A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery having an electrode group in which a positive electrode plate containing a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode plate containing a negative electrode active material are wound with a separator there between. The positive electrode active material uses a lithium transition metal oxide represented by the formula LiaNixM1−xO2 (0.9≤a≤1.2, 0.8≤x<1, and M is at least one element of Co, Mn, and Al). The positive electrode plate is provided with a current-collecting tab placed in a position that is 200 mm or more apart from the winding start of the positive electrode plate. The separator has an MD direction tensile strength (SMD)-to-TD direction tensile strength (STD) ratio (SMD/STD) of from 0.72 to 1.37 and an MD direction tensile elongation (EMD)-to-TD direction tensile elongation (ETD) ratio (EMD/ETD) of from 0.34 to 1.29.

In recent years, smaller and lighter mobile data terminals such as mobile phones, notebook personal computers, and smartphones have been increasingly used and batteries used as driving power supplies therefor have been required to have higher capacity.
In particular, nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, which are charged and discharged in such a manner that lithium ions move between positive and negative electrodes, have high energy density and high capacity and therefore are widely used as driving power supplies for the above mobile data terminals.
Furthermore, the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries are recently attracting attention as power supplies for power for electric vehicles and the like and applications thereof are expected to be further expanded.
In such applications, the following improvements are required: further improvements in high capacity enabling batteries to be used for a long time, in the reduction of battery cost, and in the safety in the case where force is applied from the outside by dropping or the like.
One of methods for evaluating the safety of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries is an impact test in which a certain impact is applied to a battery from the outside by vertically dropping a predetermined weight on the battery in charge and no occurrence of rupture or ignition is confirmed.
Patent Literature 1 describes a technique for preventing the ignition and rupture of a battery in such a manner that an uncoated portion is provided on the outermost periphery of a negative electrode, a negative electrode current-collecting tab provided on the outermost periphery and the uncoated portion are arranged so as to overlap each other, and the short-circuit current and heat caused by an external impact are thereby effectively diffused.

Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery


A conventional full wave diode bridge of an alternator is replaced with a full wave controlled rectifier bridge having controlled switches in place of diodes. Phase control is performed by the switches of the controlled rectifier bridge to preempt natural commutation and shift the phase of the alternator phase voltages relative to the phase currents. The phase angle control disrupts the normal unity power factor operation of the alternator and causes additional reactive current flow in a three phase stator winding of the alternator to source the controlled rectifier bridge. The result is that for the same operating conditions the controlled switches of the controlled rectifier bridge boost output from the alternator by from 40% to 60%.

The present invention relates generally to alternators and, more particularly, to improved alternators and methods for operating such alternators to improve alternator output current particularly at lower speeds. While the present invention is generally applicable, it will be described herein with reference to use in motor vehicles.
A conventional motor vehicle alternator includes a three phase stator winding with a rotor magnetically coupled to the stator and driven by the vehicle's internal combustion engine. As the rotor is driven, three phase power, generated at output connections of the stator winding, is rectified by a three phase diode rectifier bridge. Unfortunately, the output current and efficiency, both mechanical and electrical, of the alternator vary with the speed of the engine which is controlled for the mechanical requirements of the vehicle. At low speeds, the alternator output may be insufficient to provide the power needed to operate all electrical equipment of the vehicle while at high speeds, power generation is sufficient to far exceed these requirements.
The operating speed of an alternator used in the electrical system of a motor vehicle may be varied to overcome the noted inconsistencies between power generation and power requirements and to advantageously generate sufficient power for the motor vehicle when the engine is operating at a low speed. For example, a variety of two speed alternators operable at a higher speed for low speed operation of the corresponding motor vehicle engine are known.
While such alternator control arrangements are useful in providing adequate power at low engine speeds or for protecting alternators at high engine speeds, they rely on mechanical speed change devices which can be unreliable.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved alternator which is reliable and does not rely on mechanical speed changing devices to improve alternator operation and arrangements for controlling operation of such an alternator for example in a motor vehicle.

Motor vehicle alternator and methods of operation


A drill/driver is provided that includes a housing, a collar mounted at a front portion of the housing, a side handle mounting area provided forward of the collar, a handle mounted to the side handle mounting area, and a chuck mounted forward of the side handle mounting area. With the side handle mounted in front of the collar, easier access to the adjusting collar and easier reading of the collar settings is achieved.

The present invention relates to power tools, and more particularly, to a power drill, driver, or hammer drill having a side handle arrangement.
A typical power drill or driver includes a housing, a spindle, and a chuck for holding a drill bit or screwdriver. The housing typically includes a portion which contains an electric motor, a pistol-like grip for holding the drill, and a trigger switch for turning the drill on and off so as to supply torque to the drill bit or screwdriver for drilling a hole and inserting or removing a screw or the like. However, sometimes it is particularly difficult to gain enough leverage on the drill with the pistol-like grip alone. Therefore, power drills or drivers have been developed that further include a side handle so that the user may use both hands when using the drill or driver to gain leverage.
There are also power drills or drivers that include means for changing speeds of the drill or means for applying variable torque to the drill bit or screwdriver. These power drills typically include a rotary collar or other switching device that can be rotationally moved to different settings such that the speed of the drill or a torque setting of the drill can be increased or decreased according to the type of task the drill is being used to perform. However, when a drill that contains either the means for changing speeds or means for applying variable torque also contains a side handle, the placement of the side handle may make it difficult to rotationally move the collar to different settings and also difficult to read the settings on the rotary collar.
With the above deficiency in mind, the present invention provides a drill or driver that includes a housing, a collar mounted at a front portion of the housing, a side handle mounting area provided forward of the collar, a handle mounted to the side handle mounting area, and a chuck mounted forward of the side handle mounting area. With the side handle mounted in front of the collar, easier adjustment of the collar and easier reading of the collar settings is achieved. In addition, because the handle mounting area can be made generally the same size as the chuck, the use of handles with industry standard size mounting collars is also permitted.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.


A two channel real time octave analyzer is equipped with an adaptive time domain phase compensation filter whose poles and zeros are programmably selected to counteract phase error associated with any given pair of microphones. Precise matching of microphone phase characteristics is thereby achieved. In the preferred embodiment, the transfer function for the adaptive filter is determined using a pole/zero synthesis technique based on cross spectrum data acquired in an FFT spectral analysis of the probe microphones.

For expository convenience, the present invention is illustrated with reference to the matching of characteristics of microphones used in a probe for measuring sound intensity. It should be recognized, however, that the invention can advantageously be applied in a number of other situations requiring precise matching of phase and/or amplitude characteristics.
Sound intensity is a vector measurement of the average rate of sound energy transmitted in a specified direction through a unit area normal to this direction at a specific point. Such measurements are commonly used to quantify, for example, the noise emitted from industrial equipment or machinery.
Sound intensity measurements are conventionally made using a pair of precisely matched, closely spaced microphones (commonly known as a sound intensity "probe"). As explained more fully in Pope, J., "The Two-Microphone Sound Intensity Probe," Journal of Vibration, Stress, and Reliability in Design, Vol. 110, January, 1988, pp. 97-103, sound intensity is related to the cross-spectrum detected by the two microphones in the frequency domain according to the following formula: EQU I.sub.r (.omega.)=-Im(G.sub.AB)/.pi..omega..DELTA.r (1)
The equivalent expression in the time domain is: ##EQU1## where: .pi.is the density of the acoustic medium;
.omega.is the frequency in radians; PA1 .DELTA.r is the effective microphone separation; PA1 p.sub.a is the sound pressure at microphone a; PA1 p.sub.b is the sound pressure at microphone b; PA1 I.sub.r is sound intensity in direction r from a to b; and PA1 Im(G.sub.AB) represents the imaginary part of the cross-spectrum between p.sub.a and p.sub.b.
The measurements necessary to make the above-detailed calculations can be performed using two different types of instruments: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectrum analyzers and real time octave analyzers. Each has its respective advantages and disadvantages.
An FFT analyzer, such as the Hewlett-Packard HP 35660A and 35665A, operates by digitally sampling an analog input signal and performing a fast Fourier transform on the sampled data to determine its spectral composition. The results of the Fourier analysis are a series of spectral coefficients, one corresponding to each of a plurality of frequency "bins."
A drawback of the FFT analyzer technique is that the frequency bins into which the Fourier analysis resolves the spectral composition are uniformly spaced in frequency. A 400 bin analysis of the spectrum between 0 and 10 KHz, for example, results in bins that each correspond to 25 Hz. While such resolution is more than adequate for higher frequencies, it is inadequate at low frequencies.
To provide adequate resolution at low frequencies, a second FFT measurement spanning a smaller range (such as 0-1 KHz) is generally required. The results of the two measurements are then combined to yield a final result. This procedure, however, is problematical since a single instrument cannot make both measurements at the same time. The combined measurement instead reflects two different measurements made at two different times. This non-real time operation is often unacceptable.
Real time octave analyzers, in contrast, use a series of bandpass filters (often implemented digitally in a sampled data system) to determine spectral composition. These filters are generally centered at logarithmically-spaced frequencies (often in one-third octave steps), thereby providing increasingly finer resolution at increasingly lower frequencies.
(The human ear perceives sound in a logarithmic fashion, making octave-based analysis a popular mode of measurement. Further, most acoustic standards, such as the IEC 1043 Instruments for the Measurement of Sound Standard, are specified in this fashion.)
Several real time octave analyzers are known, including the Bruel & Kjaer 2133 and the HP 35665A. (The HP 35665A, which was noted above as an FFT analyzer, combines FFT and real time octave analysis capability in a single instrument.) In the B&K 2133, sound intensity is calculated by combining the outputs of the bandpass filters to perform a sampled data counterpart to the operation described in equation (2) above.
In order for the cross-channel data acquired in either an FFT or real time octave analyzer measurement setup to be useful, the characteristics of the probe microphones must be precisely matched. Amplitude matching is relatively easy to obtain. (Further, the sound intensity calculation is less sensitive to amplitude mismatch. Cf. Pope, supra.) Phase matching, however, is difficult.
Two primary mechanisms contribute to phase mismatches between otherwise identical microphones. The first relates to variability in diaphragm damping. This phenomenon is particularly evidenced at frequencies above a few hundred Hz. Due to manufacturing tolerances, otherwise identical microphones may commonly exhibit a difference in phase response of several degrees when measured at one kilohertz.
The second mechanism that contributes to microphone phase mismatch is an interaction between a cavity behind the microphone diaphragm and a hole venting this cavity to the atmosphere, effectively creating an acoustical low pass filter. Differences in this static pressure equalization between microphones can cause a phase variance between otherwise matched microphones of up to three degrees at twenty hertz. (Twenty hertz is typically the low frequency limit for sound intensity measurements.)
In order for a pair of microphones to be successfully utilized for sound intensity measurements, their phase characteristics should generally be matched to within less than 0.3 degrees throughout the measurement span of interest. (This 0.3 degree figure is highly application dependent. In some instances a variance of up to 1 degree may be acceptable. In others, a variance of less than 0.1 degrees may be required.). As noted, current manufacturing processes can only reliably match microphones to within about 3 degrees, an order of magnitude higher than this approximate threshold requirement. Accordingly, microphones must generally be matched by a tedious manual selection process.
Low frequency phase error is usually the most critical in making sound intensity measurements. As noted, sound intensity is a vector measurement. The direction of the measured sound is determined by the phase delay with which the same sound reaches the two microphones. Since, at low frequencies, the sound wavelength is several meters long, and the microphones may only be spaced by a centimeter or two, the cos .phi. phase delay associated with off-axis sound vectors is quite small and would be masked by even small phase errors (.phi. is here the angle between the intensity vector and the center line of the microphones).
If the problem of low frequency phase error could be solved, the remaining task of selecting microphones by manually matching high frequency responses would be considerably simplified.
While in real time octave analyzers, the microphones themselves must be precisely matched, in FFT analyzers it is possible to match the microphones using correction factors internal to the analyzer. In particular, it is possible to determine the phase error between a pair of microphones in the frequency domain, and then multiply the cross spectrum between the microphones by the complex conjugate of this error term to effect correction. This method has been used for many years in FFT instruments.
(To determine the phase error between a pair of microphones, a number of different methods may be employed. Exemplary are those disclosed in Chung, J. Y., "Cross-Spectral Method of Measuring Acoustic Intensity Without Error Caused by Instrument Phase Mismatch," Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 64, No. 6, 1978, pp. 1613-16, and Seybert, A. F., "Measurement of Phase Mismatch Between Two Microphones," NOISE-CON 85 Proceedings, 1985, pp. 423-28.)
Real time octave analyzers have not previously been susceptible to this type of phase correction. Consequently, extensive research has been conducted in methodologies of producing closely matched microphones. Exemplary of this work are: Frederiksen, E., "Phase Characteristics of Microphones for Intensity Probes,"Proceedings of 2nd International Congress on Acoustic Intensity, Senlis, 1985, pp. 50-57; and Frederiksen, E., et al, "Pressure Microphones for Intensity Measurements with Significantly Improved Phase Properties," Bruel & Kjaer Technical Review, No. 4, 1986, pp. 11-21. The latter paper proposed a solution to low frequency phase mismatch by mechanical compensation--namely the addition of two additional cavities behind the diaphragm to attenuate the effect of low frequency vent-cavity resonances, and hence minimize phase variabilities between microphones. Microphones optimized for phase accuracy are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,887,300 and 4,777,650. While effective, such approaches result in significantly increased manufacturing costs.
In accordance with the present invention, a real time octave analyzer is equipped with an adaptive time domain phase compensation filter whose poles and zeros are selected to counteract the low frequency phase error associated with any given pair of microphones. Precise equalization of unmatched microphone phase errors is thereby achieved without resort to elaborate mechanical compensation schemes. In the preferred embodiment, the transfer function for the adaptive filter is determined using a pole/zero curve fitting technique based on cross spectrum data acquired in an FFT spectral analysis of the probe microphones.
The foregoing and additional features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Time domain compensation for transducer mismatch


A switched mode power converter is described, configured to convert electrical power between a first voltage at a first port and a second voltage at a second port, where the first and second voltages are relative to a reference potential. The power converter comprises an inductive element having a first side and a second side, where the first side of the inductive element is coupled to the first port. The power converter comprises a power switch configured to couple or to decouple the second side of the inductive element to or from the reference potential. The power converter comprises a capacitive element having a first side and a second side, where the first side of the capacitive element is coupled to the power switch and the second side of the capacitive element is coupled to the second port. The power converter comprises an auxiliary switch configured to couple or to decouple the second side of the capacitive element to or from the reference potential. The power converter comprises a control unit configured to control the power switch and the auxiliary switch in a repetitive manner to convert electrical power.

DC-DC power converters, notably DC-DC switched mode power converters, such as a buck converter, a boost converter and/or a buck-boot converter, may be used in various different applications to convert electrical power at an input voltage provided by a power source (e.g. by a battery) into electrical power at a different output voltage which is provided to a load (e.g. to a digital processor). A short circuit at the output of the power converter may lead to substantial short circuit currents at the input of the power converter, wherein such substantial currents may damage the power source.

Short circuit protection for a power converter


Each of intake and exhaust valves of an internal combustion engine has a valve retainer provided with a center hole through which the upper portion of each valve stem passes, a flange and a raised portion surrounded by the flange and around the center hole, a groove formed around the center hole, on the raised portion for receiving a pin inserted into a hole formed in the upper portion of the valve stem. The valve retainer can be easily assembled with a valve spring. Further, a cylinder head has an intake port comprising a lateral path which is in shape of a deep pan in cross section and whose height is gradually decreased from the inlet of the lateral path to a vertical path whose lower end has an opening portion to be opened and closed by a valve portion of the intake valve. Thereby, the mixing state of fuel and air is improved.

This invention relates to intake and exhaust valves and an intake port in an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to an improved structure of a valve spring retainer or shoe and an improved shape of the intake port in the internal combustion engine.
In general, in order to increase a combustion efficiency of an internal combustion engine, a valve spring retainer must be designed properly to open and close accurately intake and exhaust valves, an intake port must be properly designed to enhance an intake efficiency and an enlarged spiral vortex in the axial direction of a cylinder must be generated. Thus, contact between air and fuel in the combustion chamber is enhanced.
In these countermeasures, a conventional structure of the valve spring retainer of each of intake and exhaust valves is shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. In FIG. 9, a cylinder head 1 has two valve guides 3, 3 therein for guiding the valve stems 8, 8 of intake and exhaust valves V.sub.1, V.sub.2 so as to be moved in their axial direction. Each valve stem 8a, has at its upper portion, a cut portion 5 which is engaged with a valve spring retainer 80 via a pair of split cotters 41a, 41b. Two valve springs 9, 9 are held between a cylinder head 1 and each valve spring retainer 80, and the distal end 40 of each of rocker arms abuts against the upper end of each valve stem 8a to move each valve stem 8a upward and downward against the spring force of each valve spring 9 thereby to open and close two opening portions 60, 60 of intake and exhaust ports K, H with two valve portions 8b, 8b abutting against two valve seats 2,2, respectively. The cotters 41a, 41b are inserted into a tapered hole 80a of each valve retainer 80 while holding the cut portion 5 of the valve stem 8a therebetween as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. The cotters 41a, 41b are in the shape of a wedge and have tapered surfaces T.sub.s, T.sub.s, respectively. Therefore, if accuracy of finishing for the valve retainer 80 and the cotters 41a, 41b is not good, for example, those members may be assembled in a state shown in FIG. 12 wherein the cotters 41a, 41b are located in a raised position from a normal position. In this case, the valve spring 9 is compressed by a bigger force than a normal force. That is, a bigger force is necessary for opening the opening portion 60 by lowering the intake valve V.sub.1 with the rocker arm 40. Therefore, the compressed length of the valve spring 9 (a force exerted on the intake valve V.sub.1 by the valve spring 9) is not uniform to differentiate the repulsive force of the valve spring 9 from its design value. This causes various problems.
Further, with respect to the shape of the conventional intake port, a lateral path member 6 for the intake port K with a simple uniform circular section (FIGS. 12, 13) is disposed perpendicularly to the center axis C--C of the cylinder head 1. Therefore, tumbler flow lacks velocity of component in the direction of the center axis C--C of the cylinder head 1, and the sectional area of a connecting portion S between a lateral path 61, provided in the lateral path member 6, of the intake port K and a vertical path 62 connected to the inner end of the lateral path 61 and accommodating the lower portion of the valve stem 8a is small to decrease intake efficiency of admission of a mixture of fuel and air thereby to cause various problems.

Intake and exhaust valves and intake port of internal combustion engine


The cache controller of a second level cache in an Intel Pentium processor based computer system contains test circuitry that allows reading and writing directly into all tag RAM databit locations. This circuitry responds to a modified External Address Strobe (EADS#) command to invoke the tag test cycle. The EADS# command is normally used in a SNOOP read cycle by the system. In a SNOOP cycle, the main memory controller invokes the EADS# command to request the first level (L.sub.1) and second level (L.sub.2) caches for modified information stored in those caches. In the tag test cycle the EADS# command line is held down twice as long as it would in a normal SNOOP read Cycle. Because of its added length, the SNOOP cycle circuits in the L.sub.2 cache ignore the command on the EADS# command line. However, the tag RAM test circuitry in the L.sub.2 cache recognizes the extended EADS# strobe providing a path to access all bit locations in a tag RAM for both read and write cycles to test the tag RAM or to load those bit positions to selected states in testing other portions of the cache.

Some data processing systems, such as those based on the Intel Pentium microprocessor chip, have portions that are not accessible to testing using normal commands of the system. Such a cache can be logically divided into three separate entities: a data random access memory (data RAM) for storing system data and instructions; a tag RAM for storing status data about the information stored in the data RAM; and control circuitry for overall operation of the cache. A test fixture for this cache must be able to fully test all circuit elements in all three of these entities in order to be sure of their quality and operability. The present invention is concerned with testing of the tag RAM independently of the other entities of the cache. The behavior of the cache is completely dependent of the status data stored in the tag RAM. If the bit locations in the tag RAM containing those status bits are defective, the cache will react in ways that are difficult to debug. In addition to testing the tag RAM for its independent operability, it is desirable to be able to enter data into it to test the cache and the system for their overall operability. However, while the storage locations in the data RAM are accessible and easy to test, the storage locations in the tag RAM, including those storing status data, are not readily accessible. All bits in a tag RAM word go to the cache controller and not onto the microprocessor system bus. Therefore, it is difficult to determine when an error occurs if an error is in the tag RAM or in the cache controller. Furthermore, certain data bit patterns do not occur in the tag RAM during normal system operation. For these reasons it is difficult to test the bit positions of the tag RAM themselves and to enter test patterns to test overall cache operation.

Cache testing using a modified snoop cycle command

International Business Machines Corporation


A door trim for a vehicle to be mounted to a door panel of the vehicle is provided. This door trim includes a door trim body and a mounting part to which a shock absorbing member for absorbing an impact load between the door panel and the door trim is mounted. The mounting part has a position restricting member for restricting the position of the shock absorbing member in the vehicle width direction relative to the door trim body.

Conventionally, a door trim for vehicle, to which a shock absorbing member (EA material) is attached for absorbing the impact generated in a vehicle collision as opposing a door panel, has been well-known (Patent literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-207524). The mounting of the shock absorbing member has been performed by inserting a fastening member into a plurality of inner washers provided in the shock absorbing member, and then pressing the shock absorbing member in the vicinity of the fastening member toward the door trim for vehicle.
However, the inventor has realized that, according to this mounting method, at least a position of pressing surface in the vicinity of the fastening member fluctuates due to the manufacturing tolerance of the shock absorbing member, and thereby causing deformation and rattling of the door trim for vehicle.    Patent literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-207524


Assignment of a hall call to an elevator car occurs only if servicing the hall call will not have an adverse effect on the response times of other registered calls for the car. Assignment of a hall call is made to the car having the lowest number of registered calls which cross a predetermined response time threshold in response to servicing the call.

Elevator dispatching software causes a particular elevator car in a bank of elevators to be sent to a floor in response to a user pressing a hall call button at that floor. Traditionally, a hall lantern will illuminate just prior to the car doors opening in order to inform the user as to which car will service his call. The dispatching software chooses which car to assign to the call according to a variety of elevator system parameters, such as average waiting time, maximum waiting time, average travel time, etc. It is possible for the values of these system parameters to change between the time the call is registered and the time the call is serviced. Therefore the software may reassign the call to other cars many times before the call is serviced. The user does not notice the reassignment because the hall lantern is lit only just before the car arrives.
Unlike traditional car assignment techniques, instantaneous car assignment (ICA) informs a user instantaneously (or shortly thereafter) as to which car will service his hall call. The ICA assignment technique is more demanding in that it is not acceptable to repeatedly reassign different cars to a hall call since this will cause continuous lighting and unlighting of hall lanterns causing confusion for the hall passengers. Accordingly, it is important to provide an initial assignment that is as good as possible. This includes determining the effect of a hall call on other registered calls for the elevator car.

Assigning a hall call to an elevator car based on remaining response time of other registered calls


A system and method for connecting a mobile device to a wireless network of an aircraft, for automating and securing the connection of a mobile device to a wireless network of an aircraft. A connection system includes: a management module installed in a secured area of the aircraft and linked to an access point of the wireless network, the management module being configured to generate connection parameters and to configure the access point according to the connection parameters; and a wireless transmission module installed in the secured area and linked to the management module, the transmission module being configured to deliver the connection parameters to the mobile device according to a range restricted to the secured area, the connection parameters being adapted to allow the mobile device to be connected by a simple scan and securely to the wireless network of the aircraft via the access point.

The present disclosure relates to the field of communication over a wireless network of an aircraft. In particular, the disclosure herein relates to a method and a system for automatically and securely connecting a mobile device to a wireless network of an aircraft.
Mobile electronic devices are increasingly being used in aircraft. As an example, the paper-based manuals and navigation maps that the pilot brings with him into the cockpit are currently replaced by an electronic flight bag (EFB) in the form of a tablet or portable computer that is much less heavy and more effective for the management of the flight than the paper documents. Furthermore, a maintenance operative may also need to connect a portable computer to the network of the aircraft to know the alerts or anomalies detected in the aircraft.
Thus, it is practical to use a wireless network of Wi-Fi type to allow an EFB, a tablet or a portable computer to be connected to the network of the aircraft. For example, it is advantageous for the maintenance operative to be connected to the network of the aircraft while moving about in or around the aircraft to perform maintenance operations.
Connecting to a wireless network usually requires authentication parameters (for example passwords, keys or certificates). The management of these parameters for an entire fleet of aircraft and of mobile devices is very complex, costly and involves a very heavy workload. In effect, it is not simple to manage the configuration of the various networks of the aircraft as well as the creation and the deployment of the authentication parameters on a multitude of mobile devices intended to be connected to the various wireless networks. Furthermore, it is necessary to manage the synchronization of the configuration of the mobile devices with respect to that of the networks of the various airplanes of the airline.
Furthermore, it is essential to provide a rapid organizational reaction to any security threat regarding the networks of the aircraft. In effect, in the case where a hacker accesses a password or a certificate by stealing, for example, an EFB, it is important to be highly reactive to reupdate the configuration of all the wireless networks of the aircraft concerned as well as all the EFBs that connect to the networks. Obviously, it is essential to be already aware that the EFB has been stolen or compromised.
Regarding the user, it is important to correctly verify that he or she is connected to the correct wireless network, for example that of the cockpit of the airplane, and not to that of the cabin or to the wireless network of a neighboring airplane or even to that of the airport. For this, the user may be required to know which is the correct wireless network and to manually select it, which for him or her represents an additional task.
More particularly, two eventualities may arise. According to a first case, the wireless network is already configured but the user is still connected to another network and, according to a second case, the wireless network is not at all configured. In the first case, the Wi-Fi parameters must be consulted to find the correct network in order to connect thereto. In the second case, it is in addition necessary to configure it by re-entering the parameters by hand, bearing in mind that the manual input of a long passphrase (i.e. a password having a large number of characters) can be very tedious.
An object of the present disclosure is consequently to propose a connection method and system that remedy the abovementioned drawbacks, in particular by automating the management of the connection parameters while increasing the security of the connection between a mobile device and a wireless network of an aircraft.

System for connecting a mobile device to a wireless network of an aircraft


A new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named ‘Blus302’, characterized by its broadly upright plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; strong flowering stems; numerous large single-type inflorescences with light orange and red purple-colored ray florets and orange red-colored receptacle spines; and good garden performance.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant, botanically known as Echinacea hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Blus302'.
The new Echinacea plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new freely branching and relatively compact Echinacea plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.
The new Echinacea plant originated from an open-pollination in July, 2014 in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands of Echinacea hybrida 'Cleopatra', disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,631, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Echinacea hybrida as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Echinacea plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination grown in a controlled greenhouse environment in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands in July, 2015.
Asexual reproduction of the new Echinacea plant by in vitro meristem culture in a controlled environment in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands since June, 2016 has shown that the unique features of this new Echinacea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


The protection circuit of the invention connects differentiated grounds in an electronic system either by a single diode, or by two diodes arranged in a back-to-back, parallel fashion. The differentiated grounds may include a chassis ground, a logic ground and an earth ground. The circuit locally connects two of the differentiated grounds, thereby providing a low inductance path for the fast discharging of electrostatic charge build-ups, with the diode(s) therein providing the electrical separation necessary to provide proper local isolation between the interconnected grounds to enable filtering out of electromagnetic interference potentials.

Electronic devices or systems such as computers and printers may contain various grounds. A ground is a conducting connection used to establish and maintain the electrical potential of the earth or other grounding body on conductors connected to it.
For example, a computer printer may be grounded to the earth by a ground lead contained in a 3-wire power cord connecting the printer to an electrical outlet. Additionally, a computer printer may include a chassis ground wherein the printer's chassis is the grounding body.
An electronic device may also contain a logic or circuit ground which provides a reference ground potential to components such as digital logic circuitry. A logic ground generally uses the earth ground as the grounding body. However, the conductive path from the logic ground to the point of connection with the earth ground is often lengthy, resulting in a high inductance. Such high inductance, with current flow, creates an electromotive force in the circuitry which affects the ability of the conductive path to maintain a certain ground potential or to discharge certain charges to the earth.
Electronic devices such as computers and printers are often also exposed to electrostatic discharge. Electrostatic discharge is a dissipation of an electric charge often causing spurious sharp voltage pulses that can damage or interfere with the operation of electronic equipment. Such charges may originate from varied sources such as a user touching a keyboard or paper being fed into a printer.
To prevent the possibility of damage from electrostatic discharge, electronic devices may be shielded. Shielding may consist of an electroplate coating on the surrounding enclosure. However, such shielding is expensive and difficult to employ.
Alternatively, a separate conductive path with a low inductance to earth ground may be used. Such a path may be supplied by using electronic components such as a four-layer printed circuit board. In such a case, one or more layers of the board may be dedicated to provide a ground plane. However, additional board layers are also relatively expensive. In addition, it is desirable to steer the electrostatic discharge current away from the electronic components. Accordingly, a more desirable low inductance path would be through the chassis, which is connected to earth ground. Such a path is referred to as chassis ground.
When digital logic or other electronics performs under normal operation, it draws time-varying current through logic ground. When there is inductance between logic ground and earth ground, the logic ground becomes contaminated. Contamination refers to unnecessary high frequency signals superimposed on the desirable signal.
Additionally, electronic devices often create, and are affected by, electromagnetic interference. Such interference is undesirable contamination of a signal which tends to obscure the information content of the signal. To minimize electromagnetic interference, it is desirable to filter out the contamination. A clean ground must be used to filter out the contamination; if the contaminated ground were directly connected to the clean ground, the clean ground would become contaminated, and the filter would not function. So the contaminated ground, such as logic ground, must remain isolated from the clean ground, such as the chassis ground.
This invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing an inexpensive protection circuit which conducts electrostatic discharge by way of a low inductance path to a ground capable of dissipating such signals, while isolating the "contaminated" ground, such as the logic ground, from a "clean" ground in the system, such as the chassis ground.

Electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic interference protection circuit


On a translucent substrate, an insulating film having a refractive index n and an amorphous silicon film are deposited successively. By irradiating the amorphous silicon film with a laser beam having a beam shape of a band shape extending along a length direction with a wavelength λ, a plurality of times from a side of amorphous silicon film facing the insulating film, while an irradiation position of the laser beam is shifted each of the plurality of times in a width direction of the band shape by a distance smaller than a width dimension of the band shape, a polycrystalline silicon film is formed from the amorphous silicon film. Forming the polycrystalline silicon film forms crystal grain boundaries which extend in the width direction and are disposed at a mean spacing measured along the length direction and ranging from (λ/n)×0.95 to (λ/n)×1.05 inclusive, and crystal grain boundaries which, in a region between crystal grain boundaries adjacent to each other and extending in the width direction, extend in the length direction and are disposed at a mean spacing measured along the width direction and ranging from (λ/n)×0.95 to (λ/n)×1.05 inclusive.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays)), which are one of the typical, conventionally-used devices for thin panels, have widely been used for a monitor and others of a personal computer and a handheld information terminal device, because of their advantages such as low electric power consumption, small size, and light weight. In recent years, the LCDs have also widely been used for television-specific applications, so that conventional cathode ray tube-based televisions are being replaced by liquid crystal display televisions.
Recently, electroluminescence EL (Electroluminescence) displays, which have overcome the problems of the LCDs, such as a limitation of a field of view and a contrast, a low response speed in displaying moving images, have also been used as next-generation devices for thin panels. The electroluminescence EL displays use a light emitter such as an EL element in a pixel display unit, and thus have characteristics such as self light-emitting properties, wide field-of-view performance, high contrast performance, and fast responsiveness, which have not yet been achieved by the LCDs.
For a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) used for the displays as described above, a MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) structure that uses a semiconductor thin film is often used. Examples of the structures of the TFT include an inverted staggered type and a top gate type. Examples of the semiconductor thin films used for the TFT include an amorphous type and a polycrystalline type. The structures of the TFTs and the types of semiconductor thin films are selected as appropriate depending on intended purpose and performance of a display. For a small-size display, a polycrystalline-type semiconductor thin film is often used because size reduction in TFT can increase an aperture ratio of a display region.
As one of the methods of manufacturing a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film, there has been known a method of forming a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film by irradiating an amorphous semiconductor thin film formed on a substrate with a laser beam. It is known that a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film made of crystals having a size of approximately 0.2-1.0 μm can be formed with this method.
For example, according to Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-017505, a polycrystalline silicon layer (polycrystalline semiconductor thin film) is formed by irradiating an amorphous silicon layer (amorphous thin film) formed on a substrate with a laser beam.
Further, there has also been proposed a method of irradiating an amorphous semiconductor thin film with a laser beam to form a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film having a desired crystal size.
For example, according to Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-244230, a light reflective layer is formed at a portion of an amorphous silicon layer (amorphous thin film), and then a laser annealing process with use of an excimer laser having a wavelength of 308 nm or a green laser having a wavelength of 532 nm is conducted. With this process, a polysilicon layer (polycrystalline semiconductor thin film) having a relatively large polysilicon grain size (a diameter of approximately 0.3-0.4 μm) is formed in a portion that is not covered with the light reflective layer, and a polysilicon layer having a relatively small polysilicon grain size (a size smaller by approximately 0.1 μm in diameter) is formed in a portion of the amorphous silicon layer that is covered with the light reflective layer.
There has also been known a method of manufacturing a TFT that uses a polycrystalline semiconductor thin film formed as described above. Specifically, a gate insulating film made of silicon oxide or the like is initially formed on the polycrystalline semiconductor thin film. On the gate insulating film, a gate electrode is formed. The gate insulating film is used as a mask to introduce impurities such as phosphorus or boron into the polycrystalline semiconductor thin film, to thereby form source/drain regions. Subsequently, an interlayer insulating film is formed to coat the gate electrode and the gate insulating film. Subsequently, a contact hole reaching each of the source/drain regions is made in the interlayer insulating film and the gate insulating film. Through the contact hole, a metal film is formed to connect to each of the source/drain regions. The metal film is patterned to form each of source/drain electrodes. Consequently, the TFT is manufactured.
By forming a pixel electrode or a self light-emitting element to be connected to the drain electrode of the TFT described above, a display that uses the TFT is manufactured.
Furthermore, studies have been made on the correspondence between irradiation with a laser beam and the state of how crystal grains subjected to this irradiation are arranged. For example, according to Non-Patent Document 1, a silicon substrate is irradiated with 6000 pulses of a laser beam having linearly-polarized light and having a wavelength of 532 nm. After the silicon substrate is rotated by 90°, the laser beam is applied thereto once again. By doing so, it is said that a two-dimensional surface shape having a period of approximately 550 nm can be obtained on the silicon substrate.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-072165 shows that, when an amorphous silicon film on a glass substrate is irradiated with a laser beam, it is possible to obtain a polycrystalline silicon film that has concavities and convexities having a period of λ/n (1+sin θ) on its surface, where the laser beam has a wavelength of λ, an atmosphere has a refractive index of n, and an angle formed by the laser beam and the normal to a plane of the amorphous silicon film is θ.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-017505    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-244230    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-072165    Non-Patent Document 1: Y. Nakata, A. Shimoyama, and S. Horita, "Crystallization of an a-Si film by a Nd: YAG pulse laser beam with linear polarization", Digest of Technical Papers 2000 International Workshop on Active-Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AM-LCD2000), pp. 265-268

Method of manufacturing semiconductor thin film


In a sign information display system or method, if a road sign is recognized by a sign recognition device, a display control device determines whether or not it will cause a sign information display device to display first sign information, which is information concerning the road sign, on the basis of a driving state of a front vehicle driving in front of the vehicle.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a sign information display system and method for displaying information concerning a road sign for a driving lane in which a driver is driving.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-242839 discloses a driving support system that supports vehicle driving in compliance with traffic regulations, for example, a stop instruction and a no-entry instruction, other than a speed limit instruction ([0006] and Abstract). In this publication, the following configuration is disclosed in the abstract. In a driving support system, an image recognition processor 19 recognizes the contents of regulations, such as a stop instruction and a no-entry instruction, at a location in front of a vehicle, on the basis of an image of a view in front of the vehicle captured by a camera 7, and more specifically, a flashing red light (instruction to stop) and traffic signs such as a no-entry instruction ("do not enter" sign) and a one-way instruction included in this image. The contents of the regulations at different locations are registered as regulation data in advance. A controller 16 detects the occurrence of violations against the traffic regulations by the vehicle on the basis of the recognition results of the image recognition processor 19 and the registered regulation data. Concerning a location at which the vehicle has violated a regulation a certain number of times, when the vehicle is approaching such a location, the controller 16 outputs a voice message instructing the driver to adhere to the regulation.

Road sign information display system and method in vehicle


An optical system for forming an image of the retina of an eye which is to be examined. The optical system has two groups of lenses which cooperate to form the image. The first lens group is in contact with the cornea of the eye of the patient via the eye liquid or a physiological saline solution. The second lens group is separated from the first group by an air space, and may serve to conjugate the pupil of the patient with the pupil of the doctor or other observer. If desired, the lenses of the first group may have a central opening which receives a light pipe for illuminating the eye of the patient. Also, if desired, the lenses of the second group may include either spherical or aspherical lenses, or a combination of both, or may include one or more Fresnel lenses.

The invention relates to an optical system for forming an image of the retina of an eye to be examined.
In order to form an image of the retina, it is already known to use contact lenses. The known systems have the disadvantage that they can form an image of only small areas of the retina, and that in order to examine the entire area of the retina, it is necessary to swing the optical system to form successive images of different regions of the retina, one after the other.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical system which is able, from a single fixed position, to form an image of a relatively large area of the retina, approximately up to the "ora serrata."
This object is attained according to the invention by providing two lens groups which cooperate to form an image of a relatively large area of the retina. The first lens group is in substantial contact with the cornea of the eye of the patient, via the natural eye liquid or a physiological saline solution. The second lens group is spaced from the first lens group by an air space. The curvatures and refractive powers of the lenses are preferably so dimensioned that the image of the retina which is produced is flattened.
The second lens group can advantageously consist of Fresnel lenses. However, it is also possible to construct the second lens group from a combination of spherical or aspherical lenses with Fresnel lenses.
In one embodiment of the invention, an adapter for the attachment of reproduction apparatus (a camera or the like) or projection apparatus, is provided behind the second lens group.
The illumination of the fundus or retina can be effected in known manner with mono-light-transmitting fibers arranged in a ring around the imaging system. However, it is also possible to provide the first lens group with a central borehole which receives the end of a light pipe for illuminating the eye of the patient. Light is furnished to the opposite end of the light pipe from any convenient conventional illuminating means.
The advantages obtained with this invention include, in particular, the fact that the examining apparatus need not be swung or shifted from one position to another, in order to cover the entire retina. It provides an approximately 1.5 times enlargement of the fundus or retina which is being observed. In order to increase the enlargement of the image of the fundus, an ocular or a viewing lens system with documentation possibilities (e.g., a camera or other means for taking a picture) can be arranged in known manner behind the optical system.

Optical system for forming an image of the retina


A flexible display is disclosed. In one aspect, the flexible display a flexible display panel includes a display area and a peripheral area located on opposing sides of the display area and a first fixing part located over an upper surface of the peripheral area of the flexible display panel. The first fixing part is configured to have a first restoring force that presses on the upper surface of the flexible display panel. The flexible display also includes a second fixing part located below a lower surface of the peripheral area of the flexible display panel. The second fixing part is configured to have a second restoring force that presses on the lower surface of the flexible display panel.

Field
The described technology generally relates to a flexible display.
Description of the Related Technology
Display devices can display images. Recently, flexible displays have been drawing attention.
Flexible displays include a flexible display panel which displays images. Flexible displays which include a flexible display panel that can be rolled or folded are currently undergoing research and development.


A glass polarizer applicable to projection-type liquid crystal displays and the like and having an excellent transmittance and extinction ratio with respect to light in the visible light region (500 nm to 600 nm) using silver halide containing glass as a starting material is provided.

In recent years, projection-type liquid crystal displays are widely used as display units for displaying on a big screen. Rear projection-type liquid crystal displays are mainly used for big-screen TVs and front projection-type liquid crystal displays for presentation of personal computer data. A projection-type liquid crystal display has a structure to enlarge and project an image on small liquid crystal elements onto a big screen by using an optical system of projection. A detailed technical description can be found, for embodiment, in Non-Patent Document 1 (big-screen display).
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a typical projection-type liquid crystal display. Light from a light source 4 is separated into blue (B), green (G), and red (R) components by optical components 5 to 16 and is the light components are guided to corresponding liquid crystal elements 2B, 2G, and 2R, respectively. The liquid crystal elements 2R, 2G, and 2B have incident-side polarizers 1R, 1G, and 1B on the incident side and exit-side polarizers 3R, 3G, and 3B on the exit side respectively. A set of polarizers each having an incident-side polarizer and an exit-side polarizer corresponding to red, green, or blue has a function to selectively allow light passed through the liquid crystal element in a predetermined polarization direction to pass. This function allows lights in three primary colors passed through the liquid crystal elements 2B, 2G, and 2R to become a light intensity modulated image signal. These lights in three primary colors are further synthesized optically by a synthesis prism 17 and further projected onto a screen 19 through a magnifying projector lens system 18.
Polarization characteristics required for polarizing elements include a property that transmits optical signals having a desired polarization plane, while at the same time blocking unnecessary optical signals having a polarization plane perpendicular thereto. That is, a desired property is to have a large transmittance with respect to light having a desired polarization plane and a small transmittance with respect to light having a polarization plane perpendicular thereto.
The ratio of these transmittances is called an extinction ratio and is widely used by those skilled in the art as a performance index representing performance of a polarizing element. Using this index, performance required for polarizing elements applied to a projection-type liquid crystal display can be expressed as having a large transmittance and a large extinction ratio with respect to an optical signal. An industrially usable polarizer is said to preferably have the transmittance of 70% or more with respect to light of the wavelength to be used and the extinction ratio of 10:1, preferably 3000:1 (Patent Document 1).
A social demand for a projection-type liquid crystal display is a demand to realize bigger and clearer images by a smaller device. To realize this demand, a recent technical trend is to apply a light source of a larger quantity of light and to use smaller liquid crystal elements. As a result, light of higher energy density is introduced not only to liquid crystal elements, but also to polarizers placed before and after the liquid crystal elements. Particularly high heat resistance and light resistance are increasingly demanded for polarizers having a function to absorb unnecessary light.
According to principles of polarizers, dichromatic polarizers that selectively absorb light depending on the polarization plane and non-dichromatic polarizers (such as a Brewster polarizer) are known (See Patent Document 2). Dichromatic polarizers have thin elements and do not need any special device to absorb unnecessary light and thus are desired elements for projection-type liquid crystal displays whose miniaturization is particularly demanded.
Currently, dichromatic polarizers realizing practical optical performance in the visible light region are only polarizing films made of organic material. However, polarizers made of organic resin have a fatal defect of low heat resistance (See Patent Document 1).
To rectify the defect, polarizing films made of organic resin are used by sticking polarizing films to a sapphire substrate having a high thermal conductivity (Patent Document 3). However, polarizers stuck to sapphire having an excellent thermal conductivity cannot satisfy technical requirements of higher intensity in recent years, that is, requirements that no degradation of polarizer functions caused by light absorption/heat generation by polarizing elements in a green region with the highest intensity occur. Accordingly, a cooling device including a cooling fan is installed in a projection-type liquid crystal display to protect organic resin films from heat. The cooling device not only is against social needs of miniaturization, but also creates another problem of noise.
As a method to solve this technical problem, an idea of applying polarizing glass applied to elements for optical communication has been proposed (Patent Document 1). However, the wavelength of light used for optical communication is in a far-infrared region and is vastly different from that of visible light and thus, technology of glass polarizers for optical communication cannot be immediately applied to projection-type liquid crystal displays controlling visible light. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not disclose any technology to provide effective characteristics to glass polarizing elements with respect to light in the visible light region and therefore, it is difficult to realize a projection-type liquid crystal display using glass polarizers by using only this invention.
Here, the technical background of polarizing glass will be briefly described. The polarizing glass is glass characterized in that metallic fine particles having shape anisotropy oriented and dispersed in an optically transparent glass substrate are contained and realizes polarization characteristics by an anisotropic resonance absorption phenomenon of surface plasmons present on the surface of metallic fine particles (See Patent Document 4 and Non-Patent Document 2).
Surface plasmon resonance absorption characteristics of metallic fine particles in Patent Document 4 are cited as FIG. 2. A graph A in FIG. 2 corresponds to surface plasmon resonance absorption by spherical metallic fine particles. Resonance absorption of metallic fine particles having cylindrically stretched shape anisotropy shows different characteristics due to correlations between the polarization plane of incident light and metallic fine particles having shape anisotropy.
When the polarization plane is in parallel with the longitudinal direction of metallic fine particles, characteristics indicated by B are exhibited. It is seen that the wavelength of resonance absorption is shifted to a longer wavelength as compared with the characteristics A. It is known that this resonance absorption wavelength depends on the ratio of a longer diameter to a shorter diameter of metallic fine particles and the resonance absorption wavelength becomes larger as the ratio increases (See Non-Patent Document 2). With respect to light having the polarization plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, on the other hand, properties shown by characteristics C are exhibited.
FIG. 2 shows that the glass has polarization characteristics with respect to light near 600 nm. That is, the glass has a small transmittance with respect to light having the polarization plane in parallel with the longitudinal direction of metallic particles due to strong absorption. The transmittance with respect to light having the polarization plane in parallel with the longitudinal direction of metallic particles will be represented as T∥ % below. On the other hand, the glass shows poor absorption of light having the polarization plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of metallic particles and therefore, a larger transmittance. The transmittance with respect to light having the polarization plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of metallic particles will be represented as T⊥ % below. Polarization characteristics are realized by the mechanism described above. Incidentally, characteristics disclosed in FIG. 2 do not realize characteristics required for projection-type liquid crystal displays, that is, the characteristics that the ratio of the parallel absorption curve B to the perpendicular absorption curve C between 500 nm and 600 nm, namely, the extinction ratio is sufficiently large and the value of parallel absorbance is sufficiently large.
Many technologies have been proposed for polarizing glass and glass polarizers using polarizing glass. Many of these technologies relate to glass polarizers applicable to light in the infrared region (such as Patent Document 5 and Patent Document 6) and no technology applicable to light in the visible light region used in a projection-type liquid crystal display, which is an object of the present invention, is disclosed.
Only a small number of inventions relate to glass polarizers applicable to light in the visible light region. Patent Document 7 discloses a technology to provide polarizing elements effective for light in the visible light region by using characteristics of copper fine particles having shape anisotropy (Disclosed characteristics are cited in FIG. 3). However, as seen in FIG. 3, a large extinction ratio particularly for wavelengths equal to 600 nm or less cannot be realized, that is, the ratios (extinction ratios) of values of parallel transmittance curves D and F to those of transmittance curves C and E perpendicular to the stretch axis are small and also the value of the transmittance C is only 10 to 60%, leading to a conclusion that the polarizing elements do not have practical characteristics.
Patent Document 8 discloses a technology to realize dichromatic absorption with respect to wavelengths in the visible light region. However, characteristics applicable to a projection-type liquid crystal display, which is an object of the present invention, that is, a high transmittance and a high extinction ratio are not specifically and quantitatively described and thus, the technology cannot be considered to be able to realize polarizers. Like Patent Document 8, Patent Document 9 proposes a technology to obtain an effective extinction ratio in the visible light region, but no technology to realize a high transmittance is disclosed.
CODIXX AG offers polarizing glass effective in the visible light region by using a manufacturing technique providing shape anisotropy to silver fine particles by introducing silver ions by diffusion from the glass surface, causing silver fine particles to deposit by heat treatment and stretching the glass (Non-Patent Document 3). However, since the ion diffusion process is generally unstable and concentrations of silver ions are distributed in the thickness direction of the glass, dimensions of generated silver particles tend to be non-uniform. As a result, the ion diffusion process has a weak point of producing fluctuations in characteristics of polarizers. Further, there is a problem that the glass is more likely to break when being stretched because particles to be stretched are solid metallic silver particles for which more stretching tension is needed than silver halide particles stretched in a liquid drop state.
A different manufacturing method is used for infrared glass polarizers for communication industrially widely used. That is, as described in Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5, a manufacturing method by which silver fine particles are produced by temporarily causing silver halide to deposit and then reducing silver halide is adopted. However, polarizers manufactured by this manufacturing method do not exhibit practical performance that can be used in visible light region (Patent Document 5). For embodiment, FIG. 1 (cited herein as FIG. 4) and paragraph [0022] of the specification of Patent Document 5 describes that "it is difficult to satisfactorily manufacture effective optical polarizers extending over an entire region of 400 nm to 700 nm from silver halide glass."
As described above, a glass polarizer that is based on a stable manufacturing technology industrially widely applicable, is applicable to projection-type liquid crystal displays, and supports visible light does not exist.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    Patent Document 4: U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,819    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent No. 1618477    Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent No. 2740601    Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent No. 2885655    Patent Document 8: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    Patent Document 9: Japanese Examined Application Publication No. 2-40619    Patent Document 10: Japanese Patent No. 2628014    Patent Document 11: Japanese Patent No. 3549198    Non-Patent Document 1: N. Nishida, "Big-Screen Display (Series, Advanced Display Technology 7)", Kyoritsu Shuppan, Tokyo, 2002    Non-Patent Document 2: S. Link and M. A. El-Sayed, J. Phys. Chem. B103 (1999), pp. 8410-8426    Non-Patent Document 3: K. Suzuki, Kogyo Zairyo Vol. 52, No. 12, pp. 102-107

Abstract: A glass polarizer for visible light according to the present invention is a polarizer manufactured by heating and stretching borosilicate glass in which silver halide particles are dispersed and deposited by heat treatment and reducing at least a portion of silver halide particles oriented and stretched in the glass to produce metallic silver particles. An average transmittance (T⊥ % 500 to 600 nm) in a wavelength range of 500 nm to 600 nm of light having a polarization plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of metallic silver particles having shape anisotropy that is uniaxially oriented and dispersed is 75% or more and an extinction ratio in the wavelength range is 25 dB or more.


An optical recording medium having an information recorded at a high density, and an optical reproducing method and apparatus for reproducing the optical recording medium. The optical recording medium is provided with an information recording face having an information recorded as pit trains and including a track having any one of concentric circle and spiral shape, wherein at least two pit trains are arranged adjacently to be reproduced by a single light beam. An information is stored in a dual or triple pit train shape, so that a recording density can be increased at least more than twice. When a total length of the dual pit is recorded as a single pit length, it has a changeability with the existent optical recording medium such as CD and DVD, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical recording medium for optically recording and reproducing various information signals such as image information, etc., and more particularly to an optical recording medium on which an information is recorded at a high density. Also, the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus of reproducing an information recorded on the high-density recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an optical recording medium and an electromagnetic recording medium and so forth has been commercially available as an information recording medium for recording various information such as audio and video information, etc. In the optical recording medium, there have been propagated or developed a read-only type disc such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM including a existent CD (compact disc), a WROM (write once read many) type disc such as CD-R (recordable) and DVD-R, etc., and a rewritable disc such as CD-RW (rewritable) and DVD-RAM, etc.
In such an optical recording medium, the read-only type disc has the structure consisting of a transparent substrates which is usually made from polycarbonate, etc. and has an information recorded on one face thereof, a reflective film which is deposited on the information recording face of the transparent substrate and is made from an aluminum material with a high reflectivity, and a protective layer which is formed on the reflective film and is made from a plastic material, etc. On the information recording face of the transparent substrate an information is recorded in a form of recording mark, for example, pit train with a concave and convex shape. In other words, as shown in FIG. 1, an optical recording medium 10 stores an information in a pit train shape 12 which makes a track extended from-the inner circumference into the outer circumference in a spiral or concentric circle shape.
An information recorded on the optical recording medium in this manner is reproduced by means of an optical pickup for irradiating a light beam onto a track to be reproduced through the transparent substrate and detecting a reflective light amount. In this case, a reflective light reflected from a mirror 12B between pits 21A is detected into xe2x80x9cbrightnessxe2x80x9d while a reflective light reflected from the pit 12A is detected into xe2x80x9cdarknessxe2x80x9d. This is caused by a fact that a light beam irradiated onto the mirror 12B transmits the mirror 12B and is full-reflected by the reflective film while a light beam irradiated onto the pit 12A is diffused-reflected by the pit 12A to reduce a reflectivity. The reflective light beam detected into xe2x80x9cbrightnessxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdarknessxe2x80x9d is converted into a shape of electrical signal by means of a photo detector and then is signal-processed such that it is reproduced into an information in a shape of channel bit stream. This reproduction mechanism has been similarly applied to a phase change opto-magnetic recording system besides a recording method according to the pit train 12.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a procedure of a recording and reproducing method for the conventional optical recording medium. When an information is recorded on the recording medium, in step 1, a user data to be recorded is added with an error correction code (ECC) for a predetermined block unit and divided into a sector unit, whereby it is converted into a shape of data channel. In step 2, the data channel is modulated and is added with a synchronizing signal in the frame unit to thereby be converted into a shape of channel bit stream (CBS) . Then, in step 3, the channel bit stream is light-modulated and applied to the light source of the optical pickup. In step 4, the light source irradiates a recorded light beam according to a recorded data light-modulated and inputted to record an information in a shape of pit train 12 as shown in FIG. 3. The above-mentioned recording process is similarly applied to a disc fabrication process employing an exposure device in the case of a recordable optical recording medium as well as a read-only type optical recording medium (i.e., ROM type disc).
On the other hand, when an information recorded on the optical recording medium shown in FIG. 3 is reproduced, in step 5, a reproduced light beam from the light source is irradiated to trace a track defined by the pit train of the optical recording medium 10. As shown in FIG. 3, A light amount reflected from the optical recording medium 10 is detected and converted into an electrical signal to thereby detect a reproduced signal, that is, a radio frequency (RF) signal. In this case, the radio frequency signal RF has a low level at the pit 12A while having a high level at the mirror 12B. In step 6, such a radio frequency signal is equalized and sliced such that it is converted into a shape of channel bit stream CBS as shown in FIG. 3. The channel bit stream CBS is demodulated into a data channel shape in step 7 and processes an error correction code included in the data channel in step 8, thereby reproducing a user data recorded on the optical recording medium.
In an optical recording medium having such a recording and reproducing mechanism, there has been attempted various schemes for enhancing a recording density in accordance with an increased requirement intended to record a high capacity of information such as a moving picture, etc. More specifically, in the case of a CD and a DVD, there has been attempted a scheme of reducing a recording mark or a size of pit, or reducing a track pitch so as to enhance a recording density. To this end, there has been developed techniques of making use of a short wavelength of light source to enlarge the number of aperture of the objective lens and reduce a spot size of light beam. However, since reducing a spot size of light beam has a limit ultimately, reducing a pit size and a track space must be limited.
For example, a read-only type optical recording medium is fabricated by preparing an circular plate of a disc defined with a desired pit using an exposure device and making a inversive transcription of the pit formed in the circular plate to prepare a stamper, and thereafter by duplicating the disc, that is, molding a disc substrate using the stamper. In recent, it becomes possible to form minute pit in accordance with a development of argon (Ar) laser, etc. In a reproducing apparatus, however, there has not yet been a light source corresponding to the minute pit. As a result, since a pit size and a track pitch should be limited within a range that can be read by the reproducing apparatus, it has a limit to enlarge a capacity of the read-only type optical recording medium.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical recording medium that is capable of enlarging a recording density.
Further object of the present invention is to provide an optical recording medium that can enhance a recording density and have a changeablity with the existent recording media such as CD, DVD and so forth.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an optical reproducing method and apparatus for reproducing an information recorded on the above-mentioned optical recording medium.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an optical reproducing method and apparatus that can reproduce an information recorded at a high density using a relatively long wavelength of light source.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide an optical reproducing method and apparatus that can reproduce an information recorded on tracks by a long wavelength of light source when the tracks have been formed in correspondence with a short wavelength of light source.
In order to achieve these and other objects of the invention, an optical recording medium according to one aspect of the present invention includes a substrate; and an information recording face having an information recorded as pit trains and consisting of a track having any one of a concentric circle and spiral shape, wherein at least two pit trains are arranged adjacently in such a manner to be reproduced by a single light beam.
An optical reproducing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of irradiating a single light beam onto at least two tracks with respect to an optical recording medium having a track in which an information is recorded as pit trains; detecting and converting a reflective light from the optical recording medium using a photo detector divided into a plurality number, and combining the converted light detecting signals to thereby detect a plurality of radio frequency signals; and processing the plurality of radio frequency signals to detect information corresponding to each of said at least two tracks.
An optical reproducing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes light beam generating means for irradiating a single light beam onto at least two tracks with respect to an optical recording medium having a track in which an information is recorded as pit trains; signal detecting means for dividing a light reflected from the optical recording medium into a plurality number and detecting and converting the same, and combining the converted light detecting signals to thereby detect a plurality of radio frequency signals; and means for processing the plurality of radio frequency signals to detect information corresponding to each of said at least two tracks.

Optical recording medium and method and apparatus of reproducing the same


An apparatus for discriminating between different types of alcohol contained in alcohol-gasoline fuel mixtures, such as methanol or ethanol, and a fueling system for controlling the quantity of alcohol-gasoline fuel mixture delivered to an internal combustion engine in accordance with type of alcohol determined to be present in the fuel mixture are described. The resistivity of the fuel mixture delivered to the engine is measured using a fuel resistance sensor. Based upon the measured resistivity, the type of alcohol contained in the fuel mixture is determined and indicated. The fuel system then adjusts the quantity of the fuel mixture delivered to the engine based upon the indicated type of alcohol and the sensed alcohol concentration in the fuel mixture.

This invention is related to the fueling of internal combustion engines with alcohol-gasoline mixtures, and more particularly, to an apparatus for discriminating between different types of alcohol, such as ethanol or methanol, contained in an alcohol-gasoline fuel mixture and a system for controlling the quantity of such a fuel delivered to an engine based upon the type of alcohol determined to be present in the fuel mixture.
To conserve oil reserves and reduce air pollution, alcohols such as ethanol and methanol are being proposed as possible alternatives to gasoline for fueling internal combustion engines. Although it is possible to operate an engine on a pure alcohol fuel, gasoline is generally blended with a particular alcohol to increase the vapor pressure of the fuel mixture to improve engine cold starting and warm-up operation.
It is well known that engines running on blended alcohol-gasoline fuels must be operated at stoichiometric air/fuel ratios depending upon on the relative proportions of the particular alcohol and gasoline in the fuel mixtures for optimal combustion. For warmed-up engine operation, this is generally accomplished by sensing the composition of the fuel mixture to determine the proper stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, and then regulating the delivery of fuel to the engine using conventional closed-loop computer control to achieve operation at the determined stoichiometric air/fuel ratio (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,084 issued to Gonze on Apr. 10, 1990).
Due to the low volatility of ethanol and methanol, the fraction of gasoline in an alcohol-gasoline mixture provides most of the combustible vapor when the engine is started, and first operated at low ambient temperatures. Consequently, engines operated on fuel mixtures having high alcohol concentrations are usually difficult to start at low temperatures, and vehicles employing such engines typically exhibit poor driveability during the engine warm-up period. The conventional approach to solving these problems has been to appropriately increase the amount of the fuel delivered to an engine during these operating periods, in accordance with the relative proportion of the particular alcohol to gasoline in the fuel mixture, to assure that a sufficient amount of gasoline vapor is present for combustion.
The problem with this approach is that conventional engine control computers are calibrated or programmed for operation with either variable ethanol-gasoline fuel mixtures or variable methanol-gasoline fuel mixtures. Hence, the type of alcohol to be used in the blended fuel mixture must be known apriori for proper fuel regulation during cold starting and engine warm-up. Once an engine control system is calibrated for a particular type of alcohol-gasoline mixture, engine cold starting and warm-up performance will generally be degraded if the engine is then operated with a fuel blend containing a different type of alcohol. This occurs because alcohol such as ethanol and methanol have different properties, and conventional fuel composition sensors calibrated for use with one type of alcohol will not indicate the correct fraction of gasoline in the fuel mixture, when another type alcohol is used in the fuel mixture to operate the engine. As a result, the fuel mixture delivered to an engine, when the closed-loop fuel control is not operable (during cold starting and warm-up), will generally be either too rich or too lean, and the engine cold starting and warm-up performance will be degraded.
Consequently, there exists a need for an apparatus capable of discriminating between alcohols such as ethanol or methanol contained in an alcohol-gasoline fuel mixture, and for a fuel control system capable of adjusting the quantity of fuel delivered to an engine based upon the type of alcohol determined to be present in the fuel mixture so the engine can be operated with different types of alcohol-gasoline fuel mixtures without degrading engine cold starting and warm-up performance.

Alcohol discriminator and fuel control for an internal combustion engine fueled with alcohol-gasoline fuel mixtures


In a first embodiment, a drumstick, balanced for juggling, exhibits a center of mass in the range of 58% to 62% of the distance along its length from the butt end. It is herein recognized that such a drumstick is suitable for both juggling and drumming, and supports a drumming performance which includes a juggling portion. In second and third embodiments, a drum mallet and a keyboard mallet, each of which is balanced for juggling, exhibits a center of mass in the range of 58% to 62% along the shaft from the butt end.

The performances of modern drummers have become more and more showmanlike. During these performances, it is not unusual for a drummer to twirl his drumsticks from time to time. One might think that a natural extension of a drummer's tendency to twirl the sticks would be actual juggling of the sticks during the drumming performance. Unfortunately, juggling devices (i.e., juggling props, such as juggling clubs and torches) and drumsticks are balanced very differently.
For purposes of this discussion, the following terms are used interchangeably and are assumed to have the same meaning: center of mass, center of balance, center of gravity, and balance point. A juggling club having a center of mass located approximately 60% of the distance along the length of the club from the handle end, is the American model juggling club manufactured by Tod Smith Products, Cleveland, OH.
Conversely, it is well known that drumsticks are balanced to exhibit a center of mass in the range of 35% to 57.3% of the distance along the length of the stick from the butt end. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,566 (Hughlett, et al.) discloses a drumstick balanced in the range of 35% to 41% of the distance from the butt end.
Hughlett, et al. also cites the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,119 (Gilbert) which discloses a balance point in the range from 42% to 57.3%;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,964 which discloses that "Drummers are accustomed to the weight of wooden drumsticks and find that drumsticks which deviate from this weight for a given size are seriously objectionable", (See column 2, line 33); and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,544 (Heiskell) which discloses a drumstick made of rolled, impregnated fabric, and having a center of gravity in the range of 43.75% to 46.875% of the distance from the butt end.


A method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device includes steps of forming an insulating film on a surface of a substrate, forming a storage node contact hole in the insulating film, forming a plug within the storage node contact hole, forming a storage node of the capacitor over the plug, forming a high dielectric film on the surface of the substrate including the storage node, forming a seed layer on the high dielectric film, and forming an upper electrode of the capacitor on the seed layer.

This application claims the benefit of Korean patent application No. P2001-18635, filed Apr. 9, 2001 in Korea, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device by an electroplating process.
2. Background of the Related Art
Presently, tertiary inter-level dielectric (ILD) structures of a high dielectric that can be used in a chip size of 0.10 or less has excellent step coverage and deposition process steps at low temperature. However, the tertiary ILD structure has a problem in that an upper electrode of a refractory metal disposed on a TaON- or BST-based capacitor acts as a catalyst under the ambient of reduction, thereby degrading dielectric characteristics and leakage current characteristics. Furthermore, as a large gap occurs between adjacent storage nodes, degradation of the high dielectric oxide due to H2 may be accelerated.
A related art method for fabricating a high dielectric capacitor of a semiconductor device will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a related art capacitor structure of a semiconductor device.
In FIG. 1, an oxide film 1 is deposited on an entire surface of a substrate (not shown) to insulate the substrate from a capacitor. A nitride film 2 having excellent etching selectivity with the oxide film 1 is deposited on the oxide film 1. Portions of the nitride film 2 and the oxide film 1 located where the capacitor will be formed are selectively removed so that a contact hole is formed to connect a lower substrate with the capacitor. A polysilicon layer 3 is deposited on the entire surface by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process and then patterned by etch-back process to remain lower than the depth of the contact hole.
After the substrate is washed, a refractory metal, i.e., a Ti layer is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate and then annealed so that the polysilicon layer 3 is reacted with the Ti layer. As a result, a metal silicide (TiSix) layer 4 is formed on the interface between the polysilicon layer 3 and the Ti layer. The portions of the Ti layer that do not react with the polysilicon layer 3 are selectively removed by a wet etching process. Subsequently, as a diffusion barrier layer, a barrier metal layer 5 such as TiN or a three-component based metal is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate. The barrier metal layer 5 is then planarized by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to expose a surface of the substrate.
A dummy PSG oxide film is thickly deposited on the entire surface of the substrate. A portion of the dummy PSG oxide film corresponding to where a lower electrode of the capacitor will be formed is selectively removed. Storage nodes 9 of the capacitor are then formed in a portion where the PSG oxide film is removed.
Subsequently, a high dielectric BST film 10 is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate by the CVD process. As an upper electrode, a Ru layer 12 is deposited on the BST film 10 by the CVD process. Next, a H2 diffusion barrier film 13, Al2O3 film is formed. An inter-level dielectric layer 14 such as SiO2 film is finally formed.
The related art method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device has several problems.
First, as a high dielectric film, the BST film is formed on the lower electrode of the capacitor, and the upper electrode and the inter-level dielectric layer are formed by the CVD process. Accordingly, step differences between cells occurs, thereby deteriorating yield.
Second, since the upper electrode and the Al2O3 film are deposited by the CVD process, the high dielectric film is reduced under the ambient of reduction. For this reason, it is likely that dielectric characteristic of the high dielectric film and leakage current characteristic may be degraded.
In other words, to form the inter-level dielectric layer (SiO2) by the CVD process, SiH4 gas and O2 gas are injected into a chamber as source gases so that SiO2 is deposited by reaction between the two gases. At this time, since a reaction gas (H2) is generated, the chamber is under the ambient of reduction. However, as described above, a gap occurs between cells and the inter-level dielectric layer (SiO2) is formed therebetween. Accordingly, even though Al2O3 film is formed as H2 diffusion barrier film, it is likely that the high dielectric film may degrade dielectric characteristic and leakage current characteristic under the ambient of reduction.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device in which an upper electrode of the capacitor is formed by an electroplating method so that a gap between adjacent storage nodes is filled, thereby improving step coverage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device in which leakage current characteristics of a high dielectric film of the capacitor is not degraded.
Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming an insulating film on a surface of a substrate, forming a storage node contact hole in the insulating film, forming a plug within the storage node contact hole, forming a storage node of the capacitor over the plug, forming a high dielectric film on the surface of the substrate including the storage node, forming a seed layer on the high dielectric film, and forming an upper electrode of the capacitor on the seed layer.
In another aspect, the method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device includes steps of forming an insulating film on a surface of a substrate, forming a storage node contact hole in the insulating film, forming a plug within the storage node contact hole, forming a storage node of the capacitor over the plug, the storage node includes a convex upper surface, forming a high dielectric film on the surface of the substrate including the storage node, forming a seed layer on the high dielectric film, and forming an upper electrode of the capacitor on the seed layer.
In another aspect, the method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device includes steps of forming an insulating film on a surface of a substrate, forming a storage node contact hole in the insulating film, forming a plug within the storage node contact hole, forming a first seed layer on the surface of the substrate, forming a glue layer on the first seed layer, forming a dummy layer on the glue layer, removing portions of the dummy layer and the glue layer in a first region, forming the storage node in the first region, removing the first seed layer, forming a high dielectric film on the surface of the substrate including the storage node, forming a second seed layer on the high dielectric film, and forming an upper electrode of the capacitor on the second seed layer.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Method for fabricating a capacitor of a semiconductor device


Embodiments are disclosed for determining whether a computing node is in a normal or an abnormal condition based on its characteristics relative to those of other computing nodes. In embodiments, log files for the computing node are used to develop a state model of the computing node, and where the state model differs between two similar computing nodes, an abnormality is identified. In other embodiments, characteristics about computing nodes (e.g., CPU resources used) are used to cluster those computing nodes, and those computing nodes that lie outside of a cluster are identified as abnormal.

There are ways to determine that a computer system is in an abnormal condition. If a computer system reaches an error condition, for instance, because its hard disk crashed, that system may produce an error alert that may inform another computer system or an administrator that the error has occurred. A computer system may also produce a log file of its activities, and the information stored in the log file may be analyzed to determine that the computer system is in an error condition.

Using unsupervised learning to monitor changes in fleet behavior


A paper-roll core that is a soluble, disposable carrier for cleaning and/or disinfecting chemicals. The paper-roll cores are toilet paper roll cores and paper towel roll cores and are rapidly soluble in water and may release cleansers, disinfectants, colors, etc., upon dissolving. Described are: methods of using, manufacturing, advertising, and distributing the paper-roll cores; and methods of advertising and distributing such paper-roll cores to children, who will particularly enjoy the novelty; and methods of modifying existing paper-roll core manufacturing equipment to manufacture soluble cleanser-dispensing paper-roll cores.

This invention relates to dispensing paper-roll core systems. More particularly, it relates to paper-roll cores that are water-soluble and release cleansers into water. Typically, paper-roll cores, such as toilet paper-roll cores, paper towel roll cores, etc., are cardboard tubes that are thrown away or recycled after use. They are not flushable.
Typically, toilet bowls (and garbage disposals, to a lesser extent) require frequent cleaning to maintain a sanitary condition. Toilet bowls are typically cleaned with liquid or powdered cleaning products, or with cleansing tablets that slowly dissolve in the toilet tank. Unfortunately, toilets are not sanitized as often as may be preferable, because the required cleansers are not readily at hand at frequent intervals. Many households do not use dissolving tablets because of the risk of poisoning to pets and very young children.
Therefore, a need exists for a convenient way to sanitize the toilet bowl at frequent intervals. Further, a need exists for a non-toxic bowl sanitizing system. Even further, a need exists to increase the usefulness of paper-roll cores.