A method of forming a semiconductor structure for a III-N semiconductor channel device and a device produced by the method are disclosed. The method includes: (i) forming a buffer structure on a Si-substrate, wherein forming the buffer structure includes: forming a superlattice including at least one superlattice block, each superlattice block including a repetitive sequence of superlattice units, each superlattice unit including a first layer and a second layer formed on the first layer, wherein the first layer is a carbon-doped AlxGa1-xN layer and the second layer is a carbon-doped AlyGa1-yN layer, wherein x and y differ from each other and 0≤x≤1, 0≤y≤1, and wherein said at least first and second layers are epitaxially grown at a temperature of 980° C. or lower, and (ii) forming a III-N semiconductor channel layer above the buffer structure wherein the channel layer is epitaxially grown at a temperature of 1040° C. or lower and is grown to a thickness of 1 μm or smaller.

III-N semiconductors, such as gallium nitride (GaN), are promising candidates for fabrication of advanced semiconductor devices. Owing to their relatively wide band gap, III-N semiconductor devices are of particular interest for use in high power and high frequency applications, such as radio frequency (RF) circuitry with high power density. III-N semiconductor structures are typically grown by epitaxy on silicon carbide (SiC) substrates. SiC substrates allows forming of structures presenting high thermal conductivity and low RF loss. However, SiC substrates are comparably expensive and also challenging to scale up to greater wafer sizes. 6 inch SiC wafers are commercially available but are relatively costly. To enable large-scale cost-efficient fabrication of III-N semiconductor devices, attempts have been made to replace SiC substrate with high resistive Si-substrates, which presently are available in diameters up to 12 inches.
Although considerable progress has been made in epitaxy techniques for III-N-on-Si technology, it is still challenging to provide III-N semiconductor structures meeting the many requirements in for instance high power and RF electronics. There is hence room for improvement over state of the art processes for forming III-N semiconductor structures.

Method for forming a semiconductor structure for a gallium nitride channel device


A system and method provides for the manipulation of the aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils and other aerostructures using blowing and/or suction. This system and method uses one or more internal cavities located within an airfoil. An internal cavity is coupled to the exterior surface of the airfoil via one or more slots. A rotary actuator is incorporated into a slot. When the rotary actuator is rotated into a first position, it forms a channel that allows fluid to pass between the internal cavity and the air surrounding the airfoil. When the rotary actuator rotates into a second position, it prevents fluid from passing through the channel between the internal cavity and the air surrounding the airfoil.

Aerostructures or airfoils generally possess a streamlined surface constructed such that air or other fluids flowing over the surface produce a pressure differential between generally opposing faces of the airfoil. This pressure differential applied across the airfoil surface produces a force, commonly called lift. Lift may describe a force generated in any direction in any medium. However, for most airfoils lift is typically the sum of forces applied to the airfoil perpendicular to direction of external flow around the airfoil. A second aerodynamic parameter that is associated with lift is lift induced drag, which is in the same vector direction as the external flow around the aerostructure. These properties and others are generally applicable to airfoils and aerostructures moving through a wide range of different fluid media including air and water.
The lift and drag characteristics of an airfoil are typically a function of the physical geometry of the airfoil, the characteristics of the external flow including velocity and density, and the orientation of the airfoil to the external flow. For an airfoil with a fixed structure the lift and drag characteristics are determined by the angle of the airfoil, or pitch, which effectively controls the relative angle of attack of the airfoil. The angle of attack for an airfoil is defined as the angle between the wing chord and the direction of the relative wind. On a traditional airfoil, a number of devices can be used to alter the relative lift-drag characteristics of the airfoil by effectively modifying the physical structure of the airfoil, including hinged surfaces such as ailerons, flaps, and slats, as well as, physical changes to the airfoil itself in the form of wing warping or discrete perturbations. By modulating the pitch and the physical characteristics of the airfoil or aerostructure, it is possible to modulate the lift and drag characteristics of the airfoil, and thus control the vehicle.
There are multiple ways to determine the lift of a particular airfoil or aerostructure. One method is through a mathematical construct called circulation. Circulation is effectively the line integral of the velocity of the air (or other fluid), in a closed loop around the boundary of an airfoil. Once an estimate of the circulation of air around an airfoil is known, then the sectional lift of the airfoil or other aerostructure in a particular section is calculated as the product of the fluid density, the freestream velocity, and the circulation. Although circulation is not the most intuitive method of understanding the actual mechanics of lift on an arbitrary airfoil, it provides a useful construct for understanding how changes in the flow field around an airfoil can be manifest as significant changes in the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil.
A circulation controlled airfoil or aerostructure may utilize a number of different techniques to modify the circulation of air around the airfoil directly, thus modulating the effective lift of the airfoil. One exemplary method of circulation control is the use of blowing or suction slots strategically placed on an airfoil. The controlled injection or removal of fluid, e.g., air, into and from the flow field around the airfoil produces a change in the circulation which in turn is used to manipulate the aerodynamic coefficients of the airfoil without the need to either physically alter the airfoil nor adjust the airfoil pitch.
Airfoils or aerostructures are used in a variety of applications. For example, on high speed automobiles it is common to use adjustable airfoils which, when coupled with the body itself, produces a lifting force to press the vehicle towards the ground in order to improve traction. Watercraft and submarines also use control of the lift-drag characteristics of airfoils to the control the vehicle as it passes through the water. Perhaps one of the most recognizable applications of airfoils and aerostructure control is in aircraft and gliders, where the wings, empennage, and even the body, engine nacelles, and nose are commonly manipulated using a variety of techniques including hinged control surfaces and physical modification of the structures in order to obtain controlled flight of the air vehicle.
A well-known application for airfoils is on helicopters or rotorcraft. A helicopter is a vehicle which uses rotating airfoils, commonly called blades or rotor blades, to generate a significant portion of the lift necessary for the vehicle to stay in flight. On many helicopters today, the pitch of the rotor blades is controlled in order to modulate the effective lift generated, using a complex mechanical system that enables the blades to be collectively manipulated as a group and for each individual blade to be manipulated usually as a function of rotational position. Helicopters need this control because as the rotating blades travel around the helicopter, the relative air velocity over the surface of the blades increases and decreases continuously based on whether the blades are heading into the flight path of the helicopter or away. Since the air velocity directly influences the lift generated by an airfoil, it is necessary to modulate the lift generated as a function of rotor position in order to maintain relatively constant lift throughout the rotation of the rotor blade and to minimize asymmetric forces applied to the rotor hub itself, thereby reducing overall stress in the assembly. Traditionally, blade lift properties have been controlled using a swash plate that a portion of the blades ride along to rotate their effective pitch as they rotate about the hub. The use of mechanical controls to change the pitch of an entire blade as it rotates about the hub is difficult to maintain and can result in large complex structures. The manipulation of a blade at the hub using mechanical means, like a swash plate, also induces significant stresses in the blade structure. Therefore, there is a need for a rotor blade having an alternative means for controlling the effective lift generated by the airfoil without the need to physically adjust the pitch of the entire blade. Several types of helicopters also use other lifting structures to generate additional lift, however the basic operation, principals, and challenges associated with the operation of the rotor blades remains essentially the same.
In addition to control of the main rotor blades, a helicopter also needs to control the reaction torque generated by the rotation of the rotor blades. In most helicopters, this is controlled via a small rotor system attached to the tail oriented such that the lift generated by the tail rotor counteracts the reaction torque caused by driving the main rotor. The lift generated by this rotor system is modulated by either changing the rotational velocity of the tail rotor or changing the pitch of individual blades. Other systems include the use of reaction jets and ducted fans. Other alternative approaches have attempted to control the lift generated by the tail boom of the helicopter generated by the downwash of air from the rotor blades over the tail boom aerostructure. Still other designs have incorporated a twin, counter-rotating main rotor to eliminate the torque.
These exemplary systems demonstrate only a small number of the variety of ways in which the ability to directly manipulate the effective lift generated by an airfoil or aerostructure traveling through a variety of fluid media, including air and water, can be used. Therefore, there is a need for a system and method of manipulating and controlling the aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil or aerostructure. There is also a need for a system and method of manipulating and controlling the aerodynamic characteristics of an air vehicle control with either no or with significantly limited requirements for hinged control surfaces. Specifically, a system and method are needed to control the lift characteristics of an airfoil or helicopter rotor blade enabling either a reduction in the amount of motion or pitching required from the swash plate and the blade hinge system or to allow the complete elimination of the swash plate and blade hinges altogether. In the case of rotorcraft, directly manipulating and controlling aerodynamic coefficients can minimize the forces imposed on traditional rotor systems and enable the creation of hingeless rotors.


The present invention relates to benzopyran derivatives substituted with a thioxobenzoxazole derivative, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, processes for preparing the same and a pharmaceutical composition containing the above as an effective ingredient Benzopyran derivatives substituted with thioxobenzoxazole derivatives, represented in <Formula 1>, have the function of protecting heart from ischemia-reperfusion both in vivo and in vitro, so that a pharmaceutical composition containing benzopyran derivatives substituted with thioxobenzoxoazole derivatives or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof of the present invention as an effective ingredient can be effectively used for the protection of tissues influenced by ischemia-reperfusion, for example, for the protection of heart, nervous cells, brain, retinal cells, storage organs, etc, and for the treatment of diseases caused by ischemia-reperfusion.

Ischemic heart disease results from myocardial ischemia developed by a serious deficiency of oxygen supply caused by interruption of blood flow to heart by a reason like arteriosclerosis (G. J. Grover, Can. J. Physiol. 75, 309, 1997; G. D. Lopaschuk et al. Science & Medicine 42, 1997). Myocardial ischemia induces pathological changes in cells progressively, leading to irreversible myocardial damage and even necrosis of cells and tissues, at last. In early stage when damage is reversible, irreversible damage might be prevented by reperfusion through surgical operations such as PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) and CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) or using thrombolytics, but the restoration of flow by reperfusion therapy is accompanied by a further injurious phenomenon called reperfusion injury (D. J. Hearse, Medicographia 18, 22, 1996). It is difficult to clearly separate ischemic injury from that mediated by reperfusion. Reperfusion injury is caused by sudden restoration of blood flow by reperfusion therapy, mainly due to reactive oxygen free radicals and calcium overload. Reperfusion injury includes a range of events, such as arrhythmia, vascular damage, myocardial dysfunction and serious neurocognitive dysfunction.
In order to delay damage by ischemia and minimize reperfusion injury, studies have actively been undergoing on pharmacotherapy using immune modulators, agents to suppress apoptosis, ion channel modulators, etc, artificial blood products to enhance the oxygen carrying potential of blood, and development of devices and operation procedures, but neither of them has been in commercial use, so far. As an ion channel modulators, an inhibitor of Na—H exchanger (NHE), an adenosine A1/A2 antagonist and a KATP opener (ATP-sensitive potassium channel opener) draw our attention.
According to earlier reports, diazoxide, a KATP opener, can reduce damage due to oxidative stress by suppressing the generation of oxygen free radicals in mitochondria by inducing oxidation of flavoprotein (A. A. Starkov, Biosci, Rep. 17, 273, 1997; V. P. Skulachev, Q. Rev. Biophus. 29, 169, 1996), and the opening of KATP relates to the generation of antioxidant enzymes (S. Okubo et al., Mol. and cell Biochem, 196, 3, 1999) and the decrease of release of excitatory amino acids (J-L Moreau, G. Huber, Brain Res., 31, 65, 1999). KATP, found first in myocardium, is widely distributed in many organs and tissues, for example, beta-cells of pancreas, smooth muscle, kidney and central nervous system, so that it has been a major target for the development of a novel medicine. Atwal et al have reported that benzopyranyl cyanoguanidines (BMS-180448) having a structure represented in the below <Formula 2> opens KATP selectively, meaning that it might have cardioprotective function, which provides a chance to develop a novel therapeutic agent for ischemic heart diseases.

Thus, the inventors of present invention synthesized benzopyran derivatives substituted with a thioxobenzoxazole derivative, in which the guanidinyl group substituted in the 4-position of benzopyran was cyclized to a benzene ring, aniline nitrogen was changed into oxygen to form a benzoxazole ring and N-cyano group was changed into thioxo group. And the present inventors completed this invention by confirming that the compound of the invention had an excellent cardioprotective effect against damage by ischemia-reperfusion, so that it could be effectively used as a protective agent or therapeutic agent for ischemia-reperfusion related diseases. Precisely, the compound can be used for the treatment of ischemic heart diseases such as myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, the protection of heart upon thrombolytic therapy or reperfusion therapy such as PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) and CABG (coronary artery bypass graft), and the protection of ischemia-reperfusion related tissues such as nerve cells, brain, retinal cells, storage organs, etc.

Benzopyran derivatives substituted with a thioxobenzoxazole derivative, pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, their preparations and pharmaceutical compositions containing them


A tray assembly is provided for improved gas/liquid contact when used in a large chemical process tower. Each tray has a downcomer wall of which the lower portion is a distributor. The distributor has discharge ports sized to control the rate of liquid flow at different positions across the distributor and flanges aligned individually to direct liquid flow from different discharge ports across different areas of the tray deck immediately below the downcomer. In combination, discharge ports and liquid flow directing flanges effect even liquid flow across the surface of the tray immediately below. Benefits of this invention are trays with better mass transfer efficiency and enhanced capacity compared with prior art trays.

Several tray designs are known for gas-liquid contactors used in processes including reactions and separations. In each design, trays are situated within the towers for contact between the components of mixtures within the towers. Several tray designs are known, as described by, for example, Philip C. Wankat in "Equilibrium Staged Separations" published by Elsevier (1988), C. Judson King in "Separation Processes" published by McGraw-Hill Book Company (2nd edition, 1980), Henry Z. Kister in "Distillation Design" published by McGraw-Hill, Inc. (1992), and Johann G. Stichlmair and James R. Fair in "Distillation: Principles and Practice" published by Wiley-VCH (1998). It is also known that the downcomer layout pattern affects tray efficiency, as described by Wijn, E. F. in "The effect of downcomer layout pattern on tray efficiency" published in The Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 63, pages 167-180 (1996).
Chemical process towers are designed for performance of a variety of processes, as illustrated in commercial literature available from tower manufacturers such as "Trays for Distillation, Absorption, Stripping and Extraction" published by UOP.
Several tray designs have been invented, of which the following are representative examples: U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,179 (1973) issued to Keller; U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,905 (1973) issued to Nutter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,976 (1993) issued to Biddulph et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,222 (1995) issued to Lee et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,455 (2002) issued to Lee et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,596 (2004) issued to Fischer.


A process for the production of composite bodies consisting of a polyurethane core and a polyurethane covering, with the core being positioned inside a mold so that an average distance of at least 0.5 mm exists between the surface of the core and the internal wall of the mold. The gap between the core and the internal wall of the mold is filled with a reaction mixture composed of a) a polyisocyanate component, and b) a polyol component. The polyol component b) must have a weight ratio of carbon to oxygen of at least 2.5:1.

The present invention relates to a new process for the production of synthetic resin composite parts based on polyurethane by covering a polyurethane core material which has positioned inside a mold, with a reaction mixture which reacts to form a polyurethane, the reaction mixture being based on specific polyhydroxyl compounds to optimize the bond between the two polyurethane materials. Processes for the production of synthetic resin composite parts are known.
European patent 69,076 describes in very general terms a process by which a previously produced foam core is covered with a uniform covering layer by the pressure-free introduction of a foamable mixture into an open or closed mold. The exact positioning of the core is ensured by its buoyancy. The core preferably consists of polystyrene foam while the outer layer preferably consists of chemically expanded epoxide resin. No details are given concerning the bond between the core and the covering material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,926 (corresponding to German Auslegeschrift 2,127,582) describes a process by which cellular composite parts having compact, fault-free surfaces are produced by the successive introduction of several starting substances into a closed mold which has an unchangeable cavity. In this process, the substances successively introduced comprise at least a first foamable synthetic resin and a second synthetic resin which may be foamable or not and forms the surface covering under compression of the first substance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,166 (corresponding to German Offenlegungsschrift 3,219,039) describes a process in which two different reaction systems are successively introduced into a mold, an internal mold release agent being added to the second substance to improve the release of the product from the mold.
It was found that problems of adherence between the inner and the outer synthetic resin layer normally arise, not only in those systems in which internal mold release agents are used but in general. These problems also occur in multilayered moldings produced entirely from polyurethane materials.
It was therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of composite bodies based on polyurethanes, in which the covering layer, which is preferably a light fast polyurethane, adheres firmly to the polyurethane core without any problems arising in the removal from the mold.

Process for the production of composite bodies


A method for providing traction control in vehicle powertrain systems is particularly adapted for traction control in a powertrain system of a hybrid electric vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, an electric machine and a transmission that is operatively coupled to the electric machine and the engine and adapted to provide a transmission torque output in response to a transmission torque input received as a torque output from either or both of the engine and the electric machine. The method is adapted to utilize conventional traction control and engine control hardware, software and communication standards to implement traction control. In one embodiment of the invention, a conventional traction controller is used to detect a wheel spin condition and provide a plurality of first output torque command messages in response thereto. The plurality of first output torque command messages are used to obtain a torque reduction which is applied to a reference output torque to obtain a corresponding plurality of traction control output torque commands for the powertrain system during the wheel spin condition. A rate limit may also be applied to control the rate of change between successive ones of the traction control output torque commands in order to reduce the possibility of extension of the wheel spin condition, or recurrence of another wheel spin condition. Each traction control output torque command may be used to determine an associated traction control engine torque output command and traction control electric machine torque output command.

Automatic traction control systems have been developed for automotive vehicles as a stability enhancement feature, and generally operate to reduce wheel torque in response to a detected wheel spin condition. A number of different approaches have been developed to affect control of a number of different variables in order to carry out the torque reduction, including the control of engine fueling, spark retard, and throttle, as well as various types of brake controls. In general, detection of the wheel spin condition is achieved by precisely monitoring the speeds of the driven wheels and comparing them with the speeds of un-driven wheels or a vehicle reference speed.
In conventional heavy-duty vehicles, traction control is commonly achieved using a form of engine torque output control. When a wheel-spin condition is detected, an automatic traction control (ATC) controller sends an engine torque reduction request via a data communication bus to an engine control module (ECM), such as a message sent via a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1939 controller area network (CAN) data link using the corresponding communication protocols. The SAE J1939 communication standards are commonly used in heavy-duty vehicles, and ATC controllers, engine controllers and data communication buses are commercially available that implement these standards. References herein to SAE J1939, and more specifically SAE J1939-71 "Vehicle Application Layer", are based upon the Draft for Ballot dated Jun. 5, 1999.
Automatic traction controls for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), such as heavy-duty trucks or buses, are not yet standardized and widely available, as such vehicles have limited commercial availability and widely varying powertrain systems and architectures. Various hybrid powertrain architectures are known for managing the input and output torques of various prime-movers in hybrid vehicles, most commonly internal combustion engines and electric machines. Series hybrid architectures are generally characterized by an internal combustion engine driving an electric generator which in turn provides electrical power to an electric drivetrain and to a battery pack. The internal combustion engine in a series hybrid is not directly mechanically coupled to the drivetrain. The electric generator may also operate in a motoring mode to provide a starting function to the internal combustion engine, and the electric drivetrain may recapture vehicle braking energy by also operating in a generator mode to recharge the battery pack. Parallel hybrid architectures are generally characterized by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor which both have a direct mechanical coupling to the drivetrain. The drivetrain conventionally includes a shifting transmission to provide the necessary gear ratios for a wide range of operation.
Electrically variable transmissions (EVT) are known which provide for continuously variable speed ratios by combining features from both series and parallel hybrid powertrain architectures. EVTs are operable with a direct mechanical path between an internal combustion engine and a final drive unit thus enabling high transmission efficiency and application of lower cost and less massive motor hardware. EVTs are also operable with engine operation mechanically independent from the final drive or in various mechanical/electrical split contributions thereby enabling high-torque continuously variable speed ratios, electrically dominated launches, regenerative braking, engine off idling, and multi-mode operation. Such powertrain systems are well adapted to control the output torque of the drivetrain, and thereby to implement automatic traction control. However, control methods and algorithms for implementing automatic traction control in hybrid electric vehicles, particularly those having EVT powertrain systems are needed.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a method for providing automatic traction control in the powertrain systems of hybrid electric vehicles, particularly those having transmissions comprising an EVT. It is also particularly desirable to utilize existing communication standards, such as the SAE J1939 standard, as well as existing hardware and software that implement such standards, to implement a method for providing automatic traction control.

Method for automatic traction control in a hybrid electric vehicle


A pulverizing apparatus is a gas stream type pulverizing apparatus. The pulverizing apparatus has a pulverizing unit for pulverizing a composition, a cooling device, a high-pressure air generating device and a collecting unit for receiving the pulverized composition. The chamber has a bottom portion, an outlet formed in the bottom portion for discharging the pulverized first composition therethrough and a wall portion formed in the bottom portion so as to surround the outlet. A plurality of first nozzles and a second nozzle are provided on a side portion of the chamber and a tubular supply unit is provided on an upper portion of the second nozzle. The gas pressure supplied into the chamber is 0.3 MPa or more, the gas temperature is 20° C. or less, and the humidity of the gas is 40% RH or less.

There is known a semiconductor package in which a semiconductor chip (semiconductor element) is covered (encapsulated) with a resin-made encapsulating (sealing) material. The encapsulating material for the semiconductor chip is produced by molding a resin composition (pulverized resin composition) containing a curable resin through, e.g., a transfer molding method.
A process for producing the resin composition (pulverized resin composition) includes a pulverization process (fine pulverization process) of finely pulverizing a resin composition (a composition) containing plural kinds of powder materials (materials to be pulverized). For example, the pulverization process of the resin composition is performed by various pulverizing apparatuses including a vibratory ball mill, a continuous rotary ball mill or a gas stream type pulverizing apparatus such as a jet mill or the like (see, for example, patent document 1).
Among these pulverizing apparatuses, it is preferable to use the gas stream type pulverizing apparatus since it can prevent (or suppress) metallic foreign substances from being mixed into the resin composition during pulverization thereof.
However, the gas stream type pulverizing apparatus suffers from a problem in that the resin composition adheres to an inside of a chamber during pulverization. As a result, a yield is reduced. Another problem lies in that the resin composition absorbs moisture during pulverization, which leads to reduction of properties (e.g., curability) of the resin composition, and thereby the moldability thereof becomes poor.
Patent document 1: JP 3856425B

Method for producing semiconductor encapsulating resin composition and pulverizing apparatus


A display apparatus (1) includes a searcher (105) that searches document data displayed on a display device (10) for a target character that accords with a character to search, and a marker display controller (106) that displays a marker on a position corresponding to the target character detected by the searcher (105). A display controller (103) (i) causes the display device, when a slide operation is performed on the marker displayed on the display device (10), to display a next marker on an opposite side, in a direction of the slide operation, and (ii) causes the display device, when a slide operation is performed on a position other than the marker displayed on the display device (10), to scroll a screen on the display device (10) in the direction of the slide operation.

In recent years, mobile devices such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and an electronic tablet, have come to be widely used. The mobile device includes a touch panel provided over a screen of a display device, to receive a user's operation (touch operation, inputting of character, and so forth) performed on the screen of the display device, through the touch panel, and to respond to the user's operation.
When the mobile device receives, while document data is displayed on the screen of the display device, the user's operation including an input of a character to search in a search field displayed on the screen, and an instruction to start the search, through the touch panel, the mobile device executes the search of the character to search. Upon detecting a target character that accords with the character to search (i.e., matching character) in the document data, the mobile device highlights the position of the matching character, in the document data. When the matching character is found at a plurality of positions, each of the plurality of positions is highlighted.

Display apparatus that displays marker on position of target character and displays next marker according to slide operation


A system which may be used to replace workover rigs and metallic pipes for the production of hydrocarbon from wellbores uses a non-metallic, substantially continuous, flexible tube comprising a flexible, non-metallic, e.g. resin-based, substantially continuous production tube that can be wellbore deployed and retrieved without the need of onsite rigs. The system's components can be placed inside existing pipes for work in old wells where removal of the existing tube is not economical. The tubes may also be spoolable, thereby increasing installation rates and flexibility. Connectors for the tube may be dimensioned and configured to allow for providing and/or sealing downhole tools to the production tube. In certain embodiments, an onsite power generator will provide a clean alternative to existing diesel burning generators and will typically use a furnace, boiler, steam engine and electrical power generator.

Currently, deployment and retrieval of downhole devices such as pumps and production pipes requires a rig, which can be costly. Further, wellbore tubulars tend to be made of metals which may corrode and are rigid, leading to less flexible installation procedures.
Over the past 10 years, the application of non-metallic materials in flowlines such as in those used wellbores has proven itself an alternative to metallic flowlines. Metallic materials tend to be less resistant to corrosion and/or chemicals and their rigidity is a factor to be taken into consideration during installation and use.

Low cost rigless intervention and production system


A head in a printer has an outlet row including a plurality of outlets arranged in a width direction perpendicular to a scan direction. A threshold matrix is stored in a main body control part, and sleep elements representing sleep of ejection of ink are arranged in the threshold matrix at a regular interval in each element row which is a plurality of elements arranged in a row direction corresponding to the width direction. The threshold matrix is compared with a grayscale original image to generate data of a halftone image where during printing, the number of outlets included in each outlet group not brought into sleep state continuously in the width direction is made equal to or larger than 1 and equal to or smaller than a predetermined number. Thus, it is possible to easily suppress occurrence of unevenness in a printed image, caused by cross talk between outlets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for generating image data used in an inkjet printer and a technique for printing with a head for ejecting fine droplets of ink onto a printing medium.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally used has been an inkjet printer provided with a head having a plurality of outlets (nozzles), where the head moves relatively to a printing paper and printing is performed by controlling ON/OFF of ejection of fine droplet of ink from each outlet. In such a printer, recently, ejected fine droplets are further downsized and outlets are arranged at higher density, in order to print a high-definition image.
It is confirmed unevenness (mura) appears in a printed image in the case that ejection operation of ink is continuously performed by a predetermined number or more of continuous outlets in a head, and it has been known such unevenness is caused by adjacent outlets which affect one another in ejecting ink (so-called cross talk). Unevenness by the cross talk between the outlets more remarkably appears with higher density of arrangement of the outlets (i.e., as an arrangement pitch of the outlets is made smaller).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-120366 (Document 1) discloses a technique for suppressing variations in ejection velocities of ink depending on cross talk between outlets by dividing nozzles included in a nozzle row into a plurality of groups and setting different driving voltages in respective groups. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-27036 (Document 2) discloses a technique for suppressing variations in droplet velocities by cross talk between outlets, by treating a pulse width, where a velocity change rate becomes smaller in a relationship between the droplet velocity and the pulse width of a driving voltage waveform, as a pulse width of the driving voltage waveform which is actually used. It is described in Document 2 that causes of occurrence of the cross talk are vibration of constituent members in driving the nozzles, variation in pressure generated in ink pressure chambers of the driving nozzles, variation in driving voltage depending on the number of driving nozzles, or the like.
In the technique of Document 1, however, a plurality of waveform generating circuits for generating a plurality of kinds of driving waveforms, a circuit for selecting one of the plurality of kinds of driving waveforms for each nozzle and the like are required, so a construction of an apparatus is complicated and upsized to increase the manufacturing cost of the apparatus. In the technique of Document 2, a complicate operation for acquiring the relationship between the droplet velocity and the pulse width of the driving voltage waveform is required.

Image data generating method, printing method, image data generating apparatus, and printer


A coolant circulation circuit for an engine includes a first coolant line through which coolant heated in an engine and circulated in a radiator passes, a second coolant line through which coolant heated in the engine and circulated in additional elements passes, a bypass coolant line through which coolant heated in the engine passes, a coolant outlet where the coolant flows into the engine, a first chamber where the coolant having passed through the bypass coolant line flows in, a second chamber where the coolant having passed through the second coolant line flows in, a partition formed between the first chamber and the second chamber and a thermostat selectively blocking the first chamber from the second chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coolant circulation circuit for an engine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a coolant circulation circuit for an engine that may enhance thermo-sensitivity of a thermostat, and minimize temperature differences in coolant circulation circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
A cooling system for an engine is divided to an air-cooled type of system and a water-cooled type of system.
Conventional water-cooled systems cool an engine by circulating a coolant to a water jacket that is formed between a cylinder block and a cylinder head.
The conventional water cooled system includes a radiator that radiates heat of coolant to the air, a water pump that circulates coolant, and a thermostat that is opened/closed automatically according to changes in temperature in order to adjust coolant flow to the radiator for keeping the coolant temperature in predetermined ranges.
As shown in FIG. 6, in a conventional coolant circulation circuit for an engine, coolant that is circulated and heated in an engine 100 passes by a thermostat 102 and then flows to a radiator 104.
The coolant is cooled in the radiator 104 by air passed by a cooling fan (not shown), flows into an engine by a water pump (not shown), and cools the engine 100.
A part of the coolant is supplied to a heater 106 or additional elements 108, for example a throttle valve and a turbocharger, and returns to the engine 100 through a lower part of the radiator 104. However, the coolant passed by the additional elements 108 passes near the thermostat 102 and returns to the engine 100 because of a limited space of an engine room, and thus, the coolant passed by the additional elements 108 interferes in detecting temperatures, so that the thermostat 102 may not detects temperature differences in the coolant circulation circuit.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A conveyor module includes a plurality of first projections extending in a first direction. Each of the first projections include a hinge hole for receiving a first hinge pin. A plurality of second projections extends in a second direction substantially opposed to the first direction. Each of the second projections include a hinge hole for receiving a second hinge pin. A reinforcement bracket nests with at least a portion of one of the second projections. The reinforcement bracket includes a first hinge hole aligned with the hinge holes in each of the first projections for receiving the first hinge pin. The reinforcement bracket further includes a second hinge hole aligned with the hinge holes in the one of second projections for receiving the second hinge pin.

The invention relates to a conveyor mat comprising a number of plastic modules successive in a conveying direction, each provided at a front and rear side with a row of projections extending transversely to the conveying direction, provided with hinge holes with recesses located therebetween, the projections cooperating with recesses of successive modules, the hinge loops of adjoining modules being coupled with the aid of hinge pins, reaching through the hinge holes transversely to the transport direction, while hinge pins are included with clearance in oversized hinge holes of projections at the front and/or the rear side.
Such a conveyor mat is generally known and is indicated by the skilled person as modular bend mat or flexmat. As the hinge pins are included with clearance in the hinge holes, the projections can slide into and out of the recesses so that the conveying path to be traveled by the modules of the conveyor mat can make a bend in the conveying plane.
Often, the modules are laid side by side transversely to the conveying direction, so that the width of the mat can be varied in steps. The modules of the mat can be guided along a conveying path. The mat can then negotiate a bend transversely to the conveying plane in that successive modules can pivot about the hinge pins.
When traveling a straight length of the conveying path, the tensile force in the mat is transmitted via the hinge pins over the entire width of the mat from the projections on the edge of one module to the projections on the adjoining edge of the successive module.
A problem that occurs with such modular bend mats is the absorption of the forces during negotiation of the bend.
As the projections and recesses of the modules slide into each other when a bend is negotiated, it is impossible without further measures to transmit the tensile force in the mat via the hinge pin over the entire width of the mat from the projections on one side of the module to the projections on the adjoining side of a successive module. In theory, in the bend, all force will be transmitted via the outermost projections while the projections in the center and the inside transmit no forces. In practice, the flexibility of the modules and the material of the hinge pins can provide for a number of outer projections to contribute to the transmission of forces but still, when the bend is negotiated, an increased load is formed on the outer edge of the mat. This may lead to the mat giving way, which, in practice, often forms a restriction on the usability of the mat.
It has already been suggested to reinforce the projections on the edges of the conveyor mat, for instance by designing them to be thicker and/or by coupling successive hinge pins on the edge of the conveyor mat with the aid of steel links. A disadvantage of the first solution is, inter alia, that this adversely affects the sliding in and sliding out of the mat and adversely affects the manufacture of the modules as injection molding product. A disadvantage of the second solution is, inter alia, that, when negotiating a bend, the contact surfaces of the hinge pin and link slide over each other, so that relatively much wear occurs, for instance in that the links dig into the pin.


A system is provided implementing an extremely high speed link allowing selection of either twisted pair (or like media) and fiber media in to provide a high speed multimedia local area network. A high speed transmission link for twisted pair, coaxial cable media or the like includes a transmitter with a conversion device for receiving fiber optic data interface signals intended to drive a fiber optic data interface and for converting these fiber optic data interface signals into high speed transmission link signals of a form suitable to drive a twisted pair medium. A receiver is provided and includes a reconversion device for regenerating the signal received from the twisted pair medium back to an adequate signal level. The transmitter conversion device includes a buffer cooperating with an equalizer and a filter for forming the high speed transmission link signal. The equalizer provides frequency domain compensation for the characteristics of the twisted pair medium. The filter rejects signals outside a band of data signaling. The receiver reconversion device includes a filter connected to said twisted pair medium to reject signals outside a band of data signaling, a buffer for regenerating the signal received from the twisted pair and a low frequency restoration circuit which employs a decision feedback technique for the compensation of the media coupling circuit's low frequency response.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to network implementations and more particularly to the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) defined by the ANSI X3T9.5 standard.
2. Brief Description of Related Prior Art
The standard which defines FDDI operates on point-to-point fiber optic links arranged to form a ring. The data rate on these links is 100 megabits per second, encoded to run at 125 megabauds. Extremely high data rates are involved. Accordingly, the standard specifies only fiber optic media implementations of the network given the extremely high data rate.
Lower speed networking standards have been specified to run on lower cost copper media. For example, IEEE standard 802.5 specifies networks which are similar in concept to the FDDI. These networks run at 4 or 16 megabits per second (8 or 32 megabauds after encoding) on a shielded twisted paid medium. This IEEE standard 802.5 also known as a token passing ring network may also be implemented as a series of point-to-point links connected to form a ring. Other networks such as IEEE standard 802.3, also known as 10Base-T, specify an unshielded twisted pair medium for up to 20 megabaud signaling
Fiber optic media has some desirable aspects for communication systems. For example, fiber optic media provides high security as compared with copper media with its associated radiated emissions. Fiber media provides capacity for speeds up to gigabauds. Additionally, fiber media may link distances up to two kilometers. Unfortunately, the costs associated with these media are very high.
Copper media such as shielded twisted pair provides a much more cost effective solution for shorter links. Efficiency for short links is extremely important as studies have shown that most links in a typical network are less than 100 meters in length. Accordingly, the need to link distances up to two kilometers is often not a significant consideration. The high costs of the fiber media may often be a very great consideration.


A microelectronic system comprises at least one circuit block that performs certain signal processing functions and at least one clock generation circuit that produces at least one Time-Average-Frequency clock signal which comprises clock pulses of at least two different lengths. The said lengths are measured in time. The arithmetic mean of the lengths of all the pulses that exist in a time frame of one second is calculated. The Time-Average-Frequency clock pulse train is made in such way that the arithmetic inversion of the said arithmetic mean equals to a predetermined value that is the clock frequency of the Time-Average-Frequency clock signal. At least one said circuit block in the said microelectronic system is driven by the said Time-Average-Frequency clock signal. The said circuit block is setup-constrained using the minimum pulse length found among the lengths of all the pulses in the Time-Average-Frequency clock signal.

Inside a today's typical VLSI system, there are millions of electrical signals. They make the system perform what it is designed to do. Among those, the most important one is the clock signal. From an operational perspective, clock is the timekeeper of the electrical world inside the chip. From a structural perspective, clock generator is the heart of the chip; clock signal is the blood; and clock distribution network is the vessel.
Timekeeper has played and is playing a critical role in our human life. History shows that the progressive advancement of our civilization is only made possible by the steady refinement of the timekeeper: the clock/watch. The same is true for VLSI system. The purpose of VLSI system is for processing information. The efficiency of performing this task is highly dependent on the time scale used. This time scale is controlled by the clock signal. It has two key aspects: its size (the absolute clock frequency) and its resolution (the capability of differentiating nearby frequencies). In addition, another characteristic is also important: the speed that time scale can be switched from one to another (the speed of clock frequency switching). Phase Locked Loop (PLL) has traditionally been used as on-chip generator of clock signal. It is a beautiful blend of digital and analog circuits in one piece of hardware. From a reference time scale, it can generate other time scales. However, due to its usage of compare-then-correct feedback mechanism, the choice of time scales that can be produced is limited. Equally serious is the problem that the change of time scale (frequency switching in PLL) takes very long time. Although PLL has played a key role that makes today's VLSI system magnificent, these two problems are limiting chip architect's capability for creating further innovation.
The source of the problem originates from the very fact that electrical circuit is not born for handling time, but magnitude (or level). Inside a circuit, information is represented by the medium of electron. It is created on the magnitude of electron flow, using proportional (analog) or binary (digital) relationships. Time is created indirectly through a voltage level crossing a predetermined threshold. Therefore, the task of building a timekeeper inside VLSI system is inherently difficult. In implementation, another fact has made the task of creating time inside circuit even more challenging: since the first day that clock signal is introduced into VLSI design, it is assumed that all the pulses inside a particular clock pulse train have to be equal-in-length. This presupposition has limited our options in the creation of timekeeper circuit. Consequently, our current solution is not completely satisfactory: 1) we cannot generate any arbitrary clock frequency we want. 2) we cannot switch the frequency of clock signal quickly.
Since timekeeper controls VLSI system's operation pace through clock-driving-circuit, a fundamental question can be asked: do all the pulses in a clock pulse train have to be equal-in-length? This question is equivalent to asking: what does clock frequency really mean? In 2008 a novel concept, Time-Average-Frequency, is introduced [1]. It removes the constraint that all pulses (or clock cycles) must be equal-in-length. It is based on the understanding that clock frequency is used to indicate the number of operations executed (or events happened) within the time window of one second. As long as the specified number of operations is completed successfully in a specified time window (such as one billion operations within one second for a 1 GHz CPU), the system does not care how each operation is carried out in detail.
This "Discussion of the Background" section is provided for background information only. The statements in this "Discussion of the Background" are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this "Discussion of the Background" section constitutes prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this "Discussion of the Background" section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this "Discussion of the Background" section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.

Microelectronic system using time-average-frequency clock signal as its timekeeper


An apparatus for fetching data from a main memory into a primary cache memory of a processor. Instruction fetch requests are generated by the processor and assigned a priority level according to the predicted accuracy of the fetch request. The priority levels of different fetch requests are compared and the highest priority level fetch request is serviced first. An instruction cache line address N+1 is pre-fetched if there is a cache miss in the primary cache memory on address N+1.

In modern microprocessor systems, processor cycle time continues to decrease as technology continues to improve. Also, design techniques of speculative execution, deeper pipelines, more execution elements and the like, continue to improve the performance of processing systems. The improved performance puts a heavier burden on the memory interface since the processor demands data and instructions more rapidly from memory. To increase the performance of processing systems, cache memory systems are often implemented.
Processing systems employing cache memories are well known in the art. Cache memories are very high-speed memory devices that increase the speed of a data processing system by making current programs and data available to a processor ("CPU") with a minimal amount of latency. Large on-chip caches (L1 caches) are implemented to help reduce the memory latency, and they are often augmented by larger off-chip caches (L2 caches).
The primary advantage behind cache memory systems is that by keeping the most frequently accessed instructions and data in the fast cache memory, the average memory access time of the overall processing system will approach the access time of the cache. Although cache memory is only a small fraction of the size of main memory, a large fraction of memory requests are successfully found in the fast cache memory because of the "locality of reference" property of programs. This property holds that memory references during any given time interval tend to be confined to a few localized areas of memory.
The basic operation of cache memories is well-known. When the CPU needs to access memory, the cache is examined. If the word addressed by the CPU is found in the cache, it is read from the fast memory. If the word addressed by the CPU is not found in the cache, the main memory is accessed to read the word. A block of words containing the word being accessed is then transferred from main memory to cache memory. In this manner, additional data is transferred to cache (pre-fetched) so that future references to memory will likely find the required words in the fast cache memory.
The average memory access time of the computer system can be improved considerably by use of a cache. The performance of cache memory is frequently measured in terms of a quantity called "hit ratio." When the CPU accesses memory and finds the word in cache, a cache "hit" results. If the word is found not in cache memory but in main memory, a cache "miss" results. If the CPU finds the word in cache most of the time, instead of main memory, a high hit ratio results and the average access time is close to the access time of the fast cache memory.
Pre-fetching techniques are often implemented to try to supply memory data to the on-chip L1 cache ahead of time to reduce latency. Ideally, data and instructions are pre-fetched far enough in advance so that a copy of the instructions and data is always in the L1 cache when the processor needs it. Pre-fetching of instructions and/or data is well-known in the art.
However, existing pre-fetching techniques often pre-fetch instructions and/or data prematurely. Data may be pre-fetched from a speculative data path and then may never be used when the processor executes a different data path. The unused data may also displace data needed by the processor, resulting in a redundant re-fetching of the needed data. The pre-fetch memory accesses often delay subsequent processor cache reloads of needed data, thus increasing the latency of the needed data. All of these effects lower the efficiency of the CPU. These problems stem chiefly from the fact that "mainline" cache misses are treated the same as speculative pre-fetches of future instructions.
There is therefore a need for cache pre-fetching systems that can distinguish between requests for speculative instruction pre-fetches and requests for "mainline" cache misses of needed instructions and assign a higher priority to servicing the cache misses.

Instruction pre-fetching of a cache line within a processor

International Business Machines Corporation


Blow-molded containers such as the 1.75-liter size for liquor beverages have an everting grip problem. Using inwardly facing grip geometry, consisting of two convex surfaces that come together at an inward ridge, eliminates the problem. The combination of the two convex surface sidewalls further eliminates the need for lateral reinforcing ribs in both cold-fill and hot-fill containers. The curved sidewalls come together at an edge offset the central axis of the container.

Thin-walled thermoplastic polymeric containers have been adapted for use to contain a wide range of products manufactured by cold fill and hot fill methods. The advantageous features of thin walled polymeric containers are well known including low cost container manufacturing and presentation of product in aesthetically pleasing lightweight shapes. New designs of these containers locate handgrips into the surface of the container. The handgrips generally comprise opposed indentations in the sidewall of the container. These indentations provide an accommodating fit for the thumb and fingers. While the indentations enhance the handling characteristics of the bottle relative to pouring liquid product from the bottle, the handgrip indentations have presented some problems.
The handgrips can evert quite easily due to hydraulic shock or thermal shock. This problem is particularly common in the 1.75-liter container commonly used in the liquor industry. The hydraulic shock created by dropping a full container less than two feet, a common practice when packing the full containers into a carton for transport, can cause conventional handgrip indentations to evert.
Containers for hot-fill applications have encountered problems with handgrips everting from thermal shock and expansion during the hot-fill process. The everted handgrip indentations take a set in the outwardly projecting position to such a point that the handgrips of the container will not revert to the initially designed, inwardly projecting configuration, upon cooling.
Known prior art handgrips commonly have walls with converging straight sides. The convergence angles of the prior art joined walls are all generally very obtuse and shallow. These containers are unsatisfactory in that such shallow and flat handgrips commonly evert. To solve this problem the prior art offers a solution of reinforcing the handgrip by providing at least one laterally oriented grip rib. Users, however, often recognize such prior art ribs as aesthetically unpleasing and as sacrificing grip feel. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,804,097, 4,890,752, 5,226,550, and 6,223,920.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,941 teaches a different solution, for the prevention of everting handgrips, than the previously cited art. The '941 patent discloses a hot-fill container having inwardly inset and opposed flex panels. Each of the flex panels includes a grip structure defined by a pair of flat inwardly directed wall sections conjoined to form a trapezoidal grip panel. Three sides of the conjoined wall sections define an inwardly directed rib. During the fill of the hot product, the flex-panels tend to absorb the thermal expansion and the three-sided inwardly directed rib serves to strength the grip panel to prevent it from everting. The combination of flex panels and rib facilitates the structural integrity of the bottle. However, such a bottle is complicated to manufacture and quality control issues arise concerning the geometry of the flex panels, grip panel, and three-sided rib. Flowing material through the blow molding process is difficult when using such complicated geometry. Further, the use of flex panels is aesthetically undesirable.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to simplify yet strengthen the handgrip structure of a thermoplastic polymeric container to prevent everting of the handgrip due to hydraulic or thermal shock.


A time information obtaining device and a radio-controlled timepiece are shown. According to one implementation, the time information obtaining device includes a receiving section, a code identifying section, a decoding section, and a consistency confirming section. The consistency confirming section confirms consistency of time information. The consistency confirming section generates the selected code string using the following: (i) a matching selected code string portion in which, for a code string portion including a code which may change according to the time information, a type of code is selected based on a degree of match between an identified code string and a model code string; and (ii) a majority selected code string portion in which, for a portion other than the above, a type of code is selected by majority determination among the codes identified to be a same position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a time information obtaining device and a radio-controlled timepiece.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is an electronic clock which obtains time information from an external source so as to be able to calibrate the time. The standard wave which transmits time information using a radio wave with a long wavelength range is one type of time information which the electronic clock is able to obtain from an external source.
As the standard wave, other than JJY transmitted in Japan, WWVB of the US, MSF of UK, and DCF77 of Germany are primarily used. In such standard wave, a signal showing time information of each minute is amplitude modulated with 60 seconds as one cycle (frame) and output. The signal showing time information is configured by a code string arranged according to a predetermined format determined by each standard wave transmission station, and the signal showing each code is output one for each second synchronized with the timing of the start of each second. In an electronic clock (radio-controlled timepiece) which performs calibration of time using the standard wave, after the signal is demodulated from the received standard wave, the signal is decoded according to the format to obtain information such as date and time.
The radio wave with the long wavelength range transmits throughout an extremely long distance on the surface of the Earth, and therefore, any one of the standard waves can be received throughout Japan and in a wide range throughout the world. However, the noise generated in the same frequency band is also superimposed on the signal of the standard wave and is transmitted throughout long distances. Further, the radio wave attenuates inside a building made of a steel frame or reinforced concrete, and this makes it difficult to favorably receive the radio wave. Therefore, from the past, many methods of enhancing receiving sensitivity, methods of demodulation, and methods of decoding have been developed to favorably read time information from the standard wave.
In a radio-controlled timepiece, in order to avoid misidentifying the code string from the received signal and obtaining inaccurate time information, processing is performed to obtain time information of a plurality of frames and the consistency is confirmed among the obtained pieces of time information. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-304973 divides each frame into blocks each showing year, date, day of the week, hour, and minute, confirms consistency of the time information among the plurality of frames for each block, and repeating the reception of the standard wave and the confirmation of consistency of the time information for the blocks which are inconsistent, until consistency is confirmed.
However, with conventional radio-controlled timepieces, if the reception strength of the standard wave is weak or the environment is full of noise, error judgment of the code increases, and it is difficult to confirm consistency of the time information among the plurality of frames. Therefore, obtaining the time information does not end.
The present invention is a time information obtaining device and a radio-controlled timepiece which can obtain time information without reducing the accuracy of the time information and without prolonging the time necessary to obtain the time information.

Time information obtaining device and radio-controlled timepiece


A three-level NPC converter includes at least one phase leg including four series coupled electrical switches having a first pair junction between the first two switches and a second pair junction between the second two switches. First and second inner switch snubber capacitors are coupled in series at a neutral junction. First and second inner switch snubber diodes are respectively coupled to the first and second pair junctions and respectively coupled at first and second inner diode-capacitor junctions to the first and second inner switch snubber capacitors. First and second inner switch snubber resistors are respectively coupled between the first and second inner diode-capacitor junctions and respective portions of a DC bus. In one embodiment, the NPC converter further includes first and second outer switch snubber diodes coupled between respective first and second inner diode-capacitor junctions and respective portions of the DC bus. This embodiment may further include first and second outer switch snubber capacitors coupled in parallel with respective first and second inner switch snubber capacitors.

The present invention relates generally to three-level converters and, more particularly, to a voltage clamp snubber for use in three-level converters.
Snubbers have been designed to provide safe switching of GTO (gate turn-off thyristor) power switches in both two and three level converter (inverter or rectifier) topologies. A GTO switch requires local control of dv/dt (voltage changes with respect to time) during switch turn-off which typically is accomplished by forming a shunt capacitor path around the switch. The resulting snubber arrangements for three-level converters are complicated and, in addition to creating parasitic energy losses, generally result in significant power losses as the local shunt capacitors dump their charge into the GTO during switch turn-on. Attempts have been made to design regenerative snubbers circuits to recover this energy. In general, these regenerative schemes are considered complex.
Voltage clamp type snubbers have been successfully used in two-level BJT (bipolar junction transistor) and IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) converters. These switches do not require dv/dt control. Consequently, the clamp snubber can be used to limit switch overrings and thereby create a more robust converter.
IGCT (Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor) switches can be operated in a converter without snubbers or clamping circuits. However, in a practical high power converter circuit, the parasitic inductance levels necessary for true snubberless converter operation cannot easily be achieved.
A neutral point clamped (NPC) converter can be operated with conventional resistor-capacitor-diode snubbers around each switch as shown in FIG. 2 of Kawakami et al., "A Large Capacitor GTO Inverter with Low-Loss Snubber Circuits," IEEE May 1991 publication number 0-7803-0453, pages 892-897. There are several limitations with this embodiment including the fact that the snubber capacitor completely discharges at each switch turn-on, involving a significant CV.sup.2 /2 energy loss each switching cycle with no practical benefit. Another limitation is that the asymmetric nature of the clamp diodes in the three-level inverter topology introduces a voltage imbalance between the inner and outer switch snubber capacitors and thereby decreases the switch safety margin.

Voltage clamp snubbers for three level converter


Impedance calibration circuits are provided. The impedance calibration circuit includes an operation control signal generator and an impedance calibrator. The operation control signal generator receives temperature code signals to generate an operation control signal enabled when an internal temperature is changed from a first temperature to a second temperature. The impedance calibrator receives an external command signal or the operation control signal to generate pull-up code signals for pulling up an output signal and pull-down code signals for pulling down the output signal according to an external resistor.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to semiconductor integrated circuits and, more particularly, to impedance calibration circuits.
2. Related Art
Within semiconductor systems, it is generally necessary to match the impedance of a transmission line (e.g., a transmission channel) with the corresponding termination impedance of a termination resistor in order to prevent undesirable signal reflections. Such signal reflections act as noise on the transmission line in relation to signals subsequently transmitted on the transmission line. Termination resistors of conventional semiconductor modules or systems are often disposed outside semiconductor chips constituting the semiconductor modules or systems. However, in the event that the termination resistors are disposed outside high performance semiconductor chips such as double data rate 2 (DDR2) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) chips, there may be some limitations in preventing undesirable signal reflections.
Recently, termination resistors have been provided inside high performance semiconductor chips to prevent undesirable signal reflections. That is, on-die termination (ODT) circuits have been widely used in semiconductor modules and/or semiconductor systems. The ODT circuits include switching circuits, which are turned on or off to control currents that flow therein. Thus, power consumption of the semiconductor modules including ODT circuits may be reduced as compared with semiconductor modules including termination resistors disposed outside the semiconductor chips. Resistance values of the ODT circuits may vary according to process/voltage/temperature (PVT) conditions. Hence, it may be necessary to calibrate the resistance values of the ODT circuits using impedance calibration circuits before the ODT circuits are utilized.


An apparatus and method that utilizes a radiation source and a simulated microgravity to provide combined stressors. The response of cells/bacteria/viruses and/or other living matter to the combined stressors can be evaluated to predict the effects of extended space missions. The apparatus and method can also be utilized to study diseases and to develop new treatments and vaccinations.

The inability to accurately determine the deleterious effects on the human body after exposure to relevant space conditions is a significant problem in the field of human space flight and exploration. It is often not possible to acquire this data in the actual environment, and conclusions may therefore be drawn and data extrapolated on the health effects anticipated. This method is not reliable because the models used to generate data do not represent in vivo conditions and the effects of individual stressors typically tested neglect the influence of synergistic effects. The effects of the environment in space have also been utilized to develop treatments such as a vaccine for salmonella. However, simulating the space environment on the ground has proven to be a significant challenge. One particular challenge has been with reliably correlating ground based data with data obtained on the International Space Station (ISS).

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


A method and an apparatus for optically clocking an integrated circuit in a semiconductor. In one embodiment, a laser is configured to emit infrared laser pulses at a desired clock frequency. The laser pulses are separated into a plurality of split laser pulses, each of which are focused through the back side of a C4 packaged integrated circuit die into P-N junctions distributed throughout the integrated circuit die. Each P-N junction locally generates a photocurrent in response to the split laser beams. Each of the photocurrents are locally converted into voltages and thus into local clock signals, which are used to clock the local area of the integrated circuit. With the presently described optical clocking technique, the local clock signals have extremely low clock skew. The presently described technique may be employed in integrated circuits system-wide, in multi-chip modules, or in an individual integrated circuit. By removing the global clock distribution network from the silicon, the present invention allows chip area used in the prior art for a global clock distribution networks to be used instead for signal routing or allows overall die sizes to be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuit clocking and, more specifically, the present invention relates to optical clock distribution networks in integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
An issue facing the integrated circuit industry today is the problem of distributing clock signals throughout an integrated circuit die with low clock skew. Clock skew is the difference in arrival times of clock edges to different parts of the chip. Synchronous digital logic requires precise clocks for the latching data. Ideal synchronous logic relies on clocks arriving simultaneously to all the circuits. Clock skew reduces the maximum operating frequency of the circuit as the circuit has to be designed for worst case skew for it to operate reliably. The principle cause of clock skew in the global clock distribution of an integrated circuit is the variation in the routing impedance of the clock distribution within the die. Hence clock skew arises even with an equal length clock distribution network such as an H-Tree. A good rule of thumb in the industry is that clock skew budget is approximately 10% of the cycle time. Hence for a 1 GHz clock frequency, which corresponds to a 1 ns cycle time, the tolerable clock skew is less than or equal to 100 ps. As VLSI clock frequencies increase beyond 1 GHz, the requirement on the clock skew becomes more challenging.
In today's prior art global clock distribution network clock skew is controlled by the use of hierarchical H-trees. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating such a hierarchical H-tree clock distribution network 101 that is implemented in high speed integrated circuits to reduce or eliminate the clock skew effect. As shown in FIG. 1A, a clock driver 103 is used to drive H-tree network 101 at the center node 105. It is appreciated that clock driver 103 is typically a very large driver in order to provide sufficient drive to H-tree network 101, which typically has a large capacitance in today's complex high speed integrated circuits. As can be observed in FIG. 1A, the clock paths of the "H" formed between nodes 107, 109, 111 and 113 have equal lengths between center node 105 and each of the peripheral points of the "H" at nodes 107, 109, 111 and 113. Therefore, assuming a uniform propagation delay of a clock signal per unit length of the H-tree network 101, there should be no clock skew between the clock signal supplied to nodes 107, 109, 111 and 113 from clock driver 103.
FIG. 1A further illustrates H-tree network 101 taken to another hierarchical level with an "H" coupled to each respective peripheral node of the first level "H." Accordingly, every peripheral node 115 is an equal distance from node 107. Every peripheral node 117 is an equal distance from node 109. Every peripheral node 119 is an equal distance from node 111. Finally, every peripheral node 121 is an equal distance from node 113. Therefore, the clock paths from all nodes labeled 115, 117, 119 and 121 are an equal distance from clock driver 103 and therefore should have no clock skew between them since the clock delay from clock driver 103 should be equal to all peripheral nodes of the H-tree network 101. Thus, each node 115, 117, 119 and 121 can be configured to act as a receiving station for a clock signal and service the clocking requirements of an area of the integrated circuit near the node with negligible clock skew with reference to the other similarly configured nodes of the H-tree network 101.
As integrated circuits continue to become larger, more complex and run at higher frequencies, clock skew continues to be a challenging issue, even with an H-tree network 101 since the H-tree network 101 clock lines do not always have uniform characteristic impedance. As a result, there may be a non-uniform propagation delay of a clock signal traveling through the paths H-tree network 101 even though nodes 115, 117, 119 and 121 are in equal distance from clock driver 103. Consequently, there is an unpredictable clock skew at the end points of the H-tree clock distribution network 101.
In addition to clock skew the clock distribution on the chip consumes valuable routing resources in integrated circuits that could be better used for signals and thereby improve signal routability. An additional concern integrated circuit designers must consider is that prior art global clock distribution networks also consume an increasing amount of integrated circuit die area as well as power. For instance, the global clock distribution on today's high speed integrated circuit chips typically accounts for approximately 10% of the chip power.
Other prior art techniques of distributing clock signals throughout an integrated circuit have been investigated. Some of these prior art techniques include an optical clock distribution network 151 illustrated in FIG. 1B. An off chip optical source 153 generates an optical clock signal 155 which is split with hologram 157 into split beams 159 and 161. A direct line of sight is provided to the detectors 163 and 165 from the front side surface 179 of integrated circuit die 171 to receive split beams 159 and 161 respectively. Clock signal 167 is generated by detector 163 and clock signal 169 is generated by detector 165. Since the clock signal is then locally distributed from the detectors 163 and 165 using on chip metal interconnects clock signals 167 and 169 are available to clock their respective areas of the integrated circuit.
A major difficulty with the prior art optical clock distribution is the difficulty in implementing it for advance packaging technologies such as Control Collapse Chip Connection (C4) packaged chips (sometimes referred to as flip chip) and C4/MCM (multi chip modules). FIG. 2B is an illustration of a C4 packaged chip 251. C4 is the packaging of choice for future high frequency chips as it provides high density low inductance connections using ball bonds 153 between chip 255 and package 261 by eliminating the high inductance bond wires as are used in today's wire bond packages. FIG. 2A is an illustration of a chip 201 using today's wire bond packages. As shown in FIG. 2A, wire bonds 203 are used for connections between package 211 and chip 205. For C4 packaging, the front side of the chip is no longer accessible and with the prior art optical routing, the routing would need to be integrated into the package itself. This places extremely complex constraints on the design of the C4 substrate which now has to have both electrical and optical routing.
Another important problem with the prior art optical distribution network 151 is that the requirement of locating detectors 163 and 165 in the line of sight of split beams 159 and 161 from the front side surface 179 of integrated circuit 171 is a challenging task with modern integrated circuits which typically utilize five or more metal interconnect layers. With the stacking of a large number of metal interconnect layers, creating a line of sight between the split beams 159 and 161 and detectors 163 and 165, without incurring routing congestion becomes an extremely challenging task. This is because line of sight implies that there should be no metal routing at any level of interconnect above the P-N junction detectors. Hence the P-N junction detectors become routing obstacles and as the number of detectors increases this leads to an increase in the die size which generally reduces manufacturing yields and performance.
Thus, what is needed is a clock distribution network that overcomes the problems of the prior art. Such a clock distribution network would provide minimal clock skew to high speed, high power integrated circuits packaged into C4 (flip chip) and C4/MCM packaging and be fully compatible with the back side heat sink attachment for these packages. Secondly, the clock distribution network should reduce the power dissipation due to global clock distribution by eliminating the large capacitive load of the global network. In addition, such a clock distribution network should not interfere with on chip signal routing and would be able to provide low skew clock distribution as integrated circuit chips increase in size, complexity and operate at increasing clock frequencies.

Method and apparatus for distributing an optical clock in an integrated circuit


An image forming device includes a device frame, a developing unit which is inserted into the device frame in a prescribed inserting direction, two terminals which are provided in the device frame, a metal conduction member which is provided in the developing unit and makes contact with at least one of the terminals, and a detecting unit which detects a presence or an absence of continuity between the terminals. Identification protrusions are fixed on an upper surface of the developing unit for determining compatibility between the developing unit and device frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device such as a copy machine, a printer and a facsimile machine, and more particularly to an image forming device in which a developing unit is inserted removably.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of image forming devices have been developed from a technical aspect to form an image with a high resolution and an aspect of a business use or a domestic use. As a developing unit which can be inserted into various types of image forming devices, various types of developing units have been developed. Therefore, for an image forming device of a prescribed type, a developing unit compliant with the image forming device of the prescribed type is necessary to be inserted. When a noncompliant developing unit is inserted, there are cases in which the image forming device breaks down. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure compatibility between the image forming device and the developing unit to be inserted.
For example, in a first conventional device, a fuse and a resistance are mounted on a developing cartridge. In the first conventional device, when the cartridge is inserted into the image forming device frame, by the continuity to the fuse, an initial continuity is detected and the fuse is blown out. In addition, a resistance value is checked and a determination is made as to whether the cartridge complies with the device frame.
In a second conventional device, a determination is made as to whether a developing unit is a new one or an old one according to whether a fuse is connected or blown out.
In a third conventional device, an antenna is provided on a cartridge for detecting a remaining amount of toner in a developing unit. A fuse is connected between the antenna and ground. When the antenna detects the remaining amount of toner, if the detection result is the same voltage as ground, a determination is made that the cartridge is new.
In the above-described first, second and third conventional devices, the fuse is attached to the developing unit. When the developing unit is inserted into the device frame, the fuse is blown out. When a used developing unit is inserted into the device frame, since the fuse is already blown out, the continuity is lost. Therefore, it can be recognized at the device frame that the inserted developing unit is a used developing unit. Such a structure enables an accurate detection of old and new developing units by a simple structure. However, the structure is unsuitable for detections other than the detection of old and new developing units.
Therefore, there is a demand for an image forming device which can accurately detect the type of the developing unit by a simple structure.
Moreover, it is not sufficient just to ensure the compatibility of the image forming device and the developing unit as described above. It is preferable to enable an operator to recognize the compatibility. Fourth and fifth conventional devices are proposed in consideration to such a demand.
In the fourth conventional device, a developing unit and an image forming device are provided with an engaging member and an engaged member to be engaged with one another when the developing unit is inserted into the image forming device frame. Therefore, when a developing unit of a different type is inserted into the image forming device, the engaging member and the engaged member are not engaged with one another.
In the fifth conventional device, a developing unit is provided with a connector having contacts of different connections according to a designated image forming device. An image forming device includes an electrical signal relay unit. When the electrical signal replay unit engages with the connector, an electrical signal of a plurality of contacts is read. Then, a determination is made as to whether the inserted developing unit is for that image forming device.
In the above-described fourth and fifth conventional devices, the identification of the developing unit is carried out only once. Therefore, when the number of different types of developing units increases, the image forming device cannot handle these increases. That is, when there exists various types of image forming devices, to acquire identification information of an image forming device from the developing unit by carrying out the identification of the developing unit only once, the developing unit is required to be provided with an identifier indicating many pieces of identification information. In addition, the image forming device is required to carry out processes for reading many pieces of identification information. Therefore, the cost for the developing unit and the image forming device increases.
Thus, there is a demand for a developing unit which can ensure compatibility for various types of developing units and which the compatibility can be recognized easily by the operator, and a method for distinguishing the type of the developing unit.
In the fourth conventional device, a mechanical device and an electrical device are used for ensuring the compatibility. However, when the number of different types of image forming devices increases, the number of patterns relating to the compatibility also increases. Therefore, it is difficult for the fourth conventional device to sufficiently comply with such a large number of patterns.
Thus, there is a demand for an image forming device which can flexibly comply with an increase in the number of different types of image forming devices.

Image forming device and insertable developing unit with identification protrusions for determining compatibility


A push broom stand includes an elongated tubular body having a bent shape. The body includes a receiving section configured to removably receive the handle of a push broom, an extending section oriented at an angle to the receiving section, and a support section oriented at an angle to the extending section. The device is hollow so as to define a sleeve configured to snugly fit around the handle of a broom. A slot extends through at least a portion of the body so that a broom handle may be snapped through the slot into the sleeve. The push broom stand is installed onto the lower end of the broom handle of a push broom to thereby support the push broom in an upright position when the broom is not in use. The push broom stand is also configured to be able to hang the broom from an elevated surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broom stand, and in particular, relates to a stand that may be used to support a push broom in an upright orientation or to hang a push broom from an elevated surface.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical push broom consists of an elongated, cylindrical handle having a head to which bristles are attached. A person uses a push broom by orienting the bristles against the ground and pushing the broom with the handle so that the bristles scrape against the ground, thereby sweeping debris from the ground.
It is common for a push broom to be supported in an upright position when the broom is not being used. But unless a user has ready access to a wall to lean the broom against, there is no easy and convenient means of supporting a push broom in an upright position when the broom is not being used. Hence, a user often resorts to lying the push broom flat on the ground when the user is not using the broom. This is often the case when the user is taking a brief break from sweeping and the nearest wall to support the broom upright is considered too far away. But there are certain drawbacks associated with laying a push broom flat on the ground.
For example, an unsuspecting person may easily trip over a broom that is left laying on the ground. Moreover, a push broom that is left unattended on the ground presents the risk that a person will accidentally step on the head of the broom. This may cause the broom handle to swing upward at a high rate of speed and possibly strike the person in the body or face, which may potentially cause serious injury to the person.
Further, a person must stoop down to pick up a broom lying on the ground. Repeated stooping up and down to pick up a broom from the floor is tiresome, and may cause injury to a person's back. Existing back injuries may also be exacerbated if the individual is required to repeatedly bend over to pick up a broom. Further, some injuries may prevent a person from picking a broom off the floor, or may make it very difficult to do so.
Even if a person has access to a wall to lean the broom against, it may not always be desirable to lean a broom against a wall. If the broom is left with the bristles of the broom lying against the ground at an angle so as to bend the bristles, the bristles may eventually warp in shape from supporting the weight of the broom, especially during longer periods of storage. Furthermore, leaning a broom against a wall may be impractical, as the broom may use up space that is needed for storage of other items. In such instances, it may be desirable to hang the broom to conserve space. Unfortunately, there is no easy means of hanging a push broom absent installing a hook on a wall which is often troublesome or inconveniently located.
In view of the foregoing drawbacks, there is a need for a device and method a push broom in an upright position without leaning the broom against a wall. There is also a need for a way to support a broom in a hanging orientation without requiring the installation of a hook on a wall.


A position information acquiring unit acquires position information relating to positions of a plurality of body parts of a player. A determination unit determines whether or not the at least one of the plurality of body parts exists within a determination region including the reference position at a time point corresponding to the reference time. A body part information acquiring unit acquires body part information relating to a kind of the at least one of the plurality of body parts determined to exist within the determination region. An evaluation unit evaluates gameplay of the player based on the kind of the at least one of the plurality of body parts acquired by the body part information acquiring unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game device, a control method for a game device, and a non-transitory information storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up to now, there is known a game configured so that a player aims to locate a body part in a given position at a given time. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-231904 discloses a game device that executes a game configured so that a player aims to locate a foot on a button of a mat-type controller located at the foot in time with a music track.

Game device, control method for a game device, and non-transitory information storage medium


An attenuating PSM includes a quartz substrate, a first dummy pad pattern disposed on the quartz substrate, wherein the first dummy pad pattern is composed of a first phase shifter material layer with a transmission rate of greater than or equal to 15%, and a first opaque pattern disposed at a center area of the first dummy pad pattern. The first opaque pattern has a shape that is analogous to the first dummy pad pattern and surface area of the first opaque pattern is smaller than that of the first dummy pad pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of optical lithography and, more particularly, to a high-transmission attenuating phase shift mask (attenuating PSM).
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the circuit making processes, lithographic process has not only been a mandatory technique but also played an important role in limiting feature size. By lithographic process, a wafer producer can precisely and clearly transfer a circuit pattern onto a substrate. In a lithographic process, a designed pattern, such as a circuit pattern or a doping pattern, is created on one or several photo mask, then the pattern on the mask is transferred by light exposure, with a stepper and scanner, onto a substrate.
While the traditional technologies continue to advance at breakneck speed they are becoming quite costly and are no longer able to provide the resolution and depth of focus (DOF) with an acceptable process window on their own. This is a direct result of the Sub-Wavelength environment. Fortunately there is an additional knob the industry can adjust to improve the overall system performance. The field of low k1 lithography includes such techniques as optical proximity correction (OPC), phase shift masks (PSM), off-axis or modified illumination, spatial filters and high contrast resists. These techniques, collectively referred to as Resolution Enhancement Techniques (RETs), work in conjunction with the traditional techniques of decreasing wavelength and increasing NA to extract the highest level of performance possible from the advanced lithography systems.
Central to the resolution enhancement techniques are PSMs. The principle PSMs deployed in the industry include attenuated (usually used for contacts and metal layers) and alternating aperture (used for CD control for gates). The phase shift masks are the masks with additional phase shifter material layers selectively between the metal Cr line patterns. When the light passes through the phase shifter material layer of the phase shift masks, the phase of the electric field of the light is shifted exactly 180°, so the phase difference between the incident light and the shifted light is exactly half-wavelength and destructive interference is therefore formed on the wafer. The interference effect of the diffraction is resolved by the destructive interference and the resolution of the border of the metal lines is greatly enhanced.
At present, the attenuating PSM can be sub-classified into two types: low-transmittance type (T˜6%) and high-transmittance type (T>15%). As the transmittance of the attenuating PSM increases, problems arise when using these high-transmittance attenuating PSMs to create some specific patterns. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a planar view illustrating a portion of a high-transmittance type (T=15%) attenuating PSM 1 and a dummy pad pattern 10 thereon. FIG. 2 is the after-exposure simulation result. As shown in FIG. 1, the dummy pad pattern 10 is situated on a quartz substrate 12 and is composed of a phase shifter. The dimension of the dummy pad pattern 10 is 800 nm×800 nm. According to the simulation result as shown in FIG. 2, the central portion of the photoresist corresponding to the dummy pad pattern 10 on the high-transmittance type attenuating PSM 1 collapses after exposure and development, thereby forming a recess defect 18 on the photoresist pattern.
FIG. 3 is the after-exposure simulation result when using a high-transmittance type (T=30%) attenuating PSM to form a dummy pad pattern that is the same as pattern 10 set forth in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, as the transmittance within the dummy pad pattern 10 increases to 30%, the central portion of the photoresist pattern is completely exposed to form a collapsed central aperture 28. The simulation result indicates that the pattern transfer of dummy pad pattern 10 when using the high-transmittance type (T>15%) attenuating PSM fails.
In light of the above, there is a strong need in this industry to provide an improved attenuating PSM to cope with the situation when using a high-transmittance type (T>15%) attenuating PSM to perform pattern transfer of some specific patterns, particularly those isolated pattern having relatively larger surface area and line pattern having large line width and large space.