A mask set of two masks and a method of using these masks in a double exposure to avoid line shortening due to optical proximity effects is described. A pattern having pattern elements comprising a number of line segments, wherein each of the line segments has one or two free ends which are not connected to other mask pattern elements is to be transferred to a layer of resist. A first mask is formed by adding line extensions to each of the free ends of the line segments. A cutting mask is formed comprising rectangles enclosing each of the line extensions wherein one of the sides of said rectangles is coincident with the corresponding free end of said line segment. The first mask has opaque regions corresponding to the extended line segments. The cutting mask has transparent regions corresponding to the cutting pattern. In another embodiment a pattern having pattern openings comprising a number of line segments. In this embodiment the cutting pattern comprises rectangles having the same width as said line segments and add length to the line segments.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to masks and methods for optical proximity correction of pattern images, and more particularly to the correction of line end shortening caused by optical proximity effects.
(2) Description of the Related Art
An important concern in the manufacture of integrated circuit devices is pattern distortion caused by optical proximity effects, particularly as critical dimensions in these patterns decreases. Much work has been done in developing methods to compensate for this pattern distortion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,649 to Liebmann et al. describes a lithographic patterning method and mask set using a phase shift trim mask having mask dimensions increased in block size so as to remove previous exposure defects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,741 to Kemp describes a lithographic method using double exposures, physical mask shifting, and phase shifting masks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,223 to Cleeves describes a lithographic patterning method using multiple exposures to provide for relatively reduced pitch for features of a single patterned layer.
As optical lithography is used to delineate 0.1 micron and smaller features, it inevitably works in a low k1 region. For example, for a 193 nanometer wavelength and a numerical aperture of 0.63 the value of k1, which is equal to the feature size multiplied by the numerical aperture and divided by the wavelength is equal to 0.33. At this low value of k1 the length of lines shortens when the width of the lines is kept at the desired dimension. Conventional solutions to this line shortening have included widening of the line at the line ends. This widening of the line ends takes additional space on the integrated circuit element however, which also limits the density of wiring in the circuit element.
It is a principle objective of this invention to provide a method of forming pattern line elements without line shortening without widening line ends, using double exposure and two masks.
It is another principle objective of this invention to provide a method of forming pattern line openings without line shortening without widening line ends, using double exposure and two masks.
It is another principle objective of this invention to provide a mask set of two masks for forming pattern line elements without line shortening without widening line ends, using double exposure and the two mask set.
It is another principle objective of this invention to provide a mask set of two masks for forming pattern line openings without line shortening without widening line ends, using double exposure and the two mask set.
These objectives are accomplished by forming a modified pattern mask and a cutting mask. A pattern having pattern elements comprising a number of line segments, wherein each of the line segments has one or two free ends which are not connected to other mask pattern elements is to be transferred to a layer of resist. Extended line segments are formed by adding line extensions to each of the free ends of the line segments, thereby forming a modified pattern. A cutting pattern is formed comprising rectangles enclosing each of the line extensions wherein one of the sides of said rectangles is coincident with the corresponding free end of said line segment.
A first mask having opaque regions corresponding to said modified pattern is then formed. A second mask having transparent regions corresponding to the cutting pattern is also formed. The layer of resist is then formed using a first exposure and the first mask. Next the layer of resist is exposed using a second exposure and the second mask for removing any excess line length. When the layer of resist is developed lines having the proper length result.
In another embodiment a pattern having pattern openings comprising a number of line segments, wherein each of the line segments has one or two free ends which are not connected to other mask pattern elements. A cutting pattern comprising rectangles having the same width as said line segments, add length to each of the free ends of the line segments, and overlap the free ends of said line segments is then formed.
A first mask having transparent regions corresponding to the pattern is formed. A second mask having transparent regions corresponding to the cutting pattern is also formed. The layer of resist is then exposed using a first exposure and the first mask. The layer of resist is then exposed using a second exposure and the second mask. When the layer of resist is developed lines openings having the proper length result.
The masks and method of this invention will work for forming images in either positive or negative resist.

Removal of line end shortening in microlithography and mask set for removal

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company


A switch device is provided that includes a first switch portion in which an upper electrode and lower electrodes face each other at a predetermined gap and a second switch portion having metal domes which are disposed at a lower side facing the first switch portion and expand to a predetermined height. A first spacer having a predetermined thickness A is disposed in the first switch portion to form a gap between the upper electrode and the lower electrodes, a second spacer having a thickness B equal to or greater than the expanded height of the metal domes is disposed in the second switch portion, and the thickness of the second spacer is greater than that of the first spacer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch device, and more particularly, to a switch device for pressing a first switch portion and a second switch portion to the same press position to operate the both switch portions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional switch device will be described with reference to Patent Document 1. As illustrated in FIG. 5, in the conventional switch device 20, a cover 21 made of a rubber plate is positioned at an uppermost portion thereof and an operation portion 21a is formed on the cover 21.
A first flexible printed board 22 is disposed under the cover 21 and a first common electrode 23 is formed under the first printed board 22.
The first printed board 22 is disposed on a first spacer 24 having a predetermined thickness and a first through-hole 24a which has the first common electrode 23 can be bent downward is formed in the first spacer 24.
In addition, a second flexible printed board 25 is disposed under the first spacer 24 and a pair of first individual electrodes 26 and 26 which are insulated from each other is formed at a position facing the first common electrode 23 on the second printed board 25 at a predetermined gap from the first common electrode 23.
Moreover, a first switch portion is composed of the first common electrode 23 and the first individual electrodes 26 and 26.
Furthermore, a second common electrode 27 is formed under the second printed board 25 and the second printed board 25 is disposed on the second spacer 28.
A second through-hole 28a which has the second common electrode 27 and can be elastically deformed downward is formed in the second spacer 28.
In addition, a third flexible printed board 29 is formed under the second spacer 28 and a pair of second individual electrodes 30 and 30 which are insulated from each other is formed at a position facing the second common electrode 27 on the third printed board 29 at a predetermined gap from the second common electrode 27.
Furthermore, a second switch portion is composed of the second common electrode 27 and the second individual electrodes 30 and 30.
Now, an operation of the conventional switch device 20 will be described. First, the cover 21 is bent downward by a first operation for slightly pressing the operation portion 21a using an operator's finger.
Accordingly, the first common electrode 23 is displaced downward and comes into contact with the pair of first individual electrodes 26 and 26.
The first individual electrodes 26 and 26 are electrically conducted to each other through the first common electrode 23 to turn on the first switch portion.
After the first operation, the cover 21 is more bent downward by a second operation for strongly pressing the operation portion 21a, compared with the first operation, and the second printed board 25 is pressed downward to be bent downward in the state that the first switch portion is turned on.
Accordingly, the second common electrode 27 is displaced downward and comes into contact with the pair of the second individual electrodes 30 and 30. Then, the second individual electrodes 30 and 30 are electrically conducted to each other through the second common electrode 27 to turn on the second switch portion.
In the conventional switch device 20, it is possible to turn on the first and second switch portions by the first operation for slightly touching the operation portion 21a and the second operation for more strongly pressing the operation portion 21a than the first operation after the first operation.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Examined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 48-99462
However, in the conventional switch device 20, since the thicknesses of the first and second spacer 24 and 28 are equal to each other, when the operator turns on the first switch portion by the first operation of the operation portion 21a, the second printed board 25 may be also pressed to turn on the second switch portion.
In other words, the second operation for turning on the second switch portion may be performed by the first operation for turning on only the first switch portion, thereby generating an incorrect input.


New lipase enzymes (both nucleic acids and polypeptides) are provided. Compositions which include these polypeptides, proteins, nucleic acids, recombinant cells, as well as methods involving the enzymes, antibodies to the enzymes, and methods of using the enzymes are also provided.

Lipases are enzymes which are involved in the breakdown of fats. Lipases are commercially important enzymes which have many current uses, including as reagents in food preparation processes (e.g., as additives to animal feeds), industrial degradative processes, crop engineering and even as treatments for several human diseases (e.g., indigestion and heartburn (e.g., for pancreatic insufficiency), secondary cystic fibrosis, Celiac disease, Crohn's disease, obesity, etc.). The activities and sequences of several hundred lipases are known. See, e.g., the world wide web at led.uni-stuttgart.de/.
Because lipase enzymes are of considerable commercial value, the identification and development of new lipase enzymes is desirable. The present invention relates to new lipase proteins and nucleic acids, e.g., having novel sequences and activities, as well as variants thereof.


An exemplary imaging lens includes, in this order from the object side to the image side thereof, a first lens of positive refraction power, a second lens of negative refraction power, a third lens of positive refraction power, and a fourth lens of negative refraction power. The imaging lens satisfies the formulas of: (1) 1<T/F<1.29; (2) R3/F>15 and (3) R7>0, R6<0, where T is the overall length of the imaging lens, F is the effective focal length of the imaging lens, R3 is the radius of curvature of the object-side surface of the second lens, R6 is the radius of curvature of the image-side surface of the third lens, and R7 is the radius of curvature of the object-side surface of the fourth lens.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to imaging lenses and, particularly, relates to an imaging lens having a high resolution and a short overall length.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to obtain high image quality, small-sized camera modules for use in thin devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistant (PDA), or webcams for personal computers, must have imaging lenses with high resolution but short overall length (the distance between the object-side surface of the imaging lens and the image plane of the camera module). Factors affecting both the resolution and the overall length of the imaging lens, such as, the number and position of lenses employed, the power distribution of the employed lenses, and the shape of each employed lens, complicate any attempt at increasing resolution and shortening overall length of imaging lenses. For example, reducing the number of lenses can shorten the overall length of the imaging lens, but resolution will suffer, conversely, increasing the number of lenses can increase resolution, but increases overall length of the imaging lens.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an imaging lens which can overcome the abovementioned problems.

Imaging lens with high resolution and short overall length


In an apparatus for position transformation of input image data according to a transformation function to thereby generate image data at the position of each pixel of an output image, it is detected whether or not each position is located inside the boundary of the input image and, if so, the input image data for that position is transformed according to the transformation function, but if not, stored background image data is transformed according to the transformation function instead.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for image transformation of an input image to an output image and more particularly to an apparatus for image transformation which reduces aliasing occurring at the edge portion of the output picture when an input image is transformed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Apparatus for image transformation which, when applied to television broadcasting and production of an animation, subject an input image to such transformations as rotation, magnification, reduction, and movement, or spread an input image over a curved surface in a three-dimensional coordinate system, to thereby generate an output image are well known, as for example, shown in the gazette of Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 61-230477.
In an apparatus for image transformation of a type which, when generating an output image by transforming an input image, produces the image data of each pixel of the output image by performing an interpolating calculation on four sets of picture data of the input image, the output image obtained by such a transformation of an input image becomes jagged exhibiting a stair-step appearance at its edge portion, which is the so-called aliasing effect. There has so far been known an art to reduce such an aliasing by applying a two-dimensional digital filter to an output image so that the data at the edge portion of the output image are averaged. However, if image data are averaged by means of such a two-dimensional digital filter, the edge portion of the output image becomes a blurred line and the resolution there becomes deteriorated.


An ultra-violet/visible/infra-red gamma-insensitive gas avalanche focal plane array comprising a planar photocathode and a planar anode pad array separated by a gas-filled gap and across which is applied an electric potential. Electrons ejected from the photocathode are accelerated sufficiently between collisions with the gas molecules to ionize them, forming an electron avalanche. The gap acts like a proportional counter. The array of anode pad are mounted on the front of an anode plate and are connected to matching contact pads on the back of the anode via feed through wires. Connection of the anode to signal processing electronics is made from the contact pads using standard indium bump techniques, for example.

The invention relates to photon detectors, particularly to ultraviolet, visible, and infra-red photon detection, and more particularly to a gamma-insensitive sensor which involves the conversion of incident optical photons into photoelectrons and subsequent amplification of these photoelectrons via generation of electron avalanches.
Photon detectors operate by converting photons into electronic signals that can be processed into pulses or images. These include devices such as photodiodes, photomultiplier tubes, vidicons, charged-coupled devices (CCD's) etc. All photon detectors are characterized by their sensitivity to photons as a function of photon energy, their ability to amplify incident photons into large electrical signals proportional to the incident photon intensity (gain), their ability to distinguish fine detail in an image (position resolution), their temporal response to incident photons (time resolution), and their inherent noise level (dark current).
Various types of photon sensing or detection devices and imaging systems using the detected photons are known in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,729 issued Jul. 16, 1991 to G. Charpak; U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,395 issued Aug. 1, 1989 to R. R. Alfano et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,921 issued Aug. 18, 1987 to H. Kojola; U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,753 issued Jan. 14, 1986 to G. VanAller et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,578 issued Jan. 24, 1978 to J. G. Timothy et al.
Optional sensors operating in ultraviolet, visible, and infra-red wavelength bands have a variety of applications. The current generation of sensors, such as exemplified above, uses various types of semiconductor focal plane arrays to detect the optical photons emitted, for example, by the combustion of fuel for propulsion, such as a various rockets and/or space vehicles. In certain applications, the optical sensors need to be capable of operating in environments, such as nuclear. One of these environments is the gamma flux emitted by fission or generated by neutron capture in the sensor and near-by materials. Ionizing events caused by these gammas, mainly via Compton, photo and pair-produced electrons, in the thin sensitive layers of the focal plane pixels, will blind the sensor once the gamma flux is sufficiently large so as to produce one or more ionizing events in each and every pixel in the time interval during which the pixels integrate the charges produced by optical photons. For certain applications this blinding gamma flux is on the order of 10.sup.8 gammas/cm.sup.2 /sec and higher.
When a single Compton electron traverses the sensitive layer of a semiconductor focal plane array pixel, which is typically 10 microns thick, it will deposit enough energy to produce on the average 10.sup.4 hole-electron pairs. An optical photon, when absorbed in this same layer, will produce only a single hole-electron pair. It is this 10.sup.4 :1 advantage of a Compton electron relative to an optical photon that enables as little as one gamma event to overwhelm the charge deposited on a pixel from all the optical photons collected in a typical sample time.
It is thus seen that there is a need for an optical photon sensor capable of operating in a gamma flux environment. The gamma-insensitive optical sensor of this invention satisfied that need, by providing a sensor wherein the gammas can be rejected or distinguished from the optical photons.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


An articulating probe, comprises a first mechanism including a first link comprising a first longitudinal axis, a first articulation surface and a first motion-limiting element; and a second link comprising a second longitudinal axis, a second articulation surface and a second motion-limiting element. An articulation joint comprises the first articulation surface and the second articulation surface and constructed and arranged to allow two degree-of-freedom articulation of the second link relative to the first link. A motion resisting assembly comprises the first motion limiting element and the second motion limiting element, wherein the motion resisting assembly is constructed and arranged to resist rotation of the second link about the second longitudinal axis relative to the first longitudinal axis of the first link.

As less invasive medical techniques and procedures become more widespread, medical professionals, such as surgeons, may employ snake-like robotic systems having highly articulated multi-link probes to access parts of the human anatomy that were otherwise difficult to reach. With the use of such robotic systems, medical professionals may be able to replace open-cavity surgical procedures with less invasive procedures.
Robotic systems of the type described above may have multiple device channels, referred to as working channels, for guiding a variety of surgical and/or interventional tools during surgical procedures. Conventional articulating probes, which generally comprise a series of steerable links, are subject to twisting, from link to link, which can adversely affect the performance of the articulating probe.

Highly articulated probes with anti-twist link arrangement, methods of formation thereof, and methods of performing medical procedures


A method and apparatus for detecting symbols in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (“MIMO-OFDM”) system. A MIMO-OFDM receiver includes a first detector that estimates a symbol of a first MIMO-OFDM sub-carrier and a second detector that estimates a symbol of a second MIMO-OFDM sub-carrier. The second detector differs in complexity from the first detector. A detector control block is coupled to the detectors. The detector control block assigns the first detector to process the first MIMO-OFDM sub-carrier and assigns the second detector to process the second MIMO-OFDM sub-carrier. The detector control block computes a list metric for a sub-carrier. Based on the list metric the detector control block assigns a candidate symbol list length to the detector processing the sub-carrier. Alternately, the detector control block assigns one of a variety of detector types to a sub-carrier based on the sub-carrier list metric.

As consumer demand for high data rate applications, such as streaming video, expands, technology providers are forced to adopt new technologies to provide the necessary bandwidth. Multiple Input Multiple Output ("MIMO") is an advanced radio system that employs multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to simultaneously transmit multiple parallel data streams. Relative to previous wireless technologies, MIMO enables substantial gains in both system capacity and transmission reliability without requiring an increase in frequency resources.
MIMO systems exploit differences in the paths between transmit and receive antennas to increase data throughput and diversity. As the number of transmit and receive antennas is increased, the capacity of a MIMO channel increases linearly, and the probability of all sub-channels between the transmitter and receiver fading simultaneously decreases exponentially. As might be expected, however, there is a price associated with realization of these benefits. Recovery of transmitted information in a MIMO system becomes increasingly complex with the addition of transmit antennas.
Many MIMO detection algorithms have been proposed. The maximum-likelihood detector, while conceptually simple and exhibiting optimal detection performance, is often impractical because its complexity increases exponentially with the number of input channels. Consequently, a variety of algorithms have been proposed to solve the detection problem with reduced complexity while sacrificing minimal performance. A summary of many previously proposed MIMO detectors is given in Deric W. Waters, Signal Detection Strategies and Algorithms for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Channels (December 2005) (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology), http://etd.gatech.edu. In Bernard M. Hochwald & Stephan ten Brink, Achieving Near-Capacity on a Multiple-Antenna Channel, 51 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS 389-99 (2003), the list-sphere detector was proposed as a way to compute the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for the channel input. The list-sphere detector is one member of a large class of list detectors.
A MIMO system may employ orthogonal frequency division multiplexing ("OFDM") to increase spectral efficiency, reduce frequency-selective fading, and combat inter-symbol interference ("ISI") without computationally intensive equalization. OFDM partitions a high-speed data signal into a number of lower-speed signals that are transmitted in parallel over sub-divisions of the system bandwidth known as sub-carriers or tones. MIMO detection is applied to each of the tens or hundreds of sub-carriers of a MIMO-OFDM system. Therefore, efficient allocation of computational resources to MIMO-OFDM sub-carrier detectors is desirable. Note that the term OFDM as used herein also includes OFDMA systems where a given receiver only processes a subset of the tones in the OFDM symbol.

Dynamic resource allocation to improve MIMO detection performance


Various portable systems, devices and methods for imaging or visualizing blood vessels or other body tissue to facilitate accurate placement of a needle or other elongate instrument in blood vessels or other body tissue are described herein. In certain variations an imaging system for aiding needle insertion in a patient may include a mountable unit having an illumination source, an image sensor, and a display for displaying an image based on image information from the image sensor. The mountable unit may be configured for attachment to a hand of a user such that the user's hand on which the unit is mounted remains free to hold an object. The display may be positioned next to a needle insertion site during needle insertion by the user such that the needle insertion site and an image of the blood vessel and/or needle are simultaneously within the user's field of view.

Inserting an intravenous line (IV) requires knowing where a suitable vein or other blood vessel is located and how large a needle the vein will support. For non-Caucasian individuals, females, small children and neonates, the elderly, obese individuals, those who have acute medical problems, and others, veins may not be visible. Individuals who exhibit more than one of the above traits often have veins that can be very difficult to find and may require multiple attempts to insert an IV.
In these difficult cases, caregivers have traditionally resulted to palpating the area around a potential vein site rather than locating a vein visually. When dealing with sick individuals, or when working in an area where spread of contagious diseases is likely, such as a hospital, this may not be possible. Blood pressure may be too low, or a vein may be buried too deeply to find by touch. Regulations designed to halt the spread of MRZA or other contagion may require the caregiver to wear gloves, severely diminishing touch sensitivity and the chances of finding a suitable vein. Problems with inserting a needle into a vein can result in escalation procedures which require additional personnel to become involved or a central line to be inserted by surgery adding to infection risk and compromising patient safety. In all cases, critical time and resources are wasted, patient discomfort is increased, and patient care is compromised.
Many of the existing vein viewers on the market use near IR illumination, a technique originally popularized by Eastman Kodak and published in "Medical Infrared Photography" (N−1), Eastman Kodak Company, 1969. The near IR radiation is transmitted and scattered by the skin and absorbed by the hemoglobin in the veins. Therefore, in near IR light, the area above a vein appears darker due to the hemoglobin absorption than the area around it.
When preparing to insert an IV, the user generally goes through two distinct phases, surveying the area to find a suitable site, and inserting the needle into the vein at the site. Existing vein viewers suffer from some or all of the following drawbacks: they require more than one person or more than two hands to operate the device and insert a needle in the patient; obstruct a user's view of a needle insertion site; have poor contrast and need dimmed light; require external device support to free a hand for IV insertion; and don't provide magnification. Some vein viewers require the user to change focus between viewing an image of an insertion site and actual insertion site; they don't remain stationary during needle insertion; and add mass to the needle insertion motion negatively impacting the ability to properly insert a needle. Some related patents include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,817,622; 5,519,208; 6,230,046; 6,032,070; and 7,904,138. Thus, there is a need for an improved blood vessel or body tissue imaging device and method that overcomes the drawbacks of existing vein viewers.

Apparatus and methods for imaging blood vessels


The present invention relates to a hybrid process for producing molded plastic articles by reinforcing the walls thereof through the injection of a foamed thermoplastic material, thus increasing the thickness of the wall in previously determined zones in order to improve the mechanical characteristics thereof. According to the invention, said hybrid process comprises to strengthen previously defined zones of the plastic articles formed by any of the already known processes, such as: injection, extrusion, extrusion-blowing, injection-blowing, thermoforming, roto-molding, or any combination thereof; and afterwards the injection of a foamable thermoplastic material to fill up said strengthening predesigned zones.

The broadest known process in plastic industry, employed in the manufacture of articles is the "injection" molding. Said process was first known in 40's decade and in present times a great number of variations are known, related to the type of products to be manufactured and the materials employed in their manufacture. Therefore, a number of specialized machinery has been designed to inject every type of plastic (thermoplastic and thermoset), rigid and flexible, usable in several applications and with several geometric shapes and also with different wall thicknesses.
In all cases, the "injection" molding processes, as well as other plastic molding processes are aimed to satisfy specific needs, based on the application of the molded product, with lowest possible costs, by developing an optimal application to comply with the specifications while reducing costs and manufacture or molding times.
In this connection, the wall thickness in a plastic product to be manufactured is one of the most important items to take into account in a molding process, since a lower wall thickness evidently implies a lower weight and therefore lower costs. Also a lower wall thickness requires lesser manufacture times as a shorter cycle will be required which means lower production costs. The opposite is also true: A greater wall thickness implies greater weight and greater costs as well as also greater manufacture times as a longer cycle will be required.
Wall thicknesses traditionally used in an "injection" molding process range between 0.5 mm and 3.0 mm. There are also special applications requiring of "thin walls" of less than 0.5 mm, for the manufacture of which specially designed machinery is needed. On the other side, there are also applications with walls of more than 3.0 mm; but in this case grave problems can be experienced as sink marks and deformations may be formed in the molded part; but normally can be reached wall thicknesses of up to 4.0/5.0 mm.
A so-called "structural foam injection" process has been developed for those molded parts having wall thicknesses greater than 5.0 mm, wherein a plastic material is injected inside the mold together with a foaming or expanding agent which, upon reacting, makes possible to maintain an inner mold pressure that prevents the formation of sink marks and deformations in the product. With this process, parts with a thickness greater than 10 mm or more can be injected without sink marks and deformations. However, the molding times are considerably increased since the cooling time within the mold must be enough to cool down said thickness.
Providers of machinery for the "structural foam injection" process have developed machines having a number of clamping units so that, while a mold is being cooled down, another part may be injected, thus increasing the productiveness of the process. However, a drawback is inherent in said machines: they are highly costly and a number of molds are required in order to carry out this process.
Accordingly, in present times, after great developments in the manufacture of machinery and equipment to inject plastics, two well known processes of public dominion can be found:
1. High-pressure injection, the traditional injection process, wherein parts with wall thickness of up to 4.0/5.0 mm are molded.
2. Low-pressure injection, also known as structural foam injection, wherein parts with wall thickness of more than 6.0 mm are molded.
In order to clear the applicability and the difference between both processes, an example will be given about the manufacture of a school desk paddle-board.

Process for producing molded plastic articles having reinforced walls, through foamed thermoplastic injection


A combination apparatus incorporating a hard disk drive and an optical disc drive (audio-visual recording and reproducing apparatus) stores one or more keywords inputted as a result of user operation in a memory and monitors whether or not a closed caption signal contains any of the keywords. When the closed caption signal contains at least one of the keywords, output of images and audio corresponding to this closed caption signal and subsequent images and audio is stopped. A blue background may be outputted during stopping of outputting. The stopping of outputting may be released after a predetermined period elapses. When at least one of the keywords is contained in a closed caption signal during recording, images corresponding to the closed caption signal are subjected to mosaic processing and are recorded.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio-visual recording and reproducing apparatus equipped with a controller for controlling a closed caption signal.
2. Description of Related Arts
With the advent of digital broadcasting, as broadcasting has become multichannel, program content has also become more diversified. Further, optical discs such as DVDs have also become widespread, with a wide range of DVD titles also being provided. Situations where content such as programs and titles may depict scenes of violence or adult images may also therefore occur. "Parental locks" are therefore applied to restrict viewing of scenes it is not wished to show to children. By then reading out parental supervision information such as age restrictions from a signal, it is possible to restrict viewing when the age of the user corresponds to the age restriction.
Various technology relating to parental locks has been proposed. For example, JP-A-2004-7514 discloses a digital broadcast receiving apparatus where self-programmed parental supervision information that can be arbitrarily set and changed by a user is stored in an information storage section for each program. This type of parental supervision information is stored separately from parental supervision information added to each program by a broadcasting station. When a program viewing request is then made, it is determined whether or not the program is a program for which viewing is restricted. This determination is made based on a parental supervision value and a self-programmed parental supervision value for program information for a specific program. It is then indicated as to whether or not viewing is permitted.
Further, for example, JP-A-2006-140678 discloses a television receiver with recording and reproducing apparatus provided with a section for applying a viewing restriction function to a recording and reproducing apparatus-side. Viewing restrictions are then applied only to images exceeding a viewing restriction level set at the time of editing by the recording and reproducing apparatus.
In JP-A-2004-7514, viewing is restricted using self-programmed parental supervision information, while in JP-A-2006-140678, viewing is restricted using viewing restricting levels. This means that viewing is restricted using age. However, the method of applying viewing restrictions desired by the user is not just limited to age restrictions. The scenes that it is not wished to view may vary depending on the person. For example, it may be wished not to view a scene for religious reasons or for personal reasons.

Audio visual recording and reproducing apparatus


An extendable pontoon system is provided. The extendable pontoon system may include a center pontoon, two side pontoons, an adjustable frame and a plurality of actuator arms. The adjustable frame may include a plurality of fixed frame elements and a plurality of slidable elements. The plurality of fixed frame elements may be supported in a traverse relationship to and along the length of the center pontoon. Each elongated slidable element may have a received end and a hinged end. Each fixed frame element may be tubular having two opposing ends, wherein each opposing end may be adapted to slidably receive one received end. The plurality of hinged ends may be pivotably connected to either one of the two side pontoons. Each actuator arm has a fixed end and an extendable end, wherein the plurality of fixed ends are connected to one fixed frame element, and wherein the plurality of extendable ends are connected to the two side pontoons so that the two side pontoons are extendable relative to the center pontoon by shifting the two side pontoons between a contracted position to an expanded position.

The present invention relates to watercraft and, more particularly, to an expandable plurality-hull pontoon boat.
The width of pontoon boats is typically constrained by the limitations of slip-docking, storage, trailer preparation and other transportation considerations. Currently, expandable or extendable pontoon boats are limited in deck width because of the rigid attachment between the pontoons and the adjustable frame carrying the deck. Instructively, hull strength is a function of frame width
As can be seen, there is a need for wider extendable pontoon boats that may be placed in a contracted configuration for storage and transportation considerations yet be placed in an expanded configuration once afloat.


A surface mount component outer surface inspection system comprising a loader for assembling an inventory of surface mount components and feeding them outward in controlled rectilinear manner and in a timed sequence, a first transfer assembly including a first moving endless belt in racetrack pattern, the belt having a partially perforated outer surface and a vacuum pulled through the perforations from the outer surface along a portion of the belt, for receipt of and retaining the surface mount components from the loader in spaced-apart arrangement on the belt, a surface-mount component, upper-surface viewing device for bringing the exposed surfaces of the moving components into focus at an area for inspecting them for visual defects, a second transfer assembly including a second moving endless belt in racetrack pattern, the belt having a partially perforated outer surface and a vacuum pulled through the perforations from the outer surface along a portion of the belt, the second assembly adjacent the first endless belt located outside of the vacuum area of the first belt and spaced-apart from the upper-surface viewing device, for receipt of the surface-mount components on the opposite sides thereof from the first belt surface in similar spaced-apart arrangement, a surface-mount component, lower-surface viewing device for bringing the exposed surfaces of the components into focus at an area for inspecting them for visual defects, and means for determining the location of surface-mounted components that have failed the visual inspection and following same to a point where the failed components can be separated from other, successfully tested components on the second transfer assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of miniature electric components such as miniature computer capacitor chips and resistor chips used in various circuitry in the computer industry. These are called various names, such as "chips", "integrated passive components", "surface mount components", "array chips" and the like. More particularly, this invention pertains to a novel means of handling these miniature components for such operations as performing visual surface inspections that are required to sort them according to pass/fail visual inspections and electrical tests.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Developments in the computer industry continue at an unabated pace. Computers continue to grow in importance in our daily lives almost, it appears, to the point of dominating them. Computers reach all ages and areas of activity. Infants are exposed to computers through computer games that teach musical tones and image recognition. Computer games are available for preschoolers that lay the basis for enchancement of math, reading and geography skills. Elementary, junior high, high school and college students take classes in computer theory, programming and operation. For those who entered the work force before computers became a part of daily life, seminars, home-study courses and public television courses are offered to introduce the use of computers, computer operation and software opportunities. Every business in the United States of America uses computers somewhere in its operation.
The increased use of computers in business and education has created a demand for more computer capacity and faster processing times. It seems that each year, computers are made with greater performance and memory. Only a few years ago, computer memory was measured in megabytes whereas, today, it is measured in gigabytes. In addition, other electronic devices, such as VCRs, television sets, cameras, camcorders, auto alarms, radios and the like are all using more and more computer hardware to expand their capabilities. Competition among various electronic companies has forced computer and computer-accessory manufacturers to design more powerful and more capable circuitry.
At the center of all this activity are electronic components so small that one could easily overlook them. They are miniature capacitors and like devices, of a general size of 0.040 inches long with a square or rectangular cross-section 0.020 inches on a side, with spaced-apart, flat, end surfaces. These miniature capacitors are constructed of multiple layers of electrically conductive material held apart by minute layers of a ceramic dielectric that are assembled and fired to produce a tiny, ceramic device much smaller than a grain of rice. They are used by the thousands in computer circuitry. As such, they are in great demand. There are resistors of the same general size and shape that are included in the generic term "chips". Even more astonishing is the fact that some of these chips are now being made in multiple units, still smaller than a grain of rice, that have segregated conductive end surfaces. In computer circuitry, these chips are soldered directly to the computer circuit board on their flat side surface so that soldering connecting wires to the circuit board is eliminated.
These devices are so small that hundreds of them are contained in a teaspoon full. They are so small as to be incapable of visual inspection except under an intense magnifying lens, such as a microscope. In forming the solderable connections of this minute chips, the specifications call for accuracy in the order of a very few thousandths of an inch. Surface tension and other physical chemistry phenomena cause flaws to be developed in the surfaces of the chips that can render the chips unusable provided the flaw can be observed in time to remove the chip from further processing. For the special soldering techniques required on these minute chips, the conductive ends of the computer capacitor chips are coated with a silver paste, dried, and later fired at high heat to cure or set the silver paste. The conductive ends are thereafter treated with other materials, such as nickel plating, and the like, to make them amenable to being soldered to a specially designed copper "flat" or "trace" located on the computer circuit board. To apply this silver paste (called "terminating") to the computer capacitor chips, certain inventions have been made, in hand-operated tools and in machine-handling mechanisms, with which to position the chips for coating.
But metalizing and curing these computer capacitor chips is only part of the process. Before using them in any circuitry, each chip must be visually inspected for surface flaws and further tested to determine if it is of a capacitance value usable in a specific electric circuit and if it possesses sufficient other electrical and physical properties that will allow it to withstand the rigors of electrical operation. Further, each chip must be sorted into groups of pass/fail visual inspection and specific ranges of electrical properties so that they can be used most effectively in electronic circuitry.
Because of imperfections in materials and the multi-step nature of the chip-building process, each chip that has already been examined and found to be without surface flaws, still winds up with certain "parasitic" qualities, i.e., impedance qualities in addition to capacitance. Each parasitic quality affects and modifies the chip's capacitor characteristics. Accordingly, it is important to determine the nature and value of these parasitic qualities before inserting the chip into the electrical circuit.
The property of a capacitor that limits the flow of alternating current is called its reactance (X.sub.c) and is measured in ohms. The term impedance (Z), also measured in ohms, includes the effect of ordinary ohmic resistance as well as reactance.
"Capacitance" is simply the ratio of the charge acquired (Q) to the applied voltage (V) for any given pair of conductors that are near one another. More specifically: ##EQU1## A capacitor has a capacitance of one farad (F) if one coulomb of charge causes a potential difference of one volt. For most computer applications, however, a chip is measured in microfarads (1 .mu.F=10.sup.-6 F) or picofarads (1 pF=10.sup.-12 F). The test to measure the capacitance of the chip is called the "capacitance" (or CAP) test.
An ideal pure reactance dissipates no power; all energy used to charge the capacitor is recovered upon discharge. In the real world, however, there is always some associated resistance that dissipates some power thereby decreasing the amount of energy that can be recovered. A quality factor (Q) is used to describe a capacitors' purity. Q is 2.pi. times the ratio of energy stored to energy lost (over unit time), and is a unitless number. A Dissipation Factor (or Df) test is used to determine this property of the chip.
A "Flash" test is conducted on the chip for detecting internal flaws which are detrimental to the electrical integrity of the capacitor and cannot be found with normal capacitance and dissipation factor measurements. The most commnon surface flaws are cracks in the surface and smear or spill-over of solder from one conductor to another or to a spot on the surface that is designed to remain free of solder. The most common internal flaws take the form of irregular voids, cracks or open areas in the dielectric material that separates the conductors, embedded foreign material, thin spots in the dielectric or electrode, and poor contact between the electrodes and the terminiation paste. To uncover surface flaws, the chip is subjected to visual examination under a high-power microscope. To uncover internal flaws, the chip is typically subjected to a test voltage of more than twice its rated voltage, held (soaked) at that voltage for a short period of time, and any loss of voltage thereafter is measured.
The sequence of the "Flash" test is:
a. Part Present Test--verifies the capacitor is present and made good contact with the test probes. PA1 b. Charge--the capacitor is charged with a constant current to the proper stress voltage. PA1 c. Soak--the capacitor is held at this voltage for a short period of time. PA1 d. Test--leakage current through the capacitor is compared against a limit. PA1 e. Discharge--the capacitor is discharged at some constant current rate. PA1 f. Part Present Test--insures the capacitor did not open during previous testing. PA1 g. Check Test--performed because the capacitor may fail under the stress of the discharge as well as the charge itself. This test is a repeat of the previous test, only with a reduced voltage (usually the rated voltage). PA1 a. Station 1--Both CAP and Df PA1 b. Station 2--Flash PA1 c. Station 3--IR PA1 d. Station 4--Both CAP and Df (redundant)
The insulation resistance (or IR) is a measure of leakage current across the capacitor and is the product of the chip's resistance and capacitance. For example, a 1 .mu.F capacitor tested at 25 vdc with 1000 M.OMEGA. resistance, has an IR of 1000.OMEGA.-.mu.F, or a leakage current of 0.025 .mu.A. This test is usually conducted by charging the capacitor over a long period of time to insure a maximum charge, removing the charging electrodes, monitoring the discharge over a short period of time, and calculating the internal resistance of the chip by its rate of decay.
For efficiency in operation, these tests are usually performed sequentially as follows:
Also, since the soak time for the true IR test can be several seconds, there is often more than one station for the IR test, sometimes up to 10 charging stations and a single test station. This way, the chip can keep moving along with other chips through the test machine, and still be subject to the IR test, without slowing down the entire testing procedure.
Each of these tests requires physical contact with the conductive ends of the chips. In some tests, the contact is single and only momentary. In other tests, the contact is multiple and/or prolonged. Prior to these required tests, others have invented a machine to conduct tests upon those chips and sort them pursuant to their test results, reference U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,373. This patented machine relies on the process of placing the chips in a planar carrier and arranging the holes in straight files and straight rows. The carrier is first laid flat and loose chips cast over it, and the bank subjected to vibration to urge the chips into the holes. The chip-filled carrier is then raised up and placed on a trolley at an oblique angle, and indexed past a plurality of test probes. The chips rest against, or abut, a conductive layer and the probes are advanced into contact with only one end of the chip, the other end being treated in common with other chips through the conductive layer. Once the row of chips has been tested, the carrier passes into contact with a set of receptacles where the values assigned to a particular chip during testing finds a corresponding receptacle having a range of values into which the chip's value fits, whereupon the chips are blown by compressed air out of their respective holes and into a particular receptacle.
The problem with this machine is that it is a batch process and does not have the capacity to rapidly test and sort the large quantities of capacitor chips needed in today's markets. In addition, the tests that can be conducted with this machine are limited and cannot involve all of the tests now needed on modern chips. The patented machine has been modified to run by robotics; however, it remains a batch process with limited testing, high labor costs, and low output. In this patented machine with its robotic improvements, significant time is lost in loading the planar carrier with chips and transferring them to the machine to begin the testing operation, as well as removing the empty carrier and relocating it to a remote area for reloading with fresh chips. This lost time has become an important factor of late where higher and higher throughput rates are demanded in the industry.

Multi-function viewer/tester for miniature electric components


A device is protected from induced or unexpected current spikes or surges, by receiving the current spikes through a conducting wire. The conducting wire is placed adjacent to a parallel conducting wire having opposing current flow. Magnetic fluxes in either conducting wire create induced currents that reduce the current in the other conducting wire.

Electronic devices, such as wireless telephones, personal digital assistants, audio/video devices, etc. include integrated circuits (IC) chips or product chips that provide functionality. A product chip may be bound to a printed circuit board or substrate which connects the product chip to other product chips and/or to system components (e.g., processors, memory, etc) of the device.
In certain situations, the device may experience a current spike. Such a current spike may be either induced, for example as part of a certification test, or experienced during use of a product, such as an electrostatic discharge (ESD) received by the device. Current spikes can be received through one of various electrical (i.e., conductive) inputs or input points that are exposed by the device. Examples of exposed input points, include power connectors, data connectors (i.e., connections to other devices), and user input points (e.g., keypads).
Following the fundamental equation of voltage=L di/dt, where L is inductance (i.e., magnetic flux) and di/dt is change of current over time, if a current spike is experienced, a proportionally large voltage spike is also experienced. Example values that may be seen include a 30 Amp current spike that translates to about an 8 kV voltage spike. Such current and associated voltage spikes can cause significant damage to the device.
In order to address problems presented by current spikes, a separate electrostatic discharge or ESD chip is provided with or configured to product chip. The ESD chip is designed to protect the product chip from any such current spikes, typically receiving and diverting (i.e., shunting) the current spike input away from the IC or product chip. The use of a separate ESD chip adds to the size of the device. For example, as new functionality and product chips are integrated into a device, the separate ESD chip or chips take up valuable real estate in the device. Therefore, as devices, such as smart phones, evolve and provide greater functionality, it becomes a challenge to reduce or maintain the size of devices, while introducing new and different product chips and ESD chips.

Substrate, with ESD magnetically induced wires, bound to passives/product ICS


The present invention relates to the preparation of polyethylene glycol carbonate active esters useful for the PEGylation of biological active and pharmaceutically useful peptides and proteins. The invention involves the use of activated carbonate and oxalate esters in the formation of polyethylene glycol mixed carbonate active esters that then react with a linker or directly with a target peptide or protein.

A number of peptides and proteins have been developed as useful drugs largely by genetic engineering technique. However, their therapeutic potential is often severely limited due to their intrinsic properties as peptides or proteins. These molecules are readily metabolized by proteases and rapidly excreted by renal filtration. Furthermore, they may induce immunological reactions even if their sequences are similar to human proteins. It is therefore desirable to develop biologically more stable and long acting peptide- or protein-based drugs by chemical modification.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a hydrophilic, biocompatible and non-toxic water-soluble polymer of general formula H—(OCH2CH2)n—OH, wherein n>4. Its molecular weight varies from 300 to 40,000 Daltons.
It has been demonstrated that the conjugation of PEG to proteins and/or peptides significantly increases their duration of biological activity. PEG provides a more stable conformation and increases the size of the molecule, thus reducing its metabolic degradation and renal clearance. Furthermore, PEGylation may reduce the immunogenecity and improve the solubility of the peptide or the protein.
Various PEG-protein conjugates were found to be protected from proteolysis and/or to have a reduced immunogenicity [Monfardini, et al., Biocon. Chem., 6, 62–69 (1995); and Yamsuki et al., Agric. Biol. Chem., 52, 2185–2196 (1988)]
PEG conjugation is an already established methodology for peptide and protein modification pioneered by the work of Davis and Abuchowski [Abuchowski, A. et al, J. Biol. Chem., 252, 3571 (1977) and J. Biol. Chem., 252, 3582 (1977)]. PEG conjugation to peptides or proteins generally involved the activation of PEG and coupling of the activated PEG-intermediates directly to target proteins/peptides or to a linker, which is subsequently activated and coupled to target proteins/peptides. One of the key issues with the conjugation is the chemistry used to activate PEG and PEG-linker, which in turn will determine the coupling efficiency and specificity of the activated PEG or PEG-linker to its targets.
For example, the trichlorotriazine—activated PEG, which was found to be toxic and non-specific, was later on replaced by various activated PEG that could react specifically to amino group of the target peptides or proteins [Bencham C. O. et al., Anal. Biochem., 131, 25 (1983); Veronese, F. M. et al., Appl. Biochem., 11, 141 (1985).; Zalipsky, S. et al., Polymeric Drugs and Drug Delivery Systems, adrs 9–110 ACS Symposium Series 469 (1999); Zalipsky, S. et al., Europ. Polym. J., 19, 1177–1183 (1983); Delgado, C. et al., Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, 12, 119–128 (1990)], to sulfhydryl group [Sartore, L., et al., Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol., 27, 45 (1991); and Morpurgo et al., Biocon. Chem., 7, 363–368 (1996)] or to guanidine residues [Pande, C. S. et al., Proc.Nat.Acad.Sci., 77, 895–899 (1980)]. Another technical difficulty in protein PEGylation arises from the fact that a protein or a peptide often contains not only different functional groups such as amino, guanidine, hydroxyl or sulfhydryl, but it also has more than one of them. As a result, the product contains a mixture of conjugates with different PEG-protein stochiometries. The conjugation of PEG to growth hormone (GH) represents a typical example of such problem [Clark, R. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 36, 21969–21977 (1996)]. It was demonstrated that Lys residues of GH were PEGylated at random positions. Site-specific PEGylation of a protein remains a chemical challenge.
To increase the coupling specificity of the PEG to a protein or peptide, without significantly reducing its coupling efficiency, the carbonate esters of PEG have been frequently used to form the PEG-peptide or PEG-protein conjugates. N,N′-disuccinimidylcarbonate (DSC) has been used in the reaction with PEG to form active mixed PEG-succinimidyl carbonate that was subsequently reacted with a nucleophilic group of a linker or an amino group of a target protein/peptide (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,281,698 and 5,932,462). In a similar type of reaction, 1,1′-(dibenzotriazolyl)carbonate and di-(2-pyridyl)carbonate have been reacted with PEG to form PEG-benzotriazolyl and PEG-pyridyl mixed carbonate (U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,657), respectively.
However, the carbonate esters are not easily prepared. In general, to achieve good yield, phosgene is often used in their preparation. This reagent can be difficult to handle and dangerous in the large-scale synthesis.. Thus, the use of other but similar active esters, such as N,N′-disuccinimidyl oxalate and 1,1′-bis[6-(trifluoromethy)benzo-triazolyl] oxalate, which are prepared from oxalyl chloride, may be superior and safer in the preparation of PEG mixed carbonate active esters. Furthermore, the oxalate active esters can be more economically prepared than the carbonate active ester.


A portable tool for use by locksmiths and the like with an indexable slide having a positioning hole for nicely receiving a conventional chisel-type stamp. The tool has an adjustable clamp for releasably gripping and retaining a thin object, such as a key blank on a key bed beneath the slide and positoning hole. Spaced detents provide a guide for spacing and, by indexing the slide as desired, the stamp indicia can be applied in a neat and evenly spaced manner.

Originally manufactured keys carry identifying information, such as, names, number codes, etc., which is impressed or embossed thereon by automated, mass production processes. When a locksmith is required to duplicate a key or replace a lost key, the key blank that is employed is devoid of the original information. The locksmith is thereupon required to apply the information to the head of the key manually.
In general, information is cut or stamped into a key blank with sets of individual stamps. Each of the stamps comprises an elongated slug, usually rectangular in cross section, having a word, number, letter, or other character, cut on one face thereof. The information carrying face is positioned on the key blank and the stamp is then tapped with a hammer to chisel or engrave the information into the key. Since the keys are made of relatively hard metal, the accurate positioning of the stamp to apply the character carried thereby is not easily accomplished. When application of a series of characters is required, such as a multi-digit code, the accurate and neat stamping of those characters becomes particularly difficult.
Prior known locksmith tools have included structures in which the point of application of the stamp was fixed so that the key being stamped was required to be moved for the successive application of multiple stamps. Accurate placement of the stamped indicia thus was difficult and dependent on the visual acuity of the locksmith. In addition, repeated percussive blows over a period of use could result in damage or misalignment to any movable beds designed to hold the keys.
There thus exists a need for a tool or device capable of accurately positioning and spacing locksmith stamps of the type described so that the characters may be easily applied to the key in a neat and properly spaced manner.


A method of driving a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor includes sensing or estimating a back electromotive force induced in at least a winding of the motor by the rotation of a rotor of the motor; and reading, from a memory, values of a first voltage waveform having a phase angle with respect to the back electromotive force. The method also includes generating a driving voltage corresponding to the sum of values of a control voltage, obtained as product of the values of the first voltage waveform by a first coefficient determined as a function of a desired value of motor torque, and values of a cancelation voltage of the back electromotive force. The method also includes applying the driving voltage at the motor winding.

Electrically switched DC motors, such as stepper motors or more generally brushless motors, are used in numerous control and regulation applications and also in systems for driving mass memory devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, etc.
Hereinafter reference will be made to a three-phase electric motor, though the same observations also hold for a generic poly-phase motor.
Brushless motors may be driven using an integrated circuit, commonly called "smooth driver", of the type shown in FIG. 1 and illustrated in the document US 2009/0026990 herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The output stage is represented by a full-wave bridge circuit that, in the case of a three-phase motor, uses six bipolar (BJT) or field effect (MOS) power transistors, as shown in the figure.
Typically, a brushless motor is driven by properly supplying the phases of the motor synchronously with the instantaneous position of the motor. This may be done by energizing sequentially two windings of the motor with positive and negative voltages, respectively, leaving a third winding in a high impedance state. When a brushless "sensorless" motor is driven, the not energized winding is exploited for sensing the position of the rotor. The driving voltages or currents applied to the motor windings, instead of having a pre-established constant level during each switching phase, have a certain digitized pre-established (non constant) driving voltage or current waveform stored in a nonvolatile static memory device, for example, in an EPROM or EEPROM memory.
This technique is well known in the art, for example from the European patents EP 800262, EP 800263, EP 809349 and from U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,253 the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties, and for this reason will not be illustrated further. A basic scheme of the driver is depicted in FIG. 2, in which the functional blocks and the indicated signals have the meaning listed in the following table:
Profile AMemory device storing the voltagewaveform for winding AProfile BMemory device storing the voltagewaveform for winding BProfile CMemory device storing the voltagewaveform for winding CPower AHalf-bridge for driving winding APower BHalf-bridge for driving winding BPower CHalf-bridge for driving winding CMotorMotorPositionPosition signal of the rotorControllerControl circuitSpeed MeasureCircuit for measuring the rotorspeed starting from the signal ofthe rotor positionSpeedRotor speedSpeed ControlControl circuit of the rotor speedTorque ControlMotor torque optimization circuitKVALSignal proportional to a desiredvalue of motor torqueAddr. GeneratorGenerator of memory addresses forreading waveformsTorque OptimPhase angle (start of a readingfrom the memory) in respect to theBEMF of a voltage Vin applied to awindingReset addressStart signal for reading awaveform from the memory forobtaining a synchronous waveformwith the rotor positionProfile OutVoltage waveform read from thememoryVinControl voltagePhA currentPhase current in winding A
In order to properly supply the windings, the position and speed of the rotor of the motor are determined with a feedback circuit for sensing or estimating the back electromotive force (BEMF) induced in the tristated winding.
The driver allows a voltage mode driving typically used for permanent magnet synchronous motors PMSM because it is simpler than current mode driving. The values KVAL and Torque Optim are provided as inputs; and, as a function thereof, a phase voltage Vin to be applied at the motor windings is generated. In order to make the applied voltage independent from eventual fluctuations of the supply voltage of the motor, closed-loop compensation methods may be used as well as open-loop systems with feed-forward compensation. An example of feed-forward compensation is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,963 in the name of the same applicant, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Considering purely sinusoidal or pseudo-sinusoidal (i.e. step waveforms that approximate sinusoidal waveforms) phase voltages, the driving of each winding of the electric motor is fully described by the phasors of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the labels having the following meaning:
TorquePhase angle (start of a reading from theOptimmemory) in respect to the BEMF of a voltageVin applied to a windingKVALSignal proportional to a desired value ofmotor torqueBEMFBack electromotive force induced by therotation of the motorRResistance of the windingLInductance of the windingIPhase current flowing throughout the windingVinControl voltage of the windingVdiffResistive-inductive voltage drop on thewindingγPhase angle between phase current and backelectromotive forceBPhase angle between the resistive-inductivevoltage drop and the induced backelectromotive forceAPhase angle between the resistive-inductivevoltage drop and the motor coil currentMotorMotor windingphaseΩAngular speed of the motor
As clearly shown by the phasors of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in a voltage mode controlled motor the current flowing throughout the windings of the motor is not directly controlled and depends, besides upon the input driving signals that fix the values of KVAL and Torque Optim, also upon other factors such as the load characteristics (resistance and inductance of the stator windings) and upon the value of the back electromotive force BEMF generated by the motor itself, as well as upon the phase angle between the applied voltage and the BEMF of the phases. The torque generated by the motor is not solely determined by the value of the input signal as in current mode drivers.
Typically, the value KVAL is fixed as a function of the desired motor speed, and the value Torque Optim is fixed accordingly to optimize the motor torque once the desired value of speed is established.
Being that the motor torque of a PMSM motor is a function of the phase angle between the stator phase current and the related BEMF induced at the same phase, it may be important in voltage mode systems to have the possibility of controlling the stator current i with respect to the BEMF (on its rotational function of the rotor position), besides its amplitude.
In the known voltage mode driving of FIG. 2, the phase of the voltage Vdiff with respect to the back electromotive force BEMF is a nonlinear function of the amplitude of the voltage Vin, of the amplitude of the BEMF and of the phase angle between the voltages Vin and BEMF. It is relatively easy in steady state conditions, that is, with constant rotation speed and resistive torque, to establish the phase of the voltage Vin with respect to the BEMF for forcing a current in phase with the back electromotive force BEMF, but this is relatively complicated (or realizable with unsatisfactory pass band performances) in non steady state conditions (for example, during torque transient conditions).
FIG. 3a is a simplified electric diagram that illustrates a voltage mode driving implemented with the known device of FIG. 2 wherein a sinusoidal driving voltage Vin in phase with the BEMF (Torque Optim=0) is applied, thus also the resistive-inductive voltage drop Vdiff is in phase with the voltages Vin and BEMF, as shown in the phasor diagram of FIG. 3b. The phase current i through the winding of the motor is out of phase with respect to the voltage Vdiff (and thus with respect to the BEMF in this case) by an angle α=arctan(ωL/R) that may be relatively great. The phase angle between the phase current i and the BEMF may be very important for defining the motor torque and the efficiency of the PMSM motor driving, thus it is clear that it is useful to control the phase angle of the voltage Vin with respect to the phase of the BEMF (that is Torque Optim) in order to drive indirectly the phase angle of the voltage Vdiff and thus the phase angle of the current. In other words, by acting on an easily controllable parameter (phase angle of the voltage Vin with respect to the BEMF), a variation of the phase angle between the phase current i and the BEMF is indirectly obtained.
A drawback of this driving technique is that there is not solely a relationship between the phase angle between the voltage Vin and the BEMF and the phase angle between the BEMF and the phase current i. An optimal phase angle value (Torque Optim "optimal") could be obtained, for example, through the calibration procedure or through appropriate calculation carried out by a microcontroller or through look-up table or other method. For ease it is common practice to use a constant phase angle value Torque Optim during the normal functioning of the motor: this ensures good performance in most functioning conditions, in which the motor is in steady state conditions, i.e. with a constant rotation speed and resistive torque.
FIGS. 4a and 4b are similar to FIGS. 3a and 3b and contemplate the case in which the control voltage Vin leads the BEMF (Torque Optimizer=K >0), thus the current i flowing throughout the winding will be in phase with the BEMF (maximum efficiency). In steady-state conditions it is possible to identify a value of constant phase angle Torque Optim at which the maximum efficiency is attained, but it is not so during a transient variation of the load.
As described by the phasors of FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c respectively before a transient, during a transient that requires an increase of the motor torque and during a transient that requires a reduction of the motor torque, the circuit SPEED CONTROL for controlling the speed may cause a sudden variation of the signal KVAL, causing a variation of the current amplitude (desired effect) and a variation of the phase angle of the current i with respect to the BEMF (undesired effect).
In particular, FIG. 5b shows that, after an increase of the requested motor torque: the control voltage increases (Vin′>Vin); the BEMF has remained almost unchanged with respect to the situation shown in FIG. 5a, because the speed ω of the motor cannot vary instantaneously because of inertia; the phase angle α=arctan(ωL/R) between the current i and the resistive-inductive voltage drop Vdiff has remained almost unchanged; the value of the phase angle Torque Optim has remained unchanged; and thus there is an increase of the amplitude of the current i but also a variation (delay) of its phase in respect to the BEMF (γ<0).
Similarly, FIG. 5c shows that, because of a reduction of the requested motor torque: the control voltage decreases (Vin″<Vin); the BEMF has remained almost unchanged with respect to the situation shown in FIG. 5a, for the above reasons; the phase angle α=arctan(ωL/R) has remained almost unchanged for the same reasons; the phase angle Torque Optim has remained unchanged; and thus there is a reduction of the module of the current i but also a (positive) variation of its phase angle in respect to the BEMF (γ>0).
In transient conditions, the PMSM motor is not driven in conditions of maximum efficiency.
Having a current flowing throughout the windings of the motor that varies in phase depending on the requested motor torque (KVAL), may be considered, in certain cases, an undesirable limitation.

Method and related driver of a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor


A planar array antenna having radiating elements characterized by dual simultaneous polarization states and having substantially rotationally symmetric radiation patterns. A distribution network, which is connected to each dual polarized radiator, communicates the electromagnetic signals from and to each radiating element. A ground plane is positioned generally parallel to and spaced apart from the radiating elements by a predetermined distance. The conductive surface of the ground plane operates to image the radiating elements over a wide coverage area, thereby enabling a radiation pattern within an azimuth plane of the antenna to be independent of any quantity of radiating elements. A central polarization control network (PCN), which is connected to the distribution network, can control the polarization states of the received signals distributed via the distribution network by the radiating elements.

Diversity techniques at the receiving end of a wireless communications link can improve signal performance without additional interference. Space diversity typically uses two or more receive antennas spatially separated in the plane horizontal to local terrain. The use of physical separation to improve communications system performance is generally limited by the degree of cross-correlation between signals received by the two antennas and the antenna height above the local terrain. The maximum diversity improvement occurs when the cross-correlation coefficient is zero.
For example, in a space diversity system employing two receive antennas, the physical separation between the receive antennas typically is greater than or equal to eight (8) times the nominal wavelength of the operating frequency for an antenna height of 100 feet (30 meters). Moreover, the physical separation between antennas typically is greater than or equal to fourteen (14) times for an antenna height of 150 feet (50 meters). The two-branch space diversity system cross-correlation coefficient is set to 0.7 for the separations identified above. At an operating frequency of 850 MHz, a separation factor of 8 wavelengths between receive antennas creates a .+-.2 dB power difference, which provides a sufficient improvement of signal reception performance for the application of the diversity technique. For a communications system operating at 850 MHz, the physical separation of the receive antennas is approximately nine feet (3 meters).
Site installation issues become increasingly impractical for lower frequency applications for which the wavelength is greater. For instance, the antenna separation required at 450 MHz is nearly 18 feet for equivalent space diversity performance assuming the same height criteria is applicable. Although the site installation issues would be relieved for higher frequencies because of the reduction in the baseline distance required for diversity performance, there is a need to reduce the physical presence of base station antennas to improve the overall appearance of the antenna within its operating environment and to improve the economics of the site installation.
Present antennas for wireless communications systems typically use vertical linear polarization as the reference or basis polarization characteristic of both transmit and receive base station antennas. The polarization of an antenna in a given direction is the polarization of the wave radiated by the antenna. For a field vector at a single frequency at a fixed point in space, the polarization state is that property which describes the shape and orientation of the locus of the extremity of the field vector and the sense in which the locus is traversed. Cross polarization is the polarization orthogonal to the reference polarization.
Space diversity antennas typically have the same vertical characteristic polarization state for the receive antennas. Space diversity, when applied with single polarization antennas, is incapable of recovering signals which have polarization characteristics different from the receive antennas. Specifically, signal power that is cross polarized to the antenna polarization does not effectively couple into the antenna. Hence, space diversity systems using single polarized antennas have limited effectiveness for the reception of cross-polarized signals. Space diversity performance is further limited by angle effects, which occur when the apparent baseline distance between the physically separated antennas is reduced for signals having an angle of arrival which is not normal to the baseline of the spatially separated array.
Polarization diversity provides an alternative to the use of space diversity for base stations of wireless communications systems, particularly those supporting Personal Communications Services (PCS) or cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) applications. The potential effectiveness of polarization diversity relies on the premise that the transmit polarization of the typically linearly polarized mobile or portable communications unit will not always be aligned with a vertical linear polarization for the antenna at the base station site or will necessarily be a linearly polarized state (e.g., elliptical polarization). For example, depolarization, which is the conversion of power from a reference polarization into the cross polarization, can occur along the propagation path(s) between the mobile user and base station. Multipath propagation generally is accompanied by some degree of signal depolarization.
Polarization diversity may be accomplished for two-branches by using an antenna with dual simultaneous polarizations. Dual polarization allows base station antenna implementations to be reduced from two physically separated antennas to a single antenna having two characteristic polarization states. Dual polarized antennas have typically been used for communications between a satellite and an earth station. For the satellite communication application, the typical satellite antenna is a reflector-type antenna having a relatively narrow field of view, typically ranging between 15 to 20 degrees to provide a beam for Earth coverage. A dual polarized antenna for a satellite application is commonly implemented as a multibeam antenna comprising separate feed element arrays and gridded reflecting optics having displaced focal points for orthogonal linear polarization states or separate reflecting optics for orthogonal circular polarization states. An earth station antenna typically comprises a high gain, dual polarized antenna with a relatively narrow "pencil" beam having a half power beamwidth (HPBW) of a few degrees or less.
The present invention provides the advantages offered by polarization diversity by providing antenna having an array of dual polarized radiating elements arranged within a planar array and exhibiting a substantially rotationally symmetric radiation pattern over a wide field of view. In contrast to prior dual polarized antennas, present invention maintains the substantially rotationally symmetric radiation pattern for HPBW within the range of 45 to 120 degrees. A high degree of orthogonality is achieved between the pair of antenna polarization states regardless of the look angle over the antenna field of view. The antenna dual polarizations can be determined by centrally-located polarization control network, which is connected to the array of dual polarized radiators and can accept the polarization states of received signals and output signals having different predetermined polarization states. The antenna of the present invention can achieve a compact structure resulting in low radio-electric space occupancy, and is easy and relatively inexpensive to reproduce.

Dual polarized array antenna with central polarization control


A continuously operating centrifuge for centrifuging sugar massecuites has an upwardly flaring conical sieve basket (20) which rotates about a vertical axis (16). A product distributor (40) flares downwardly and extends into the bottom region of the sieve basket (20). The product distributor (40) is substantially coaxial with respect to the sieve basket (20), has a discharge rim and rotates about the same vertical axis (16) as the sieve basket (20). Within and in the upper region of the product distributor (40), there is provided a distributor pot (30) which serves as a feeding device for the sugar massecuites in the axial region of the centrifuge. The peripheral wall of the product distributor (40) is divided up into a plurality of ring elements (41, 42, 43) which overlap in the direction of the axis (16) and the internal diameters of which differ from each other. A bell (50) surrounds the product distributor (40) and flares conically downwardly. A device (61, 62) incorporating air directing elements is provided between at least two of the ring elements (41, 42, 43) of the product distributor (40).

Centrifuges by means of which sugar is centrifuged and with the aid of which the syrup flowing away can be thickened at the same time are already known from DE 123 174 B1 for example. These historical concepts have rotating sieve drums which are provided with screw-shaped blades at the upper or lower end faces thereof. Air is thus forced to pass through the sieve drums and thereby produce the desired evaporation process.
More modern continuously operating centrifuges, for centrifuging sugar massecuites are already known from CE 22 07 663 C3, CE 26 31 178 A1 or DE 38 28 204 C2 for example. Continuously operating centrifuges of this type, which are also designated as sugar centrifuges or continuous, centrifuges as catchwords, can be used in the cane sugar and sugar beet industries as well as in sugar refineries. They serve for mixing, distributing and accelerating the sugar massecuites that are being supplied thereto and thereby releasing the crystals from the syrup by means perhaps of a washing process involving the addition of water or steam.
The sugar massecuite is first supplied so a distributor pot serving as a feeding device. This is located in the axial region of the centrifuge and is intended so produce a distribution of the sugar massecuite which is as uniform as possible in the radial direction ready for further processing in the centrifuge. The massecuite is carried along in the distributor pot by adhering to the wall of the distributor pot and is thus gradually accelerated up to the peripheral speed of this wall. The massecuite is thereby distributed over the periphery of the distributor pot and is eventually spun-off over the upper edge of the distributor pot clue to the constant inflow of massecuite.
After covering a short stretch in free flight, the sugar massecuite strikes the inner surface of the product distributor which may also be referred to as an acceleration bell or a forerunner drum. During the free flight of the sugar massecuite, it is subjected to steam or wash-water issuing from corresponding feed lines.
Instead of or prior to being fed into a rotating distributor, the sugar massecuites could also be heated in a stationary, non-rotating element as is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,304, whereby steam from the centrifuge is fed upwardly through the stationary element in the form of an eddy current. For this purpose, nozzle-like openings can be provided in the wall, of the stationary element.
The rotating product distributors in the centrifuges known from DE 22 07 663 C3 or DE 38 28 204 C2 for example are similar to a drum and flare-out slightly in the manner of a cone in the downward direction. At the lower periphery thereof, they form a discharge rim from which the sugar massecuites arriving there are spun off outwardly into the actual, conical, upwardly flaring sieve basket which rotates about the same vertical axis.
If the massecuite has a relatively high viscosity, it is prone to distribute itself unevenly and will form a layer of varying thickness on the inner surface of the product distributor. In order to counter this effect, it is proposed in EP 0 152 855 A3 that the peripheral wall of the product distributor should be subdivided into concentric ring elements of differing diameter that are arranged one within the other and thereby keep the spaces between the ring elements open in the upward and downward directions. Hereby, the ring elements should have a free upper and lower horizontal centrifuging rim in order to enable in this way the massecuites to be spun-off both above and below the respective ring elements.
Continuously operating centrifuges can be improved still more following a proposal in EP 0 487 780 B1. Continuously operating centrifuges utilising this concept have proved to be extremely satisfactory in practice and are widely used. Hereby, the product distributor is composed on the one hand of a plurality of mutually spaced, conically downwardly flaring ring elements, whilst on the other hand, the entire product distributor is surrounded by a downwardly flaring conical stationary bell which surrounds it with play on all sides.
In addition, the sugar centrifuges described in EP 0 487 780 B1 guide the sugar massecuites firstly into a distributor pot, and from there, to the first of the ring elements of the product distributor from where the sugar massecuites then move on to the next ring element, after moving across the annular gap, and finally they rise upwardly on the wall thereof due to the centrifugal forces operative on the sieve basket.
The individual ring elements are rigidly connected to one another by means of webs and accordingly rotate in synchronism. Apart from the webs, the annular gaps are free and thus make is possible for air to flow through the annular gaps in a direction that is approximately parallel to the ring elements, this thereby improving the process of homogenising the sugar massecuites which move radially outwardly in a direction perpendicular to the air flow whilst the air is flowing there through
The bell is stationary thereby enabling air and/or steam to be supplied from above into the region within the bell in a simple form.
In practice, there is considerable interest in making further improvements to precisely these proven and widely employed continuously operating centrifuges for centrifuging sugar massecuites.
Consequently, the object of the invention is to propose a continuously operating centrifuge of the type indicated in the Preamble of the main Claim which, enables such further improvement to be made,

BMA Braunschweigische Maschinenbauanstalt AG


A semiconductor structure includes a substrate and a conductive carrier-tunneling layer over and contacting the substrate. The conductive carrier-tunneling layer includes first group-III nitride (III-nitride) layers having a first bandgap, wherein the first III-nitride layers have a thickness less than about 5 nm; and second III-nitride layers having a second bandgap lower than the first bandgap, wherein the first III-nitride layers and the second III-nitride layers are stacked in an alternating pattern. The semiconductor structure is free from a III-nitride layer between the substrate and the conductive carrier-tunneling layer. The semiconductor structure further includes an active layer over the conductive carrier-tunneling layer.

Group-III nitride (often referred to as III-nitride, or III-N) compounds, such as gallium nitride (GaN) and its related alloys, have been under intense research in recent years due to their promising applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Particular examples of potential optoelectronic devices include blue light emitting diodes and laser diodes, and ultra-violet (UV) photo-detectors. The large bandgap and high electron saturation velocity of the III-nitride compounds also make them excellent candidates for applications in high-temperature and high-speed power electronics.
Due to the high equilibrium pressure of nitrogen at typical growth temperatures, it is extremely difficult to obtain GaN bulk crystals. Owing to the lack of feasible bulk growth methods, GaN is commonly deposited epitaxially on substrates such as SiC and sapphire (Al2O3) substrates. However, a current problem with the manufacturing of GaN thin films is that there is no readily available suitable substrate material whose lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient closely matching that of GaN. Among the possible substrates for GaN, silicon substrates were explored. Silicon substrates are attractive for GaN growth given their low cost, large diameters, high crystal and surface quality, controllable electrical conductivity, and high thermal conductivity. The use of silicon wafers promises easy integration of GaN based optoelectronic devices with silicon-based electronic devices.
A conventional optoelectronic (a light-emitting diode) device 2 is shown in FIG. 1, which includes a substrate, an AlN layer on the substrate, a superlattice layer on the AlN layer, and a light-emitting diode (LED) on the superlattice layer. The superlattice layer is formed of stacked AlN and GaN layers having equal thicknesses. The LED includes an n-type III-nitride layer, an active layer, and a p-type III-nitride layer. The AlN layer has the function of reducing the stress caused by the difference in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the substrate and the overlying III-nitride layers. However, the AlN layer has a high resistivity, and its existence prevents the formation of vertical LEDs whose contacts are on opposite sides of the substrate. The contacts to the p-type and n-type III-nitride layers thus have to be formed on the same side of the substrate. To form desirable vertical LEDs, this issue has to be addressed.

III-nitride based semiconductor structure with multiple conductive tunneling layer

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A telecommunications system and operations technique associated with unintentionally disconnected wireless communications. When a call is severed other than intentionally by the parties, value-added options are provided automatically. Recorded messages, call-backs, and similar options are appropriately distributed among the parties to the severed call. A method of doing business and appropriate system equipment and programming is described.

(5.1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to telecommunications and connectivity services.
(5.2) Description of Related Art
Wireless telecommunications has become important for both business and personal use. FIG. 1A (Prior Art) illustrates an exemplary wireless communications device, a cellular radiotelephone 30 (hereinafter referred to using the common term "cellphone 30"). An antenna 31 sends and receives telecommunication signals 32. The cellphone 30 includes a memory 34a, having programming 34b. A transceiver 36 is provided for transmitting and receiving cellular communications signals via a base station (see FIG. 1B description below). A processor 38 controls the operations and provides an interface between other elements of the cellphone 30, namely a keypad 40, microphone 42, speaker 44, and display 45.
FIG. 1B (Prior Art) depicts a cellular telephone service system 18. There are a plurality of base stations 20A, 20B, 20C wherein each base station defines a respective cell 21A, 21B, 21C. There is at least one mobile switching center 22 connected (illustrated by straight lines) to a subscriber data base 24, a message center 26, and an activation center 27. Each of the base stations 20A–20C conforms to an industry standard (e.g., IS-56B) and sends and receives telecommunication signals (illustrated by lightning-bolt type lines) to and from the message center 26 and subscriber cellphones 30. In addition, the cellular system 18 is also preferably connected via the mobile switching center 22 with a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 28 (sometimes referred to in the art as a "land line telephone network"). Under normal operations, the system 18 provides telecommunications to and from subscriber cellphones 30 within a respective cell 20A–20C according to an industry standard such as IS-136. The system 18 supports telecommunications both between a cellphone 30 and the PSTN 28 to land line telephones or another subscriber cellphone. Note that known manner satellite telecommunications can be similarly described.
When a signal 32 between a cellphone 30 and a base station 20A, 20B, 20C fades due to distance from the base station 20A or due to signal interference by man-made structures or geographic features between the cellphone and the base station, relay towers, relay satellites, or the like, an on-going call is often cut off, or "dropped." This results in customer frustration at both ends of the connection and perhaps added costs to re-establish communication between the parties to the dropped call. One solution has been for the cellphone service providers to credit customers who take the time to complain about a dropped call. This is overhead for all parties concerned.

Telecommunications services and apparatus regarding lost connectivity events

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A device for generating an aerosol includes: a body portion including a controller, a heater, and a magnetic sensor, and a sliding member including a magnet and configured to move between a first position and a second position along the body portion, wherein the magnetic sensor detects movement of the magnet, and wherein the controller activates the device when the magnetic sensor detects that the sliding member is moved from the first position to the second position.

Recently, the demand for alternative methods to overcome the shortcomings of general cigarettes has increased. For example, there is an increasing demand for a method of generating aerosol by heating an aerosol generating material in cigarettes, rather than by burning cigarettes. Accordingly, studies on a heating-type cigarette and a heating-type aerosol generating device have been actively conducted.
The aerosol generating device may include a heater for heating an aerosol generating material of a cigarette or liquid storage, and an inhalation sensor. The heater may start heating when the inhalation sensor senses a user's inhalation. However, since the heater starts heating when the user starts inhalation, a sufficient atomization amount may not be provided to the user.
Also, the aerosol generating device is required to have an intuitive operation scheme so that any user can easily operate the aerosol generating device.
Accordingly, there is a need for an aerosol generating device capable of providing a sufficient atomization amount to a user and having an intuitive operation scheme.

Aerosol generating device including magnetic sensor and method of operating the same


A device for encouraging the brushing of teeth by a child includes a doll having a toothbrush carried by an arm of the doll adjacent the mouth of the doll; an electrical motor; a transmission coupling the electrical motor to the doll's toothbrush for reciprocating the doll's toothbrush with respect to the doll's mouth to simulate brushing teeth; and an electrical control circuit including an electrical switch to be actuated for energizing the electrical motor.

The present invention relates to a device, in the form of a doll, for encouraging the brushing of teeth by a child.
The value of dolls as educational devices is generally recognized, and dolls have been used for displaying or simulating to children a wide variaty of human activities in order to educate them regarding such activities.
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for encouraging children regarding the brushing of teeth.

Device for encouraging the brushing of teeth