A method for releasing gas from a gas hydrate without melting the gas hydrate by substituting the gas with a releasing agent that forms a more stable hydrate structure than the gas.

1. Field of the Invention
One aspect of this invention relates to the production of hydrocarbons from subterranean formations. In another aspect, the invention concerns a method of recovering free gas from naturally-occurring gas hydrate deposits. In a further aspect, the invention involves a process of sequestering greenhouse gases in subterranean formations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas hydrates are crystalline solids composed of gas molecules surrounded by cages of water molecules. These gas molecules are usually light hydrocarbons (C1–C4). Gas hydrates form a solid phase above and below the pressure and temperature conditions required to form ice. Gas hydrates historically have been considered a nuisance in the oil industry because of their spontaneous formation in oil and gas pipelines, which would hamper the flow of oil within the pipeline.
However, naturally-occurring gas hydrate deposits have become the focus of attention in recent years as an alternative fuel source for the energy industry. Large, naturally-occurring gas hydrate deposits are found near many existing oil deposits, along with non-traditional reservoirs found in permafrost and shallow buried sediments in deep-sea environments. Some sources estimate that in the United States alone, the amount of methane contained within natural methane hydrate deposits is 200 times the amount existing as free methane in natural gas deposits. Furthermore, the amount of potential energy in natural gas hydrate deposits is estimated to be twice that of the currently existing oil, coal, and natural gas deposits combined.
Conventional methods of natural gas extraction from gas hydrates involve heating and/or depressurizing the gas hydrates in order to release the natural gas. However, there are two major problems with these conventional methods. First, they require a large amount of energy to be added to the system, resulting in a high cost of extraction. Second, they destabilize hydrate formations because both depressurization and heating cause the hydrate to melt. This can lead to the destabilization and/or collapse of sediments that contain hydrates and other nearby subterranean formations. Because gas hydrates are usually extracted near oil and natural gas deposits, such instability can result in problems with the extraction of oil and natural gas.
An existing problem, unrelated to the extraction of gas hydrates, concerns the release of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. A variety of current industrial processes produce excess greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, that may contribute to the catastrophic climate changes if continually released into the atmosphere. However, disposal of the excess greenhouse gases in a manner that permanently prevents release of the gases can be quite expensive. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a new method of sequestering greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, that is more effective and economical than previous disposal methods.

Production of free gas by gas hydrate conversion


A domain name is associated with the IP address of a first, URL forwarding web server within the domain name system (DNS) so that a request for a website or other resource associated with the domain name is presented to the URL forwarding web server. The URL forwarding web server accesses a file stored on a file server and determining from the contents of the file the IP address to which the domain name should resolve. The file associated with that domain name may contain information that initiates display of static or dynamic content from the URL forwarding web server. Alternately, the file may contain instructions to associate the requested domain name with the IP address of a second, destination web server that has the requested content or resource. Most preferably, the URL forwarding web server performs this access to the file server directly, without executing a script or other interface program supplementary to the URL forwarding web server. For example, the URL forwarding web server may include a module that receives a domain name, accesses the file from the file server and evaluates the contents of the file. When the file includes an IP address to which the domain name should resolve, preferred implementations of the module recognize the presence of the IP address within the file and return the IP address of the destination web server to the browser through which the user made the request.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the Internet and more specifically to a method and apparatus for associating domain names or URLs with Internet protocol (IP) addresses and directing domain or URL requests to a desired IP address.
2. Description of the Related Art
Each computer on the Internet is identified by a unique Internet protocol ("IP") address. This address is a 32-bit number organized as four 8-bit values separated by periods such as 126.96.36.199. Such a numerical system, while useful as a routing address system for computer-to-computer communication, is not human user-friendly. Consequently, domain names are used to allow users to more easily identify and connect to a target computer on the network. These user-friendly domain names (or "host names"), such as "register.com", are easy for users to remember and, since they map to a unique IP number, accurately identify the computer's IP address. In such a domain name identification scheme, the domain name forms a part of the uniform resource locator (URL) that specifies the location of resources on the World Wide Web. The URL identifies the mechanism used to access the resource (e.g., http, ftp, etc.), the specific computer that houses the resource, and the specific name of the resource (such as a filename).
As with the underlying Internet address, domain names typically have a hierarchical organization, with the trailing portion of the domain name, such as .com, .net, .org, us, .uk or .jp, representing the top-level domain. Top-level domains include global top-level domains (gTLD) and country specific or country code top-level domains (ccTLD). The global top-level domains include .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov and .mil. Of these, .edu, .gov and mil gTLD's are restricted to use by entities meeting specific qualifications. Country code top-level domains are country specific in that they identify registrations within a given country. The specific country governs registration for the country code top-level domains. Some countries are "open" in that they allow any entity to register a domain name within its ccTLD. Other countries are "closed" and only allow entities that meet restrictions such as residency to register domain names in that ccTLD. Most domain users presently use one or more of the .com, .net or org gTLDs.
The domain name entered by a user is sent over the Internet to a global network of servers called the "domain name system" (DNS), which receives the domain name as a request and translates the domain name into the target computer's numerical IP address. The numerical IP address is returned to the user's computer to enable it to connect to the target computer. Typically, after the user enters the domain name, the rest of the process is invisible to the user until the user connects to the target computer. The domain name system consists of a collection of root servers or DNS Servers that provide a directory linking domain names with corresponding IP addresses. There are presently thirteen root servers worldwide that contain authoritative databases listing all top-level domains. The collection of root servers is centrally managed for all global top-level domains to ensure that each computer on the network can be uniquely identified by unique domain names and numerical addresses.
A "registry" is an international organization or entity that is responsible for assigning domain names and Internet protocol addresses. Each country maintains its own registry, generally through a company or organization. The registry has the responsibility to record and update domain names and Internet protocol addresses, as well as the information associated with them, on the root servers. A registry is under contract from its respective government to control domain name registration. The registry may authorize other entities, known here as registrars, to conduct domain name registration and other aspects of the management of domain names and IP addresses.
A "registrar" is an organization or company that is authorized to provide registration services for all users of certain top-level domains, such as the net, .org and .com global top-level domains. Registrars are presently authorized either by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers, a U.S. governmental organization under the Department of Commerce, or by the registrar's respective government to control domain name registration. A registrar is authorized by the registry to act as an agent to process domain name registration. The registrar has the responsibility to create and maintain a Whois database and zone files for its customers. Examples of registrars presently include Register.com and Network Solutions, Inc., both authorized by ICANN.
A "registrant" is the individual or organization to whom a specific domain name is registered with the registry. Once a registrant has registered a domain name, paid the associated fees and met certain conditions, the individual or organization holds the domain name for use for a specific period of time. The registrant can use the domain name for such purposes as web hosting and e-mail. In many cases, the registrant may incorporate one or more domain names into an organizational identity or business. As such, a registration to use a particular domain name can be viewed as a significant asset for certain registrants.
The "shared registry system" (SRS) is a system that permits multiple registrars to provide registration services for the .com, .net and org domains. The system is a shared database that holds information about domain names and their authoritative name servers. The shared registry system updates the root servers with information about the domain names within the .com, org and .net gTLDs about every twenty-four hours in typical operation. The SRS allows accredited registrars to enter information about newly registered domain names into the SRS, and the information about the newly registered domain names is then uploaded to the root servers. Accredited registrars can update name server information within the SRS for domain names for which they are recognized as registrar. Accredited registrars are registered with the SRS and access the SRS through a secure and authenticated communication channel, such as through a secure socket level encrypted communication link. The SRS facilitates the updating of domain name and IP address information and also provides a utility for identifying the registrar that registered a domain name, when the entry to the SRS was created and the authoritative name servers for the domain name.


A multi-core thermocouple includes a plurality of wires, an insulation core surrounding the plurality of wires, a sheath surrounding the insulation core, and a plurality of electrical junctions. The plurality of electrical junctions may include a first electrical junction formed between a first wire of the plurality of wires and the sheath at a first axial mid-section of the multi-core thermocouple, the first electrical junction including a first swaged axial mid-section of the sheath and a second electrical junction formed between a second wire of the plurality of wires and the sheath at a second, different axial mid-section of the multi-core thermocouple, the second electrical junction including a second swaged axial mid-section of the sheath.

Approximation of nuclear reactor temperature is conventionally performed using thermocouples by placing the thermocouples relatively far away from a point of interest and through interpolation and/or extrapolation of two or more thermocouples, an approximation of the temperature can be inferred. In particular, the thermocouples may be placed relatively far from the point of interest (e.g., a reactor vessel) in order to reduce an "observer effect." The foregoing approach often leads to costly mistakes, over redundancy of the experiments, and overly conservative safety margins in power reactors. The costly mistakes, over redundancy, and overly conservative safety margins result in exorbitant additional costs to operating the reactors. Additionally, conventional high temperature thermocouples quickly de-calibrate (drift) when exposed to neutron radiation. Moreover, it often proves difficult to measure live temperature profiles of reactor fuel pins when using conventional high temperature thermocouples.

Multi-core high-temperature, irradiation-resistant thermocouple, and related methods


An image data coding and decoding technique which realizes most efficient compression of the image data. The image data are input and separated into key frames and other intermediate frames. Per-pixel matching is computed between the key frames. A virtual intermediate frame between these key frames is generated by interpolating the matching-computed result. Difference is taken between the intermediate virtual frames and actual intermediate frames which have existed from the outset, so that the actual intermediate frames are encoded with the minimum quantity of codes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image data processing technique, and it particularly relates to method and apparatus for coding or decoding image data included in a plurality of frames.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the performance of medical image equipment such as MRI and CT system advances and improves significantly in recent years, more and more cross sectional images can be photographed under the same level of X-ray exposure dosage to a patient. For example, many cross sectional medical images of a diseased part can be acquired for as many as 300-1000 images at a time as a result of the recent improvement, compared to 20 images as the maximum in the past
On the other hand, even though such a great number of images can be acquired, those images need be stored for a predetermined period of time as bound by the law, thus causing a trouble in medical institutions because of extremely huge amount of image data to be stored. Moreover, when the medical images need be transmitted within a hospital or between different hospitals, the large number of images results in the unwanted increase of communication time and may threaten the smooth operation of the medical institutions.
In order to cope with the situation, recently the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan comes to approve of the storage of the medical images in the form of digital data because digitization makes possible application of the various data compression techniques. However, the current compression technique does not catch up with the increase of highly microscopic image data acquired not only in the medical field but also in the image processing field in general. Therefore, the search for a further efficient compression technique is an everlasting theme in the field, and such technology is highly desired in our advanced society.

Method and apparatus for coding and decoding image data using critical points


A detector and aperture determine radiation characteristics, including angular direction throughout a specified range, of external articles. Preferably an afocal aperture element enlarges/reduces the article and volume FOR. Mirror(s) along a path between detector and aperture, rotatable about plural axes, make the detector address varying regions. Preferably each mirror is MEMS, exceeding five to thirty microns. The detector “sees” articles throughout the range, at constant magnification. Other aspects rotate magnetically controlled dual-axis MEMS mirrors, each with electrical coils opposed across an axis, and anther magnet whose field interacts with coil-current fields, generating force components: one includes oppositely directed forces, torquing the mirrors; another thrusts mirrors outward from the array rest plane, causing variable “piston”. Alternatively, other forces pull mirror(s) outward—and the second component attracts them inward. Components are adjusted to steer a beam in a desired direction, and wavefronts from adjacent mirrors are in phase for finer diffraction limit.

Some conventional systems and methods for accomplishing these goals rely upon scan mirrors that receive signals from an object and relay them into an aperture of an optical system—and, for response, conversely receive signals from the optical-system aperture and return those signals toward the object. Some such systems and methods instead (or also) rely upon large, mechanical gimbals that support and reorient the entire optical system. Both approaches entail relatively high moments of inertia, and accordingly large motors and elevated power requirements.
Such configurations require extremely adverse tradeoffs and compromises between, on one hand, undesirably high cost and size, and on the other hand structural weaknesses that lead to unreliability and even failure. For instance expensive custom parts and instrumentation are the rule rather than the exception, while some conventional devices have dimensions on the order of one to ten centimeters with mass of one to ten or even hundreds of kilograms.
These are significant handicaps for—in particular—devices that may be for use in airplanes and satellites. Even in these cases, such drawbacks might be acceptable if such systems provided superb performance, but unfortunately angular resolution in conventional systems of various types is generally no better than two-thirds of a degree—sometimes as coarse as ten degrees and more.
For example conventional macroscopic gimbal controls are most typically good to roughly one degree or less, although some units capable of precision in tens of microradians are available for millions of dollars each. Sensors using focal-plane arrays, e.g. quad cells, are typically precise to roughly ten degrees. Other nonmechanical systems include quad cells behind fisheye lenses.
The poor angular resolution and other performance limitations of such sensors arise in part from use of fixed, very large sensor assemblies, typically quad cells, CCD or CMOS arrays, at a focal plane—with fixed fields of view. These components accordingly also suffer from limited fields of regard. Furthermore the necessity for downloading into a computer memory the massive volumes of data from multimegabyte sensor arrays makes the frame rate of these systems extremely slow.
In efforts to improve the field of regard, the large areal arrays are sometimes placed behind radically wide-angle lenses, even fish-eye lenses. This strategy, however, is counterproductive in that it only compounds the data-download problem, while also yielding intrinsically coarse angular resolution and very nonlinear angular mapping.
In other words these systems are squeezed between the need for high resolution and the need for broad field of regard; this squeeze comes down to an all-but-prohibitive demand for dynamic range, or bandwidth. Data congestion, furthermore, is doubly problematic because in these systems the entire contents of every frame must be retrieved before that frame can be searched for an optical source of interest.
One rather unnoticed contributor to inadequate dynamic range is the direct relationship between gimbal angle or scan-mirror angle and excursion of the beam in the external scanned volume. That relationship is a natural one-to-one for a conventional gimbal system, and one-to-two for a rotating mirror. Since the direct effect of mechanical rotation is relatively slow for conventional macroscopic gimbals, and relatively limited in overall angular excursion for scan mirrors, the external beam-angle excursion is either slow or limited, or both.
In attempts to mitigate low resolution and frame rate, some workers have proposed to substitute a so-called "position-sensing detector" (PSD) for the commonly used larger arrays. The advantage of a PSD—which is a unitary device, not an array—is that it inherently locates and reports position of only a detected optical source, not an entire scene, and thus requires download of only a far smaller amount of data.
Another inherent advantage of a PSD is that it provides a continuous, analog positional readout, intrinsically yielding extremely high resolution. The report from an array is instead quantized by the pixel (or "aliasing") effect that is central to any kind of array detection.
The PSD reports position on its own sensitive surface, in units of distance from its nominal center along two orthogonal axes. To find angular mapping, typically these off-center coordinates are divided by the focal length of a final focusing element.
Unfortunately these reported distances and therefore the angular mapping of a PSD are nonlinear, to the extent of several percent at the PSD edges—aggravating the analogous handicap introduced by a fish-eye or other wide-angle lens—and are also temperature sensitive. The detector may report accurately that an optical source has been sensed, but fail to report accurately where that object is, unless it is near the nominal center, or origin of coordinates.
It might be supposed—although in actuality this supposition is well beyond the present state of the art, and artisans of ordinary skill—that such a system could be quickly turned to look directly at the candidate object, for a more-accurate assessment of position. In any conventional detector, however, this solution is impractical due to the lumbering response of an associated macroscopic gimbal system, or even of a scan mirror that is redirecting the light into the detector aperture.
Often it is desirable to know something more about an optical source that has been noticed—the character of the light itself, and any intelligence signal that may be impressed upon that light. Accurate determination of wavelength and frequency modulation information, as may be gleaned from the foregoing discussion, is beyond the capabilities of these systems. Similarly infeasible is any exploration of physical objects that may be associated with the optical source.
The intractability of attempting to operate with such systems may be clarified by consideration of some practical situations which call for use of optical sensors. In most applications a person or an apparatus points a light source toward, most typically, some sort of vehicle—to guide an object in an attempt to rendezvous with the vehicle. Commonly the intention is adversarial, as for example damage to the vehicle; while the optical-sensor apparatus is mounted on the vehicle and its purpose is to detect the presence of the light beam and initiate some protective response.
Such response, usually intended to produce confusion as to the exact location of the vehicle, sometimes takes the form of returning a literally blinding flash of light toward the person or apparatus that is pointing the original source, to temporarily dazzle and confuse that source-controlling entity. Alternatively a response can be to eject from the vehicle many particles that strongly reflect the guide light, to instead confuse directional-control mechanisms of the moving object. Accompanying either of these may be an entirely different kind of response, namely an effort to disable the source-pointing person or apparatus, or the object. Such a disabling response, directed toward the object or source, may take the form of either a physical article or of powerful radiation. Still another desirable kind of response would be investigatory, i.e. determining the character of the guide beam or of the guided object; such information can be used to determine and report the nature of the guiding system itself, either for purposes of immediate efforts to confuse and avoid or for future protective-design work.
The person or apparatus pointing the source may be adjacent to the initial position of the object. In a sense this is the easiest case from the standpoint of protective response, because the source can be treated as a beacon for guidance of a disabling response that eliminates both the light source and the object—if the response is sufficiently prompt, so that the source and object are still not only in-line but also relatively close together. In another sense, however, this is a difficult case from the standpoint of confusion, because the object may have been designed to look (for its guidance) backward at the source rather than forward at the vehicle—in which event the ejection of reflecting particles cannot confuse the directional-control mechanisms of the object, as long as the pointing entity can keep the vehicle in view.
The person or apparatus pointing the source may, however, instead be at a different position—off to the side from the path of the object, and from a line between the source and the object. In this event, disabling both the source and object with a single response is not possible; but at least confusion can be more-readily produced since the object is necessarily designed to look forward at the vehicle, so that either the dazzling or the decoy-particle strategy, or both, can be effective.
One type of movable-mirror device that is known in various kinds of optical-detection systems is a single scan mirror of about 25 or 30 mm or more, consistent with the earlier statement of dimensions for conventional systems. Such mirrors are too bulky and heavy to overcome the above-discussed problems of response speed.
Another type of known movable-mirror device is a spinning cylinder with multiple mirrors carried on its outer surface. Such a polyhedral construction does provide a movable mirror, sometimes disposed along an optical path between a detector and an entrance aperture. Dimensions of each of the mirrors in such a device are typically in the tens of millimeters, also consistent with the previous indication of representative dimensions for conventional systems. Hence the overall device and even the individual mirrors are too big and heavy to free the optical-detection art from the response-speed and related limitations discussed above. These mirror wheels are ordinarily made to spin continuously; hence the individual mirrors of such an array lack independent maneuverability for customized control movements. Accordingly they are poorly suited for practical use in rapid detection and tracking of a particular source object.
Also of interest are telescopes—including astronomical telescopes—particularly of the type that has a movable mirror positioned between an entrance aperture and a detector. For present purposes, however, any interest in such devices is academic, as the movable components are huge and far too massive to be useful in any rapid-response system. Even more relevant is the typical limitation of field of view, in telescopes, to less than ten degrees.
Smaller deformable mirrors, too, are sometimes placed within optical systems in positions such as just described. A device of this type generally comprises a continuous reflective membrane that is controllably bent and distorted to correct wavefront errors. Such mirrors are typically at least 20 to 30 mm across.
Another type of known moving-mirror device is called a "microelectromechanical system" (MEMS) mirror. Such mirrors have never been associated with the field of optical-source detection that is under consideration here, heretofore. By "heretofore" I mean prior to the filing of my previous U.S. provisional '301 application mentioned above, and upon which this document is based.
Such devices, introduced some years ago by the Texas Instruments Company, and more recently in versions produced by Lucent Technologies and called an "optical switch", most commonly take the form of arrays of very small mirrors—each on the order of ten to 500 microns across. At least in principle individual mirrors can be made available in the same format. In use these devices, while some are capable of continuous positional control, are most often only bistable, used for switching in optical information networks and also in an image-projection system for personal computers.
My above-mentioned provisional '301 application, and the intermediate PCT and U.S. national-stage application, introduce use of one or more such mirrors. In describing such mirrors these applications, and most particularly the U.S. national application, in most passages indicate that the mirror dimensions are limited to "a few millimeters"—or "merely by way of example, in a range from a few tens of microns wide to several millimeters or more". It is also said that "the most preferable tested embodiments use e.g. silicon scan mirrors in the range of 1.5×2.1 mm".
A New Generation of MEMS Mirrors
Those dimensional indications were based upon the specifications of suitable MEMS mirrors available at the time of that writing, which generally were piezodriven, electrostatically driven, or mechanically driven by piston mechanisms and the like. In the interim, patents and published applications have proposed much larger mirrors.
Although one such document suggests usability with lidar, it has not been suggested that these new devices be used in any configuration known in the above-defined "Field of the Invention" or, more particularly, set forth in my above-noted precursor patent applications—e.g. with the mirror or mirrors internal to the optical system or with field of view magnified. One physical system using such a large mirror in a configuration external to the optical system has been built, but such a configuration is (apart from the large mirror) substantially conventional.
The larger units are as fast and precise as the earlier ones, but at the same time capable of even larger angular excursions. The improvements appear mainly due to use of magnetic rather than the earlier piezoelectric, electrostatic or mechanical drives.
Magnetic forces generally extend farther from the drive components, thus allowing larger mirrors with greater clearances—as well as lower voltages, and less rigidity in the force coupling from drive to mirror. Mirrors having these new properties furthermore can be optimized in several different ways, to increase optical-energy throughput, while at the same time—as set forth in this document—actually enhancing the effective resolution in imaging.
Some such ways are set forth in the previously introduced patent publications of Draper and Corning—most particularly an early dual-axis configuration having a fixed magnetic field at forty-five degrees to the two rotation directions, and generally aligned within the rest plane of the rotatable mirror. The exact origin of that configuration is not specified, but it is shown and described as "prior art" in FIGS. 2 and 3 of both the '921 patent and the '234 published application.
The same drawings are also presented in this present patent document as FIGS. 7 and 8 (after Bernstein, Taylor et al.) respectively. The moving parts of that device apparently are MEMS components, formed in place by now-well-known procedures of etching and forming microscopic elements from an initially single silicon wafer or substrate, or by silicon-on-insulator "SOI" procedures, or the like.
That evidently seminal two-axis geometry has a generally square mirror BT33 (FIG. 7) formed on a square pad BT32 between two torsional hinges or so-called "flexures" BT40, which are positioned at two opposed sides of the square pad. The ends of the flexures BT40 that are remote from the square pad BT32 attach to the inside edge of another square structure that is only a narrow frame, i.e. a square annulus BT34, so that the square mirror BT33 rotates about a first axis defined through its two flexures BT40 within the square annular frame BT34.
The latter frame, in turn, is mounted between two like flexures BT41 but at orthogonal positions, i.e., along edges of the square frame BT34 that are orthogonal to the positions of the two flexures BT40, first mentioned in the preceding paragraph, and the ends of these flexures BT41 remote from the square annular frame are mounted to inside edges of an outer square body BT35. These latter two flexures enable the square mirror BT33, and the square frame BT34 around it, to rotate together about a second axis—orthogonal to the first—defined through the outer two flexures BT41.
Accordingly the square annular frame BT34, with its outer square body BT35, is ingeniously made to function as a microminiature gimbal box. It provides rotation about two orthogonal axes, very generally as did the classical, mechanical gimbal boxes—but some three or more orders of magnitude smaller and faster.
Also formed on the front of the mirror pad BT32 (sharing that surface with the mirror BT33) and on the gimbal frame BT34 are numerous fine conductive traces BT36, BT38 respectively, which are disposed and connected to function as conductive coils. Electrical currents passing through these coils, via the flexures BT40, BT41 respectively, establish variable, controllable magnetic fields mainly oriented in and out of the plane of the drawing (and of the pad and frame)—that interact with the fixed field lines B to forcibly drive the mirror pad BT32 and gimbal frame BT34 in their two respective orthogonal rotations.
Although this two-axis MEMS mirror configuration appears to be a fully functioning single mirror, the Draper and Corning patent documents assert major improvements in magnetically driven MEMS mirrors. In particular the '901 published application preserves the same basic square geometry of mirror, pad and gimbal frame—with torsional flexures positioned (in almost all its embodiments) along the sides of the square.
One of its principal areas of improvement is in making a much greater fraction of the pad space available for reflection of optical energy by the mirror, simply by forming the coils on the back face of the pad rather than on the reflective mirror face. This change enhances the intrinsic size benefit of magnetically driven MEMS mirrors. The '901 document further exhibits such coils of many different configurations—spirals, loops etc.—for a variety of purposes.
A second main area of advancement in the '901 application is in orientation of the stationary magnetic field perpendicular to the rest plane of the mirror, rather than in that plane. Yet a third refinement is in ganging large numbers of the magnetically driven mirrors together, to form an array capable of complex switching tasks—or, alternatively, capable of operation with plural or multiple mirrors working in common to steer optical beams of large cross-section.
One of the many drawings in the '901 application shows flexures in the corners, rather than along the sides, of the square mirror pad and square gimbal frame. That application, however, does not make much of a point of this divergent geometry.
Thus it is left for the '921 patent to elaborate such a point, namely that corner placement of the flexures leaves a much greater fraction of the mirror-pad area available for oval or round mirrors. These mirrors are accordingly able to reflect much larger laser (or other) light beams of oval or round cross-section, for the same size mirror pad.
(More generally the '921 patent explores multimirror options and coil-configuration variations. By contrast the '901 application focuses mainly upon the basic superstructure of torsional mirror and gimbal-frame suspension etc.)
Many additional important optimizations are featured in the '921 patent, including stacks of coil layers, on both faces of the mirror pads rather than only the reflective face. Such geometry yields not only larger currents and larger magnetic fields—and therefore greater torque and more-nimble acceleration—but also far more-complex control capabilities. Some of the coils are counterwound relative to one another.
Some coils are disposed on just e.g. half of the movable pad area, paired on opposite sides of the rotational axis—as, for example, in FIGS. 8A, 8B of the '921 patent, reproduced in this document as FIGS. 9 and 10 (after Bernstein, Taylor et al.) respectively. As will be seen in later sections of this document, such separable coils BT76, BT78 (FIG. 9) and BT84, BT86 (FIG. 10) may offer special benefits for present purposes. Of course no such suggestion appears in the '921 patent under discussion.
More generally, the several above-outlined variations in coil geometry better exploit the directionality of the magnetic energy, actively twisting the pad about its flexures to still further increase the agility of the pointing function. These several new features are also combined to achieve a highly efficient use of the overall space and distances within an array of these mirrors—or in other words a high so-called "fill factor".
Fill factor is sometimes defined as a ratio of aggregate area of the reflectors to overall area of the array. An alternative figure of merit is a "linear" fill factor, defined as aggregate linear dimension of the reflectors (along one or another direction of the array) to corresponding overall linear dimension of the array.
This '921 patent also adds a system for detecting and measuring mirror position—using the same coils that drive rotation—by introducing onto the coils a high-frequency carrier that is then modulated by angular offset of the mirror- and gimbal-frame-mounted coils. Electrical filters separate the high-impedance positional modulation, carried at the high frequency, from the high-power drive signals.
Furthermore the '921 patent teaches that the permanent magnets and the coils can be reversed in position—i.e. placing the magnets on the backs of mirror pads, and the coils on the stationary base. The patent also describes noteworthy benefits of such new configurations.
Yet another group of significant refinements is introduced by the published '234 patent application. These include a different approach to raising the mirror fill factor: here each mirror pad carries a "lid" that overhangs the gimbal frame—and if desired also overhangs the surrounding stationary outer square body mentioned above.
Each mirror is formed and sized to match the oversize lid, rather than only the internal mirror pad. As a result the mirror dimensions are not at all limited by those of the pad or even the gimbal frame. The '234 application asserts fill factors as high as "about 80% or higher (e.g., about 95%")—which represent phenomenal improvements.
This overbite approach to fill-factor enhancement appears to be an elegant solution. These advances, as well as the fill-factor improvements of the '921 patent noted earlier, naturally are importance only for applications suited to mirror arrays, as distinguished from individual mirrors.
The '234 application also further develops the theme of permanent-magnet placement on the moving-mirror pad, rather than associated with the underlying base. Alternatively in its FIG. 7 the '234 patent still further teaches, perhaps somewhat radically, mounting the variable-current coils and a stationary permanent magnet together—in the base, below the moving mirror.
There the stationary coils generate magnetic-field contributions that augment or partially oppose the fields of the intimately adjacent permanent magnet. In this scheme only a thin piece of magnetically passive soft metal is mounted to the moving mirror, providing enough magnetic reluctance to interact with the permanent and variable magnets in the base and thereby activate rotation of the mirror. Neither a permanent nor an active variable magnet need ride on the mirror.
The remaining Taylor-Bernstein patents principally address details of making and positioning coils, and flexure geometries to optimize linear fill factor, in multimirror arrays. They may have application in those of my inventions that are amenable to use of multimirror arrays.
Again, use of these larger mirrors in the environment of my present and related inventions is not suggested in the known art.
Afocal Lenses
Another familiar optical device not heretofore associated with the present field, are afocal lens packages used e.g. as lens focal-length extenders. These are commonplace in ordinary cameras.
Almost all the optical devices discussed above, and most conspicuously the astronomical ones and MEMS devices, are known only in different fields from the present invention.
As can now be seen, the related art fails to resolve the previously described problems of the above-defined "Field of the Invention"—most particularly slow tracking, small steering-mirror dimensions leading to low signal-to-noise ratio and therefore limited pointing precision and accuracy, and overly constrained field of view. The efforts outlined above, although praiseworthy, leave room for considerable refinement.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optical systems and methods using microelectromechanical-systems mirrors exceeding thirty microns


The present invention is directed to a scoring head assembly and method for creating score lines on corrugated board. The scoring head assembly includes a scoring head and an anvil. The scoring head is fixed to a first rotatable shaft and the anvil is fixed to a second rotatable shaft that rotates in the opposite direction from the first shaft. The scoring head is annular shaped and has a central annular extension. The anvil is made of a deformable material capable of variable deformation relative to the amount of pressure applied thereto by the scoring head.

In the corrugated board industry, corrugated board is manufactured in sheets. The corrugated board sheets are cut into pieces or "blanks" which are slotted and fold lines or "score lines" are formed on a blank to shape the blank into a particular form that is ultimately reconfigured into a cardboard box or case.
At present, a scoring assembly consists of a scoring head and an anvil. The scoring head and anvil are rotatably mounted on separate, oppositely rotating shafts. The cardboard is fed through the space between the head and anvil. The scoring head is typically made of a rigid material, such as stainless steel. A typical scoring head is shaped cylindrically, and has a slight central annular extension extending radially outward by 1/32 inches. The anvil is typically cylindrical.
The present type of scoring assembly operates effectively when the score lines are oriented perpendicular to the corrugation. However, when the score lines are not perpendicular to the corrugation or, in particular, when they are parallel to the corrugation, the present scoring assemblies do not operate effectively. This occurs because when the scoring head contacts the corrugated flute, the head tends to ride on one side of the flute or the other. This creates a misaligned, poor quality score line which results in what is called a "rolled" score. When the board does not fold crisply and completely along the score line, it is a rolled score. The presence of rolled scores ultimately results in a misaligned product.
Scoring assemblies must also be adaptable to different thicknesses and weights of board. Some scoring assemblies are effective with lighter, thinner board. When these assemblies encounter thicker or heavier weight board, the scoring head simply applies more pressure. However, this often causes the head to bury itself within the board which results in ripping or tearing of the board rather than creation of an effective score line. None of the scoring assemblies at present have the capability of adapting to different weight and thicknesses of board to effectively create quality score line in all situations.
Thus, there is a need for an improved scoring assembly where the scoring assembly can effectively form a score line relative to the weight and thickness of the corrugated board. There is a further need for an improved scoring assembly that creates an effective score along a line parallel to the corrugation of a corrugated board.
There is still a further need for an improved scoring assembly that does not rip or tear the corrugated board as it forms the score line.


A gradient magnetic field-generating coil assembly of MR imaging apparatus has a cylindrical core member for carrying coil windings that is divided into at least two cores at a central portion of a magnet bore, a gap is set up between the two cores at the central portion of the magnet bore and each core is provided at its opposite ends with parts for fixing it to the magnet, whereby the natural vibration frequency of the core can be deviated from an exciting force frequency and sound prevailing in the outside of the core and sound in the inside can be brought into interference with each other to thereby suppress vibration of the cores at the central portion of the magnet bore and reduce noise.

The present invention relates to a gradient magnetic field generating coil assembly of a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging apparatus, and more particularly to a gradient magnetic field-generating coil assembly of an MR imaging apparatus having a function of extracting information about the position of a tomographic image and a construction effective to reduce noise.
In a conventional gradient magnetic field-generating coil assembly of an MR imaging apparatus, a core having substantially the same axial length as a magnet for generation of a static magnetic field and made of synthetic resin (especially FRP) is provided, a lap winding of coils corresponding to X, Y and Z axes, respectively, is wound on the core and the coils are held by a coil fixing plate made of metal or synthetic resin. When the gradient magnetic field-generating coil assembly having the above construction is driven by a constant-current driven power amplifier, a strong electromagnetic force is exerted on the coils instantaneously to cause them to vibrate, the vibration is transmitted to the cylindrical core via the coil fixing part to generate noise by hitting the core, and at the same time the transmitted vibration causes a natural vibration of an annulus of the core so as to generate resonant sound, leading to simultaneous occurrence of a cavity resonance inside the cylinder.
A prior art apparatus contrived to solve the above problems is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. JP-A-58-89147. In the apparatus disclosed in this literature, a cylindrical core is formed with many perforations to take the form of a basket. With this construction, the inside and outside of the winding join together spatially through the perforations, with the result that a sound wave prevailing in the outside passes through the perforations to interfere with a 180.degree. dephased sound wave prevailing in the inside to thereby reduce developing noise.
However, because of the structure of the basket-like cylindrical core, it is very difficult to design a core of this type which can have sufficient mechanical strength to prevent deformation of the core due to the weight of the coils and the resulting electromagnetic force, and which can maintain sufficient mechanical strength to suppress vibratory displacement of the coils. In addition, employed for making the basket-like cylindrical core is either a method of boring a cylindrical core or a method of putting together short cylindrical cores or plates and assembling and bonding them. Any of these methods require much labor and much labor time and are very difficult to actually practice.

Gradient magnetic field generating coil assembly of magnetic resonance imaging apparatus


The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for fracturing or breaking a buried porous semiconductor layer to separate a 3-D thin-film semiconductor semiconductor (TFSS) substrate from a 3-D crystalline semiconductor template. The method involves forming a sacrificial porous semiconductor layer on the 3-D features of the template. A variety of techniques may be used to fracture and release the mechanically weak porous semiconductor layer without damaging the TFSS substrate layer or the template layer such as pressure variations, thermal stress generation, and mechanical bending. The methods also allow for processing three dimensional features not possible with current separation processes. Optional cleaning and final lift-off steps may be performed as part of the release step or after the release step.

Separating one silicon layer from another silicon layer by fracturing a thin and mechanically weak/fragile intermediate silicon layer has been widely known in making silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers for producing semiconductor devices. However, prior methods have several drawbacks. For example, most prior art methods require a planar intermediate layer separating the device layer and the substrate layer. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/868,489 having common inventor, Mehrdad Moslehi, of the present disclosure discloses a 3-D thin-film semiconductor device where prior art manufacturing methods may not be suitable.
Instead of having a flat porous silicon layer, the honeycomb 3-D TFSS and the template wafer comprise three-dimensional microstructures with high-aspect-ratio deep trenches made into the silicon template. As a result, the effective interface area between porous silicon layer and nonporous silicon layers is at least five times larger than that of a flat substrate. The large interface area per unit volume increases the magnitude of external energy/force that is required for fracturing the porous silicon layer. Prior art methods may not be suited to fracture the porous silicon, while mitigating damage to both the template and 3-D TFSS.
In addition, most release methods in the prior arts require a mechanical supporting plate bonded or attached by adhesive on top of the thin epitaxial silicon layer to be released. In addition to serving as a mechanical support, the bonded top plate may also absorb the external energy and generate a stress on the layer to be released. Without the top supporting plate, many of the prior art release methods are either less effective or cause mechanical damage to the released thin-film. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/868,489 discloses a 3-D TFSS which is not conducive to the use of a top supporting plate for release and post-release processes because: (i) it is not convenient to bond a supporting plate on top of the square 3-D TFSS to be released while preventing the supporting plate from attaching to the wafer surface outside of the 3-D TFSS square; (ii) it is difficult to de-bond the supporting plate from the released 3-D TFSS. In the case that the bonding adhesive has to be wet removed, extensive cleaning may need to be performed to prevent adhesive contaminations to the honeycomb surfaces.
Further, most of the release methods in the prior arts initiate a single separation front in the porous silicon layer at the beginning of release that propagates through the entire wafer to complete the release. In most cases, the separation front starts from the wafer perimeter and the released portion of the epitaxial silicon layer curves upward as the separation progresses towards to the wafer center. Such a release mechanism works well for a planar release, however it does not work for the 3-D TFSS release for the following reasons: (i) because of its three dimensional structural design, the early released portion of honey-comb structure can not be tilted. A slight out-of-plane curving by an external force or an intrinsic stress will have the 3-D TFSS locked into the template and prevent a full release; (ii) larger external energy/force applied unevenly to the partially released and locked-in 3-D TFSS could cause mechanical damages. Therefore, the release energy/force should be uniform and applied in a well controlled manner for the 3-D TFSS release.
It is known that the mechanical strength of porous silicon depends on the porosity of the layer, and that porous silicon mechanical strength is sufficiently lower than that of non-porous silicon. As an example, a porous silicon layer having a porosity of 50% may have a mechanical strength about one-half of that of a corresponding bulk silicon layer. When a porous silicon layer is subjected to compressive, tensile, or shearing forces, it can be fractured, collapsed, or mechanically destroyed. A porous silicon layer, which has higher porosity, can be fractured with less applied stress.
One method for collapsing the mechanically weak porous silicon layer employs injecting the porous layer with a fluid. This method not only succumbs to the difficulties of the prior art method mentioned above, but is also complex and requires precise alignment of the fluid injection nozzle with the porous silicon layer so as not to damage the thin-film layer.
In another prior art method, a process of manufacturing a SOI wafer includes separating a wafer assembly into two wafers at a fragile silicon layer containing a high amount of hydrogen. The separation energy source can be selected from a group consisting of: ultrasound, infrared, hydrostatic pressure, hydrodynamic pressure, or mechanical energy. Also, yet another prior art method applies a force to a laminating material separating a nonporous silicon and porous silicon layer to separate the two layers.
Besides succumbing to the disadvantages mentioned previously, these methods may often damage the template layer which is undesirable for releasing TFSS substrate of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/868,489. Other advantages of the present disclosure may be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Substrate release methods and apparatuses


A programmable logic integrated circuit device (“PLD”) includes programmable logic and a dedicated (i.e., at least partly hard-wired) digital signal processing region for performing or at least helping to perform digital signal processing tasks that are unduly inefficient to implement in the more general-purpose programmable logic and/or that, if implemented in the programmable logic, would operate unacceptably or at least undesirably slowly. The digital signal processing region may include multiple digital signal processing stages. The digital signal processing region may include a multiplier stage and one ore more stages that can operate in combination with the multiplier stage. The digital signal processing region has a plurality of modes such as for providing multiply-and-accumulate operation, multiply-and-add operation, etc.

This invention relates to programmable logic integrated circuit devices, and more particularly to programmable logic integrated circuit devices with integrated digital signal processing circuitry.
Programmable logic devices ("PLDs") are well known as is shown, for example, by Jefferson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,326 and Ngai et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,576. PLDs typically include many regions of programmable logic that are interconnectable in any of many different ways by programmable interconnection resources. Each logic region is programmable to perform any of several logic functions on input signals applied to that region from the interconnection resources. As a result of the logic function(s) it performs, each logic region produces one or more output signals that are applied to the interconnection resources.
The interconnection resources typically include drivers, interconnection conductors, and programmable switches for selectively making connections between various interconnection conductors. The interconnection resources can generally be used to connect any logic region output to any logic region input; although to avoid having to devote a disproportionately large fraction of the device to interconnection resources, it is usually the case that only a subset of all possible interconnections can be made in any given programmed configuration of the PLD.
One of the complexities that is faced in providing programmable logic devices involves the logic capacity of programmable logic devices. The demand for interconnection resources typically increases exponentially with respect to linear increases in logic capacity. Accordingly, interconnection arrangements that are flexible, efficient, and have sufficient signal carrying capacity are needed for programmable logic devices without displacing excessive amounts of other resources such as logic or without occupying a disproportionately larger area in PLDs.
Although only logic regions are mentioned above, it should also be noted that many PLDs also now include regions of memory that can be used as random access memory ("RAM"), read-only memory ("ROM"), content addressable memory ("CAM"), product term ("p-term") logic, etc.
As the capacity and speed of PLDs has increased, interest in using PLDs for signal or data processing tasks (e.g., for digital signal processing tasks) that may involve relatively large amounts of parallel information and may require relatively complex manipulation, combination, and recombination of that information has increased. Large numbers of signals in parallel consume a correspondingly large amount of interconnection resources; and each time that information (or another combination or recombination that includes that information) must be routed within the device, another similar large amount of the interconnection resources is consumed. Some such PLDs may be programmable to perform signal and data processing tasks that involve relatively complex manipulation, combination, and recombination of information. However, such PLDs are often deficient in providing sufficient speed of operation, sufficient logic or interconnection resources to perform additional tasks, sufficient dedicated digital signal processing circuitry and interconnection resources (e.g., multistage digital signal processing circuitry), or in providing adequate implementation of common digital signal processing tasks without impairing the operation of a substantial portion of the PLD or occupying a substantial area in the PLD.

Devices and methods with programmable logic and digital signal processing regions


A magnetic memory includes two first magnetic layers each oriented over a substrate, a second magnetic layer interposing the two first magnetic layers, and two dielectric layers each contacting the second magnetic layer and interposing the second magnetic layer and one of the two first magnetic layers. Each of the first and second magnetic layers and the dielectric layers may be oriented substantially perpendicular to the substrate or at an acute angle relative to the substrate.

A magnetic random access memory (MRAM) device may include an MRAM stack having a dielectric layer interposing a fixed or pinned magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer. Each of the MRAM stack layers is substantially planar and oriented parallel to a surface over which the MRAM device is formed. However, cell density of integrated circuits and other devices incorporating one or more such MRAM devices is limited by the parallel orientation of the MRAM stack layers and the predetermined amount of surface area required at the interfaces between the MRAM stack layers (i.e., the lateral dimensions of each MRAM stack).
However, merely turning the MRAM stacks on end does not provide sufficient cell density and complicates manufacturing. For example, some methods of forming vertical layers or other components can require a very limited process window, which may be deleterious to design robustness and product yield.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A passbook conveyance roller device comprises a conveyance roller and a pinch roller, which are arranged to be opposed to each other, to convey a passbook. The conveyance roller comprises an inner ring member connected to a drive shaft, a metallic outer ring member, and a rubber member fixed to, for example, an outer peripheral surface of the inner ring member and press fitted into an inner peripheral surface of the outer ring member to give elastic forces to the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring member in a plurality of positions, which are spaced circumferentially at predetermined intervals from one another and arranged in point symmetry. Both the inner ring member and the outer ring member are rotated through the elastic member when a load torque on the outer ring member is less than a set torque set by the elastic forces of the rubber member. Relative slip is generated between the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring member and the rubber member when a load torque on the outer ring member is equal to or larger than the set torque.

The present invention relates to a passbook conveyance roller device, in which a passbook-like article is conveyed by a conveyance roller and a pinch roller, which are arranged to be opposed to each other.
A passbook printer provided in, for example, automatic teller machines and passbook handling devices comprises: for example, an entrance and leaving port, through which a user inserts or takes out a passbook; a conveyance roller mechanism provided on a passbook handling path, which extends from the entrance and leaving port; a magnetic stripe read mechanism that reads information of magnetic stripes stuck to a cover of the passbook; an ink jet type printing mechanism, for example, that prints on the passbook on the basis of information read by the magnetic stripe read mechanism; and a page (paper) veerer that turns over a printed page of the passbook. The conveyance roller mechanism comprises a plurality of rows of conveyance rollers and pinch rollers, which are arranged to be opposed to each other, and conveys a passbook to positions of the magnetic stripe read mechanism, the printing mechanism, and the page veerer in response to a command from a control circuit.
By the way, there is disclosed a conveyance roller mechanism provided on a sheet conveyance path of an electrophotographic copier, in which a conveyance roller (drive roller) has a torque limiter function (see, for example, JP-A-6-316346). The conveyance roller comprises a core member made of a resin, fixed on a drive shaft, and formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof with irregularities, and a rubber roller member having a smaller hole than an outside diameter of the core member, the core member being press fitted into the hole of the rubber roller member to be made integral therewith. Thereby, a set torque of the torque limiter function is set by a frictional force generated between the outer peripheral surface of the core member and an inner peripheral surface of the rubber roller member. In the case where, for example, conveyance rollers on an upstream side are set to be smaller in rotational speed than conveyance rollers on a downstream side, the downstream conveyance rollers have the torque limiter function. Thereby, when a conveyed sheet is influenced by the upstream conveyance rollers, the downstream conveyance rollers are put in a state, in which rubber roller members thereof slide relative to core members thereof, to maintain low-speed conveyance, and when a conveyed sheet is not influenced by the upstream conveyance rollers, the downstream conveyance rollers make high-speed conveyance.
The conveyance roller mechanism of the passbook printer is not only required to be heightened in conveyance accuracy, with which printing is made on a passbook, but also must make conveyance in accordance with a change in thickness of printed pages of the passbook. That is, when, for example, the conveyance rollers and the pinch rollers are low in coefficient of friction and pinch force, there is a possibility that slip occurs between a roller and a passbook and a passbook cannot get over a sheet number step caused by a difference between the number of sheets on a cover side of the passbook and the number of sheets on a back cover side thereof and a spine step of a stitched portion. Therefore, it is generally requested to heighten conveyance rollers and pinch rollers in coefficient of friction and pinch force. When conveyance rollers and pinch rollers are heightened in coefficient of friction and pinch force, however, there occurs a possibility that a roller digs a paper surface of a passbook, for example, when jam of the passbook happens to occur. In particular, there is a possibility of damage since a medium, such as a passbook, being thick is hard to buckle.
Hereupon, it is assumed that conveyance rollers having the torque limiter function described above are applied to a conveyance roller mechanism of a passbook printer. Thereby, it is thought that damage to a passbook can be prevented when jam occurs. Since conventional conveyance rollers comprise a rubber roller member, however, there is a possibility that printing ink is transferred (primary transfer to a roller and secondary transfer to a passbook) unlike metallic conveyance rollers when a pinch force is increased with a view to an improvement in conveyance accuracy. Also, with conventional conveyance rollers, irregularities formed on an outer peripheral surface of a core member are formed by satin finish or a multiplicity of axial grooves or the like, and an elastic force of a rubber roller member is generated on a substantially whole circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the core member. Therefore, an elastic force of an elastic member is liable to give rise to distribution and an error, so that it is not possible to exactly set a set torque of the torque limiter function.


A noise restraining semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array for outputting through a data line a complementary cell data signal selected in accordance with an input address signal, an output controller for combining a data output enable signal and a Y address latch signal and generating a data output control signal, and an output buffer for buffering and outputting to an input/output pin a data signal outputted from the memory cell array in accordance with the output control signal outputted from the output controller. The memory device makes an operation start time of the output buffer delayed later than a time point in which an output data signal of the memory cell is latched to an input terminal of the output buffer, thereby excluding ground noise.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to an improved semiconductor memory device capable of restraining noise generation when a cell data signal is applied to an output buffer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,944, a conventional semiconductor memory device for improving an output characteristic as shown in FIG. 1 includes: an X decoder 10 for decoding a row address signal outputted from an X address buffer (not shown); a Y decoder 11 for decoding a column address signal outputted from a Y address buffer (not shown) in accordance with a Y address latch signal YLB; a memory cell array 12 for outputting a cell data set D,/D in accordance with respective address signals decoded in the X decoder 10 and the Y decoder 11; and an output buffer 13 for buffering the output data of the memory cell array 12 in accordance with a data output enable signal DOE and applying the buffered output data to an input/output pin 14.
The operation of the thusly constituted conventional semiconductor memory device will now be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, when an output enable signal is externally enabled, a DRAM controller circuit (not shown) generates a data output enable signal DOE for controlling output buffer 13, and a Y address latch signal YLB for controlling an output of memory cell array 12.
The X decoder 10 decodes a row address signal outputted from an X address buffer (not shown) and outputs the decoded signal to a row decoder (not shown), which decodes an input signal and designates a row address in the memory cell array 12.
The Y decoder 11 decodes a column address signal outputted from a Y address buffer (not shown) and outputs the decoded signal to a column decoder (not shown) in accordance with Y address latch signal YLB. The column decoder decodes an input signal and designates a column address in the memory cell array 12.
The memory cell array 12 records data in memory cells designated by an address signal or reads data stored in the memory cells in accordance with the row address signal and the column address signal, respectively. In accordance with data output enable signal DOE, the output buffer 13 buffers and applies to the input/output pin 14 a cell data set D,/D outputted from the memory cell array 12.
Here, Y address latch signal YLB is enabled after data output enable signal DOE is enabled, so that as shown in FIG. 2A, the turning of Y address latch signal YLB to a low level denotes that the cell data set D,/D outputted from the memory cell array 12 are applied to an input terminal of the output buffer 13.
However, because the cell data set D,/D are instantly applied to the output buffer 13 at a time t when the Y address latch signal YLB is turned to a low level, as shown in FIG. 2C there occurs a ground noise.

Noise restraining semiconductor memory device


A method is provided for implanting a valve having at least one valve leaflet within the cardiovascular system of a subject. One step of the method includes preparing a substantially dehydrated bioprosthetic valve and then providing an expandable support member having oppositely disposed first and second ends and a main body portion extending between the ends. Next, the substantially dehydrated bioprosthetic valve is attached to the expandable support member so that the substantially dehydrated bioprosthetic valve is operably secured within the main body portion of the expandable support member. The expandable support member is then crimped into a compressed configuration and placed at a desired location within the cardiovascular system of the subject. Either before or after placement at the desired location, fluid or blood re-hydrates the substantially dehydrated bioprosthetic valve.

A number of implantable bioprosthetic devices are currently being used for treating patients with cardiovascular diseases and defects. Such implantable devices are useful for replacing diseased, damaged, or congenitally malformed components of a patient's cardiovascular system. Thus, damaged or diseased heart valves have been replaced with chemically-fixed, bioprosthetic heart valves prepared from tissues of porcine or bovine origin. Similarly, regions of damaged or diseased blood vessels may also be replaced with bioprosthetic vessels prepared from bovine tissues.
Typically, the animal tissues used to form implantable devices are chemically cross-linked with agents, especially those animal tissue components that come into direct contact with the blood of a patient, and then chemically sterilized and preserved in a chemical solution. Such treatment is necessary to prevent rejection of the implanted bioprosthetic device by the recipient. Such treatment also stabilizes the protein components of the animal tissue, thus making them more resistant to degradation by proteolytic enzymes.
The use of chemically-treated implantable bioprosthetic devices presents several drawbacks, however. For example, the presence of chemically cross-linked/preserved agents, such as glutaraldehyde, presents an environmental hazard to the operating room personnel who are exposed to these chemicals as well as personnel involved in transporting such tissues. Consequently, preparation of chemically-treated devices in the operating room is a cumbersome and time consuming process as the chemical agents must be rinsed thoroughly off of the devices and then carefully crimped and loaded into a delivery catheter.


A fuel injector having a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet, and a fuel passageway extending along an axis between the fuel inlet and the fuel outlet. The fuel injector includes a body having an inlet portion, an outlet portion, and a neck portion disposed between the inlet portion and the outlet portion. An adjusting tube is disposed within the neck portion of the body. A spring is disposed within the neck portion of the body, the spring having an upstream end proximate to the adjusting tube and a downstream end opposite the upstream end. A filter assembly is disposed within the tube assembly to provide a reaction member for the spring. An armature having a lower portion is disposed within the neck portion of the body and displaceable along the axis relative to the body. The downstream end of the spring is disposed proximate to the armature, the spring applying a biasing force to the armature. A valve seal is substantially rigidly connected to the lower portion of the armature. The fuel injector includes a modular valve group subassembly that is connected to a modular coil group subassembly.

It is believed that examples of known fuel injection systems use an injector to dispense a quantity of fuel that is to be combusted in an internal combustion engine. It is also believed that the quantity of fuel that is dispensed is varied in accordance with a number of engine parameters such as engine speed, engine load, engine emissions, etc.
It is believed that examples of known electronic fuel injection systems monitor at least one of the engine parameters and electrically operate the injector to dispense the fuel. It is believed that examples of known injectors use electromagnetic coils, piezoelectric elements, or magnetostrictive materials to actuate a valve.
It is believed that examples of known valves for injectors include a closure member that is movable with respect to a seat. Fuel flow through the injector is believed to be prohibited when the closure member sealingly contacts the seat, and fuel flow through the injector is believed to be permitted when the closure member is separated from the seat.
It is believed that examples of known injectors include a spring providing a force biasing the closure member toward the seat. It is also believed that this biasing force is adjustable in order to set the dynamic properties of the closure member movement with respect to the seat.
It is further believed that examples of known injectors include a filter for separating particles from the fuel flow, and include a seal at a connection of the injector to a fuel source.
It is believed that such examples of the known injectors have a number of disadvantages. It is believed that examples of known injectors must be assembled entirely in an environment that is substantially free of contaminants. It is also believed that examples of known injectors can only be tested after final assembly has been completed.
According to the present invention, a fuel injector can comprise a plurality of modules, each of which can be independently assembled and tested. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the modules can comprise a fluid handling subassembly and an electrical subassembly. These subassemblies can be subsequently assembled to provide a fuel injector according to the present invention.
The present invention provides a fuel injector for use with an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector comprises a valve group subassembly and a coil group subassembly. The valve group subassembly includes a tube assembly having a longitudinal axis extending between a first end and a second end. The tube assembly includes a magnetic pole piece having a first face having a first surface area; a seat secured at the second end of the tube assembly, the seat defining an opening. An armature assembly disposed within the tube assembly, the armature assembly having a second face disposed from the first face by a gap, the second face having a second surface area smaller than the first surface area; a member biasing the armature assembly toward the seat. A filter assembly located in the tube assembly, the filter assembly engaging the member and adjusting a biasing force of the member; and a first attaching portion The coil group subassembly includes a solenoid coil operable to displace the armature assembly with respect to the seat; and a second attaching portion fixedly connected to the first attaching portion.
The present invention further provides a fuel injector for use with an internal combustion engine. The fuel injector comprises a coil group subassembly and a valve group subassembly. The valve group subassembly includes a tube assembly having a longitudinal axis extending between a first end and a second end. The tube assembly includes an inlet tube having a first inlet tube end and a second inlet tube end having a first face having a first surface area; a non-magnetic shell having a first shell end connected to the second inlet tube end at a first connection and further having a second shell end; and a valve body having a first valve body end connected to the second shell end at a second connection and further having a second valve body end. A seat, defining an opening and secured at the second end of the tube assembly. An armature assembly disposed within the tube assembly, the armature assembly including a second face disposed from the first face by a gap, the second face having a second surface area smaller than the first surface area; a member biasing the armature assembly toward the seat. A filter assembly located in the tube assembly, the filter assembly engaging the member and adjusting a biasing force of the member; and a first attaching portion. The coil group subassembly includes a solenoid coil operable to displace the armature assembly with respect to the seat; and a second attaching portion fixedly connected to the first attaching portion.
The present invention also provides for a method of assembling a fuel injector. The method comprises providing a valve group subassembly and a coil group subassembly inserting the valve group subassembly into the coil group subassembly. The valve group subassembly includes a tube assembly having a longitudinal axis extending between a first end and a second end. The tube assembly includes a magnetic pole piece having a first face having a first surface area; a seat secured at the second end of the tube assembly, the seat defining an opening; an armature assembly disposed within the tube assembly, the armature assembly having a second face disposed from the first face by a gap, the second face having a second surface area smaller than the first surface area; a member biasing the armature assembly toward the seat; an adjusting tube located in the tube assembly, the adjusting tube engaging the member and adjusting a biasing force of the member; a filter assembly located in the tube assembly, the filter assembly engaging the member and adjusting a biasing force of the member; and a first attaching portion. The coil group subassembly includes a solenoid coil operable to displace the armature assembly with respect to the seat; and a second attaching portion.

Modular fuel injector having a low mass, high efficiency electromagnetic actuator and having an integral filter and dynamic adjustment assembly


An output transistor coupled between an input terminal where an input voltage is input and an output terminal where an output voltage is output; an error amplifier configured to generate a first error signal and a second error signal based on a voltage in accordance with the output voltage and a reference voltage, and to output the first error signal to a gate terminal of the output transistor; an anti-overshoot circuit coupled to the output terminal and controlled by the second error signal; an output transistor control part configured to add a control signal based on a first current in accordance with an AC component of the output voltage to the first error signal; and a sensitivity adjustment part configured to decrease the first current based on the second error signal when the output voltage is higher than a certain voltage.

In an on-chip regulator used as a power supply circuit supplying electric power to a microcontroller, a memory, and so on, there are requirements such as enabling low power consumption, a Cap-Free system (reduction of terminals, reduction of external components) in which an external capacitance is not attached. However, response properties of a linear regulator depend on a consumption current of a circuit, and therefore, a feedback loop becomes late caused by the lower power consumption, and it is difficult to follow variation of an output voltage. Besides, a variation amount of the output voltage increases resulting that the capacitance is not attached. Accordingly, in the linear regulator, if the low power consumption is enabled and the Cap-Free system is used, the response properties relative to variation of load deteriorate and a lot of time is required until the output voltage is stabled if, for example, the load steeply varies and the output voltage largely changes. As one of methods enabling a linear regulator in which the power consumption is lowered, the Cap-Free system is used, and stable voltage can be supplied, a method in which, for example, a control circuit controlling the output voltage is provided in addition to the feedback loop is proposed as illustrated in FIG. 8 (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a configuration example of a conventional power supply circuit (linear regulator). The power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8 includes an error amplifier 101, an output transistor TR101 using a P-channel transistor, resistances R101, R102, a capacitance C101, an anti-overshoot/undershoot circuit 103, and transistors TR102, TR103. A load 102 is coupled to an output terminal of the power supply circuit. VREF is a constant reference voltage supplied from a not-illustrated reference voltage circuit, VDD is an output voltage of the power supply circuit, VGATE is a voltage supplied to a gate terminal of the output transistor TR101, VFB is a divided voltage generated by dividing the output voltage VDD at the resistances R101, R102 coupled in series.
In the power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8, when the divided voltage VFB in accordance with the output voltage VDD becomes lower than the reference voltage VREF, an output voltage of the error amplifier 101 decreases, and the voltage VGATE supplied to the gate of the output transistor TR101 decreases. As a result, an ON-resistance of the output transistor TR101 decreases, and the output voltage VDD increases. On the other hand, when the divided voltage VFB in accordance with the output voltage VDD is higher than the reference voltage VREF, the output voltage of the error amplifier 101 increases, and the voltage VGATE supplied to the gate of the output transistor TR101 increases. As a result, the ON-resistance of the output transistor TR101 increases, and the output voltage VDD decreases. The power supply circuit controls such that a constant voltage is output from the output terminal as the output voltage VDD as stated above.
Here, when a load current Ild to the load 102 varies, the output voltage VDD of the power supply circuit changes resulting from the variation of the load current Ild. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the output voltage VDD of the power supply circuit decreases when the load 102 becomes heavy and the load current Ild steeply increases (time T101). Besides, the output voltage VDD of the power supply circuit increases when the load 102 becomes light and the load current Ild steeply decreases (time T102). To suppress the change of the output voltage resulting from the variation of the load current Ild as stated above, the anti-overshoot/undershoot circuit 103 monitors the output voltage VDD, and performs a control of the transistors TR102, TR103 in accordance with an AC component of the output voltage VDD in the power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8.
The anti-overshoot/undershoot circuit 103 suppresses a variation amount by setting the transistor TR102 in on-state (continuity state) to be decrease the output voltage VDD when the output voltage VDD is in an overshoot state. The anti-overshoot/undershoot circuit 103 suppresses the variation amount of the output voltage VDD by setting the transistor TR103 in on-state (continuity state) to decrease the voltage VGATE supplied to the gate of the output transistor TR101 when the output voltage VDD is in an undershoot state. The power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8 reduces the overshoot and undershoot of the output voltage VDD resulting from the steep variation of the load current to suppress the variation of the output voltage VDD as stated above.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-191885
In the power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8, for example, when the load 102 is a memory, the load current Ild is generated when the memory actively operates such as writing of data to the memory and reading of data from the memory. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a case is considered when the writing and so on of data to the memory is repeatedly performed at a period PA, and thereafter, an interval period of times T111 to T112 elapses under a state in which the memory is not operated, then the writing and so on of data to the memory is repeatedly performed again at a period PB from the time T112.
The power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8 performs the control of the transistors TR102, TR103 in accordance with only the AC component of the output voltage VDD of the power supply circuit. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the load current Ild is repeatedly generated at the period PA, and thereafter, the load current Ild steeply disappears at the time T111, the output voltage VDD is overshot because a response of the power supply circuit by the feedback loop is late and the control of the output transistor TR101 delays.
If the memory is operated again at the time T112 when the output voltage VDD is overshot and at a high position, the transistor TR103 is in the ON-state (continuity state) to suppress the undershoot of the output voltage VDD resulting from the variation of the load current Ild. The output voltage VDD thereby increases for the same amount as a time when the output voltage VDD is at a steady state though the output voltage VDD of the power supply circuit is at the high position. As a result, the output voltage VDD exceeds an upper limit value Vmax of a power supply voltage range in which the load 102 is able to operate, and there is a possibility in which reliability problems such as operation failure and deterioration of operating life of a product are incurred.
Namely, there is a case when the output voltage VDD is overshot and exceeds the upper limit value Vmax of the power supply voltage range in which the load 102 can operate when the load operation periods in which the load current Ild is repeatedly generated are continuously repeated with a certain time interval in the conventional power supply circuit illustrated in FIG. 8.

Power supply circuit and semiconductor device


Calibration of models for manufacturing processes that are subject to circuit layout proximity effects is performed, including optical proximity correction (OPC) model calibration. A target structure is produced using a layout and a manufacturing process. The target structure is illuminated and an electromagnetic scattering property is detected. A manufacturing process model for simulation of the manufacturing process is produced, which comprises at least one manufacturing process parameter determining a model electromagnetic scattering property using the manufacturing process model and the layout. The model electromagnetic scattering property is compared to the detected electromagnetic scattering property and based on the result of the comparison, calibrated manufacturing process parameters are output for calibrating the manufacturing process model. The determining and the layout may include determining structural information corresponding to the target structure using the manufacturing process model and determining the model electromagnetic scattering property using the structural information.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
In order to monitor the lithographic process, parameters of the patterned substrate are measured. Parameters may include, for example, the overlay error between successive layers formed in or on the patterned substrate and critical linewidth of developed photosensitive resist. This measurement may be performed on a product substrate and/or on a dedicated metrology target. There are various techniques for making measurements of the microscopic structures formed in lithographic processes, including the use of scanning electron microscopes and various specialized tools. A fast and non-invasive form of specialized inspection tool is a scatterometer in which a beam of radiation is directed onto a target on the surface of the substrate and properties of the scattered or reflected beam are measured. By comparing the properties of the beam before and after it has been reflected or scattered by the substrate, the properties of the substrate can be determined. This can be done, for example, by comparing the reflected beam with data stored in a library of known measurements associated with known substrate properties. Two main types of scatterometer are known. Spectroscopic scatterometers direct a broadband radiation beam onto the substrate and measure the spectrum (intensity as a function of wavelength) of the radiation scattered into a particular narrow angular range. Angularly resolved scatterometers use a monochromatic radiation beam and measure the intensity of the scattered radiation as a function of angle.
Optical lithography processes cannot reproduce patterns faithfully independent of the proximity to their neighbors. As a result, complex manufacturing process models including optical proximity effects to provide optical proximity correction (OPC) are used to compensate for this effect. An accurate manufacturing model needs to have its behavior calibrated to the resulting pattern on the wafer. Typically, in such calibration features on the wafer are measured using a CD (Critical Dimension) SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) metrology tool. This type of tools has limitations in measuring 2-D (2-Dimensional) structures, especially in determination of the separation of ends of fine features (or line ends). As a result, the manufacturing model's accuracy is limited by the uncertainty of the measurement accuracy of the wafer feature metrology tool. In CD SEM measurement results, there is also a lack of information on resist side wall profiles.
The scatterometry technique is known for its improvement in measurement precision versus that of the CD SEM. However, the scatterometry technique has problem measuring arbitrary 2-D patterns. It also has many difficulties in achieving a robust CD reconstruction algorithm.

Method for calibrating a manufacturing process model