A system may include one or more high-speed serial interfaces for moving data. A system may include a transmission unit configured to serially transmit data bits, and a receiving unit coupled to the transmission unit. The receiving unit may receive a stream of data bits from the transmission unit and establish an initial sample point. The receiving unit may then sample the bits at multiple offsets from the initial sample point, reestablishing the initial sample point between each offset. The receiving unit may also calculate bit error rates (BERs) for the samples taken at each sample point. Based on the BERs, the receiving unit may set a data sampling point for receiving a second stream of data bits from the transmitter unit. The receiving unit may limit the amount of time the data sampling point is used and recalculate the data sampling point when the amount of time has expired.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to high performance computing network systems, and more particularly, to clock and data recovery methods for systems using serialized data transmission.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The performance of computing systems is dependent on both hardware and software. In order to increase the throughput of computing systems, the parallelization of tasks is utilized as much as possible. To this end, compilers may extract parallelized tasks from program code and hardware may include multiple copies of structures to execute the parallelized tasks. The structures may include functional units, processor cores, and nodes.
Communication between the multiple structures may utilize wide communication buses, i.e., buses that transport data words of 16-bits, 32-bits, 64-bits, or more in parallel. The physical implementation of such communication buses may consume significant area on an integrated circuit or system. Additionally, cross-capacitance, electromigration interference (EMI), and parasitic inductance on wide buses increase the power consumption and noise effects of the computing system. Such parasitic effects may become more pronounced with increased operational frequencies and reduced geometric dimensions of the wide buses themselves, bond wires, integrated circuit (IC) package leads, and external supply lines. Mismatch of impedance values at the end of transmission lines may result in reflection or ringing, increased propagation delays, and voltage droop of the signals being transmitted.
Reducing the problems with high-speed parallel data transmission may include serializing the parallel data at the transmission side before transmission and then de-serializing the transmitted data on the receiver side upon reception. A pair of Serializer and Deserializer (SERDES) circuits may be used for this purpose.
One way of further reducing communication lines and the associated issues is by eliminating a dedicated clock between individual SERDES circuits. If the individual SERDES circuits are the same circuit board, they may share a clock source and therefore may not require a clock signal from one SERDES circuit to the other. However, if the SERDES circuits are far apart on the circuit board or are not on the same board, then a method for transmitting a clock signal from the transmitting circuit to the receiving circuit is required. One method for transmitting a clock signal is to embed the clock signal within the data stream.
Recovering an embedded clock may present difficulties. Data may be encoded such that a minimum number of data state transitions occur for a given number of bits transmitted. The receiving unit may require an accurate clock to begin with and this clock source may need to be capable of fine tune adjustments in order to match the transmitting circuit's clock if data rates above a gigabit per second (Gbit/s) are to be reliably achieved.
Another challenge may arise from intentional variations of the transmitting circuit's data clock. A data clock may be modulated within a known range in a method known as Spread Spectrum Clocking (SSC). SSC may be utilized to prevent EMI emissions in a single frequency spectrum. By gradually moving the transmitter frequency between two set frequencies, EMI emissions are spread across a wider frequency spectrum such that no single frequency is impacted for long. While SSC has benefits of reducing EMI noise, it may create a challenge for recovering the data clock.

Precursor adaptation algorithm for asynchronously clocked SERDES


The invention provides an improved drill bit and a method for designing thereof. The drill bit includes a bit body, a journal depending from the bit body, and a disc rotatably mounted on the journal. The disc of the drill bit has PDC cutting elements disposed on it. Also provided is an improved cutting structure for the discs of the drill bit. The cutting structure includes a portion that is comprised from PDC.

Disc drill bits are one type of drill bit used in earth drilling applications, particularly in petroleum or mining operations. In such operations, the cost of drilling is significantly affected by the rate the disc drill bit penetrates the various types of subterranean formations. That rate is referred to as rate of penetration ("ROP"), and is typically measured in feet or inches per hour. As a result, there is a continual effort to optimize the design of disc drill bits to more rapidly drill specific formations and reduce these drilling costs.
Disc drill bits are characterized by having disc-shaped cutter heads rotatably mounted on journals of a bit body. Each disc has an arrangement of cutting elements attached to the outer profile of the disc. Disc drill bits can have three discs, two discs, or even one disc. An example of a three disc drill bit 101, shown in FIG. 1A, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,007 issued to Kaalstad ("the '007 Patent"), and. incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Disc drill bit 101 includes a bit body 103 and three discs 105 rotatably mounted on journals (not shown) of bit body 103. Discs 105 are positioned to drill a generally circular borehole 151 in the earth formation being penetrated. Inserts 107 are arranged on the outside radius of discs 105 such that inserts 107 are the main elements cutting borehole 151. Furthermore, disc drill bit 101 includes a threaded pin member 109 to connect with a threaded box member 111. This connection enables disc drill bit 101 to be threadably attached to a drill string 113.
In this patent, inserts 107 on discs 105 are conically shaped and used to primarily generate failures by crushing the earth formation to cut out wellbore 151. During drilling, a force (referred to as weight on bit ("WOB")) is applied to disc drill bit 101 to push it into the earth formation. The WOB is translated through inserts 107 to generate compressive failures in the earth formation. In addition, as drill string 113 is rotated in one direction, as indicated by arrow 131, bit body 103 rotates in the same direction 133 as drill string 113, which causes discs 105 to rotate in an opposite direction 135.
Referring now to FIG. 1B, another type of disc drill bit, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,000 also issued to Kaalstad ("the '000 Patent") incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, is shown. The '000 Patent discloses a similar three disc drill bit to that of the '007 Patent, but instead shows another arrangement of the inserts on the discs of the disc drill bit. In FIG. 1B, inserts 123 are disposed on the face of discs 125, instead of on the outside radius. The primary function of inserts 123 is to cut out the borehole by generating compressive failures from WOB. After inserts 123 generate the primary compressive failures, they then perform a secondary function of excavating the compressively failed earth. The conical shape and location of inserts 123 on disc drill bit 121 are effective for generating compressive failures, but are inadequate in shape and location to excavate the earth formation also. When used to excavate the earth formation from the compressive failures, inserts 123 wear and delaminate very quickly.
Although disc bits have been used successfully in the prior art, further improvements in the drilling performance may be obtained by improved cutting configurations.

Hybrid disc bit with optimized PDC cutter placement


A multi-part synchronizing ring (1) of a synchronization device with an annular base body (2) and with at least one friction surface (19) on the base body (2), as well as with teeth (3) pointing outwards, has at least one driver element (4, 5), wherein the driver element (4, 5) is formed on an annular disk (6) separate from the base body (2).

The invention relates to a multi-part synchronizing ring of a synchronization device with an annular base body and with at least one friction surface on the base body. The synchronizing ring has teeth pointing radially outwardly on a periphery thereof and at least one driver element projects opposite the teeth in the radial direction on the synchronizing ring.
DE 198 53 856 A1 shows a synchronizing ring produced from sheet metal in a non-cutting shaping process with an essentially conical ring body. At the edge of the synchronizing ring with the larger cone diameter, teeth point radially outwardly and extend around the periphery. At the edge with the smaller cone diameter, catches or driver elements, which point away from the rotational axis of the synchronizing ring, project radially outwardly. These catches or driver elements are provided, e.g., for a positive-fit engagement in a synchronizing body carrier. The catches are formed integrally with the synchronizing ring and shaped so that they extend radially outward. Such a configuration of the synchronizing ring is satisfactory, but it requires a relatively high expense in terms of shaping technology. The expense results from additional processing steps after the formation of the bowl for the synchronizing ring. During these processing steps, the catches or driver elements must be bent to point radially outwardly from the base of the bowl. It is further disadvantageous that the requirements for the material of the synchronizing ring catches partially contradict the requirements on the frictional behavior of the conical friction surface. The catches must be rigid and resistant to wear as much as possible over the entire service life of the transmission. However, preferably different material pairs are used on the friction or counter-friction surfaces of a transmission synchronizer to guarantee, e.g., constant coefficients of friction over the entire service life at higher frictional power. It is known from DE 198 53 894 A1 to produce an outer synchronizing ring from several parts. The synchronizing ring consists of a disk with external teeth and a base body with a conical friction surface. The disk and the base body are manufactured separately and attached to each other. This document contains no information on the materials of the outer synchronizing ring parts. A synchronizing ring with driver elements pointing radially outwardly can be not be produced or can only be produced with great expense according to the method described in this document.

Multi-part synchronizing ring of a synchronization device


A local exchange carrier can provide operator service for a telephone call, whether intra-LATA or not, and in some cases to perform the service so that the call can be passed with the service already provided. Operator services for calls that require prior approval at a subscriber station for completion and those that do not (e.g., collect calls vs. credit card calls) are differentiated. If, for a particular call, it is determined that the required operator service does not require prior approval for the call being placed, then the operator service is provided from the end-office without routing the call to an operator services platform. The call may be serviced using an advanced intelligent network (AIN) system. If the required operator service does require prior approval, however, it is ultimately routed to an operator services platform of the local exchange carrier or interexchange carrier for provision of the service.

Certain telephone calls require the services of an operator for completion. Although these services have evolved through the performance of human operators, and although they are still generally thought of in those terms, the technology has advanced to the point where it is now commonplace for operator services to be fully automated. Any one of the various kinds of calls that require operator services for completion can now be provided without human intervention. Among these are "alternate billing" calls, person-to-person calls, and calls from pay phones which are to be paid for in advance as "coin-paid" calls. With alternate billing, for a particular call, the charges for the call are arranged to be billed to an account for a telephone other than the one from which the call originates. Alternate billing calls include collect calls, calls for billing to a third party, and credit card calls.
Generally, a local exchange carrier (LEC) is responsible for providing operator services for intra-LATA calls carried within its network (within a "local access transport area" or LATA), and an interexchange carrier (IXC) is responsible for providing operator services for calls carried by its network. In the latter case, as with most other calls, operator service calls typically originate with a local exchange carrier and they are passed through by the LEC to the interexchange carrier's network. This occurs without the local exchange carrier involving itself in the provision of operator services, and it remains then for the IXC to make those services available if they are needed. In either case, whether the services are provided for a local call or for a long distance call, the call is typically routed, by the responsible carrier, from or within its network, to an operator services platform that is deployed for providing the needed services.
Since most calls, both long distance and intra-LATA, are received in the first instance by a local exchange carrier, it has been suggested that operator services for both kinds of calls can be provided by operator service platforms (e.g., operator service centers) of the local exchange carriers. One deterrent to such an arrangement is that special operator service trunks have been needed in order to route calls to these platforms. A solution for dealing with that, however, is disclosed in the application of Robert P. Florindi et al., identified above. Even with the solution offered by the disclosure of that application, however, it remains necessary for the LEC to first pass long distance calls in need of operator services to the interexchange carrier network, and for the IXC to then forward them to an operator service platform of the local exchange carrier that is engaged to provide the services.
Thus, notwithstanding the improvements that have been made, operating efficiencies would be expected if a local exchange carrier that initially receives calls could provide at least some of the operator services, as required, before passing the calls to an interexchange carrier, and if the processes and techniques used to service the long distance calls (e.g., inter-LATA) could be used by the LEC for providing the same kinds of services for its intra-LATA calls. For those services carried out in advance of moving a call to the IXC network, the operator services desirably would be transparent to the interexchange carrier and it would receive the call as it does any other call not requiring operator services. In other words, the call, in those cases, could be received and processed by the IXC essentially as a "plain old telephone service" (POTS) call, having already received operator service processing by the LEC. In that kind of arrangement, the LEC would necessarily be responsible for certain billing and record keeping aspects related to the call processing.
An objective of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a method and apparatus by which operator services can be furnished for both intra-LATA and inter-LATA calls, and by which at least some of the services can be performed by a local exchange carrier for its own, intra-LATA calls and for inter-LATA calls before they are passed to an interexchange carrier. In certain aspects, the invention is facilitated by the application of advanced intelligent network (AIN) operating principles and by utilizing an AIN architectural framework and signaling system.

Method and apparatus for universal telephone operator service


The present invention is related to a filler pipe structure for connecting a filler neck and fuel tank inside of a vehicle, and the filler pipe structure is equipped with a first filler pipe extending from the filler neck; a chamber that is arranged at an end to which the first filler pipe extends, and forms a space fronting the end of the first filler pipe; an inlet check valve attached to the end of the first filler pipe; and a second filler pipe that connects the space of the chamber and the fuel tank inside, wherein an inside section area of the second filler pipe is larger than that of the first filler pipe.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filler pipe structure for connecting an fuel filler neck of a vehicle with a fuel tank inside thereof and for leading fuel supplied from the fuel filler neck by an oil filling gun and the like to the fuel tank inside, and particularly, to the filler pipe structure used in the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "center tank vehicle") where the fuel tank is substantially arranged at a center of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a center tank vehicle where a fuel tank is arranged below a front seat of the vehicle is known (for example, see paragraph 0024 and FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-85382). Such the center tank vehicle can ensure a rear compartment of the vehicle larger, compared to a vehicle where a fuel tank is arranged at rear.
On the other hand, nowadays a vehicle with an ORVR (Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery) appears (for example, see paragraphs 0018 to 0020 and FIG. 1 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Hei 8-21317). The ORVR is something for preventing a fuel evaporation gas generated within a fuel tank from being dispersed in the atmosphere through a filler neck when fuel is filled in the fuel tank. As such the ORVR, for example, can be cited one configured of a fuel evaporation gas reflux pipe for connecting a fuel tank inside and a filler pipe in a vicinity of a filler neck, another one where a canister where an adsorbent for adsorbing a fuel evaporation gas is housed is attached to a fuel tank through a communicating pipe, and the like. Out of these, when supplying fuel from the filler neck, the one configured of the fuel evaporation gas reflux pipe is designed to reduce an evaporating amount of fuel in the air sucked together with the fuel from the filler neck by refluxing a saturated fuel evaporation gas generated in the fuel tank via a route of the fuel evaporation gas reflux pipe, filler pipe, and fuel tank. In addition, the another one where the canister is attached to the fuel tank is designed to capture the fuel evaporation gas led from the fuel tank through the communication pipe by the adsorbent.
In this connection, because in the center tank vehicle a distance from the filler neck arranged at rear of the vehicle body to the fuel tank becomes longer, a filler pipe for connecting the fuel tank inside and the filler neck becomes longer. As a result, an oil filling resistance of the filler pipe augments in filling oil.
In addition, in a vehicle equipped with the ORVR a fuel evaporation gas within the fuel tank is sent into the fuel evaporation gas reflux pipe or the fuel evaporation gas is sent into the canister by using a head difference of the fuel filled in the filler pipe from the filler neck. As a result, in the vehicle equipped with the ORVR the oil filling resistance of the filler pipe augments in filling oil.
Accordingly, attempting to equip the ORVR with a center tank vehicle, it is foreseen that the oil filling resistance of the filler pipe markedly augments in filling oil. As a result, there is a possibility that a smooth oil filling is prevented.
Consequently, in order to solve such the problem can be thought a fuel tank structure that is designed to protrude a part of a rear end of the fuel tank toward a rear so that a plan view shape thereof becomes a convex shape, and to connect the filler pipe to the protruded part. In accordance with such the fuel tank structure, because the filler pipe for connecting the fuel tank inside and the filler neck is shortened, it is expected that the oil filling resistance of the filler pipe is reduced in filling oil, and that a smooth oil filling results in being realized. However, because in the fuel tank structure the shape of the fuel tank becomes complicated, it is foreseen that a yield of the fuel tank obtained worsens.
Consequently, a filler pipe structure is strongly requested that can realize a smooth oil filling even in a center tank vehicle equipped with the ORVR using a usual fuel tank of a good yield.


A method is provided for slicing food product sticks such as loaves or chubs or the like of meat and cheese. A blade assembly is utilized which includes a plurality of, typically two, blade members, each of which has a curved cutting surface that terminates at a trailing tip. A non-slicing mode is achieved by having the blade assembly exhibit a substantial gap between the trailing tip of one blade member and the curved cutting surface leading edge of another blade member. The method is particularly well suited for enhancing the throughput of a food processing line and for improving the quality of sliced products processed therethrough.

The present invention generally relates to the slicing of food products utilizing a blade having multiple cutting surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a particular multiple cutting surface blade and to its use in a procedure which allows industrial-sized sticks of meat and the like to be sliced at high throughput rates without having to utilize high rotational speeds of the cutter blade. The invention is especially well-suited for slicing lean whole muscle meat products which cannot be frozen.
Proteinaceous materials such as luncheon meats, whole muscle meats, cheeses and the like for many years have been processed on an industrial scale whereby large sticks, loaves, chubs and the like are fully processed and packaged at a food processing plant. Typically, a large stick, weighing many pounds, is formed and/or handled in food processing machinery. Machinery of this type, in many applications, includes slicing machines for severing these multi-pound sticks into slices which are then stacked and packaged in order to provide any of a variety of different packaged slice food products which are sold commercially in large quantities.
As with most commercial production operations, an important consideration for cost-effectiveness is to maximize the quantity of finished products which are produced for each processing line. In many food processing lines, slicing can be an operation which determines to a large extent the throughput or poundage of product which is processed by the line. Consequently, at times the throughput of a food processing and packaging line can be determined to a large extent by the speed at which the slicing apparatus performs its function. The typical commercial food processing slicing apparatus is one which incorporates a blade that operates in a rotary manner; consequently, when increased line throughput is desired, one of the adjustments that typically is attempted is to increase the rotational speed or revolutions per minute of the slicing blade present on the food processing line.
Increasing of blade speed cannot be accomplished in an unlimited manner. Properties of the food stick being sliced limit acceptable cutting speeds. Cutting speed limits, of course, vary from food product to food product. For example, with respect to meat sticks, those which are particularly consistent and uniform throughout the stick, such as those that are formed by an emulsion type of process wherein there are no readily discernible domains of lean, fat, meat, muscle, filler, or the like, are more compatible with being sliced at relatively high speeds under customary commercial processing conditions than are other types of food products. Those relatively high speeds typically are not attainable by other meat products which are of the so-called whole muscle variety wherein domains of lean, fat, muscle and the like are readily discernible. One such product is known as whole muscle ham. When products of this latter type are subjected to slicing at the food processing plant, the upper limit of cutting speed, such as revolutions per minute of a rotary blade, is relatively low because of the tendency of these types of products to tear or develop holes or ragged edges or other deformities which are not acceptable for most industrially processed and packaged food products.
It has been proposed, and attempts have been made, to increase the slicing speed upper limit or threshold by lowering the temperature of the stick or the like to be sliced to such an extent that the stick itself either is substantially fully frozen or is subjected to what is known as crust freezing wherein at least the outer portions of the stick or the like are frozen. By this latter approach, it is suggested that the crust freezing holds the edges of the product together more effectively than when the stick or the like is otherwise at typical industrial slicing temperatures, which tend to be in the vicinity of, but above, the temperature at which the stick will be crust frozen. one of the disadvantages of using the freezing or crust freezing approach is that the finished, packaged product might not be as acceptable as a packaged product which has not been subjected to freezing. For example, when frozen or crust frozen slices thaw, moisture tends to be drawn out of the product. If this moisture drawing continues after packaging or even if the slices are merely too moist when packaged, so-called purging occurs within the package, and the packaged product will exhibit undesirable properties including the appearance of fluids within the sealed package.
Accordingly, there is a need for an arrangement whereby industrial scale sticks or the like of food product, particularly meat sticks, can be handled in a manner which increases throughput of a given line through means other than increasing the rotational speed of the slicer blade. It is also desirable that this procedure also improve product quality such as by having the slicing blade run at speeds which will not damage the stick or slices and which is accomplished without resorting to other manipulations, such as crust freezing procedures and the like.
In summary, the present invention avoids the need to increase blade speed of a rotary cutting blade by providing a blade having multiple cutting surfaces which are spaced from each other. This feature is combined with feeding of the stick of food product during blade rotation and into the space between the cutting surfaces, with the result that, for each revolution of the rotary blade assembly, a number of slices are prepared which correspond to the number of spaced blade surfaces present on the blade assembly. For example, when two generally radially spaced cutting surfaces are included on the blade assembly, two slices will be cut from the stick during each revolution of the blade assembly.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an improved slicing apparatus and method for increasing throughput while maintaining or enhancing slice quality.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved slicing apparatus and method which are particularly suitable for slicing whole muscle meat products at enhanced throughput speeds.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.

Method of food slicing to form multiple slices each blade revolution


An immersion exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate through a liquid includes an illumination optical system, a projection optical system, a chuck, a liquid support plate, a stage, and a liquid repellency recovery unit. The illumination optical system illuminates an original with exposure light from exposure light sources. The projection optical system projects a pattern of the original onto the substrate. The chuck holds the substrate. The liquid support plate supports a liquid together with the substrate held by the chuck. A surface of the liquid support plate includes a surface of a metal oxide. The stage is provided with a chuck and the liquid support plate and is movable. The liquid repellency recovery unit is configured to recover the liquid repellency of the surface of the metal oxide with regard to the liquid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an immersion exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate through a liquid and a device manufacturing method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A projection exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate such as a wafer with a circuit pattern drawn on an original such as a reticle (mask) by a projection optical system has conventionally been used. Recently, there is an increasing demand for the exposure apparatus of high resolution and high quality. Under such a circumstance, attention is being directed to an immersion exposure method as one of ways for responding to such a demand for high resolution (U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,256). The immersion exposure method serves to increase further the numerical aperture (NA) of the projection optical system by placing a liquid as the medium at the wafer side of the projection optical system. When the refractive index of the medium is n, NA=n·sin θ is established. Accordingly, the NA of the projection optical system can be increased up to n if a part of the apparatus is filled with a medium of refractive index (n>1), which is higher than the refractive index of air. As a result, the resolution R (R=k1(λ/NA)) of the exposure apparatus represented by a process constant k1 and a wavelength λ of a light source is raised.
A local fill type immersion exposure apparatus in which a space between a final lens of the projection optical system and a portion of a surface of the wafer is partially filled with liquid has been discussed in International Publication No. WO99/49504. In the local fill type immersion exposure apparatus, a wafer is exposed while being moved with respect to the projection optical system. Accordingly, bubbles or turbulent flow may be generated in the liquid between the projection optical system and the wafer. The bubbles shield exposing light and the turbulent flow applies a pressure to the final lens of the projection optical system to cause a minute deformation of the final lens, which results in an occurrence of aberration in the projection optical system. Therefore, in order to prevent a transfer property of the immersion exposure apparatus from deteriorating, it has been proposed that a portion of the projection optical system contacting the liquid is subjected to a surface treatment so as to allow the portion of the projection optical system contacting the liquid to have compatibility with the liquid.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-207696 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-207710 discuss a liquid support plate designed to be substantially flush with the wafer and to be arranged around the wafer so that the liquid will not spill when a shot (edge shot) of a wafer end is exposed to light in the local fill type immersion exposure apparatus.
However, in the local fill type immersion exposure apparatus, there is a problem that a droplet may remain on the liquid support plate when the wafer is exposed to light while it is moved together with the liquid support plate. The remaining droplet may oxidize the liquid support plate which results in contamination of the wafer. Further, the droplet remaining on the liquid support plate may fly apart while the wafer and the liquid support plate are moved and cause contamination or corrosion of components around the residual droplet. Whether the liquid in the form of the droplet remains on the liquid support plate depends on the contact angle of the surface of the liquid support plate.
The above-described local fill type immersion exposure apparatus has the following problems.
If ultraviolet rays (exposure light) having a high energy such as a KrF laser or an ArF laser fall onto the surface of the liquid support plate while an immersion liquid (for example, purified water) attaches to the surface of the liquid support plate, surface conditions of ceramics such as SiC and Teflon® used as materials of the liquid support plate will change. Generally, the contact angle of the ceramics will be remarkably decreased. For example, in the case of SiC, the contact angle decreases from about 50 degrees before exposure to about 10 degrees after irradiation of the exposure light. Further, the surface of the resin will be shaved as the contact angle decreases.
The following problem will occur if the contact angle of the surface of the liquid support plate increases (i.e., if the liquid repellency lowers) . If the contact angle of the liquid with respect to the surface of the liquid support plate is smaller than that of a resist (photosensitive resin) applied on the wafer, liquid may remain on the liquid support plate in the form of a droplet when the liquid film moves from the liquid support plate to the surface of the wafer. If the droplet remains on the liquid support plate, it may invite wafer contamination. Further, the residual droplet may fly apart while a stage is moving, which causes contamination or corrosion of components around the stage.

Immersion exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method


An image sensor module includes a transparent substrate having recesses defined in a lower face thereof. A light concentration member includes transparent light concentration parts each of which are disposed in a corresponding one of the recesses. Color filters are disposed over each of the light concentration parts and photo diode units having photo diodes are disposed over each of the color filters. An insulation member covers the photo diode units and input/output terminals disposed over the insulation member are each electrically connected to a corresponding photo diode unit.

The present invention relates generally to an image sensor module and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to an image sensor module that prevents contamination of components of the image sensor module and a method of manufacturing the same.
An image sensor is a semiconductor device that converts an analog signal such as a light signal into an electrical signal.
A conventional image sensor includes photo diodes that generate photoelectrons corresponding to the amount of light that is incident over a semiconductor substrate, driving units that output electrical signals in response to the photoelectrons outputted from each of the photo diodes, color filters disposed over each of the photo diodes, and micro lens units disposed over each of the color filters.
The conventional image sensor is manufactured by sequentially performing unit processes, for example, forming a photo diode over the semiconductor substrate by a photodiode forming process, forming a color filter over the photo diode by a color filter forming process, and forming a lens unit over the color filter by a lens unit forming process.
However, when the image sensor is manufactured by performing the unit processes, for example those discussed above, the photo diode, the color filter, and the lens unit are likely to be contaminated by contaminants such as particles, such that the operational properties of the image sensor are decreased.

Image sensor module and method of manufacturing the same


The subject invention generally provides a multilayer structure that includes a polymer mixture made from at least two polymer component materials. The invention particularly pertains to a multilayer structure containing an improved sealant layer and a polypropylene layer, wherein the sealant layer is made from a homogeneously branched ethylene polymer having particular molecular weight characteristics and a second ethylene polymer. The sealant layer has balanced properties such low heat seal and hot tack initiation temperature, a high hot tack strength and a broad hot tack seal window. The multilayer structure is particularly useful as a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) packaging film structure.

Although polyolefin resins have long found utility in food packaging and food storage container applications, a polyolefin composition with the desired balance of properties in the form of a film, coating or molding has not been available to fabricators and pakagers. For example, an optimum polyolefin resin composition for use as a sealant layer in packaging and storage applications would possess a number of key performance properties such as low heat seal and hot tack initiation temperatures, a high hot tack strength, a broad hot tack sealing window, good interlayer adhesion, a high softening point and low hexane extractables levels.
The commercial importance of balanced sealant properties is well understood. That is, low heat seal and hot tack initiation temperatures are important for improved sealing speeds and reduced energy utilization. A broad hot tack sealing window at high hot tack strengths (i.e., the seal temperature range where the hot tack strength is greater than or equal to about 46 g/cm as measured by the Dupont spring method or gl eater than or equal to about 3.31 Newton/15 mm (5.6 N/in.) as measured using a mechanical hot tack tester such as, for example, a Top Wave Sealing unit) is important for insuring package integrity, sealing equipment flexibility and low package leaker rates. Good interlayer adhesion is also important for good package integrity as well as good package or container aesthetics. High softening points or temperatures are desired where goods are packaged at elevated temperatures such as in hot-fill applications. Low hexane extractables are required for food contact applications.
Traditionally, when attempting to achieve balanced sealant properties, enhancement of one particular resin property has required some sacrifice with respect to another important property. For instance, with ethylene alpha-olefin polymers, low heat seal and hot tack initiation temperatures are typically achieved by increasing the comonomer content of the resin. Conversely, high Vicat softening points and low levels of n-hexane extractives are typically achieved by decreasing the comonomer content of the resin. Accordingly, improving the resin with respect to seal initiation typ ically results in proportionally reduced Vicat softening temperature and proportionally increased extractable level.
Several important multilayer packaging and storage structures consisting of a polypropylene layer, particularly, a biaxially oriented polypropylene homopolymer (BOPP) base or core layer. Typically, BOPP structures utilize polypropylene copolymers and terpolymers as sealant materials (and/or adhesive layers) to insure good interlayer adhesion to the BOPP base layer. While polypropylene copolymers and terpolymers do indeed provide good interlayer adhesion to BOPP base layers as well as good hot tack strength performance, these copolymers and terpolymers invariably exhibit undesirably high heat seal and hot tack initiation temperatures.
Other polyolefin materials have also been used as sealant materials for multilayer packaging and storage structures. However, in general, known polyolefin sealant materials do not provide the desired overall property balance and/or process flexibility desired by converters and packagers. For example, TAFMER.TM. resins (supplied by Mitsui Petrochemical) are known to provide sealants with relatively low seal initiation temperatures, however, TAFMER.TM. resins are not known to provide the overall desired performance balance (either as single component sealants nor when used as polymer blend component materials). Also, TAFMER.TM. resins are considered to be relatively expensive and are continually in limited commercial supply.
Relative to TAFMER.TM. resins, heterogeneously branched ethylene polymers such as linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE) are readily available. However, similar to TAFMER.TM. resins, in general, heterogeneously branched ethylene polymers do not provide the desired overall property balance for optimum use as sealant materials and they are particularly ill-suited for BOPP structures. For example, heterogeneously branched linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) (and, as such, sealant layers made from these polymers) are particularly deficient in regards to interlayer adhesion to polypropylene layers.
Homogeneously branched ethylene polymers such as AFFINITY.TM. resins supplied by The Dow Chemical Company are also available for use as sealant materials. While homogeneously branched ethylene polymer materials generally exhibit improved sealing initiation performance, the hot strength of these resins is invariably compromised to meet Theological requirements for coextrusions and thereby insure good interfacial stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,079 to Shibata, et al. discloses an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer blend composition comprising a mixture of (A) 95-40 weight percent of a random copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-olefin having 5 to 10 carbon atoms which has a melt index of 0.1 to 20 g/10 min., a density of 0.910 to 0.940 g/cc, a crystallinity by X-rays of 40 to 70%, a melting point of 115 to 130.degree. C., and an ethylene content of 94 to 99.5 mol %; and (B) 5 to 60% by weight of a random copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-olefin having 3 to 10 carbon atoms which has a melt index of 0.1 to 50 g/10 min., a density of 0.870 to 0.900 g/cc, a crystallinity by X-rays of 5 to 40%, a melting point of 40 to 100.degree. C. and an ethylene content of 85 to 95 mol %. The (A) component polymer is said to be produced by a titanium catalyst system and the (B) component polymer is said to be produced by a vanadium catalyst. Both of these catalyst systems are known as Ziegler-Natta type catalysts which produce linear ethylene alpha-olefin polymers. That is, the polymer will have a linear molecular backbone without any long chain branching. Further, the (A) component polymer will also have a heterogeneously branched short chain distribution, while the (B) component polymer will have a homogeneously branched short chain distribution. The film fabricated from the Shibata et al. composition allegedly has good low-temperature heat sealability, heat seal strength, pin hole resistance, transparency and impact strength, making such film suitable for premium packaging applications. However, Shibata et al. do not disclose films with high ultimate hot tack strengths (i.e., values.gtoreq.3.31 N/mm) and analysis of the data disclosed in the Examples provided by Shibataet al. reveals the properties of such film, particularly heat sealability, are additive and vary linearly with respect to the densities of blended component polmer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,760 to Naito et al. discloses a polyethylene mixture having a density of from 0.900 to 0.930 g/cc and melt flow rate of from 0.1 to 100 g/10 in., which comprises (I) from 60 to 99 parts by weight of an ethylene-.alpha.-olefin random copolymer comprising ethylene and an .alpha.-olefin having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms, the copolymer having an .alpha.-olefin content of from 2.0 to 10 mol % and a density of from 0.895 to 0.915 g/cc, the programmed-temperature thermogram of said copolymer as determined with a differential scanning calorimeter after being completely melted and then gradually cooled showing an endothermic peak in a range of from 75.degree. to 100.degree. C., with the ratio of an endotherm at said peak to the total endotherm being at least 0.8, and (II) from 1 to 40 parts by weight of high-density polyethylene having a density of at least 0.945 g/cc, the programmed-temperature thermogram of said high-density polyethylene as determined with a differential scanning calorimeter after being completely melted and allowed to cool showing an endothermic peak at 125.degree. C., or higher, wherein the sum of (I) and (II) amounts to 100 parts by weight. The component polymer (I) is said to be manufactured using a vanadium catalyst and the film allegedly has improved heat sealability and hot tack. Naito et al. do not disclose fabricated films comprising a component polymer (II) with a density less than 0.945 g/cc. Also, Naito et al. describe a film having low heat seal or hot tack initiation temperatures when the lower density component polymer (I) concentration is fairly high (i.e.,.gtoreq.85 parts) which is expected to result in lower Vicat softening points.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,075 to Hodgson et al. discloses a multilayer heat sealable film comprising a base layer and a heat sealable layer superimposed on one or both sides of the base layer. As the base layer, Hodgson discloses a blend of: (a) an olefin polymer having a density greater than 0.915 g/cc; and (b) a copolymer of ethylene and a C.sub.3 -C.sub.20 alpha-monoolefin, with the copolymer (b) having a density of from about 0.88 to about 0.915 g/cc, a melt index of from about 0.5 to about 7.5 dg/min, a molecular weight distribution of no greater than about 3.5, and a composition distribution breadth index greater than about 70 percent. As the heat sealable layer, Hodgson discloses a layer comprising a copolymer as defined in (b) with respect to the base layer. Hodg son does not disclose the use of a blend, such as that employed in the base layer (a), as a suitable sealing layer and the preferred olefin polymer for component (a) of the base layer is a copolymer of propylene with about 1-10 mole percent ethylene. As such, this disclosure appears to generally indicate that good interlayer adhesion requires that the base layer and sealant layer have similar olefin chemistries.
The compositions disclosed by Shibata et al., Naito et al. and Hodgson et al. and other known seal ant materials are deficient in one respect or another. These materials do not provide the balanced sealant properties desired by converters and packagers. In particular, known materials are not particularly well-suited for use as sealant materials in BOPP structures. As such, there is a need for polymer compositions characterized by good interlayer adhesion to polypropylene, low heat seal and hot tack imatiation temperatures, high hot tack strength and a broad high hot tack sealing window There is also a need for polymer sealant compositions which have low levels of n-hexane extractives, i.e., less than 15 weight percent, preferably less than 10 weight percent, more preferably less than 6 weight percent, most preferably less than 3 weight percent, as such compositions would be useful in direct food contact applications.

Multilayer polyolefin with balanced sealant properties


An output buffer circuit includes a first output transistor having a source terminal connected to a voltage supply and a drain terminal connected to an output node. The first output transistor is capable of coupling the output node to the voltage supply when the input signal is at a high voltage in the input voltage range. The circuit also includes a second output transistor having a drain terminal connected to the output node and a source terminal connected to ground. The second output transistor is capable of coupling the output node to ground when the input signal is at a low voltage in the input voltage range. The circuit further includes a current-limiting circuit coupled to a gate terminal of the first output transistor and capable of limiting a current flowing through the gate terminal when the first output transistor is turned on. The output node outputs an output signal in an output voltage range, wherein a high voltage of the output voltage range exceeds the high voltage of the input voltage range.

As a result of the rapid technological growth of the past several decades, transistors and other semiconductor devices have become a fundamental building block for a wide range of electronic components. Metal-oxide silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) have been the primary choice for transistors in many applications including general-use microprocessors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and various other forms of electronic devices. With the demand for electronic devices that are increasingly smaller and faster, the inclusion of the metal oxide layer from which MOSFETs derive their name creates significant limitations to further improvements in the size and operating speed of such devices. The use of alternative semiconductor devices, such as junction field-effect transistors (JFETs), may create other problems, however, especially if these semiconductor devices must ultimately interface with MOSFET components.


The invention is an exhaust nozzle for an after-burning turbojet engine having an exhaust passage mounted in an aircraft, The exhaust nozzle includes a duct having an open first end coupled to the exhaust passage of the turbojet engine, a open second end, and a generally shallow U shape from the first end to the second end. The duct includes top, bottom and side walls, the top and bottom walls converging toward and diverging away from each other along the length of duct from the first to second ends and with the minimum cross-sectional area of the duct or throat positioned down stream of the lowest point of the V. The top wall is pivotally mounted to the aircraft at the first end of the duct so that the throat cross-sectional area can be adjusted to accommodate the increased gas flow when the after-burner is in operation. The bottom wall aft of the throat includes a surface contour for producing a coanda effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of exhaust nozzles for turbojet engines mounted in aircraft and, in particular, to a tow dimensional exhaust nozzle for a after-burning turbojet engine.
2. Description of Related Art
The typical exhaust system for a conventional turbojet engine having an after burner includes a circular exhaust duct aft of the engine wherein fuel is injected and burned an ejected out an adjustable nozzle. The nozzle is adjustable so that that sonic flow can be achieved at the exit (end) thereof improving efficiency at any given thrust setting. The nozzle comprises a series of over lapping curved plates pivoted at their forward ends. Nozzle cross-sectional area is varied by rotation of plates inward toward the center line of the duct. Such a design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,661 "Blow-In-Door For Afterburner Nozzle" by A. Hasbrouck, et al. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,711 "Penshape Exhaust Nozzle For Supersonic Engine" by J. F. Connors, as the title implies, a nozzle is disclosed having a pen shape wherein the area of the throat is controlled by a movable single, or a double-ramp structure, or a clam shell element situated within the nozzle exit. The exhaust nozzle is curved so that hot sections of the engine are shielded from the exit reducing infrared delectability. However, while the disclosed designs provided the ability to change throat cross-sectional area to accommodate an after burner location at the aft end of the exhaust duct does not allow the use of a full deleval nozzle. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,020 "Seal Arrangement for Adjoining Walls of A Propulsion Nozzle For An Engine" by K. Pirker a two dimensional convergent-divergent nozzle is disclosed where in both the converging and diverging walls pivot about the throat. However, if the throat cross-sectional area is varied by moving the pivot axis of the top and bottom converging and diverging walls together, the over all length of the nozzle is changed, complicating the structural support required for the nozzle.
Thus it is a primary object of the subject invention to provide an exhaust nozzle for a turbojet engine mounted in an aircraft.
It is another primary object of the subject invention to provide a converging/diverging exhaust nozzle for a turbojet engine mounted in an aircraft.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a converging/diverging exhaust nozzle for a turbojet engine mounted in an aircraft wherein the throat cross-sectional area can be varied.
It is a still further object of the subject invention to provide a converging/diverging exhaust nozzle for turbojet engine incorporating an after-burner mounted in an aircraft wherein the throat cross-sectional area can be varied.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a converging/diverging exhaust nozzle for turbojet engine incorporating an after-burner mounted in an aircraft wherein the throat cross-sectional area can be varied having simplified operating structure and operating system.


An agricultural ground working apparatus includes a mounting bracket adapted for attachment to an implement frame. A shank is pivotally attached to the mounting bracket about a shank pivot axis and extends downward from the mounting bracket to a lower end thereof adapted for engaging the ground. Right and left disc arms are pivotally attached at upper portions thereof to the mounting bracket such that the disc arms pivot about arm pivot axes independent of the shank. The disc arms extend rearward and downward from the mounting bracket on each side of the shank, and right and left discs are rotatably attached to lower portions of the corresponding right and left disc arms.

Agricultural seeding implements are configured to open a furrow in the soil and to deposit an agricultural product such as seed or fertilizer in the furrow. Most often, and particularly where the product in the furrow is seed, it is desired that a large proportion of the soil moved to form the furrow drop back into the furrow to cover the product.
A typical seeding implement comprises a frame mounted for movement along the ground, and a plurality of shanks attached at top ends to the frame and extending downward, with a furrow opener attached to the bottom end. Typically the shanks will be pivotally attached to the frame by a trip mechanism that allows the shanks to move rearward to clear obstructions in the field, such as rocks, roots, and the like.
Hoe-type furrow openers typically comprise a rigid member such as a hoe, knife, shovel or the like attached to the bottom of the shank. Disc furrow openers are also well known where a disc is rotatably mounted to the bottom of the shank at an angle such that the rotating disc cuts a furrow.
Where the speed of operation is relatively slow, up to about 4 miles per hour (mph), the soil moved aside by most furrow openers to form the furrow will largely fall back into the furrow, covering the product. As the operating speed increases, a larger proportion of the soil moved by the furrow openers is thrown away from the furrow and falls on the field surface adjacent to the furrow. At desired operating speeds of 5-7 mph, it is difficult to keep a satisfactory soil cover over the furrow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,307 to Forsyth discloses a furrow closing apparatus comprising a pair of discs mounted to the shank such that one disc rolls along the ground on each side of the furrow opener. Soil thrown to the side by the furrow opener strikes the discs and falls back to the ground adjacent to the furrow and to some extent at least on the furrow. The discs are also oriented at an angle to move soil adjacent to the furrow toward the furrow and so cover the furrow.
The paired disc configuration of Forsyth is also utilized in U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,249 to Steinberger where a pair of discs is mounted to a shank to level the ground behind an implement, and also in U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,878 to Uken in a row crop cultivator where a pair of discs is mounted to a shank to prevent soil thrown by the shank at higher speeds from covering and damaging young plants.
A similar arrangement is manufactured by Atomjet Industries of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada for closing a furrow. A bracket is mounted on a midpoint of the shank and an arm is pivotally mounted to the bracket on each side of the shank and extends downward and rearward to a disc rotatably mounted on the end of each. The arm and disc float with no downward pressure on the arm. The angle of the discs to the direction of travel can be varied to change the orientation of the discs to change the amount and direction of movement of the soil or crop residue engaged by the discs.


A vehicle braking system including an antilock braking system or a traction assist braking system, or both, operatively coupled therewith, is disclosed. The system includes a pump assembly including a housing defining a main bore, an inlet bore, and an outlet bore. A reciprocatable piston is retained in the main bore. An inlet check valve is operable to pass fluid to the outlet bore when the piston reciprocates. An outlet check valve is inserted into the outlet bore and operates to pass fluid from the pump assembly when the piston reciprocates. A deformable flange extends sufficiently outward from a valve body of the outlet check valve. The flange secures the outlet check valve within the outlet bore when the flange is deformed into displacing engagement with the outlet bore. Further, a method of securing a valve in a bore of a pump assembly is disclosed.

This invention relates to high speed, high pressure hydraulic pumping units, particularly opposed piston-type pumps for use in vehicular antilock brake systems (ABS) including those having integrated traction assist (TA) features, i.e., ABS/TA pumps, and the construction and placement of the check valves controlling fluid flow to and from the pump per se.
In any conventional ABS/TA system in use on vehicles today, there is generally provided an electric motor-driven opposed piston-type pumping unit for supplying pressurized brake fluid to any one of the brakes on instant, automatically controlled demand. The electrically-driven motor is a part of the ABS/TA unit and includes a drive shaft which will include one or more cam lobes. Transversely disposed of the drive shaft, generally at 180.degree. from one another, are a pair of pumping pistons within a respective pump body. The output of each pumping piston provides high pressure brake fluid, generally in the order of 2500 psi, to a respective segment of the braking system. In other words, in a conventional braking system for a four-wheel vehicle, the braking system is divided into two separate braking segments beginning at a dual-chambered master cylinder. Each segment provides the braking force to a predetermined pair of wheels. One segment may be to the left front-right rear wheels, for example, while the other segment provides the braking power to the right front-left rear wheels. The ABS/TA system is typically integrated into the vehicular braking system in the same manner, thereby providing antilock braking characteristics from each of the pair of pumping units to a respective one of the braking system segments. Likewise, traction assist capabilities are commonly added to the ABS/TA system in such a manner as to use the pump output for applying brake pressure to any one or more of the wheels to preclude wheel slip. This means increased use of the common pump, and added concern for the cost and performance attributes of the pump.
Due to the performance demanded of the ABS/TA unit, it is important that the pumping unit provide high pressure brake fluid to the system as efficiently and quickly as possible.
Further, it is important that the pumping unit be efficiently and effectively manufactured to meet applicable quality control and performance standards.

Hydraulic pump assembly and method of making same


Shaped glasses have curved surface lenses with spectrally complementary filters disposed thereon. The filters curved surface lenses are configured to compensate for wavelength shifts occurring due to viewing angles and other sources. Complementary images are projected for viewing through projection filters having passbands that pre-shift to compensate for subsequent wavelength shifts. At least one filter may have more than 3 primary passbands. For example, two filters include a first filter having passbands of low blue, high blue, low green, high green, and red, and a second filter having passbands of blue, green, and red. The additional passbands may be utilized to more closely match a color space and white point of a projector in which the filters are used. The shaped glasses and projection filters together may be utilized as a system for projecting and viewing 3D images.

Methods for 3D stereoscopic projection include Anaglyph, Linear Polarization, Circular Polarization, Shutter Glasses, and Spectral Separation. Anaglyph is the oldest technology, and provides left/right eye separation by filtering the light through a two color filter, commonly red for one eye, and cyan for the other eye. At the projector, the left eye image is (commonly) filtered through a red filter, and the right image filtered through a cyan filter. The eyewear includes, for example, a red filter for the left eye, and a cyan filter for the right eye. This method works best for black and white original images, and is not well suited for color images.
Linear Polarization 3D provides separation at the projector by filtering the left eye through a linear polarizer (commonly) oriented vertically, and filtering the right eye image through a linear polarizer oriented horizontally. The eyewear includes a vertically oriented linear polarizer for the left eye and a horizontally oriented polarizer for the right eye. The projection screen must be of the polarization preserving type, commonly referred to as a "silver screen" because of its distinctive color. Linear Polarization allows a full color image to be displayed with little color distortion. It has several problems, these include the need for a silver screen which is expensive, fragile, and not uniform. Another problem is that the viewer must keep his head oriented vertically to avoid crosstalk from one eye to another.
Circular Polarization 3D was invented to address the problem of requiring the viewer to keep his head oriented vertically. Circular Polarization provides separation at the projector by filtering the left eye image through a (commonly) left handed circular polarizer, and filtering the right eye image through a right handed circular polarizer. The eyewear includes a left handed circular polarizer for the left eye and a right handed circular polarizer for the right eye. A silver screen is also needed for this approach. Shutter Glasses provides separation by multiplexing the left and right images in time. A filter for separation at the projector is not required. The eyewear includes Shutter Glasses. These are active glasses that electronically shutter the lens in synchrony with the projector frame rate. The left eye image is first displayed, followed by the right eye image etc. Since having a direct wired connection to the Glasses in a theatre is impractical, a wireless or infrared signaling method is used to provide a timing reference for the left/right eye shuttering. This method requires an IR or RF transmitter in the auditorium. The Shutter Glasses are expensive and hard to clean, require batteries that must be frequently replaced, and are limited in their switching rate. Shutter glasses are only practical for use with D-Cinema or other electronic projection systems since very few film projectors provide the signal required to synchronize the shutter glasses with the frame rate. The method does not require a silver screen.
Spectral Separation provides separation at the projector by filtering the left and right eye spectrally. The system differs from anaglyph in that the filters for the left and right eye each pass a portion of the red, green, and blue spectrum, providing for a full color image. The band pass spectrum of the left eye filter is complementary to the band pass spectrum of the right eye filter. The eyewear includes filters with the same general spectral characteristics as are used in the projector. While this method provides a full color image, it requires color compensation to make the colors in the left and right eye match the colors that were present in the original image, and there is a small reduction in the color gamut compared to the gamut of the projector.
All of the above methods for providing left/right eye separation for a 3D Stereoscopic presentation can be used with either two projectors (one for the left eye and one for the right eye), or may be used with a single D-Cinema projector system. In the dual projection system, the projection filter is usually static, and is located in front of the projection lens. In a single D-Cinema projector system, the left and right images are time multiplexed. Except for the Shutter Glasses case where no projection filters are required, this means that the projection filters must change at the L/R multiplex frequency. This can be done with either a filter wheel in the projector synchronized to the multiplex frequency, or with an electronically switched filter.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for 3D image projections and viewing

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation


An embodiment of the invention describes a method of treating an article to improve its corrosion resistance. The method includes the step of nitriding the article in a cyanide-free nitriding bath to obtain a nitrided article, heating the nitrided article in an atmosphere having nitrogen and carbon-carburizing to obtain a nitrided oxidised article. Further, in certain embodiments, the oxidised nitrided article may be coated with a metallic layer. The oxidised nitrided article with the metallic coating has improved corrosion resistance.

Methods of treating metallic articles are well known in the art. More specifically, methods of heat treating metallic articles are known and used in order to improve the properties of these metallic articles. For example, Chinese patent application CN111519128A describes a method of treating automobile pistons by heating the piston in a salt bath nitriding furnace, followed by multiple steps of heating the piston in nitrogen atmosphere, followed by oxidation in a salt bath oxidation furnace. However, the article does not describe the corrosion resistance of the piston. Further, this process is designed to replace chromium coating, and uses cyanide, which is a highly toxic chemical. Similarly, Chinese patent application CN111041408A describes a method of treating hydraulic vane parts using a salt bath nitriding followed by a salt bath oxidising step to destroy any cyanide produced by the nitriding process, and to form a black film on the surface of the articles. PCT application WO2012146839A1 and Chinese application CN109161840A describe methods of nitriding articles to improve the hardness of the metal articles. However, these methods fail to address the need for high hardness and high corrosion resistance for the articles, that are exposed to corrosive atmospheres for extended periods of time.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a method of treating metallic articles, which provides improved corrosion resistance, and obviates the aforesaid drawbacks.


A mobile terminal includes an apparatus for controlling a locking function using a direction sensor. The apparatus includes an input element that receives a locking signal. The apparatus can detect direction information of the portable terminal, and set the lock of the portable terminal by storing the input locking signal and the detected direction information in a memory, or unset the lock of the portable terminal by comparing the input locking signal and the detected direction information with locking signal and direction information pre-stored in the memory. Accordingly, even if the locking signal is exposed, the locking signal is not authenticated if a terminal direction value is not correct, thereby maintaining security of the locking signal in a further improved manner without having to add another complex functions.

In general, a mobile terminal (e.g., a cell phone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)) is a device for providing a communication function by which a user can make a call or exchange data while moving. The mobile terminal recently has been regarded as a personal necessity of modern life for people of all ages and both sexes, and a demand on the mobile terminal is expected to increase. With the development of technologies of the mobile terminal, various menus are provided so that a user can operate the mobile terminal by directly setting a bell sound type, a bell sound volume, an alarm, a lock, a transmission/reception restriction, and the like.
Meanwhile, although mobile terminals have slightly different forms, all of the mobile terminals have a locking function to prohibit other users against unauthorized use of a specific function or against reading of stored data. Examples of the locking function include automatic locking for prohibiting all usages of a mobile terminal, international call locking for restricting outgoing international calls, privacy protection locking for restricting checking of a stored phone number or an incoming/outgoing phone number or a message. The locking function is not limited to the above examples, and thus can be assigned to all functions which require avoidance of unauthorized use of other users.
In the conventional technique, a user combines several numeric characters by using a plurality of key buttons to pre-register a password of the user to a terminal, and sets a locking function by selecting a function to be restricted. Once the locking function is set, the user can unset the locking function of a specific function by inputting the pre-registered password. However, since the conventional terminal has pursued compact in size and light in weight according to its characteristic, a keypad needs to be configured such that a size of a keyboard layout or the number of keys thereof have a basic form capable of inputting minimum content. Therefore, there is a limitation in a format of a password that can be registered by the user. Additionally, the aforementioned method of registering a password by combining a plurality of numeric characters has a problem in that the password can be easily guessed by other users since personal information (e.g., a birthday, an anniversary, a social security number, and so forth) is used as the password in many cases.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method capable of overcoming a problem of the conventional technique in which a locking function of a terminal is restricted and capable of increasing security of the locking function.

Apparatus and method for controlling locking function using direction sensor in portable terminal


Disclosed is a polyaxial screw including a friction element (12) positioned between the head (3) of the threaded bone anchoring portion (2) and the head (9) of the mechanical thread anchoring portion (4) on the one hand, and a retaining element (13, 18) ensuring that the anchoring portions (2, 4) cannot separate from each other while guaranteeing that the anchoring portion with the mechanical thread (4) is free to move in vertical translation and angular pivoting with respect to the threaded bone anchoring portion (2) so as to be able to axially preposition the mechanical thread anchoring portion (4) with respect to the axial anchoring position of the threaded bone anchoring portion (2).

Polyaxial screws are known that include a threaded bone anchoring portion connected to an anchoring portion with a mechanical thread that is completely free in rotation around said threaded bone anchoring portion.
This freedom of movement of the mechanical thread anchoring portion with respect to the threaded bone anchoring portion is a source of some drawbacks when said screw is anchored in the vertebral body of a vertebra.
In fact, the mechanical thread anchoring portion is free from any pivoting around the threaded bone anchoring portion during the placement of the linking connector and the link rod by the surgeon.
This freedom of movement of the mechanical thread anchoring portion does not make it possible to position and keep the latter in a predetermined axial plane so the surgeon can mount the linking connector and the link rod.
The latter is required to keep the mechanical thread anchoring portion in a predetermined angular position with respect to the threaded bone anchoring portion fixed in the body of a vertebra during the placement of the linking connector and the link rod, making the mounting of the spinal device much more complicated.

Polyaxial screw with mechanical thread and its friction device


A mechanically balanced automatic microwave tuner is used in on-wafer device testing. Using low loss rigid airlines to connect the tuner and the devices improves the tuning range at the DUT reference plane but causes mechanical movements of the wafer probes, when the tuner mobile carriage moves horizontally. Balancing the tuner by means of exactly positioned and dimensioned mobile counterweights, driven by the same mechanism as the tuner carriage itself, allows for compensation of the probe movement and safe on wafer operation.

This invention relates to a method used to compensate the tilting of electro-mechanical microwave tuners employed in on-wafer measurement operations by incorporating a balancing counterweight inside the tuners.
Modern design of high power microwave amplifiers and oscillators, used in various telecommunication systems, requires accurate knowledge of the active device's (microwave transistor's) characteristics. In such circuits, it is inadequate for the transistors, which operate in their highly non-linear regime, close to power saturation, to be described using non-linear numeric models only.
Further on designing low noise amplifiers for communication systems requires exact knowledge of the noise parameters of microwave transistors to be used in the amplifiers; these can be obtained only by characterizing the microwave transistors such as to determine their noise parameters.
A popular method for testing and characterizing such microwave components (transistors) in the small signal (low noise) and in the non-linear (high power) regions of operation is "source pull" and "load pull". Source and Load pull are measurement techniques employing microwave tuners and other microwave test equipment. The microwave tuners are used in order to manipulate the microwave impedance conditions under which the Device Under Test (DUT, or transistor) is tested (FIGS. 1 and 2).
There are essentially two types of microwave tuners allowing generating and manipulating microwave impedances presented to the DUT: A. Electro-mechanical or passive electronic tuners, leading to "passive source or load pull" for low noise (FIG. 1) and high power characterization (FIG. 2); and; B. Active tuners, leading to "active load pull" for high power characterization only [1]. In this invention, we deal only with passive electro-mechanical tuners [FIG. 3].
A typical noise measurement system (FIG. 1) includes a noise source (3), a source tuner (4), a test fixture housing the DUT (5) and a low noise receiver (6). The tuner and the overall test system are controlled by a control computer (1), which is connected to the tuner by a control cable (2). Through digital commands from the computer (1) the tuner's motors are positioned appropriately and create impedances, which allow to characterize the DUT.
A typical load pull measurement system (FIG. 2) includes a signal source (9), a source tuner (10), a test fixture housing the DUT (11), a load tuner (12) and a power meter (13). The tuners and the overall test system are controlled by a control computer (7), which is connected to the tuners by a control cables (8, 14). Through digital commands from the computer (7) the tuner's motors are positioned appropriately and create impedances, which allow to characterize the DUT.
Electro-mechanical slide screw tuners, compared to electronic tuners or active load pull tuners, have a number of advantages like long-term stability, higher handling of microwave power, much easier operation and lower cost. Such tuners [FIG. 3] use adjustable mechanical obstacles (probes or slugs) (15) inside the transmission media of the tuners, made using a slotted coaxial or parallel plate airline (slabline) (16), in order to reflect part of the power coming out of the DUT (device under test) and create this way adjustable microwave impedances presented to the DUT in order to perform the corresponding tests.
Electro-mechanical tuners comprise a solid housing (17), a low loss transmission media for microwave energy (slotted transmission line or slabline) (16) with an input or test port (18), and an output or idle port (19), a moving carriage (20) holding one or two microwave probes (15) and electrical motors ensuring the horizontal and vertical movement of the probe (15).
Inserting the microwave probe(s) (15) into the transmission line (16) is accomplished by the moving carriage (20) and controls the amplitude of the microwave reflection factor;
The moving carriage must provide for a very accurate vertical positioning of the probe(s) (15), since the amplitude of the reflection factor generated by the tuner is very sensitive on the distance between the probe(s) and the central conductor of the transmission airline (16) (capacitive coupling).
The said moving carriage (20) contains one or two stepper motors (62) in FIG. 7 and associated reducing gear in order to position one or two probes closely to the central conductor of the airline's central conductor; this makes the moving carriage (20, FIG. 3), (61, FIG. 6), (63, FIG. 7) quite heavy; typical mass of such a carriage is between 0.8 and 1 kg.
Horizontal movement of the probe along the transmission lines (68, 69) controls the phase of the microwave reflection factor; both horizontal and vertical movements together generate complex reflection factors within the tuning range of the tuner. The tuning range of the tuner is limited by its capability to generate high reflection factors by placing the probe close to the center conductor of the transmission airline and by its total length: in order to cover a 360° circle on the Smith Chart the free horizontal travel of the carriage (20) must be one half of a wavelength at the frequency of operation; for example at 1 GHz the free travel must be 15 cm, at 2 GHz 7.5 cm etc.
A full noise or load pull characterization of transistors on wafer in this and lower frequency range requires the tuner carriage (20) to move horizontally over lengths of this order of magnitude. It is during this operation that the problems appear that this invention aims to solve.
Reflection factors presented to the DUT are determined by two factors: A) the maximum tuning range (reflection factor amplitude) of the tuners and B) the insertion loss of the RF connection link (21) between tuner and DUT, which reduces the said reflection factor by twice the loss of said RF connection link.
In order to present the device under test with the highest possible reflection factor during load pull or noise measurements, the best possible method to reduce the insertion loss of the RF connection link (21) between tuner and DUT is to use low loss transmission airlines. The said low loss transmission airlines are best configured with a 30° or 45° angle, in order to fit perfectly to the micro-probes (22) used for the on-wafer testing (bent airlines (21)).
Alternative solutions, like semi rigid or flexible RF cables represent an inferior solution, because their core is filled with some dielectric material, like Teflon, and produces higher insertion loss at microwave frequencies, thus reducing the available power (and by consequence the reflection factor) that can be presented to the DUT by the tuners.
The said low loss bent airlines though, create a rigid mechanical link between the tuner (17) and the micro-probes (22). For on-wafer measurements using solid bent airlines, a microwave tuner needs to be mounted on a 3-axis positioner (26, 27, FIG. 3). Any mechanical movement inside the tuners, created either by the stepper motors or the movement of the tuner carriages will be translated to the probes and creates a vertical probe movement of several dozens of micrometers (23, 24). Considering that the contact pads on a wafer device under test (chip)(25) have typical dimensions of 100 m to 200 m, it is obvious that even a small mechanical movement of the probes may easily damage the DUT contact pads.
In order to avoid the vertical movement of the tuners and by consequence of the wafer probes the tuners must be 'balanced' whatever the actual position of the carriage is inside the tuner carriage.
It is the object of this invention to describe such mechanisms of movement compensation (or 'balancing').

Mechanically balanced microwave load pull tuner


In a sheet-fed scanner capable of scanning multiple scan lines as a calibration standard for an image signal, a scanning module scans a document, which is fed across a scan region by a sheet-feeding mechanism, and a stationary calibration sheet in the scan region. The scanning module includes an image sensor, a lens and at least one reflecting mirror. An actuator actuates the reflecting mirror to enable the image sensor to sense a plurality of scan lines on the calibration sheet through the lens and the reflecting mirror in order to obtain a calibration standard for the image signal of the document. The calibration standard is adopted to calibrate an image signal of the document, and with this invention, it is possible to avert any flaws in image quality caused by the contaminated calibration sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sheet-fed scanner capable of scanning multiple scan lines for image signal calibration, and more particularly to a sheet-fed scanner capable of scanning multiple scan lines on a calibration sheet for image signal calibration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, before scanning a document, a scanner has to scan a calibration sheet with a standard color, such as the standard white, the standard black or the like, to obtain a calibration standard for calibrating an image signal of the document.
In the conventional sheet-fed scanner, the stationary scanning module scans the document fed by the sheet-feeding mechanism as well as the stationary calibration sheet. Therefore, when the scanning module is scanning the calibration sheet, the data of only one scan line can be obtained as the calibration standard for the subsequent scanning process. If the calibration sheet is contaminated, the data of the single scan line may be flawed, which would greatly influence the subsequent scanning result.
Thus, providing a sheet-fed scanner capable of scanning multiple scan lines as the calibration standard for the image signal of the document without distorting the calibrated image is an important object to be achieved by the invention.

Sheet-fed scanner capable of scanning multiple scan lines for image signal calibration


Processing images includes projecting an infra-red pattern onto a three-dimensional object and producing a first image, a second image, and a third image of the three-dimensional object while the pattern is projected on the three-dimensional object. The first image and the second image include the three-dimensional object and the pattern. The first image and the second image are produced by capturing at a first camera and a second camera, respectively, light filtered through an infra-red filter. The third image includes the three-dimensional object but not the pattern. Processing the images also includes establishing a first-pair correspondence between a portion of pixels in the first image and a portion of pixels in the second image. Processing the images further includes constructing, based on the first-pair correspondence and the third image, a two-dimensional image that depicts a three-dimensional construction of the three-dimensional object.

Industrial products exist in the market for three-dimensional digitization for various purposes. Examples include medical applications, entertainment industry applications (e.g., three-dimensional gaming, filming, and animation), fashion design (e.g., three-dimensional garment design, apparel fitting, and plastic surgery), archaeological restoration and/or preservation, forensic applications (e.g., crime scene investigation), and online commodity exhibition (e.g., online museum and online store).
There are, in general, two categories of three-dimensional digitizing techniques: active sensing and passive sensing. Techniques belonging to the first category, active sensing, usually emit certain energy (e.g., light and/or sound etc.) toward the scene to be measured/observed, and receive the reflected energy or observe the reflected pattern, making use of the physics law in optics or acoustics to derive the distance from the sensor to the object in the scene. Active sensing usually needs a complex and sophisticated optical design of the lighting components, and it usually needs controlled ambient lighting to assist in the three-dimensional capturing. Sensors within this category are usually limited to sensing static scenes/objects because they usually need a certain amount of time to accomplish the scanning procedure due to the normal requirement of physically moving certain components in the scanning systems (e.g., components for emitting lasers within this category need to be moved to scan different lines of the object). Laser scanning, moiré fringe contouring, time of flight, and structured lighting are among the active three-dimensional sensing techniques.
The techniques in the second category of passive sensing, on the contrary, usually do not emit energy toward the scene. Instead, these techniques capture certain signals that are available in the scene, such as intensity and/or color and, by analyzing these signals along with sensor configuration information, these techniques obtain three-dimensional information for the scene. Stereovision (two or more cameras) is a typical example of passive three-dimensional sensing.
Passive sensing usually does not need a complex optical design. For example, a stereovision system usually takes a snapshot of the scene/object and recovers the three-dimensional information with simple devices. Some systems also integrate more cameras in one system to capture both three-dimensional information and color texture information from the scene/object. Systems with sufficiently fast computer CPU time also may handle dynamic scenes. To ensure the stereo cue has sufficient features to match the two views, stereovision-based systems usually need to introduce some additional features onto the scene/object. Projectors (e.g., slide projector or an LCD) are often used to project such patterns onto the surface. In such systems, the pattern is switched on and off in order to capture both (1) the image with the superimposed features and (2) the color texture image of the scene/object without the superimposed features. This generally requires a certain mechanism to turn the pattern on and off. In addition, in situations in which the object of interest is a human being, illuminating patterns onto the face of the human being may cause discomfort to the eyes.
Known stereo systems establish a correspondence between the two stereo views. In general, there are mainly two types of methods for computing the correspondence, or matching. The first method is a feature-based method, which usually generates matches for those positions in the images that have abundant information about the scene, such as corners, edges, and line segments. The second method is an area-based matching technique, which matches the two views based on pixel similarity in local image regions. The feature-based method (the first method) uses surface texture feature information and generates matches for a limited number of pixels. The area-based method (the second method), is typically computationally more expensive, but is typically able to generate dense matches. For three-dimensional digitizing, the higher the resolution at which the three-dimensional surface is sampled, the better the surface is usually captured. The feature-based stereo matching method typically does not provide sufficient matched points for this purpose. The area-based stereo matching method can typically generate sufficient numbers of three-dimensional samples on the surface, however, this method may have a long computation time, especially for high resolution capturing.


A method is provided for performing timing correction on a hierarchical integrated circuit design comprising the steps of forming a hierarchical integrated circuit design, applying a hierarchical timing tool to the entire circuit hierarchy, applying a timing correction algorithm to improve timing of the design as measured by the hierarchical timing tool; and applying a parallel timing management tool to multiple applications of the hierarchical timing tool and the timing correction algorithm. Also described is an information handling system including means for implementing the parallel hierarchical timing correction method of the present invention.

Integrated circuits grow ever more complex. In particular, very large scale integrated ("VLSI") chip designs grow more complicated every day. It is known in the art to use synthesis algorithms to mathematically evaluate electronic circuits with the help of a computer. In their most simple form, synthesis algorithms express a circuit in terms of a logical truth table and then apply heuristics to the truth table to determine if the circuit can be optimized for various different constraints, such as timing, area, power dissipation, or testability. Synthesis algorithms for the evaluation of chip designs thus are becoming more complex. Accordingly, the complexity of the heuristics (meaning, in general, guidelines or assumptions, based on observed generalities that are not necessarily mathematically precise or fully understood in a scientific sense) applied to the problem of optimal chip design today are vastly more complicated than those available in preceding generations of synthesis tools. However, in the real world, we have neither infinite compute power, infinite time, nor reliable computer systems. We must still be able to turn around the synthesis of large chips rapidly to meet demanding product development schedules.
The traditional way of dealing with these problems is through the introduction of hierarchy in the hardware language ("HDL"). If the pieces of the chip designs being synthesized stay roughly the same size, and it is simply the number of pieces that multiplies to increase the chip design size, then multiple parallel synthesis runs can be used to manage the latency problems of synthesizing the system.
Technology independent optimiztion and technology mapping of large complex integrated circuits can be dealt with effectively in a parallel fashion. However, the timing-correction of a large hierarchical chip design is a difficult problem, which does not succumb to a parallel solution as easily. Unless strict latch-bounding constraints are imposed, it is difficult to resolve the results of timing a piece of a hierarchical chip design by itself (in-vitro) with the results of timing that piece in the context of the timing model of the entire design (in-vivo). The traditional solution to this problem, involves the generation of timing constraints files of arbitrary complexity, specifying factors such as primary input arrival times, transition times, and equivalent drive circuits, primary output required arrival times, and loadings. However, there are always places where the in-vitro timing model using these timing constraints files diverge from the in-vivo.
All effective approaches to timing-correcting large hierarchical structures in parallel also must deal with the parallel-timing-correction convergence problem. Consider the following situation: a hierarchical design with two timing correctable entities. A signal emanates from the first design and is sunk by the second. At the beginning of the first timing-correction iteration, the first design drives the signal out with a high-power buffer. The second immediately buffers that signal and drops it to a number of sinks. This signal is also late, such that timing-correction tries to fix it. Timing correction is run on the first and the second designs in parallel. The timing correction job on the first design decides to eliminate the high-power buffer because the signal is loaded lightly by the second design. Simultaneously, the timing correction job on the second design drops the input buffer because the drive strength of the output buffer driving the signal out of the first design is so high. Both jobs measure that the timing characteristics of the signal in question have improved, where in actuality, when the hierarchy is re-assembled, no progress has been made, and indeed the timing may have gotten worse. If timing-correction is attempted in parallel another time, the reverse happens, and both the input and the output are re-buffered, putting the design back in its original state.
Both the divergence between the timing as measured in the in-vivo versus the in-vitro model, and the parallel-timing-correction convergence problem must be managed appropriately in an effective solution to parallel timing correction of large hierarchical structures.

International Business Machines Corporation


Systems and methods for controlling a frequency of a clock signal by selectively swallowing pulses in the clock signal are described herein. In one embodiment, a method for adjusting a frequency of a clock signal comprises receiving the clock signal, and swallowing pulses in the clock signal according to a repeating clock-swallowing pattern, wherein the pattern is defined by a sequence of numbers.

Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to frequency control, and more particularly, to clock swallowing.
Background
There are many applications in which it is desirable to control the frequency of a clock signal input to a circuit (e.g., central processing unit (CPU)). For example, the frequency of the clock signal may be adjusted by a temperature control system to prevent the temperature of a chip from becoming too high. In this example, the temperature control system may monitor the temperature of the chip using one or more temperature sensors, and reduce (throttle back) the clock frequency when the temperature exceeds a threshold. The reduction in the clock frequency reduces the dynamic power consumption of the circuit, which, in turn, reduces the temperature. In another example, the circuit may be a memory interface that supports multiple data rates. In this example, the clock frequency may be adjusted to change the data rate.

Clock swallowing device for reducing voltage noise