An electrostatic actuator has high-reliability and less variation in characteristics. An electrode (12a) is formed on a substrate (1), and a plurality of partition parts (50a) are formed on the electrode. A vibration plate (19) is formed on the partition parts (50a), and is deformable by an electrostatic force generated by a voltage applied to the electrode (12a) so that an air gap (14a) is formed between the partition parts (50a) by etching a part of a sacrifice layer (14) formed between the electrode (12a) and the vibration plate (19). The partition parts (50a) are formed of remaining parts of the sacrifice layer (14) after the etching.

An inkjet recording apparatus is used as an image recording apparatus or an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copy machine, etc. An inkjet recording apparatus is equipped with an inkjet head as a droplet-discharging head. Generally, such an inkjet head comprises: a single or a plurality of nozzles for discharging droplets of ink; a discharge chamber connecting with the nozzles; and pressure generating means for generating a pressure to pressurize the ink in the discharge chamber. The discharge chamber may be referred to as a pressurizing chamber, an ink chamber, a liquid chamber, a pressurizing liquid chamber, a pressure chamber or an ink passage. Droplets of ink are discharged from the nozzles by pressurizing the ink in the discharge chamber using a pressure generated by the pressure generating means.
Generally, a piezoelectric type, a thermal type and an electrostatic type are used for the inkjet head as a droplet discharge head. The piezoelectric inkjet head discharges droplets of ink by deforming a vibration plate (a diaphragm) that forms a wall of the discharge chamber by using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element as the pressure generating means. The thermal inkjet head discharges droplets of ink by film boiling using an electrothermal transducer such as a heat-generating resistor provided in the discharge chamber. The electrostatic inkjet head discharges droplets of ink by deforming a vibration plate that forms a wall of the discharge chamber by an electrostatic force.
In recent years, the thermal type and the electrostatic type, which do not use parts containing lead, have attracted attention from the viewpoint of environmental issues. Especially, several electrostatic inkjet heads have been suggested from the viewpoint of low power consumption in addition to the lead-free feature.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-71882 discloses an electrostatic inkjet head provided with a pair of electrodes with an air gap formed therebetween. One of the two electrodes serves as a vibration plate, and an ink chamber to be filled with ink is formed on a side of the vibration plate opposite to the electrode facing the vibration plate. An electrostatic attraction force is generated between the pair of electrodes by applying a voltage across the electrodes (between the vibration plate and electrode), which results in deformation of the electrode (vibration plate). The vibration plate returns to the original position due to an elastic force when the voltage is canceled, and a droplet of ink is discharged due to the return force of the vibration plate.
Additionally, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-18383 and WO99/34979 disclose a structure of an inkjet head in which a small air gap is formed between the vibration plate and the electrode by etching a sacrifice layer, and a liquid chamber substrate is joined thereon.
Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-314363 discloses an inkjet head which can be driven at a low voltage by forming a vibration plate of a cantilever beam or a straddle mounted beam with a gap into which ink can flow, and filling a high dielectric-constant ink in the gap.
Additionally, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-193375 discloses an inkjet head having a vibration plate and an electrode that are positioned nonparallel to each other.
Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-277565 discloses an inkjet head, which attempts a low-voltage drive by varying a thickness of a dielectric insulating layer formed on the electrode so as to generate a nonparallel electric field.
In the electrostatic inkjet head containing the electrostatic actuator equipped with the vibration plate and the electrode facing the vibration plate, it is necessary to make the air gap between the electrodes very small so as to achieve a low-voltage drive.
However, in the head disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 6-71882, since the air gap is formed by formation of a cavity by etching and bonding a vibration plate substrate by anode junction, it is very difficult to accurately form such a small air gap with little variation, which causes a problem that the yield rate is low.
Thus, in the head disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-18383, although the air gap is formed with sufficient accuracy in accordance with a gap-forming method using etching of the sacrifice layer, there is a problem in that a reliability of the vibration plate is low since etching holes for etching the sacrifice layer are formed in the vibration plate. Additionally, since the approach of sealing the etching holes by an insulating layer after etching the sacrifice layer is used, the insulating layer for sealing the etching holes must be thick. Thus, there is a problem in that the rigidity of the vibration plate increases and a drive voltage increases, which causes a fluctuation in the rigidity of the vibration plate. Further, there is unevenness in the surface of the actuator substrate due to the formation of the air gap, and high alignment accuracy is required when joining a liquid chamber substrate. Moreover, since the junction area is small, it tends to cause a work mistake such as destruction due to a contact at the time of joining etc., and there is also a problem that a reliability is decreased and the yield rate is decreased.
Moreover, in the head disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, No. 11-314363, although the air gap is formed by etching the sacrifice layer, the vibration plate has a structure of a cantilever beam or a straddle mounted beam and the air gap is communicated with the liquid chamber. In this case, since there is no need of forming the etching holes for etching the sacrifice layer and ink is allowed to enter the air gap, it is possible to achieve a low-voltage drive by using a high dielectric-constant ink which reduces an effective air gap. However, a problem tends to occur that an ink component is subjected to condensation since a voltage is applied to the ink in the gap, and there is a problem in that a high-speed drive cannot be performed due to the conductance of the ink in the gap.
Moreover, the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-193375 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-277505 do not disclose any method of forming a nonparallel air gap or any specific method for varying the thickness of the dielectric insulating layer, and, thus, a problem that it is very difficult to form a small air gap with little variation is not solved.
In the electrostatic inkjet head, the dimensional accuracy of a distance between the vibration plate and the electrode greatly affects the performance of the electrostatic inkjet head. Especially, in the case of an inkjet head, if the variation in the characteristic of each actuator is large, accuracy in printing and reproducibility of image quality goes down remarkably. Moreover, in order to attain a low-voltage operation, the size of the air gap must be 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm, which requires higher dimensional accuracy.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-18383 and WO99/34979 disclose a head constituted by forming a small air gap between the vibration plate and the electrode by applying a sacrifice layer process (etching the sacrifice layer) and joining a flow passage substrate thereon. According to this approach, the size of the air gap is determined by variation in a process of forming the sacrifice layer, and, thus, variation in the size can be suppressed, thereby obtaining an actuator or a head having high accuracy and high reliability.
Moreover, when the air gap is formed using the sacrifice layer process as mentioned above, it is necessary to seal the through holes for removing the sacrifice layer (sacrifice layer removal holes). Thus, WO99/34979 disclose that the sacrifice layer removal holes are closed by a Ni film or SiO2 film formed by a PVD or CVD method after the sacrifice layer is removed. However, if the sacrifice layer removal holes are sealed by such a film deposition method, the components of the film may enter the air gap. Additionally, the sacrifice layer removal holes also serve to maintain a strength of the partition wall, and they cannot be made small. Therefore, the sacrifice layer removal holes being sealed by the film deposition using a PVD or CVD method may influence the operation characteristic and reliability of the actuator and it cannot deal with densification.
Moreover, in the head disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-18383, there is formed a step in the partition parts and the vibration plate, which requires high accuracy in joining the flow passage substrate. Moreover, since the thin vibration plate is floated on the surrounding parts after the sacrifice layer is removed, the vibration plate may be damaged in the subsequent process and it is difficult to manufacture the actuator with a sufficient yield rate.
Additionally, although the sacrifice layer removal holes are sealed by a film formed by a film deposition method using a vacuum device, the use of the vacuum device may cause a problem. If the film deposition is performed by the vacuum device, the film deposition process is performed in a vacuum environment and the air gap between the vibration plate and the electrode is sealed in vacuum. Therefore, there is a problem in that the vibration plate may be bent due to a negative pressure inside the air gap when the actuator is exposed to an atmosphere. Additionally, if there is variation in the bent of the vibration plate, there may occur variation in the displacement of the vibration plate. In addition, since the vacuum seal cannot provide a damping effect of a gas sealed in the air gap, variation in amplitude of vibration with respect to variation in the thickness of the vibration plate becomes large.
In order to solve such a problem, it is necessary to provide a structure or a process for opening the air to the atmosphere, which causes an increase in the cost and deterioration in the yield rate. Thus, if the conventional sacrifice layer process is used, it is difficult to obtain an electrostatic actuator having high-accuracy and reliability at a low cost.
In the meantime, in an inkjet recording apparatus, in order to achieve high-definition recording of a color image at high speed, high-density processing using a micro-machining technology is used to obtain a high-quality image. Thus, materials of parts constituting the head are shifted from metal or plastic to silicon, glass or ceramics. Especially, silicon is used as a material, which is suitable for the micro-processing.
Moreover, in respect of colorization, developments of ink and recording media are a main streams, and developments have been progressed with respect to components and compositions of ink so as to optimize absorbability, coloring characteristic and color-mixture prevention characteristic or improve a long-term storage of printed media and storage stability of ink itself.
In such a case, depending on a combination of ink and a material of component parts of the head, the component parts may be dissolved in the ink. Especially, if a flow passage formation member is formed of silicon, silicon is eluted in ink and is deposited on a nozzle part, which causes degradation of image quality due to nozzle clogging or deterioration of coloring of ink. Moreover, in the head using a vibration plate formed of a thin silicon film, if the silicon forming the vibration plate is eluted in ink, the vibration characteristic may be changed or the vibration plate cannot vibrates.
If the material of the component parts is changed to solve the problem, it is difficult to realize high-density processing or processing accuracy may be deteriorated in many cases. Moreover, the change in the material requires a large change in the fabrication process or assembly process, which results in decrease of nozzle density and consequently causing degradation of the print quality.
On the other hand, if the problem is solved by adjustment of components of ink, a high-quality image may be deteriorated since the components and composition of ink are originally adjusted so that permeability and coloring characteristics with respect to recording medium are optimized so as to improve the printing quality and storage stability is improved.
Thus, in the conventional inkjet head, a thin film having an ink resistance is formed on a surface of a flow passage forming member that is brought into contact with ink. For example, forming titanium, titanium compound, or aluminum oxide on the surface which contacts with ink is disclosed in WO98/42513. Forming an oxide film on the surface which contact with ink is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 5-229118. Forming a thin film such as oxide, nitride or metal having an ink resistance on a surface of a silicon oxide film is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 10-291322. Forming an organic resin film on a surface of the ink chamber formed of a piezoelectric material is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-246895.
In the above-mentioned head, an organic resin film such as paraxylene may be formed as a corrosion resistant film on sidewalls of an ink chamber having a complex three-dimensional configuration and the vibration plate. Since the organic resin film such as paraxylene is formed by the vacuum vapor deposition method, the covering characteristic of the film is not good due to its nature of deposition, and a large unevenness arises in the distribution of film thickness inside the liquid chamber or on the vibration plate.
When an area where the film thickness is small contacts with ink for a long time, there is a large problem arises in the long-time reliability since the corrosion resistant film is dissolved and finally the base material is subjected to corrosion. Moreover, a large bend is generated due to a distribution of internal stresses caused by variation of film thickness of the organic resin film on the vibration plate, which causes a large variation in the ink injection characteristic.
Moreover, in the head in which a metallic ink resistant film is formed on the vibration plate by a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method, the covering characteristic of the corrosion resistant film is poor similar to the above-mentioned organic resin film. Depending on the location, an area in which the corrosion resistant film is formed with a very small thickness, and when ink contacts such an area for long time, the corrosion resistant film is dissolved and finally the base material is subjected to corrosion. Therefore, a long-time reliability cannot be obtained, and further a large bent is generated in the vibration plate due to fluctuation in the thickness of the metallic ink-resistant film, which causes variation in the ink injection characteristic.
Especially, this problem is serious in the electrostatic head rather than the piezoelectric head since the distance between the vibration plate and the electrode varies due to the vibration plate being bent and the drive voltage differing from the design value.
Further, in the head in which the above-mentioned corrosion resistant film is formed, the reliability of operation is low such that the vibration plate contacts the electrode due to an influence of an external environment such as humidity since the air gap between the vibration plate and the electrode is not sealed.
Moreover, in the head in which the air gap between the vibration plate and the electrode is sealed so as not to receive an influence from an external environment, there is a restriction of pH value of ink that is usable since the corrosion resistant film is not formed on the vibration plate, and, thus, matching with ink must be maintained and a cost is increased.

Electrostatic actuator formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process


A pulse width modulation controlling circuit for a power supply and method for controlling a switchmode power supply is disclosed. The present invention accomplishes control over the switching of the power supply by coarsely and then finely adjusting a time-length signal.

As electronic technologies continue to develop, the need for precise, robust, and easily tunable pulse width modulation power supplies also increases. This need is felt in virtually any area of technology that requires precise control over the pulse width emitted from a power supply. It is needed, by way of example, in technologies ranging from the power supplies in personal computers and other consumer electronics, to the high power demands of plasma generating technologies used in chip manufacturing.
For example, there exists in the chip manufacturing field a need for such a precise, robust, and easily tunable pulse width modulation power supply control. As chip manufacturing technologies develop, the capability to increase the number of elements on a semiconductor chip also increases. It is beneficial to increase the number of elements on a semiconductor because as the element density on the semiconductor chips increase, the capabilities of the chip also increases. For example, with higher densities, a chip may perform a greater number of operations in a given clock cycle.
In order to manufacture a chip, the pathways, interconnections, and elements must be etched on a substrate. This etching process is most commonly accomplished in a plasma chamber. During the etching process, the input power to the plasma chamber is switched on and off according to the patterns and the interconnections being etched on the substrate. As would be expected, as the desired chip density increases, the level of control and precision required of the input power to the plasma chamber during the etching process also increases. The smaller and closer together elements on the chip are, the smaller the duration of the "on" and "off" periods of the power supply may be.
Accordingly, in order for the plasma chamber to properly etch a high-density substrate, it must be capable of regulating the applied power to the plasma chamber quickly and precisely. The power supply to the plasma chamber must thus be capable of fine control of output power.
Present control circuitry for power supplies are, however, incapable of providing sufficient pulse width resolution. One reason is that their control circuitry simply runs at an insufficiently high clock frequency.
Accordingly, one attempt to overcome this deficiency in present power supplies has been to use control chips within the power supply that are capable of responding to higher clock frequencies, and to drive these chips with a higher clock frequency.
For example, the use of discrete ECL logic chips driven by a one gigahertz oscillator would provide a very quick reaction time in the power supply, which would allow the power supply to provide very short time intervals and durations of power input to the plasma chamber. This method, however, has several drawbacks. First, the required circuitry is relatively large and therefore occupies valuable space on the circuit board. Second, the higher clock frequency required consumes a large amount of power. Therefore, the circuit can become expensive to operate due to the larger power requirements, and may require additional cooling, due to increased heat generation. Lastly, the higher frequency components themselves can be very expensive.
Another attempt to overcome the above deficiencies has been to use analog control circuitry rather than higher frequency digital circuitry. By using analog circuitry to control the switching of the power supply, many of the above disadvantages are remedied. The circuitry itself is comparatively inexpensive. Moreover, due to its asynchronous design, it is capable of reacting very quickly. However, the use of analog circuitry introduces several other drawbacks. Analog circuitry can be very sensitive, and is very often affected by electrical noise, especially in high power applications. This causes what is known as "waveform jitter." This phenomenon causes distortion in the power waveform, which results in a loss of precision in the control of the power supply. Furthermore, not only does the waveform jitter phenomenon cause a loss of precision in controlling the switching of the power supply, it also causes a loss of repeatability in the output from the plasma generator. Accordingly, analog circuitry that is susceptible to this waveform jitter makes it an unacceptable alternative phenomenon in high-density chip fabrication, which requires very precise control of the power supply.
Similarly, there also exists a need in the area of consumer electronics for such a precise, robust and easily tunable pulse width modulation power supply. Power systems typically used in personal computers are often placed under rigorous demands. For example, a power supply in a computer may be required to supply different voltages within a very short amount of time. This may occur when a computer switches from "sleep" or "standby" mode to "active" mode. In this situation, a power system in a personal computer typically will have to change the load current at a rate that may exceed 30 amps per microsecond. Such requirements are typically satisfied by a fast response DC/DC converter located very close to the microprocessor. Similarly, many DC/DC converters, for example, the Voltage Regulator Module (VRM) for many microprocessors manufactured by Intel, require the output voltage from a power supply to be digitally programmable.
Typically, these problems have been addressed through the use of analog circuitry. However, for the reasons discussed above, the use of analog circuitry is often unsatisfactory. Similarly, as discussed above, the use of purely digital circuitry is also often an unacceptable alternative due to the prohibitive cost. Accordingly, there exists a need for a low cost, high precision solution.

Higher PWM resolution for switchmode power supply control


The present invention discloses a home network system (1) using a living network control protocol. The home network system (1) includes: a predetermined network; at least one electric device (40 to 49) connected to the network based on a predetermined protocol; and at least one network manager (2 to 23) connected to the network based on the protocol, for controlling and monitoring the electric device (40 to 49), wherein the protocol comprises an application layer, a network layer, a data link layer, and a physical layer, wherein the physical layer further comprises a special protocol for providing an interface with a dependent transmission medium, and the network layer further comprises a home code control sub-layer for managing a home code for network security when accessing the dependent transmission medium, the home control sub-layer processing a packet from the data link layer or the network layer, according to a predetermined home code.

A home network connects various digital home appliances so that the user can always enjoy convenient, safe and economic life services inside or outside the house. Refrigerators or washing machines called white home appliances have been gradually digitalized due to the development of digital signal processing techniques, home appliance operating system techniques and high speed multimedia communication techniques have been integrated on the digital home appliances, and new information home appliances have been developed, to improve the home network.
As shown in Table 1, the home network is classified into a data network, an entertainment network and a living network by types of services.
TABLE 1ClassificationFunctionService typeData networkNetwork between PC andData exchange, internetperipheral devicesservice, etc.EntertainmentNetwork between A/VMusic, animation service, etc.networkdevicesLiving networkNetwork for controllingHome appliances control,home applianceshome automation, remotemeter reading, messageservice, etc.
Here, the data network is built to exchange data between a PC and peripheral devices or provide an internet service, and the entertainment network is built between home appliances using audio or video information. In addition, the living network is built to simply control home appliances, such as home automation or remote meter reading.
A conventional home network system includes a master device which is an electric device for controlling an operation of the other electric devices or monitoring a status thereof, and a slave device which is an electric device having a function of responding to the request of the master device and a function of notifying a status change according to characteristics of the electric devices or other factors. Exemplary electric devices include home appliances for the living network service such as a washing machine and a refrigerator, home appliances for the data network service and the entertainment network service, and products such as a gas valve control device, an automatic door device and an electric lamp.
However, the conventional arts do not suggest a general communication standard for providing functions of controlling and monitoring electric devices in a home network system. Also, a network protocol in the conventional art home network system does not suggest an effective method for receiving and transmitting a packet.


A multi-trace geometric attribute of a regularly gridded surface is calculated at multiple scales, wherein, first, a window size is selected. Next, a set of the grid points is defined defining grid cells of the selected window size. Next, the geometric attribute is calculated using the traces at the set of the grid points. Next, the above selecting and calculating steps are repeated for sets of the grid points defining grid cells of different window sizes. Finally, the window size is determined whose calculations best represent the geometric attribute.

This invention relates generally to the field of geophysical prospecting. More particularly, the invention relates to the field of characterization of seismic attributes. Specifically, the invention is a method for the characterization of dip, curvature, moundness or rugosity of gridded surfaces for the quantitative estimation of reservoir facies and reservoir properties.
In many geologic basins the detailed identification of faults, folds, and the degree of moundness or rugosity of a surface can be extremely useful in seismic reservoir characterization and in the development of reservoir models for fluid flow simulations. For example, faults, folds, and fractures may profoundly affect reservoir characteristics such as the producibility of oil and gas wells. Small fault planes can be resolved by seismic 3-D surveys of reasonable quality. It is well known that the folding of strata may result in the development of fractures and faults on a variety of scales. Mounding may result as differential compaction of sediments with different concentrations of sands and shales. Mounding may also highlight locations of reef structures.
One of the biggest problems when dealing with fractured or mounded reservoirs is the recognition of the most typical scale at which these features occur. The imaging of the top of a reservoir at some typical or dominant scale should bring out the most interesting geometric, topographic, or morphological character of the surface. This would provide separation of the small-scale random fluctuations from the coherent portion of the signal. In seismic acquisition, the former could be processing or interpretation noise, while the latter could be the geologic footprint
A common measure of fault-related and fold-related deformation is to calculate the structural dip, namely, the magnitude of the gradient of the depth of an interpreted seismic horizon. Another common measure of fold-related deformation is structural curvature, which is derived from the second spatial derivatives of a depth surface. Curvature can also be used to measure the moundness or rugosity of a surface. The rugosity of a surface may be an indication of stratigraphic facies (e.g. channel""s levees) rather than of structural control. Dip and curvature can be defined as geometric multi-trace attributes because their definitions require the availability of depth measurements at multiple trace locations and because they truly characterize the geometric characteristics of a surface. Dip and curvature maps define areas of steep slope and of significant bending.
The calculations of multi-trace attributes are usually performed at the highest spatial resolution afforded by the data. Unfortunately, the pervasive presence of distortions in the seismic data (local noise, and its effects on seismic interpretation) can affect the detection of features by failing to identify larger trends. Smoothing and re-gridding of the initial surface are commonly employed to provide attribute maps at different spatial scales. These maps are then used to analyze the regional and local structural and stratigraphic facies. However, the smoothing and re-gridding are often applied subjectively and with a corresponding loss of resolution.
Current technology relies heavily on 3-D seismic data for delineation of faults and depositional environments. However, the process usually involves gridding of the surface output from the 3-D data and the filtering out of its high-resolution component. Current commercial implementations of these types of geometric attributes require smoothing or re-gridding of the data and specifically several intermediate and often subjective manipulations of the data.
Most vendor software packages (e.g., ARC/Info, ZMap) calculate geometric attributes using first and second derivatives along two orthogonal directions, and then sum up their contributions to arrive to an approximate value of Dip and Curvature. The calculations of such geometric attributes at greater spatial scales require the re-gridding of the surface to a coarser grid (bigger cell size). Invoking several smoothing passes usually minimizes noise in the map appearance. These vendor applications are more suited for calculation of such attributes on conventional 2-D seismic data where the more sparse and irregular data must be gridded for analysis and the coarseness of the 2-D seismic coverage lends itself to such gridding. Maps constructed from 3-D data using these vendor applications often need to be gridded and smoothed significantly in order to see geological features. Much detail and resolution are lost. Gridding at small bin size, close to the actual trace spacing, results in surface attributes that are often overwhelmed by noise and offer a very narrow range of values. Geometric attribute maps appear meaningless, often with no apparent discernible pattern. Manipulations of the color scale do not show any improvement.
Stewart S. A. and Podolski R. (1998), xe2x80x9cCurvature analysis of gridded geologic surfacesxe2x80x9d, Coward M. P., Daltaban T. S. and Johnson H. (eds.), Structural Geology in Reservoir Characterization, Geological Society of London, Special Publications, 127, 133-147, discuss how dip and grid lattice orientation affect the resulting estimates of the true surface curvature, thus stressing the approximations provided by common vendor packages. However, they fail to recognize the interdependencies of the various measures of curvature as they focus on the determination of the principal curvatures. Their main recommendations involve careful gridding, smoothing (despiking), and calculations at many offsets and at multiple orientations. Such steps are not necessary, as knowledge of the Gaussian and Average curvatures is sufficient to determine the principal curvatures. Detailed time consuming calculations of curvature along multiple orientations are not necessary.
Lisle R. J. (1994), xe2x80x9cDetection of zones of abnormal strains in structures using Gaussian Curvature Analysisxe2x80x9d, AAPG Bulletin, 78,1811-1819, follows a similar procedure, as indicated by its selection of the neighboring points for estimating KG. Specifically, it uses smoothing and contouring before the calculation of curvature. The method does not yield the principal curvatures and the corresponding principal axes. There is also no mention on how to deal with noisy data. The implicit assumption is that the smoothing and contouring takes care of such situations.
Generally, the published papers describing the geological applications of curvature give an incomplete treatment of the interdependencies of its various measures. They mostly focus on Gaussian curvature or discuss the azimuthal dependency of the principal curvatures. One issue that is often avoided is the recognition of the difficulty of applying the mathematical concepts when dealing with gridded, noisy data. This is treated in Padgett M. J. and Nester D. C, (1991), xe2x80x9cFracture evaluation of Block P-0315, Point Arguello Field, offshore California, using core, outcrop, seismic data and curved space analysisxe2x80x9d, 1st AAPG SPE et al Conference, Houston, Tex., 242-268; and Luthy S. T. and Grover G. A., (1995), xe2x80x9cThree-dimensional geologic modeling of a fractured reservoir, Saudi Arabiaxe2x80x9d, 9th SPE Middle East Oil Show, Bahrain, 419-430. The concept of the scale of the features under analysis is also often avoided, thus failing to recognize the existence of an optimal, data-determined scale giving the best-focused images.
Stewart and Podolski (1998) give the most complete treatment of the problem to date. They discuss 1) a moving window method, 2) the scale dependency of the results, 3) argue for multiple curvature extractions, 4) understand the effect of the inclusion of dip on the curvature calculations. However, they (1) focus on principal curvatures and normal curvature, (2) fail to recognize the importance of larger window sizes as a noise-reduction procedure, and (3) are swayed by the effect of aliasing when calculating curvatures along various orientations when such an approach is not necessary. Additionally, their paper describes critical issues in geometric attribute analysis without recommending any specific algorithm for calculating stable, robust geometric attributes as the present invention does.
The understanding of the solution of the problem came from theoretical and numerical analysis of synthetic surfaces, of various shapes and orientation, over which small-scale noise was added. None of the currently available vendor packages appears to be capable of providing all the various measures of curvature described above or the corresponding azimuths or principal axes with the detailed resolution achieved by the present invention.
Thus, there exists a need for an efficient method to apply such mathematical operations to attribute maps for quantitative seismic facies analysis or to stratigraphic horizons for the identification of moundness or rugosity of surfaces.
The present invention is a method for calculating a multi-trace geometric attribute of a regularly gridded surface at multiple scales. First, a window size is selected. Next, a set of the grid points is defined defining grid cells of the selected window size. Next, the geometric attribute is calculated using the traces at the set of the grid points. Next, the above selecting and calculating steps are repeated for sets of the grid points defining grid cells of different window sizes. Finally, the window size is determined whose calculations best represent the geometric attribute.

Method for characterization of multi-scale geometric attributes


The present invention relates to a method for coating substrates with a carbon-based material, comprising the steps of at least partially coating a substrate with a polymer film on at least one outside surface of the substrate and carbonizing the polymer film in an atmosphere that is essentially free of oxygen at temperatures in the range of 200° C. to 2500° C.

Pyrolytic carbon has long been known as a very strong, abrasion-resistant material with a great range of variation in properties. Pyrolytic carbon is biocompatible because of its structure and composition, so it has long been used as a material or coating material in medical technology, in particular for producing medical implants of all types. Pyrolytic carbon with a turbostratic structure, optionally including silicon-alloyed carbon microcrystals, is used for coating stents and for the production of artificial heart valves, for example. U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,107 describes carbon-coated intraluminal stents to which the carbon material has been applied by means of chemical or physical vapor-phase deposition methods (CVD or PVD). German Patent DE 3902856 describes molded articles containing pyrocarbon produced by coking of carbon fiber articles, pyrocarbon infiltration and subsequent sealing of the surface with CVD carbon.
The deposition of pyrolytic carbon under PVD or CVD conditions requires a careful selection of suitable gaseous or vaporizable carbon precursors, which are deposited on a substrate at high temperatures, sometimes under plasma conditions, in an inert gas atmosphere or under a high vacuum. In addition, various in vacuo sputtering methods have been described in the state of the art for production of pyrolytic carbon of various structures (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,350, for example).
All these prior art methods have in common the fact that the deposition of carbon substrates takes place under extreme temperatures and/or pressure conditions with careful and complicated process control.
Furthermore, because of the different thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate material and the applied CVD carbon layer in the state of the art, frequently only a low adhesion of the layer to the substrate is achieved, resulting in flaking, cracking and a poor surface quality in general.
There has therefore been a demand for methods that are inexpensive and easy to use for coating substrates with a carbon-based material, such that these methods are capable of providing biocompatible surface coatings of a carbon material or carbon-coated substrates for microelectronic applications, for example.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.

Method for coating substrates with a carbon-based material


An analog-to-digital (A/D) converter samples an input signal with a first clock. An finite impulse response (FIR) filter generates data at a zero-crossing point/data decision point from the sampled data. A decimation circuit decimates an output of the FIR filter 2 with a second clock. A phase comparator detects a phase error of the output signal of the decimation circuit. An Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) (A/D) generates a phase signal by integrating the phase error. A tap coefficient computing unit generates tap coefficients of the FIR filter in accordance with the phase signal. In the NCO, if the phase signal exceeds “π”, “2π+the phase error” is subtracted from the phase signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a symbol timing recovery circuit that recovers the symbol timing of an input signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, recovery of a received signal in a communication system requires recovery of the symbol timing from the received signal. In the following description, a symbol timing recovery circuit described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 3573627) is explained with reference to FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 1 converts an input signal (or a received signal) into a digital signal. The sampling rate of the A/D converter 1, fsamp, is the same or more than twice as fast as the symbol rate of an input signal, fs (That is to say, "fsamp≧fs). A FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter 2 functions as an interpolator and obtains data at a data decision point and data at a zero-crossing point from a digital data string obtained by the A/D converter 1. A decimation circuit 3, when data obtained from the FIR filter 2 overlap, decimates one of the overlapped data.
A phase comparator 4 calculates an error between the data output from the decimation circuit 3 and the data at an ideal sampling point. A loop filter 5 smoothes (or averages) the outputs of the phase comparator 4. Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) 6 operates as an integrator of infinite phase and oscillates at a frequency according to the output of the loop filter 5. A tap coefficient computing unit 7 calculates tap coefficients (a0-a4) to be provided to the FIR 2 based on the output signal of the NCO 6. A clock control circuit 8 generates a decimated (or partially inhibited) clock CLK2 from a sampling clock CLK1 based on the output signal of the NCO 6.
In the symbol timing recovery circuit of the above configuration, at the timing of the decimation clock CLK2, a value (data) at the data decision point and a value (data) at the zero-crossing point are alternately output. In other words, symbol timing is recovered.
It should be noted that Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-279332) describes a timing recovery circuit comprising a first oscillating circuit for outputting a first timing signal to an output terminal, a second oscillating circuit for outputting a second timing signal to an output terminal, a first decimation circuit coupled to a supply terminal of the first clock signal and to the output terminal of the first oscillating circuit and outputs the second clock signal to the output terminal by decimating pulses of the first clock signal in response to the first timing signal, and a second decimation circuit coupled to the output terminal of the first decimation circuit and to the output terminal of the second oscillating circuit and outputs a third clock signal to the output terminal by decimating pulses of the second clock signal in response to the second timing signal. Either one of the first timing signal or the second timing signal has a fixed cycle, and the other one has a cycle responsive to feedback control.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing spectrum of the output signal of the symbol timing recovery circuit shown in FIG. 1. Note that the spectrum is obtained by a simulation of a 6M baud 256-QAM modulated signal.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the conventional symbol timing recovery circuit, a sideband wave that is not present in the input signal is generated. The sideband wave contains a frequency component corresponding to the frequency of the clock decimation, and its harmonic wave. The sideband wave causes deterioration of recovery accuracy of the symbol timing. The deterioration of recovery accuracy of the symbol timing would cause deterioration of BER (Bit Error Rate) characteristics.


A system-on-chip integrated circuit 2 is provided with multiple data processing circuits 4, 6, 8 each with an associated diagnostic interface circuit 16, 18, 20 connected via a diagnostic transaction bus 14 to a diagnostic transaction master circuit 12. The diagnostic master transaction circuit 12 issues diagnostic transaction requests to the diagnostic interface circuits 16, 18, 20. If the associated data processing circuits 4, 6, 8 are powered-down, or otherwise non responsive, then the diagnostic interface circuit 16, 18, 20 returns a diagnostic bus transaction error signal to the diagnostic transaction master circuit 12. A sticky-bit latch 30 within each diagnostic interface circuit 16, 18, 20 serves to record a power-down event and force generation of the diagnostic bus transaction error signal until that sticky bit is cleared by the diagnostic mechanisms. This ensure the diagnostic mechanisms are made aware of the power-down event so they may take any appropriate remedial action that might be necessary as a result of that power-down event.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of data processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to diagnostic mechanisms used to perform diagnostic operations upon data processing systems when those data processing systems are subject to power down during diagnostic operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide diagnostic mechanisms such as serial scan chains and embedded trace mechanisms within integrated circuits so as to assist in the design of such systems. As the systems increase in complexity, and the number of different circuit elements within the systems increases, there is an increased need for effective, easy to use and efficient diagnostic mechanisms so that the various operational modes of such complicated system-on-chip type designs can be properly evaluated.
It is also known to provide data processing systems with mechanisms whereby portions of the circuit may be placed into low-power states during operation when the capabilities of those portions are not required; this advantageously reduces power consumption. These power control mechanisms are useful in extending battery life within portable systems and it is also generally desirable to reduce power consumption in non-portable systems. With the increasing complexity of integrated circuit designs it is also known that different portions of an integrated circuit may be powered up and powered down during operation depending upon the particular state of the system at that time and the demands being placed upon it. Such integrated circuits execute at significantly higher clock speeds than do the diagnostic mechanisms associated with them. Thus, whilst the diagnostic mechanisms may operate in real time to perform diagnostic operations upon the systems, they are not able to properly track power up and power down events which can take place too rapidly for the relatively slow diagnostic mechanisms.

Performing diagnostic operations upon a data processing apparatus with power down support


In respect of a balloon (10) having an illumination device (20), including a light emitting member, which is mounted onto the wall inside the balloon cavity, at least one sheet (22, 24) of flexible material is connected to the illumination device inside the balloon cavity to serve as a parachute for the illumination device (20) in the event of rupture of the wall of the balloon when in an inflated condition. In embodiments where the illumination device is provided with a projection (12) and is mounted to the wall of the balloon by an attachment element, such as elastic band (18), engaging said projection from outside the balloon, the or each sheet of flexible material (22, 24) serving as the parachute may be connected to the illumination device (20) and to the balloon wall by location over the projection (12) and engagement by the same attachment member.

The applicant's earlier patent specification WO 2008/110832 discloses a party balloon, that is to say a toy balloon, having an illumination device mounted inside, the illumination device comprising a light emitting diode (LED) powered by at least one battery. The LED lights up when a strip of insulating material is withdrawn from between the battery and the LED to complete the circuit and the balloon is thereby illuminated from its interior.
In other versions of illuminated balloon, a switch may be provided which can be manually actuated to connect or disconnect a light source from its power source thereby selectively to illuminate the balloon cavity.
In the applicant's known party balloon the illumination device is mounted to the inside of the balloon wall by having a projection which is engaged from outside the balloon by an attachment element, such as a clip or a band, more specifically an O-ring of elastic material. Projections in the form of a partially spherical button or, more preferably a flattened button, were proposed.
Although the applicant's earlier specification is primarily concerned with a balloon formed in one piece of elastomeric material, such as latex, the manner of mounting the illumination device inside the wall by means of a projection engaged from outside by a clip or band or similar is also applicable to a balloon formed from two sheets of flexible material connected around their edges, the sheeting being formed of substantially inelastic material, such as metallised plastics material or Mylar.
However, other means of mounting an illumination device to the wall of a balloon are possible. For example the device may be attached by adhesive when the balloon wall material is of the substantially inelastic type.
Typically it is intended that the illumination device should only operate once the balloon is inflated so as to light up the inflated balloon.
In the event that the balloon bursts when inflated, the illumination device which has been mounted inside may be flung out at some speed.

SEATRIEVER INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED


A display device capable of discharging liquid includes a display panel for displaying an image; a panel driver coupled to the display panel configured to drive the display panel; and a guide frame coupled to a rear surface of the display panel and supporting the display panel, wherein the guide frame defines a circuit arrangement space to accommodate the panel driver, and the guide frame has at least one liquid discharging opening through which liquid in the circuit arrangement space is discharged to an outside of the display device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a display device for displaying an image, and more particularly, to a display device for discharging liquid that flows into the inside.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting displays (OLEDs) have been developed to replace cathode ray tubes that are initial display devices.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a related art display device.
With reference to FIG. 1, the related art display device 1 includes a display panel 2 that displays an image, a guide frame 3 that supports the display panel 2, an upper cover 4 that surrounds a front edge of the display panel 2 and a side of the guide frame 3, and a panel driver 5 that drives the display panel 2. One side of the panel driver 5 is coupled to the display panel 2, and the other side is disposed at a side of the guide frame 3.
However, the related art display device brings about a problem in that the panel driver 5 and the other metal elements are corroded by liquid L that flows into the inside, such as during cleaning of the screen, through a space between a front surface of the display panel 2 and the upper cover 4.


A wrist-worn device having the form of a continuous loop. The device comprises a plurality of elongate links, each link comprising at least one magnet, the links being connected to form a chain with neighbouring links being pivotable with respect to one another about a pivot axis that is substantially radial with respect to said loop. The magnets of neighbouring links have a respective positioning and polarity to provide an attractive force between the pair of neighbouring links when the pair of neighbouring links are in a side-by-side arrangement, whereby the chain of links has a first configuration in which the links are retained by the attractive force in the side-by-side arrangement, and a second configuration of greater length than the first configuration.

Wearable devices are devices that can be worn on the body as accessories. In the field of wearable devices, connection structures that secure a device to a user's body typically include a loop for encircling a part of the user's body, and the loop is either selectively openable or (permanently) closed using a connection structure.
Openable connection structures connect two parts of a device that would typically not be connected when the device is not worn. An example of an open structure is where two ends of a strap are joined by a connecting buckle. Straps can be formed of flexible materials, such as leather, which are pleasant to wear for protracted periods. However buckles can be difficult to employ in use because they require both hands to operate.
Closed connection structures form a (permanently) closed loop, but some permit the circumference of the loop to be varied to allow the user to put the device on, so that the device can be worn. Examples of closed connection structures include bracelets, loops with butterfly buckles and loops formed with elastic materials.
A bracelet is a fixed size ring through which a user's wrist has to be forced. The bracelet diameter may be about the width of the user's palm, so bracelets can be difficult to put on but they stay loose on the wrist.
Butterfly buckles are typically used to connect links on stainless steel watchbands. However they have a complicated structure and it is difficult to adjust the length of the buckles without using specialist tools.
Loops formed of elastic materials, for example elastic rubber bands, conform to a user's body parts. However their elasticity decreases over time and they can be uncomfortable to wear. Elastic materials are therefore unsuitable for prolonged use of a wearable device. Furthermore, they are not easily compatible with cover layers of flexible material which is not sufficiently elastic to stretch as the circumference of the loop varies. For example, leather is incapable of stretching to such an extent.
It would therefore be desirable to have a more suitable wearable device, particularly for prolonged usage.


A voltage regulator includes a current bridge and first and second current paths coupling a current mirror to respective first and second voltage-to-current converters. The current mirror controls a second current dependent on a first current. The first voltage-to-current converter controls the first current dependent on either a reference voltage or a feedback voltage derived from the regulator's output voltage, and the second voltage-to-current converter controls the second current dependent on the other of the feedback and reference voltages. Voltage-to-current conversion by the first converter is independent of voltage-to-current conversion by the second converter. An output transistor stage coupled to the second current path controls the output voltage dependent on the voltage in the second current path indicative of a deviation of the second current from a target current value dependent on the reference voltage.

Low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulators are widely used to supply power to integrated circuits due to their ability to operate at a low voltage and their high power efficiency. An LDO voltage regulator is a voltage regulator which is able to regulate an output voltage to a predefined value with a very low difference between an input voltage and the output voltage. Such a voltage regulator may be embedded in an integrated circuit or may be provided externally.
A typical LDO voltage regulator known in the prior art comprises an output stage implemented as common source or common emitter transistor amplifier and an error amplifier arranged in a regulation loop which generates an error signal by comparing the output voltage to a reference voltage and which drives the output stage with the error signal.
An LDO voltage regulator 30 suitable for implementation in a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) device is illustrated in FIG. 1. An input voltage VDD is supplied to a source of an output transistor 14, which is a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), and the output voltage VOUT is delivered at a drain of the output transistor 14. Coupled between the drain of the output transistor 14 and a node, which may be a ground, are series coupled resistors R1 and R2. The junction of the series coupled resistors R1, R2 is coupled to a non-inverting input of an error amplifier 12. An inverting input of the error amplifier 12 is coupled to a reference voltage VREF, and an output of the error amplifier 12 is coupled to a gate of the output transistor 14. The output voltage VOUT is delivered to a load, which is represented by a load resistive element RL coupled to the drain of the output transistor 14. In order to decouple the voltage regulator 30 from the load, a load capacitive element CL is coupled to the drain of the output transistor 14 in parallel with the load resistive element RL. In order to ensure stability, a series coupled feedback capacitor CF and feedback resistor RF are coupled between the drain and a gate of the output transistor 14. The feedback capacitor CF can require a large silicon area for implementation in an integrated circuit. The load capacitive element CL can require an even larger silicon area, or can necessitate the use of an external discrete component. The use of an external discrete component can be undesirable due to the additional space required and parasitic components introduced by additional interconnections. Furthermore, the presence of the feedback capacitor CF can reduce the speed of operation of the voltage regulator 30, resulting in fast changes in the output voltage VOUT when fast changes occur in the current drawn by a load coupled to the output voltage VOUT, such as can occur when parts of load circuits are switched on and off for power conservation. Fast changes in the output voltage VOUT can be reduced by means of filtering using a suitably large load capacitive element CL, although the load capacitive element CL can also reduce the stability of the voltage regulator 30, which can oscillate if the load capacitive element CL is very large.
An alternative voltage regulator 40 known in the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 2. Its architecture differs from the architecture of the LDO voltage regulator 30 of FIG. 1 in two respects. First, its output stage comprises an n-channel MOSFET output transistor 16 with its drain coupled to the input voltage VDD and the output voltage VOUT delivered at its source. This configuration has improved stability, because the output transistor 16 normally doesn't introduce a dominant pole in the frequency range where the voltage regulator 40 has gain. Second, due to the improved stability, the feedback capacitor CF and feedback resistor RF of the LDO voltage regulator of FIG. 1 are omitted. However, the voltage regulator 40 of FIG. 2 is not an LDO voltage regulator. This is because the error amplifier 12 has to be capable of delivering at its output a voltage exceeding VOUT+VGS, where VGS is the gate-source threshold voltage of the output transistor 16 which is normally in the range 0.6 to 0.7 volts, and therefore the input voltage VDD must also exceed VOUT+VGS.
A further voltage regulator 50 known in the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 3. Its architecture differs from the architecture of the voltage regulator 40 of FIG. 2 by employing a charge pump 18 to convert the input voltage VDD to a higher voltage VH, for example double the output voltage VDD, by charging a storage capacitor CQ2. The higher voltage VH is supplied to the error amplifier 12. This architecture can enable LDO operation. However, the storage capacitor CQ2, and a pump capacitor CQ1 required for the operation of the charge pump 18, can require a large silicon area for implementation in an integrated circuit, and the higher voltage VH may exceed the technological limits of modern sub-micron technologies. Also, this architecture can result in increased power consumption.


The invention includes a method and an apparatus for treating, in particular cooling, a layer of bulk material by means of a stream of gas passed through it on a grate. The grate includes a plurality of elongated planks which extend in a conveying direction and are driven in advancing and return strokes in the conveying direction in such a manner that at least two adjacent planks are moved forwardly simultaneously and are moved backwardly non-simultaneously. Since the material located on a plank which is being moved back is prevented from completely following the plank moving back by the friction generated with the material located above the adjacent planks or with the wall, the conveying effect in the conveying direction outweighs the conveying effect in the opposite direction.

It is known to treat a bed of bulk material with gas by conveying it continuously over a grate so that the gas flows through it. To cool combustion material, for example cement clinker, it is customary to use what are known as pusher grates, which comprise overlapping rows of, in alternation, stationary grate plates and grate plates which are moved forward and back in a conveying direction (DE-A 3 734 043). The grate plates are used to blow cooling air into the bed of material, and this air is discharged above the bed of material in order for the heat to be recovered. For economic operation, pusher grates require complex mounting of the moving parts and are also complex since they are composed of relatively small parts. Another known design of grate makes use of a stationary, air-permeable supporting base, over which the layer of material is moved by means of scrapers which are moved continuously in the conveying direction or by means of reciprocating pusher members (EP-A 718 578; DE-A 10018142). The scrapers or pusher members have to be guided moveably through the grate surface from below, which is a complex arrangement. Moreover, they are exposed to high levels of wear within the hot layer of material. The passage of air is impeded and the cooling action restricted in the region of the grate in which they and their driving and sealing members are located. Yet a further type of cooler (DE-A 101 13 516) uses a large-area grate which is moved forward and back in its entirety, the bed of material being held in place by a blocker plate arranged at the start of the grate during the return stroke, so that the grate can slide beneath the blocker plate. This has the drawback that the grate length which can be utilized is limited on account of the barrier formed by the blocking action.
Working on the basis of the above prior art, the invention is based on the object of providing a method and an apparatus for treating, in particular cooling, a layer of bulk material which rests on a grate and has a stream of gas passing through it, which promise a simple structure and simple operation as well as uniform treatment of material even with a considerable grate length.
The method according to the invention uses a grate which comprises a plurality of planks which are elongate in the conveying direction. A plurality of these planks are moved forward and back in the conveying direction in order to move the material in the conveying direction. The movement is controlled in such a way that each individual plank in each case moves forward in the conveying direction together with at least one adjacent plank and in each case moves back at a different time from the adjacent planks. In this case, the width of the planks is made so narrow that during the backward movement of a plank the backward conveying action exerted on the material above it, which is based on the friction between the plank in question and the material, is lower than the forward conveying action or holding action which is based on the friction exerted by the respectively adjacent material or by the side walls. The result of this is that when a plank moves back between two stationary planks, the strip of material above it is mostly or completely held in place by the material located above the adjacent planks, and consequently to this extent does not follow the plank which has been moved back individually. When two or more adjacent planks together with the material located thereon move simultaneously in the conveying direction, surrounding an individual plank which is stationary or moving in the opposite direction, they also carry with them the or at least a significant part of the strip of material located on the latter plank. By suitable movement control, in which the return stroke of each plank is controlled in such a way that the adjacent planks hold the material located thereon in place while the forward stroke is always carried out by a plurality of adjacent planks simultaneously, the bed of material is conveyed in the conveying direction.
This conveying principle has long been known (DE-B 1 296 087, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,534,875, 4,144,963). In the field of conveying technology, this principle does not play a major role, since it is generally simpler for the layer of material to be moved by means of pusher members or scrapers which move above the supporting surface. By contrast, in the context of the invention it constitutes a particular advantage, since there are no conveying members above the grate which would be exposed there to the possibly aggressive action of the treatment atmosphere or the material.
A further advantage of the invention consists in the fact that the mixing action exerted on the bed of material by the conveying movement is low. In particular, there is a lack of vertical mixing movement in the bed of material. The result of this is that in the case of a cooling process the treatment gas passes through the hottest layers last and the result is an improved recovery of heat compared to what is possible with more lively vertical mixing of the bed. Corresponding statements can also be made with regard to other types of heat or mass transfer. However, if a more intensive movement of material is desired, for example in order to avoid caking, this can be brought about by the forward conveying not taking place uniformly over the entire width of the grate, but rather in sections, so that a relative movement is generated between these sections. Another possible way of moving the material to a greater extent consists in selecting a higher grate frequency. Finally, a movement within the bed of material can be produced by stationary internals which project into the bed.
The return stroke is expediently faster than the forward stroke. Furthermore, it may be expedient if the plurality of planks constantly moves at the same speed in the conveying direction. This makes it possible to ensure that the layer of material always moves at a substantially constant speed without energy losses or disruptive shaking being produced by coming to a standstill and starting up again.
In the case of a combustion material cooler, it may be expedient for at least one plank close to the edge to be moved at a lower frequency and/or amplitude than the planks located further toward the inside, in order in this way to prevent the material at the edge of the bed from flowing undesirably quickly. Instead or in addition, it is possible to provide stationary edge planks. It is also possible for the other moving planks to be controlled differently with regard to frequency and amplitude, so that it is possible to take account of different demands imposed on material over the width of the grate. Specifically, depending on the nature of the combustion furnace connected upstream of the cooler and/or of the furnace discharge, it is possible that the properties of the material will not be uniform over the width of the bed. In order nevertheless to achieve a conveying speed which is identical or, depending on circumstances, deliberately different, it may therefore be desirable for the conveying movements of the planks in one part of the grate to be more intensive than in another part of the grate. A different conveying action on the part of the planks can also be achieved by some of them from time to time not participating in the stroke of the planks which are otherwise moved with them. By way of example, it is possible to provide for a plank to participate only in every other conveying stroke of the adjacent plank or for it to miss out on every seventh conveying stroke.
Finally, it is also possible to arrange suitable brakes which are formed by stationary obstacles in regions in which experience has shown that the material tends to reach higher speeds or even to shoot straight through. By way of example, stationary intermediate planks, which if appropriate may also be provided with flow obstacles projecting into the bed of material, may be provided between adjacent planks. It is also possible for internal fittings which project over the grate from the side walls to be provided, so that the uniform structure of the base does not have to be disrupted by internal fittings. The internal fittings which project over the grate from the side could have a height which is lower than the normal bed height, so that they constantly engage in the bed in order to prevent its edge regions from flowing more quickly. If it is merely necessary to prevent material above the normal bed from shooting straight through, their height is selected in such a way that they are located where such a phenomenon is to be expected, i.e. above the normal bed height.
The gap between adjacent planks is expediently sealed in order to prevent material from dropping through the grate and/or to prevent gas from passing through. The seal used is preferably a labyrinth seal in which a longitudinal strip which is secured to the edge of the plank is immersed in a bed of the material which is held by the adjacent plank or a special channel. A simple design of this principle is known (U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,593), in which an edge strip projects upward from the edge of one plank and an edge strip which projects downward from the other plank engages over it. In this case, however, the seal is located in the aggressive region of the material which is to be treated. Therefore, according to the invention preference is given to an embodiment in which the sealing arrangement is arranged beneath the planks. In this case, a longitudinal channel which is open at the top and in operation receives a bed of the material is arranged in a stationary position at the edge of one plank or separately. A longitudinal strip projects from the edge of the plank into this channel and into the bed which forms therein. Together, these parts form a seal preventing bulk material which enters the channel through the gap located between the planks from passing through. Moreover, the arrangement forms a seal or at least one flow obstacle to gas between the space beneath the grate and the space above the grate. A limited passage of gas may be desirable, so that the desired gas treatment in the bed of material can also take place above this sealing device. For this purpose, it will in many cases be sufficient for one side of the upwardly open channel to be connected to the space beneath the grate.
According to a particular feature of the invention, the sealing device or a stationary intermediate plank located between two adjacent planks is supported by a stationary wall which separates the spaces beneath the grate below the adjacent planks from one another. This enables the material located on adjacent planks to be ventilated to different extents.
During operation, the strip which projects downward into the channel from the edge of a plank should always maintain a sufficient spacing from the channel walls, so that the material is not crushed between the strip and a channel wall. This can be achieved by making the lateral spacing between the strip and the channel walls greater than the lateral guide clearance of the planks including any thermal expansion. Furthermore, for the same purpose it may be expedient for the gap between the bottom edge of the strip and the base of the channel to be smaller than the gap between the strip and the channel wall.
If the channel is provided in a stationary position, a longitudinal strip may project downward into this channel from each of the two plank edges which are to be sealed with respect to one another. However, it is also possible for the channel to be connected to the edge of one plank and for the downwardly projecting strip to be connected to the edge of the other plank.
That part of the channel which is in direct communication with the plank gap will generally be completely filled with bulk material. During the relative movement of the strip and the channel with respect to one another, some bulk material will also pass through to the other side beneath the strip. The vertical spacing between the lower edge of the strip and the channel base should be small, so that this passage of material is inhibited. Moreover, the channel walls should be high enough to reliably prevent the material from overflowing into the space beneath the grate. An overflow of this type is unlikely because the channel is constantly emptying itself. Because the strips of adjacent planks are moved forward together and back individually, the bed of material located in the channel will be moved to a greater extent in the conveying direction than back and will be pushed out of the end of the channel, which should be open for this purpose. Since there is no risk of the material moving backward, the rear end of the channel, adjacent to the feed end of the grate, can be open.
It is customary to connect a short section of grate whose feed surface is particularly suitable for direct feed of the material which drops out of the furnace and which is consequently referred to as a feed section upstream of the grate of a combustion material cooler. During their movement, the feed-side ends of the planks of the grate section according to the invention move more or less far under the feed section. For the relative movement, they require a certain clearance between their top side and the underside of the feed section. To prevent cool air from entering the bed of material from the space beneath the grate, which is under excess pressure, as a result of this clearance without having flowed through and cooled the grate, it is expedient to provide a sealing arrangement in the region of which this clearance is reduced.
Advantageously, the top side of the grate is provided over substantially its entire surface with hollows in which cooled material collects, preventing direct contact between the grate and hot layers of material. The feed-side ends of the planks are expediently also equipped with hollows of this type. When they move under the feed section of the cooler and there is no longer any load from the bed of material at that location, there is a risk of the treatment gas which penetrates into the hollows from below blowing out the contents of the hollows or at least the fine material. According to a further feature of the invention, therefore, there is provision for the air passage openings in the hollows to be blocked off from the supply of air when they are located beneath the feed section of the cooler.
An important advantage of the invention consists in the fact that the wear to the grate and its bearing members does not impair its function. Therefore, the bearing members can be of simple configuration. By way of example, the grate may be mounted on rollers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for treating a layer of bulk material


A retractable step assist for a vehicle comprises a step, an actuator, an optical fiber sensor, and a safety. The step is movable between a retracted position and a deployed position that is downward and outboard from the retracted position. The actuator is mechanically connected to the step to position the step. The optical fiber sensor has an output that varies when pressure is applied to the optical fiber sensor. The safety is triggered by this output from the optical fiber sensor. The safety is configured to terminate retraction of the step when the optical fiber sensor senses pressure from an object pinched by the step deck.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to drive systems usable with stepping assists for motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is commonly known to add a retractable running board or stepping assist to the side of a motor vehicle, especially to a vehicle with a relatively high ground clearance. A variety of drive systems have been developed for these retractable stepping assists, for moving a step member between retracted and deployed positions. However, the drive systems are often unreliable, inefficient, too heavy, and/or too bulky. Accordingly, a drive system which overcomes one or more of these problems is desired.

Drive systems for retractable vehicle step


An occupant protection system for an automotive vehicle is provided which includes a pair of squibs for activating a pair of occupant protection units such as an airbag unit and a pretensioner for a seat belt, a backup capacitor, and a switching circuit. The switching circuit serves to allow the electric power stored in the backup capacitor to be supplied to at least one of the occupant protection units upon occurrence of a collision of the vehicle with another object when a sufficient power is not supplied from the power source to the squibs or when a line connected to the power source is broken by the collision of the vehicle.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an occupant protection system for automotive vehicles having a plurality of occupant protection units such as airbags and pretensioners for seat belts, and more particularly to an improvement of a control circuit designed to activate at least one of occupant protection units in the event of a collision, even if a failure of power supplied to the control circuit from a vehicle's storage battery occurs.
2. Background of Related Art
FIG. 3 shows a conventional control circuit for an occupant protection system for an automotive vehicle having mounted therein a pair of airbags.
The control circuit includes a single backup capacitor and two safing sensors 2 and 3. When an acceleration sensor 4 detects sudden deceleration of the vehicle caused by a vehicle collision, a microcomputer 5 turns on both transistors 6 and 7, thereby supplying the voltage of a vehicle's storage battery 15 to a squib 8 through an ignition switch 17, a diode 1a, and the safing sensor 2 and also to a squib 9 through the ignition switch 17 and the safing sensor 3 for inflating the pair of airbags.
If a connection between the battery 15 and the control circuit is broken due to a collision of the vehicle, a microcomputer 5 turns on the transistor 6 in response to a signal from the acceleration sensor 4 and applies the voltage from the backup capacitor 1 to the squib 8 through the safing sensor 2 for activating one of the airbags.
The above conventional control circuit, however, encounters the drawback in that the use of the safing sensors equal to the number of airbags results in an increase in the number of component parts of the control circuit, thus leading to increased total costs of the system.
Additionally, since the control circuit provides the voltage of the backup capacitor 1 only to the squib 8, it is impossible to activate the squib 9 if the battery 15 is disconnected from the control circuit due to a collision. Specifically, it is impossible to change the activation of the airbag according to the demands of a user.
For avoiding the latter drawback, U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,465 to Stonerook et al. teach a dual airbag restraint system which includes an additional backup capacitor connected in series with a safing sensor corresponding to the safing sensor 3 in FIG. 3. This system, however, also has the drawback in that circuit components are increased.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,547 to Schumacher et al. teach the use of a single backup capacitor and a single safing sensor. All squibs are simultaneously activated in the event of a disconnection of the system from a vehicle's battery caused by an accident. This system, however, also has the drawback in that it is impossible to switch an airbag operation mode in accordance with user demands.

Occupant protection system for automotive vehicle


A portable electronic device includes: first and second bodies connected to be relatively movable; a position sensing unit configured to sense at least one relative position set between opened and closed positions of the first and second bodies; and an output unit mounted on at least one of the first and second bodies and outputting an operation mode corresponding to the sensed relative position. A desired operation mode can be selected easily when the mobile terminal is moved to be opened and closed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic device and, more particularly, to a portable electronic device that has two or more bodies connected to be relatively movable each other and a method for selecting its operation mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the portable electronic device has a size that can be easily carried around by a user and provides certain functions to users upon being controlled electrically. An example of the portable electronic device will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show the related art slide type mobile terminal. Of the mobile terminal, first and second bodies 10 and 20 are connected to be slidable each other along a sliding direction S. General keys 11 for inputting numbers and characters are arranged on the first body 10, while a display 21 that outputs visual information such as time information and function keys 23 that receive an input for executing a particular function are arranged on the second body 20. A microphone and a speaker are not shown.
The first and second bodies 10 and 20 relatively move in the closed state or in a power saving mode (namely, in the state as shown in FIG. 1A) and in an opened state or in a standby mode (namely, in the state as shown in FIG. 1B).
In the power saving mode, the display 21 does not display any information, and when the mobile terminal is changed to the standby mode, the display 21 outputs or displays simple information such as time. In the standby mode state, the user may make a call by manipulating the general keys 11 or select a different operation mode, e.g., a text transmission mode or an image capture mode, by manipulating the function keys 23.
According to the mode selecting method, the user should change the mobile terminal from the closed state to the opened state and then select a desired operation mode from the entire menu by manipulating the function keys 23 several times. This operation mode selecting method causes user inconvenience in using the mobile terminal.
Therefore, alternatively, a hot key method is employed in which when some of the function keys 23 are manipulated one time, a corresponding operation mode is executed or outputted (displayed) on the display 21.
However, in the hot key method, a key should be allocated to every operation mode, so the number of function keys 23 increases proportionally. The increase in the number of keys makes the exterior of the portable electronic device complicate and leads to an increase in the overall size of the portable electronic device.

Portable electronic device and method for selecting operation mode thereof


An antibody capable of potentiating immune responses and modifying existing states of immune responsiveness is described, as is the sequence of the antibody. Also described are compositions containing the antibody, as well as methods for using the antibody and the compositions to enhance immune responses, to enhance DC function, to modify an existing state of immune responsiveness, to immunize individuals, or to treat or inhibit conditions such as allergic asthma.

Decavalent IgM antibodies display measurable binding avidity to antigens, even though binding affinity may be low. The multivalent structure of pentameric IgM provides the potential for cross-linking cell surface targets, endowing the soluble antibodies with biological potential not normally associated with immune function.
Dendritic cells (DC) are efficient antigen-presenting cells (APC). These cells express class I and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) peptide-presenting molecules on their cell surfaces, along with a series of costimulatory molecules (Banchereau and Steinman (1998) Nature 392:245-252). Naïve T cells express receptors for these DC ligands. Following recognition of peptide-antigen presented in the context of class I or class II molecules, the structure of the T cell membrane is reorganized, bringing together the elements of the T cell receptor with other cell-surface molecules, including the co-receptors CD4 or CD8 and the costimulatory receptors CD28 and CTLA-4 (Monks et al. (1998) Nature 395:82-86; and Wulfing and Davis (1998) Science 282:2266-2269). Interactions within the newly formed macromolecular complexes determine the outcome of inductive events transduced into T cells by DC.
DC reside in a variety of tissues and display distinct tissue-associated phenotypes (Strunk et al. (1997) J. Exp. Med. 185:1131-1136; Caux et al. (1996) J. Exp. Med. 184:695-706; Wu et al. (1996) J. Exp. Med. 184:903-911; and Vremec et al. (1992) J. Exp. Med. 176:47-58). The relationships among the cell lineages of these different subsets of cells are not firmly established. A large body of work has emerged focusing on DC generated in vitro from bone marrow or blood precursors (Mayordomo et al. (1995) Nat. Med. 1:1297-1302; Nonacs et al. (1992) J. Exp. Med. 176:519-529; Steinman and Witmer (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75:5132-5136; and Young and Steinman (1990) J. Exp. Med. 171:1315-1332). The cells generated in vitro express high levels of class I antigens and the series of costimulatory ligands associated with endogenous DC (Fagnoni et al. (1995) Immunology 85:467-474; and Banchereau et al. (2000) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 18:767-811). Importantly, they are able to efficiently activate naïve T cells, a function that is the signature of the DC.
Asthma is primarily a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. This primary inflammation causes two secondary symptoms: (a) overly reactive bronchi that are more sensitive to various asthma triggers such as allergens, cold and dry air, smoke and viruses, and (b) airflow obstruction (i.e., difficulty moving air in and out of the lungs). These symptoms are typically manifested by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, and chest tightness.
Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma. Many of the symptoms of allergic and non-allergic asthma are the same. Allergic asthma is triggered by inhaling allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollens, or mold. Through a complex reaction, these allergens then cause the passages in the airways of the lungs to become inflamed and swollen, resulting in asthma symptoms.
Allergic asthma is characterized by pulmonary inflammatory infiltration and hyperreactivity to variety of lung irritants and stimuli such as methacholine. The hallmark of allergic asthma is abnormal expansion of Th2 cells in the lungs (Wills-Karp (1999) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 17:255-281; and Ray and Cohn (1999) J. Clin. Invest. 104:985-993). DC act as the major antigen presenting cells to naïve T cells in lymphoid organs (Steinman (1991) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 9:271-296). DC are present in the respiratory tract, and upon isolation from the trachea, bronchi, alveoli and visceral pleura, they are capable of antigen presentation to T cells (Holt and Schon-Hegrad (1987) Immunol. 62:349-356; and Sertl et al. (1986) J. Exp. Med. 163:436-451). In addition, it has been demonstrated using an ovalbumin (OVA) model of allergic asthma that pulmonary DC prime T cells, inducing a Th2 phenotype. Treatment of mice with GM-CSF modulated this effect toward a Th1 polarity, with an accompanying increase in message for IL-12 (Stumbles et al. (1998) J. Exp. Med. 188:2019-2031).

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education & Research


An absorbent article having a main body portion and a pair of flaps joined to the main body portion. The flaps are folded over the garment side of the main body portion such that the flap adhesives and the central pad adhesives can be covered by a single release liner. The flaps may or may not be used while the absorbent article is being used, i.e., the absorbent article may be used by wrapping the flaps around the edges of the crotch region and securing the flap adhesives to the underside of a user's panty; alternatively, the flaps may be left in their folded configuration on the garment side of the main body portion and the flap adhesives may be secured, along with the central pad adhesive, to the inner crotch region of the panty.

All manner and variety of absorbent articles configured for the absorption of body fluids such as menses, urine, and feces are, of course, well known. Absorbent articles, particularly sanitary napkins, having wings or flaps are disclosed in the literature and are available in the marketplace.
Generally, absorbent articles having flaps will comprise a central absorbent means which is provided with an adhesive attachment means, or central pad adhesive, for affixing the central absorbent means to the crotch of a wearer's undergarment. The central pad adhesive is generally provided with a release liner to protect the adhesive from dirt, keep the adhesive from drying out and to keep the adhesive from sticking to extraneous surfaces prior to use. The release liner is peeled from the central pad adhesive to expose the adhesive surface which is then applied to the central crotch region of the panties to secure the central absorbent means in place. After being peeled from the central pad adhesive, the release liner is discarded.
Generally, the flaps of such absorbent articles extend laterally from a central absorbent means and are intended to be folded around the edges of the wearer's panties in the crotch region. Thus, the flaps are disposed between the edges of the wearer's panties in the crotch region and the wearer's thighs.
The flaps serve at least two purposes. First, the flaps prevent exudates which otherwise would soil the edges of the wearer's parities from doing such. Second, the flaps help stabilize the napkin from shifting out of place, especially when the flaps are affixed to the underside of the panties.
Sanitary napkins having flaps of various types are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,478, entitled "Shaped Sanitary Napkin With Flaps", which issued to Van Tilburg on Aug. 18, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,047, entitled "Sanitary Napkin Attachment Means", which issued to Mattingly on Aug. 26, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,876, entitled "Sanitary Napkin", which issued to Van Tilburg on May 20, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,343, entitled "Sanitary Napkin", which issued to McNair on Aug. 25, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,697, entitled "Disposable Sanitary Shield For Undergarments", which issued to Rickard on Aug. 20, 1968, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,271, entitled "Sanitary Napkin", which issued to Clark on Apr. 2, 1957, all of which patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Commonly, the flaps are provided with an adhesive attachment means, or flap adhesive, for affixing the flaps to the underside of the wearer's panties. The flap adhesive is generally provided with a release liner to protect the adhesive from contaminants such as dirt, keep the adhesive from drying out and keep the adhesive from sticking to the skin of the wearer and/or extraneous surfaces prior to use. The release liner is peeled from the flap adhesive to expose the adhesive surface which is then applied to the underside of the panties to secure the flap in place. After being peeled from each of the flap adhesives, the release liners are discarded. However, this arrangement requires the use of two hands to remove the release liner from each flap, i.e., the user must hold the flap with one hand and peel the release liner with the other hand. This also requires the user to dispose of three separate release liners which have been removed from the central absorbent means and each of the flaps of the sanitary napkin. Therefore, there is a need for a sanitary napkin having the flaps arranged relative to the central absorbent means such that the flap adhesives and the central pad adhesives can be covered with a single strip of protective release material.
Several concepts have been proposed to provide an absorbent article comprising a single release liner which protects both the central pad adhesive and the flap adhesives. U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,178 entitled "Sanitary Napkin With Flaps", which issued Oct. 20, 1987 to Glaug et al., teaches a double sided release liner. The first side of the release liner covers the central pad adhesive, and the flap are folded over the release liner with the flap adhesives contacting the second side of the release liner. Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,704 entitled "Intermittent Batwing Adhesive System For Sanitary Napkin", which issued Jul. 28, 1992 to Wheeler, teaches a sanitary napkin having bat-wing flaps (i.e., flaps which are wrapped around the edges of the wearer's panty and secured to each other). The body-facing side of at least one of the flaps has a flap adhesive joined thereto, and the garment side of the absorbent element of the sanitary napkin comprises an adhesive joined thereto which is longitudinally aligned colinearly with the flap adhesive. One side of a single strip of release liner covers both the adhesive of the absorbent element and the adhesive of the body side of the flap.
The absorbent articles of the prior art lack the aspects of the present invention whereby a disposable absorbent article comprising flaps, has flap adhesives joined to the garment side of each flap, and each flap is folded such that the central pad adhesive and the flap adhesives can be covered by one side of a single release liner. Additionally, the absorbent article of the present invention may have either bat-wing flaps or conventional flaps, i.e., flaps which are secured to the undergarment of the wearer as opposed to being secured to the other flap.
While flaps greatly improve the effectiveness of a sanitary napkin, the flaps of a sanitary napkin may hinder or impede application of the sanitary napkin to the crotch of the wearer's panty. Currently, each of the flaps of a sanitary napkin have an end, the distal end, which may move freely relative to the sanitary napkin. Once the release paper of the central pad adhesive is removed by the wearer, the distal ends of the flaps may fall between the crotch portion of the wearer's panty and the sanitary napkin and may become adhered to the central pad adhesive. Therefore, there is a need for a sanitary napkin having flaps positioned so that they will not interfere with the application of the sanitary napkin to the panty.
While sanitary napkins having flaps are commonly viewed as providing better protection against soiling as compared to sanitary napkins without flaps, some women still prefer a sanitary napkin without flaps, and some women who generally prefer a sanitary napkin with flaps, occasionally (such as on light flow days) prefer a sanitary napkin without flaps. However, currently available sanitary napkins having flaps will not function properly unless the flaps are used (i.e, are folded down along the edges of the crotch of the wearer's undergarment and affixed to the underside of the undergarment). For example, prior to use the flaps of a sanitary napkin are folded over the garment side of the sanitary napkin or are folded over the body-facing side of the sanitary napkin. Therefore, if the flaps are not used while the sanitary napkin is being used, the flaps will either obstruct the surface intended to receive bodily exudates on the body-facing side of the sanitary napkin, or will obstruct the adhesive or other fastening means positioned on the garment side of the sanitary napkin. Therefore, there is a need for a sanitary napkin having flaps which may or may not be used while the sanitary napkin is being used.
Absorbent articles, such as sanitary napkins, which can be packaged as individual units have proven to be very useful. Individually packaged absorbent articles are shown in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,146 entitled "Individually Packaged Disposable Absorbent Article", which issued on Dec. 3, 1985 to Swanson et al., discloses a wrapper which overlays one major surface of an absorbent article and forms an individually packaged disposable absorbent article by folding the article and sealing the wrapper. However, when the absorbent article has flaps, the flaps will interfere with the positioning of the wrapper and will generally have to be positioned out of the way of the wrapper such as on the body-facing side of the article. Therefore, there is a need for an improved disposable absorbent article having flaps, which can be easily formed into an individually packaged disposable absorbent article.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, having flaps folded such that the flap adhesives and the central pad adhesives can be protected by a single piece of release liner.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, having flaps which are folded and arranged such that the flaps will not interfere with the application of the sanitary napkin to the crotch of the wearer's panty.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, having optional side flaps, i.e., flaps which are folded and arranged such that the flaps may or may not be used while the absorbent article is being used.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a disposable absorbent article having folded flaps and a wrapper which overlays one major surface of the article and the folded flaps to form an individually packaged disposable absorbent article.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Absorbent article having folded side flaps