A method of providing a semiconductor structure comprising a diffusion barrier layer and a seed layer, the seed layer comprising an alloy of copper and a metal other than copper, depositing an electrically conductive material on the seed layer, performing an annealing process, wherein at least a first portion of the metal other than copper diffuses away from a vicinity of the diffusion barrier layer through the electrically conductive material, and wherein, in case of a defect in the diffusion barrier layer, a second portion of the metal other than copper indicative of the defect remains in a vicinity of the defect, measuring a distribution of the metal other than copper in at least a portion of the semiconductor structure, and determining, from the measured distribution of the metal other than copper, if the second portion of the metal other than copper is present.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the field of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to integrated circuits wherein a diffusion barrier layer is employed for substantially avoiding or at least reducing a diffusion of an electrically conductive material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuits include a number of individual circuit elements, such as, for example, transistors, capacitors, diodes and resistors, which are interconnected by means of electrically conductive lines. The electrically conductive lines may be formed of an electrically conductive material including copper, such as substantially pure copper or a copper alloy, for example, an alloy of copper and aluminum. For forming the electrically conductive lines, damascene techniques may be employed.
In damascene techniques, trenches and contact vias are formed in an interlayer dielectric, which may include silicon dioxide and/or a low-k material having a smaller dielectric constant than silicon dioxide. In the trenches and contact vias, a diffusion barrier layer may be formed. After the formation of the diffusion barrier layer, the trenches and contact vias may be filled with the electrically conductive material including copper. This may be done by means of electroplating for depositing the electrically conductive material and chemical mechanical polishing for removing portions of the electrically conductive material deposited outside the trenches and contact vias.
The diffusion barrier layer may help to substantially avoid or at least reduce a diffusion of copper from the electrically conductive material into the interlayer dielectric and/or other portions of the semiconductor structure, which might adversely affect the functionality of the integrated circuit.
Issues that can occur in the above-described damascene process may include a formation of defects in the diffusion barrier layer, such as pores and/or cracks. Defects in the diffusion barrier layer may allow an undesirable diffusion of copper from the electrically conductive material into the interlayer dielectric and/or other portions of the semiconductor structure. Additionally, defects of the diffusion barrier layer may induce an insufficient filling of contact vias and/or trenches, such that voids are created in the electrically conductive material. Such voids may increase the electrical resistance of electrically conductive lines, and the presence of voids may increase the likelihood of electromigration and/or stress migration occurring. In the operation of an integrated circuit having a diffusion barrier layer including defects, the defects in the diffusion barrier layer may lead to an increased diffusion of copper due to electromigration and/or stress migration. A formation of voids within electrically conductive lines may be a severe reliability risk.
Therefore, methods for testing the integrity of a diffusion barrier layer may be employed in the manufacturing of integrated circuits for developing methods of forming a diffusion barrier layer which substantially eliminate or at least reduce the likelihood of the formation of defects in the diffusion barrier layer and/or for monitoring processes employed for forming a diffusion barrier layer in the manufacturing of integrated circuits.
U.S. Publication No. 2008/0160654 discloses exposing a semiconductor structure, including an electrically conductive feature formed of a first material including copper and a diffusion barrier layer formed on the electrically conductive feature and including a second material, to an etchant adapted to selectively remove the first material, leaving the second material substantially intact. The etchant may include, for example, ammonium peroxydisulfate.
If the diffusion barrier layer including the second material has defects, such as, for example, pores, the etchant can contact the first material in the electrically conductive feature. Thus, the electrically conductive feature is affected by the etchant, which may lead to the formation of a cavity in the electrically conductive feature. Conversely, if the diffusion barrier layer is intact and does not include defects, the diffusion barrier layer can prevent a contact between the etchant and the first material in the electrically conductive feature below the diffusion barrier layer. Thus, the electrically conductive feature is protected from being affected by the etchant, and no cavity is formed.
The presence of cavities in the electrically conductive feature can then be detected by means of techniques of microscopy, wherein the presence of cavities indicates the occurrence of defects in the diffusion barrier layer.
Other techniques for testing the integrity of diffusion barrier layers may include an HF dip, wherein a semiconductor structure is exposed to hydrofluoric acid (HF) after the deposition of a diffusion barrier layer on an interlayer dielectric. If there are defects in the diffusion barrier layer, the interlayer dielectric is affected by the hydrofluoric acid, which can be detected by means of techniques of microscopy. Further techniques for testing the integrity of a diffusion barrier layer may include inline electrical barrier measurements on trenches filled with an electrically conductive material, Kelvin vias and via chains. In these techniques, defects are detected by electrical measurements on electrically conductive features in semiconductor structures including an electrically conductive material and diffusion barrier layers.
The above-described techniques for detecting defects in diffusion barrier layers may have issues associated therewith. Techniques such as those described in U.S. Publication No. 2008/0160654 or the HF dip are associated with a destruction of portions of the semiconductor structure adjacent the diffusion barrier layer, such as the electrically conductive material of the electrically conductive line and/or the interlayer dielectric. Electrical barrier measurements may have a limited sensitivity with respect to small defects.
In view of the situation described above, the present disclosure provides methods wherein some or all of the above-mentioned issues may be substantially avoided or at least reduced.

Method for detecting defects in a diffusion barrier layer


According to the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge capable of being made compact although the disc cartridge has double structure, which cartridge is improved in light blocking effect and dustproof property, and is particularly suitable for use as a media disk. In this disk cartridge, a shutter is slidably mounted between an inner case and an outer case, and a joint surfaces of upper and lower halves of the inner case, and joint surfaces of upper and lower halves of the outer case are provided at positions at different heights. Light incidence preventing parts which consist of sets of a plurality of lines of ribbed projections are formed on an inner surface of the upper half and an inner surface of the lower half of the outer case.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk cartridge for accommodating a disk-shaped recording medium, and more particularly, to a disk cartridge having double structure suitable for accommodating a hologram media disk.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, a hologram media disk comes to the fore, which disk has considerably large information storage capacity as compared with a conventional disk-shaped recording medium such as a CD (compact disk) or a DVD (digital video disk). The hologram media disk also has an advantage of being capable of simplifying a drive system of a recording and reproducing apparatus since it has no need to rotationally drive the disk at a high speed.
In digital hologram recording by using this hologram media disk, information is recorded at an interference point in a thickness direction of a recording layer utilizing interference of a recording beam and a reference beam, and the information recorded at this interference point is read out by the reference beam, unlike the digital recording using the conventional disk-shaped recording media. This method makes it possible to record and reproduce a large amount of information at a high speed, since the method can record and reproduce a large amount of data by one light irradiation.
The recording media used for the digital hologram recording is constructed by sandwiching a hologram material between two disk substrates. Conventionally, this hologram material is composed mainly of inorganic single crystal called as photorefractive crystal such as lithium niobate single crystal, and therefore, has problems of being expensive and difficult to process. However, an organic hologram material including a photo polymerization material as a base, which has been investigated in recent years, can be expected to make dramatic improvement concerning the above described problems. More specifically, as an organic hologram recording material, a material which is made by mixing and diffusing the photo polymerization material serving as a recording material into a polymer matrix serving as a support medium is used, and when producing the recording media, this material is diluted by a solvent and coated on a substrate as a coating material, or this material is worked into a film form and then attached on a base material.
However, the hologram material using a photosensitive copolymer is easily deteriorated by exposure to external light, and therefore, in order to putting a recordable or rewritable hologram media disk into practical use, it is necessary to block the external light by accommodating the hologram media disk in a disk cartridge with light blocking effect.
Conventionally, in order to protect the disk-shaped recording media from contamination and mechanical breakage in a VD (video disk) and a MD (minidisk), for example, an art of accommodating the disk-shaped recording media into the disk cartridge has been known. For example, in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,337, there is proposed a method for securing light blocking effect during storage, by accommodating hologram media in the cartridge having light blocking effect, and by opening and closing a drive shaft insertion aperture and a head access aperture by using a shutter when attaching and detaching the hologram media to and from a recording and reproducing apparatus.
Also, JP-A-8-55456, for example, discloses a method for making the cartridge structure double to enhance dustproof property. Alternatively, it is proposed to provide the hologram media by using a cartridge in the same shape as a 5.25 type MO cartridge of ISO.
The applicant of the present invention also has proposed a disk cartridge having double structure, for accommodating disk-shaped recording media, which includes: an inner case having an inner head insertion aperture and an inner spindle insertion aperture; an outer case located outside in a thickness direction of the inner case and having an outer head insertion aperture provided at a position overlaying the inner head insertion aperture and an outer spindle insertion aperture provided at a position overlaying the inner spindle insertion aperture; and a shutter slidably disposed between the inner case and the outer case to open and close these insertion apertures. The disk cartridge has been patented (Japanese Patent No. 3430184).


A solution containing a water-soluble stilbene sulfonic acid derivative which is used to solubilize oily dye residues in photodeveloper solutions used to develop direct positive silver halide film without generating foam is disclosed.

In photography, an image is recorded onto film and the image on the film is then developed into a photographic reproduction of the image. Usually the film contains an emulsion on which the image is recorded. In the standard photodeveloping process, the exposed film is processed in a developer which contains primary developing agents which reduce silver in the film emulsion to produce an image thereon.
In high resolution microfilm, the film emulsion is loaded with a high level of accutance, antihalation and sensitization dyes.
When film is developed in a film processor, oily dye residues are released from the film emulsions. These oily dye residues build up over time. If these oily dye residues do not remain in solution, they will stain microfilm that is subsequently developed in the film processor or build up on the surfaces of the film processor, plugging orifices or otherwise adversely affecting the performance of the film processor.
One solution to the dye residue buildup problem is to change the developer solution in the film processor frequently. This, however, escalates the cost of photodevelopment and is not the preferred alternative. Furthermore, closed loop film processors are designed so that they will not have to be shut down prior to having developed a certain amount of film. Shutting down a closed loop process during a development cycle reduces the efficiency and economic advantages of the closed loop process.
Preferably, an emulsifier is used to solubilize the oily residues in the photodeveloper to prevent the oily dye residues from adhering to the film or the components of the film processor. Standard emulsifiers such as disodium mono- and didodecyl diphenyl oxide disulfide anionic emulsifier or sodium alpha olefin sulfonate foam are not suited for this purpose, especially when the photodeveloping solution is continuously circulated through the film processor. These standard emulsifiers foam excessively when subjected to the constant recirculation of the developing solution in this type of film processor. The very alkaline conditions of the photodeveloper solutions in this type of chemical environment also adversely affect the stability of many emulsifiers.
The foam generated by these standard emulsifiers in photodeveloping solutions is very undesirable. Conventional surfactants are therefore of limited usefulness for preventing the build up of oily dye residues in the chemical environment required by film development, especially in closed loop film processors.
Brightening agents have also been incorporated into photodeveloping solutions in order to control, reduce or eliminate the problem of dye stains on developed film. U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,716 to Vincent et al. incorporates brightening agents into photodeveloping compositions to reduce staining.
However, brightening agents merely cover up or correct dye stains on photographs. Brightening agents do not solubilize the oily dye residues in the developer solution to prevent them from staining the film or adhering to components of the film processing tanks.
Typical brightening agents include stilbene type brightening agents. Stilbene-containing compositions have been used to reduce or eliminate stains on film caused by the build up of oily dye residues in the developer solution.
A published disclosure, Cappel, C.R. and Purol, M.D., "Method for Reducing Spectral Sensitizing Dye Stain in Photographic Elements," Research Disclosures, No. 20733 (Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd, Jul. 10, 1981) describes adding a water soluble stilbene, bis-4, 4'-s-triazyl amino stilbene sulfonic acid or mixtures of water-soluble stilbenes and nonionic surfactants, into a developing solution. The build up of dibenzooxazole carbocyanine sensitizing dyes in the gel matrix or within a coupler dispersion in the photographic emulsion layers was said to be avoided by the addition of the aqueous amino stilbene sulfonic acid solution. Dibenzooxazole carbocyanine sensitizing dyes extend the sensitivity of photographic emulsions to electromagnetic radiation which is beyond the wave lengths of visible light.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,195 to Ishikawa et al. discloses a method of processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive film material. The method is said to be economical because the amount of photodeveloping solution used in the process is reduced.
In Ishikawa et al. the reduction in the amount of photodeveloping solution used is accomplished by not changing the photodeveloping solution in the film processor as often. Since the photodeveloping solution is not changed as often, the problems associated with the accumulation of oily dye residues on film processing equipment become more acute.
In Ishikawa et al., a combination of two different triazyl stilbene-type brightening agents must be added to the color developer to avoid the adverse effects caused by the build up of oily dye residues therein. The brightening agents are present in the photodeveloper in an amount of about 0.3 gram to about 10 grams per liter of color developer solution.
If the maximum fluorescent wavelengths of the fluorescent spectra of the two triazyl stilbenes used in Ishikawa et al. are less than 4 m.mu. apart, the triazyl stilbene solution will not remove the dye stains, however. If only one of the two types of stilbene brightening agents is used or if the difference in the maximum fluorescent wavelength of the two triazyl stilbenes is not at least 4 m.mu. , build up of oily dye residues in the developer solution remains a problem. If the amount of triazyl stilbene in solution exceeds 10 grams per liter, the film's development will be adversely effected and fluorescent quenching or an unfavorable photographic performance such as non-color may result.
From the foregoing it is apparent that the type of stilbene used to reduce dye stains on films is linked to the type of dye residue in the process. The type of dye residue in the process is linked to the emulsion on the film. The emulsion on the film is linked to the type of film and the process by which the film is developed.
Standard films have an emulsion thereon which is compatible with the developing process for standard films which requires bleaching steps to convert the negative image on the film to a positive photographic image. Other films, such as direct positive films, do not require bleaching steps because a positive image is recorded directly onto the film when the film is exposed to that image. Photographic emulsions are provided on direct positive films which are compatible with this type of developing process.
Thus, there continues to be a need for a composition which will solubilize the oily dye residues produced by the development of direct positive silver halide film without foaming. If the oily dye residues are sufficiently solubilized, they will remain in solution and not adhere to the film or build up on the components of the film processor.
In continuous, automatic developers where the photodeveloping solution is recirculated and not replenished until a predetermined amount of film is developed, it is important that the oily dye residues remain solubilized until the photodeveloping solution is spent. Otherwise the film processor has to be shut down more frequently to change the solution, and the economy of the continuous, nonreplenished process is adversely effected. The composition also must not adversely affect the direct positive silver halide film developing process.

Composition for and method of cleaning continuous, nonreplenished film developers and replenished film developers


A circuit for configuring an external memory includes a memory controller, a register, an OR gate, first and second input/output (IO) pads, and pull-up and pull-down resistors. When the circuit is in a high power mode, the memory controller refreshes the external memory by providing reset and clock enable signals to the external memory by way of the first and second IO pads. When the circuit is in a low power mode, the pull-up and pull-down resistors configure the external memory in a self-refresh mode. When the circuit exits the low power mode, the first and second IO pads are powered on. The OR gate receives and provides a control signal output by the register to the external memory by way of the first IO pad, which keeps the external memory in the self-refresh mode.

The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to an integrated circuit for configuring an external dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
Many integrated circuits (ICs) today include multiple components such as a processor and peripherals that are controlled by the processor. The peripherals include components such as memory controllers and a data bus. Such ICs are designed for specific applications such as those in automobiles and wireless communication devices. Based on the application, a processor of an IC executes a boot program that enables the IC to perform various functions that are programmed in an operating system (OS). The IC also includes an internal memory, such as a static random-access memory (SRAM) and a flash memory. The internal memory has a lower access time than external memories, such as dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and programmable read-only memory (PROM). Hence, the internal memory is used to store data that is frequently accessed by the processor. Such data are also referred to as cache data. The external memories, which are external to the IC, have a larger capacity for storing data than the internal memories.
Internal memories are more expensive than external memories. Hence, to reduce the cost of the IC, the size of the internal memory is usually quite small. The OS is generally very large in size and exceeds the size of the internal memory. Hence, the OS is stored in an external memory.
A PROM is a non-volatile memory whereas a DRAM is a volatile memory. Thus, the PROMs are capable of persistent storage of data as compared to the DRAMs, and hence, the PROMs are suitable for storing the OS. However, the PROMs have a higher access time than the DRAMs and hence, the PROMs are unsuitable as a memory source for the processor to execute the OS from. To enable faster execution, all or part of the OS is copied from the PROM and stored in the DRAM.
The memory controller (i.e. a DRAM controller) enables the processor to access the DRAM. The DRAM controller receives instructions from the processor and sends commands to the DRAM by way of input/output (IO) pads to read and write data to/from the DRAM. However, since the DRAM is a volatile memory, the DRAM retains stored data for a short period of time. Thus, the DRAM must be constantly refreshed to enable persistent data storage. The DRAM operates in a refresh mode and a self-refresh mode. When the DRAM is in the refresh mode, the DRAM controller sends commands to the DRAM to refresh the DRAM at periodic time intervals. When the DRAM is in the self-refresh mode, the DRAM is capable of refreshing independent of the DRAM controller. To configure the DRAM in self-refresh mode, Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) standards require a DRAM RESET pin be at a logic high state and a clock enable (MCKE) pin of the DRAM to be at a logic low state. Generally, a RESET IO pad is used as an interface between the DRAM controller and the DRAM RESET pin and a MCKE IO pad is used as an interface between the DRAM controller and the DRAM MCKE pin. Thus, according to the JEDEC standards, when the DRAM is in self-refresh mode, the RESET and MCKE IO pads need to be kept high and low, respectively.
To reduce power consumption of the IC, the IC is operable in high and low power modes. When the IC is in the high power mode, the processor and the peripherals of the IC are operational. When the IC transitions from the high power mode to the low power mode, a state machine of the IC configures the processor and the peripherals in a sleep mode. In the sleep mode, the processor and the peripherals are either power-gated or clock-gated. When the IC transitions from low power mode to high power mode, the processor is powered on and starts executing OS instructions based on a boot vector stored in the internal memory. The boot vector is indicative of a stored state of the OS at which the IC transitions from the high to low power mode and enables the IC to resume operation from the stored state when the IC goes from the low power mode to the high power mode.
When the IC is in the high power mode, the DRAM controller refreshes the DRAM and enables persistent storage of the OS in the DRAM. When the IC transitions from the high power mode to the low power mode, it is desirable to power-gate the DRAM controller and the RESET and MCKE IO pads to reduce power consumption of the IC in the low power mode. Further, to reduce the transition time required for the IC to transition from the low power mode to the high power mode, it is desirable to keep the OS in the DRAM to save the time required to copy the OS from the PROM to the DRAM. Hence, it is desirable to configure the DRAM in the self-refresh mode to enable retention of the OS in the DRAM when the IC is in the low power mode. However, the DRAM controller is required to maintain the logic states of the RESET and MCKE pins of the DRAM. Thus, the DRAM controller and the RESET and MCKE IO pads need to be powered when the IC is in the low power mode, which increases power consumption.
A known technique to overcome this problem is to tie the DRAM MCKE pin to a termination voltage and connect the DRAM RESET pin to a reset controller. However, an additional power management IC (PMIC) is required to control the termination voltage. Further, the addition of the PMIC and the reset controller increases the area overhead and power consumption of the IC.
Therefore it would be advantageous to have an IC that can configure an external memory in a self-refresh mode without the need for a memory controller or IO pads, and reduces power consumption of the IC, reduces the transition time required for the IC to go from low power mode to high power mode without increasing the area overhead of the IC.


An element-specific imaging technique utilizes the element-specific fluorescence X-rays that are induced by primary ionizing radiation. The fluorescence X-rays from an element of interest are then preferentially imaged onto a detector using an optical train. The preferential imaging of the optical train is achieved using a chromatic lens in a suitably configured imaging system. A zone plate is an example of such a chromatic lens; its focal length is inversely proportional to the X-ray wavelength. Enhancement of preferential imaging of a given element in the test sample can be obtained if the zone plate lens itself is made of a compound containing substantially the same element. For example, when imaging copper using the Cu La spectral line, a copper zone plate lens is used. This enhances the preferential imaging of the zone plate lens because its diffraction efficiency (percent of incident energy diffracted into the focus) changes rapidly near an absorption line and can be made to peak at the X-ray fluorescence line of the element from which it is fabricated. In another embodiment, a spectral filter, such as a multilayer optic or crystal, is used in the optical train to achieve preferential imaging in a fluorescence microscope employing either a chromatic or an achromatic lens.

A number of techniques exist for the elemental analysis of objects using X-rays. Some of these techniques rely on the different X-ray attenuation characteristics of elements, whereas others rely on X-ray fluorescence.
An example of an attenuation-based analysis technique utilizes characteristic elemental resonance energies. The attenuation of an X-ray beam of a sufficiently narrow spectral bandwidth increases substantially, when the central energy increases over the resonance energy of a constituent element of a test object. X-ray microscopes taking advantage of this characteristic have been developed for element-specific imaging. The microscopes typically combine a source, such as a synchrotron, a monochromator, a lens, such as a zone plate lens, a detector array, and possibly a scintillator to generate an image of a given test object. Typically, the microscopes are used in transmission. Two images at X-ray energies below and above the resonance energy of the element of interest are often required to obtain the necessary contrast between the element of interest and other constituent elements of the test object to thereby yield an image of the element's distribution within the test object.
X-ray fluorescence analysis or spectrometry (XRF) is a nondestructive analysis technique, which uses primary radiation, such as X-rays or energetic electrons, to eject inner-shell electrons from the atoms of the test object, yielding electron vacancies in the inner shells. When outer-shell electrons in the atoms fill the vacancies, secondary radiation is emitted with energies equal to the energy difference between the inner- and outer-shell electron states. The fluorescence emissions are characteristic of different elements. Thus, measurement of the spectrum of the secondary X-rays yields a quantitative measure of the relative abundance of each element that is present in the test sample.
Element-specific imaging of a test object with a spatial resolution better than about 1 micrometer is obtained currently by analyzing the X-ray fluorescence spectrum at each point by raster scanning a small probe of ionizing radiation, such as X-rays or energetic electrons, across the test object. Element specific imaging with a spatial resolution approaching 100 nanometers (nm) has been demonstrated with high elemental sensitivity using a high brightness synchrotron radiation source, but the serial nature of the raster scanning significantly limits the throughput and the high source brightness requirement makes it unpractical for producing an element-specific imaging system using a laboratory x-ray source.

Element-specific X-ray fluorescence microscope and method of operation


Nano-particles of calcium and phosphorous compounds are made in a highly pure generally amorphous state by spray drying a weak acid solution of said compound and evaporating the liquid from the atomized spray in a heated column followed by collection of the precipitated particles. Hydroxyapatite (HA) particles formed by such apparatus and methods are examples of particle manufacture useful in bone and dental therapies. Dual nozzle spraying techniques are utilized for generally insoluble compounds.

In a principal aspect the present invention comprises apparatus and preparation methods, by a spray drying technique for forming nanostructured particles of bioactive materials that have high reactivity, small particle sizes and high surface areas. Such manufactured materials have performance advantages in a range of biomedical applications.
The mineral component of bone and teeth consists primarily of non-stoichiometric and highly substituted hydroxyapatite (HA) in poorly crystalline or nearly amorphous forms. The "impurity" components that are present at significant levels in such biominerals include sodium, potassium, magnesium, and strontium substituting for calcium, carbonate for phosphate, and chloride and fluoride for hydroxyl ions. Because HA is stable under in vivo conditions and is osteoconductive, synthetic HA has been widely used in hard tissue repair application, such as implant coatings and bone substitutes. Other calcium phosphate phases have also been shown to be highly biocompatible and/or osteoconductive. As a result, with the exception of fluorapatite (FA), the calcium phosphate compounds listed in Table 1 have been used in some form of bone repair applications.
TABLE 1Calcium Phosphate Compounds thatHave Being Used in Bone Repair ApplicationsCompoundFormulaBone repair applicationsMonocalciumCa(H2PO4)2H2OComponents of calciumphosphatephosphate cement (CPC)monohydrate[Mejdoubi et al., 1994](MCPM)DicalciumCaHPO4CPC component [Brown andphosphateChow, 1987]anhydrous(DCPA)DicalciumCaHOP42H2OCPC product [Bohner et al.,phosphate1995]dehydrateCPC component [Brown and(DCPD)Chow, 1987]OctacalciumCa8H2(PO4)65H2OCPC product [Bermudez et al.,phosphate1994](OCP)α-Tricalciumα-Ca3(PO4)2CPC component [Ginebra et al.phosphate1997](α-TCP)β-Tricalciumβ-Ca3(PO4)2CPC component [Mejdoubi et al.,phosphate1994](β-TCP)Granular bone graft [Ogose et al.,2002]AmorphousCa3(PO4)2CPC component [Lee et al., 1999]calciumphosphate(ACP)HydroxyapatiteCa5(PO4)3OHCPC product [Brown and(HA)Chow, 1987]; granular bonegraft [den Boer et al., 2003];Implant coating [Jaffe and Scott,1996]FluorapatiteCa5(PO4)3F(FA)TetracalciumCa4(PO4)2OCPC component [Brown andphosphateChow, 1987](TTCP)
Calcium phosphate compounds are also useful in various dental applications. For example, a slurry or gel that contained MCPM and fluoride was used as topical F agents that produced significant amounts of both tooth-bound and loosely bound F deposition on enamel surfaces. A chewing gum that contained α-TCP as an additive released sufficient amounts of calcium and phosphate ions into the oral cavity and significantly alleviated cariogenic challenges produced by sucrose. A calcium phosphate cement that contained TTCP and DCPA was shown to provide effective apical seal when used as a root canal filler/seal, or as a sealer with as a retrievable master cone. The cement was also effective as a perforation sealer. ACP or a TTCP+DCPA mixture has been used as the mineral source in remineralizing dental restorative materials.
In addition to calcium phosphates, a number of calcium-containing compounds also have significant dental applications. Calcium fluoride, CaF2, which is the major product of most topically applied F (F dentifrices, F rinses, professionally applied F gel, etc.), is the source of ambient F in the mouth that is primarily responsible for the cariostatic effects of F. The greater the amount of CaF2 that adheres to the oral tissue surfaces after a F application, the greater is the oral F retention and therefore the F cariostatic effects. Calcium-silicate compounds, tricalcium silicate and dicalcium silicate, are the major components of mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA), a material that finds wide uses in endodontic procedures, such as root end and perforation fills and for apical closure in the apexification procedure. Calcium silicate hydrates (CSH), xCa(OH)2 ySiO2zH2O, of varying Ca/Si/H2O ratios are among the products formed in MTA.
Defined broadly, the term "nanostructured" is used to describe materials characterized by structural features of less than 100 nm in average size (WTEX Panel Report on Nanostructure Nanodevices, 1999). Clusters of small numbers of atoms or molecules in nanostructured materials often have properties (such as strength, electrical resistivity and conductivity, and optical absorption) that are significantly different from the properties of the same matter at the bulk scale. In the case of calcium phosphates and other bioactive inorganic materials, there are a number of reasons to believe that the combination of small particle size and high reactivity can lead to performance advantages in a range of clinical applications. For example, as set forth in the description of the preferred embedment hereinafter, experimental results showed that nano sized HA, when incorporated into a TTCP+DCPA calcium phosphate cement caused a drastic reduction in setting time from 30 min to 10-12 min. It is anticipated that nano particles of other calcium phosphate phases, which are ingredients of the various calcium phosphate cements in clinical use, will also significantly improve the setting and other handling properties, e.g., cohesiveness, injectability, etc., of the cements.
The apatite crystallites in human bone, enamel, dentin and cementum are all extremely small in size and can be considered as nanostructured materials. Because HA is the prototype for bioapatites, which are in nano crystalline forms, extensive efforts have been made to produce synthetic nano HA materials. Methods that have been used for preparing nano HA material include chemical precipitation, in some cases followed by spray drying or hydrothermal treatment, sol-gel approach, microemulsion techniques, precipitation from complex solution followed by microwave heating, wet chemical methods incorporating a freeze drying step, mechanochemical synthesis, and eletrodeposition. Additional studies reported synthesis of composites of nano HA and bioactive organic components including HA-collagen, HA-chondroitin sulfate or HA-chitosan using direct precipitation method, nano HA-polyamide using HA slurry and solution method, and Ca-deficient nano HA-high molecular weight poly (D,L-lactide) through a solvent-cast technique.
Preparation of microcrystalline and nanocrystalline HA have also been disclosed in the patent literature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,352 discloses that Spray drying is the preferred technique for converting the gelatinous precipitate of hydroxyapatite into the fine dry articles suitable for use in the agglomeration process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,250 discloses that calcium phosphate, including hydroxyapatite, precipitated by the reaction can be withdrawn in a powder form by any conventional techniques such as filtration, centrigual separation, and spray drying. U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,780 discloses a manufacturing method of a spherical apatite by means of a slurry comprising hydroxyapatite as its main component which is dried and powdered to prepare aggregates of primary apatite particles, preferably, spray dried to form spherical particles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,512 discloses that one method for preparing dense, rounded or substantially spherical ceramic particles such as calcium hydroxyapatite is by spray drying a slurry of about 20 to 40 weight % submicron particle size calcium hydroxyapatite. U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,989 provides a method of synthesizing hydroxyapatite comprising the steps of preparing a mixed material slurry by dispersing calcium hydroxide powder into a phosphoric acid solution and conducting a mechanochemical milling treatment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,318 provides methods for producing non-porous controlled morphology hydroxyapatite granules of less than 8 μm by a spray-drying process. Solid or hollow spheres or doughnut shapes can be formed by controlling the volume fraction and viscosity of the slurry as well as the spray-drying conditions. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,591 discloses a method for preparing nanocrystalline HA that involves precipitating-a particulate apatite from solution having a crystallite size of less than 250 nm and a BET surface area of at least 40 m2/g. In all of the prior art methods cited above, HA was precipitated from a solution. The slurry or emulsion containing the precipitated HA was spray-dried to produce fine particles.
In the above methods described in the scientific or patent literature, the nano HA materials are formed in a solution environment, and in most cases, the product is washed with water or other solvents to remove impurity or undesired components. Exposure of the nano particles to additional solution environments is likely to result in significant interactions between the particle surfaces and the solvent, leading to modifications of the surface properties and a reduction in the high reactivity innate to the nano particles. Thus, there has persisted the need to identify methods and apparatus for the manufacture of high purity, amorphous or nearly amorphous nano particles, especially those comprised of Ca and P.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Nanostructured bioactive materials prepared by dual nozzle spray drying techniques


The present invention relates to a pull-in rod type loader for loading fuel rods efficiently and conveniently from a fuel rod magazine to a fuel assembly. The control rod pipes and fuel rods are held in assigned grid cells, respectively termed pipe-cells and fuel-rod-cells, in each quadrant section of a grid. The control rod pipes are disposed in a quadrant so that the locations of the pipe-cells assigned for the guide pipes in one quadrant are symmetrical with respect to a central rotational axis of the apparatus. The grid cells and the pull-in loader are both aligned with respect to a central rotational axis. To load the fuel rods into the fuel assembly, only the pull-in rods need to be operated for every 90 degree rotation of the loader about the central axis, because the locations of the pull-in rods correspond exactly with the grid cells assigned to hold fuel rods. This type of loader does not require complex switching devices required in the conventional pull-in rod type of loaders, and the assembling operation can be carried out efficiently and quickly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for loading fuel rods into a fuel assembly for use in a nuclear reactor, such as a pressurized water reactor or the like.
2. Technical Background of the Invention
A conventional fuel assembly such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,081, shown in FIG. 10, is known.
In this figure, the numerals 1 and 2 refer to top and bottom nozzles, respectively, which are disposed vertically and oppositely spaced apart, and have a plurality of rigidly fixed control-rod guide pipes 3 (hereinbelow referred to as guide pipes 3) between the top nozzle 1 and the bottom nozzle 2. In the mid section of the guide pipes 3 are a plurality of grids 4 disposed vertically and spaced apart from each other.
The grids 4 are constructed of a plurality of straps 7 made of thin metal strips having slits 8 formed in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 4. The slits 8 are interlocked to form a latticed structure as shown in FIG. 5, and each space bounded by the straps is known as a grid cell 5. Each grid cell 5 is provided with dimples 9 and springs 10 formed on the opposing walls of the grid cells 5. A fuel rod 6 inserted into a grid cell 5, shown in FIG. 6, is pressed against the dimple 9 by the spring 10, thereby holding the fuel rod 6 firmly in the grid cell 5.
There are different approaches to the steps involved in assembling such an assembly. For example, in the first method, as shown in FIG. 1, the grids 4 are disposed at a predetermined spacing, and the guide pipes 3 and an instrumentation tube is inserted into and fixed to designated grid cells 5 of each of the grids 4, respectively, followed by insertion of the fuel rods 6 into the other grids cells 5 of each of the grids 4 which are supported by the guide pipes 3. In the second method, the fuel rods 6 are inserted into and firmly held in the grid cells 5 first, followed by insertion of the control-rod guide pipes 3 and an instrumentation tube into the other grid cells 5 of the grids 4, followed by a step of rigidly fixing the guide pipes 3 to the grids. A method of inserting fuel rods 6 in grid cells 5 with the use of a pull-in loader is known, for example, in Japanese Patent Application, Laid open publication, H2-181,699, which involves the use of key means to deactivate the springs 10, followed by extending the pull-in rods of a pull-in device through the grids 5, gripping the tips of the fuel rods 6 housed in a fuel rod magazine with the gripping device attached to the pull-in rods, and loading the fuel assembly with fuel rods 6 by pulling the fuel rods 6 into the grid cells 5 of the grids 4.
There are problems in loading the fuel rods 6 with the use of pull-in rods after the guide pipes 3 (and an instrumentation tube) are fixed to the grids 4. One of the problems is the mechanical interference which occurs between the pull-in rods and the installed guide pipes 3 when trying to load the fuel rods 6 into the grids 4. The mechanical interference is due to the fact that certain grid cells 5 are already occupied by the cylindrical insert parts of the guide pipes 3 disposed at the entrance to the grids. In such a system, those pull-in rods corresponding with the grid cells 5 occupied by the guide pipes 3 must not be activated, and only those pull-in rods which correspond with the fuel rods 6 to be pulled into the grid cells 5 should be activated. The result is that the loading mechanism becomes complex because of the need for a special control device to select the correct pull-in rods. Furthermore, because the arrangement of the guide pipes in the grids are different for each tier of grid cells, the operation of the pull-in rods must be adjusted for each tier of grid cells, leading to a lengthy and cumbersome fuel rod installation operation.

Assembling apparatus for nuclear fuel assembly


Compositions which comprise delivery vehicles having stably associated therewith non-antagonistic combinations of two or more agents, such as antineoplastic agents, are useful in achieving non-antagonistic effects when combinations of drugs are administered.

The progression of many life-threatening diseases such as cancer, AIDS, infectious diseases, immune disorders and cardiovascular disorders is influenced by multiple molecular mechanisms. Due to this complexity, achieving cures with a single agent has been met with limited success. Thus, combinations of agents have often been used to combat disease, particularly in the treatment of cancers. It appears that there is a strong correlation between the number of agents administered and cure rates for cancers such as acute lymphocytic leukemia. (Frei, et al., Clin. Cancer Res. (1998) 4:2027-2037). Clinical trials utilizing combinations of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate with leucovorin rescue and cytarabine (ACOMLA) or cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone and bleomycin (CHOP-b) have been successfully used to treat histiocytic lymphoma (Todd, et al., J. Clin. Oncol. (1984) 2:986-993).
The effects of combinations of drugs are enhanced when the ratio in which they are supplied provides a synergistic effect. Synergistic combinations of agents have also been shown to reduce toxicity due to lower dose requirements, to increase cancer cure rates (Barriere, et al., Pharmacotherapy (1992) 12:397-402; Schimpff, Support Care Cancer (1993) 1:5-18), and to reduce the spread of multi-resistant strains of microorganisms (Shlaes, et al., Clin. Infect. Dis. (1993) 17:S527-S536). By choosing agents with different mechanisms of action, multiple sites in biochemical pathways can be attacked thus resulting in synergy (Shah and Schwartz, Clin. Cancer Res. (2001) 7:2168-2181). Combinations such as L-canavanine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) have been reported to exhibit greater antineoplastic activity in rat colon tumor models than the combined effects of either drug alone (Swaffar, et al., Anti-Cancer Drugs (1995) 6:586-593). Cisplatin and etoposide display synergy in combating the growth of a human small-cell lung cancer cell line, SBC-3 (Kanzawa, et al., Int. J. Cancer (1997) 71(3):311-319).
Additional reports of synergistic effects are found for:
Vinblastine and recombinant interferon-β (Kuebler, et al., J. Interferon Res. (1990) 10:281-291);
Cisplatin and carboplatin (Kobayashi, et al., Nippon Chiryo Gakkai Shi (1990) 25:2684-2692);
Ethyl deshydroxy-sparsomycin and cisplatin or cytosine arabinoside (AraC) or methotrexate or 5-FU or vincristine (Hofs, et al., Anticancer Drugs (1994) 5:35-42);
All trans retinoic acid and butyric acid or tributyrin (Chen, et al., Chin. Med. Engl. (1999) 112:352-355); and
Cisplatin and paclitaxel (Engblom, et al., Br. J. Cancer (1999) 79:286-292).
In the foregoing studies, the importance of the ratio of the components for synergy was recognized. For example, 5-fluorouracil and L-canavanine were found to be synergistic at a mole ratio of 1:1, but antagonistic at a ratio of 5:1; cisplatin and carboplatin showed a synergistic effect at an area under the curve (AUC) ratio of 13:1 but an antagonistic effect at 19:5.
Other drug combinations have been shown to display synergistic interactions although the dependency of the interaction on the combination ratio was not described. This list is quite extensive and is composed mainly of reports of in vitro cultures, although occasionally in vivo studies are included.
In addition to the multiplicity of reports, a number of combinations have been shown to be efficacious in the clinic. These are described in the table below.
REFERENCEDRUG 1DRUG 2DRUG 3Langer, et al. (1999) Drugs 58 Suppl.Cisplatin or+UFT (Tegafur/3: 71-75Vindesineuracil)FDAa (Colon or Rectal Cancer)Leucovorin+5-FUFDA (Colon or Rectal Cancer)Irinotecan+Leucovorin+5-FUFDA (Breast Cancer)Herceptin+PaclitaxelFDA (Breast Cancer)Xeloda+Docetaxel(other names:Capecitabine)FDA (Ovarian and Lung Cancer)Paclitaxel+CisplatinFDA (Lung Cancer)Etoposide+Other FDA-approvedChemotherapeutic agentsFDA (Lung Cancer)Gemcitabine+CisplatinFDA (Prostate)Novantrone+Corticosteroids(mitoxantronehydrochloride)FDA (Acute NonlymphocyticNovantrone+Other FDA-approved drugsLeukemia)FDA (Acute NonlymphocyticDaunorubicin+Other FDA-approved drugsLeukemia/Acute Lymphocytic(DNR, Cerubidine)Leukemia)FDA (Chronic MyelogenousBusulfex+CyclophosphamideLeukemia)(Busulfan;(Cytoxan)1,4-butanediol,dimethanesulfonate;BU, Myleran)aFDA: United States Food and Drug Administration
In addition, certain other combinations can be postulated from various reports in the literature to have the potential for exhibiting non-antagonistic combination effects or clinical efficacy or accepted as the standard of care by region study groups. These are:
DISEASEDRUG 1DRUG 2DRUG 3(Colon Cancer)Oxaloplatin+5-FU (or FUDR)+Leucovorin(Metastatic Breast Cancer)Taxol+DoxorubicinAdriamycin+Cytoxan(doxorubicin)(cyclophosphamide)Methotrexate+5-FU (or FUDR)+CytoxanVinblastine+Doxorubicin(Non-small Cell Lung Cancer)Carboplatin+TaxolCisplatin+Docetaxel (Taxotere ®)Vinorelbine+CisplatinIrinotecan+Cisplatin(Small Cell Lung Cancer)Carboplatin+TaxolCisplatin+Etoposide(Prostate Cancer)Estramustine+TaxolEstramustine+MitoxantroneEstramustine+Taxotere(Hodgkin's Lymphoma)Bleomycin+Vinblastine(as part of ABDV: Adriamycin, Bleomycin, DTIC,Vinblastine)(Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma)Carboplatin+Etoposide(as part of ICE: Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, Etoposide)(Melanoma)IL-2+Cisplatin(Acute Myeloid Leukemia)Daunorubicin+Cytosine ArabinosideVincristine+Doxorubicin(Bladder Cancer)Carboplatin+TaxolCarboplatin+GemcitabineGemcitabine+TaxolVinblastine+Doxorubicin(as part of MVAC: Methotrexate, Vinblastine,Adriamycin, Cisplatin)(Head and Neck Cancer)5-FU (or FUDR)+Cisplatin+Leucovorin(Pancreatic Cancer)Gemcitabine+5-FU (or FUDR)Additional Combinations:Carboplatin+5-FU (or FUDR)Carboplatin+IrinotecanIrinotecan+5-FU (or FUDR)Vinorelbine+CarboplatinMethotrexate+5-FU (or FUDR)Idarubicin+AraCAdriamycin+VinorelbineSafingol+Fenretinide
Despite the aforementioned advantages associated with the use of synergistic drug combinations, there are various drawbacks that limit their therapeutic use. For instance, synergy often depends on various factors such as the duration of drug exposure and the sequence of administration (Bonner and Kozelsky, Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. (1990) 39:109-112). Studies using ethyl deshydroxy-sparsomycin in combination with cisplatin show that synergy is influenced by the combination ratios, the duration of treatment and the sequence of treatment (Hofs, et al., supra).
It is thus known that in order for synergy to be exhibited by a combination of agents, these agents must be present in amounts which represent defined ratios. Indeed, the same combination of drugs may be antagonistic at some ratios, synergistic at others, and additive at still others. It is desirable to avoid antagonistic effects, so that the drugs are at least additive. The present invention recognizes that the result obtained at an individual ratio is also dependent on concentration. Some ratios are antagonistic at one concentration and non-antagonistic at another. The invention ensures ratios of components in the synergistic or additive range by delivering these agents in formulations that maintain the desired or administered ratio when the target location in the subject are reached and by selecting the ratios to be predominantly non-antagonistic at a desired range of concentrations, since the concentration at the target may be different from that administered.
PCT publication WO 00/51641 describes administering a combination of antiviral agents which is said to be synergistic. In vitro tests were used to determine synergistic ratios. However, there is no teaching of any mode of administration which would maintain this ratio in vivo. Indeed, the publication states that the components may be administered sequentially or simultaneously.
PCT publication WO 01/15733 describes putatively synergistic compositions for treating autoimmune disease. Again, the method of formulation does not ensure maintenance of this ratio after delivery.
Daoud, et al., Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. (1991) 28:370-376, describe synergistic cytotoxic actions of cisplatin and liposomal valinomycin on human ovarian carcinoma cells. This paper describes an in vitro assay in which cisplatin which is free and valinomycin which is encapsulated in liposomes are used to treat cultures of CaOV-3, a human ovarian tumor-derived cell line. The authors determined the concentration ranges over which synergism and antagonism was exhibited. Liposome encapsulation was employed to solubilize the valinomycin. As the experiments are performed in vitro, in vivo delivery is irrelevant.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,821 issued 10 Apr. 2001 to Daoud, describes pharmaceutical compositions containing topoisomerase I inhibitors and a staurosporine. The claims appear to be based on the discovery that staurosporines have the ability to abrogate topoisomerase I inhibitor-induced S-phase arrest and to enhance its cytotoxicity to human breast cancer cells lacking normal p53 function. No particular pharmaceutical formulation is suggested.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,958 to Fountain, et al., describes mixtures of antimicrobial agents encapsulated in liposomes which are said to exert an enhanced therapeutic effect in vivo. Suitable ratios of antimicrobial agents are determined by a combination effect test which empirically tests for synergy in vitro. There is no discussion of assuring a synergistic ratio over a range of concentrations.
Schiffelers, et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therapeutic (2001) 298:369-375, describes the in vivo synergistic interaction of liposome co-encapsulated gentamicin and ceftazidime. The desired ratios were determined using a similar combination effect test to that of Fountain (supra), but there is no discussion of determination of a ratio wherein synergism is maintained over a range of concentrations.
The present invention recognizes, first, that it is possible to maintain a determined synergistic or additive ratio of therapeutic agents by controlling the pharmacokinetics of the formulation in which they are administered, and second, that the non-antagonistic ratio must be exhibited over a range of concentrations, since the concentration of components in a drug cocktail which reaches the target tissue may not be the same as that which is administered. The problem of maintaining synergy or additivity is solved by the recognition that when therapeutic agents are encapsulated in (i.e., stably associated with) delivery vehicles, such as liposomes, the delivery vehicles determine the pharmacokinetics and thus agents which are encapsulated will behave in a similar manner, and by selecting ratios which are predominantly synergistic/additive over a range of concentrations.

Compositions for delivery of drug combinations


A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program to be executed by a computer is provided. The information processing program causes the computer to function as: preferential display object placing means for placing a preferential display object in an imaging range of a virtual stereo camera in a virtual three-dimensional space; stereoscopically visible image rendering means for taking the virtual three-dimensional space using the virtual stereo camera, and rendering a stereoscopically visible image of the virtual three-dimensional space; and display control means for causing the display apparatus to display the stereoscopically visible image rendered by the stereoscopically visible image rendering means. The stereoscopically visible image rendering means renders the preferential display object by using a parallax based on a first depth from the virtual stereo camera, according to a preference order based on a second depth, shallower than the first depth, from the virtual stereo camera.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage medium, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and an information processing system, and more particularly, to those for realizing stereoscopically visible image display.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed a shooting game progressed in a virtual three-dimensional space, in which a shooting aim to be an index for attacking (shooting) an enemy plane is displayed on a display screen (refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-295935, for example). This shooting aim is rendered on a two-dimensional plane in which the virtual three-dimensional space is rendered, and is moved up, down, and side to side according to a user input while it is constantly displayed on the display screen.
When performing stereoscopically visible image display using the above-described conventional technique, an aim object is rendered in the two-dimensional plane in which the virtual three-dimensional space is rendered. Therefore, the aim object is visually recognized by a user as if it is present in front of all other objects, resulting in an extremely unnatural stereoscopically visible image.
In order to avoid this problem, the virtual three-dimensional space may be rendered (imaged) with the aim object being placed in the virtual three-dimensional space as well as the other objects. In this case, the aim object is visually recognized to be present forward (in a depth direction), resulting in a natural stereoscopically visible image. However, if another object is present in front of the aim object, the aim object is hidden behind the other object, and thus the aim object loses its function as a shooting aim.

Storage medium, information processing apparatus, information processing method and information processing system


When a shutter speed in shooting by an image capture apparatus using an image stabilization apparatus is higher than a first predetermined value and lower than a second predetermined value which is higher than the first predetermined value, a shake compensation driving unit sets the movable range of a shake compensation lens to be wider than that when it is lower than the first predetermined value or higher than the second predetermined value. While providing an anti-shake capacity necessary for the situation, a phenomenon in which the shake compensation lens stays at a maximum driving position and degradation of the image quality caused by deviation of the shake compensation lens from the center of the optical axis can be suppressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image stabilization apparatus, an image capture apparatus comprising an image stabilization apparatus, and control methods thereof and, more particularly, to an image stabilization apparatus having an image blur correcting function, an image capture apparatus comprising such an image stabilization apparatus, and control methods thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been known an image capture apparatus, including an image stabilization apparatus which detects a shake of the image capture apparatus and drives a movable member (shake compensation lens and its holding member) to correct image blur arising from the shake. Shake detection in the image stabilization apparatus often uses an angular velocity sensor. The angular velocity sensor vibrates a vibration member such as a piezoelectric element at a predetermined frequency, and outputs, as angular velocity information, a voltage corresponding to a Coriolis force generated from a rotational motion component. The image stabilization apparatus integrates the obtained angular velocity information to obtain the magnitude and direction of the shake, and outputs a correction position control signal to drive the movable member so as to cancel the image blur. When driving the movable member, the current position of the movable member is fed back as a movable member position signal to the image stabilization apparatus. The image stabilization apparatus performs feedback control to output a correction position control signal corresponding to the movable member position signal.
In some cases, the user intentionally moves the image capture apparatus. An example is panning shooting to shoot an image while moving (rotating) the image capture apparatus horizontally. If the image stabilization apparatus detects the panning operation as a shake and drives the movable member, the shake compensation lens has moved by a maximum amount (maximum driving position) by the end of the panning operation in a direction in which the shake generated by the panning operation is canceled. This is because a shake generated by the panning operation is generally too large to cancel even if the shake compensation lens is moved by a maximum amount. At the end of the panning operation, the shake compensation lens cannot be moved in this direction any more, and no satisfactory image blur correction can be performed. To solve this problem, there is known panning control to forcibly center the shake compensation lens position when the correction amount becomes large due to the panning operation.
When shooting a still image with an image capture apparatus including the image stabilization apparatus, the anti-shake capacity is desirably high. However, if panning control acts, though the user does not actually perform panning shooting, the anti-shake capacity becomes poor.
To achieve both panning control and the anti-shake capacity, it is proposed to shift quickly to panning control at a high shutter speed at which the influence of camera shake hardly appears, and shift less quickly to panning control at a low shutter speed at which the influence of camera shake readily appears (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-201723).
However, the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-201723 neither suppresses a phenomenon in which the shake compensation lens stays at the maximum driving position, nor suppresses degradation of the image quality caused by deviation of the shake compensation lens from the center of the optical axis of the imaging optical system while providing an anti-shake capacity necessary for the situation.

Image stabilization apparatus, image capture apparatus comprising the same, and controlling methods thereof


A projection apparatus includes a projection optical system, an output display element, an operation unit acquiring an adjustment instruction, a geometric correction adjustment unit, and a geometric correction unit. The output display element having an element region including pixels that modulate projection light by a quadrangular effective element region in the element region. The geometric correction adjustment unit transforms the effective element region to shift a vertex of the effective element region along a side, according to the adjustment instruction. The geometric correction unit performs an operation of projecting an input image on the effective element region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection apparatus, a geometric correction adjustment method, and a storage medium storing codes for geometric correction adjustment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a projector has been known as an image projection apparatus that projects an image on a projection target object, such as a screen based on image data output from, for example, a personal computer. In the case of installing such a projector, a projection region of the projector is adjusted with respect to the projection target object, such as the screen. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI publication No. 2006-227441 discloses a technology of shifting a vertex of the projection region by moving a cursor to transform a projection region and consequently performing adjustment of geometric correction.

Projection apparatus, geometric correction adjustment method, and storage medium storing codes for geometric correction adjustment


Polymer blends that exhibit good impact resistance comprise a crystalline polypropylene matrix and a partly crystalline copolymer impact modifier with a molecular weight lower than that of the matrix polymer. The matrix polymer can comprise any crystalline propylene homo- or copolymer. The impact modifying copolymers are characterized as comprising at least about 60 weight percent (wt %) of units derived from propylene and, in certain embodiments, as having at least one, preferably two or more, of the following properties: (i) 13C NMR peaks corresponding to a regio-error at about 14.6 and about 15.7 ppm, the peaks of about equal intensity, (ii) a B-value greater than about 1.4 when the comonomer content of the copolymer is at least about 3 wt %, (iii) a skewness index, Six, greater than about −1.20, (iv) a DSC curve with a Tme that remains essentially the same and a Tmax that decreases as the amount of comonomer in the copolymer is increased, and (v) an X-ray diffraction pattern that reports more gamma-form crystals than a comparable copolymer prepared with a Ziegler-Natta (Z-N) catalyst.

Crystalline polypropylene, typically a homopolymer, is used extensively in various moldings because it exhibits desirable mechanical (e.g., rigidity) and chemical resistance properties. For applications that require impact resistance (e.g., automobile parts, appliance facia, packaging, etc.), a rubber, e.g., copolymer of propylene and ethylene and/or one or more α-olefins, is used, or a blend of crystalline polypropylene with one or more rubbers that exhibit good impact resistance, e.g., propylene/ethylene (P/E) copolymer, or ethylene-propylene (EP) and/or ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber. Crystalline polypropylene has an isotactic structure, and it is readily produced using a Ziegler-Natta (Z-N) or a metallocene catalyst, or a constrained geometry catalyst (CGC). For purposes of this disclosure, P/E copolymers comprise 50 weight percent or more propylene while EP copolymers comprise 51 weight percent or more ethylene. As here used, "comprise . . . propylene", "comprise . . . ethylene" and similar terms mean that the polymer comprises units derived from propylene, ethylene or the like as opposed to the compounds themselves.
Polypropylene impact compositions typically comprise (i) one or ore matrix polymers, e.g., a crystalline polypropylene homo- or copolymer, and (ii) one or more impact modifiers, typically a rubber. The matrix provides the stiffness and optical properties, and the impact modifier provides the toughness. The addition of an impact modifier generally causes a reduction in stiffness and optics of the total blend compared to the stiffness and optics of the matrix by itself. This reduction in optics can be minimized by carefully designing the solubility of the impact modifier with regard to the matrix.
The solubility of a propylene-ethylene impact modifier in the matrix is determined by composition and molecular weight. To achieve sufficient toughness, a minimal level of ethylene is required in the propylene-ethylene impact modifier, which then leaves the molecular weight as the parameter to influence solubility. Decreasing molecular weight of the impact modifier increases the solubility of the impact modifier in the matrix. However, impact modifiers with low molecular weight may migrate to the surface of fabricated parts and show blooming which can reduce the optic performance significantly.
The addition of the impact modifier can be in-situ (e.g., reactors in series) or off-line via compounding (e.g., physically blending the matrix and impact modifying resins). Impact modifiers can be more accurately designed via single site catalysis (e.g., by a metallocene) than via Ziegler-Natta catalysis. Additionally, impact modifiers prepared via single site catalysis have a narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD), and thus have less low molecular weight extractables than impact modifiers prepared via Ziegler-Natta catalysis.

Impact resistance polymer blends of crystalline polypropylene and partially crystalline, low molecular weight impact modifiers


A rechargeable hydrogen storage cell comprising: a negative electrode having the composition: EQU (Ovonic Base Alloy).sub.a M.sub.b. where Ovonic Base Alloy represents an Ovonic alloy that contains 0.1 to 60 atomic percent Ti, 0.1 to 25 atomic percent Zr, 0.1 to 60 atomic percent V, 0.1 to 57 atomic percent Ni, and 0.1 to 56 atomic percent Cr, as described above; a is at least 70 atomic percent; M represents at least one modifier chosen from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Al, Fe, W, La, Mo, Cu, Mg, Ca, Nb, Si, and Hf; b is 0 to 30 atomic percent; b>0; and a+b=100 atomic percent; a positive electrode; and a separator of electrolyte retentive nylon or wettable polypropylene.

In rechargeable electrochemical cells, weight and portability are important considerations. It is also advantageous for rechargeable cells to have long operating lives without the necessity of periodic maintenance. Rechargeable cells may be used as direct replacements for primary AA, C, and D cells in numerous consumer devices such as calculators, portable radios, and flashlights. They are often configured into a sealed power pack that is designed as an integral part of a specific device. Rechargeable electrochemical cells can also be configured as larger cells that can be used, for example, in industrial, aerospace and electric vehicle applications.
The best rechargeable cell is one that can operate as an "install and forget" power source. With the exception of periodic charging, a rechargeable cell should perform without attention and should not become a limiting factor in the life of the device it powers.
There are two basic types of nickel metal hydride rechargeable hydrogen storage materials ("Ni-MH materials")the AB.sub.2 type and the AB.sub.5 type. These types of material are discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,667 to Fetcenko, et. al, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The term "Ovonic alloy" is frequently used to refer to all AB.sub.2 type materials in deference to their development from amorphous thin film materials discovered by Stanford R. Ovshinsky. Ovonic alloys are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,400 for Hydrogen Storage Materials and Methods of Sizing and Preparing the Same for Electrochemical Applications (hereinafter the '400 patent) to Sapru, Hong, Fetcenko and Venkatesan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As used herein, the term "Ovonic Base Alloy" refers to an AB.sub.2 alloy having a base alloy or grain phase (as this term is described in the '400 patent) containing 0.1 to 60 atomic percent Ti, 0.1 to 25 atomic percent Zr, 0. 1 to 60 atomic percent V, 0. 1 to 57 atomic percent Ni, and 0.1 t 56 atomic percent Cr.
In general, Ni-MH hydrogen storage cells or batteries (referred to collectively as "Ni-MH cells") utilize a negative electrode that is capable of the reversible electrochemical storage of hydrogen. Ni-MH cells usually employ a positive electrode of nickel hydroxide material. The negative and positive electrodes are spaced apart in an alkaline electrolyte.
Upon application of an electrical potential across a Ni-MH cell, the Ni-MH material of the negative electrode is charged by the electrochemical absorption of hydrogen and the electrochemical evolution of a hydroxyl ion: ##STR1##
The negative electrode reactions are reversible. Upon discharge, the stored hydrogen is released to form a water molecule and evolve an electron.
The reactions that take place at the positive electrode of a secondary cell are also reversible. For example, the reactions at a nickel hydroxide positive electrode in a Ni-MH cell are: ##STR2##
A suitable separator is usually positioned between the electrodes of Ni-MH cells. The electrolyte is generally an alkaline electrolyte, for example, 20 to 45 weight percent potassium hydroxide. Lithium hydroxide may also be present in limited quantity.
A Ni-MH cell has an important advantage over conventional rechargeable cells and batteries: Ni-MH cells have significantly higher specific charge capacities (both in terms of ampere hours per unit mass and ampere hours per unit volume) than do cells with lead or cadmium negative electrodes. As a result, a higher energy density (in terms of watt hours per unit mass or watt hours per unit volume)is possible with Ni-MH cells than with conventional systems, making Ni-MH cells particularly suitable for many commercial applications.
Rechargeable cells are generally either vented cells or sealed cells. During normal operation, a vented cell typically permits venting of gas to relieve excess pressure as part of the normal operating behavior. In contrast, a sealed cell generally does not permit venting on a regular basis. As a result of this difference, the vent assemblies and the amounts of electrolyte in the cell container relative to the electrode geometry both differ significantly.
Vented cells operate in a "flooded condition." The term "flooded condition" means that the electrodes are completely immersed in, covered by, and wetted by the electrolyte. Thus, such cells are sometimes referred to as "flooded cells." A vented cell is typically designed for normal operating pressures of about 25 pounds per square inch after which excess pressures are relieved by a vent mechanism.
A variation of the vented, cylindrical, rechargeable cells of the prior art are the "one time only" venting cells where, for example, a rupturable diaphragm and blade apparatus is employed. As internal cell pressure increases, the blade is forced against the diaphragm. As the pressure increases further, the blade punctures the diaphragm, allowing excess gases to escape. This destructive type of venting mechanism is both unpredictable from batch to batch and from cell to cell within a batch. Moreover, destructive venting is good for only one excessive pressure situation. After the diaphragm is punctured, it cannot even sustain normal cell operating pressures.
In contrast, sealed cells are designed to operate in a "starved" electrolyte configuration, that is with a minimum amount of electrolyte. The enclosure for a sealed cell is normally metallic and designed for operation of up to about 100 p.s.i. absolute or higher. Because they are sealed, such cells do not require periodic maintenance.
Typically, a sealed rechargeable cell uses a cylindrical nickel-plated steel case as the negative terminal and the cell cover as the positive terminal. An insulator separates the positive cover from the negative cell can. The electrodes are wound to form a compact "jelly roll" with the electrodes of opposite polarity isolated from each other by a porous, woven or non-woven separator of nylon or polypropylene, for example. A tab extends from each electrode to create a single current path through which current is distributed to the entire electrode area during charging and discharging. The tab on each electrode is electrically connected to its respective terminal.
In sealed cells, the discharge capacity of a nickel based positive electrode is limited by the amount of electrolyte, the amount of active material, and the charging efficiencies. The charge capacity of a Ni-MH negative electrode is limited by the amount of active material used, since its charge efficiency is nearly 100 percent, nearly a full state of charge is reached. To maintain the optimum capacity for a Ni-MH electrode, precautions must be taken to avoid oxygen recombination or hydrogen evolution before full charge is reached. This is generally accomplished by providing an excess of negative electrode material. However, precautions must be taken in the design and fabrication of sealed cells to avoid the effects of over-pressurization associated with overcharge at dangerously high charge rates. Sealed cells are the preferred type of rechargeable, Ni-MH electrochemical cells where a particular application requires a relatively maintenance-free power source.
The operational life span, that is, the available number of charge and discharge cycles of a sealed cell, typically determines the kinds of applications for which a cell will be useful. Cells that are capable of undergoing more cycles have more potential applications. Thus, longer life span cells are more desirable.
The life span of a sealed cell is directly related to the life span of its individual components. The negative electrode materials are the most unique and have long been considered to be the component limiting cell life span. Therefore, to achieve longer life spans, researchers concentrated their efforts on producing an electrode alloy material capable of withstanding repeated charge and discharge cycles without breakdown. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,586 for Enhanced Charge Retention Electrochemical Hydrogen Storage Alloys and an Enhanced Charge Retention Electrochemical Cell, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. However, Ovonic alloy negative electrode materials have been developed to the point where they are no longer the only component of the rechargeable cell that limit the life span of the entire cell.
The present inventors have found that in sealed Ni-MH cells using some of the Ovonic Base Alloys described herein, cell failure is sometimes the result of problems related to the separator, such as the depletion of electrolyte from the separator and separator degradation. Thus, given the advances in Ovonic Base Alloy negative electrode materials described herein, the separator appears to be another factor in the cycle life and charge retention of the Ovonic Base Alloy cells of the present invention.
Nylon separators have been described in a variety of configurations and in a variety of cells. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,150, to Carl et al. of Yardney, describes a battery using a separator made from a nylon film coated on fabric or resinous fiber. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,858, to Masaki of Freudenberg, describes a rechargeable alkaline battery having an ion transporting alkaline electrolyte and a nonwoven polyamide separator made from continuous fiber of 3 to 10 microns treated with non-ionic surface active agents.
Generally, nylon separators of the type found in NiCd rechargeable batteries have been used as the standard separator in all types of Ni-MH cells. Such nylon separators were specifically designed to prevent the short circuits that occur in NiCd cells due to the formation of dendrites between the electrodes as they change from a metal to a metal hydroxide in the charge/discharge cycle. These dendrites short circuit the NiCd negative terminal to the positive terminal if left unchecked. The nylon separator acts as a barrier layer to prevent such dendrite formation.
Although dendrite formation is not a concern in Ni-MH cells, nylon separators are frequently used in Ni-MH cells because during the early development of Ni-MH cells, nylon separators were readily available and appeared to function adequately with AB.sub.5 alloy cells, as well as with Ovonic alloy cells, of the prior art. However, the present invention recognizes that in the Ovonic Base Alloy cells of the present invention, prior art nylon separators do not function adequately. The prior art nylon separators when used in Ovonic alloy cells are, for example, prone to breakdown and loss of electrolyte (drying out) after repeated cycling. Further, prior art nylon separators eventually react with the electrolyte in Ovonic alloy cells forming decomposition products which may adversely effect cell performance. As a result, nylon separators when used in Ovonic alloy cells appear to be a significant factor in limiting the potential cycle life of such cells.
Polypropylene separator materials have been used in lead acid batteries because of their resistance to sulfuric acid. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,567, to Palmer et al. of W. R. Grace, describes separators made from nonwoven mats that are compressed to yield small pores of high porosity. These mats are formed from hydrophobic polymeric materials. The fibers of the mat are made wettable by mixing the polymeric resin with a wetting agent prior to extrusion. This reference specifically teaches that polyolefins such as polypropylene are useful in lead acid batteries, and that nylon is the preferred material for use in alkaline batteries.
The following art suggests polypropylene separators as an alternative to nylon because polypropylene is strong and resistant to alkaline electrolyte, although its hydrophobic properties when compared to nylon require treatment with a wetting agent or its combination with another material:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,604, to Prentice of Exxon Research, describes a nonwoven polypropylene mat that has been fuse-bonded using a press to increase its tensile strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,537 to Butin et al. of Exxon Research, describes a process for making battery separators from nonwoven mats where the formed nonwoven mat is treated with a wetting agent, dried, heated, and compressed to increase fiber-to-fiber bonding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,707 to Doi et al. of Asahi, describes a separator made of a porous polyolefin film having low electrical resistance and high alkaline resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,090, to D'Agostino of RAI Research, describes a separator for a redox cell comprising a polyolefin base film grafted to a vinyl substituted monomer with gamma radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,398, to Kujas of RCA, describes a polypropylene separator for NiCd cells prepared from knitted, woven, or nonwoven polypropylene that is treated with a corona discharge and then impregnated with phenylglycine or parahydroxyphenylglycine. The corona discharge functions to increase the wettability of the separator, and glycine derivative acts to prevent the penetration of the separator sheet by the alkaline electrolyte and metallic particles from the electrodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,149, to Ikoma of Matsushita, describes a misch metal negative electrode, a nickel hydroxide positive electrode, and a sulfonated, non-woven polypropylene separator. The negative electrode, the positive electrode, and the separator all contain a zinc compound, such as zinc oxide, so that the electrolyte is retained in the negative electrode and the separator and does not migrate to the positive electrode, thus reducing the expansion of the positive electrode. In addition, the separator is treated with a hydrophobic resin. This patent states that expansion of the positive electrode causes a change in the electrolyte distribution and an increase in internal resistance which makes nickel/hydrogen cells have an inferior cycle life compared to NiCd cells.
The plethora of references describing different kinds of separators contains no indication that any one type of separator would be superior for any particular application or superior with any particular alloy or electrolyte. While all types of batteries have similar component parts, the extreme differences in chemistry make applying teachings from one type of battery to another unpredictable. "Swapping" of components does occur, but the present inventors are unaware of any instance where any research in the development of Ovonic alloys has been hastened as a result. For example, the use of NiCd nylon separators in Ni-MH cells as discussed above, proved adequate for all Ni-MH alloys initially, however these same separators now appear to be a limiting factor in realizing the full potential of the Ovonic Base Alloys of the present invention. Unfortunately, the prior art contains no theory or suggestion regarding a separator that might overcome this problem.
The inadequacy of the prior art is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,149 ("the '149 patent"), to Ikoma of Matsushita, discussed above. Read in its entirety, the '149 patent focuses on controlling the swelling of the positive electrode with zinc and fails to disclose any teaching relevant to the Ovonic Base Alloys of the present invention. The '149 patent teaches using misch metal, an AB.sub.5 Ni-MH material that those of skill in the art know has an electrochemical behavior different than Ovonic alloys. A number of manufacturers became interested in AB.sub.5 alloys because these alloys appeared to be drop in replacements for NiCd negative electrodes. However, as discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,667, AB.sub.5 materials represent a different class of materials from Ovonic alloys. This is particularly true of the Ovonic Base Alloys of the present invention.
It should be noted that prior art Ovonic alloys have yielded adequate performance when used as a drop in replacement negative electrode for NiCd cells. However, the performance of Ovonic Base Alloys of the present invention can be significantly improved by using an optimized separator material.
In general, the references discussed above, contain no teaching or suggestion that some Ovonic Base Alloys cells will have an improved cycle life and reduced self-discharge when used with an appropriately chosen separator.

Metal hydride cells having improved cycle life and charge retention


A centrifugal separator facilitates maintenance with a function that provides the user with useful data for investigating the causes of failures and for preventing their recurrence, such as data needed to determine the appropriate management and replacement frequency of consumable parts. The centrifugal separator also has a storing unit for recording the number of times that the door is opened and closed, operation records of the drive unit by each shaft, and the number of operations performed by operating function, as well as a display unit for displaying the data. The centrifugal separator also includes a function for displaying messages prompting the user to perform maintenance when the aforementioned performance data reach a predetermined value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator and the maintenance thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
If the drive unit or rotor of a conventional centrifugal separator becomes damaged while a customer is using the centrifugal separator, such damage can have an enormous effect on the customer's business, not only due to the loss of the sample undergoing centrifugation and the cost of repair work to the centrifugal separator, but also due to the lost time while the centrifugal separator is being repaired.
Since the customer might suffer great losses when the drive unit or rotor break down or incur damage, the life of the drive unit and rotor is specified in advance. Here, the life of the drive unit denotes the estimated usage time, while the life of the rotor denotes the estimated number of uses and the usage time. Operation records of the drive unit and rotor must be maintained so that these components are not used past their estimated life. Conventionally, the user has had to meticulously record the operation records each time the centrifugal separator was used. A centrifugal separator capable of automating the management of the operation records described above is also well known in the art. Such centrifugal separators that employ a method for managing operation records and a method for managing the rotor life have been disclosed in Japanese patent No. 2671642 and Japanese patent-application publication No. 2001-104835.

Centrifugal separator with a plurality of shafts


A survey providing apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive a survey participation signal, from a user device, related to the broadcasting program that is being reproduced in a broadcasting device, a user authentication unit configured to authenticate a user based on identification information of the user device included in the received survey participation signal and user information that is previously stored in a database, a transmission unit configured to transmit a survey list for the broadcasting program to the user device and a survey result generation unit configured to generate a survey result based on a survey response to the survey list and the user information, wherein the transmission unit is further configured to transmit the generated survey result to the broadcasting device.

1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments broadly relate to a server and a method for providing a survey of a broadcasting program.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent development of technologies and with change in demands of viewers, the broadcasting environment has been changed. Especially, with the development of internet protocol television (IPTV), viewers no longer one-sidedly view programs provided from a broadcasting station. Viewers can be provided with games, education information, life information, and so forth, and utilize a two-way broadcasting service that enables intercommunication between viewers and a broadcasting station.
When buying a product through a broadcasting program such as home shopping, a viewer may have worries in choosing one of various options of the product such as colors and designs. In order to see comments, views of experts or third parties with regard to the product or another associated product, the viewer may search related information through the internet.

Server and method for providing survey of broadcasting program


An accommodating intraocular lens is disclosed that provides vision accommodation in response to contraction of an eye's ciliary muscle. The intraocular lens includes a deformable elastic dynamic lens having a non-accommodating surface curvature and a lens-shaping member having flexible portions in contact with peripheral edge regions of the dynamic lens for enabling compressive deformation thereof for changing the lens surface curvature to achieve accommodation. The intraocular lens also includes an elastically flexible coil member mounted around the lens-shaping member flexible portions. A first lens-supporting member has a proximal end region that engages the flexible coil member and a second lens-supporting member has a proximal end region connected to the lens-shaping member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of ophthalmics, more particularly to ophthalmic devices, still more particularly to ophthalmic devices known as intraocular lenses (IOLs), and especially to accommodating intraocular lenses.
2. Background Discussion
At the onset it may helpful to the understanding of the present invention to define the terms "phakic" and "aphakic" as related to human eyes. The term "phakic" is applied to an eye in which the natural ocular lens is still present. This is in contrast to an "aphakic" eye from which the natural ocular lens has—for any reason—been removed. A phakic eye is considered a dynamic or active eye because the living natural lens is subject to change over time, while an aphakic eye is considered a static eye because the natural lens has been removed.
Vision in a normal, healthy eye is enabled by light from a viewed object being refracted to the retina in turn by the cornea and the natural lens located rearwardly of the cornea. An important function of the natural lens, through a process of ciliary muscle contraction and zonular relaxation, is the providing of accommodation, that is, the ability of the elastic natural lens to change its curved shape to enable the eye to focus on objects at distances from near to far in response to the eye and brain sensing an out-of-focus image.
A relatively common ocular problem is impaired or complete loss of vision due to the natural ocular lens becoming cloudy or opaque—a condition known as cataract. The formation of cataracts is typically age related, most individuals over the age of about 60 years suffering from cataracts at least to some extent.
Cataracts cannot currently be cured, reversed, or even significantly arrested. Accordingly, treatment of cataracts involves surgically removing the natural lens when the lens becomes so cloudy that vision is greatly impaired, the result being that a phakic eye becomes an aphakic eye. After a defective natural lens has been surgically removed, the current vision-restoring practice (since about the 1940's) is to implant in the aphakic eye an artificial refractive lens called an intraocular lens (IOL). Previously, thick, heavy, high diopter spectacles were prescribed for aphakic eyes. However, most patients dislike such spectacles because of their uncomfortable weight and unattractive appearance.
Although the implanting of an IOL can generally restore vision in an aphakic eye, corrective spectacles or contact lenses are still usually required for near or far vision, depending upon whether the implanted IOL is selected for far or near vision. This is because, to the knowledge of the present inventor, IOLs providing accommodation comparable to that of a natural healthy lens have not heretofore been available; although, the development of accommodating IOLs has been widely sought.
In addition to the desirability of implanting accommodating IOLs in aphakic eyes in place of the removed natural lens, the implanting of accommodating IOLs would be advantageous in phakic eyes in which the intact natural lens, while still otherwise clear, has lost all or much of its accommodating properties, for example, by becoming less flexible. Nevertheless, the ciliary muscle, which normally functions to provide accommodation of the natural lens generally, remains active for most of an individual's life.
Efforts toward developing accommodating IOLs have relied upon axial IOL movement in the eye and/or IOL lens surface shape change to create dynamic change in ocular power and thus provide accommodation.
Axial movement of implanted IOLs in the eye to provide accommodation is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,514; 5,496,366; 5,674,282 and 6,197,059 to Stuart Cumming. Difficulties associated with axial IOL movement to provide accommodation are due both to the extremely limited ocular space for axial IOL movement that limits the achievable diopter variation necessary for full accommodation, and to satisfactory ocular mechanisms for causing such axial IOL movement.
On the other hand, lens surface shape changing, exemplified in the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,601; 4,888,012; 4,932,966; 4,994,082; 5,489,302 have required a spherical lens shape to interact with the rim of ciliary muscle in more then one meridian or even from all 360° orientations. This requires perfect lens centration in regard to the ciliary rim and equal interaction from all meridians; otherwise, absence of central symmetry leads to unequal lens surface curvature in different meridians with resulting reduction in image quality.
Because of these and other problems, a principal objective of the present invention is to provide an improved, surface shape changing accommodating IOL that relies on the interaction with the ciliary muscle in only one meridian. Such improved surface shape changing IOLs may be configured for implanting in aphakic eyes or may alternatively configured for implanting in phakic eyes.