A photoconductive imaging member containing an optional supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, a charge transport layer, and an overcoating layer comprised of a crosslinked composite polysiloxane-silica generated from the reaction of a silyl-functionalized hydroxyalkyl polymer of Formula (I) with an organosilane of Formula (II) in the presence of silica particles and water

Illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,737, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, is a photoconductive imaging member comprised of a supporting substrate, a hole blocking layer thereover, a photogenerating layer and a charge transport layer, and wherein the hole blocking layer is comprised of a crosslinked polymer derived from the reaction of a silyl-functionalized hydroxyalkyl polymer of Formula (I) with an organosilane of Formula (II) and water.
wherein A, B, D, and F represent the segments of the polymer backbone; E is an electron transporting moiety; X is selected from the group consisting of chloride, bromide, iodide, cyano, alkoxy, acyloxy, and aryloxy; a, b, c, and d are mole fractions of the repeating monomer units such that the sum of a+b+c+d is equal to 1; R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, or substituted aryl, with the substituent being halide, alkoxy, aryloxy, and amino; and R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, haogen, cyano, and amino, subject to the provision that two of R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, and halide.
Disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,193, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, are photoconductive imaging members with a hole blocking layer comprised of a crosslinked polymer derived from crosslinking a alkoxysilyl-functionalized polymer bearing an electron transporting moiety. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,877, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, there are illustrated multilayered imaging members with a solvent resistant hole blocking layer comprised of a crosslinked electron transport polymer derived from crosslinking a thermally crosslinkable alkoxysilyl, acyloxysilyl or halosilyl-functionalized electron transport polymer with an alkoxysily, acyloxysilyl or halosilyl compound such as alkyltrialkoxysilane, alkyltrihalosilane, alkylacyloxysilane, aminoalkyltrialkoxysilane, and the like, in contact with a supporting substrate and situated between the supporting substrate and a photogenerating layer, and which layer may be comprised of the photogenerating pigments of U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,811, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, especially Type V hydroxygallium phthalocyanine. Advantages of the imaging members of the present invention with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,877 include, for example, a more rapid crosslinking rate, for example, in embodiments less than about one minute, and water can be added to accelerate the crosslinking reaction. Short crosslinking or curing times of, for example, 1 minute is very useful for the web coating of a photoreceptor belt since the coating operation is continuous and does not usually tolerate undue delay in the fabrication of the blocking layer. The imaging members of the present invention in embodiments also exhibit excellent electrical properties such as low residual potential voltage and stable cyclic characteristics in various environmental conditions.
Illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,016, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, are imaging members comprised of a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer of hydroxygallium phthalocyanine, a charge transport layer, a perylene photogenerating layer, which is preferably a mixture of bisbenzimidazo(2,1-a-1xe2x80x2,2xe2x80x2-b)anthra(2,1,9-def:6,5,10-dxe2x80x2exe2x80x2fxe2x80x2)diisoquinoline-6,11-dione and bisbenzimidazo(2,1-a:2xe2x80x2, 1xe2x80x2-a)anthra(2,1,9-def:6,5,10-dxe2x80x2exe2x80x2fxe2x80x2)diisoquinoline-10,21-dione, reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,189, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference; and as a top layer a second charge transport layer.
Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,064, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, there is illustrated a process for the preparation of hydroxygallium phthalocyanine Type V, essentially free of chlorine, whereby a pigment precursor Type I chlorogallium phthalocyanine is prepared by the reaction of gallium chloride in a solvent, such as N-methylpyrrolidone, present in an amount of from about 10 parts to about 100 parts, and preferably about 19 parts with 1,3-diiminoisoindolene in an amount of from about 1 part to about 10 parts, and preferably about 4 parts of DI3, for each part of gallium chloride that is reacted; hydrolyzing said pigment precursor chlorogallium phthalocyanine Type I by standard methods, for example acid pasting, whereby the pigment precursor is dissolved in concentrated sulfuric acid and then reprecipitated in a solvent, such as water, or a dilute ammonia solution, for example from about 10 to about 15 percent; and subsequently treating the resulting hydrolyzed pigment hydroxygallium phthalocyanine Type I with a solvent, such as N,N-dimethylformamide, present in an amount of from about 1 volume part to about 50 volume parts and preferably about 15 volume parts for each weight part of pigment hydroxygallium phthalocyanine that is used by, for example, ball milling the Type I hydroxygallium phthalocyanine pigment in the presence of spherical glass beads, approximately 1 millimeter to 5 millimeters in diameter, at room temperature, about 25xc2x0 C., for a period of from about 12 hours to about 1 week, and preferably about 24 hours.
Further, illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,965, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, are symmetrical perylene photoconductive members.
The appropriate components and processes of the above copending applications and the above patents may be selected for the present invention in embodiments thereof.
This invention is generally directed to imaging members, and more specifically, the present invention is directed to multilayered photoconductive imaging members with a protective overcoating layer comprised of a crosslinked polysiloxane derived, for example, from crosslinking a trialkoxysilyl-functionalized hydroxyalkyl acrylate or trialkoxysilyl-functionalized hydroxyalkyl alkacrylate with an aminoalkylalkoxysilane, such as gamma-aminoalkyltrialkyloxysilane, and with silica particles dispersed therein. The presence of a hydroxyalkyl moiety in the trialkoxysilyl-functionalized polymer enables, for example, the addition of water to the coating solution without substantially causing phase separation. Water is usually utilized for curing or crosslinking of the overcoated layer. The incorporation of silica particles in the overcoating composition primarily, for example, facilitates rapid crosslinking of the coated layer, and can enhance the mechanical durability of this layer. The imaging members of the present invention in embodiments exhibit excellent cyclic/environmental stability, and substantially no adverse changes in their performance over extended time periods, excellent resistance to mechanical abrasion, and therefore extended photoreceptor life. The aforementioned photoresponsive, or photoconductive imaging members can be negatively charged when the photogenerating layer is situated between the charge transport layer and the substrate.
Processes of imaging, especially xerographic imaging and printing, including digital, are also encompassed by the present invention. More specifically, the layered photoconductive imaging members of the present invention can be selected for a number of different known imaging and printing processes including, for example, color processes, digital imaging process, digital printers, PC printers, and electrophotographic imaging processes, especially xerographic imaging and printing processes wherein charged latent images are rendered visible with toner compositions of an appropriate charge polarity. The imaging members of the present invention are in embodiments sensitive in the wavelength region of, for example, from about 500 to about 900 nanometers, and more specifically, from about 650 to about 850 nanometers, thus diode lasers can be selected as the light source. Moreover, the imaging members of this invention are useful for color xerographic systems.
Layered photoresponsive imaging members have been described in numerous U.S. patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, wherein there is illustrated an imaging member comprised of a photogenerating layer, and an aryl amine hole transport layer. Examples of photogenerating layer components include trigonal selenium, metal phthalocyanines, vanadyl phthalocyanines, and metal free phthalocyanines. Additionally, there is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,006, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, a composite xerographic photoconductive member comprised of finely divided particles of a photoconductive inorganic compound dispersed in an electrically insulating organic resin binder. The binder materials disclosed in the ""006 patent comprise a material which is incapable of transporting for any significant distance injected charge carriers generated by the photoconductive particles.
The use of perylene pigments as photoconductive substances is also known. There is thus described in Hoechst European Patent Publication 0040402, DE3019326, filed May 21, 1980, the use of N,Nxe2x80x2-disubstituted perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide pigments as photoconductive substances. Specifically, there is, for example, disclosed in this publication N,Nxe2x80x2-bis(3-methoxypropyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxyldiimide dual layered negatively charged photoreceptors with improved spectral response in the wavelength region of 400 to 700 nanometers. A similar disclosure is presented in Ernst Gunther Schlosser, Journal of Applied Photographic Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 3, page 118 (1978). There are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,882 photoconductive substances comprised of specific perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid derivative dyestuffs. In accordance with this patent, the photoconductive layer is preferably formed by vapor depositing the dyestuff in a vacuum. Also, there are specifically disclosed in this patent dual layer photoreceptors with perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid diimide derivatives, which have spectral response in the wavelength region of from 400 to 600 nanometers. Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,463, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, there is illustrated a layered imaging member with a chloroindium phthalocyanine photogenerating layer. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,189, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, there is illustrated a layered imaging member with, for example, a perylene, pigment photogenerating component. Both of the aforementioned patents disclose an aryl amine component, such as N,Nxe2x80x2-diphenyl-N,Nxe2x80x2-bis(3-methyl phenyl)-1,1xe2x80x2-biphenyl4,4xe2x80x2-diamine dispersed in a polycarbonate binder, as a hole transport layer. The above components, such as the photogenerating compounds and the aryl amine charge transport can be selected for the imaging members of the present invention.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide imaging members with many of the advantages illustrated herein, such as for example extended, serviceable life and satisfactory imaging performance.
Another feature of the present invention relates to the provision of a protective overcoating layer on the imaging member, and wherein the application of the overcoating and its subsequent curing and drying are compatible with a number of existing imaging fabrication processes such as, for example, rapid curing of the overcoating layer in about 1 minute or less.
A further feature of the present invention is the provision of improved layered photoresponsive imaging members which are responsive to near infrared radiation exposure.
It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide improved layered photoresponsive imaging members overcoated with a tough overcoat with excellent mechanical wear resistance characteristics.
In a further feature of the present invention there are provided imaging members containing crosslinked overcoating layers which possess excellent adhesion to the transport layer.
Aspects of the present invention relate to a photoconductive imaging member comprised of an optional supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, a charge transport layer, and an overcoating layer comprised of a crosslinked composite polysiloxane-silica generated from the reaction of a silyl-functionalized hydroxyalkyl polymer of Formula (I) with an organosilane of Formula (II) in the presence of silica particles and water
wherein A, B, D, and F represent the segments of the polymer backbone; E is a charge such as a hole transporting moiety; X is, for example, selected from the group consisting of halide, cyano, alkoxy, acyloxy, and aryloxy; a, b, c, and d each represent mole fractions of the repeating monomer units such that the sum of a+b+c+d is equal to about 1; R is, for example, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, or substituted aryl, and R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected, for example, from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, halide, cyano, and amino, subject to the provision that, for example, two of R1, R2, and R3 are each independently, for example, selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, and halide; a photoconductive imaging member comprised in sequence of a supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, a charge transport layer, and an overcoating, and wherein the overcoating layer is comprised of a crosslinked polysiloxane-silica composite composition derived from the reaction of nanosized silica particles, a silyl-functionalized hydroxyalkyl polymer of Formula (I) and an organosilane of Formula (II)
wherein A, B, D, and F represent the segments of the polymer backbone; E is a charge transporting moiety; X is selected from the group consisting of halide, cyano, alkoxy, acyloxy, and aryloxy; a, b, c, and d are mole fractions of the repeating monomer units such that the sum of a+b+c+d is equal to 1; R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, or substituted aryl; and R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, haogen, cyano, and amino, subject to the provision that two of R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, and halide, and wherein said reaction is accomplished in the presence of a silica; a photoconductive imaging member comprised of a supporting substrate, an optional hole blocking layer thereover, a photogenerating layer, a charge transport layer, and a top overcoating protective layer comprised of a crosslinked polymer composition derived from the reaction of polymer (I) and an organosilane represented by Formula (II) in the presence of nanosized, for example equal to or less than about 1 micron in diameter, silica particles, which particles can function as a filler. The overcoating polymer of the present invention can be schematically represented by (III), which is derived from, for example, the crosslinking reaction as illustrated in Scheme 1
wherein E is a hole transport moiety; A, B, D, and F represents the segments of the polymer backbone containing appropriate divalent linkages, which connect or bond the silyl function (SiZ3) or SiX3, to the hole transport moiety (E), and the hydroxy function (OH) to the polymer backbone; Z is selected from the group consisting of halide, such as chloride, bromide, or iodide; cyano, alkoxy of, for example, from about 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, acyloxy of, for example, from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms, aryloxy of, for example, from about 6 to about 10 carbon atoms; a, b, c, and d are mole fractions of the repeating monomer units wherein a+b+c+d is equal to 1; R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, or substituted aryl, with the substituent being halogen, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, and the like; and R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, halide, cyano, and amino provided that two of R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, and halogen; a photoconductive imaging member wherein a is from about 0 to about 0.95, b is from about 0.001 to about 0.50, c is from about 0 about 0.50, and d is from about 0.01 to about 0.95; a photoconductive imaging member wherein A is selected from the group of divalent linkages, such as alkylene, arylene, alkoxycarbonylalkylene, alkoxycarbonylarylene, and the like, while B, D and F are independently selected from the group consisting of, for example,
wherein Rxe2x80x2 and Rxe2x80x3 are independently trivalent linkages and divalent linkage of, for example, from about 2 to about 24 carbon atoms.
The overcoating layer of the imaging members of the present invention can also be generated from the crosslinking of the silyl-functionalized polymer of Formula (IV) and an organosilane (II) in the presence of nanosized silica particles with or without a suitable catalyst
wherein R4, R5, and R6 are hydrogen or alkyl, Z is selected from the group consisting of chloride, bromide, iodide, cyano, alkoxy of about 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, and acyloxy of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms; J is a divalent linkage selected, for example, from the group consisting of alkyleneoxycarbonyl of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms, arylene of about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms, alkylenearyl of about 7 to about 34 carbon atoms, aryleneoxycarbonyl of about 7 to about 25 carbon atoms, and alkylenearyloxycarbonyl of about 8 to about 25 carbon atoms; L is selected, for example, from the group consisting of arylene of about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms, alkylenearyl of about 7 to about 25 carbon atoms, alkyleneoxycarbonyl of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms, and the like; G is, for example, selected from the group consisting of halide, such as bromide, chloride, or cyano, aryl of about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms, alkoxycarbonyl of 2 to about 15 carbon atoms, fluoroalkoxycarbonyl of 2 to about 15 carbon atoms, aryloxycarbonyl of 7 to about 15 carbon atoms, and the like; a, b, c, and d represent the mole fractions of the repeating units of the polymer, and wherein, for example, a is from about 0 to about 0.95, b ranges from about 0.001 to about 0.50, c ranges from about 0 to about 0.50, d ranges from about 0.01 to 0.95, and wherein the sum of a+b+c+d is equal to 1, or other combinations of values for a, b, c, and d; the Mn of (IV) can be, for example, from about 1,000 to about 50,000, and the Mw can be from about 10,000 to about 100,000; a photoconductive imaging member wherein G is alkoxycarbonyl of from, for example is intended throughout when ranges or numbers are recited, about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms, Z is alkoxy of from about 1 to about 5 carbon atoms; a photoconductive imaging member wherein G is methoxycarbonyl, Z is an alkoxy such as methoxy or ethoxy, and L is arylene of about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms, arylenealkyl of about 7 to about 15 carbon atoms, alkyleneoxycarbonyl of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms, and the like; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the overcoating layer polymer is derived from polymer (IV) selected, for example, from the group consisting of polymers of the formulas (IV-a) through (IV-h) illustrated herein; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the organosilane (II) is selected from the group consisting of alkylhalosilanes, alkylalkoxysilanes, aminoalkylsilanes, and the like, such as methyltrichlorosilane, dimethyldichlorosilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, ethyltrichlorosilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, dimethyldimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, propyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane, and the like; a photoconductive imaging member wherein organosilane (II) is 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane or 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane; a photoconductive imaging member comprised in the following sequence of a supporting substrate, an adhesive layer, a photogenerating layer, a charge transport layer and an overcoating crosslinked polymer layer of the formulas illustrated herein and which layer can be generated in the presence of silica particles, a photoconductive imaging member wherein the adhesive layer is comprised of a polyester with an Mw of from about 20,000 to about 100,000, and more specifically, about 35,000, and an Mn of from about 10,000 to about 50,000 or about 14,000; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the supporting substrate is comprised of a conductive metal substrate; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the conductive substrate is aluminum, aluminized or titanized polyethylene terephthalate belt (MYLAR(copyright)); a photoconductive imaging member wherein said photogenerator layer is of a thickness of from about 0.05 to about 10 microns; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the transport layer is of a thickness of from about 10 to about 50 microns; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the photogenerating layer is comprised of photogenerating pigments dispersed in a resinous binder in an amount of from about 5 percent by weight to about 95 percent by weight; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the resinous binder is selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyvinyl butyrals, polycarbonates, polystyrene-b-polyvinyl pyridine, and polyvinyl formals; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the charge transport layer comprises aryl amine molecules; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the aryl amines are of the formula
wherein X selected from the group consisting of alkyl and halogen, and wherein the aryl amine is dispersed in a highly insulating and transparent resinous binder; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the arylamine alkyl contains from about 1 to about 10 carbon atoms; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the arylamine alkyl contains from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the arylamine alkyl is methyl, wherein halogen is chlorine, and wherein the resinous binder is selected from the group consisting of polycarbonates and polystyrenes; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the aryl amine is N,Nxe2x80x2-diphenyl-N,N-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1xe2x80x2-biphenyl-4,4xe2x80x2-diamine; a photoconductive imaging member further including an adhesive layer of a polyester with an Mw of preferably about 70,000, and an Mn of from about 25,000 to about 50,000, and preferably about 35,000; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the photogenerating layer is comprised of metal phthalocyanines, or metal free phthalocyanines; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the photogenerating layer is comprised of titanyl phthalocyanines, perylenes, or hydroxygallium phthalocyanines; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the photogenerating layer is comprised of Type V hydroxygallium phthalocyanine; a method of imaging which comprises generating an electrostatic latent image on the imaging member, developing the latent image, and transferring the developed electrostatic image to a suitable substrate; a photoconductive imaging member wherein the overcoating layer is derived from the crosslinking of polymer (IV) and an organosilane (II) in the presence of silica particles and a catalyst selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids and amines; a photoconductive imaging member wherein acetic acid or an alkylamine is selected as the catalyst; an imaging member wherein a crosslinked composite siloxane layer is selected as the overcoat layer, and which layer is generated from the reaction of polymer (IV) and organosilane (II) in the presence of silica particles: imaging members comprised of a supporting substrate thereover a photogenerating layer of, for example, hydroxygallium phthalocyanine, a charge transport layer and thereover a overcoating of a thickness of from about 0.5 micron to about 10 microns, and which coating is comprised of a composite crosslinked polysiloxane-silica layer.
In embodiments thereof, the overcoating layer is comprised of a crosslinked polysiloxane-silica composite layer as schematically represented by Formula (V) derived from the reaction of polymer (IV) and an organosilane (II) in the presence of silica particles, according to Scheme 2.
Specific illustrative examples of the polymer backbone segments, such as A, are
Specific illustrative examples of B, D and F are
wherein n is, for example, from 1 to 6.
Illustrative examples of J are alkyleneoxycarbonyl (xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94) of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms, arylene (xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94) of about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms, alkylenearyl (xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94) of about 7 to about 15 carbon atoms, aryleneoxycarbonyl (xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94) of about 7 to about 15 carbon atoms, and alkylenearyloxycarbonyl (xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94) of about 8 to about 25 carbon atoms; alkyleneoxycarbonyl (xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94) of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms; and illustrative examples of L are arylene (xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94) of about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms, alkylenearyl (xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94) of about 7 to about 15 carbon atoms, and alkyleneoxycarbonyl (xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94) of about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms; and wherein R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, or substituted aryl, with the substituent being halogen, alkoxy, aryloxy, amino, and the like; and R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, halide, cyano, and amino provided that two of R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, and.halide.
Illustrative examples of the organosilane (II) that can be selected for the preparation of the overcoat layers of the present invention are alkyl silanes, alkoxysilanes, and aminosilanes such as methyltrichlorosilane, dimethyldichlorosilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, ethyltrichlorosilane, ethyltrimethoxysilane, dimethyidimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, propyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane, and the like.
In embodiments of the present invention, polymers (IV) that are utilized in the preparation of the overcoating layer are selected from the group consisting of polymers (IV-a) through (IV-h):
Polymer (IV) can be prepared, for example, by free radical polymerization according to Scheme 3. Specifically, this polymer can be prepared by the polymerization of a mixture of vinyl monomers (VI), (VII), (VIII) and (IX) in the presence of a suitable radical initiator such as benzoyl peroxide, 2,2xe2x80x2-azobis(2-methylpropanenitrile), and the like. The polymerization is generally accomplished in an inert solvent, such as toluene, benzene, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, or the like, at a temperature of, for example, between about 30xc2x0 C. to about 120xc2x0 C. A specific preparative procedure for polymer (IV) is as follows. A mixture of monomers (VI), (VII), (VIII) and (IX) in effective molar equivalent amounts, and a solvent, such as toluene or tetrahydrofuran, is first charged to a reactor. The mixture is stirred at a temperature ranging from ambient to about 70xc2x0 C. for about 5 to about 30 minutes. Subsequently, an initiator such as 2,2xe2x80x2-azobis(2-methyl propanenitrile) is added and the mixture is heated at about 50xc2x0 C. to about 100xc2x0 C. for a suitable period of time, for example from 1 to 24 hours to complete the polymerization. After the polymerization, the reaction mixture is diluted with a solvent, such as toluene or tetrahydrofuran, and poured into hexane with vigorous stirring to precipitate the polymer product. The polymer is collected by filtration: and dried in vacuo to provide polymer (IV), which is characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and other relevant spectroscopic techniques such as IR and NMR spectroscopy.
Illustrative examples of monomer (VI) selected for the preparation of polymer (IV) include acrylic and methacrylic esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, phenyl acrylate, phenyl methacrylate, and the like. Illustrative examples of monomer (VII) include 3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacyloxy propyltrimethoxysilane, 3-acryloxypropyltriethoxysilane, 3-methacyloxypropyl triethoxysilane, 3-acryloxyethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacyloxyethyl trimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyl-dimethylethoxysilane, allyltrimethoxysilane, allyltriethoxysilane, and the like, and examples of vinyl monomer (VIII) include 9-vinylcarbazole and the like. Illustrative examples of monomer (IX) include 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl arylate, hydroxypropyl acylate, 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate, 2-allyphenol, allyl alcohol, 2-allyl-6-methoxyphenol, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol, 4-ally-2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and the like; a, b, c and d represent mole equivalents of (VI) (VII), (VIII) and (IX), respectively, or mole fractions of the repeating units of polymer (IV) such that a ranges from about 0 to about 0.5, b ranges from about 0.001 to about 0.5, c ranges from about 0 to about 0.50, and d ranges from about 0.10 to about 0.95 provided that a+b+c+d is equal to 1.
With embodiments of the present invention, the fabrication of the overcoating layers of the present invention involves coating a dispersion of nano-sized silica particles in a solution of polymer (IV), organosilane (II) and water in a suitable solvent onto the charge transport layer. The dispersion can be prepared by mixing the silica particles, polymer (IV), organosilane (II) and water in a solvent by ball milling. Typical coating techniques include spraying, dip coating, roll coating, wire wound rod coating, and the like. The coated layer is then thermally dried and cured at elevated temperatures. The curing or crosslinking can generally be accomplished at, for example, about 40xc2x0 C. to about 200xc2x0 C., and more specifically, from about 80xc2x0 C. to about 150xc2x0 C. for a suitable time period such as from about 0.1 minute to about 2 hours. The crosslinking processes, as schematically depicted in Scheme 4, involve the hydrolysis of the silyl groups of organosilane (II) and polymer (IV) to the hydroxysilyl functions, which undergo condensation with the hydroxysilyl functions at the silica particle surface to form siloxane (Sixe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94Si) bonds. The incorporation of silica particles into the overcoating layer can provide improved imaging member mechanical property, and the presence of silica particles also can enhance the crosslinking reaction during the fabrication of the overcoating layer. From, for example, about 0.001 to about 10 weight percent of water is present in the coating solution to effect the hydrolysis and allow crosslinking reaction to occur. Trace amounts of water, such as for example about 0.01 percent by weight of solvent that are present in the coating solvents, may often be sufficient to induce the required hydrolysis reaction. Also, water may be added, particularly if the coating solvent is a water-mixable one such as methanol, ethanol, methyl ethyl ketone. Additionally, curing or crosslinking of the overcoat layer may also be induced to occur by humidification via exposing to a moist.atmosphere prior to or during thermal treatment.
The silica particles, such as SiO2, and silica particles present in toner compositions can be selected for the overcoatings of the imaging members of the present invention are readily available commercially. For example, the AEROSIL(copyright) silicas from Degussa, such as hydrophilic AEROSIL(copyright) OX50, 130, 150, 200, 300, 380, can be selected and utilized in an effective amount in the overcoating layers of, for example, from about 1 to about 25, and more specifically, from about 2 to about 10 weight percent. The particle size of silica particles is, for example, from about 7 to about 100 nanometers, and more specifically, from about 7 nanometers to about 50 nanometers.
The substrate layers selected for the imaging members of the present invention can be opaque or substantially transparent, and may comprise any suitable material having the requisite mechanical properties. Thus, the substrate may comprise a layer of insulating material including inorganic or organic polymeric materials, such as MYLAR(copyright) a commercially available polymer, MYLAR(copyright) containing titanium, a layer of an organic or inorganic material having a semiconductive surface layer, such as indium tin oxide, or aluminum arranged thereon, or a conductive material inclusive of aluminum, chromium, nickel, brass or the like. The substrate may be flexible, seamless, or rigid, and may have a number of many different configurations, such as for example a plate, a cylindrical drum, a scroll, an endless flexible belt, and the like. In one embodiment, the substrate is in the form of a seamless flexible belt. In some situations, it may be desirable to coat on the back of the substrate, particularly when the substrate is a flexible organic polymeric material, an anticurl layer, such as for example polycarbonate materials commercially available as MAKROLON(copyright).
The thickness of the substrate layer depends on many factors, including economical considerations, thus this layer may be of substantial thickness, for example over 3,000 microns, or of a minimum thickness providing there are no adverse effects on the member. In one embodiment, the thickness of this layer is from about 75 microns to about 300 microns.
The photogenerating layer can contain known photogenerating pigments, such as metal phthalocyanines, metal free phthalocyanines, hydroxygallium phthalocyanines, perylenes, especially bis(benzimidazo) perylene, titanyl phthalocyanines, and the like, and more specifically, vanadyl phthalocyanines, Type V hydroxygallium phthalocyanines, and inorganic components, such as selenium, especially trigonal selenium. The photogenerating pigment can be dispersed in a resin binder, similar to the resin binders selected for the charge transport layer, or alternatively no resin binder is needed. Generally, the thickness of the photogenerator layer depends on a number of factors, including the thicknesses of the other layers and the amount of photogenerator material contained in the photogenerating layers. Accordingly, this layer can be of a thickness of, for example, from about 0.05 micron to about 10 microns, and more specifically, from about 0.25 micron to about 2 microns when, for example, the photogenerator compositions are present in an amount of from about 30 to about 75 percent by volume. The maximum thickness of the layer in an embodiment is dependent primarily upon factors, such as photosensitivity, electrical properties and mechanical considerations. The photogenerating layer binder resin, present in various suitable amounts, for example from about 1 to about 50, and more specifically, from about 1 to about 10 weight percent, may be selected from a number of known polymers, such as poly(vinyl butyral), poly(vinyl carbazole), polyesters, polycarbonates, poly(vinyl chloride), polyacrylates and methacrylates, copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, phenoxy resins, polyurethanes, poly(vinyl alcohol), polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, and the like. In embodiments of the present invention, it is desirable to select a coating solvent that does not substantially disturb or adversely effect the other previously coated layers of the device. Examples of solvents that can be selected for use as coating solvents for the photogenerator layer are ketones, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons, ethers, amines, amides, esters, and the like. Specific examples are cyclohexanone, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methanol, ethanol, butanol, amyl alcohol, toluene, xylene, chlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, diethyl ether, dimethyl formamide, dimethyl acetamide, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, methoxyethyl acetate, and the like.
The coating of the photogenerator layers in embodiments of the present invention can be accomplished with spray, dip or wire-bar methods such that the final dry thickness of the photogenerator layer is, for example, from about 0.01 to about 30 microns, and more specifically, from about 0.1 to about 15 microns after being dried at, for example, about 40xc2x0 C. to about 150xc2x0 C. for about 15 to about 90 minutes.
Illustrative examples of polymeric binder materials that can be selected for the photogenerator layer are as indicated herein, and include those polymers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,006, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. In general, the effective amount of polymer binder that is utilized in the photogenerator layer ranges from about 0 to about 95 percent by weight, and preferably from about 25 to about 60 percent by weight of the photogenerator layer.
As optional adhesives usually in contact with the supporting substrate layer, there can be selected various known substances inclusive of polyesters, polyamides, poly(vinyl butyral), poly(vinyl alcohol), polyurethane and polyacrylonitrile. This layer is, for example, of a thickness of from about 0.001 micron to about 1 micron. Optionally, this layer may contain effective suitable amounts, for example from about 1 to about 10 weight percent, of conductive and nonconductive particles, such as zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, carbon black, and the like, to provide, for example, in embodiments of the present invention desirable electrical and optical properties.
Aryl amines selected for the charge transporting layers, which generally is of a thickness of from about 5 microns to about 75 microns, and preferably of a thickness of from about 10 microns to about 40 microns, include molecules of the following formula
dispersed in a highly insulating and transparent polymer binder, wherein X is an alkyl group, a halogen, or mixtures thereof, especially those substituents selected from the group consisting of Cl and CH3.
Examples of specific aryl amines are N,Nxe2x80x2-diphenyl-N,Nxe2x80x2-bis(alkylphenyl)-1,1-biphenyl-4,4xe2x80x2-diamine wherein alkyl is selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, hexyl, and the like; and N,Nxe2x80x2-diphenyl-N,Nxe2x80x2-bis(halophenyl)-1,1xe2x80x2-biphenyl4,4xe2x80x2-diamine wherein the halo substituent is preferably a chloro substituent. Other known charge transport layer molecules can be selected, reference for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,921,773 and 4,464,450, the disclosures of which are totally incorporated herein by reference.
Examples of the highly insulating and transparent polymer binder materials for the transport layers include components, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,006, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. Specific examples of polymer binder materials include polycarbonates, acrylate polymers, vinyl polymers, cellulose polymers, polyesters, polysiloxanes, polyamides, polyurethanes and epoxies as well as block, random or alternating copolymers thereof. Preferred electrically inactive binders are comprised of polycarbonate resins having a molecular weight of from about 20,000 to about 100,000 with a molecular weight of from about 50,000 to about 100,000 being particularly preferred. Generally, the transport layer contains from about 10 to about 75 percent by weight of the charge transport material, and preferably from about 35 percent to about 50 percent of this material.
Also, included within the scope of the present invention are methods of imaging and printing with the photoresponsive devices illustrated herein. These methods generally involve the formation of an electrostatic latent image on the imaging member, followed by developing the image with a toner composition comprised, for example, of thermoplastic resin, colorant, such as pigment, charge additive, and surface additives, reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,560,635; 4,298,697 and 4,338,390, the disclosures of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, subsequently transferring the image to a suitable substrate, and permanently affixing the image thereto. In those environments wherein the device is to be used in a printing mode, the imaging method involves the same steps with the exception that the exposure step can be accomplished with a laser device or image bar.

Abstract: wherein A, B, D, and F represent the segments of the polymer backbone; E is a hole transporting moiety; X is selected from the group consisting of halide, cyano, alkoxy, acyloxy, and aryloxy; a, b, c, and d each represent mole fractions of the repeating monomer units such that the sum of a+b+c+d is equal to about 1; R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, or substituted aryl, and R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, halide, cyano, and amino, subject to the provision that two of R1, R2, and R3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, and halide.


An improved, lightweight, turbine housing unit for an intermittent combustion reciprocating internal combustion engine turbocharger is prepared from a lay-up or molding of carbon--carbon composite materials in a single-piece or two-piece process. When compared to conventional steel or cast iron, the use of carbon--carbon composite materials in a turbine housing unit reduces the overall weight of the engine and reduces the heat energy loss used in the turbocharging process. This reduction in heat energy loss and weight reduction provides for more efficient engine operation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in a turbocharger for an intermittent combustion (IC) internal combustion engine and a process therefor, and more specifically to an improved turbine housing unit for said turbocharger which is fabricated from a lay-up or molding of carbon--carbon composite materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many intermittent combustion (IC) reciprocating engines are equipped with turbochargers, to improve engine efficiency. Typically, turbochargers consist of three principal components: a turbine, a compressor, and a turbine housing unit. In operation, the turbine captures high-temperature gases coming from the engine exhaust manifold. These exhaust gases then are used to drive a compressor which, in turn, pumps high pressure air into the engine's inlet and compression chambers.
The effect of this process in a gasoline engine is to increase the volume of air available for combustion. Because more air is available, a correspondingly greater amount of fuel can be consumed, or burned, per cycle. In theory, the greater the fuel burned, the greater the horsepower. For diesel engines, the expansion of the high-temperature exhaust gases through the turbine connected to the compressor leads to more efficient operation because the inlet air charge is also increased leading to a higher compression ratio in the compression chambers. As these high-temperature exhaust gases would otherwise be expelled from the engine through an exhaust system, capturing and using the kinetic and thermal energy from the exhaust gases increases overall engine efficiency and horsepower. In an expansion cycle, the exhaust gas turbine can also be coupled to the engine drive train to increase cycle efficiency.
Internal combustion reciprocating engines used for aerospace, military, and transportation applications must be lightweight and capable of operating at elevated temperatures and pressures. Under the current state-of-the-art, turbocharger turbine housing units and gas exhaust manifolds for gasoline and diesel engines are made of steel, cast iron, Ni-resistant iron, or ductile iron with ceramic liners. Turbocharger turbine housing units fabricated from steel or iron are relatively heavy. Excessive weight is detrimental to engine efficiency and prohibitive in aerospace applications. Hence, a lightweight alternative to steel or iron turbine housing units would be a highly desired improvement in the prior art.
Likewise, steel and iron inherently possess excessive thermal conductivity which increases heat energy loss. As the captured gas heat energy dissipates, less energy is available to drive the turbocharger turbine, thereby reducing the performance and efficiency of the turbine. In addition, in compound diesel engines, the heat energy loss of the high-temperature exhaust gases reduces cycle efficiency. Consequently, a less thermally conductive substitute for steel or iron would be a highly-desired improvement in the prior art.
While Ni-resistant iron is lighter than steel or cast iron, it is very expensive. Likewise, ductile iron is lighter than steel or cast iron, yet it remains relatively heavy overall. A further disadvantage of ductile iron turbocharger turbine housing units is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,578 (Honda et al.). According to Honda et al., "w!hen ductile iron material is used for a turbine housing !, the surface of the ductile housing is oxidized and deteriorated by the heat of the high-temperature exhaust gas." In some instances such deterioration exerts "an especially great influence on engine! efficiency" either because the clearance between the turbine rotors and the turbine housing unit allows the high-temperature gases to escape, or because the turbine housing unit itself is "insufficiently sealed." Therefore, a lightweight alternative to steel and iron turbine housing units which is neither oxidized nor deteriorated by the heat of the high-temperature engine exhaust gases would be a highly-desired improvement in the prior art.

Process for making carbon-carbon turbocharger housing unit for intermittent combustion engines

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


A device for securing a generally tubular member of a medical appliance to a support surface. In one embodiment, the device comprises an anchoring patch, the anchoring patch including a first segment and a second segment and having a top surface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface is coated with an adhesive for attaching the anchoring patch to the support surface. A pair of flexible retaining tabs extend from and interconnect the inner edges of the first and second segment, the flexible retaining tabs being of sufficient length to helically wrap around the circumference of the generally tubular member and contact the top surface of the anchoring patch. First fasteners are secured to the free ends of the flexible retaining tabs and a pair of complementary fasteners are spaced outwardly relative to the tabs and are secured to the top surface of said anchoring patch. A generally tubular member may be retained in the device either by helically wrapping the flexible retaining tabs around the circumference of the generally tubular member and then coupling together the fasteners or by positioning the generally tubular member between the flexible tabs and the complementary fasteners and looping the retaining tabs over the generally tubular member and then coupling together the fasteners.

The present invention relates generally to medical appliance securing devices and more particularly to a new and novel medical appliance securing device.
Various medical devices, or portions thereof, are shaped as generally tubular members, such as, for example, catheters, thermometers, i.v. tubing and various types of electrical wires. There is often a need to secure such devices to or near a patient's body so that they can appropriately function. In particular, catheters are medical appliances often used in surgical procedures for transporting various types of fluids to and from the body of a patient. Catheters are generally long, tubular conduits made from flexible materials and, in use, typically extend from the patient to a nearby stationary receptacle or to a source of fluid. As can readily be appreciated, it is often necessary to limit lateral and/or longitudinal movement of the medical appliance tube relative to the patient's body to insure proper placement and functioning of the catheter, as well as to offer some degree of comfort and mobility for the patient. In particular, some medical procedures require the application of a tensile force, known as traction, to the catheter, thus making it particularly necessary to firmly secure the catheter tube in its longitudinal direction.
To provide the necessary restraint, practitioners initially used strips of conventional, medical-grade adhesive tape to secure the catheter tube directly to the patient's skin. This method proved unsuccessful, however, because the tape would tend to become loose, and because each time the catheter was adjusted or temporarily removed, it was necessary to also remove the adhesive tape from the patient's skin, thus causing significant irritation and discomfort.
Various types of catheter securing devices were subsequently developed to provide the desired restraint and to overcome the disadvantages associated with the use of strips of adhesive tape. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,250 to Thomas, issued Jul. 18, 1972, there is disclosed adhesive tape for anchoring to a given substrate, elongated members such as surgical tubing or the like, consisting of at least one anchoring tab portion with strap means extending from the tab portion for wrapped engagement with the tubing, the strap means being connected to the tab portion in a manner to prevent peeling and separation of the tab portion from the substrate upon tensioning of the strap means, the tape being selectively used in a manner to (1) restrain the tubing against both lateral and longitudinal movement relative to the substrate; or (2) restrain the tubing only against lateral movement while permitting longitudinal movement relative to the substrate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,380 to Boyd, issued Sep. 10, 1974, there is disclosed a holder for tubular items, particularly equipment used during intravenous injections, such as infusion tubing or the hub of an injection cannula. The holder comprises a strip of adhesively-backed tape and a longitudinally split, elongate, cylindrical, clamping tube of flexible and preferably resilient plastic material securely attached to the top of the tape. A latch for positively keeping the clamping tube closed about a received item may be provided, preferably in the form of a securement flap attached to the clamping tube at one side thereof and interlocking means having component parts attached, respectively, to the securement flap and at the opposite side of the clamping tube. For holding both an injection cannula and infusion tubing during the administering of an intravenous liquid, two or more clamping tubes may be provided in juxtaposed position on a single piece of tape.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,748 to Johnson, issued Aug. 28, 1979, there is disclosed a simple easily applied one-piece catheter tube holder originally made flat and comprising two main parts having adhesive thereon for temporary attachment to the limb of a patient, there being a narrow bridge also provided with adhesive and connecting the two main parts, said narrow bridge being foldable in the center thereof to form a double member, and having fasteners such as snap fasteners or Velcro for holding the same in position to releasably hold the catheter tube in the desired orientation to the patient.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,894 to Kovacs, issued May 1, 1984, there is disclosed a band for securing a catheter or similar device to a limb of a human comprising a stretchable primary strap adapted to encircle a limb. A part of the strap is made of a soft looped fabric and the strap also carries a male Velcro-type fastening material which cooperates with the looped fabric to enable the strap to be secured in place about the limb. A second strap made of a flexible material is secured, hooks up, intermediate its ends to the central portion of the primary strap on the looped fabric. The secondary strap is made of a male Velcro-type fastening material, and each end of the secondary strap is designed to be looped over and encircle the catheter or similar device and attach to the looped fabric to hold the catheter or similar device securely in place on the limb.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,348 to Hasslinger, issued Feb. 11, 1986, there is disclosed a separable fastening device for supporting a medical device such as a catheter tube or the like to a limb of a patient. The device includes a first and a second strap member. The first strap member includes a flexible first strap section formed of a knitted textile material having upstanding from one surface a plurality of multifilamentary loop-like elements and a polyurethane foam substrate secured to the opposite surface. The first strap member also includes a second strap section which is formed of a flexible tape member having upstanding from one surface a plurality of hook-like elements which matingly engage with the upstanding filamentary loop-like elements of the first section so as to be attachable thereto at the respective end portions to form a complete flexible first strap member. The second strap member includes a third strap section formed of a flexible tape member having an adhesive coating on one surface and a plurality of hook-like engaging elements on the opposite surface. The adhesive surface can be wrapped about the catheter tube and thereafter the hook-like elements can be matingly engaged with the loop-like elements of a portion of the first strap section. Upon encircling the first strap section about a limb and enfolding it over the the third strap section, the hook-like elements of the second strap section can matingly engage the loop-like elements of the first strap section to secure the catheter tube in relation to the limb.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,017 to Hubbard et al., issued Oct. 14, 1986, there is disclosed a personal catheter leg strap for the securement of any one of a plurality of differently sized catheter tubes, the strap including a first section of gauze type material and a second section of elastic type material joined together at a junction for wrapping about a limb. A Velcro-type strip attaches the two free ends of the first and second portions together. A catheter tube securing strap is attached at one end thereof to the junction and has two portions, of which one portion is narrower throughout its length. An orifice is disposed in the broad portion and is dimensioned such that the entire length of the narrow portion is insertable therein. The securing strap has a free end thereof wrapped around a catheter tube one revolution and inserted through the orifice. Within the one revolution, protruding members protrude inwardly into the exterior surface of the tube, firmly securing it to the strap. The strap is wrapped an additional approximately one-half revolution about the catheter tube and is attached at any of an infinite number of locations on the surface with the Velcro-type surface of the securing strap.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,736 to Kalt et al., there is disclosed a clamp for holding an article to an object, the clamp including a base means for adhering the clamp to the object, a flap, securing means for securing the flap to the base means with the article positioned therebetween and resilient pad means having an adhesive surface for contacting the article. The securing means includes a first holding means for holding a first portion of the flap and a second holding means for holding a second portion of the flap. Both holding means may be releasable. The second holding means is spaced from the first holding means a sufficient distance along the flap for the article to lie between them. Resilient adhesive surfaces are provided on the flap and base means for contacting and adhering the article.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,700 to Tollini, issued Dec. 11, 1990, there is disclosed a securing tape for securing to a patient's skin or to a support, a medical device such as tubing, a catheter, an intravenous needle or the like. The securing tape includes an elongated tape having base portions and a central tab formed integrally therewith, pressure-sensitive tape on the base portions and on an exposed window of the tab, and hook and pile fastener portions on opposite sides of the exposed adhesive on the tab and on the base portion facing the exposed adhesive.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,322 to Bowen et al., issued Sep. 15, 1992, there is disclosed a medical appliance securing device for laterally and longitudinally securing generally tubular members having various diameters to any desired location on the surface of a patient's skin or other support. The invention comprises an anchoring patch having one surface coated with adhesive for bonding the device to a patient's skin or some other support. A retaining tab is connected to the anchoring patch and contains an aperture such that the retaining tab may be wrapped around the circumference of the tubular member, inserted through the aperture, and firmly secured to the anchoring patch through the use of fastening means.


A circuit is provided for clock recovery. The circuit includes a reference extraction unit for extracting from a datastream time references defining a reference time base, and a digital Phase Locked Loop including a first programmable counter in the guise of a digitally controlled oscillator for overseeing an output time base, a second programmable counter in the guise of a loop divider for overseeing a loop time base, and a dedicated processor capable of executing a program including a first software module in the guise of a phase comparator for comparing values of the loop and reference time bases and generating a loop error, and a second software module in the guise of a loop filter for producing an adaptation value of an increment value of the first programmable counter from the loop error. Also provided are a user terminal and a method for clock recovery.

The present invention relates to a circuit for clock recovery from a specified datastream, based on a digital Phase Locked Loop, which is also known as a digital PLL or DPLL.
The present invention finds applications, for example, in the terminals of a system for interactive digital telebroadcasting ("Digital Video Broadcasting" or "DVB"), in particular by satellite, by cable, or by terrestrial transmission, which terminals are also known as decoder boxes (or "Set-Top Boxes" or "STBs"). With the introduction of interactive services into these systems, STBs are thus becoming i-STBs ("Interactive STBs").
Several standards for the transmission of telebroadcast digital interactive information are currently known. For telebroadcasting by satellite, the following are known: the DVB-RCS ("DVB—Return Channel Satellite"), ESW ("EuroSkyWay"), ad HB6 ("Hot Bird 6") standards, and the iTV-RCS ("Interactive Television—Return Channel Satellite") standard for interactive television. For cable telebroadcasting, the following standards are known: DOCSIS ("Data Over Cable Services Interfaces Specifications"), and DVB-RCC ("DVB—Return Channel Cable"). For terrestrial telebroadcasting, the DVB-RCT ("DVB—Return Channel Terrestrial") standard is known.
The interactivity of the system is conveyed by a bidirectional channel between the source of telebroadcast data and the user terminal or the user terminals. From the point of view of the user terminal, this bidirectional channel comprises a downstream channel through which the telebroadcast signal is received, and an upstream channel or return channel for the transmission of a return signal. The telebroadcast signal contains downstream data, for example multimedia data corresponding to one or more audiovisual programs. The return signal contains upstream data, for example codes corresponding to votes with regard to a televised game, identification and/or payment data with regard to pay-per-view television, etc.
Further, a downstream interactive channel contains return signalling data allowing access to the interactive network and synchronization of the user terminals.
When the downstream interactive channel and the downstream payload channel are multiplexed on the same carrier, the application is said to be "In-Band" or IB. Such is the case for the DVB-RCS standard. When on the contrary the downstream interactive channel is not multiplexed with the downstream payload channel but follows a different physical path (for example via a data transmission network), the application is said to be "Out Of Band" or OOB. Such is the case for the DVB-RCC standard.
Among the aforesaid return signalling data, the downstream interactive channel transports an offset parameter that is referred to as the MAC_OFFSET parameter in the literature. This parameter allows each user terminal to clamp itself (temporally) onto the return channel with respect to the other user terminals of the interactive network, by compensating for the differences in remoteness between the various terminals. It may have a resultant composed of an integer number of symbols and of a symbol decimal part. In general, this parameter is related to the frame period of the downstream data flow.
All the standards cited above and generally all the standards envisaged in the exemplary applications of the present invention, provide for a packetized organization of the data in the various transport streams, for example using the MPEG2 ("Moving Pictures Expert Group 2") packets. The headers of these packets contain control information. In interactive applications where there is a distributed network clock, certain packets may contain an NCR ("Network Clock Recovery") field as is the case for the DVB-RCS, iTV-RCS and DVB-RCT standards based on MPEG2 downstream flow. The NCR field is present aperiodically in the downstream data flow. The values of the NCR field function to allow the user terminal to synchronize itself with the clock of the telebroadcasting network, with a view to allowing the processing of the data of the packet stream and to clocking the transmission of the upstream data over the return channel.
The transmission of upstream data symbols over the return channel is clocked by a transmission clock (or rather a time base). This time base must be generated in the user terminal from clock references contained in the downstream data flow received by the user terminal.
In fact, there are currently two types of recovery of the reference clock for the synchronization of the return channel, according to the standard of the telebroadcasting system. The first type affords recovery in periodic mode, and the second affords recovery in aperiodic mode.
The periodic mode is used for the ESW, HB6 and DVB-RCC standards. Recovery of the reference clock is performed according to a "frame-by-frame" method. This method involves establishing a simple relationship between the bit rate of the downstream channel and the bit rate of the return channel. For example, the downstream packet bit rate, the upstream symbol bit rate, etc., may be regarded as parameters. The following relationship may then be written:
                    Fout        =                              P            Q                    ×          Fin                                    (        1        )            where:
Fin is in this example the frequency of the packets of the downstream flow;
Fout is in this example the bit rate of symbols of the upstream flow; and
P and Q are relatively prime integers.
The structure of the upstream data flow is organized into frames. The frame length is an integer multiple of the symbol period. The frame structure is temporally clamped, as a function of the MAC_OFFSET parameter.
The aperiodic mode is used for the DVB-RCS, NBI, DOCSIS and DVB-RCT standards. Recovery of the reference clock is performed according to a method known as the "NCR counter method". This method involves the following seven steps.
The values of the NCR fields NCR(n) are extracted from the packets of the downstream data flow, and they are stamped without introducing temporal jitter despite the aperiodic nature of the NCR fields. This stamping is carried out, for example, as a function of the PCR ("Program Clock Reference") information contained in the headers of the MPEG2 packets identified by a packet identifier or PID dedicated to the interactive service.
A local clock (or rather a local time base) is generated by locally overseeing a clock counter as a function of the stamped NCR(n) values (or "NCR stamp values"), in such a way as to minimize the error between the stamped NCR(n) values and the values of the local counter at the stamping instants.
The local clock is used to clamp the clocking of the terminal, taking account of the MAC_OFFSET offset parameter.
The local clock is used to synthesize the frequency of the symbols of the upstream flow.
The local clock is used to synthesize the carrier frequency of the return channel.
The local clock is used to organize and transmit the bursts of upstream data at specified respective instants.
And, there is generated a symbol string adjusted to the local clock, as well as the modulation carrier. The phase of the symbols should not exceed a given fraction of the period of the local clock within the limits of the burst. In certain cases, this may lead to the position of the burst being adjusted not only to an integer number of periods of the local clock but also to a fraction of the period of the local clock.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,369 discloses a network clock recovery circuit based on a DPLL. However, given its hardware design, this known circuit is specific to a specified broadcasting standard. It follows that such a circuit must be designed, manufactured and tested for each market standard. This increases the cost of the user terminals envisaged for a specified interactive telebroadcasting system and also the timescale for bringing them to the market.


There are provided a battery electrode wherein an active material layer is formed on a collector surface, and the layer contains an active material and a block copolymer having a vinyl alcohol polymer block; and a lithium ion secondary battery having a laminate structure in which a pair of electrodes having an active material layer are disposed in such a manner that the active material layers face each other via a separator, and an electrolyte composition containing a lithium-containing electrolyte salt fills the gaps between the pair of electrodes and the separator, wherein at least one of the pair of electrodes is the above battery electrode. Thus, there can be provided a lithium ion secondary battery which can be easily produced and be less polarized, exhibiting excellent charge/discharge properties and cycle characteristics.

There have recently appeared many portable electronic devices such as cell phones, mobile computers and electric tools, and thus, secondary batteries with a high voltage and a high energy density as a power source for such devices have been regarded as important. Furthermore, from the environmental point of view, shift to vehicles utilizing clean energy such as hybrid cars, fuel-cell cars and electric cars has begun and absolutely needs developing a highly durable secondary battery used for their power supply unit. Among secondary batteries used for these applications, a lithium ion secondary battery has gathered attention with an expectation that it could achieve a high energy density, and a number of studies have been made attempting to provide a battery with a higher capacity and a longer life.
A lithium ion secondary battery generally has a laminate structure comprised of a cathode in which a cathode active material layer containing a cathode active material and a binder is formed on a collector; an anode in which an anode active material layer containing an anode active material and a binder is formed on a collector; and a separator intervening between the cathode and the anode disposed in such a manner that their active material layers face each other. Lithium ion secondary batteries have only one laminate structure described above as a whole or two or more such laminates. The interior of the battery is filled with electrolyte composition containing a lithium-containing electrolyte salt and a nonaqueous solvent.
A cathode active material is predominantly a lithium-containing metal compound such as lithium-cobalt complex oxide and lithium iron phosphate. An anode active material is predominantly a carbon material such as graphite having a multilayer structure where lithium ions can be inserted/removed between layers. A cathode and anode can be produced by kneading the above active material, a binder, a solvent and, if necessary, an additive such as an electric conduction aid to prepare an active material slurry, applying the slurry to a collector and removing the solvent by drying to form an active material layer. Furthermore, it is, if necessary, pressed by a rolling press machine or the like.
Examples of a nonaqueous solvent used for an electrolyte composition include carbonate ester compounds such as ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC). In general, an electrolyte composition containing EC is widely used, but PC has a lower melting point than EC, having an advantage that it is useful for the used in a low temperature environment.
Here, particularly, a lithium ion secondary battery using graphite as an anode active material has a problem that during initial charging, a carbonate ester compound contained in an electrolyte composition reacts with graphite, leading to decomposition or deterioration. This reaction causes generation of a large amount of gas and formation of a passivation film on an electrode surface and thus generation of irreversible capacity, leading to problems such as reduction of initial charge/discharge efficiency, deterioration of cycle characteristics and safety deterioration of a battery. Furthermore, for an electrolyte composition containing PC, when lithium ions are inserted between graphite layers, co-insertion of solvated PC occurs, causing decomposition of PC and furthermore deterioration of graphite, which leads to capacity decrease of a secondary battery.
In terms of the above problems, it is known that decomposition and deterioration reaction can be inhibited using a polymer having an oxygen-containing functional group capable of coordinating to a lithium ion in a molecular structure such as polyvinyl alcohol, polymethacrylic acid and polyacrylic acid as a binder (see Patent Reference Nos. 1 to 3). It is believed that by coating graphite with a polymer having an oxygen-containing functional group capable of coordinating to a lithium ion in a molecular structure, desolvation of solvent molecules from lithium ions solvated with EC or PC can be accelerated, contact of graphite with solvent molecules can be prevented, and co-insertion of solvent molecules between graphite layers can be prevented.
Patent Reference No. 1 describes a battery electrode using polymethacrylic acid as a binder. However, polymethacrylic acid which has low solubility in water needs the use of an organic solvent as a solvent for preparing an active material slurry containing an active material and a binder. Therefore, in the light of improving workability, a binder with which an active material slurry can be prepared without using an organic solvent is needed.
Patent Reference Nos. 2 and 3 have described an active material slurry using polyvinyl alcohol or a polyacrylic acid salt as a binder and water as a solvent. The use of polyvinyl alcohol as a binder leads to a problem of increase of electrode polarization. Large electrode polarization leads to a large electrode resistance during charge/discharge, which prevents smooth insertion/removal of lithium, resulting in deterioration of charge/discharge properties.
When an acrylic polymer is used as a binder, an active material slurry frequently becomes too viscous to form a good active material layer. Furthermore, an acrylic polymer generally has a high glass-transition point (Tg), so that it frequently forms a hard and brittle active material layer, which causes cracks during production of a battery, leading to tendency to deterioration in productivity.

Battery electrode and lithium ion secondary battery provided with same

TOKYO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION


The present invention provides an electrical connector for electrical connecting an IC package having a plurality of pins to a PCB. The electrical connector comprises a base defining a plurality of passageways, a plurality of contacts received in the passageways, and a cover moveable relative to the base from a first position to a second position. The cover defines a plurality of through holes corresponding the passageway. The contacts each have a resilient arm. During movement of the cover from the first position to the second position, pins of the IC package will compress the resilient arms of the contacts along a direction and the resilient will exert a normal force on the pins, thus ensuring proper connection between the resilient arm and the pins; wherein direction of the normal force is opposite to the direction of the pins moving.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of electrical connectors. In detail, the present invention relates to a central processing unit (CPU) electrical connector/socket.
2. Background of the Invention
CPU sockets are widely used for establishing electrical connection between CPU and a printed circuit board (PCB)/motherboard. Therefore, CPU sockets are mounted on motherboards and hold CPUs execution of programs. Several types of CPU sockets are available with different structures. For example, type of Pin Grid Array (PGA) socket, which is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,409 issued to Liao on Dec. 16, 2003.
A PGA socket generally comprises a base, a moveable cover mounted on the base, an actuator arranged between the base and the cover and a plurality of contacts received in the base. The base defines a plurality of passageways and the cover defines a plurality of through holes corresponding to the passageways. When the PGA socket connects the CPU to the PCB, the CPU is disposed upon the cover with its pins inserted into the through holes of the cover and the passageways of the base. The pins will contact with the contacts after a movement of the cover under a force from the actuator.
As known to all, the contact of a PGA socket generally comprises a pair of arms received in the passageway of the housing; thus a PGA socket is hardly to provide a high-density layout of the contacts because of the contact received in the housing requiring a large cavity.
In view of foregoing, a new electrical connector is needed to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.

Electrical connector having improved electrical connection between contacts and pins of the package for  minimizing the connector


In a spool, a torsion bar is inserted into an inner hole formed in the spool. The spool has a first slit and a second slit which extend in parallel with each other along the chord direction in the cross section perpendicular to the axis of the inner hole. The end of the webbing is passed through these slits. The end of the webbing is folded back and sewn together to form a loop and a webbing stopper is inserted into the loop made by folding and sewing. The end of the webbing with the webbing stopper engages the second slit.

One of conventional seat belt retractors has a spool and a torsion bar inserted into an inner hole of the spool. One end of the torsion bar is fixed to the spool and the other end of the torsion bar is engageable with a retractor frame by a clutch mechanism. In an emergency such as collision, the other end of the torsion bar is locked by the clutch mechanism to the frame. As the one end of the torsion bar is fixed to the spool, the torsion bar is twisted by the force which is exerted in the webbing-unwinding direction to the spool, resulting in the gradual rotation of the spool and the gradual unwinding of the webbing. In this way, a part of the kinetic energy delivered to the body of an occupant is absorbed by the twisting of the torsion bar, and the impact is alleviated.
One of examples of seat belt retractors having such a torsion bar (JUB 61-11085) is shown in FIGS. 5 through 8.
In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 a retractor body 1 is fixed to the vehicle by inserting a bolt into a hole 11 formed in the frame thereof.
A pair of side walls 12, 13 are formed in the frame 1 and a spool 2 is journaled rotatably on the walls. The spool 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape to have an inner hole in which a torsion bar 3 is disposed.
The torsion bar 3 comprises a bar-like torsional portion 31, a joint 32 formed on one end of the torsional portion 31 for connecting to the spool 2, a threaded portion 33 which has a larger diameter than the torsional portion 31 and is provided with a thread 331 formed in its outer surface, and a gear portion 34 on the end of the threaded portion 33. The gear portion 34 comprises a flange-like circular plate 341 and saw-teeth-like one way ratchet teeth 342 on the outer periphery of the circular plate 341. The torsional portion 31 is arranged in the inner hole of the spool 2 coaxially with it. The joint 32 having a rectangular head is fitted into a rectangular hole formed in the wall 21 at one end of the spool 2 Accordingly, the joint 32 which is located at the one end of the torsion bar 3 rotates together with the spool 2. A ring 35 is fitted on the outer periphery of the threaded portion 33 to confront the inner surface of the spool 2 in such a manner that it can slide against the spool 2.
Formed on one end of the spool 2 is a flange 22, one face of which is sidably disposed to the side wall 13 of the retractor body 1 and the other face confronting the plate 341 of the gear portion 34 with a certain space between them has a plurality of projections 23, which have rectangular cross sections.
A ring-like stopper member 4 having female thread on its inner periphery is screwed on the threaded potion 33 of the torsion bar 3 in such a manner that it can easily rotate. Holes 41 are formed in the stopper member 4, at the positions corresponding to the projections 23, and the projections 23 are inserted loosely into the holes 41.
One end of a webbing S is connected to the torsional portion 31 of the torsion bar 3. The webbing S is wound on the spool 2 then introduced out of the spool, and the unwound end is fixed to an anchor or a buckle (not shown). A casing 14 is arranged on the side of the side wall 12 of the retractor body 1. The casing 14 has a spiral spring (not shown) which biases lightly the spool 2 in the webbing-winding direction (the direction indicated by an arrow Y.sub.1 in FIG. 6). The webbing S can be unwound in accordance with the posture of the occupant (the direction indicated by an arrow Y.sub.2 in FIG. 6).
Fixed on the lower ends of both side walls 12, 13 is a bracket 15 movably supporting the pendulum 5. A ratchet 6 is supported on the upper end of the pendulum 5 in such a manner that the ratchet is inclined to be lifted by the movement of the pendulum 5. The lifted ratchet 6 engages its one end with the confronting tooth of the one way ratchet teeth 342 of the torsion bar 3 to lock the rotation of one end of the torsion bar 3.
In the seat belt retractor mentioned above, the torsion bar 3 is usually not locked by the ratchet 6, and the torsion bar 3 and the spool 2 are rotatable, thereby allowing the unwinding and winding of the webbing S in accordance with the posture of the occupant.
When the vehicle comes in collision, the pendulum 5 sways to lift the ratchet 6, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. The ratchet 6 therefore engages one of the ratchet teeth 342 of the gear portion 34 of the torsion bar 3 to lock the rotation in the webbing-unwinding direction (the direction indicated by the arrow Y.sub.2 in FIG. 8).
On the other hand, webbing S is tensioned by the movement of the occupant body, causing the rotation of the spool 2 in the webbing-unwinding direction. In this instant, if the rotational force exceeds the stress limit of the torsional portion 31 of the torsion bar 3, the spool 2 rotates with twisting the torsional portion 31. In this way, the impact energy to the occupant is absorbed.
When the spool 2 rotates, the stopper member 4 which is engaged with the projections 23 arranged in one end of the spool 2 also rotates. As the stopper member 4 is screwed rotatably onto the threaded portion 33 of the torsion bar 3, and is fitted loosely with the projections 23 of the spool 2, the stopper member 4 is driven toward the plate 341 which has teeth formed in the outer periphery. After the spool 2 has rotated and the torsional portion 31 of the torsion bar 3 has been twisted for a predetermined angle within which it does not break, the stopper member 4 comes in contact with the plate 341 and thus, the rotation of the spool 2 is stopped. Consequently, the torsion bar 3 is prevented from breaking even if the excess load is exerted from the occupant to the webbing S.
However, it is difficult to fix the end of the webbing firmly onto the spool which has torsion bar inserted in its inner hole as mentioned above. In addition, the JUB 61-11085 has no description as to how the webbing S is fixed onto the spool 2.
In the example shown in FIG. 5 through FIG. 8, the stopper member 4 is arranged outside of the flange 22. Accordingly, the seat belt retractor protrudes toward the side of the frame for the total length of the thickness of the stopper member 4 and its stroke along the projections 23.


Disclosed is an electrical socket for connecting a generally planar integrated circuit (IC) having a plurality of peripheral laterally extending contacts to a printed wiring board (PWB) comprising an insulative element interposed between the processing unit and the PWB and having means for retaining the IC; a plurality of latching means positioned in spaced peripheral relation adjacent the base element; a cover element superimposed over the base element and comprising an insulative housing being peripherally engageable by said latching means and a resilient control member positioned in concentric relation with said housing and having a plurality of legs each extending radially from said central section toward one of the latching means; and a plurality of contact means positioned in spaced peripheral relation adjacent the base element to abut the contacts on the processing unit and the PWB.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical sockets and more particularly to electrical sockets for use in connecting integrated circuits to substrates.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Various sockets have been suggested for mounting a silicon integrated circuit (IC) on a substrate such as a printed wiring board (PWB). An example of such a socket is, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,845.
Disadvantages to various prior art sockets of this type include the fact that significant force may have to be applied to the chip carrier or lead from when it is positioned on the socket. Furthermore, special tools may be required to engage or disengage the IC from the socket.
A need, therefore, exists for a zero-insertion force socket from which an IC chip may be engaged or disengaged simply and quickly and without the requirement of any special tools.

Socket for connecting an integrated circuit to a printed wiring board


An apparatus for and a method of processing a document image are provided. The method comprises: generating a luminance component image from the document image; estimating a luminance image from the luminance component image; and adjusting the luminance component image according to the estimated luminance image. Luminance values of pixels at least in horizontal edge areas of the luminance component image are estimated according to luminance values of pixels in a part of background of the luminance component image. If the estimated luminance values are acceptable according to a predetermined criterion, the luminance image is estimated according to the estimated luminance values. If the estimated luminance values are unacceptable, the luminance image is estimated by using the largest one of the luminance values of the pixels in each column of pixels in the luminance component image as the luminance values of all of the pixels in the column.

For a document image obtained through scanning or photographing, e.g. a document image scanned by an overhead scanner, since a document with fluctuations on a surface thereof is illuminated by a light source such as an LED of the scanner, the scanned image obtained possibly has a shadow. Due to the existence of the shadow, the quality of the image is deteriorated. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the shadow such that a background of the image is uniform.
The currently-used method of removing a shadow is to adjust, according to a luminance image estimated from a document image, precisely speaking, a luminance component image of the document image, an image intensity of a document image (i.e., the luminance component image), so as to remove the shadow, thereby obtaining a document image with a uniform background. Hereinafter, the fundamental principle of removing a shadow will be described in combination with equations (1) and (2). As shown in equation (1):IY=LY·RY  (1)
where IY represents an input image, LY represents a luminance image, RY represents a reflected image, and the subscript Y represents that the images are luminance component images.
Therefore, an image with a uniform background can be obtained from equation (2):
                                          I            ~                    Y                =                              cR            Y                    =                                    cI              Y                                                      L                Y                            +              ɛ                                                          (        2        )
where c is a constant, which means an average image gray scale; and ε is a very small constant, serving to prevent a denominator from being 0.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a luminance component image of a document image obtained through scanning ((a) in FIG. 1), a luminance image estimated according to the luminance component image ((b) in FIG. 1) and an adjusted luminance component image after removal of a shadow ((c) in FIG. 1). It follows that obtaining an accurate luminance image performs the function of adjusting the luminance component image accurately, so as to perform shadow removal on the document image. At present, more and more attention is being drawn to the problem as to how to obtain a more accurate luminance image.

Apparatus and method for processing document image to estimate luminance image from luminance component image adjusted according to estimated or largest luminance values and predetermined criterion


An inference apparatus comprises a plurality of PEs (Processing Elements) and a control part. The control part operates a convolution operation in a convolutional neural network using each of a plurality of pieces of input data and a weight group including a plurality of weights corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of input data by controlling the plurality of PEs. Further, each of the plurality of PEs executes a computation including multiplication of a single piece of the input data by a single weight and also executes multiplication included in the convolution operation using an element with a non-zero value included in each of the plurality of pieces of input data.

In recent years, the development of the technology related to image recognition using a multilayer neural network has been quite active. This technology is also referred to as deep learning. In particular, convolutional neural networks are often used in the technical field of image recognition. As described later, a convolutional neural network includes a convolutional layer, a pooling layer, and a fully-connected layer. In the convolution layer, a process of convolving a kernel with an entire image is performed.
Through the process of convolving a kernel with an entire image (the process of applying a filter to the image), a set of features convolved with the image can be obtained. This set of features is also referred to as a feature map. The feature map is obtained by applying an activation function to the convolved values. For instance, in the field of image recognition, the ReLU (Rectified Linear Unit) is often used as an activation function.
As described above, in the convolutional layer, the process of convolving a kernel (weight, filter) with an image (input image) is performed. At this time, each pixel of the image is multiplied by the weight many times. Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose technologies that reduce the load related to this multiplication processing. Specifically, Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose technologies relating to the reduction of the number of multiplication operations by exploiting the fact that the result will be always zero when zero is multiplied by any value.

Inference apparatus, convolution operation execution method, and program


A cable connector includes an insulative housing, some terminals, an insert and a shield. The insulative housing includes a main body, a pair of side arms respectively rearward extending from the middle of the two sides of the main body to form a receiving space between the two side arms. The forward section of said main body is a mating portion with some evenly disposed grooves. The rearward section of said main body is a connecting portion with some troughs corresponding to the grooves. Each side arm includes two pair of separated receiving slots on the tail thereof to be connected to the receiving space. Each of terminals includes a mating piece on the forward part thereof to be received in the mating portion and a connecting piece on the rearward part thereof to be received in the connecting portion. The insert includes a main body with a grid to form some passages corresponding to the troughs of the housing and two pair of fastening portions respectively extending from two sides of the main body. The main body of insert is received in the receiving space between the two side arms of the housing through said fastening portions being inserted into the receiving slots of the housing. The shield includes an upper cover assembled on the upper surface of the housing to cover the connecting portion and the insert, and a lower cover assembled on the lower surface of the housing to cover the connecting portion and the insert.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cable connector, and more particularly to a low-structure cable connector used to transmit electrical signals between a liquid crystal display and a mother board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Miniaturization is a trend for portable electric devices. Thus, connectors, used in the portable electric devices, becomes thinner and smaller. U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,985 discloses a micro coaxial cable connector. The micro coaxial cable connector comprises an insulative housing, a terminal block, a grounding plate, and a metal shield. The micro coaxial cable connector has a shield firmly assembly on a redesigned dielectric housing. However, the grounding plate and the terminal block of the connector are received in the housing, so that the housing has a receiving space with a lower wall to receive the grounding plate and the metal shield. Both the wall of the receiving space and the grounding plate have a certain height, thus, it is difficult to make the connector thinner because of the connector's complicated components.
Hence, in this art, a cable connector to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art should be provided.


An object of the present invention is to provide a heating system having a ceramic heater and a supporting member supporting the back face of the heater, so that the cost of the supporting member can be reduced, the design change of the heater is made easier and excellent flatness of the heating face on use can be maintained. The heating system has a ceramic substrate 1 having a heating face 1a and a back face 1b, a heating means 4 for generating heat from the heating face 1a of the substrate 1, a metal supporting member 6 supporting the back face 1b of the substrate 1, and a heat insulating plate 5 provided between the back face 1b of the substrate 1 and the supporting member 6.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heating system.
2. Related Art Statement
In a system for producing semiconductors, a ceramic heater has been provided for heating a wafer so as to deposit a semiconductor thin film on the wafer from gaseous raw materials such as silane gas by means of thermal CVD or the like. Such a ceramic heater is known as a two-zone heater. Such two-zone heater has a ceramic substrate and inner and outer resistance heat generators made of a metal of a high melting point embedded in the substrate. Separate power supply terminals are connected to the respective heat generators so that electric power is applied independently to the respective generators. The inner and outer heat generators can be thus independently controlled.
According to JP-A 5-326112, a resistance heat generator of a ceramic heater is constituted by plural circuit patterns each made of a high molting point metal. The circuit patterns are so arranged that they may supplement one another's defect portions. It is provided that one of the patterns has a defect portion such as a folded portion or a returning portion. In this case, another circuit pattern is overlapped on or over the defect portion of the one pattern.
For example, in a heater to be used for heating semiconductor wafers, the temperature of the heating face of the heater needs to be uniformly controlled over the entire surface. It is required that the heater satisfies strict specifications, for example, that the temperature measured on the heating face must be held within ±10° C. of the average across the whole heating face under a use condition. A ceramic heater is excellent on the viewpoint of uniformity of temperature on the heating face. Further, for example, when a semiconductor wafer is held and heated, it is possible to reduce thermal deformation of the surface contacting a wafer over time and to preserve the flatness of a wafer.
Such ceramic heater is needed to be fixed onto an inner wall surface of a chamber. One end of a tubular substrate made of a ceramic plate is fixed to a joining face of a ceramic heater and the other end of the supporting member is fixed to an inner wall surface of a chamber. The supporting member is formed of a heat resistant ceramic plate made of alumina, aluminum nitride or the like. The supporting member and chamber are sealed with each other in an air-tight manner with an o-ring. The inner space of the supporting member and the inner space of the chamber are sealed in an air-tight manner to prevent the leakage of a gas in the inner space of the chamber to the outside of the chamber.