A process for the recovery of nickel from a nickel containing ore in which the ore, particularly a laterite ore, is initially leached with an aqueous acid solution, after which the nickel is precipitated as nickel hydroxide by adding a hydroxide to the aqueous acid leach solution containing the nickel, followed by a re-leaching of the nickel with an aqueous ammoniacal solution and recovery of the nickel by a solvent extraction of the nickel from the aqueous ammoniacal solution with an organic phase of a water insoluble oxime extractant dissolved in a water-immiscible hydrocarbon solvent and the nickel recovered by electrowinning the nickel from the aqueous acid stripping solution employed to strip the nickel from the organic phase.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved process for the recovery of nickel from aqueous acidic solutions containing nickel values, resulting from commercial processes, and containing other metals, and employing as the last step or stage in the process an extraction step from aqueous ammoniacal solutions, with an oxime extractant, such as a ketoxime.
2. Statement of Related Art
Nickel remains one of the commercially important metals for which there is no simple solvent extraction based route for recovery from acid leach sulfate solutions. Although solvent extraction of nickel from acid sulfate solutions is possible using carboxylic acids (VERSATIC.TM. acids), and alkyl derivatives of phosphoric and phosphinic acids e.g. D2EHPA (di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid), these extractants do not offer high selectivity over other metals such as manganese, iron, cobalt, magnesium and calcium. In order to achieve selective extraction of nickel, these reagents require careful pH control and multiple crowding (scrubbing) stages. In addition the VERSATIC acids are most effective for nickel extraction in the pH range of 6-8, which is above the pKa of the carboxylic functionality of approximately 5.2. This means that the VERSATIC acid will form alkali metal soaps and this leads to solubility problems with this reagent.
The liquid-liquid extraction of nickel from acid sulfate solutions was reviewed in 1973 by Warshawsky in "The Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Nickel: A Review, Minerals Sci. Engineering, Vol. 5, No. 1, January 1973, pp.36-52, and only limited progress has been made since this review. Warshawsky observed that the development of reagents which showed selectivity of nickel over other transition elements was not expected to be easy and such has been proven to be the case. The development of a suitable nickel extractant has been complicated by the fact that the nickel electrowinning is very sensitive to pH, with only a small pH window of 3.8-4.2 suitable to electrowinning, which is significantly higher than the typical pH of acid sulfate leach liquors.
Recently, interest in the recovery of nickel from laterite ores and sulfide concentrates using hydrometallurgical routes has led to a reexamination of the recovery of nickel from such ores or concentrates, which initially involve leaching with sulfuric acid to provide an acidic sulfate aqueous solution containing the nickel, along with the other metals associated therewith.
"Heterogenous Equilibria in Ammonia/ Laterite Leaching Systems" are discussed in International Laterite Symposium, by Osseo-Asre, K. and Aelhere, S. W., Ed. Evans, D. J. I., Shoemaker, R. S. and Veltman, H., SME New York, 1979, pp. 585-609.
A Cobalt Stripping process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,915 issued to Hubred, G. L. in 1975.
G. A. Kordosky et al describe "Use of pH Control in Solvent Extraction Circuits", Mining Engineering, SME New York, March 1981. pp.291-299.
"Recovery of Nickel by Liquid Ion Exchange Technology", is discussed by C. R. Merigold and R. B. Sudderth, AIME Annual Meeting, Chicago, Feb. 25-Mar. 2, 1973.
Also D. N. Nilsert et al discuss "Solvent Extraction of Nickel and Copper From Laterite-Ammoniacal leach Liquors", USBM R1 8805, 1982.
Further, I. G. Sloepper and J. E. Fittock discuss "Nickel Cobalt Separation by Ammoniacal Solvent Extraction: The Operating Experience", Proceedings of ISEC, 1996, University of Melbourne, pp.777-782.
Other items relating to extraction of Nickel are:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,966 for Nickel Extraction and Stripping Using Oximes and Ammoniacal Carbonate Solutions issued Sep. 23, 1975 to Ronald R Skarbo.
(2) "The S.E.C. Nickel Process" by Richard D. Eliason and Edward Edmunds Jr., Hydrometallurgy, October, 1973, pp. 82-86.
(3) Commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,552 for NICKEL EXTRACTION PROCESS of Kordosky et al, which discusses many other references in the related art section thereof, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.


A Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure based on a doubly-corrugated spoofed surface plasmon polariton (DC-SSPP) waveguide is presented. The dependence of phase change on the dielectric loading of the DC-SSPP structure causes the output from both arms to interfere and enhance features on the transmission spectrum of the MZI. The proposed MZI structure can be used for tag-free bio-molecular sensing. The highly localized electro-magnetic field at frequencies close to SSPP resonance is shown to reduce the sample amount needed to produce interference patterns without affecting the selectivity of the sensing structure.

Terahertz elements and devices designed to work in the frequency range of 0.1-10 THz have attracted enormous research activities in the past decade or so due to its potential use in applications such as astronomical remote sensing, tag-free bio-molecular detection, and monitoring of harmful chemicals. Intensive studies on the generation, transmission and detection mechanisms of THz signals also demonstrated the possibility of building integrated circuits in THz frequency range, which is known to have broader bandwidth than the operating frequency range of the current-generation VLSI devices and circuits. A major hurdle encountered by designers of THz logic components is how to realize low-loss and low dispersion transmission of electromagnetic signals. One way to overcome the problem is to introduce periodic surface features such as holes, grooves, and dimples onto the material interface of the structure, which generates a special surface mode known as the Spoofed Surface Plasmon Polariton (SSPP). Such pseudo mode mimics the common optical surface plasmon mode traveling at dielectric-metal interface, and therefore has a similar mode profile with strongly confined E-M field and localized energy distribution.
By introducing one-dimensional (1-D) periodic grooves on opposite interfaces of metal-dielectric-metal waveguides, a doubly-corrugated SSPP (DC-SSPP) structure can be realized. Previous work has provided extensive theoretical study along with computer simulations to demonstrate the existence of discrete transmission bands as well as SSPP modes with close-to-zero group velocity in such DC-SSPP structures. It has also been shown that the spectral response of DC-SSPP structures strongly depends on the geometrical dimensions and the choice of building materials. As a result, a number of passive and active SSPP components such as frequency filters and Boolean switches have been proposed and the related research work has been reported in other publications.
A common issue in the design of THz components is to achieve better spectral selectivity in the form of sharper transmission peaks. Higher sensitivity to the structural change caused by external stimuli is also preferred in the design of sensors and active components alike. In this disclosure, an interferometer design is proposed which combines two arms of the DC-SSPP structure together to form a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). While the MZI structure is often used in other scenarios to realize signal controls based on phase delay, with the help of DC-SSPP structure this structure is applied to the terahertz frequency domain.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Mach-Zehnder interferometer having a doubly-corrugated spoofed surface plasmon polariton waveguide

The Regents Of The University Of Michigan


A block copolymer mixture containing a branched block copolymer characterized in that it has at least three types of polymer blocks with different molecular weights, each comprising a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon as monomer units, the molecular weight distribution of a mixture of the polymer blocks S1, S2 and S3 each comprising a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon as monomer units is within a specific range, and in a gel permeation chromatogram of the mixture of three types of the polymer blocks S1, S2 and S3, M1/M3 and M2/M3 are within specific ranges, where M1, M2 and M3 are peak top molecular weights of the respective polymer blocks.

A block copolymer comprising a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon and a conjugated diene and having a relatively high content of the vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon is widely used for an application to injection molding or for an application to extrusion, such as sheets and films, by virtue of its excellent characteristics such as transparency and impact resistance. Particularly, some such block copolymers and styrene polymer compositions having such a block copolymer blended therewith, which are excellent in transparency, impact resistance, etc., have been proposed.
For example, JP-A-53-000286 discloses a branched block copolymer wherein the ratio of the number average molecular weight of a high molecular weight component to a low molecular weight component is from 3 to 7 in a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon block in two linear copolymers prior to coupling, and its production process. JP-A-07-173232 discloses a branched block copolymer having at least three polymer blocks each comprising a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon as monomer units, and its production process. Further, JP-A-52-078260 discloses a linear copolymer composition wherein the molecular weight distribution at a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon block moiety is from 2.3 to 4.5, and a branched block copolymer composition wherein the molecular weight distribution at a vinyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon block moiety is from 2.8 to 3.5, which is produced by blending. Still further, JP-A-57-028150 discloses a method of combining a branched block copolymer wherein the molecular weight distribution at a vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon block moiety is out of the range of from 2.8 to 3.5.
However, such block copolymers and compositions of such a block copolymer with a thermoplastic resin formed by the above methods, are poor in balance of transparency, impact resistance, etc. Particularly, in injection molding, molding is carried out under a high shearing force, whereby a molded product is likely to have an anisotropy and tends to be poor in strength in a certain direction, and a sufficient molded product can hardly be provided.

Block copolymer mixture containing star-branched block copolymer


End portions on one side of respective heads in a head unit are inserted and arranged in respective spaces between end portions on the other side of respective heads in an adjoining head unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer such as an inkjet printer, a copying machine or a facsimile which ejects liquid droplets of ink or the like with respect to, e.g., a recording medium to perform printing, a micro-eject apparatus for an adhesive, a manufacturing apparatus of a color filter in a liquid crystal display, or the like, and more particularly, it relates to a liquid jet head which is used for ejecting a small amount of liquid droplets of, e.g., ink.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, an inkjet printer uses a liquid jet head to eject ink from nozzles of a head. This liquid jet head utilizes many heads for high-speed printing onto a recording medium, realization of multicolor printing and other effects. Each of these heads has a nozzle array in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged. As a result, many nozzle arrays are arranged.
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-320652 relates to a building plate printer, and discloses that this printer comprises a plurality of print heads 1-1 to 1-n and 2-1 to 2-n-1 as shown in FIG. 16. In each of the print heads 1-1 to 1-n and 2-1 to 2-n-1, there are integrally disposed a nozzle array K which ejects black ink, a nozzle array C which ejects cyan ink, a nozzle array M which ejects magenta ink and a nozzle array Y which ejects yellow ink. As a result, each of the print heads 1-1 to 1-n and 2-1 to 2-n-1 has a four-string nozzle array KCMY. Each nozzle array K, C, M or Y has a nozzle array length a. In each of the nozzle arrays K, C, M and Y, a plurality of inkjet nozzles are arranged in a string in a main scanning direction (a Y direction) at a predetermined pitch and in a sub-scanning direction (an X direction) at predetermined intervals b.
The respective print heads 1-1 to 1-n and the respective print heads 2-1 to 2-n-1 are alternately arranged in a zigzag pattern with respect to the main scanning direction (the Y direction) orthogonal to a building plate carrying direction (the X direction). As a result, the respective print heads 1-1 to 1-n and the respective print heads 2-1 to 2-n-1 are arranged in two parallel strings along the building plate carrying direction (the X direction). Therefore, the length of the entire print head with respect to the sub-scanning direction (the X direction) requires a value corresponding to two print heads, e.g., lengths of the print head 1-1 and the print head 2-1.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-1855 discloses such an inkjet printer incorporating a recovery device as shown in FIG. 17. This inkjet printer mainly comprises a paper carriage device (not shown) and a head device 4. The head device 4 has 24 liquid jet heads 3A1 to 3D6 each having a nozzle array which ejects ink. The head device 4 comprises four-color head blocks, i.e., a B (black) head block 3A, a C (cyan) head block 3B, an M (magenta) head block 3C and a Y (yellow) head block 3D. For example, the B head block 3A is detachably attached to attachment opening portions 5Al, 5A4 and the like of a head substrate 5A, and comprises six liquid jet heads 3A1 to 3A6 which downwardly eject ink. The respective liquid jet heads 3A1 to 3A3 and the respective liquid jet heads 3A4 to 3A6 are arranged in multiple strings along an inclined line La which is inclined with respect to the X direction or a line parallel to this inclined line La in a full-width region of a recording medium. The C head block 3B, the M head block 3C and the Y head block 3D also have the same configuration.


A portable laminator designed primarily for home use where the laminator includes a handle for carrying which may also act as a guide for articles being fed into the laminator. In alternate embodiments, the laminator includes a cover which may first position acts as a guide for material being fed into the laminator and in a second position acts as a cover for the laminators feed slot. In additional embodiments, the laminator includes a double walled housing to provide insulation from the heating elements.

Small laminators for office use are well known in the Office Equipment Industry. Generally, the units are approximately the size of a typewriter, and include a housing design to sit on a countertop, desktop, or other horizontal surface. The laminators of the prior art are intended to remain in one place once installed, and are not designed for portability or storage if used infrequently.
The laminators are generally positioned horizontally, and include a faceplate which faces the user when the laminator is positioned for use. The faceplate includes a horizontal feed slot, where a user inserts the article to be laminated. Prior to insertion, the user places the article between two plastic films. Inside the feed slot is a conveying mechanism, usually a pair of rollers, which grab the article and convey the article into the heater. There, the heater subjects the films to heat from a heating plate or other heating element, thereby fusing the plastic films to one another about the perimeter of the article as the article passes by, resulting in a laminated article. The laminated article is then conveyed out the feed slot where it is retrieved by the user. In some embodiments in the prior art, the laminated article is conveyed through a separate output slot instead of going back through the feed slot. In other embodiments, well known in the prior art, the user need not place the article between the films, as the laminator includes mechanisms to place the article between two films.
Because the heating elements generate high temperatures to fuse the plastic films, the outside of the laminator housing, particularly the area in closest proximity to the heating elements can become hot to the touch. To limit the heating of the housing exposed to the user, the housing of the present invention includes an air gap or channel, to limit the conduction of heat from the heating elements to the outer housing of the laminator. The air gap is created by using two housings isolate the heating elements from the user.
Additionally, the laminators of the prior art are not designed for portability or ease of storage. The feed slots do not include a cover or other structure as part of the housing, thereby leaving the feed slot open to the environment when the laminator is not in use. This exposure allows dust and other debris to enter the feed slot, contaminating the films and mechanisms within the housing. Since the laminators of the prior art are not designed to be moved from place to place, they do not include a carrying handle or structure to store the power cord.


An electrical junction box for a motor vehicle is configured to prevent loss of a fuse that falls down during maintenance. Fuse-containing sections are provided on a vertical surface of a casing of an electrical junction box. The fuse-containing sections are opposed to a trim cover provided with an opening for maintenance in the motor vehicle. Fuse-receiving plates project toward the trim cover integrally on or detachably from the casing surface at the position below the fuse-containing sections. The fuse-receiving plate has a length in which a distal end contacts the trim cover or the distal end is spaced away from the trim cover by a clearance through which a fuse cannot pass. The fuse-receiving plates can receive a fuse that falls down during a fuse attachment or detachment operation.

This disclosure is directed to an electrical junction box having fuse-containing sections configured to prevent loss of a fuse when the fuse falls down during an exchange of the fuse.
In an electrical junction box that is mounted on a motor vehicle, when any fuse contained in the electrical junction box has blown, a fuse puller is inserted into an opening for maintenance provided in a panel of a motor vehicle, the fuse puller holds the blown fuse fixed in one of fuse-containing sections and takes out the blown fuse from the section. Then, the fuse puller holds a new fuse and inserts it into the fuse-containing section.
In exchanging the blown fuse with a new one, when the blown fuse is a minimized type of fuse, i.e. very small in size, it is difficult for the fuse puller to firmly hold the fuse. Consequently, there are situations where the fuse falls out of the fuse puller. If the fuse falls down in an area of a lower floor side of the motor vehicle closed by a panel, it will be difficult to retrieve the loose fuse. In this case, unusual noises are often caused by the fuse rolling on the floor when driving the motor vehicle.
In consideration of the above problem, Japanese Utility Model Disclosure HEI 5 (1993)-31088 (hereinafter "JP '088") discloses an electrical junction box 1 such as that shown in FIG. 7. The electrical junction box 1 includes a trim cover 3 with an opening 4, a fuse box 2 standing vertically inside the opening 4, a cover 5 that is rotatably supported on a lower part of the fuse box 2 and that covers fuses contained horizontally in the fuse box 2. The cover 5 is provided with a stopper 6 that serves to stop the fuse cover 5 on the fuse box 2. When the cover 5 is opened, the cover 5 extends outward from the opening 4 in the trim cover 3 and is supported horizontally on the fuse box 2.
In the configuration described above, since the electrical junction box is provided with the open/close fuse cover 5, the cover 5 can receive any fuse that falls down during maintenance, thereby preventing loss of the fuse.
In the electrical junction box 1 described above, it is necessary to form the opening 4 in the trim cover 3 so that the opening 4 is large enough for the fuse cover 5 to project therethrough. This requirement results in restricting design of the opening 4. On the other hand, if the size of the opening 4 is determined, the size of the cover 5 is restricted in connection with the opening 4. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for turning the cover 5 and a stopper mechanism for stopping the cover 5 in the electrical junction box 1. This leads to a complicated structure for the above-described electrical junction box.
Also, since a space where a fuse puller can work to remove the fuse is required, if the fuse-containing sections are arranged near a bearing at a lower part of the cover 5, the cover 5 will interfere with the fuse puller, thereby restricting the working space for the fuse puller. Also, the cover 5 must be supported at a lower part spaced apart from the fuse-containing sections in order to define the working space, leading to the opening 4 in the trim cover 3 being larger.

Electrical junction box to be mounted on motor vehicle


The invention is concerned with so-called sterile tunnels or tubes on aseptically operating packing machines. During operation, sterile air und during the pre-sterilizing phase, sterilizing fluid can flow through the telescopic tubular sealants provided on sterile tunnels or tubes of this type for the passage of mounting linkages of working elements disposed in the sterile chamber of the tunnel. To safely strike and destroy, during the pre-sterilization of the sterile tunnel, all germs contained in the labyrinth-type telescopic tubular sealant, discharge openings are provided in the upper part of the telescopic tubular sealant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with aseptically operating packing machines and, in particular, relates to the design of the housing confining the sterile chamber of machines of this type, through which the web of packing material to be processed is guided under sterile conditions, when passed, for example, through preheating, moulding and filling stations.
2. Description of Prior Art
Irrespective of whether packing machines of this type are deep-drawing or tubular bag-type producing machines, the working elements of the afore-mentioned stations located in the sterile chamber will have to be operated externally, with the adjusting linkage thereof extending through the housing wall within a telescopic tube sealant, wherein the upper telescopic tube embraces the bottom telescopic tube seated stationarily on the housing, and is in communication with the appertaining drive.
Housings furnished with a telescopic tubular sealant of this type, hereinafter referred to as sterile tunnels or tubes, have been disclosed, for example, by European Patent Application 0727357. In this respect, a difference will have to be made between the normal operation of the packing machine (which in the afore-mentioned European Patent Application, is a deep-drawing packing machine) and the so-called pre-sterilization process always to be carried out following any interruption of operation. The said pre-sterilization is not effected by the sterile air permanently supplied during operation, but rather by another suitable sterilizing medium, such as a hydrogen peroxide finely divided within a corresponding fluid. In addition to areas other than those provided herefore, a minor part of the sterile air also during normal operation is discharged from the sterile tube through the telescopic tube sealant forming a discharge labyrinth for the sterile air, thereby also preventing the ingress of germs into the said telescopic tubular sealants from occurring. The same applies to sterilizing media supplied during the pre-sterilizing phase. The said sterilization is intended to safely eliminate the development of germs formed after a certain period of standstill of the packing machine concerned, within the sterile tunnel, the telescopic tubular sealant and all working elements contained therein. However, despite intensive pre-sterilizing efforts, germs consistently continued to develop in the sterile tube, even though to a minor extent. This fact which, initially, was inexplicable, virtually was found to be due to the telescopic tubular sealant which compared to other sealing types (bellow sealings, membrane sealings, vapor barriers or the like) is per se the most favourable one, because, on the one hand, the upper inner area of the upper telescopic tube, during the pre-sterilizing process, was suspected to be not entirely struck by the sterilizing fluid flowing therethrough and, on the other hand maintaining the telescopic tubular sealant which, per se is a satisfactory option, would prevent a solution to that problem from being attained, since the inverted cup shape of the telescopic tube was and is an inevitable condition.
It is an object of the present invention to so design the telescopic tube sealant on the sterile tubes of aseptically operating packing machines that during the pre-sterilizing phase, germs grown in the telescopic tubular sealant be safely struck and destroyed by the sterilizing fluid flowing therethrough.
Another object of the invention is to guide the flowing sterilizing fluid by simple, structural means through the labyrinth of the telescopic tubular sealant so as to strike all areas normally not or not completely struck.
In addition, it is an object of the invention to design the flow path through the labyrinth in such a manner that favourable conditions of flow are created.
This and other objects of the invention have been achieved in accordance with the invention in that an arrangement of the type described in the introduction part hereto was given the characteristic that apertures be circumferentially uniformly distributed in the upper area of the top telescopic tube for discharging the sterilizing fluid flowing from the sterile tunnel into the telescopic tube sealant.
This solution which is both simple and elegant promptly yielded the desired result, i.e. no germ formation otherwise occurred has developed any longer. Owing to the apertures now provided on the upper telescopic tube, an additional passageway for discharging the sterilizing fluid from the upper inner area of the top telescopic tube has been provided, which otherwise could only flow off through the annular gap between the upper and lower telescopic tubes, leaving, however, the upper interior area out of reach of the sterilizing fluid, i.e. germs formed there were not struck by the sterilizing fluid flowing therethrough.
In sterile tunnels wherein the upper telescopic tube is provided with a flange secured thereby to a carrier plate in communication with the associated drive (which is the standard design of telescopic tubular sealants of this type), the apertures confined by the carrier plate or the flange, are simply arranged within the said flange or carrier plate.
Another form of embodiment of the invention resides in that the top telescopic tube, at the upper end thereof, is closed by a plate in communication with the drive, with the said plate being provided with apertures. Moreover, the said apertures, in cross-section, can be of a slot-type configuration and in width can be so dimensioned that bridges are left between the slots that are narrower than the slot width.
To insure that the off-flowing sterilizing fluid does not take the path of least resistance through the annular gap between the upper and the lower telescopic tube, the apertures on the upper telescopic tube, in addition, are so dimensioned that the general cross-section thereof substantially corresponds to the one of the annular gap.
In conclusion, in the practice of the invention, provision can also be made for favourable flow conditions on the upper, inner limitation of the upper telescopic tube in that even minimum xe2x80x9cdead water cornersxe2x80x9d be avoided.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be understood, from the following description and appended claims, taken in connection with the attached drawings.

Sterile tunnel or tube for aseptically operating packing machines


A system and method are provided for variable speed operation of a screw compressor to obtain increased capacity and efficiency. The screw compressor is connected to an induction motor driven by a variable speed drive, wherein the screw compressor has a variable output capacity that is dependent on the output speed of the motor. To obtain increased capacity and efficiency, the screw compressor is operated at a speed greater than the screw compressor's rated speed and does not include a slide valve. The maximum operating speed of the screw compressor, which speed is greater than the rated speed, is related to the maximum operating speed of the motor when operated at a voltage and frequency provided by the variable speed drive that is greater than the motor's rated voltage and frequency in a constant flux or constant volts/Hz mode.

The present invention relates generally to the operation of a screw compressor. More specifically, the present invention relates to the variable speed operation of a screw compressor connected to a motor powered by a variable speed drive that can provide the motor an input voltage and frequency greater than the motor's rated voltage and frequency.
The capacity of a screw compressor is based on the amount of gas entering the screw compressor and the rotational speed of the screws or rotors compressing the gas. In the past, the speed of the rotors of a screw compressor was limited to the maximum rated output speed of the induction motor driving the rotors of the screw compressor. This single speed screw compressor would have a single output capacity based upon the rotor speed in the screw compressor. To get a rotor speed greater than the maximum rated speed of the induction motor and a corresponding increase in the output capacity of the screw compressor, a gearing arrangement had to be connected between the motor and rotors of the screw compressor. However, the introduction of the gearing arrangement to obtain increased rotor speeds in the screw compressor resulted in a reduction in the efficiency of the compressor system and increased cost and maintenance for the compressor system. In addition, the screw compressor still only has one output capacity because the rotors are still being driven at a single (albeit faster) speed.
Next, several techniques were developed to obtain a variable capacity in a screw compressor. In one technique, the screw compressor includes a slide valve to obtain variable capacities. The slide valve operates to divert a portion of the gas being compressed by the rotors away from the compressor discharge. Often, the gas diverted by the slide valve is returned to the suction inlet of the compressor. While the incorporation of a slide valve can provide a variable output capacity screw compressor, there are several drawbacks to using a slide valve. First, the slide valve provides a leakage passageway for gas, thereby reducing the efficiency of the compressor. Next, the incorporation of a slide valve in a screw compressor involves a complicated machining process and a corresponding increased cost. Finally, the maximum rotor speed and capacity of the screw compressor are based on the maximum rated speed of the motor and a gearing arrangement would be required to obtain a rotor speed greater then the rated motor speed.
Another technique for obtaining a variable capacity in a screw compressor involves connecting the motor of the screw compressor to a variable speed drive. The variable speed drive can vary the frequency and/or voltage that is provided to the motor to vary the output speed of the motor, which, in turn, varies the speed of the rotors to obtain variable output capacities of the screw compressor. However, most variable speed drives are not capable of providing an output voltage greater than the input voltage. This limitation on the output voltage of the variable speed drive limits the maximum speed of the motor to a speed that corresponds to the speed of the motor operated at line voltage. As discussed above, to obtain greater rotor speeds in the compressor, a gearing arrangement has to be incorporated between the motor and the rotors to increase the output rotational speed of the motor driving the rotors of the compressors.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and technique for variable speed operation of a screw compressor that does not involve a slide valve and can provide increased rotor speeds without the use a gearing arrangement.

System and method for variable speed operation of a screw compressor


A method for manufacturing a thermal head is provided which includes the steps of forming a resistor layer and an insulating barrier layer, patterning the above two layers to form aligned heating resistors, forming a solid electrode layer over the heating resistors and the like, and partly removing the solid electrode layer to form opening portions and electrode layers for supplying electricity to the heating resistors. In the patterning step, part of the resistor layer and part of the insulating barrier layer, which are outside a heat generating area, are simultaneously removed to form the heating resistors having a planar U shape composed of a pair of effective heating portions and a connection portion connecting the above pair, the effective heating portions and the connection portion each having a predetermined length and width. The length of the connection portion is set to 5 μm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal head mounted on a thermal-transfer printer or the like and a manufacturing method of the thermal head.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view showing a thermal head 100 having a so-called folded electrode structure, and FIG. 6B is a plan view of the thermal head 100 (an abrasion-resistance protective layer is excluded). The thermal head 100 includes a heat dissipation substrate 102, and on the heat dissipation substrate 102, the thermal head 100 also includes a heat storage layer 103, a plurality of heating resistors 105 (105a and 105b) which generate heat by electricity supply, separate electrodes 107 connected to the respective heating resistors 105, a common electrode 108 commonly connected to the heating resistors 105, U-shaped folded electrodes 111 each connected to one end of a pair of heating resistors 105a and 105b which are disposed adjacent to each other, and an abrasion-resistance protective layer 110. In this thermal head 100, the pair of heating resistors 105a and 105b connected to each other with the folded electrode 111 forms one printing dot portion.
The thermal head 100 is formed, for example, by the following process.
First, a resistor layer 104 and an Al electrode layer E are formed over the heat storage layer 103 provided on the surface of the heat dissipation substrate 102. Next, part of the Al electrode layer E and part of the resistor layer 104 are removed so as to form patterns of the folded electrodes, the separate electrodes, and the common electrode, which are to be formed. The Al electrode layer E is formed to have a thickness of approximately 1 μm in order to decrease the electrode resistance (in order to suppress the increase in electrode resistance caused by decrease in head size). By this patterning, a width dimension W′ of the heating resistor is determined. Subsequently, part of the Al electrode layer E is removed so as to form opening portions a through which the surface of the resistor layer 104 is exposed. Areas of the surface of the resistor layer 104, which are exposed through the openings, each form the heating resistor 105, and a length dimension L′ of the heating resistor is determined by the opening portion α. The Al electrode layer E is separated by each opening portion a into the U-shaped folded electrode 111, which is connected to one end side of the pair of the adjacent heating resistors 105 (105a and 105b), and the separate electrode 107 and the common electrode 108, which are connected to the other end side of the pair of the adjacent heating electrodes 105a and 105b and which extend in the same direction. Next, the abrasion-resistance protective layer 110 is formed so as to cover the heating resistors 105, the folded electrodes 111, the separate electrodes 107, and the common electrode 108. Since the thickness of the Al electrode layer E is large, such as approximately 1 μm, steps are formed at the two ends of the opening portion α, that is, at the boundaries of the heating resistor 105 with the folded electrode 111, the separate electrode 107, and the common electrode 108, and these steps form a step portion 110a in the surface of the abrasion-resistance protective layer 110. When the steps are present in the vicinity of the heating resistor 105, since contact efficiency between a print medium and the heating resistance 105 is degraded, the step portion 110a of the abrasion-resistance protective layer 110 is polished so as to smooth the contact surface with the print medium. Accordingly, the thermal head 100 can be obtained.
The resistance of the above heating resistor 105 is largely dependent on the planar shape (aspect ratio L/W) thereof. However, in order to determine the planar shape of the heating resistor 105 in a manufacturing process which has been performed, since patterning must be performed twice respectively for the length dimension L′ and for the width dimension W′, the deviation is generated between pattering steps, and thereby the resistance of the heating resistor 105 varies. Accordingly, a high-performance thermal head has been desired which has small variation in resistance between heating resistors by accurately determining the planar shapes thereof.

Thermal head and manufacturing method thereof


A method used to form a cobalt metal layer on a silicon surface using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process comprises a treatment of the silicon surface prior to cobalt formation. Treatment includes serial exposure to one or more cycles comprising a titanium nitride precursor or a tantalum nitride precursor, followed by an optional exposure to ammonia. After this treatment, the silicon surface is exposed to a metal organic cobalt such as cyclopentadienylcobalt dicarbonyl to form a cobalt precursor on the silicon surface, which is then exposed to hydrogen or ammonia to reduce the precursor to an ALD cobalt metal layer. Once this initial metal layer is formed, additional cobalt ALD layers may be completed to form a cobalt metal layer of a desired thickness.

During the manufacture of semiconductor devices such as dynamic random access memories, static random access memories, logic devices, and microprocessors, several structures are commonly formed. For example, conductive interconnects such as word lines, and conductive plugs such as digit line contact plugs, are commonly used.
A common engineering goal during the design of semiconductor devices is to manufacture as many features in a given area as possible. An obvious method to aid in accomplishing this goal is to make feature sizes smaller. One problem resulting from smaller feature sizes is that decreasing the width of a conductive line or conductive plug decreases the cross-sectional area of the line or plug, which in turn increases the resistance of the feature. Features which were originally manufactured from only conductively-doped polysilicon, which has a relatively high resistance, required the formation of a lower resistance material to decrease the overall resistance of the feature, for example an overlying layer of silicide such as tungsten silicide.
As device feature sizes further decrease it becomes desirable to form the entire feature from a highly conductive material such as a metal, for example cobalt. Deposition techniques for metals include various methods. During one sputter process, a target manufactured from the deposition material may be bombarded with ions to erode the material from the target and redeposit it onto a semiconductor wafer substrate assembly. In another sputter process, the target material may be reacted with gas phase species to form compound films. During chemical vapor deposition (CVD), gasses are mixed within a chamber and chemically combine on the wafer substrate surface to form a film. Both sputtering and CVD result in the continued increase in thickness of the material layer being deposited during the process. As long as the process continues the thickness of the layer increases. Both CVD and sputtering may be used to deposit oxides, nitrides, and metals.
Thickness uniformity of a layer formed by either CVD or sputtering depends on a variety of factors. For CVD, the gasses to be combined must be dispersed uniformly above the surface receiving the layer to be deposited, otherwise the layer may form to a greater thickness in the areas of higher gas concentrations. The uniformity of a sputtered layer is highly dependent on the topography of the surface receiving the deposited layer. Since the deposition process is line-of-sight, it is difficult to deposit films in the bottom of a deep feature having a high aspect, or depth to width, ratio.
Another method used to form a layer is atomic layer deposition (ALD). With ALD, a precursor is introduced within a chamber to bond with free binding sites on the surface of the wafer substrate assembly to form a layer which is a single atom or molecule thick. Once all the binding locations are full, chemical deposition stops regardless of how much vapor remains in the chamber. This precursor gas is purged from the chamber and a reaction gas is introduced which reacts with the adsorbed precursor until all surface sites are reacted, saturating the surface and regenerating a surface which will again react with the precursor. ALD has an advantage over CVD and sputtering in that it forms a highly conformal layer over severe topography. ALD is typically used to form dielectrics such as oxides and nitrides, for example metal oxides and metal nitrides. The deposition of some pure metals with ALD has also been proven to be possible. However, the formation of pure metal cobalt on bare silicon, for example by exposing bare silicon to a cobalt precursor, has not proven possible. Cobalt may be formed on a bare silicon wafer but only after the wafer has been exposed to air for at least 15 minutes. During this time the wafer surface becomes fully hydrated, or the first monolayer of oxide is formed. Thus ALD cobalt may typically only be grown on this thin oxide/oxygen layer. Oxide/oxygen formation has deleterious effects, for example increasing the resistance between the silicon wafer and a cobalt/cobalt silicide contact.
A method which enables atomic layer deposition of a metal such as cobalt on atomically clean bare silicon would be desirable.

Nucleation method for atomic layer deposition of cobalt on bare silicon during the formation of a semiconductor device


A method and apparatus are provided for determining a suitable inter-packet gap (IPG), or a suitable extension to be added to a default IPG as a packet is processed. The apparatus includes an adder to add an incremental measure of a packet to an existing measure and produce a new measure (e.g., in bytes). The apparatus further includes a comparator which, if the new measure exceeds a programmable threshold (e.g., a stretch ratio), issues a signal to increase the IPG and decreases the new measure by the threshold. The current measure is then stored (e.g., in a register) for addition to the next incremental measure. A counter tracks the number of signals received before the end of the packet, at which time the total is forwarded to a component configured to insert or apply the IPG and the counter is reset for the next packet.

This invention relates to the fields of computer systems and data communications. More particularly, an apparatus and method are provided for determining a suitable inter-packet gap, of variable length, based on the size of a packet.
One characteristic of packet-based communications is the delay between transmission of successive packets; this delay is commonly known as the inter-packet gap (IPG). Ethernet and other communication networks and protocols generally call for gaps of specific durations or lengths, which may be measured in bytes. For example, the standard delay between packets in Ethernet (as specified in IEEE standard 802.3ae) is twelve bytes. As long as the communication rates of the networks are within the expected range, the standard delay should be sufficient to allow switches, gateways, end stations and other entities to process the packets.
However, when packets cross network boundaries or are translated from one protocol or system to another, and particularly when different communication rates are encountered on either side of the boundary, an inter-packet gap applied on one side may be insufficient on the other. For example, when transferring packets from an Ethernet network operating at 10 gigabits/sec to an OC-192 SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) WAN (Wide Area Network) operating at approximately 9.45 gigabits/sec, the standard Ethernet IPG of twelve bytes may not leave sufficient time for an OC-192 entity (e.g., switch) to handle long packets.


A clock generator or oscillator circuit for use in an integrated circuit for generating a clock signal includes a 555 timer circuit. The time constant circuit of the 555 timer includes a heater element for generating heat and a transducer for converting heat generated by the heater element into electrical energy. The clock signal is generated in response to the heating and cooling of the heater element.

In many integrated circuits and electronic applications, it is necessary to generate a low frequency (less than 100 hertz) clock or long time delay (greater than 20 mS). Historically, clock signals for integrated circuits are generated with (1) a crystal oscillator, for precise and stable frequencies, (2) an off-chip resistor and/or capacitor, or (3) on-chip capacitors, resistors, and current sources. Low frequencies or long delay times can be derived from those relatively fast clocks by binary division of the original signal with flip-flops. Each of the stated cases requires many flip-flops and/or off-chip components.
What is needed is an apparatus and method for generating a low frequency clock (less than 100 Hz) or a long time delay (greater than 20 mS) on an integrated circuit without the use of CMOS logic, metal oxide silicon capacitors (MOS), or off-chip components.

Oscillator using a time constant circuit based on cyclic heating and cooling


A method and apparatus for inspection and review of defects is disclosed wherein data gathering is improved. In one embodiment, multiple or segmented detectors are used in a particle beam system.

To achieve high manufacturing yields, the semiconductor industry depends on careful inspections of photomasks, bare silicon wafers, and processed silicon wafers. The inspection requirements are becoming more stringent as the industry inscribes smaller features on each new generation of integrated circuits. The resolution of optical inspection systems is becoming inadequate to find the small defects which can spoil the performance of an integrated circuit. To find smaller defects, the industry will increasingly rely on electron-beam inspection systems and review stations, which offer at least 10 times better resolution than optical systems. These inspection systems are variations on the traditional scanning electron microscope. Such inspection systems and review stations may, of course, find use in evaluation of other samples, such as biological samples, metallurgical samples, and the like.

Method and apparatus for inspecting a substrate


This invention relates to a method of forming a threshold switching device which exhibits negative differential resistance and to the devices formed thereby. The method comprises depositing a silicon dioxide film derived from hydrogen silsesquioxane resin between at least two electrodes and then applying a voltage above a threshold voltage across the electrodes.

This invention relates to a method of forming threshold switching devices which exhibit negative differential resistance and to the devices formed thereby. The method comprises depositing a silicon dioxide film derived from hydrogen silsesquioxane resin between at least two electrodes and applying a voltage above a threshold voltage across the electrodes.
Numerous devices which exhibit threshold switching are known in the art. For example, Ovshinsky in U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,591 describes such devices in which semiconductor materials, such as crystalline or amorphous tellurides, selenides, sulfides or oxides of substantially any metal, are deposited between electrodes. The semiconductors and methods specifically set forth in this reference, however, are not the same as those claimed herein. As such, the j-V curves in this reference differ from those of the present application.
Threshold switching with negative differential resistance is also known in various metal oxide thin films. For instance, Bullot et al., Phys. Stat. Sol. (a) 71, K1 (1982), describe threshold switching in vanadium oxide layers deposited from gels; Ansari et al., J. Phys. D:Appl. Phys. 20 (1987) 1063-1066 describe threshold switching in titanium oxide films formed by thermally oxidizing a titanium metal layer; Ramesham et al., NASA Tech Briefs, December 1989, p. 28, describe the switching in manganese oxide films; and Morgan et al., Thin Solid Films, 15 (1973) 123-131, describe switching and negative differential resistance in aluminum oxide films. The materials and characteristics described in these references, however, differ from those described herein.
The switching and negative differential resistance characteristics of silicon oxide films have likewise been described. For instance, Simmons, Handbook of Thin Film Technology, Chapter 14 (1970), describes electronic conduction through thin insulating films, including silicon oxide, as well as their negative resistance and memory characteristics; Al-Ismail et al., J. Mat. Sci. 20 (1985) 2186-2192, describe switching and negative resistance in a copper-silicon oxide-copper system; Morgan et al., Thin Solid Films, 20 (1974) S7-S9, describe threshold switching and memory in silicon oxide films; Boelle et al., Applied Surface Science 46 (1990) 200-205, describe the current-voltage characteristics of silica films derived from sol-gel low temperature methods; and Klein, J. Appl. Phys., 40 (1969) 2728-2740, describe the electrical breakdown of silicon oxide films. As with the prior metal oxide references, however, these too do not describe the methods and characteristics described herein.
Thin film silica coatings derived from hydrogen silsesquioxane resin are also known in the art. For instance, Haluska et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,977 describe forming such films by diluting hydrogen silsesquioxane resin in a solvent, applying the solution to a substrate, drying the solvent, and heating. Such coatings are taught therein to provide protection and electrical insulation.
The present inventors have now found that switching devices with desirable features can be formed by depositing a thin, hydrogen silsesquioxane derived silicon dioxide film between at least 2 electrodes and applying a voltage above a threshold voltage across the electrodes.


An audio system provides for soundstage-conserving channel summation. The system includes circuitry that generates a first rotated component and a second rotated component by rotating a pair of audio signal components. The circuitry generates left quadrature components that are out of phase with each other using the first rotated component and generates right quadrature components that are out of phase with each other using the second rotated component. The circuitry generates orthogonal correlation transform (OCT) components based on the left and right quadrature components. Each OCT component including a weighted combination of a left quadrature component and a right quadrature component. The circuitry generates a mono output channel using one or more of the OCT components.

Audio content is typically designed for stereo playback. This assumption is problematic for playback solutions which do not conform to the expectations implied by this convention. Two such cases are mono speakers and multiple speakers arrayed in an unconstrained mesh. In both cases, a common solution is to sum both left and right channels of a stereo audio signal together, which results in the loss of negatively correlated information. Furthermore, in the case of the unconstrained mesh, the lack of knowledge about the mesh geometry results in a lost opportunity for preserving the soundstage information encoded in the original content.

Soundstage-conserving audio channel summation


The invention relates to a means for the measurement of longitudinal dimensions, comprising a scale graduated in units corresponding to the measuring unit and provided with means for reading said scale, further a computerized data-acquisition and/or registering system and a method for measuring and/or computer processing of dimensional data given in technical inches. The scale unit of the scale of the measuring means is a measuring unit equal to 1/16th of a technical inch and/or its decimal fraction. The measuring means is provided with a vernier of a length by one division less than ten, or an integer multiple of ten measuring units, this vernier being graduated in ten, or in some integer multiple of ten, divisions. The invention further comprises a new unit used for converting measured values into decimal fractions called K units.

In several parts of the world the inch system has retained its standardized state, where the so-called "technical inch" is used as measuring unit for specifying data of technical dimensions, lengths. The exact value of this "technical inch" expressed in millimeters is 25.4 mm. Component parts with dimensions given in inches, e.g., ball bearings being used, stored and even manufactured--at least for replacement purposes--in countries where only the metric system is standard.
Dimensions smaller than one inch are expressed as fractions of the inch: x/2, x/4, x/8, x/16, x/32, x/64, x/128, x/256, x/512, etc. This system of expressing dimensions does not allow the use of arbitrary intermediate sizes, especially in the range of zero to 1/128". A further deficiency of this unit system results form the incapability of computers (functioning in decimal system) of performing arithmetic operations--e.g., finding the sum of a series of dimensions--without converting the dimensions into the decimal (metric) system, and after this conversion, the resultant metric value has to be re-converted into the inch system. This conversion to the decimal system has to be performed with an accuracy of at least six decimals in order to prevent--in the course of rounding the obtained data--occurrence of errors of magnitude exceeding the order of 1/100 millimeters (see the table of FIG. 1). Computerized registering and arranging of component parts in the series of rounded sizes are also more problematic than that of sizes expressed in millimeters, and can only be done in a system specifically developed for this purpose. Trouble is caused also when component parts suitable for mutual replacement but having dimensions given in different unit systems are to be compared and matched. No satisfactory solution can be found when this comparison is to be made by converting dimensions given in inches to millimeter dimensions, because the results appear as eight-digit decimal fractions, which are difficult to keep in mind, difficult to handle and are not round whole numbers.
It is an everyday task to compare inch dimensions with those given in millimeters. For this comparison almost invariably a calculator is used, multiplying the dimension concerned with the respective conversion factor, just as the gauge used for this purpose is almost exclusively a slide caliper provided with a scale graduated both in inches and millimeters.

Means and method for measurement, data-acquisition and/or registering of dimensional data of component parts


The controller includes combustion mode switching means for decreasing an exhaust gas temperature in the spark ignition combustion immediately before the combustion mode switching based on an estimated exhaust gas temperature immediately before the combustion mode switching, or for decreasing an EGR amount in the HCCI combustion immediately after the combustion mode switching.

Among internal combustion engines (hereinafter referred to as engine) used in vehicles or the like, attention has been paid to a compression ignition gasoline engine (hereinafter referred to as a compression ignition engine) as an engine that improves both fuel consumption performance as well as exhaust performance. This compression ignition engine is designed to compress an air-fuel mixture to cause auto ignition combustion (hereinafter referred to as HCCI combustion). The compression ignition engine reduces fuel consumption because of high efficiency by high compression and of decrease in pump loss and in cooling loss by rapid combustion, as compared with spark ignition combustion which ignites and burns the air-fuel mixture by sparks of an ignition plug. Also, the compression ignition engine decreases a mass of NOx emission because of low-temperature combustion of the air-fuel mixture. This can achieve improvement both in fuel consumption performance and exhaust performance.
Means for performing the HCCI combustion include intake overheating, high compression, and introduction of an internal EGR. However, taking into consideration cost and driving by the spark ignition combustion, the introduction of the internal EGR by manipulation of valve timing is the most practicable means. In performing the HCCI combustion by the introduction of the internal EGR, a great amount of the internal EGR gas is required in a combustion chamber. This restricts new gas, and hence in a naturally-aspirated engine, the HCCI combustion can be carried out at low loads and low revolutions as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, when the compression ignition engine is applied to a vehicle, the compression ignition engine performs both the spark ignition combustion and the HCCI combustion, and achieves an engine torque requested by a driver by switching between these combustion modes.
The related art associated with combustion mode switching between the spark ignition combustion and the HCCI combustion is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2002-130006, and JP-A-2003-106184. In the related art, when intending to perform the combustion mode switching from the spark ignition combustion to the HCCI combustion, engine parameters are changed to predetermined set values for performing the respective combustion modes, thereby to perform the combustion mode switching. Particularly, in order to achieve the HCCI combustion, a negative valve overlap period in which an exhaust valve and an intake valve are both closed in an exhaust stroke is lengthened in the HCCI combustion, as compared with the spark ignition combustion, so as to introduce a great amount of the internal EGR gas. This increases the temperature in a cylinder, thereby improving ignitability of the air-fuel mixture.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2002-130006
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-2002-106184

Controller for compression ignition engine


An acoustic detection of a discrete acoustic signal allows to detect a leak behind a casing (23) of a borehole. An acoustic amplitude (AA) is sampled during a recording time period (24; 64) at a determined position along the tube. Time intervals (26; 66) are defined inside of the recording time period (24), and for each time interval (26) the measured acoustic amplitudes are processed to obtain respectively a corresponding power-frequency spectrum (261). A plurality of the power-frequency spectra are analyzed to identify the discrete acoustic signal by detecting time and frequency dependant changes of power. Preferably the processing involves a Fourier transform analysis. A power-frequency time plot is used to conveniently identify the discrete acoustic event.

Acoustic investigation techniques are widely used as non-destructive tools to check the integrity of wells and their casing. As an example, noise logging has been used for almost 30 years to detect the location of gas leaks behind a casing of a well.
Gas leaks behind casing generally occur when a gas-bearing zone has not been properly isolated during the well construction process. The lack of zonal isolation allows gas to flow from the gas-bearing zone to the surface or to another subterranean zone outside the casing. The gas leak may for example cause an uncontrolled accumulation of gas behind the casing or at the surface of the well, and lead to a hazardous situations such as the contamination of a water table surrounding the well or the creation of an explosive mixture of gas at the surface.
Turning now to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram illustrating a general principle of the logging operation in a well is shown. A tool or sonde 10, for acquiring noise data is located in a borehole 11 penetrating an earth formation 12. The borehole 11 is lined by a casing 13. The sonde 10 is lowered in the borehole 11 by a cable 14 and slowly raised by a surface equipment 15 over a sheave wheel 16 while noise data is recorded. A depth of the sonde 10 is measured using a depth gauge 17 which measures cable displacement. Noise data acquired by the sonde 10 may be analysed either in situ near the sonde 10, or analysed by a data processor 18 at the surface, or stored, for later analysis.
Reliable detection of the position of a leak in the borehole is critical in designing a repair job for that leak and for subsequent determination of the success of leak repair.
Many techniques have been used to detect a position of a fluid leak in a borehole or in other environments. These techniques have been applied either individually or in combination with each other as will be understood from the prior art documents described hereafter.
One form of noise logging tool was proposed in the 1970's and is described in more detail in the following references:                McKinley, R. M., Bower, F. M., and Rumble, R. C.: "The Structure and Interpretation of Noise From Flow Behind Cemented Casing," SPE3999, JPT, March 1973, P329,        Robinson, W. S.: "Field Results From the Noise-Logging Technique," SPE5088, JPT, November 1976, P1370,        McKinley, and R. M., Bower, F. M.: "Specialized Applications of Noise Logging," SPE6784, JPT, March 1979, P1387,        Brift, E. L.: "Theory and Applications of the Borehole Audio Tracer Survey," SPE6552, Transactions of the SPWLA Seventeenth Annual Logging Symposium, Jun. 9-12, 1976, Denver, Colo.,        Koerner, Jr., H. B., and Carroll, J. C.: "Use of the Noise Log as a Downhole Diagnostic Tool," SPE7774, presented at the SPE Middle East Oil Technical Conference, Bahrain, 25-29 Mar. 1979.
The tool generally contains 4-6 high pass filters that transmit noise amplitudes above 200, 600, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 6000 Hz. For tools with the lowest number of filters, the 4000 and 6000 Hz cutoffs are eliminated. The noise data provided at surface is an average of these measured transmitted noise amplitudes over a certain time period, 10 seconds for example. The coarse frequency resolution and the time averaging limit the application of this type of tool to relatively high leak rates where the noise generated is semi-continuous and significant compared to background noise.

Method and apparatus for acoustic detection of a fluid leak behind a casing of a borehole


In a diffusion sheet, a plurality of approximately trapezoidal columnar unit lens portions are disposed such that the long-axis directions thereof are in parallel with each other, and all the surfaces of the unit lens portions, which correspond to the long bottom segments of the approximately trapezoidal sections of the unit lens portions are disposed on a light-incident-side flat surface. Further, light absorbing portions are disposed in the grooves between adjacent unit lens portions to absorb and/or shield external light incident from a light outgoing side. In the diffusion sheet arranged as described above, light incident on the unit lens portions from a light incident side is totally reflected on the surfaces corresponding to the side segments of the approximately trapezoidal sections vertical to the long-axis direction of the unit lens portions and outgoes from the light outgoing side.

Heretofore, there is known an image display apparatus having a light source and a rear projection screen that projects image light emitted from the light source in enlargement, as a typical image display apparatus represented by a rear projection type television. Further, there is generally known a rear projection screen composed of a Fresnel lens sheet combined with a lenticular lens sheet (diffusion sheet) as the rear projection screen used in the image display apparatus.
The Fresnel lens sheet adjusts image light emitted from a light source to make it to approximate parallel light. There is also a Fresnel lens sheet which collects or diverges light from a light source to a light outgoing side, in addition to the Fresnel lens sheet that adjusts light from the light source to make it to parallel light. In the description, however, explanation is made supposing that light emitted from a Fresnel lens sheet is approximately parallel light.
The lenticular lens sheet causes approximately parallel light adjusted by the Fresnel lens sheet to outgo to an observer as diverged light so that the observer can observe an image on a rear projection screen at various angular positions. More specifically, the lenticular lens sheet diffuses the approximately parallel light outgoing from the Fresnel lens sheet mainly in a horizontal direction as well as also in a vertical direction.
Incidentally, there is known a lenticular lens sheet having a plurality of unit lens portions each having a total reflection surface formed on a part of a side thereof, as the lenticular lens sheet described above. Note that light absorbing portions are formed between the unit lens portions as necessary to prevent the reflection of external light.
More specifically, there is known a lenticular lens sheet having a plurality of unit lens portions disposed thereto, as a first lenticular lens sheet, each of the unit lens portions having a curved surface formed on a light outgoing side vertex and total reflection surfaces formed to a part of side surfaces (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 57-165830, 62-108232, and 60-159733).
Further, there is known a lenticular lens sheet having a plurality of unit lens portions disposed thereto, as a second lenticular lens sheet, each of the unit lens portions having a curved surface formed on a light outgoing side vertex as well as total reflection surfaces formed to a part of side surfaces, and at least two types of unit lens portions, each of which has a different tilt angle of the total reflection surface and a different lens height, being combined as one unit (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 59-140434 and 59-68726).
However, since each unit lens portion of the first and second lenticular lens sheets described above has the curved surface formed on the light outgoing side vertex, a problem arises in that a support sheet cannot be joined to the unit lens portions to support them. Further, a problem also arises in that a lens is liable to be scratched and made dirty because a light outgoing surface of the lenticular lens sheet is formed in an irregular shape due to the curved surfaces of the unit lens portions, and thus the surface thereof cannot be wiped by hand.
Further, since a light absorbing portion cannot be formed to absorb and shield external light in the second lenticular lens sheet described above, the second lenticular lens sheet is disadvantageous in that when an observer views a display, it is difficult for an observer to observe an image because a contrast is low in a bright portion and a dark portion. Further, the second lenticular lens sheet is also disadvantageous in that it is difficult to enhance the resolution of an image by miniaturizing a lenticular lens because the second lenticular lens sheet is formed in a complex shape.
To cope with the above problems, heretofore proposed is a lenticular lens sheet having a plurality of unit lens portions disposed in parallel with each other, each of the unit lens portions having total reflection surfaces formed on the side surfaces of each approximately trapezoidal column, as a third lenticular lens sheet (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-006112). However, the third lenticular lens sheet has the following problems, which will be explained below in detail.
As shown in FIG. 18A, light, which is emitted from a light source (not shown) and adjusted by a Fresnel lens sheet (not shown) so that it is made to approximately parallel light, is incident on a lenticular lens sheet 700. A part of the light, which is incident on the lenticular lens sheet 700 as described above, travels linearly through the lenticular lens sheet 700 and outgoes therefrom (L2′). However, the other light is reflected on one side of a trapezoidal columnar unit lens portion, refracted on a light outgoing side thereof, and outgoes therefrom (L1′). On the other hand, the other light is also reflected on the other side of the trapezoidal columnar unit lens portion, refracted on the light outgoing side thereof, and outgoes therefrom (L3′). As described above, the light outgoing from trapezoidal columnar unit lens portions disposed to the lenticular lens sheet 700 forms the three groups of light (L1′, L2′, L3′). Accordingly, when the brightness (gain) of an image formed by the light outgoing from the lenticular lens sheet 700 is measured with respect to a horizontal observation angle, there is obtained a gain curve which has a steep slope with three peaks corresponding to the groups of light (refer to FIG. 18B).
When an observer views an image displayed on a rear projection type television using the lenticular lens sheet 700 arranged as described above from the front of the television, the observer views the central portion of the television with the brightness at the position of 0° in the gain curve. In contrast, the observer views both the right and left ends of the television with the brightness at the positions of ±7.6° in the gain curve when both the ends are viewed at the position five times the height of a screen apart from the television, supposing that the television is a mass-produced television having a screen whose aspect ratio is set to 3:4, although the brightness is different depending on the distance of a position apart from the television where the image is viewed. Accordingly, in the lenticular lens sheet having a distribution of brightness (gain curve) including the steep slope with the three peaks, the observer views an image having bad bright uniformity. When, for example, the observation angles at both the right and left ends of the rear projection type television are approximately in agreement with an angle showing a minimum value of the gain curve, the difference between the brightness in the central portion of the television and the brightness at both the ends thereof extremely increases, thereby the observer views an image having extremely bad bright uniformity.
Further, when the observer views an image on the rear projection type television using the lenticular lens sheet 700 while moving in a horizontal direction from one end of the television to the other end thereof, the observer views the image, which extremely changes in the sequence of "dark, bright, dark, bright, dark, bright, dark" in the central portion of an image surface of the television. At the time, a problem arises in that an image having good bright uniformity cannot be viewed because the bad bright uniformity described above is also added.
Note that when the third lenticular lens sheet as described above is actually manufactured, a metal mold (mold) is used in consideration of mass production. Ordinarily, the metal mold is manufactured by sequentially forming trapezoidal columnar recesses (grooves) corresponding to unit lens portions on a mold material such as a metal substrate and the like by cutting it from an end thereof.
However, when the metal material is cut by the above method, a metal mold 705 is manufactured in such a shape that projections formed between adjacent recesses tilt from the sides of subsequently cut recesses toward the sides of previously cut recesses, as shown in FIG. 19A. When a lenticular lens sheet is manufactured using the metal mold 705 arranged as described above, a side segment, where the recess is formed previously, of the section of each trapezoidal columnar unit lens portion draws a curved line projecting inward, and the other side segment of the section draws a curved line projecting outward as shown in n FIG. 19B. Explained above is the example arranged such that the projections, which are made by forming the recesses for the unit lens portions by cutting the metal material, are deformed (plastically deformed) outward when viewed from the recesses being processed (FIG. 19A). However, there is also a case that a metal mold is manufactured so as to have such as a shape that projections formed to a metal material are deformed (elastically deformed) inward when viewed from recesses being processed, and projections formed between adjacent recesses tilt from the sides of recesses formed previously toward the sides of recesses formed subsequently, adversely to the above case. Note that a lenticular lens sheet 701 having the same shape as that shown in FIG. 19B can be manufactured even by the metal mold manufactured in the latter case.
Note that, when the lenticular lens sheet 701 manufactured as described above is used, a part of light incident thereon after it is adjusted and made to parallel light travels linearly and outgoes therefrom (L1″) as shown in FIG. 19B. Further, when the light, which is incident on the lenticular lens sheet 701 as described above, is reflected on the outwardly curved side surface of each trapezoidal columnar unit lens portion, it outgoes mainly at an angle near to a center (L2″), and when the light is reflected on the inwardly projecting side surface, it outgoes mainly at an angle apart from the center (L3″). As a result, a gain curve of the lenticular lens sheet 701, which shows the brightness (gain) of an image to a horizontal observation angle, is a right/left asymmetrical curve as shown in FIG. 19C. Note that the terms "right" and "left" used here correspond to "right" and "left" when the lenticular lens sheet 701 is assembled and used in the rear projection screen for the rear projection type television.
When the observer views an image between, for example, the light outgoing angles L1″ and L3″ in the rear projection type television using the lenticular lens sheet 701, he or she views the image in a dark state. Accordingly, when the observer views the image while moving in a horizontal direction from one end side to the other end side of the rear projection type television using the lenticular lens sheet 701 (while moving from the right side to the left side of FIG. 19B), the image is viewed in the sequence of "dark, bright, dark, bright, dark, bright" at the center of a screen, from which a problem arises in that it is difficult to view the image because irregular brightness is caused in the image. Further, when the observer views the image displayed on the rear projection type television using the lenticular lens sheet 701 from the front, a problem arises in that he or she views the image having a bad right/left balance, that is, bad bright uniformity.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Diffusion sheet, rear projection screen provided with diffusion sheet, method of manufacturing mold for diffusion sheet, and method of manufacturing diffusion sheet


A focus control process (S2), a spherical aberration correcting process (S4), and a focus offset adjusting process (S7 to S9) are performed in this order. In the focus control process, an output of a focus error signal obtained by detecting focal point displacement that occurs in a direction of an optical axis of a light beam focused through a two-element object lens is controlled so that the output becomes close to zero. In the spherical aberration correcting process, spherical aberration that occurs with respect to the light beam is corrected. In the focus offset adjusting process, offset of the focus error signal is adjusted. In this way, it is possible to provide a focal point adjusting method and an optical pickup device in which focus control can be performed stably by eliminating the offset.

It is a recent demand to increase storage density of an optical disk, so as to respond to an increasing amount of information. Under this circumstance, linear storage density of an information storing layer in an optical disk has been increased, and a pitch of tracks has been narrowed, so as to increase the storage density of an optical disk. In order to respond to the increased storage density of an optical disk, it is necessary to reduce a beam diameter of a light beam focused on an information storing layer of the optical disk.
Possible methods for reducing the beam diameter of the light beam are as follows: (1) increasing a numerical aperture (NA) of the light beam radiated from an object lens, which is a focusing optical system of an optical pickup device that performs recording and reproduction by using the optical disk, and/or (2) shortening a wavelength of the light beam.
It is conceivable that the wavelength of the light beam can be decreased by changing a light source, that is, by replacing a red semiconductor laser with a bluish-purple semiconductor laser, which is beginning to be produced commercially on a large scale.
On the other hand, as a method for realizing an object lens having a high numerical aperture, proposed is a method in which the object lens is combined with a hemispherical lens. In this method, an object lens includes the two lenses (two lenses in group).
Generally, an optical disk is arranged so that an information storing layer thereof is covered with a cover glass. This is to protect the information storing layer from dust and scratch. Therefore, a light beam transmitted through an object lens of an optical pickup device is transmitted through the cover glass, and focused on the information storing layer under the cover glass. In this way, a focal point is made.
When the light beam is thus transmitted through the cover glass, spherical aberration (SA) is caused. The spherical aberration SA is given bySA∝d·NA4  (1).The spherical aberration SA is proportional to a thickness d of the cover glass and to a fourth power of the numerical aperture NA of the object lens. Usually, the spherical aberration of the light beam transmitted through the object lens and the cover glass is sufficiently small. This is because the object lens is usually designed so that the spherical aberration is canceled out.
However, if the thickness of the cover glass is scooched from a predetermined value, spherical aberration is caused with respect to the light beam focused on the information storing layer. This increases the beam diameter. As a result, there is a problem that information cannot be read and written correctly.
According to Formula (1), an error ΔSA of the spherical aberration caused by an error Δd of the thickness of the cover glass is proportional to the error Δd of the thickness of the cover glass. That is, the greater the Δd of the thickness of the cover glass is, the greater is the error ΔSA of the spherical aberration. Because of this, information cannot be read and written correctly.
In case of a conventional optical disk such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a numerical aperture NA of an object lens of an optical pickup device used is small: about 0.6. Therefore, the error ΔSA of the spherical aberration caused by the error Δd of the thickness of the cover glass is small. As a result, it is possible to focus the light beam as a sufficiently small spot on each information storing layer.
Meanwhile, a DVD including two information storing layers is already produced commercially. Such a DVD is an example of a multi-layered optical disk in which information storing layers are laminated so as to increase information storage density in a thickness direction of the optical disk. In an optical pickup device that performs recording and reproduction by using such a multi-layered optical disk, it is necessary to focus the light beam as a sufficiently small spot on each information storing surface of the optical disk.
However, in such a multi-layered optical disk, a thickness from a surface of the optical disk (surface of the cover glass) to the information storing layer is different from layer to layer. Therefore, spherical aberration caused when the light beam is transmitted through the cover glass of the optical disk is different from layer to layer. Here, for example, a difference (error ΔSA) between spherical aberration occurring in adjacent information storing layers is proportional to an interlayer distance t (equivalent to the thickness d) between the adjacent information storing layers, according to Formula (1).
Even if the error Δd of the thickness of the cover glass is the same, a higher numerical aperture NA results in greater spherical aberration SA. For example, if NA=0.85, the spherical aberration SA is approximately four times greater than that of a case in which NA=0.6. Therefore, from Formula (1), it is found that the higher the numerical aperture is, such as when NA=0.85, the greater is the spherical aberration caused by the error Ad of the thickness of the cover glass.
Likewise, in case of the multi-layered optical disk, even if the interlayer distance between adjacent information storing layers is the same, a higher NA of the object lens of the optical pickup device results in a greater difference (error ΔSA) in spherical aberration. For example, if NA=0.85, an error in the spherical aberration SA is approximately four times greater than that of a case in which NA=0.6. Therefore, from Formula (1), it is found that the higher the numerical aperture is, such as when NA=0.85, the greater is the difference in spherical aberration between information storing layers.
Therefore, an object lens having a high numerical aperture is problematic in that (1) an error in spherical aberration has an unignorable influence, and (2) information is read with lower accuracy. In view of the circumstance, it is necessary to correct the spherical aberration in order to attain high storage density by using an object lens having a high numerical aperture.
As a means of correcting the spherical aberration, an optical pickup device that detects and corrects the spherical aberration is disclosed in Japanese Publication For Unexamined Patent Application, Tokukai 2000-171346 (publication date: Jun. 23, 2000), for example. The optical pickup device makes use of a phenomenon that, when light is focused on an information storing layer of an optical disk, a light beam in a vicinity of an optical axis of the light and a light beam exterior to the vicinity of the optical axis are focused on different focus positions, due to the spherical aberration.
According to the optical pickup device disclosed in the publication, the light beam to be detected is split, into a light beam in the vicinity of the optical axis and a light beam exterior to the vicinity of the optical axis, by an optical element such as a hologram. Then, when spherical aberration is caused, with respect to one of the light beams, a gap between the focus position and the information storing layer is detected. Based on a result of the detection, the spherical aberration is corrected. In this way, it is possible to sufficiently reduce diameters of the light beams respectively focused on the information storing layers of the optical disk.
In accordance with an amount of the spherical aberration that is thus detected, it is possible to correct the spherical aberration of a focusing optical system of the optical pickup device by using a spherical aberration correcting mechanism. In this way, it is possible to keep the spherical aberration always small. Moreover, by performing, while optical information is recorded or reproduced, a spherical aberration correcting servo in which spherical aberration is detected and corrected so that an amount of the spherical aberration is always kept small, it is possible to keep the beams always in a best condition while information is recorded in or reproduced from a magnetooptical storing medium.
However, the optical pickup device disclosed in the publication includes not only (1) a focusing servo, which ensures that a focus is always on the information storing layer, and (2) a tracking servo, which focuses a light beam on a central position of a track of an optical information storing medium, but also (3) a spherical aberration correcting servo.
Therefore, if a servo introduction order and offset adjustment for a servo signal are inadequate, offset is left in the servo signal.

Focal point adjusting method, and optical pickup device


A pipe support which comprises a body having a recess of a generally U-shaped configuration formed therein, the recess being opened at a top end, the body having a clamping portion extending downwardly and which clamping portion includes first and second resilient members which each comprise a vertical sidewall and an inwardly extending end segment. The pipe support is particularly suitable for use on various structural members.

In the installation of pipes and the like in various types of buildings and in particular pipes associated with air conditioning, refrigeration and heating, such as may be employed in commercial and industrial establishments, conventional practice is that the pipes are hung from the ceiling by strap hangers.
The most common type of strap hanger employed in the industry comprises a metal strap having apertures for fastening purposes. The strap is looped about the pipe to be secured and then a fastening member such as a screw or the like is secured to a substrate such as a beam or rafter through the apertures.
This conventional means of fastening pipes suffers from several disadvantages. Initially, each pipe must be installed individually and as such, the installation process is relatively labour intensive. Secondly, the hangers can cause the rupturing of the pipes after a period of time. This would occur due to movement of the pipe within the pipe hanger and subsequent surface damage. The movement will occur either due to mechanical vibrations, and/or to a thermal expansion and contraction.
There have been various proposals in the art for pipe support systems to overcome the above disadvantages. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,273,571 discloses an arrangement wherein one may use a hanger construction which includes the use of a plurality of pipe holders which are movably mounted on a fixed rail.
A further arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,806 wherein there is provided a vertically threaded shaft to receive pipe support members of various configurations which are attachable thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,136 shows a somewhat similar arrangement wherein there is provided a vertically threaded rod or shaft along with hanger members may be secured thereto.


Chip-Based Gaming includes methods for playing electronic games of chance or skill that provide players with a greater number of options and greater wagering flexibility than previous methods have afforded them. In the present Chip-Based gaming model, players may select virtual betting chips from an onscreen palette and apply those chips to various wagering opportunities throughout a game. Using this model, players are able to make individual bets on each of a slot machine's paylines or wager on making specific hands in Video Poker. Players are also able to buy and/or wager on symbol “nudges” and to buy symbol “re-spins” within a multi-line slot machine, options which provide the player with a much richer, more flexible gaming experience than he or she had heretofore enjoyed.

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of provisional application Ser. No. 60/758,509, filed Jan. 11, 2006, which application is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relate generally to the field of regulated pay computer-controlled games, either games of skills or games of chance.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Information
Existing models for betting within electronic games of chance such as video poker or multi-line slot machines are limited, as players are conventionally only offered high-level bets that apply across a number of potential onscreen events in each game. This betting model applies to multi-line slot machines, in that players are conventionally able to manipulate their bet sizes globally, across a number of pay lines, but are unable to assign specific bet sizes to each payline or to selected individual pay lines. This conventional betting model also applies to most video poker machines, in that players are able to manipulate their bet sizes across a number of potential reward-generating hands, but are not able to assign specific bets to specific hands.