, optical strain sensors, radio antenna arrays, optical tomography, telescope interferometers, radio astronomy and many other optical and radio frequency (RF) applications.
In addition to coherence relating to the ability of two waves to interfere, coherence may also relate to one wave's ability to interfere with itself. More specifically, the degree of coherence of a wave can imply how much a wave is like a copy of itself shifted slightly in time or space. For example, any wave is perfectly identical to a copy of itself that is not shifted. However, shifting the copy of the wave a small amount might cause the copy to appear nothing like the original wave. Such a wave has a lower degree of coherence than a wave that can be shifted by a larger amount and still be similar to itself. So the higher the degree of coherence, the more self-similar the wave is. In other words, the wave has a higher autocorrelation, since it correlates more strongly with itself.
Electromagnetic waves, such as light or RF waves, have a constant speed of propagation represented by the symbol "c" which is approximately 300,000,000 meters per second in vacuum. Since the speed is constant, an electromagnetic wave can be counted on to move a specific distance when a specific amount of time passes. Also, a specific amount of time passes when an electromagnetic wave moves a specific distance. As such, shifting, or moving, an electromagnetic wave can be described as a change in time or a change in distance. These descriptions (temporal and spatial) can generally be used interchangeably as the speed of propagation "c" can be used to convert between the time and the distance.
Any wave will correlate perfectly to a copy of itself that is not shifted. A slightly coherent wave will also correlate somewhat with a slightly shifted copy of itself, but will likely not correlate at all with a copy of itself that is shifted a large amount. In contrast, a perfectly coherent wave will correlate perfectly with a copy of itself that is shifted by any amount. A wave that can be transversely shifted a large amount and remain correlated to itself is said to have high spatial coherence, whereas a wave that can be longitudinally shifted a large amount and remain correlated to itself is said to have high temporal coherence. Temporal coherence can be quantified by the coherence length or the coherence time, which is the coherence length divided by "c".
The spectral content of a signal, or a wave, can be considered from a "frequency domain" point of view. Such a frequency domain view can be obtained by performing the Fourier transform of the time-domain representation of the signal. The bandwidth of the signal is the span of frequencies over which its spectral content is non-zero. For example, lasers generally have a very narrow bandwidth. A theoretically perfect laser might have only one frequency component, and thus an infinitesimally small bandwidth. The frequency domain view of the signal from such a perfect laser would appear as a single line at the frequency of the laser. This line can be represented mathematically by the delta function. Accordingly, such a source of electromagnetic energy can be referred to as a line source. In contrast, white light is composed of a broad range of frequencies that are visible to the human eye. That is, white light has many frequency components, and thus a wide bandwidth. A source  of white light, far from being a line source, is instead a broadband, or wideband, source.
Since a laser can emit a (very nearly) single frequency of radiation, the light is monochromatic, or generally always the same, or highly self-similar. Thus, laser light can be very coherent. In other words, laser light can have a very long coherence length. For example, a frequency stabilized helium-neon (HeNe) laser can produce light with coherence lengths of several kilometers. In contrast, white light is made up of many different frequencies. With such great diversity of spectral content, a wave from a white light source may not be very similar if examined at different times or places along the wave. That is, the wave is not highly self-similar, not very coherent, and may have an extremely short coherence length. With such a short coherence length, the white light wave will only interfere with a copy of itself that is very minimally shifted in time or space.
Interferometry is a technique where interference between two or more waves creates an interference pattern that can be analyzed to determine differences between the waves. Interferometry is often used for measuring small path length differences such as would occur from small distance or refractive-index differences. One or more interference patterns are typically processed to extract phase maps or other useful data. Interferometers often use two waves having the same frequency. This can be accomplished by splitting a single source into two, in which case each of the splits might be called a leg or branch of the interferometer. Where the two waves are in phase, they will interfere constructively (add to each other), while where they are out of phase, they will interfere destructively (cancel each other out). Thus the constructive or destructive interferences shown within the interference pattern can indicate differences in the path lengths between the arms of the interferometer. There are many types of interferometers all of which employ the same basic principles. Some examples include the Michelson interferometer, the Twyman-Green interferometer, the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the Sagnac interferometer, and the Fabry-Perot interferometer.
It is often desirable for the interference pattern of interest to have the highest contrast possible. This occurs when regions of destructive interference produce nearly complete cancellation of the waves, and regions of constructive interference have the greatest wave amplitude. In the past, this has typically meant that the path length difference between the two paths of interest would have to be much smaller than the coherence length of the source. So, for example, if a white-light source is used, its extremely short coherence length necessitates that the interferometer's two path lengths would have to be almost exactly the same.
In an interferometer setup there are generally many surfaces within the system off of which the waves may reflect or scatter creating wave paths in addition to those of the main interfering legs. Although these are not the main interfering wave paths, they can still introduce extraneous interference patterns if their path length differences are shorter than the source's coherence length. These extraneous patterns can mix with the desired interference pattern, making the resulting pattern more difficult to process, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the interferometer. Various techniques may be used to attempt to mitigate the occurrence of these extraneous fringe patterns, including the use of: wedged optics, anti-reflection coatings, field stops, software processing, phase shifting, polarization adjustment, and other methods. These techniques may be difficult to employ, expensive, and/or have limited efficacy.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.


Multiple camera angles of an interactive event are simultaneously transmitted as part of a broadcast. The simultaneous distribution of multiple synchronized streams of audio and/or visual information enables switching between cameras to be made by the audience members without interruption of the presentation of the event. In one embodiment, a performance studio might send out multiple synchronized concurrent streams. For example, a performance studio might transmit four distinct camera angles or streams, each at varying quality levels, such as the illustrated high-bandwidth and low-bandwidth encodings. Selection of the stream may also direct interactive feedback portions generated by the selecting audience member towards the selected object/individual. Alternatively, interactive feedback generated by the audience member may be directed globally to the producers of the event and selectively to the performers and other audience members of the event.

Attempts to display media on computers date back to the earliest days of computing. However, little progress was made for several decades, primarily due to the high cost, limited capabilities and to a lesser extent compatibilities of available computer hardware. Recently consumer-grade personal computers have become powerful enough to display various types of media, including high quality audio and/or video streams.
Streaming multimedia represents one method of media distribution. In essence streaming multimedia is multimedia that is broadcast by a streaming provider to an end-user. Generally, the term streaming specifically refers to the delivery method of the data rather than to the content. Unfortunately, streaming typically requires tremendous bandwidth and/or latency to cache the data locally. Recent advances in computer networks combined with powerful home computers and modern operating systems have made possible, i.e. practical and affordable, the near universal distribution of streaming media for ordinary consumers. Universal distribution represents multimedia that is constantly received by, and normally presented to, an end-user while it is being delivered by a streaming provider.
A stream of media can be on demand or live. On demand streams are stored on a server for a long period of time, and are available to be transmitted at a user's request. Live streams may still use a server to broadcast the event, but are typically only available at one particular time, such as a video stream of a live sporting event, a political debate, educational lecture, or a concert. Live streams may be edited and converted into on demand streams for later content consumption. Current on demand or live streams lose any possibility for constructive feedback from the streaming targets. Essentially, live online presentations to large streaming audiences generally only provide unidirectional information in a manner that is difficult to facilitate observer participation. On demand performances are presented after the fact, preventing the presenter and/or observer(s) from directly altering the previously recorded presentation. Moreover, customized presentation of the event for each end-user is also limited due to bandwidth constraints.

Switching camera angles during interactive events


A method for producing a bipolar transistor is described, which comprises providing a layer sequence, which comprises a substrate, a first oxide layer and a SOI layer, generating a collector region in the substrate, generating a second oxide layer on the layer sequence, generating a base region in the first oxide layer, such that the base region is in contact with the SOI layer, generating an emitter region on the base region such that the emitter region is isolated from the SOI layer, and generating a collector contact, a base contact and an emitter contact. The present invention is based on the knowledge that the production of a bipolar transistor can be made significantly less expensive when the above layer sequence is used for its production, and thereby, the base region is generated in the BOX layer while the collector region is formed in the substrate. Thereby, otherwise required production process steps and particularly layer deposition steps, such as for a polysilicon or oxide layer, are saved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bipolar transistors and particularly to vertical bipolar transistors in SOI technology as well as the production of the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When applying bipolar transistors in the analog domain, high demands are made on noiselessness, high-speed and high-frequency capability, respectively, and the power consumption of bipolar transistors. Additionally, for cost reduction, there is the desire to be able to produce bipolar transistors via standard methods, such as in CMOS technology (CMOS=complementary metal oxide semiconductor).
In H. Nii, etc., "A 67 GHz fmax Lateral Bipolar Transistor with Co-silicid Base Electrode Structure on Thin Film SOI for RF Analog Applications", in Maes, H. etc., ESSDERC '99, Proceedings of the 29th European Solid-State Device Research Conference, Leuven '99, pp. 212–215, a lateral bipolar transistor in SOI technology is described. The production of the bipolar transistor starts from an SOI substrate consisting of a SOI (silicon on isolator) layer and a BOX (BOX=buried oxide) layer. First, N− collector ions are implanted in the SOI layer. Then, a polysilicon layer is deposited on the SOI layer and implanted with BF2. Apart from a small lateral area, the polycrystalline layer and the monocrystalline silicon of the SOI layer are etched into the SOI layer. A lateral NPN bipolar transistor is realized in the SOI layer by tilted B and BF2 implantation and implantations of emitter and collector ions. A Co-silicide base electrode is formed at the polysilicon layer as base terminal.
In K. Washio, "A 0.2-μm 180-GHZ-fmax 6.7-ps-ECL SOI/HRS Self-Aligned SEG SiGe HPT/CMOS Technology for Microwave and High Speed Digital Application", IEDM 2000, pp. 741–744, a CMOS heterostructure bipolar transistor on SOI base is described, where a collector well is formed in the SOI layer and where the base, base terminal and emitter region are formed by polysilicon deposition, so that this heterostructure bipolar transistor has a double polysilicon layer structure.
In W. Klein, etc., "75 GHz Bipolar Production-Technology for the 21st Century", in Maes, H. etc., ESSDERC '99, Proceedings of the 29th European Solid-State Device Research Conference, Leuven '99, pp. 88–94, a bipolar transistor is described, whose structure corresponds to the one shown in FIG. 3. The bipolar transistor 500 shown in FIG. 3 consists of a p substrate 502, an oxide layer 504, a polysilicon layer 506, a second oxide layer 508, an isolation layer 510 and a metal layer 518, which have been processed appropriately, to result in the bipolar transistor 500.
The bipolar transistor 500 as shown in FIG. 3 requires the following production steps for its construction. First, oxide ridges 520a, 520b and 520c are formed in the p substrate 502 by a Locos method or a trench isolation technique (STI; STI=shallow trench isolation). Then, an n collector well 522 is formed in the p substrate by high-energy implantation. The oxide layer 504 is deposited on this structure. Then, the polysilicon layer 506 is deposited on the layer 504 and subjected to a p+ doping. Subsequently, the second oxide layer 508 and a further layer (not shown in the final state in FIG. 3, since it will be removed prior to completion) are deposited on the layer 506. Then, the stack of layers 508, 506 and 504 will be structured appropriately to form a base terminal 524 of the polysilicon layer 506 and a hole 526 in the stack of layers 506, 508 and the layer of nitride. A nitride sidewall spacer, which defines an emitter window 530, is generated in the hole 526 by an appropriate method. Through the emitter window 530, a base region 532 is formed by wet etching, wherein an epitaxy base region 532 is formed by selective epitaxial growth. After a nitride removal, where the nitride layer, which is not shown, is removed, and a further generation of a spacer 528, n doped polycrystalline silicon is deposited and structured to form an emitter region 534. By depositing the isolation layer 510, providing vias 536, 538 and 540 for contacting the base terminal 524, the emitter region 534 and the n collector well 522, respectively, and by providing the metal contacts 542, 544 and 546 in the metal layer 518, the production of the bipolar transistor 500 is completed.
The disadvantage of the bipolar transistor shown in FIG. 3 is its relatively expensive production. Particularly, five layers have to be deposited on the substrate 502 for producing the bipolar transistor, namely the oxide layer 504, the polysilicon layer 506, the second oxide layer 508, the nitride layer and the polycrystalline material of the emitter terminal 534.

Bipolar transistor and method for producing the same


A network device includes a network protocol controller and a device controller. The device controller controls a plurality of service devices including a first device, and a second device of different type from the first device. The network protocol controller and the device controller are connected by a packetized logical channel for the first device. The network protocol controller, upon having received a message in the network plug-and-play protocol and destined for the second device, transfers the content of the message body of the received message to the device controller, using the logical channel for the first device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control technology for a network device compliant with network plug-and-play.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plug-and-play is a well-known technology that enables peripheral devices to be connected to a computer or disconnected from a computer at arbitrary timing after computer startup. In recent years, extension of plug-and-play technology to networks has led the development of Universal Plug and Play (hereinafter UPnP; UPnP is a trademark of UPnP Implementers Corporation). The use of UPnP enables network devices to be connected to a network or disconnected from the network at arbitrary timing. Herein, the architecture for realizing such plug-and-play capability in a network will be termed "network plug-and-play" in this specification.
UPnP compliant network devices are able to function as service devices of various kinds. Here, "service device" refers to a device for executing a particular service in response to an external request. Service devices can be realized as devices of various kinds, such as a printer, scanner, fax, copier, memory device, camera, clock or the like. It is also possible for the functions of several service devices to be realized by a single device.
In this way, UPnP compliant network devices can take a variety of forms. A problem, however, is that controlling such network devices can easily become complicated.

Control of network plug-and-play compliant device


A loading system for providing a cell suitable for delivery of an agent to a vertebrate, the system comprise a loading module for loading a cell with an agent; and a sensitisation module in fluid communication with the loading module, the sensitisation module for sensitising a cell to an energy field, such that said cell is induced to release the agent upon exposure to said energy field. The system can be used to transform a cell, such as a red blood cell, into a delivery vehicle for delivering a therapeutic agent and/or an imaging agent to a vertebrate, and in particular, to a mammal, such as a human being.

This invention relates to the field of medical devices. In particular, the invention relates to a system for rendering a delivery vehicle suitable for delivery of an agent to a vertebrate, and a method of using the same.
The delivery of therapeutic agents to specific tissues is desirable to ensure that a sufficiently high dose of a given agent is delivered to a selected tissue while avoiding undesirable side effects in tissues that are not diseased. For example, in the treatment of cancer, it is necessary to use a high enough dose of a drug to kill abnormally proliferating cells without killing an unacceptably high number of normal cells. Thus, one of the major challenges of disease treatment is to identify ways of using cellular drug delivery vehicles to incorporate and to selectively release agents at a desired target site.
It has been suggested that red blood cells (RBCs) may be exploited as active agent/drug delivery vehicles (DeLoach and Sprandel 1985, Bibliotheca Haematologica; Publ. Karger, Munich) since it is possible to incorporate agents into human RBCs using a variety of loading techniques. An example of a loading technique is electroporation. During electroporation, red blood cell membranes are made transiently permeable by exposing the membranes to short pulses of high electric fields, thereby allowing agents of interest to enter the cells. The electroporation process allows high loading indices to be achieved within a very short time period (Flynn et al., 1994, Cancer Letts., 82, 225-229).
Loading of cells after osmotic shock followed by a recovery period to allow cells to recover isotonicity, and loading after hypotonic shock, followed by reverse hypotonic dialysis has also been performed (see, e.g., Luque and Pinilla, 1993, Ind Farmac. 8, 53-59).
The present invention provides a system for rendering a cell, such as a red blood cell, suitable for use as a delivery vehicle for delivering an agent (e.g., a drug) to a vertebrate.
The invention provides a loading system for loading a cell with an agent and for sensitising a cell to an energy field, thereby allowing a cell to release its contents, including the agent, in response to the energy field.
In one embodiment, the system comprises: a loading module for loading a cell with an agent; and a sensitisation module in fluid communication with the loading module, the sensitisation module for sensitising a cell to an energy field, such that the cell is induced to release the agent upon exposure to the energy field, and wherein the sensitisation module and the loading module are separate.
In one embodiment, the loading module comprises a mechanism for loading the cell by hypotonic dialysis.
In another embodiment, the loading module comprises one or more hollow fibers.
In a further embodiment, the system comprises a pre-sensitisation module for exposing a cell to a condition which increases the ability of a cell to be loaded in the loading module at least two-fold compared to a cell which is not pre-sensitised. In one embodiment, the presensitisation module and the sensitisation module are integral. In another embodiment, the presensitisation module and the sensitisation module are separate and are in fluid connection with each other.
In one embodiment, one or both of the sensitisation module and the pre-sensitisation module are in communication with a source of electrical energy.
In another embodiment, the sensitisation module comprises a chamber for receiving at least one cell, one or more walls of the chamber being defined by electrodes to enable an electric field to be established within the chamber. In one embodiment, at least one electrode has a crenellated or sinusoidal cross sectional profile. In another embodiment, the sensitisation module comprises one or more flow-through cuvettes. In still another embodiment, the sensitisation module comprises one or more micropores. In a further embodiment, the micropore comprise electrodes positioned to define a space capable of allowing passage of a cell. In one embodiment, the cell is a red blood cell. In another embodiment, the electrodes are tubular.
In one embodiment, the system further comprises a resealing module for resealing the cell subsequent to loading. In another embodiment, the system further comprises a monitoring module comprising a sensor for sensing the amount of agent which is loaded into the red blood cell. In a further embodiment, the system comprises a feedback mechanism adapted to receive a signal from the monitoring module and to alter one or more loading parameters to adjust the amount of agent loaded into the cell.
As described above, the system comprises a plurality of modules. The modules can be configured and/or operated in a number of different ways:
In a first embodiment of the invention, the system comprises a sensitisation module (S) and a loading module (L). The sensitisation module and loading module are in fluid connection with each other. The sensitisation module acts on cells to sensitize the cells such that the cells undergo lysis upon the subsequent application of an energy field such as ultrasound. The loading module enables the cells to be loaded with an agent of interest. The sensitisation module may be placed before or after the loading module, such that the cells are sensitised and subsequently loaded, or loaded and subsequently sensitised. In a preferred embodiment, the cells which are loaded are red blood cells.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the system comprises a pre-sensitisation module (P), a sensitisation module (S) and a loading module (L). The modules are in fluid connection with each other. The sensitisation and loading modules act on the cells, as described above and therefore may be connected to each other in any order. The pre-sensitisation module enables the cells to be pre-sensitised so that the cells will subsequently undergo efficient loading, and must therefore be placed before the loading module. The modules may therefore be connected in the following order: S, P, L; P, S, L; and P, L, S.
In a third embodiment of the invention, the system comprises a pre-sensitisation module and a loading module in fluid connection with each other. As noted above, the pre-sensitisation module acts on cells so that the cells will subsequently undergo efficient loading, and thus, this module is placed before the loading module. In a preferred embodiment, the cells are red blood cells.
In a fourth embodiment, the system comprises a pre-sensitisation/sensitisation module (referred to here as a xe2x80x9cbifunctional modulexe2x80x9d) and a loading module in fluid connection with each other. In this embodiment a single module is used to enable pre-sensitisation and sensitisation of cells. A number of ways of configuring the modules are available in this embodiment. In one option, the cells pass into the bifunctional module first for pre-sensitisation and then into the loading module for loading. After passing through the loading module, the cells pass back into the bifunctional module for a second time, where sensitisation of the cells takes place. In a preferred embodiment, the cells are red blood cells.
A further option is to pass the cells into the bifunctional module for pre-sensitisation, then back through the bifunctional module for a second time for sensitisation. After exiting the bifunctional module for a second time the cells are then fed into the loading module for loading. The bifunctional module therefore acts to pre-sensitise the cells on the first pass and sensitise the cell on the second pass. The reverse configuration may also be used, in which the bifunctional module sensitises the cells the first time, and pre-sensitises the cells the second time. The cells are then loaded with agent in the loading module. In a preferred embodiment, the cells are red blood cells.
The loading systems described above may include additional modules such as an optional washing module, and/or an optional resealing module. Thus, one or both of the washing and resealing modules may be included in any of the configurations described above. These may be placed after the loading modules. Further resealing and/or washing modules may also be placed after the pre-sensitisation and sensitisation modules. Monitoring modules may also be used in any of the above-described combinations and in any positions in the system.
The invention further provides a method for providing a cell suitable for delivery of an agent to a vertebrate, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an system according to the first embodiment of the invention; (b) loading the cell with an agent in the loading module of the system according to the first embodiment of the invention; and (c) sensitising the cell in the sensitising means of the system. In a preferred embodiment, the method is used to transform a red blood cell into a delivery vehicle for an agent.
In another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a system according to the second embodiment of the invention; (b) loading the cell with an agent in the loading module of the system; and (c) pre-sensitising the cell in the pre-sensitising means of the system. In a preferred embodiment, the method is used to transform a red blood cell into a delivery vehicle for an agent.
In a further embodiment, the method comprises the use of an electroporation system for the sensitisation, or the pre-sensitisation of a cell, such as a red blood cell.

Loading system and method for using the same


This invention describes a method for providing a haptic feedback to a user of a wireless portable device (e.g., a gaming device or a mobile terminal or phone) utilizing a hybrid magnet controlling a friction brake based haptic actuator. This novel hybrid magnet actuator uses a displacement of a permanent magnet assembly relative to a magnet yoke to actively control the friction between the magnetic yoke and an anchor plate made from a magnetic material. This permanent magnet assembly displacement is achieved by using a coil incorporated within said the magnet yoke by applying an electric current of a predetermined direction and/or a predetermined pulse width or repetition rate to the coil.

Active haptic feedback devices, providing various techniques of a sensational feedback to users of such devices, have a broad range of applications applied to a variety of such devices including but not be limited to mouse devices, pointing devices, interface devices, control devices, touchpads, etc. (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,276 "Hybrid Control of Haptic Feedback for Host Computer and Interface Device", by A. C. Braun, et al. and references herein). However, the haptic applications mentioned above (e.g., using roller breaks or pure electromagnetic brakes as haptic actuator means) require a significant energy consumption and have a relatively large size which makes them hardly applicable to miniature and portable applications such as mobile phones. Therefore it is highly desirable to come out with an alternative method to apply active haptic techniques to such low energy consumption and small size applications.

Hybrid magnet for retarding haptic applications using active friction braking


The invention provides a non-enzymatic method for the release of cells which have been positively selected from a heterogeneous cell suspension by antibody-mediated binding to beads or other solid support. The method entails forming within the cell suspension a complex comprising the solid support linked to a primary antibody, which in turn is specifically bound to a cell surface antigen on the target cells. The complex is separated from the cell suspension, and then contacted with a specific peptide which binds to the primary antibody, displacing the antibody from the cell surface antigen, thereby releasing the target cell from the complex. The invention also provides methods for positive/negative cell selection wherein target cells having a first antigen are selected from a heterogeneous cell suspension containing undesired cells having a second antigen. The invention also provides methods for identifying a specific peptide useful for the release of a target cell from the binding of a specific primary antibody. The methods of the invention are particularly useful for the positive selection of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells and the concomitant purging of undesired tumor cells or lymphocytes from the positively selected cell population. The purified CD34+ cell composition is then useful for reinfusion to a cancer patient after high-dose therapy in order to reconstitute the patient's immune system.

The selection of one or more specific cell phenotypes from a heterogeneous cell composition, e.g. blood or bone marrow, has particular utility for cellular and gene therapies. For example, it has been demonstrated that the selection of cells expressing the CD34 antigen has utility in several therapies, such as a part of an adjunctive treatment for cancer (Civin, U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,035,994; 4,965,204; 5,081,030; 5,130,144). The selection of specific target cells for genetic manipulation is also of particular interest.
There are numerous cell selection techniques. For example, quiescent CD34+ cells may be selected by treating a hematopoietic cell culture with a chemical such as 5-fluorouracil which selectively kills dividing cells (Berardi, A. C. et al., Science 267:104-108, 1995). One particularly useful approach utilizes the selective binding of antibodies. Antibodies naturally bind to a specific antigen expressed by only certain cells. By matching an antibody to a specific cellular antigen, such cells may be physically removed or identified in a heterogeneous cell population. For discussions of antibody selection see Areman, E. et al., Eds. Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Processing, F. A. Davis Company, Philadelphia, 1992, and Gee, A. P., et al, Eds. Advances in Bone Marrow Purging and Processing, Wiley-Liss, New York, 1993.
Cellular selection techniques generally fall with two broad categories, negative cell selection and positive cell selection. As the terms imply, negative selection involves the removal of selected cell phenotypes from a population, while positive selection involves the selection or isolation of a specific cell phenotype from a larger heterogeneous cell population.
Negative cell selection techniques have found use in the removal of potentially harmful cells from a patient's or a donor's blood or bone marrow. For instance, a treatment for metastatic cancer may involve removal of a sample of the patient's bone marrow prior to ablative chemotherapy or radiation, with the intent to replace the patient's bone marrow cells after the ablative therapy in order to replenish hematopoietic cells. To minimize the risk of returning metastatic tumor cells to the patient, negative cell selection or purging is applied to the patient's bone marrow sample prior to reinfusion. One method of performing this negative cell selection involves the use of anti-tumor antibodies linked to a solid phase, such as magnetic beads, for binding the tumor cells and removing from blood, see (Hardwick, A., et al., J Hematotherapy 1:379-386, 1992). Negative selection of cells using lysis or enzymatic elimination of certain cells has also been employed (Areman, et al., supra).
As stated, positive selection involves targeting and separating a specific cell phenotype from a heterogeneous cell population. For example, cells expressing the CD34 antigen have been selected for use in bone marrow transplantation (Gee, et al., supra). While selection techniques employing toxic agents, e.g., (lytic agents), have been employed to eliminate certain cell types, the selectivity of such approaches are limited to removal or elimination of certain cells, not the affirmative selection of a specific cell type.
The use of antibodies for binding to specific cells has found widespread utility in positive selection techniques (Gee, et al., supra). One approach involves tagging or binding to the antibody a fluorescent dye and passing the antibody bound to the cell through a sorter. The cells to which the antibodies bind are identified and segregated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Another technique involves the binding of the antibody to a solid phase support or particle. Passing a cell composition past the antibody bearing support allows the antibodies to bind and hold the desired cells, thus removing the desired cells from the composition. Incubating a cell composition with antibody bearing particle, i.e., paramagnetic particles, allows for the separation of the particle bound cells from the remainder of the population, i.e., through magnetic separation (Gee et al., supra, pp.293-302).
The captured cells must be released from any solid support after the selection process, but in such a manner so as to maintain viability of the captured cells. Further, some researchers maintain that continued binding of an antibody or antibody fragment to the cell effects the usefulness of the cell (Berardi, et al. supra).
A particular concern with any positive cell selection technique employing an antibody based mechanism, is the retention of viability of the desired cells while effecting their release from the antibody and solid phase separation material. Release of the cells through variation of the surrounding pH and temperature is difficult since the pH must be maintained at around 7.0-7.4, and the temperature cannot be raised much higher than 37.degree. C.
Certain cell types may tolerate low levels of reducing agents such as dithiothreitol and/or chelating agents such as EDTA, while other target cells may not remain viable even under very mild reducing or chelating conditions.
The strong affinity of avidin for biotin has been employed to effect the binding of cells to antibody bearing solid supports.
In avidin/biotin based techniques, typically an antibody which is specific for the target cell is biotinylated according to one of several standard methods (Avidin-Biotin Chemistry: A Handbook, Eds. Savage, M. D., et al., Pierce Chemical Co, 1992). For negative selection, the target cell is bound by the biotinylated antibody, which in turn is bound to an avidin-coated solid phase, usually in column form. The non-bound cells are then recovered, and the negatively selected cells bound to avidin are discarded.
For positive cell selection, however, the very strong affinity of avidin for biotin is disadvantageous since the target cells are firmly held within the cell/antibody-biotin/avidin complex. Since the avidin/biotin interaction is so strong, the disruption of other bonds was proposed for the release of desired target antigens. Certain biotinylating agents have chemically cleavable covalent bonds within their spacer arms or form cleavable covalent bonds with target proteins (Sigler, G. F. U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,798,795 and 4,709,037; Wilchek, M., et al, German Pat. App. DE 3629194 A; Avidin-Biotin Chemistry: A Handbook, supra, p.41). The bonds are cleaved under reducing conditions employing dithiothreitol, mercaptoethanol, or sodium borohydride, but these conditions are generally too damaging to cells to be considered for selection of cells which must remain functional.
Other techniques involve the competitive displacement of biotin from the avidin support, leaving the biotinylated antibody bound to the cell. Alternatively, a biotin-analog is covalently bound to a primary antibody which binds to the cell of interest. The cell/antibody/biotin-analog complex is bound by a secondary anti-biotin antibody, bound to a solid support, for separation from the heterogeneous cell mixture. Then the cell/antibody/biotin-analog complex is released from the secondary antibody by competition with biotin. This method necessarily leaves the antibody bound to the cell (Al-Abdaly, F. et al., WO 95/07466).
Several techniques for positive cell selection rely on mechanical means for disruption of antibody/epitope interactions for release of selected cells. Tissue culture flasks may be coated with a primary antibody which binds the target cells; after the unbound cells are washed away, the target cells are released by striking the sides of the flask (Lebkowski, J. S., et al., Transplantation 53:1101-1019, 1992). Another method for positive cell selection employs a "sandwich" technique which involves avidin bound to a biotinylated secondary antibody which binds a primary antibody, which in turn binds the target cell to form a complex. After separation of the complex from the heterogeneous cell suspension, the target cell is removed from the avidin by agitation to disrupt the interaction between the secondary and primary antibodies (Berenson, R. J., et al., U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,215,927 and 5,225,353). Mechanical release is disadvantageous for the obvious reason that cells may sustain damage during the release process, and it has been reported that low numbers of viable cells are recovered after mechanical release (Egeland, T., et al., Scand J. Immunol. 27: 439-444, 1988). There is also the possibility that antibody fragments might adhere to the cells.
Another method for cell release involves proteolysis by enzymes such as papain and chymopapain. The target cells may be bound to magnetic beads via a primary antibody which is in turn bound to magnetic beads. After the cell/antibody/bead complex is removed from the heterogeneous cell suspension, the cells are released from the beads by proteolysis of the cell surface antigen or the antibody, or both (Hardwick, A., et al., J. Hematotherapy 1:379-386, 1992; Civin, C. E., et al., In Bone Marrow purging and Processing Progress in Clinical And Biological Research, Vol. 333, Eds. S. Gross, et al., Alan R. Liss, Inc, New York, pp 387-402; Civin, C. I., EP 0 395 355 A1; Hardwick, A., et al., In Advances in Bone Marrow Purging and Processing-Progress in Clinical and Biological Research, Vol. 377, Eds. Worthington-White, D. A., et al., Wiley-Liss, Inc., New York, pp 583-589). Proteolysis by papain or chymopapain is advantageous over mechanical disruption because these enzymes are not generally harmful to cells. However, enzymes digest cell surface proteins which could be important for the proliferation, differentiation, and homing of hematopoietic stem cells, for instance. Moreover, the digestion of cell surface proteins makes subsequent negative selection difficult or impossible.
Another technique involves the competitive displacement of the antibody from the cell antigen using additional antibody or antibody fragments. However, while this approach effects the release of a cell from a solid support, at least a portion of an antibody remains bound to the resulting cell, which may be detrimental (Berardi, et al., supra).
There remains a need for a positive cell selection method which produces a high yield of functional target cells, and which relies on relatively inexpensive, benign reagents in a physiologically compatible solution. Moreover, there remains a need for a positive cell selection method which leaves cell surface proteins intact. It would also be advantageous to have a method which leaves the positively selected cells free from antibodies or other ligands bound to the cell surface.

Positive and positive/negative cell selection mediated by peptide release


In certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides an undercut anchor including an attachment barrel and a cylindrical plug positioned in and moveable in the attachment barrel. The attachment barrel includes a cylindrical body, an outer rim extending outwardly and away from a bottom end of the body, and a plurality of independently pivotable gripping arms extending from a top end of the body.

Concrete structures such as wall(s), floors, and ceilings are widely used throughout the construction industry. Such concrete structures are typically constructed from fluid concrete poured into a mold or other suitable formwork. A grid of reinforcement members (such rebar) is typically positioned in the formwork to provide reinforcement for the concrete (poured into the formwork about the reinforcement members). After pouring, the concrete is allowed to dry, cure, and harden to form the concrete structure. The reinforcement members are typically embedded in the cured concrete at a specific depth.
After a concrete structure is formed (such as after a concrete ceiling is formed) in a building, known anchors are often installed in holes drilled in the concrete structure such as a concrete ceiling to facilitate attaching or hanging building equipment (such as fire sprinklers, ducting, pipes, cables, etc.) to or from the concrete structure such as the concrete ceiling. The holes are typically drilled in the concrete structure such as the ceiling to a depth less than the specific depth of the reinforcement members to avoid these reinforcement members from interfering with the proper anchor installation.
Certain issues exist with certain known concrete ceilings and certain known anchors. In certain situations, the concrete ceilings have or can develop one or more cracks due to age, settling of the building, stresses on the building, seismic activity, etc. In cases where a concrete ceiling is cracked, known anchors may not fully or suitably grip the concrete of the ceiling (as tightly as compared to uncracked concrete ceilings). In certain cases, known anchors have failed in such concrete structures, and have also failed to meet regulatory requirements such as building codes.
Accordingly, there is a need to address the above issues.

Undercut anchor, undercut anchor manufacturing method, and anchoring method


A light emitting apparatus including a phosphor blend including two or more phosphors to provide an emission spectrum simulating the spectral power distribution of a CIE reference illuminant across at least a certain spectral range. Such an apparatus is particularly suited for color-critical applications.

The present exemplary embodiments relate to phosphor blends for the conversion of radiation emitted by a light source. They find particular application in conjunction with converting LED-generated ultraviolet (UV), violet or blue radiation into white light for general illumination purposes. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is also applicable to the conversion of radiation from UV, violet and/or blue lasers as well as other light sources to white light.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are semiconductor light emitters often used as a replacement for other light sources, such as incandescent lamps. They are particularly useful as display lights, warning lights and indicating lights or in other applications where colored light is desired. The color of light produced by an LED is dependent on the type of semiconductor material used in its manufacture.
Colored semiconductor light emitting devices, including light emitting diodes and lasers (both are generally referred to herein as LEDs), have been produced from Group III-V alloys such as gallium nitride (GaN). To form the LEDs, layers of the alloys are typically deposited epitaxially on a substrate, such as silicon carbide or sapphire, and may be doped with a variety of n and p type dopants to improve properties, such as light emission efficiency. With reference to the GaN-based LEDs, light is generally emitted in the UV and/or blue range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Until quite recently, LEDs have not been suitable for lighting uses where a bright white light is needed, due to the inherent color of the light produced by the LED.
Recently, techniques have been developed for converting the light emitted from LEDs to useful light for illumination purposes. In one technique, the LED is coated or covered with a phosphor layer. A phosphor is a luminescent material that absorbs radiation energy in a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and emits energy in another portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Phosphors of one important class are crystalline inorganic compounds of very high chemical purity and of controlled composition to which small quantities of other elements (called "activators") have been added to convert them into efficient fluorescent materials. With the right combination of activators and host inorganic compounds, the color of the emission can be controlled. Most useful and well-known phosphors emit radiation in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in response to excitation by electromagnetic radiation outside the visible range.
By interposing a phosphor excited by the radiation generated by the LED, light of a different wavelength, e.g., in the visible range of the spectrum, may be generated. Colored LEDs are often used in toys, indicator lights and other devices. Manufacturers are continuously looking for new colored phosphors for use in such LEDs to produce custom colors and higher luminosity.
In addition to colored LEDs, a combination of LED generated light and phosphor generated light may be used to produce white light. The most popular white LEDs are based on blue emitting GalnN chips. The blue emitting chips are coated with a phosphor that converts some of the blue radiation to a complementary color, e.g. a yellow-green emission. The total of the light from the phosphor and the LED chip provides a color point with corresponding color coordinates (x and y) and correlated color temperature (CCT), and its spectral distribution provides a color rendering capability, measured by the color rendering index (CRI).
The CRI is commonly defined as a mean value for 8 standard color samples (R1-8), usually referred to as the General Color Rendering Index and abbreviated as Ra, although 14 standard color samples are specified internationally and one can calculate a broader CRI (R1-14) as their mean value. In particular, the R9 value, measuring the color rendering for the strong red, is very important for a range of applications, especially of medical nature.
One known white light emitting device comprises a blue light-emitting LED having a peak emission wavelength in the blue range (from about 440 nm to about 480 nm) combined with a phosphor, such as cerium doped yttrium aluminum garnet Y3Al5O12:Ce3+("YAG"). The phosphor absorbs a portion of the radiation emitted from the LED and converts the absorbed radiation to a yellow-green light. The remainder of the blue light emitted by the LED is transmitted through the phosphor and is mixed with the yellow light emitted by the phosphor. A viewer perceives the mixture of blue and yellow light as a white light.
The blue LED-YAG phosphor device described above typically produces a white light with a general color rendering index (Ra) of from about 70-82 with a tunable color temperature range of from about 4500K to 8000K. Recent commercially available LEDs using a blend of YAG phosphor and a red phosphor (CaS:Eu2+) provide color temperatures below 4500K with a fixed value of Ra around 90. While such LEDs are suitable for some applications, many users desire a light source with an even higher Ra, one similar to that of incandescent lamps with a value of 95-100.
There are also white LEDs that utilize a UV emitting chip and a phosphor blend including red, green and blue emitting phosphors designed to convert the UV radiation to visible light. One problem with these LEDs is that their spectra generally have "peaks" and "valleys" when compared to CIE reference illuminants of the same CCT, which make them deficient in certain regions of the visible spectrum, especially between 450 and 650 nm. For color critical applications (medical, military, etc.), this is not acceptable.
The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) has developed a system of colorimetric illuminants, each of which is defined by a unique spectral power distribution (SPD). Ref. CIE Standard; CIE Colorimetric illuminants, ISO/CIE 10526-1991 (CIE S001-1986).
Other CIE documents define the choice of reference illuminants, e.g. in CRI calculations, as given in: CIE Method of Measuring and Specifying Colour Rendering Properties of Light Sources, CIE 13.3 (1995). For the purposes of this application, any further mention of a "reference illuminant" has the same meaning as in the aforementioned CIE 13.3 publication, unless specified otherwise. Thus the reference illuminants are theoretical light sources used for comparison and evaluation of real (also referred to as test) light sources of the same CCT. For CCT values less than 5000K, the SPD of the CIE reference illuminant matches that of the black body (a.k.a. Planckian) radiator. For CCT values equal to or greater than 5000K, the reference illuminant represents an idealized phase of daylight.
Whenever numbers are used in addition to the letter to specify an illuminant, they stand for the first 2 digits of the CCT. For example, D65 denotes the most widely used daylight illuminant with a CCT of 6500K. Other important daylight illuminants are D50 and D75, with CCT values of 5000K and 7500K, correspondingly.
One special CIE illuminant is illuminant E (a.k.a. Equal Energy Illuminant), the SPD of which as a function of wavelength is a horizontal straight line. Illuminant E has a fixed CCT of approximately 5450K, and has the property of x=y=z=⅓ in the 1931 CIE chromaticity diagram. Although simulation of this illuminant would be extremely difficult for any existing prior art solution, a simulator source would be very useful e.g. in building spectrometers, calorimeters and other similar devices.
On the other hand, certain other CIE illuminants (A, B, C and F) are generally simulated in a straightforward manner, by using either incandescent (A), filtered incandescent (B and C) or fluorescent (F) lamp sources.
As mentioned earlier, at low CCT values (e.g. less than 3200K), the SPD of the CIE reference illuminant is that of the Planckian radiator, and is easily simulated by incandescent light sources. It becomes however progressively more difficult to simulate the SPD of reference illuminants with real light sources at elevated CCTs—e.g. greater than 3200K, and especially equal to or greater than 5000K, when a switch is made from a Planckian spectrum to a phase of daylight in the reference illuminant. Existing simulators of such illuminants work by altering the spectra of incandescent or halogen lamps though filtration, thereby further decreasing their already low efficiency. This necessitates the use of high power light sources and heat resistant filters in order to achieve acceptable light levels.
Simulators of illuminants approximate the SPD of the illuminant at least within a certain wavelength interval e.g. at least from 450 to 650 nm (where the human eye sensitivity curve is at approximately 10% or higher level of its maximum value) more preferably at least from 400 to 700 nm (where the human eye sensitivity curve is at approximately 1% or higher level of its maximum value), and to within certain tolerance limits, e.g. +/−20%, +/−15% or +/−10%. The broader the wavelength interval and the lower the tolerance limit, the better the simulation of the reference illuminant by the actual source under consideration.
An alternative (and inherently more energy efficient) solution for light sources approximating CIE illuminants makes use of LED chips with substantially different peak wavelengths spanning the range from at least 450 to 650 nm. Although technically feasible, this is an extremely complex and expensive solution, due to the need to maintain dynamic power control over multiple wavelength channels in order to achieve and maintain the requisite SPD simulating that of a reference illuminant. In addition, mixing the light from chips with substantially different peak wavelengths is always a challenge and good color uniformity is difficult to achieve.
It would therefore be desirable to develop new and efficient light sources with a generally flat emission spectrum and conforming to within certain tolerance limits (e.g. +/−20% or better) with CIE reference illuminants e.g. of type D or with illuminant E, at least in the spectral region from 450 to 650 nm, preferably 400 to 700 nm, by using LED chips with substantially the same peak wavelength. The present invention provides new and improved phosphor blends and method of formation, which overcome the above-referenced problems and others.

White light LED devices with flat spectra