Modified polysugar as an alignment layer for liquid-crystal displays. An alignment layer for liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) contains. a) at least one oligomer/polymer of a 6-membered cyclic sugar unit all or some of whose free OH groups may be derivatized and which carries equatorial substituents in the 2-, 3- and 6-positions on the ring, and PA1 b) at least one compound from the group consisting of macrocyclic compounds, cryptands, coronands, podands, mercapto compounds and ionophores.. LCDs which contain an alignment layer according to the invention are particularly distinguished by good contrast and bright-transmission values and by good alignment of the liquid crystal.

Switching and display devices which contain liquid-crystal mixtures have been used widely for years. Liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) are devices which, as a consequence of electrical switching, modify their optical transmission properties in such a way that incident--and possibly re-reflected--light is modulated in intensity. Examples are the known watch and calculator displays or liquid-crystal displays in the OA (office automation) or TV sectors.
These LCDs--also known as LC cells--are constructed in such a way that a liquid-crystal layer is enclosed on both sides by layers which are usually, in the sequence starting from the LC layer, at least one alignment layer, electrodes and a limiting plate (substrate). In addition, they contain one polarizer if they are operated in guest-host or reflective mode, or two polarizers if the transmissive birefringence mode is used. The switching and display elements may contain further auxiliary layers, such as diffusion barrier or insulation layers.
The interaction of the liquid-crystal molecules with the wall surfaces offers an important method of controlling the basic alignment of the LC molecules throughout the cell. In a similar way as a molecule is aligned with its neighbor within a liquid-crystal film by interactions, vessel walls can have an aligning effect on the liquid-crystalline phases. The nature and pretreatment of the cell surfaces causes the molecules of a liquid-crystalline phase to be aligned with the long axes parallel (homogeneous), perpendicular (homeotropic) or tilted to the limiting surfaces.
The special limiting surfaces which cause the alignment of the LC molecules are known as alignment layers.
Such alignment layers are described, for example, by J. Cognard (MCCC, Supplement 1, 1982) for nematic liquid crystals and by J. S. Patel et al. (Ferroelectrics 59 (1984) 137) for smectic liquid crystals. Several problems occur in the alignment of ferroelectric liquid crystals compared with nematic ones. Firstly, the aim is to obtain a uniform layer structure, and secondly the two switching states of the molecules must be well stabilized, since they are different from the alignment direction.
Two important parameters of LC displays which are highly dependent on the alignment layers used are
a) the maximum brightness (transmission in the bright state), PA1 b) the maximum contrast (ratio between the maximum transmission in the bright state and the maximum transmission in the dark state); PA1 a) The maximum transmission in the bright state T.sub.bright is described to a good approximation for FLC displays, as is known, by equation (1): EQU T.sub.bright =sin.sup.2 (.pi..DELTA.and/.lambda.).multidot.sin.sup.2 (4.theta..sub.eff) (1) PA1 b) The contrast is the ratio between transmissions in the bright and dark switching states. At present, maximum contrast values of from 5 to 10 are specified for FLC displays. The reason for these values, which are too low for many applications, for example TV, lies both in an inadequate bright transmission and in an excessively high residual transmission in the dark switching state. The residual transmission is easily detectable between crossed polarizers from a liquid-crystal structure which appears bluish. PA1 a) at least one oligomer/polymer of a 6-membered cyclic sugar unit, some or all of whose free OH groups may be derivatized and which carries equatorial substituents in the 2-, 3- and 6-positions on the ring, and PA1 b) at least one compound from the group consisting of macrocyclic compounds, cryptands, coronands, podands, mercapto compounds and ionophores.
both are described in greater detail for the case of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs):
where .DELTA.n=difference between the refractive indices (uniaxial approximation), d=thickness of the FLC layer, .lambda.=vacuum wavelength and .theta..sub.eff =effective tilt angle. In the ideal case, T.sub.bright =1 (or 100 %). Whereas the first of the two terms in equation (1) can be optimized relatively easily by matching .DELTA.n and d to the wavelength of visible light, the material-side optimization of sin.sup.2 (4.theta..sub.eff) causes problems since .theta..sub.eff is generally very much smaller than 22.5 .degree. ( the optimum value ).
Numerous inorganic and organic materials have already been disclosed for use in alignment layers. Very good results, particularly with respect to bright transmission and contrast, are achieved by means of silicon monoxide vapor-deposited obliquely. However, this requires a very expensive vacuum process, which is not very suitable for industrial mass production.
Significantly less expensive are alignment layers comprising organic polymers, such as polyimides, polyamides and polyvinyl alcohol, having rubbed surfaces; however, the bright transmission and contrast of FLC displays containing such alignment layers are still clearly inadequate, so there is a considerable demand for further materials for alignment layers.
The use of cellulose and starch or derivatives thereof as a material for alignment layers has already been disclosed (for example JP-A-63/070 227, JP-A-59/149 321, JP-A-03/100 520 and JP-A-02/262 622).
Furthermore, EP-A-0 453 966 discloses that alignment layers comprising organic polymers can be modified by means of an amphiphilizating, in particular macrocyclic compounds in order to improve the properties of alignment layers.

Modified polysugar as the alignment layer for liquid-crystal displays


Molecules and compositions are described for use in the treatment and prevention of pro-inflammatory conditions. HDL-related molecules, including ApoA-I, bovine HDL and HDL mimetics, in particular, are demonstrated to prevent UV-induced cell death and oxidative stress in skin cells and to inhibit tumor growth and development in a variety of cancers. HDL-related molecules can be used as an oral supplement and in other compositions to prevent or treat pro-inflammatory skin conditions and systemic proinflammatory conditions, including Alzheimer's disease and various cancers.

Proinflammation is a widespread phenomenon that has strong association with stress and is connected with various diseases. Proinflammatory activities in general are initiated to overcome infection or invasion of potentially deleterious biological agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites etc.). While fighting invasion, proinflammation has beneficial and deteriorating capacities and can exert detrimental effects. The sequelae of an unbalanced systemic inflammatory reaction include derangement of microcirculation, shock, transudation into organs and defects of coagulation. An unbalanced systemic compensatory anti-inflammatory response often results in anergy and immunosuppression.
There remains a need for improved tools to prevent and treat proinflammatory conditions, including proinflammatory skin conditions and epithelial cancers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Use of HDL-related molecules to treat and prevent proinflammatory conditions

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


An environment-compliant image display system, projector, and program that enables the reproduction of appropriate colors even when affected by ambient light. The projector has a color control processing update section that corrects colors by adjusting a LUT in a 3D-LUT storage section and brightness by adjusting a grayscale characteristic in a ID-LUT storage section, in order to increase the output in at least a lower grayscale range if the environment is affected by ambient light, based on environmental information that has been measured by a color light sensor.

The present invention relates to an environment-compliant image display system, projector, and program.
When displaying images at a plurality of different locations (in presentations, meetings, medical treatments, the design or fashion world, business activities, commercials, education, as well as general-purpose images such as those in movies, TV, video, and games), an important part of achieving effective presentations is to make it possible to reproduce images exactly as the creator of those images intended, whatever the location.
One way of considering how to adjust the image appearance is management of the input-output characteristics of the device to achieve color management in the reproduction of colors. Specific methods of how to achieve this are not, however, clear.
When projecting and displaying an image with a projector and screen, in particular, it is difficult to reproduce colors in a suitable manner without considering not only ambient light but also the screen type.
Recent advances in increasing resolution of projectors have made color reproducibility important as well.
Particularly if the environment is affected by ambient light such as artificial light, a state can occur in which the chroma values of the colors are adversely affected by the brightness, making it impossible to reproduce colors appropriately.

Environment-compliant image display system, projector, and program


A voltage control apparatus (10) for an HID lamp includes a voltage control transformer circuit (20), and is connected between supply mains (22) and a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp. The HID lamp is started at full line voltage, and after a sufficient operating interval ensuring that the lamp has achieved a sustaining temperature, the operating voltage applied to the lamp is reduced, effecting considerable savings in energy use, with little or only an acceptably small decrease in light output from the lamp. Further, the voltage control apparatus include a circuit portion responsive to voltage transients on the AC line, and which effects restarting of the HID lamp in the event a voltage transient occurs which is sufficiently long (i.e., about ½ cycle) as to extinguish the HID lamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, broadly considered, is in the field of lighting control. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a voltage control load center for control of the voltage applied to high intensity discharge lamps. The voltage control load center includes plural modular transformer circuits, each controlling the voltage applied to an HID lamp or group of such lamps. Further, this invention relates to such a modular voltage control transformer circuit, and to methods of making and using both the voltage control load center and the modular transformer circuit.
2. Related Technology
The present invention constitutes an improvement over prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,948, issued Feb. 14, 1984, and also over U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,528,110; 5,508,589; and 5,623,186, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent necessary for a full disclosure and understanding of the present invention.
The '948 patent discloses a controller for HID lighting effecting a selective reduction of applied voltage by use of an autotransformer connected in series with a switch. A first portion of the autotransformer winding is interposed between the input and the output, and an additional winding portion is interposed between the output and the common or neutral terminal of an alternating current power source. The first portion of winding is referred to the series winding of the autotransformer, and the second portion of the winding is referred to as the common winding of the autotransformer. The switch (which may be implemented as a relay, for example), is connected in series with the common winding so that when the relay is in its open condition, no current flows in the common winding, and the output voltage is substantially equivalent to the input voltage.
On the other hand, according to the '948 patent, when the switch contacts of the relay are closed current is permitted to flow in the common winding and the autotransformer performs its normal function with the output voltage reduced relative to the input voltage. However, the invention of the '948 patent has significant deficiencies, as is pointed out in the three later patents identified above.
In the three later patents identified above, an inventive autotransformer is provided with a bucking coil in order to cancel the creation of harmonics and inadvertent heating affects in the autotransformer. This inventive autotransformer avoids the deficiencies of the '948 patent. However, further improvements to the technology for controlling HID lighting are possible. There is, therefore, a need to provide an improved apparatus and method for control of HID lighting in order to achieve lowered power consumption.
All prior voltage control transformer circuits known to the Applicant were designed for specific applications, and were sized for those applications. Thus, each application or installation of such a voltage control transformer circuit for HID lighting was to a greater or lesser extent a custom design and a custom (i.e., application specific) installation.
Further, because many locations have line power which is not particularly "clean" (i.e., which includes undesirable transients in voltage or current supply, or in power factor) it is desirable to provide an HID lighting control which can sense those transients, and when a particular transient is sufficiently large that the HID lamp is extinguished, the control implements a timing scheme to effectively re-start the HID lamp.
Further, it would be an advantage to have a voltage control load center for HID lighting which provided for plural such modular voltage control transformer circuits to be arranged for convenient connection to existing or newly installed HID lighting units.

HID lighting control with transient voltage sensing and lamp restarting, and method of making and using


A method and system for managing a recycling entity is included. The method includes obtaining entity data associated with at least one entity. The at least one entity is operable to recycle a quantifiable measure of recyclable material. The method also includes obtaining resource data associated with resources associated with carrying out recycling, applying the entity data and the resource data to a model for determining an allocation of the resources so as to form at least one record, and generating, as a function of the at least one record, reports for allocating the resources.

1. Field
The following generally relates to methods and systems for recycling. More particularly, the following relates to a method and system for managing activities associated with recycling.
2. Related Art
Over the past few decades, costs for collecting and disposing waste material ("waste") have skyrocketed. Decreases in available landfill capacity have caused the cost associated with disposing of waste in such landfills to increase. Adding to these costs are governmental (e.g., federal, state and local) landfill taxes, which have also increased sharply over the past few decades.
Even where landfill capacity exists, the cost associated with potential and actual environmental hazards associated with landfill operation are likewise increasing. These costs can include, for example, losses of valuable property and environmental cleanup costs for rehabilitating landfills and surrounding areas that become contaminated with dangerous chemicals due to the disposal and decomposition of the waste. Given the financial and environmental burdens associated with the collection and disposal of waste, municipalities have actively pursued recycling as an alternative to disposal.
Fortunately, demand for recyclable material has increased as a result of expansion in manufacturing. Manufacturers have long recognized that manufacturing goods from recyclable material less costly than manufacturing such goods from virgin material due to, for example, the costs associated with extracting and processing the virgin material into useable form.
Advances in Single Stream Recycling (SSR) technology reduce the cost of recycling. In addition, recent improvements in automated separation of commingled recyclable material at processing centers have dramatically reduced the cost of collecting, sorting, and processing the recyclable material. The combination of the SSR technology and automated separation enables an automated process to separate and process commingled recyclable material (for example, cardboard, paper, plastic, glass and aluminum material). This combination enables and permits processing centers to cut costs (e.g., reduce labor costs and sorting time) by using an automated process to separate the recyclables as opposed to manual labor. In addition, the combination enables municipalities to cut cost of collection by collecting the recyclable material in commingled form.
While information-technology tools have revolutionized the way many governments and industries operate, the waste management industry has not embraced information technology in the same way. As such, the waste management industry lacks modern, up-to-date information technology tools for efficiently carrying out business management, operations management and other activities associated with recycling (collectively "recycling activities"). In turn, this lack of information-technology tools has limited municipalities and/or other entities administering recycling programs to provide incentives for entities, such as business, governments and households, to recycle; to design effective strategies for recycling; to measure performance against such recycling strategies; etc.
Recycling reduces the financial and environmental burdens of waste disposal, reduces energy costs, and conserves our environment's resources. There is, therefore, a need to establish recycling initiatives which recognize the existing problems associated with the disposal of waste and promote recycling efforts as part of a waste management program.

Methods and system for managing recycling of recyclable material


A semiconductor device, by which a base in which gates are buried can be formed by the junction of semiconductor substrates to each other at a lower temperature, and a fabrication process thereof are provided. Recesses are defined in the top of an N.sup.- substrate. A P.sup.+ layer is formed on the underside of the N.sup.- substrate. P.sup.+ -Gate regions are each formed in an area ranging from the bottom to lower side portions of the recesses. A metal layer composed of an Au-Sb alloy is formed on the underside of the N.sup.+ substrate. The N.sup.- substrate and the N.sup.+ substrate are subjected to a treatment for removing impurities thereon with an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, washed with purified water and dried by a spin dryer. The N.sup.- substrate and the N.sup.+ substrate are heated at about 350.degree. C. in a hydrogen atmosphere in a state that the tops of projections between the recesses have been brought into contact with the metal layer provided on the underside of the N.sup.+ substrate, whereby the N.sup.- substrate and the N.sup.+ substrate are joined to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a fabrication process thereof, and particularly to a static induction (SI) thyristor and a fabrication process thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B are cross-sectional views illustrating a conventional static induction thyristor and a fabrication process thereof, which were proposed by the present inventor.
This type static induction thyristor 100 was conventionally fabricated in the following manner.
As illustrated in FIG. 1A, an N.sup.- substrate 10 and an N.sup.+ substrate 20, which have been subjected to mirror polishing on at least sides to be joined to each other, are first provided.
A plurality of recesses 42 is then defined in the top 14 of the N.sup.- substrate 10 by a photolithography process. Thus, projections 44 are defined between the recesses 42.
A P.sup.+ layer 12 is then formed on the underside of the N.sup.- substrate 10 by an impurity-diffusing process.
Further, boron, which is a P-type impurity, is selectively diffused from the top side of the N.sup.- substrate 10 therein, whereby P.sup.+ -gate regions 52 are each formed in the whole exposed surface ranging from the bottom 43 to lower side portions of the recesses 42 defined in the N.sup.- substrate 10.
Thereafter, the N.sup.- substrate 10 and the N.sup.+ substrate 20 are subjected to ultrasonic cleaning with an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide to remove organic substances and metals on the substrates.
The N.sup.- substrate 10 and the N.sup.+ substrate 20 are then washed with purified water and dried by a spin dryer at room temperature.
The N.sup.- substrate 10 and the N.sup.+ substrate 20 are then heated at about 400.degree.-1000.degree. C. in a hydrogen atmosphere in a state that the tops 45 of the projections 44 between the recesses 42 of the N.sup.- substrate 10 have been brought into contact with the underside of the N.sup.+ substrate 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1B, whereby the N.sup.- substrate 10 and the N.sup.+ substrate 20 are joined to each other.
Further, an anode electrode 92 and a cathode electrode 94 are formed on the underside of the P.sup.+ layer 12 formed on the underside of the N.sup.- substrate 10 and the top of the N.sup.+ substrate 20, respectively.
In the static induction thyristor 100 thus fabricated, the P.sup.+ layer 12 functions as an anode, while the N.sup.+ substrate 20 functions as a cathode. The N.sup.- substrate 10 functions as an N base. The P.sup.+ -gate regions 52 function as a gate which controls an anode current flowing between the anode electrode 92 and the cathode electrode 94.

Semiconductor device with base formed by the junction of two semiconductors of the same conductive type


For offering of services to a user, an object model of a real world object is created based on captured data on the real world object. Information linking a service to the model and identifying a type of the service is associated with the model. The model and the associated information may be provided for use in a mobile device. At a mobile device, captured data on an environment of the mobile device is evaluated to find a match to a model that is stored in the mobile device along with the associated information. When a match is found, a type of a service is determined that is linked to the matching model based on information associated with the model, and an action supporting a provision of the service to a user is caused taking account of the determined type of service.

When a person is in the vicinity of a real world object, he/she may wish to make use of a service that is related to the object using a mobile device, like a smartphone. Useful services can range from the presentation of descriptive information or status information on the object to the enablement of complex interactions in order to operate the object.
Usually, a person has to perform some kind of service discovery in order to find such a service, if available.


A cyclone is used to collect nanoparticles and is formed of a chamber, and a guide wing located in the chamber such that the guide wing and the chamber form a passage. A flow entraining the nanoparticles is moved through the passage in such a way that the flow is caused to spin rapidly, and that the nanoparticles, acted on by a centrifugal force, are thereby resulting in collision with the chamber wall. The cyclone has a nanoparticle cut-off aerodynamic diameter, which is reduced by virtue of the phenomena that the particle inertia increases in a low pressure environment, and that the particle slipping correction factor increases under low pressure, and that the rebound of the particle in the cyclone chamber tends to alleviate under low pressure. The cyclone is used to remove nanoparticles from industrial exhaust fumes.

The fabrication of semiconductor or optoelectronic process releases the exhaust fumes containing harmful gases and particles, such as silicon dioxide particles and arsenic particles. The exhaust fumes are first transferred by a vacuum pump to local scrubber in which the exhaust fumes are disposed of by burning and scrubbing. Such a disposal method as described above is limited in effect in that most of the submicron particles are not effectively washed away, and that most of the particles are discharged into the atmospheric air, thereby resulting in air pollution. The main culprit is that the silicon dioxide particles and the arsenic particles are much smaller than one micron and can not be therefore disposed of effectively by scrubbing. In addition, these particles are apt to deposit in the pipeline of the vacuum pump. It is conceivable that the deposition of the particles will eventually result in obstruction of the pipeline of the vacuum pump. On the other hand, nanotechnology application is the future trend of the high-tech industry. Accordingly, there will be nanoparticle pollution which is resulted from the discharge or loss of the nanoparticles amid the production of the nanomaterials. The unwanted nanoparticles can not be effectively disposed of by means of traditional methods. It is therefore readily apparent that research and development of preventive method and apparatus of the nanoparticle pollution are urgently called for.
Cyclone is generally used under normal pressure to remove particles having an aerodynamic diameter ranging from one to ten or more micron. The conventional cyclone dust collectors are mostly of a tangential flow design, with very few of them being of an axial flow design. As far as the research on the axial flow cyclone is concerned, Liu and Rubow disclosed A NEW AXIAL FLOW CASCADE CYCLONE FOR SIZE CHARACTERIZATION OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER (Liu, B. Y. H. and RUBOW, K. L., 1984). In addition, Liu, Pui, and Fissan disclosed a step-by-step axial flow cyclone (AEROSOLS, PP. 115–118, Elsevier, Amsterdam) and the experimental data of the particle collection efficiency and the particle loss of each step, with the flow of each step being 30 standard liters per minute (abbreviated as slpm), and with the cut-off aerodynamic diameters being 12.2; 7.9; 3.6; 2.05; and 1.0 μm. Weiss et al. disclosed two kinds of axial flow cyclones which are adapted to collect the particle sample in a workplace. (Weiss, Z., Martinec, P. and Vitk, J., 1987, Vlastnosti Dulnibo Prachu A Zaklady Protiprasne Techniky, Prague, SNTL). The flows of the two axial flow cyclones are respectively 8 and 50 slpm, whereas the cut-off aerodynamic diameters are respectively 4.8 μm and 3.0 μm. Vaughan made a variety of axial flow cyclones (Vaughan, N. P., 1988, Construction and Testing of An Axial Flow Cyclone Pre-separator, J. AEROSOL SCI., 19 (3): 295–305). As the flows of these axial flow cyclones remain between 1.24 and 3.75 slpm, the cut-off aerodynamic diameters remain in the range of 1.6–6.5 μm. The afore-mentioned researches were conducted under the atmospheric pressure on the efficiency of the cyclone dust collectors. There is a lack of research literature on the efficiency of the cyclone dust collectors under low pressure.

Method of collecting nanoparticles by using a cyclone and method of designing the cyclone

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A circuit for encoding and decoding key input data from a matrix of switches with a single transmission wire. The circuit for encoding and decoding key input data with a single transmission wire includes a control circuit, a charge storage circuit and a keyboard matrix circuit. The keyboard matrix circuit is composed of a group of resistors connected in series. Each resistor is coupled to ground via a manually actuated switch. When one of the switches is actuated or closed the switch provides an electrical path to ground through the resistors that precede the switch and shorts the resistors that follow the switch. When one of the switches is closed the charge stored on the charge storage circuit dissipates through the electrical path to ground provided by the actuated switch, at a rate related to the sum of the resistance preceding the switch. The control circuit, by monitoring the time for a charge stored on the charge storage circuit to dissipate through an actuated switch coupled to ground, determines which switch was actuated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit for encoding and decoding key input data, such as for a remote control keyboard circuit, from a matrix of switches with a single transmission wire, including circuitry for self calibration.
2. Description of the related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR .sctn..sctn. 1.97-1.99.
Heretofore, various circuits for encoding the position of multiple switches in keyboard circuits for remote controls have been proposed. Several examples of analogous and non-analogous circuits for encoding and/or decoding keyboard data for remote controls are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,015,254 Strandt 4,118,700 Leniham 4,580,138 Morrison 4,695,840 Darilek 4,817,010 Dobbins 4,884,070 Hannaford ______________________________________
The Strandt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,254 discloses a keyboard encoding circuit utilizing an A/D converter having a group of resistors coupling in series a positive voltage reference and circuit ground. The resistors in series establish a voltage divider network from which multiple voltages are generated. A group of switches are commonly connected to the input of an analog-to-digital converter and uniquely connected to one of the multiple voltages generated by the voltage divider network such that when one of the switches is closed, the voltage associated with the switch is applied to the input of the analog-to-digital converter which decodes which switch was pressed.
The Leniham, U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,700 discloses a circuit with single wire transmission of multiple switch operations. Each of a plurality of switches is connected in parallel with an impedance and the switches are coupled to form a series circuit. A reference voltage is coupled to one end of the series circuit with a termination impedance coupled to the other end to form a voltage divider. Operating a combination of switches will produce a divided voltage which is coupled to an analog-to-digital converter to decode the combination of switches operated.
The Morrison, U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,138 discloses a circuit for monitoring the state of each of a group of switches. Each switch is connected in parallel with a resistor. All of the switches are connected in series, with each end of the series string of switches being connected to an analog-to-digital converter for decoding the combination of switches depressed. The resistor values are computed by multiplying powers of 2 with a base resistor value. By computing the resistor values this way, each combination of switch closures will result in a unique resistance seen by the analog-to-digital converter.
The Darilek, U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,840 discloses a circuit for determining the position of a group of remote switches using duty cycle modulation. Each switch is connected in series with a resistor. Each series combination switch and resistor is connected in parallel with all of the other series switch and resistor combinations. The resistor values are computed by multiplying powers of 2 with a base resistor value. The group of remote switches are used to set the current for a constant current source. A timing mechanism, responsive to the constant current source, triggers the switching mechanism to generate a signal having a duty cycle that is dependant on the switches depressed.
The Dobbins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,010 discloses a circuit for switch detection and decoding for a vending machine. The circuit contains a group of resistor in series. Each end of the series group of resistors is connected to the different inputs of a 555 timer. One of the ends of the series group of resistors also is connected to a supply voltage. Connected between each adjacent pair of resistors is a switch with the other end of the switch being connected to the supply voltage. Dependant on which switch is closed a different aggregate resistance will be connected to the inputs of the 555 timer. The 555 timer generates a signal with a frequency dependant on the resistance at the inputs, which is then decoded by the microprocessor to determine which switch has been actuated.
The Hannaford, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,070 discloses a circuit for reading the state of a plurality of switches. Each switch is connected in parallel with a resistor. All of the switches are connected in series. The ends of the series connection of switches are connected to both a constant current driver and an analog-to-digital converter. The resistors are weighted as a function of a power of the same base. When a switch is actuated the resistor in parallel with the actuated switch is shunted across, such that the value of the shunted resistor is not relevant to the aggregate resistance of the resistors/switches in series. The constant current driver produces a voltage drop across the resistors/switches in series dependant on its aggregate resistance. The voltage drop is decoded by the analog-to-digital converter to determine which combination of switches have been depressed.

Single wire keyboard encode and decode circuit


A system for measuring and analyzing operation of an information processor which measures an interval of occurrences of a software event as a measuring object in a measuring object information processor by using a measuring and analyzing information processor. The measuring object information processor outputs data information on a software event, address information of the data information and a write indication signal of the data information and the address information to the measuring and analyzing information processor in response to execution of a predetermined software probe activated by the occurrence of the measuring object software event. The measuring and analyzing information processor alternately writes the data information and the address information together with time information, as measurement data, in a plurality of buffers in response to the write indication signal, as well as reading the measurement data written in the buffers to store the measurement data in a magnetic disk device in time series order.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measuring and analyzing systems for examining operation of information processors and, more particularly, devices for measuring and analyzing operation of an information processor as a measuring object by measuring an elapsed time from when a software event to be measured occurs until another software event occurs in the information processor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Measuring devices which examine the state of operation of an information processor are roughly classified into 1) hardware monitor, 2) software monitor and 3) hybrid monitor as recited in, "Computer Performance Evaluation Methodology, Transactions on Computers", Vol. c-33, No. 12, Dec. 19, 1984.
There are the following two kinds of results obtained by measurement:
1) trace data which records operation of a computer as time series data; PA0 2) resultant data regarding a target performance evaluation item such as execution time of a specific procedure.
In general, once trace data of enough length is acquired, various kinds of performance evaluation data can be obtained by analyzing the trace data. For evaluating performance of a computer, it is therefore more desirable to obtain trace data.
One example of a system for evaluating performance of a computer based on trace data collected through measurement is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-173841, entitled "Program Execution Time Measuring System". Although no specific means of obtaining traces is recited in this literature, any of the following problems generally occurs in obtaining such traces of instructions as described herein.
1) An overhead in measurement is increased.
2) An expensive measuring device is required.
A hardware monitor is a measuring device with a high impedance hardware probe connected to a computer to be measured for examining operation of the computer, which operation appears as a hardware signal. Because this device simply monitors a hardware signal of the measuring object computer externally, it is not at all necessary to modify software of the target computer to change operation of the same for the measurement. Measurement using a hardware monitor is therefore characterized in that an actual state of operation of a target computer can be accurately measured without disturbing operation of the computer as a measuring object. This is a great advantage that other monitors lack.
On the other hand, some hardware monitors are incapable of directly detecting a software event, such as switching of a process, which is not externally output as a hardware signal. As far as such a software event is concerned, a hardware monitor has a drawback that it can neither measure nor evaluate a software event by itself.
One example of such hardware monitors is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 63-91752, entitled "System for Evaluating and Measuring Performance of Electronic Computer", which is a monitor whose objective is to obtain various kinds of performance evaluation measurement data by using a memory to be employed in a history recording mode, but not a device for obtaining trace data.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 63-276638, entitled "Software Development Supporting Device", recites a device capable of gathering data indicative of a history of software execution by using hardware. This device, however, costs much because of a storage circuit equivalent to a storage device (memory) of an electronic computer used as a medium for recording a history. This device has another disadvantage that it is incapable of accurately collecting execution histories of repetitious executions of a program having the same address.
On the other hand, a software monitor is a device for examining operation of a computer to be measured by means of a software probe. The software probe is implemented by incorporating a probe instruction sequence for the operation of "extracting and recording information necessary for measurement and evaluation from a computer to be measured" in a machine language instruction sequence of a target computer (to be specifically, OS or application). There is another kind of probe implemented as a microcode instruction sequence incorporated into microcode instructions but not as a machine language instruction sequence. This kind of probe is called "microcode probe" in some instances but can be treated as a software probe in a broad sense.
Software probes are roughly classified into an event-driven type and a timer-driven type according to conditions activating a probe instruction sequence. The event-driven type is a system activated by the generation of an event to be measured (such as memory access and execution of an instruction).
The timer-driven type is a system activated at fixed time intervals by a clock interrupt etc. and is called as a sampling system. Some measurement employs a combination of event-driven and timer-driven probes.
Because of being an instruction sequence incorporated into software of a computer to be measured, the software probe has an advantage of its capability of examining contents of a memory or a register at an arbitrary address at an arbitrary time point, that is, examining software-related information. The software probe can therefore detect a software event with ease.
On the contrary, because during the execution of a probe instruction sequence, a computer as a measuring object is to execute an instruction whose execution is not originally needed, more time is required for the execution of a program than for the execution of an instruction sequence incorporating no software probe. In other words, the software probe has a shortcoming of generation of an overhead in measurement.
In general, an overhead in measurement is increased as the contents of operation conducted in a probe are more complicated and a time interval activating the probe becomes shorter.
An example of a system for measuring performance of a computer system which executes multitasking interactive processing by using this software probe is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-139644, entitled "Computer System". This system performs measurement only by means of software and stores measurement data in a memory of a system to be measured and therefore involves the following problems.
1) When in examining in detail operation of a system to be measured, that is, when a software probe activation time becomes short, an overhead in measurement is increased.
2) Shortage of a memory capacity of a computer to be measured might adversely affect execution of a program to be measured.
3) Measurement is possible only for a short period of time until the completion of write of measurement data into a memory region ensured for recording the measurement data.
In addition, an event-driven software probe generally uses a timer which is under control of an operating device and whose precision is on the order of 10 mS for checking a current time, that is, a time of occurrence of a software event detected by the software probe. The precision of the obtained time accordingly depends on that of the timer.
On the other hand, because the timer-driven software probe is activated by clock interrupt occurring asynchronously with software operation inside a computer to be measured, it can not detect a software event, such as switching of a process, which occurs synchronously with software operation inside the computer. As a result, it is impossible by this type of software probe to obtain time of software event occurrence and an elapsed time from occurrence of one software event until that of another.
A hybrid monitor is a measuring device which employs both a hardware probe and a software probe together. A function of the software probe in this measuring device is to detect a software event and write it in a specific hardware resource, which is to convert a software event into a hardware event.
A function of the hardware probe is to monitor such a hardware event as described above and record it together with a necessary hardware signal as time series data. As compared with a software monitor requiring operation of detecting a software event and recording it as measurement data by a software probe, the hybrid monitor system which requires no recording operation has less overhead of the software probe.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 62-264342, entitled "Device for Measuring Load on Computer", recites one example of a device for obtaining performance evaluation data by means of both software and hardware. To be obtained by the device is a numerical value indicative of load on a computer but not trace data.
An example of a hybrid monitor using a logic analyzer as a hardware probe and a device for recording time series data is disclosed in "Measuring Operating System Performance on Modern Micro-Processors, Performance Evaluation Review", Vol. 14, Proceedings of 1986 ACM SIGMETRICS Conference, Measuring and Modeling Computer System, pp. 193-202. A common logic analyzer employs a semiconductor memory as a recording device for the recording of time series data. This makes a time series data recording device cost more and as well as making a volume of recordable time series data be limited by a capacity of the semiconductor memory.
With a volume of measurable data being limited by a semiconductor memory capacity, a conventional hybrid monitor, which employs such a hardware tool as a logic analyzer using a semiconductor memory as a device for recording time series data, is not allowed to record operation of a computer over a long period of time.
Among conventional systems for measuring and analyzing operation of information processors, a hardware monitor has a disadvantage that it is not capable of detecting a software event to examine software operation.
A software monitor which collects sample data through sampling has a problem of incapability of measurement of a time elapsed from one software event until another. On the other hand, a software monitor which acquires a time series of software events has the following drawbacks.
1) A large measurement overhead disturbs operation of a device to be measured.
2) Because event occurrence time is ordinarily detected by a timer under control of an OS, precision of the detected time, which is on the order of 10 mS, is insufficient.
As to a conventional hybrid monitor, because of a semiconductor memory employed as a recording device for use as a time series data recording device, the time series data recording device costs much, and a limited capacity of the memory reduces a volume of data recordable in the time series data recording device. As a result, recording of a long-time operation of a computer is impossible.

System for measuring and analyzing operation of information processor


A medical adhesive comprising a plaster layer containing the following ingredients, characterized in that the ingredient 2 is incorporated in a larger amount than the ingredient 5 and in an amount not less than 25% by weight relative to the total amount of the ingredients 1.about.5, and the plaster layer is a W/O type:. 1 a medicinal ingredient, PA0 2 a hydrophobic polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of -65.degree. C. to 35.degree. C. PA0 3 a percutaneous absorption-promoting agent, PA0 4 water, and PA0 5 a hydrophilic polymer which is soluble or capable of swelling in water; and. a medical adhesive which comprises a porous base layer in the plaster layer or in contact with the plaster layer, which enable stable release of the medicinal ingredient, the percutaneous absorption-promoting agents and so on and sustaining of the pharmacological effects over a long period.

This invention relates to a medical adhesive which is excellent in terms of release and percutaneous and per mucosa (hereinafter when referred to as percutaneous, the term includes per mucosa unless otherwise specified) absorption of medicinal ingredients from a preparation. Ease of producibility and stability of the preparation are also maintained.
A wide variety of preparations have been developed as adhesives for topical applications. In recent years, percutaneous administration has drawn attention as an efficient administration route for of medicines, and some adhesives for systemic actions, for example, preparations of nitroglycerin, isosorbide dinitrate, scopolamine, clonidine and estradiol are marketed. Most of the medicinal ingredients of these marketed preparations are suitable for percutaneous absorption in view of their physical properties and levels of effective concentration in blood, and are relatively easily formed into preparations.
However, medicinal ingredients consisting of hydrophilic compounds in the form of salts or the like are generally difficult to absorb percutaneously, and even release of the medicinal ingredients from the preparations is often difficult in matrix type adhesives in which the medicinal ingredients are incorporated or dispersed in polymers having relatively high hydrophobicity which are in wide use as the bases for adhesives.
As one of the means for improving absorbability of medicinal ingredients in such cases release from the preparations or percutaneous absorbability of the medicinal ingredients may be enhanced by increasing the fat-solubility of the medicinal ingredients themselves. For example, the medicinal ingredients may be used which have been in advance converted into their free bases in the base of the preparation; or free bases of the medicinal ingredients may be formed in the preparation.
As another means of improvement, incorporation of percutaneous absorption-promoting agents may be employed. Active studies have recently been made of absorption-promoting agents, and a number of absorption-promoting agents have been reported. Many examples of the adhesives containing absorption-promoting agents are described in, for example, unexamined Japanese Patent Application Nos. 24517/1986 and 221121/1986. However, the solubility of the medicinal ingredients in the base, release thereof from the base, or percutaneous absorbability of such adhesives are not satisfactory.
For the preparations in which the afore-mentioned medicinal ingredients having relatively high hydrophilicity are incorporated in bases mainly consisting of a hydrophobic polymer to exhibit solubility, release and percutaneous absorbability of the medicinal ingredients as expected, solubilizers for the medicinal ingredients are normally necessary. As a solubilizer for medicinal ingredients, water is generally selected in view of its low stimulus against the skin. As the examples of such adhesives in which water is used as a solubilizer, mention can be made of the adhesives as described in unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 02253/1985, wherein no absorption-promoting agent is contained, permitting relatively easy provision of stable plaster layers.
This invention relates to an improvement of the adhesives using water as a solubilizer as mentioned above.
The present invention provides a medical adhesive exhibiting excellent release and percutaneous absorption of the medicinal ingredient, which comprises a base mainly consisting of a hydrophobic polymer, an effective amount of a medicinal ingredient of low solubility in said hydrophobic polymer or poor in release from said hydrophobic polymer and an effective amount of percutaneous absorption-promoting agents which are admixed with or dispersed throughout said base. For the purpose of obtaining such an adhesive, a solubilizer for the medicinal ingredient is normally required.
The effective amounts of medicinal ingredients are generally determined primarily on the basis of the results of initial studies of physical properties, pharmacological effects, effective concentration in blood and the like of the medicinal ingredients, and the effective amounts are not in general determined taking account of the forms and usability of the preparations. This results in a problem that a stable preparation which exhibits the expected pharmacological effect cannot be necessarily obtained in many cases only by incorporating and mixing an effective amount of said medicinal ingredients, an effective amount of percutaneous absorption-promoting agents and the other ingredients.
In the present invention, for example, at least one percutaneous absorption-promoting agent is used. Percutaneous absorption-promoting agents are generally classified into two types, hydrophobic absorption-promoting agents and hydrophilic absorption-promoting agents as mentioned below, and they are normally used solely or in combination. In some cases, poor compatibility of the percutaneous absorption-promoting agents with solubilizers for medicinal ingredients or hydrophobic polymers, gives rise to separation of the ingredients during the course of production of the preparations or with the lapse of days after production, which results in failure to provide the desired adhesives.
Below, examples of the combination where compatibility is poor are given, including the above case.
a) a hydrophobic absorption-promoting agent and a hydrophilic absorption-promoting agent; PA0 b) a hydrophobic absorption-promoting agent and a solubilizer for medicinal ingredients; PA0 c) a hydrophobic polymer or a solution thereof in an organic solvent and a hydrophilic absorption-promoting agent; and PA0 d) a hydrophobic polymer or a solution thereof in an organic solvent and a solubilizer for medicinal ingredients. PA0 (1) A medical adhesive comprising a plaster layer containing the following ingredients, characterized in that the ingredient 2 is incorporated in a larger amount than the ingredient 5 and in an amount not less than 25% by weight relative to the total amount of the ingredients 1.about.5, and the plaster layer is a W/O type: PA0 (2) a medical adhesive as described in (1), which comprises a porous base layer in the plaster layer or in contact with the plaster layer.
As mentioned above, compatibility of each component is critical to feasibility of the preparations for those containing multiple components, and when components of the preparation have poor compatibility, the preparation lacks stability.


A height difference under a sealant is reduced in a case where lines are present under the sealant.

The present invention relates to a structure of a liquid crystal display device integral with peripheral circuits in which an active matrix display circuit and peripheral driving circuits are provided on the same substrate.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a configuration in which peripheral driving circuits are provided inside a region enclosed by a sealant for sealing a liquid crystal material.
There are configurations of liquid crystal display devices integral with peripheral circuits having an active matrix circuit and peripheral driving circuits provided on the same substrate in which peripheral driving circuits are provided inside a region enclosed by a sealant for sealing the liquid crystal material. A CPU, a memory, a control circuit and the like may be provided in addition to peripheral driving circuits.
In such a device, lines are provided under the region where the sealant is provided (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9csealant regionxe2x80x9d). For example, such lines include external connection lines for transmitting signals between the outside and inside of the sealant and short rings formed by extending scanning lines and signal lines and shorting them outside the sealant region in order to prevent electrostatic breakdown of TFTs (thin film transistors) forming an active matrix display circuit at manufacturing steps.
The lines provided under the sealant region results in different heights in the sealant. Such a height difference is primarily caused by two reasons.
One reason is that the lines under the sealant region are localized and are not present in some locations.
The other reason is that the line width and line intervals of the lines under the sealant region vary.
FIG. 13 shows an example of a liquid crystal display device integral with peripheral driving circuits. Referring to FIG. 13, a substrate 1501 and a counter substrate 1502 are disposed in a face-to-face relationship with a sealant 1505 having an injection hole 1510 interposed therebetween to form a panel. On the substrate 1501, there is provided an active matrix display circuit 1503, peripheral driving circuits 1504 such as shift registers and decoders for driving the circuit 1503 and external connection lines 1508 for electrically connecting those circuits and circuits outside the sealant to transmit signals therebetween.
The external connection lines 1508 are connected to the external circuits through an FPC (flexible printed circuit).
There is further provided short rings 1509 which are formed by extending scanning lines and signal lines. The short rings 1509 are formed to short those lines with each other outside the sealant region to prevent electrostatic breakdown of TFTs (thin film transistors) forming the active matrix display circuit at manufacturing steps. The configuration of the short rings 1509 shown in FIG. 13 is a configuration for multi-shot manufacture in which a plurality of panels are obtained from a single substrate. Although not shown in FIG. 13, the short rings are electrically connected to the short rings of an adjacent panel to short the scanning lines and signal lines, and the short rings are separated when the substrate is separated into independent panels as shown in FIG. 13.
FIG. 14A shows sections of a region under the sealant 1505 where the external connection lines 1508 are provided and a region where no line is provided. Referring to FIG. 14A, provided on the substrate 1501 are an underlying film 1511 such as a silicon oxide film, a first inter-layer film 1512 formed by a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film or a multi-layer film consisting of them, external connection lines 1508 and a resin inter-layer film 1513 made of resin such as polyimide or acrylic.
The external connection lines 1508 are formed by a metal film, e.g., an aluminum film, in the range from about 200 nm to 700 nm. Although dependent on the, application, the external connection lines 1508 are formed by a plurality of lines each having a width in the range from 50 xcexcm to 300 xcexcm provided as a group at intervals in the range from 30 xcexcm to 100 xcexcm.
In such a configuration, the resin inter-layer film 1513 has a thickness of about 1 xcexcm and is provided in order to achieve flatness. However, regions of the resin inter-layer film 1513 over the external connection lines 1508 are higher than regions having no line by a height difference d. Such a step can be in the range from a few hundred nm to 500 nm, although it is smaller than the height (thickness) of the external connection lines 1508.
FIG. 14B shows a sectional view of a region under the sealant 1505 where the short rings 1509 are provided in the same layer and using the same material as those of the external connection lines 1508. Therefore, the thickness (height) of the short rings 1509 is the same as that of the external connection lines 1508. The short rings are extensions of signal lines and scanning lines. They are a plurality of lines each having a width in the range from 2 xcexcm to 10 xcexcm provided as a group at intervals in the range from 20 xcexcm to 100 xcexcm.
There is a height difference d2 between the region where the short rings 1509 are provided and the region where the external connection lines 1508 are provided. This height difference can be also in an approximate range from a few hundred nm to 500 nm. Especially, the height difference is increased when a plurality of the resin inter-layer films are formed. A step on the order of 1000 nm may be formed when the films are stacked to a thickness on the order of 2 xcexcm.
A step can be formed on the resin inter-layer film also between the region having the short rings 1509 and the region having no line.
The substrate having the active matrix display circuit provided thereon and the counter circuit are provided in a face-to-face relationship with a sealant including spacers (spherical or cylindrical microscopic particles for maintaining an interval between the substrates) interposed therebetween. Therefore, any uneven height difference in the sealant region where the sealant is provided causes distortion of the counter substrate such as flexing and twisting to make the substrate interval uneven. As a result, a uniform state of display can not be achieved in a single screen and there will be unevenness in color and brightness.
The problem of the distortion of the substrate does not occur even in the presence of a height difference under the sealant region if the height difference is uniformly distributed under the sealant region. However, since the lines extending across the sealant region are provided as a group of lines which are locally concentrated, in general, such a height difference is not uniformly distributed under the sealant region. This results in distortion of the substrate as described above.
The allowance (the range in which no uneven display occurs) for the height difference under the sealant region is on the order of only 1000 nm for a TN (twisted nematic) type liquid crystal display. Especially, for an ECB (electrically controlled multi-reflectivity) mode utilizing nematic liquid crystal, a height difference of only 200 nm causes distortion of the substrate which leads to uneven display and color variation. For example, a height difference of 200 nm between the external connection lines and the short rings makes the substrate interval in the vicinity of the short rings smaller than that in the vicinity of the external connection lines, thereby causing distortion of the substrate and uneven display. Therefore, it is quite important for a liquid crystal display device to have a small height difference under the sealant region in order to provide uniform display in one screen.
It is an object of the present invention to reduce a height difference under a sealant region where wiring is provided under the sealant region (sealant).
Especially, it is an object of the present invention to reduce a height difference under a sealant region in a configuration wherein wiring is provided under the sealant region and one or more inter-layer films made of a resin material are provided on the wiring.
It is another object of the present invention to reduce a height difference under the sealant region in a configuration wherein lines having different widths are provided under the sealant region and wherein one or more inter-layer films made of a resin material are provided above those lines.
According to the present invention, a liquid crystal display device comprises:
a first substrate having a active matrix circuit and peripheral driving circuits provided thereon;
a counter substrate having a counter electrode provided in a face-to-face relationship with the substrate;
a sealant provided between the first substrate and the counter substrate such that it surrounds the active matrix circuit and peripheral driving circuits;
a liquid crystal material provided inside the sealant;
a plurality of external connection lines provided on the first substrate under the sealant with a resin inter-layer film interposed therebetween for electrically connecting the active matrix display circuit and peripheral driving circuits to circuits present outside the sealant; and
an adjustment layer provided in the same layer as the plurality of external connection lines.
In the above-described configuration, the adjustment layer may be provided with the same thickness as that of the plurality of external connection lines.
In either of the above-described configurations, the adjustment layer may be provided with the same intervals and width as those of the plurality of external connection lines.
In any of the above-described configurations, at least one of the plurality of external connection lines may be electrically connected in parallel to one of a plurality of auxiliary lines provided in a layer different from that of the external connection lines to reduce electrical resistance, and an adjustment layer may be provided in the same layer as the auxiliary lines.
A plurality of lines extending across the sealant thereunder and having a smaller width than that of each of the plurality of external connection lines and intervals greater than the width may be provided in a layer different from that of the plurality of external connection lines, and the plurality of lines may include extensions from scanning lines and signal lines that form the active matrix display circuit.
Further, a plurality of lines extending across the sealant thereunder and having a smaller width than that of each of the plurality of external connection lines and intervals greater than the width may be provided in the same layer as that of the plurality of external connection lines, and the plurality of lines may include extensions from scanning lines and signal lines that form the active matrix display circuit. The plurality of lines may include a portion under the sealant where the width is increased.
In the configuration in which at least one of the plurality of external connection lines is electrically connected in parallel to one of a plurality of auxiliary lines provided in a layer different from that of the plurality of external connection lines to reduce electrical resistance and in which an adjustment layer is provided in the same layer as the auxiliary lines:
a plurality of first lines having a width smaller than that of each of the plurality of auxiliary lines may be provided at intervals greater than the width in the same layer as the auxiliary lines such that they extend across the sealant thereunder;
the plurality of first lines may include extensions of either the scanning lines or signal lines forming the active matrix display circuit;
the plurality of first lines have a portion under the sealant where the width thereof is increased;
a plurality of second lines having a width smaller than that of each of the plurality of auxiliary lines may be provided at intervals greater than the width in the same layer as the auxiliary lines such that they extend across the sealant thereunder;
the plurality of second lines may include extensions of the other of group of lines, i.e., the scanning lines or signal lines forming the active matrix display circuit; and
the plurality of second lines have a portion under the sealant where the width thereof is increased.
In the above-described configuration, the extensions of either the scanning lines or signal lines forming the active matrix circuit may be provided in a face-to-face relationship with the adjustment layer provided in a layer different from that of either the scanning lines or signal lines.
Further, the adjustment layer may have a region under the sealant in a face-to-face relationship with the extension of either the scanning lines or signal lines, which is electrically separated from adjacent regions.
Furthermore, the adjustment layer may be electrically divided into a plurality of segments in the region in a face-to-face relationship with the extensions of either the scanning lines or signal lines.
The extensions of the other group of lines, i.e., either the scanning lines or signal lines forming the active matrix display circuit may be provided in a face-to-face relationship with an adjustment layer provided in a layer different from that of the other group of lines, i.e., the scanning lines or signal lines.
In addition, the adjustment layer may have a region facing the extension of either the scanning lines or signal lines, which is electrically separated from adjacent regions.
Moreover, the adjustment layer may be electrically divided into a plurality of segments in the region facing the extensions of either the scanning lines or signal lines.
According to the principle of the present invention, regions under a sealant are adjusted to a height similar to that of the highest region under the sealant.

Liquid crystal display device having external connecting wirings and auxiliary wirings

Abstract: There is provided a substrate having an active matrix display circuit and peripheral driving circuits, a counter substrate having a counter electrode provided on the substrate in a face-to-face relationship therewith, a sealant provided between the substrate and the counter substrate such that it surrounds the active matrix display circuit and peripheral driving circuits, a liquid crystal material provided inside the sealant, a plurality of external connection lines provided on the substrate under the sealant with a resin inter-layer film interposed therebetween for electrically connecting the active matrix display circuit and peripheral driving circuits to circuits present outside the sealant and an adjustment layer provided in the same layer as the plurality of external connection lines.

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A rotation transmission device includes torque cams provided between opposed surfaces of a flange of a control retainer and a flange of a rotary retainer and configured to convert an axial movement of the control retainer to relative rotational motion between the two retainers. All of the torque cams are circumferentially offset from all of the pillars of the control retainer and all of the pillars of the rotary retainer, and a pair of cam grooves forming each torque cam are heat-treated only at their areas that are brought into contact with a ball of the torque cam, to increase the hardness of these areas, thus improving the durability of the retainers.

One known rotation transmission device used to selectively allow and prohibit transmission of rotation includes a two-way clutch configured to selectively couple and uncouple an input shaft and an output shaft, and an electromagnetic clutch configured to selectively engage and disengage the two-way clutch.
A rotation transmission device disclosed in JP Patent Publication 2009-293679A includes a control retainer and a rotary retainer that are mounted between an outer ring provided at an end of an output shaft and an inner ring provided at an input shaft so as to be disposed inside of the outer ring such that pillars of the control retainer circumferentially alternate with pillars of the rotary retainer, with pockets defined between adjacent pairs of the pillars of the respective retainers. The rotation transmission device further includes opposed pairs of rollers, each pair being received in one of the pockets, and elastic members each mounted between each opposed pair of rollers to bias the pair of rollers away from each other to standby positions where the rollers are engageable with a cylindrical surface formed on the inner periphery of the outer ring and cam surfaces formed on the outer periphery of the inner ring. When the inner ring rotates in one direction, one of each opposed pair of rollers engage the cylindrical surface and the cam surface, thereby transmitting the rotation of the inner ring to the outer ring.
This rotation transmission device further includes an electromagnetic clutch provided on the input shaft, which is provided with the inner ring, and is configured such that when the control retainer is moved by the electromagnetic clutch in one axial direction, the control retainer and the rotary retainer are rotated relative to each other in the direction in which the circumferential widths of the pockets decrease, by torque cams provided between opposed surfaces of flanges of the control retainer and the rotary retainer. As a result, each pair of rollers is moved, respectively, by the pillar of the control retainer and the pillar of the rotary retainer to disengaged positions, so that rotation is not transmitted from the inner ring to the outer ring.
This rotation transmission device is configured such that when the electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic clutch is de-energized, the control retainer is moved in the direction in which the flange of the control retainer moves away from the flange of the rotary retainer. Simultaneously, the control retainer and the rotary retainer are rotated relative to each other in the direction in which the circumferential widths of the pockets increase under the biasing force of the elastic members mounted between the respective opposed pairs of rollers, so that the opposed pairs of rollers instantly engage the cylindrical surface and the cam surfaces. This rotation transmission device is thus advantageous in that there exist little gaps in the rotational direction, so that the rotation of the inner ring can be instantly transmitted to the outer ring.
In the rotation transmission device disclosed in JP Patent Publication 2009-293679A, if attempts were made to increase the hardness of the control retainer and the rotary retainer by heat-treating the entire retainers, their toughness would decrease to such an extent that cracks tend to develop at the roots of the pillars due to stress concentrations at the roots of the pillars. Thus, the control retainer and the rotary retainer of this rotation transmission device are used without being heat-treated.
In this case, since inclined cam surfaces of cam grooves forming each torque cam, on which a ball of the torque cam rolls, are low in hardness, the inclined cam surfaces tend to become worn due to contact with the ball. Also, the portions of the inclined cam surfaces that are brought into contact with the ball tend to develop dents. When the ball falls into such dents, the ball will interfere with relative rotation between the control retainer and the rotary retainer, thus affecting smooth operation of the two-way clutch. It is therefore desired to further improve the durability of the retainers of this rotation transmission device.


A dowel assembly for use as an anchor in a structural material, such as a light and hollow structural material, includes an axially extending sleeve formed of expanded metal for receiving a hardenable mass and an anchor member. The sleeve is closed at its leading end and is open at its trailing end. The leading end is closed by folds formed in the expanded metal and the trailing end has an outwardly projecting flange. Such a sleeve fabricated from expanded metal is inherently stiff and can be produced economically.

The present invention is directed to a dowel assembly for use as an anchor, particularly in light and hollow structural material, and includes a metal mesh or expanded metal sleeve for receiving a hardenable mass and an anchor member.
Anchors using a hardenable mass are provided by the adhesive connection of the hardenable mass with a borehole wall and by a positive lock afforded by the hardenable mass entering in cavities or openings in the receiving material in which the borehole is formed. In such an anchor, uncontrolled flow of the hardenable mass before it hardens must be prevented, particularly in materials having large cavities or openings. In DE-0S 2 615 316, a hardenable mass is introduced into a screen-like sleeve formed of a plastics material net. Basically, the hardenable mass remains in the sleeve with the net expanding in the region of any cavities or openings. The inherent stiffness of such a sleeve formed of net material is quite low, so that the sleeve has to be stiffened by a support member introduced into the sleeve and, as a result, considerable additional effort is required for the placement of the sleeve.
Other screen-like sleeves utilized in the same manner have been formed of a wire grid. The formation of a wire grid into a screen-like sleeve is very expensive, since the individual wires must be prevented from being disentangled in the edge region of a blank forming the sleeve, whereby fringed edges are formed in the wire grid.


A document management computer system can validate a user with validation codes sent through a plurality of communication modes. The validated user may be provided with access to a stored electronic document.

Given today's global economy, organizations often have users that are geographically dispersed, and may utilize virtual team collaboration applications to facilitate communication and data sharing between the users for performing job-related tasks and functions. Document management and storage systems are commonly used by organizations to share data between users and perform other functions.
A document management and storage system can facilitate electronic document sharing and collaboration. For example, document sharing functions may allow for a user to create and store a document, and electronically share the document with other users through the document management and storage system. Examples of the document sharing functions may further include searching, archiving, versioning, and other types of document sharing functions.

ENT. SERVICES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION LP


Quaternary ammonium compositions are described which are made using diluents including soya bean oil, caster oil, mineral oils, isoparaffin/naphthenic and coconut oil. Such diluents remain as diluents in the final product and generally have a vapor pressure of 1 mm of Hg or less at 25.degree. C., and are liquid at ambient temperature. The quaternary/ammonium diluent compositions have low volatile organic compound emission rates and high flash points, and can be tailored to particular applications. Such applications include use a fabric softeners, cosmetics ingredients, deinking additives, surfactants, and reaction materials in the manufacture of organoclays.

1. Field of the Invention
Quaternary ammonium salts or "compounds" are tetrasubstituted ammonium salts. They have a large number of commercial applications, including uses as ingredients for fabric softeners, as reaction materials in the manufacture of organophilic clays, as cosmetic ingredients, and as bactericidal agents. The chemical reaction processes used to synthesize quaternary ammonium compounds normally require the use of a non-reactive solvent to reduce the viscosity of the amines, particularly tertiary amines, prior to and during quaternization. The solvent most often employed commercially is isopropyl alcohol ("IPA"). Upon completion of the quaternization reaction process, the resulting quaternary ammonium compounds remain in solution, and are commonly sold as quaternary ammonium compositions in such a solvent mixture, or are dried, ground and then sold as relatively solvent-free powders.
In many applications using quaternary ammonium compounds the presence of solvents such as isopropyl alcohol diminishes the desired performance of the quaternary compound and adds environmental and manufacturing hazards due to the isopropyl alcohol's flammability, volatility and toxicity. Drying techniques have been developed which are capable of removing isopropyl alcohol from certain quaternary--solvent mixtures, but are not generally employed, because they add significant manufacturing costs, while failing to remove all of the isopropyl alcohol.
2. Summary of the Invention
The present invention involves the discovery that quaternary ammonium compounds, synthesized using specified diluents, provide improved properties and possess numerous advantages over essentially identical quaternary ammonium compounds quaternized using isopropyl alcohol or other prior art solvents. Quaternary manufacturers employing the new invention, in addition to obtaining superior products, will also obtain the flexibility to utilize specific diluents selected either to promote beneficial effects in the ultimate product from the presence of the novel diluent, or at a minimum, to avoid existing deleterious effects on the systems of quaternary ammonium compound applications caused by IPA contamination. Such use will also lead to improved product handling properties by significantly reducing the flammability, toxicity and environmental hazards associated with quaternary ammonium compounds made and sold with traditional volatile vehicles, and will open new markets to such products. Particularly beneficial uses are in providing ways of making improved organoclays, cosmetic products including shampoos, and fabric softeners, as well as new uses of quaternary ammonium compounds as additives for the deinking of wastepaper pulp and as surfactants for laundry products.
3. Description of the Prior Art
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
Quaternary ammonium compounds (sometimes abbreviated as "quats") of the type useful in this invention typically are salts of organic cations which have a positive charge localized on a single nitrogen atom and a charge neutralizing anion designated M.sup.-.
Quaternary ammonium compounds have the following formula: ##STR1## These quaternary ammonium compounds may be described as having four moieties where R is an organic radical and R.sup.I, R.sup.II and R.sup.III, the remaining groups attached to the central nitrogen atom, are typically selected from the group consisting of (a) alkyl groups; (b) aralkyl groups which are benzyl and substituted benzyl moieties; (c) aryl groups such as phenyl; (d) beta, gamma-unsaturated groups having six or fewer carbon atoms, (e) hydroxyalkyl groups having 2 to 6 carbon atoms; and (f) hydrogen. The principal groups above are most often derived from naturally occurring fats or oils such as tallow, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, castor oil, linseed oil, safflower oil, palm oil, peanut oil and the like. Mixtures of oils are commonly employed. The oil may be of natural sources, or a synthetic version of same, or modifications of a naturally occurring oil using known techniques. A broad listing of the useful components used to make quaternary ammonium compounds ("quats") is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,647.
M.sup.- is an anion which usually is chloride, methyl sulfate, bromide, iodide, hydroxyl, nitrite or acetate. The anion accompanying the organic cation is selected so as not to affect adversely the intended use of the quaternary ammonium compound, and may optionally be selected to impart unique characteristics to the quaternary compound.
Commercially significant quats usually contain at least one residue of a naturally occurring oil, most often derived from beef tallow. In addition to the uses previously mentioned, these quaternary ammonium compounds also find utility as surfactants, anti-static agents, flotation agents, biocides, and, as stated, as reactants in the formation of organically-modified clay rheological control additives for paints, coatings, drilling muds and the like. In addition, poly-quaternary compounds with more than one nitrogen atom have been utilized and are included in the definition of quaternary ammonium compounds.
Processes of Making Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
The manufacture and preparation of quaternary ammonium compounds is achieved by techniques well-known in the art. When preparing a quaternary ammonium salt, one skilled in the art can prepare a dialkyl secondary amine, for example, by the hydrogenation of nitriles, and then form the methyl dialkyl tertiary amine by reductive alkylations using formaldehyde or dimethoxymethane as a source of the methyl radical. A commercial manufacturing process typically involves various stages, including those resulting in the creation of nitriles, primary amines, secondary and tertiary amines, and finally the quaternary compound itself.
The manufacturing process generally involves saturation of fatty acids derived from tallow, or of a commercial natural oil, by hydrogenation as an early step. This has led manufacturers to use the term, "hydrogenated tallow", or "HT", when describing common quaternary ammonium compounds, even those not exclusively derived from tallow fatty acids. Saturated, relatively long-chain hydrocarbon molecules are typically solids or very highly viscous liquids at room temperatures. They may be liquified by heating, but, particularly as the molecular weight of the intermediate products is increased in the course of the manufacturing process, the heat-induced liquification will not compensate for increasing viscosity, which will inhibit subsequent manufacturing steps. Accordingly, the quaternization step typically has been done in a liquid medium in order to solvate and reduce the viscosity of the both the starting material and the reaction products, and to reduce foaming. The medium used for commercial processing has almost universally been isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Quaternization reactions are typically carried out in the presence of an inorganic alkali--such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium or calcium carbonate--to react with any acid that may be formed as a by-product from the reaction of the alkylating agent (typically an alkyl or aralkyl halide) with labile hydrogen compounds contained within the reaction mixture. Such acidic materials form salts with the amine reactant, deactivating it toward quaternization. Such labile hydrogen compounds include, but are not limited to, primary and secondary amines--typically from incomplete reductive alkylation of the amine in the preceding step--water, and, when an alcoholic diluent is used as the reaction medium, the reaction solvent itself. Thus, while a chemical such as isopropanol will generally serve to accelerate the reaction of the alkylating agent with the amine and the reaction of any acidic by-products with the inorganic alkali, it will also reacts with the alkylating agent to generate unwanted acidic compounds and consumes the alkylating agent.
After manufacture, unless expensive vacuum distillation or freeze drying and grinding processes are later performed to produce a powdered product, the commercial quaternary ammonium compound is then generally sold in IPA solution, with typical activities ranging from 25 to 85 percent quaternary ammonium compound. Customers typically have no commercial use for the IPA either when blending the quat (or similar product) in the customer's process or product, such as fabric softener manufacture, or when using it as a reactant, for example in the manufacture of organoclays. Organoclays are the reaction product of smectite-type clay and quaternary compounds. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,578. The IPA often is discharged into a sewer leading either to a publicly owned water treatment facility or to a permitted direct discharge, or is volatilized and exhausted to the atmosphere when the organoclay is dried. As an alternative, significant expenses may be incurred for capture and reuse of the IPA from the effluent or pre-atmospheric emissions. As environmental controls on indirect dischargers, direct permitted dischargers, and emitters of volatile organic contaminants ("VOC's") are tightened, the cost of IPA disposal has been increasing at a rate several times that of inflation.
Several prior art references describe the various media, including IPA, which have been used to provide the volatile liquid solvent vehicle for quaternary ammonium compound manufacture. U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,617 describes a process for the preparation of defined quaternary ammonium compounds using animal fat tallow oils as starting ingredients. The patent describes the preparation of quaternary ammonium compounds and more particularly the preparation of tetra-alkylammonium compounds by the alkylation of alkyl secondary amines with alkyl halides. The patent teaches the use of the lower alcohols, particularly n-butanol, as solvent media for the reaction. U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,003 describes the making of quaternary ammonium compounds having very strong bactericidal activity using, as the reaction solvents, benzene, toluene, xylene, acetone, ethyl and butyl acetate. The compounds are useful for the disinfection of human skin, as well as the disinfection of utensils including medical instruments. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,950,318 and 3,175,008 relate to improved processes for the production of quaternary ammonium compounds employing, as the solvent vehicle, one of the low-boiling alcohols including methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, and the like, with the preferred solvent being isopropyl alcohol, together with a minimum amount of water. Upon completion of the reaction, the mixture produced contains the quaternary compound in an aqueous alcoholic solution. While not commercially significant certain quaternary manufacturers have made their products in glycols as the solvent including propylene glycol, hexylene glycol and diethylene glycol.
Relatively recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,310 shows the preparation of quaternary ammonium compounds from cosmetic and toiletry compositions from castor oil triglycerides carried out using, in one stage, solvents such as toluene, chloroform and dichloromethane, and in a second stage, the organic vehicle ethanol introduced at an elevated temperature. The resulting product is then dried under vacuum at 80.degree. C. to remove the ethanol.
The media described in the prior art, in the main, involve mostly volatile organic compositions which share a number of properties, the most important of which is the low temperature at which they exhibit a vapor pressure of approximately 1 mm. For example ethanol exhibits a vapor pressure of 1 mm, at a temperature of -31.degree. C. while toluene's temperature is -26.7.degree. C. and methanol's is -44.degree. C. While glycols have vapor pressure-higher temperatures, they present problems of toxicity, odor, flammability and solubility in water systems where the quaternary may be used, that they have not been widely used. Most of the solvents employed in the conventional manufacture of quaternary ammonium compounds can be further characterized as having toxicity, low viscosity, low flash and freezing points. In particular, the vapor pressure of almost all the prior art vehicles substantially exceeds 1 mm of Hg at 25.degree. C.
Quaternary ammonium compounds are usually prepared in complex and expensive stainless-steel or glass-lined equipment. The amine, with or without water, is loaded into the reactor and heated to the proper temperature (usually 80.degree.-100.degree. C.), and an alkylating reagent is added. Quaternization of tertiary amines with alkyl halides is bimolecular. The rate of reaction is influenced by a number of factors, including the nature and quality of the starting materials, the basicity and nucleophilicity of the amine, stearic effects, temperature, reactivity of the halide, and the polarity and other characteristics of the solvent used. Such solvents, in addition to providing liquidity, also assist the reaction by stabilizing the ionic nature of the transition stage of the quaternization reaction.
Uses of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
The use of quaternary ammonium compounds to make organophilic clays is described in a large number of patents. Illustrative patents which describe such organophilic clays and their use as thickeners and rheological additives include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,894,182, 4,450,095 and 4,434,075. Organoclays are the reaction products of smectite clays, including hectorite and bentonite, with one or more quaternary ammonium compounds.
Volume 19 of the Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology at pages 529 to 530 describes the various uses of quaternary ammonium compounds as fabric softeners. There are three types of commercial products disclosed: the first is a 4-8 wt % dispersion of quaternary ammonium compound, which is added to the rinse cycle of the washing process by the washing machine user. The second commercial product is a quaternary ammonium compound formulation applied to a nonwoven sheet or a polyurethane foam, which is added with the wet clothes into the dryer by the homemaker. This product formulation contains a transfer agent, usually a fatty-acid ester, which allows the quaternary ammonium compound to transfer from the substrate to the wet clothes. The third type of product is a combined detergent, softener and antistatic formulation containing quaternary ammonium compounds, which allows the introduction of all necessary ingredients into the wash cycle of the washing process. In all cases, the benefits to the user are fabric softening, antistatic properties, ease of ironing, and odor improvement, the latter because of the common addition of perfumes to the formulation. The most widely used, and most effective, quaternary ammonium compounds used for fabric softening purposes are the dimethyl bis[hydrogenated tallow] ammonium chlorides and methyl sulfates ("2M2HT").
Another significant use for quaternary ammonium compounds is in certain cosmetics, particularly for hair treatment. Quaternaries have a high affinity for proteinaceous substrates, and this property makes them useful for hair treatment. They impart antistatic effects, increase hair wetting, improve wet and dry combing, and improve feel and luster. Other cosmetic uses are widely diversified, and the quaternary ammonium compound formulations vary from one cosmetic manufacturer to another, depending on the qualities to be emphasized. In some cases, the solvent with the quaternary ammonium compound is acceptable, while in others it must be removed, for example, by spray drying.
Another important use of quaternary ammonium compounds is in compositions for deinking wastepaper, which is a growing industry both in the United States and throughout Europe. Applicant's assignee in pending U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,372 describes a process for deinking wastepaper in an aqueous flotation process utilizing organoclays formed in situ in the deinking apparatus by the use of quaternary ammonium compounds as deinking chemicals, particularly 2M2HT. U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,096 discloses a method for deinking waste printed paper by using quaternized alkyl tallow compounds as deinking surfactants in a washing process. Since quaternary compounds in commercial use contain IPA, or other similar soluble solvents such as hexylene glycol, the constantly recycled water used in commercial deinking can be adversely impacted by present-day compositions, since the increasing concentrations of such solvents result in process difficulties, solvent build-up and disposal problems, and eventually lead to discharge into the environment.


Failure types that caused defective items to fail testing are identified, the defective items are grouped by the failure types to produce failure-type groups, and the defective items are analyzed to identify defect types that caused the failures. Failure-type limited yield within each of the failure-type groups, and failure-type group-specific defect ratio based on proportions of the defect types within each of the failure-type groups are determined. Additionally, each failure-type group-specific defect ratio is weighted using the failure-type limited yield to produce a weighted failure-type group-specific defect limited yield. For each of the defect types, the weighted failure-type group-specific defect limited yield from each of the failure-type groups is combined to produce the failure-type influenced defect-type total limited yield. Matrix processing is used for the weighting and combination processes. The defect types are ranked based on the failure-type influenced defect-type total limited yield.

The present disclosure relates to defect detection within manufactured goods, and more specifically, to determining the most effective order in which to address discovered defects.
Improving yield increases manufacturing efficiency, which reduces waste and cost, and improves reliability. Yield is the percentage of non-defective products produced by a process. Related to yield is the concept of failure, which is an electrical signature causing a device to malfunction (which can be obtained by electrical testing, for examples, power shorts, input/output (I/O) pin open, automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) failure or scan chain failure etc., for logic; and single cell failure (SCF), vertical pair failure (VPF) and horizontal pair failure (HPF) etc., for static random access memory (SRAM)). Further, a defect is a physical abnormality causing such an electrical signature. The methodologies of identifying a defect include failure analysis, which includes the electrical and physical processes preformed to identify the defect for the failure, or matching hits, which is the process of matching the inline inspection physical defect maps with functional test failure maps (bit fail map). Additionally, there can sometimes be No Defect Found (NDF) after failure analysis, or no inline inspection defect correlated to an electrical failure.
As advanced semiconductor technology becomes more complicated, the types of defects are increasing and the root cause identification and resolution for each type of defect also becomes more challenging. In order to achieve fast yield improvement under this situation with so many types of defects and limited resources, it is important to deploy the limited resources to focus on the defects with the greatest yield impact.
Yield can be defined using different concepts including functional considerations (whether the device has the intended functionality, e.g., performs the functions it is designed to perform), and parametric considerations (whether the device performs within the intended operating range, e.g., speed, power, voltage, resistance, temperature, etc.); and yield can also consider production efficiency. Defects that reduce yield can occur because of faulty designs and/or faulty manufacturing. Therefore, design yield can be found by looking to the functional and parametric components; while manufacturing yield looks to the percentage of items that are produced without physical defects, and is generally discovered by physically, visually, or electrically testing the manufactured product.
The concept of defect limited yield (DLY) is the ratio of product that meets functional specifications to the total product made, and is contrasted with the concept of circuit limited yield (CLY) which is the ratio of the product that meets or exceeds performance specifications to the total product made. The systems and methods discussed below relate to such yield considerations.


A solid state contactor assembly includes at least one solid state switch electrically connected to a first bus bar via at least one conductive plate. The solid state switch controls a flow of current between the first bus bar and a second bus bar. A current sensor is formed along a cross section of one of the first or second bus bar such that the current sensor separates its associated bus bar into two separate bus bar portions, and such that a flow of current between the two separate bus bar portions passes through the current sensor. A switch control is operable to control the solid state switch. The switch control is in communication with the current sensor.

This disclosure relates to bus bars, and more particularly to a bus bar current sensor, a bus bar current switch, and to bus bar connection and retention.
Bus bars have been used with electromechanical contactors to form electrical connections between devices in an aircraft electrical system. In a typical aircraft electrical power distribution system, power is fed to distribution boxes/panels by heavy gauge wires which are bolted to terminal blocks, and the terminal blocks are bolted to internal bus bars of the distribution box/panel. Electromechanical contactors are used to provide electrical connections between some of these components. However, the electromechanical contractors are large, heavy and costly, and replacing worn out electromechanical contactors can be difficult.