A cleaning apparatus is used for cleaning a thin disk-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer, a liquid crystal display or the like. The cleaning apparatus comprises a support mechanism for supporting a workpiece and rotating the workpiece about its own axis, and a cleaning member for being in sliding contact with at least one of opposite surfaces of the workpiece. The support mechanism comprises a plurality of spindles, and a plurality of rotatable holding portions provided on upper ends of the spindles and having respective circumferential edges engageable with a circumferential edge of the workpiece. The plurality of spindles are clustered into groups around the workpiece, and two adjacent groups of the spindles are positioned to form a wide spacing between two adjacent groups of the spindles, and a path along which the workpiece is supplied to and removed from the support mechanism is positioned in the wide spacing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a workpiece that needs to have a high degree of cleanness, e.g., a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate, a liquid crystal display, or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As semiconductor devices become more highly integrated in recently years, circuit interconnections on semiconductor substrates become finer and distances between such circuit interconnections become smaller. When semiconductor wafers are processed, small particles such as particles of semiconductor material, dust particles, crystalline protrusive particles, or the like often tend to be attached to the semiconductor wafers being processed. If a particle greater than the distance between interconnections exists on a semiconductor substrate, then the particle will short-circuit interconnections on the semiconductor substrate. Therefore, any undesirable particles on a semiconductor substrate have to be sufficiently smaller than the distance between interconnections on the semiconductor substrate. Such a problem and a requirement hold true for the processing of other workpieces including a glass substrate to be used as a mask, a liquid crystal display, and so on. To meet the above requirement, there have been practiced some cleaning procedures for removing fine particles or submicron particles from semiconductor wafers.
For example, there has heretofore been one practice to use a brush of nylon, mohair or the like, or a sponge of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to scrub a surface of a semiconductor wafer. This process is called a scrubbing cleaning process. Further, there have been other practices, one of which is an ultrasonic cleaning process in which water having ultrasonic vibrational energy applied thereto is supplied to a surface of a semiconductor wafer, the another of which is a cavitation jet cleaning process in which high pressure water containing cavitation therein is supplied to a surface of a semiconductor wafer. Also, a cleaning process which combines two c)r three of the above processes is known in the art.
FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows a known scrubbing cleaning apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor wafer. As shown in FIG. 4, the scrubbing cleaning apparatus has a plurality of vertical spindles (six in FIG. 4) 1 for supporting a circumferential edge of a circular semiconductor wafer W and rotating the semiconductor wafer W, a brush arm 2 disposed over the semiconductor wafer W and extending diametrically in one direction across and parallel to the semiconductor wafer W, a brush actuating mechanism 3 for vertically moving the brush arm 2 as indicated by the arrow G and rotating the brush arm 2 about its own axis as indicated by the arrow F, and a cleaning liquid nozzle 4 for supplying a cleaning liquid such as deionized water (pure water) to a surface to be cleaned of the semiconductor wafer W. The brush arm 2 has a brush on its entire cylindrical surface. The semiconductor wafer W has an orientation flat formed by cutting off a portion of its circular circumferential edge.
The spindles 1 are positioned at substantially equal intervals on a circle around the semiconductor wafer W. Since the brush arm 2 needs to be held in sliding contact with the entire surface of the semiconductor wafer W, the brush arm 2 has an axial length greater than the maximum dimension or diameter of the semiconductor wafer W. The brush arm 2 is arranged so as not to physically interfere with the spindles 1.
The semiconductor wafer W is supplied to the scrubbing cleaning apparatus from outside the scrubbing cleaning apparatus. A process of supplying the semiconductor wafer W to the scrubbing cleaning apparatus will be described below:
The spindles 1 are displaced away from the position shown in FIG. 4. In such a state, the semiconductor wafer W is fed by a robot hand 5 from a diametrically opposite position remote from the brush actuating mechanism 3 along the longitudinal axis of the brush arm 2 to a position over the spindles 1. The robot hand 5 has a substantially rectangular-shaped support portion 5a for supporting the semiconductor wafer W, and guide portions 5b, projecting from the supporting portion 5a for engaging with the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer W. The width of the support portion 5a is set to be smaller than the spacing between adjacent ones of the spindles 1. The rear end of the robot hand 5 is connected to a robot (not shown). The robot hand is then lowered to place the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer IV on the shoulders of holding portions of the spindles. and the spindles 1 are displaced inwardly to the position shown in FIG. 4 for holding the circumferential edge of the semiconductor wafer W by the holding portions of the spindles. Thereafter, the robot hand is further lowered and then moved back away from the scrubbing cleaning apparatus. While the semiconductor wafer W is being thus supplied, the brush arm 2 is retreated upwardly away from the spindles 1 by the brush actuating mechanism 3.
Thereafter, the brush actuating mechanism 3 is operated to lower the brush arm 2 toward the semiconductor water W until the brush arm 2 is brought into contact with the semiconductor wafer W. While a cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid nozzle 4 to the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, the semiconductor wafer W and the brush arm 2 are rotated, thus cleaning the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer W. In FIG. 4, only the upper surface of the semiconductor wafer W is cleaned, however, another brush arm 2 may also be provided underneath the semiconductor wafer W so that both of the upper and lower surfaces of the semiconductor wafer W are cleaned simultaneously.
Because the spindles 1 are positioned at substantially equal intervals around the semiconductor wafer W, the spacing between adjacent ones of the spindles 1 is relatively small. The robot hand is moved in close proximity to the spindles 1, and the brush arm 2 is positioned relatively closely to the spindles 1. Therefore, the spindles 1, the robot hand, and the brush arm 2 need to be positioned such that they are kept out of physical contact with each other when the robot hand moves toward and away from the scrubbing cleaning apparatus.
It is difficult to position an additional brush arm underneath the semiconductor wafer W because the additional brush arm must be located between the spindles 1. Inasmuch as the robot hand needs to move between the spindles 1, it is not easy to determine a path along which the robot hand can move toward and away from the scrubbing cleaning apparatus. Designing the dimensions and path of the robot hand, the diameter and position of the brush arm 2, and the diameter of the spindles 1 suffers many limitations as the robot hand, the brush arm 2 and the spindles 1 must be kept out of physical contact with each other.
Further, since the spindles 1 are positioned at substantially equal intervals on a circle around the semiconductor wafer W, when the semiconductor wafer W is fed to the scrubbing cleaning apparatus, all of the spindles are not displaced so as to form equal clearance between the holding portions of the spindles and the semiconductor wafer W. To be more specific, in the conventional scrubbing cleaning apparatus, as shown in FIG. 5A, all of the spindles are positioned at 60.degree. intervals around a center C of the semiconductor wafer W to be supplied. The six spindles 11 are divided into two groups 11GR, 11GL, each comprising three spindles 11, which are independently driven by driving mechanisms, and the two groups 11GR, 11GL of the spindles 11 are displaced outwardly along a center line C.sub.L in opposite directions so that all of the spindles 11 are spaced from the semiconductor wafer W. Assuming that each of the groups 11GR, 11GL of the spindles 11 is displaced along the center line C.sub.L by a distance L, the spindle 11 positioned on the center line C.sub.L is also displaced by the distance L in a radial direction from the center C of the semiconductor wafer W to be supplied. However, the other two spindles 11 positioned apart from the center line C.sub.L are displaced by the distance L cos 60.degree. =0.5 L in a radial direction from the center C of the semiconductor wafer W to be supplied. In this case, if the distance L is too large, the shoulder of the spindle 11 cannot receive the outer peripheral portion of the semiconductor wafer W when the semiconductor wafer is lowered by the robot hand H. Thus, it is necessary to set the distance L to be within the width of the shoulder of the spindle. This means that a suitable clearance is required to properly transfer the semiconductor wafer to the spindles. However, since a suitable clearance between the holding portions of the spindles 11 and the semiconductor wafer W cannot be formed at the spindles 11 positioned apart from the center line C.sub.L, when positioning the semiconductor wafer among the spindles, there are some cases in which the circuniferantial edge of the semiconductor wafer contacts the top of the spindle 11.


A semiconductor photodetector for photon detection without the use of avalanche multiplication, and capable of operating at low bias voltage and without excess noise. In one embodiment, the photodetector comprises a plurality of InP/AlInGaAs/AlGaAsSb layers, capable of spatially separating the electron and the hole of an photo-generated electron-hole pair in one layer, transporting one of the electron and the hole of the photo-generated electron-hole pair into another layer, focalizing it into a desired volume and trapping it therein, the desired volume having a dimension in a scale of nanometers to reduce its capacitance and increase the change of potential for a trapped carrier, and a nano-injector, capable of injecting carriers into the plurality of InP/AlInGaAs/AlGaAsSb layers, where the carrier transit time in the nano-injector is much shorter than the carrier recombination time therein, thereby causing a very large carrier recycling effect.

A single photon detector (hereinafter "SPD") provides the ultimate limit of extremely weak electromagnetic radiation detection in term of sensitivity. Compact solid-state SPDs are regarded as enabling components in a wide range of applications such as biophotonics, tomography, homeland security, non-destructive material inspection, astronomy, quantum key distribution, and quantum imaging. Despite the astonishing progress of these fields in recent years, there has been little progress in the performance of SPDs, and thus the SPD is quickly becoming the "bottleneck" in these fields. Some of the important shortcomings of the current SPDs are: poor quantum efficiency, high dark count rates, lack of imaging arrays, severe cooling requirement for longer wavelengths, and large dead-times (low bandwidth) due to after-pulsing. Unfortunately, these problems become much more significant for wavelengths beyond visible range where a large number of applications can benefit the most. In particular, these drawbacks have prevented demonstration of the much-needed high-performance SPDs beyond the visible wavelength, and high-performance arrays of SPDs. Many applications can drastically benefit from two-dimensional imaging arrays of SPD, and SPDs that can operate in the longer wavelengths including: infrared mammography [2, 3], infrared tomography [4], molecular infrared florescent imaging [5-7], quantum imaging [8-10], infrared non-destructive inspection [11, 12] and remote detection of buried landmines [13-15].
There has been a rapid growth in research on SPDs, evident by an exponential increase in the number of related published papers over the past decade [1]. However, most of the works on compact solid-state SPDs have been focused on Geiger mode avalanche photodetectors (hereinafter "APD") [16-19]. There are inherent drawbacks in the avalanche process that hinder realization of short and mid-infrared SPDs, as well as high-performance 2D SPD arrays. Some of these inherent physical limitations are:                Material Limitations: Almost all compound semiconductors that can provide longer wavelength detectors have a low ionization ratio, and subsequently a poor performance.        High Tunneling and Generation Rates: High electric filed leads to a high tunneling rate, even in the wide bandgap material, and tunneling current becomes the main source of the dark counts in modern APDs [19]. Also, the fully depleted avalanche region produces the maximum Shockley-Read-Hall (hereinafter "SRH") generation noise [20].        Poor Uniformity: A fraction of a percent variation in doping or layer thickness can result in significant shifts in gain, dark current, breakdown voltage, and frequency response [21]. Temperature and bias variations would prevent realization of a uniform large-area 2D array.        High Photon Emission: The energetic (hot) carriers that are required for avalanche process can also produce photons. In fact, avalanche detectors are known to produce "photon flashes" that are three to four orders of magnitude brighter than the incoming beam. The produced photons can severely interfere with the other components of the system in a single element SPD [22], and produce a significant crosstalk in an arrayed SPD [23].
These problems have encouraged research on alternative detection methods such as superconductor-base infrared detectors [24, 25], and quantum dot infrared detectors [26, 27]. Although these methods can potentially alleviate a large number of problems associated with avalanche-based SPDs, they require extremely low operating temperatures, about 4° K., which prevent their practical utilization in many applications. Quantum dot SPDs should be able to operate at much higher temperatures. However, their low quantum efficiency remains a serious problem. This is an inherent problem, and a consequence of the extremely small dimension of quantum dots compared with the wavelength of the infrared light.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Single-photon detector with a quantum dot and a nano-injector


The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the various problems which can be presented by the scalpel portion of an ultrasonic hand piece for cutting a bone or other hard tissue making an excessive sting into the cut site, and allow precisely controlling the movement of the scalpel portion in a wide field of view for precision cutting of a bone or other hard tissue to achieve the purpose of the medical treatment.

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic hand piece to be used for cutting a bone in the living body operation and an ultrasonic horn for use with the same.
In the medical treatment field, a number of ultrasonic hand pieces have been used as one of the variety of operation instruments in the surgical field.
FIG. 9 is a drawing showing an ultrasonic hand piece A to be used specifically for cutting a bone among such ultrasonic hand pieces.
In the figure, 1 denotes a casing for accommodating an ultrasonic vibration mechanism which is equipped with a vibrator of magnetostriction type, electrostriction type, or other type, and outputs an ultrasonic wave at the specified frequency; 2 a horn which is inserted into an opening portion at one end of the casing for cutting a bone or other tissue 3 with its end portion by the vibration transmitted from said ultrasonic vibration mechanism; 1a a joint for a tube for sucking the irrigation fluid, the cut debris, and the like; 1b a joint for a tube for injecting the irrigation fluid to cool the friction heat generated in cutting the bone; and 1c a cable for supplying high-frequency electric energy to said ultrasonic vibration mechanism.
By the vibration transmitted from the ultrasonic vibration mechanism, the horn 2 is vibrated at the specified frequency in the axial direction, and with the tip contacting the bone or other tissue 3, cuts the required site.
FIG. 10 is a figure showing the cutting operation on a bone or other hard tissue with the horn in said ultrasonic hand piece A. At the tip of the horn 2, a hook-shaped scalpel portion 2a is formed, and the operator operates the ultrasonic hand piece A from the direction of view indicated with the arrow C to move the horn 2 in the direction of the arrow B, while carrying out the cutting of the required site of the bone or other hard tissue with the tip of the scalpel portion 2a which is reciprocated in the direction of the arrow A. In such cutting, the vibration from the tip of the scalpel portion 2a is transmitted to the portion P of the bone or other hard tissue H opposing to the tip for finely fracturing it as shown in FIG. 11, and then, the finely fractured portion is raked with the tip of the scalpel portion 2a.
However, the tip of the scalpel portion 2a is finely vibrated at a rate of 25,000 cycles/sec with a stroke of 200 xcexcm, thus the speed of the tip is 50 km/h at maximum.
Therefore, stresses are concentrated into the contacting portion of the sharply formed tip, which often causes the tip of the scalpel portion 2a to deeply penetrate into the tissue inside. If the tip deeply cuts into the tissue inside in this way, the bone is cut in quantity at a time, which not only requires a large amount of ultrasonic vibrational energy, but also requires the operator to exert a large force for operating the scalpel portion. In addition, because the tip of the scalpel portion tends to sting into the bone, there occurs a problem of that precise control of the amount of cut is difficult.
With the above-mentioned prior art, the scalpel portion is protruded at right angles to the horn main body, thus, as shown in FIG. 10, it is inevitable that the horn is positioned approximately in parallel to the surface of the bone H in operation, and thus the operator has been forced to make operation in an extremely narrow field of view in the direction of the arrow C.
Further, the above-mentioned prior art has presented a problem of that, if the scalpel portion is contacted with a site where water is collected, the water is atomized by the vibration, which hinders the sight of the operator. In addition, when cutting the bone and fracturing and sucking the tumor produced around it are alternatively performed, it has been conventionally required to prepare a hand piece for bone cutting and that for tumor fracturing and sucking, and to use either of them as needed.
The present invention is intended to solve the above mentioned conventional problems by providing an ultrasonic hand piece comprising an ultrasonic vibration mechanism which outputs a longitudinal ultrasonic vibration, a twisted ultrasonic vibration, or a compounded longitudinal and twisted ultrasonic vibration, a casing for accommodating the ultrasonic vibration mechanism, and a horn which is mounted at one end of the casing for cutting a bone or other hard tissue by the vibration transmitted from said ultrasonic vibration mechanism,
wherein said horn comprises a main body portion and a scalpel portion which is formed at the tip of the main body portion for cutting a bone or other hard tissue, and in the end portion of the scalpel portion is formed a working portion which comprises at least one face portion for eliminating the stress concentration into the object site of a bone or other hard tissue to prevent excessive sting while transmitting a vibration for forming a finely fractured layer, and an edge portion for raking the bone tissue finely fractured by the working portion.
With the above-stated configuration, said scalpel portion may be formed in a hook-like shape so as to protrude from the main body portion side wall at the tip of the main body portion.
In addition, with the above-stated configuration, the angle of aperture for the hook-shaped scalpel with respect to the horn main body portion may be set in the range where the included angle between the internal side of the hook-shaped scalpel and the main body portion side wall is larger than a right angle and smaller than two right angles, so that a sufficient field of view for the operator can be secured between the cut portion and the main body portion.
Further, with the above-stated ultrasonic hand piece, an engaging portion to prevent sliding in contact with a bone or other hard tissue may be formed in the working portion at the tip of the scalpel portion.
In addition, with the above-stated ultrasonic hand piece, the outline portion of the hook-shaped scalpel portion may be formed in a curved shape in section, i.e., an approximately arc shape in section so that a receiving portion for cut bone tissue is formed between the main body portion and the scalpel portion for facilitating the cutting operation.
The present invention is also intended to solve the above mentioned conventional problems by constituting the ultrasonic horn for cutting a bone or other hard tissue by the vibration transmitted from an ultrasonic vibration source with a main body portion and a scalpel portion which is formed at the tip of the main body portion for cutting a bone or other hard tissue, and in the end portion of the scalpel portion, forming a working portion which comprises at least one face portion for eliminating the stress concentration into the object site of a bone or other hard tissue to prevent excessive sting while transmitting a vibration for forming a finely fractured layer, and an edge portion for raking the bone tissue finely fractured by the working portion.
With said ultrasonic horn, said scalpel portion may be formed in a hook-like shape so as to protrude from the main body portion side wall at the tip of the main body portion.
In addition, with the above-stated ultrasonic horn, the angle of aperture for the hook-shaped scalpel with respect to the horn main body portion may be set in the range where the included angle between the internal side of the hook-shaped scalpel and the main body portion side wall is larger than a right angle and smaller than two right angles, so that a sufficient field of view for the operator can be secured between the cut portion and the main body portion.
Further, with the above-stated ultrasonic horn, an engaging portion to prevent sliding in contact with a bone or other hard tissue may be formed in the working portion at the tip of the scalpel portion.
Still further, the outline portion of the hook-shaped scalpel portion may be formed in a curved shape in section, i.e., an approximately arc shape in section so that a receiving portion for cut bone tissue is formed between the main body portion and the scalpel portion.
And further, with the above-stated ultrasonic hand piece or ultrasonic horn, a suction passage is formed which, starting from one or more opening portions provided in the vicinity of the scalpel portion of the ultrasonic horn, runs through the horn main body portion to be connected to the suction mechanism, facilitating the suction and discharge of the water, the cut debris, the fracture debris, and the like in the operation site for allowing the proper and efficient operation.
With the present invention, the above-described configurations allow the following effects to be expected.
(1) The various problems which can be presented by the scalpel portion of an ultrasonic hand piece making an excessive sting into the cut site can be eliminated, and the movement of the scalpel portion can be precisely controlled, which allows precision cutting of a bone or other hard tissue to achieve the purpose of the medical treatment.
(2) The operator can always grasp the cutting situation in a wide field of view, which allows the operation to be made with safety and ease.

Ultrasonic hand piece and ultrasonic horn for use with the same

Abstract: The ultrasonic hand piece according to the present invention comprises a casing for accommodating an ultrasonic vibration mechanism, and a horn which is mounted at one end of the casing for cutting a bone or other hard tissue by the vibration transmitted from said ultrasonic vibration mechanism, said horn comprising a main body portion and a scalpel portion which is formed at the tip of this main body portion for cutting a bone or other hard tissue, and in the end portion of the scalpel portion being formed a working portion which comprises at least one face portion for eliminating the stress concentration into the object site of a bone or other hard tissue to prevent excessive sting while transmitting a vibration for forming a finely fractured layer, and an edge portion for raking the bone tissue finely fractured by this working portion.


According to the present disclosure, a film containing a predetermined element, carbon and nitrogen is formed with high controllability of a composition thereof. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a film containing a predetermined element, carbon and nitrogen on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes supplying a first processing gas containing the predetermined element and a halogen element to the substrate, supplying a second processing gas composed of three elements of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen to the substrate, and supplying a third processing gas containing carbon to the substrate.

In manufacturing a semiconductor device, there is a process of forming a silicon-based insulating film such as a silicon nitride film (SiN film), i.e., an insulating film containing silicon as a predetermined element, on a substrate such as a silicon wafer. Since the SiN film has good insulating properties, corrosion resistance, dielectric properties, film stress controllability, and the like, it has been widely used as an insulating film, a mask film, a charge accumulation film, or a stress control film. Also, a technique of forming a silicon carbonitride film (SiCN film) by adding carbon (C) to the insulating film for the purpose of improving etching resistance has been used.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium


A magnetic head testing apparatus having the function of evaluating pin holes in a tunnel barrier layer of a TMR element by a non destructive inspection is disclosed. The testing apparatus comprises a temperature control unit which sets a circumferential temperature of a TMR element, a bias electric current control unit which applies an electric current for measuring a resistance value, an element resistance measuring unit and a CPU which calculates a temperature coefficient. The CPU determines a pin hole state in the tunnel barrier layer based on the temperature coefficient.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head testing apparatus for testing generally a magnetic head using a tunneling magnetoresistive effect element. In particular, it relates to a technique for non destructive inspection of a tunnel barrier layer of the element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a magnetic head comprising separately a reading head and a writing head, mounted on the same slider is used in a disk drive. The reading head is a head dedicated for reading a data signal recorded magnetically on a disk medium.
Recently, a GMR (giant magnetoresistive effect) element (referred also as a GMR sensor) suited for achieving a high recording density of a disk medium is used for the reading head. However, as recent magnetic heads and the like are very a problem of sensitivity deterioration of the GMR element has grown in importance.
As a countermeasure for the problem, use of a novel tunneling magnetoresistive effect (TMR) element (referred to also as a TMR sensor) as the reading head has been proposed.
Unlike the GMR element, in a TMR element, the conducting direction of the sense electric current is in the vertical direction with respect to the film surface, such that the tunneling electric current flows in the tunnel barrier layer (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,410 and the U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,547).
The characteristics of the TMR element depend largely on the quality of the tunnel barrier layer of the extremely thin film. Particularly in the case a pin hole is present in the tunnel barrier layer, the decline of the breakdown voltage is observed (for example, see Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 91, No. 7, 2002; P. 4348-4352, "Dielectric breakdown in magnetic tunnel junctions having an ultrathin barrier" Bryan Oliver, Qing He, Xuefei Tang, and J. Nowark (Seagate Technology LLC.)).
The "breakdown voltage" refers to the critical voltage of causing an element destruction at the time of applying the electric current stress to the TMR element stepwise. Moreover, the "pin hole" refers to a part with a free layer and a pinned layer present on the both sides of the tunnel barrier layer, contacted locally with a metal due to the interface disturbance by the film formation irregularity of the tunnel barrier layer, the stress in the process and the like.
In the case a pin hole is present in the tunnel barrier layer, since the pin hole part has a low resistance, the electric current flowing in the tunnel barrier layer is concentrated. It is confirmed that the destructive damage to the tunnel barrier layer is accelerated by the local heat generating effect resulting from the electric current concentration. Therefore, for an improvement of the reliability of the reading head using the TMR element, it is essential to test for the presence of pin holes in the tunnel barrier layer.
In general, the presence of pin holes can be confirmed by the breakdown test. However, since the test is a destructive test, it cannot be used for the screening test for the reading head (magnetic head).

Method and apparatus for testing magnetic head with TMR element


Disclosed is an electronic instrument having a housing, a battery accommodating section provided in the housing, and a spring for battery ejection which is pressed by a battery inserted into the battery accommodating section and thus stored in power. In the instrument, the spring for battery ejection includes a spring force generation portion, a first arm portion provided at one end of the spring force generation portion, a second arm portion that is provided at the other end of the spring force generation portion and extends with a certain opening angle with respect to the first arm portion, a first shaft portion provided at an end of the first arm portion, and a second shaft portion provided at an end of the second arm portion. The first shaft portion is mounted in a first bearing portion provided in the housing, and the second shaft portion is slidably mounted in a second bearing portion provided in the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic instrument using a battery as a power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an electronic instrument including a so-called portable electronic instrument such as digital camera, an electronic instrument using a battery as a power source is known. The electronic instrument using the battery as the power source has a battery accommodating section for storing the battery in a housing, and the battery is loaded in the battery accommodating section by inserting the battery into the battery accommodating section. When the battery is charged, the battery is extracted from the battery accommodating section.
In the electronic instrument, an electronic instrument is known, in which a spring for battery ejection is provided for ease of extraction of the battery from the battery accommodating section.
For example, a coil spring 201 as shown in FIG. 43 is used for the spring for battery ejection. When a battery 202 is inserted into a battery accommodating section 203, the coil spring 201 is compressed by a front end face 202a of the battery 202 and thus stored in power, and when the battery 202 is further inserted to a predetermined position within the battery accommodating section 203, the battery 202 is locked by a battery lock member 204, and a battery cover 205 is closed. When locking by the battery lock member 204 is released, the battery cover 205 is opened, and the battery 202 is pushed out from the battery accommodating section 203 by spring force stored in the coil spring 201 (refer to JP-A-2001-223480).


A microprocessor (10) and system (2) are disclosed, in which capability for the detection and handling of modifications of instructions potentially in the pipeline is implemented. The microprocessor (10) includes a self-modifying code (SMC) unit (50) that includes a fetch address window maintenance unit (52), a write comparator (54) associated with each load/store unit (40) in the microprocessor (10) that performs writebacks to memory (16, 11, 5), and a shared write comparator (55). The fetch address window maintenance unit (52) includes a minimum latch (60) that stores the lowest fetch address since a pipeline flush or machine reset, and a maximum latch (62) that stores the highest fetch address since flush or reset, and updates the minimum and maximum latches (60, 62) upon detecting that the current fetch address (LASTFA) falls outside of the current window. The write comparators (54) compare each new writeback address (LSxADR) to the minimum and maximum fetch addresses (MINFA, MAXFA) from the minimum and maximum latches (60, 62), respectively. In response to the writeback address (LSxADR) falling within the window, an exception sequence is initiated to flush the pipeline. Write comparators (54, 55) also compare the current fetch address (LASTFA) against the current writeback address and against the addresses of pending, but not completed, writebacks, to determine if a conflict exists between the fetched instruction and the pending writebacks.

This invention is in the field of microprocessor integrated circuits, and is more specifically directed to pipelined microprocessors capable of executing self-modifying programs.
Most modem microprocessors are configured according to so-called pipelined architectures. In a pipelined microprocessor, multiple sequential program instructions are processed simultaneously along various stages of execution from instruction fetch through execution and writeback; in other words, later instructions (in program order) are fetched prior to completion of the execution of earlier instructions. Because of pipelining, the effective rate at which instructions are executed by a microprocessor can approach one instruction per machine cycle in a single pipeline microprocessor, even though each individual instruction may require multiple machine cycles for processing from fetch through execution and writeback. So-called superscalar architectures effectively have multiple pipelines operating in parallel, providing even higher theoretical performance levels.
Many popular microprocessors provide the user with a high level of programming flexibility by permitting the use of "self-modifying code". Self-modifying code refers to a programming technique in which program instructions are modified by the program itself. In other words, the result of the execution of an instruction in the program may modify, via writeback of the results, the instruction code of later instructions in the program. Self-modifying code thus provides the programmer with a high degree of flexibility in microprocessor-based computer programs. The technique of self-modifying code has become widespread in recent years, because of the high degree of program efficiency that may be obtained through its use.
The modification of program instructions is not difficult for modem microprocessors, so long as the program instruction being modified is resident in memory and has not yet entered the pipeline. However, most modern microprocessors, such as those commonly referred to as "x86-architecture microprocessors" permit modification of any instruction at any time, without any sort of "serializing" or "synchronization" instruction to avoid modification of instructions in the pipeline. These microprocessors must therefore have the ability to detect whether an instruction that is the target of a self-modification has already entered the pipeline at the time that the modification is generated, and to take action to ensure that the modified version of the instruction (and not the original version) is the code that is actually executed. Otherwise, program errors will result from the execution of an incorrect instruction.
Conventional microprocessors implement this capability through use of a table that stores a copy of the instruction address of each instruction that has been fetched into the pipeline. The destination address of each writeback is compared to each entry in the table to determine if the writeback is a modification to an instruction in the pipeline. If so, the pipeline is flushed, the instruction code is modified, and execution begins again using the modified instruction. It has been observed in connection with the present invention, however, that significant chip area and other resources are consumed in the implementation of such a table, especially in superscalar architectures where four or more pipelines are in place, and also especially in deep pipelines having seven or more stages.

Pipelined microprocessor with efficient self-modifying code detection and handling


A polarization controller includes: a liquid crystal cell; a mechanism for determining a compensation voltage; and a voltage driving circuit for applying the compensation voltage to the liquid crystal cell, where the application of the compensation voltage optimizes an extinction ratio of the liquid crystal cell. The controller controls the extinction ratio using an applied voltage to compensate for temperature changes, liquid crystal cell gap variations, and other errors of the liquid crystal cell. This controller is aimed at liquid crystal devices used in a wide ambient temperature range and is also useful to compensate for the fabrication errors of the liquid crystal switches.

Liquid Crystal (LC) cells are used along with other optical elements in optical communication apparatuses to switch light along alternative optical pathways. In these apparatuses, LC cells usually serve as polarization controllers. The extinction ratio (Rex) of polarization is the most important parameter for these controllers.
FIG. 1 shows the diagram of a typical LC cell 102 as may be used as a polarization controller within an optical switch. In this diagram, double-barbed arrows inscribed within circles represent p-polarized light that is polarized vertically within the plane of the page. Crosses inscribed within circles in FIG. 1 represent s-polarized light polarized perpendicularly to the plane of the page. An input light 104 having an initial linear polarization, which is assumed herein to be p-polarization, is incident upon the LC cell 102.
Upon passing through the cell 102, the light becomes output light 106. Without an applied voltage (that is, in the OFF state), the polarization of the light is switched (rotated by 90°) such that, nominally, all the output light becomes s-polarized output light 106s. However, due to imperfection of the cell, a small proportion of the light is the p-polarized output light 106p.
When voltage is applied to the cell 102 (the ON state) shown in FIG. 1, the polarization of the output light 106 nominally remains the same as that of the input light 104. Thus, most of the light is the p-polarized light 106p. Once again, however, due to imperfection of the cell, a small proportion of the light is the s-polarized output light 106s.
For clarity of presentation, the two output lights 106s and 106p shown in FIG. 1 are shown separated from one another. In practice, however, these two output lights overlap. The output light represented by a dashed line is the one of lesser intensity. If the liquid crystal cell 102 comprises a component within an optical switch, other components of the switch may be utilized to route the s-polarized output light 106s to a first destination and the p-polarized output light 106p to a second destination. Thus, unless the light of lesser intensity is minimized, either in the ON state or the OFF state, an undesirable portion of the light may be directed to an incorrect destination.
The extinction ratio, Rex, of the cell 102 shown in FIG. 1 is defined by
                              R          ex                =                  10                                                                                log              10                                                  (                                                I                  s                                                  I                  p                                            )                                                          Eq        .                                          1            where Is is the intensity of s-polarized output light 106s and Ip is the intensity of p-polarized output light 106p. If the input light 104 is s-polarized instead of p-polarized, then the quantities Is and Ip must be interchanged with one another in Eq. 1.
As the ambient temperature increases, the birefringence of the LC material generally decreases, leading to a different Rex in the OFF state. FIGS. 2A–2B show simulated curves of Rex versus applied voltage for a Twisted Nematic LC cell with a 6.8 μm thick of LC layer. The different curves represent Rex values at different temperatures. For instance, "T20", "T30", etc. indicate curves calculated for respective temperatures of 20° C., 30° C., etc. Assume that the OFF state of the cell 102 corresponds to an applied voltage of 0 V. Then, when the ambient temperature increases from 20° C. to 70° C., the Rex in the OFF state increases from 22.8 dB at 20° C. to 30 dB at 50° C., and then drops to 15.5 dB at 70° C. (see FIG. 2A). FIG. 2B shows the same curves exhibited in FIG. 2A, but at a wider range of voltages. If the ON state has an applied voltage of 4 V, then, as the temperature changes, the Rex in the ON state remains constant at around −50 dB (see FIG. 2B). The minus sign indicates that the p-polarized output light 106p is dominant in ON state.
During fabrication of an LC cell, the control of parameters cannot be ideal, so the parameters of each individual cell, such as cell gap, twist angle, etc., may vary. FIGS. 3A–3B show that the cell gap variation leads to different curves of Rex versus applied voltage. FIGS. 3A–3B show graphs of the simulated curves of Rex versus applied voltage for various Twisted Nematic liquid crystal cells with different LC thickness and twist angle. The different curves in each of FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B represent Rex values for cells having different cell gaps. For instance, "d65", "d68, "d70" and "d72" represent curves for cells having gaps of 6.5° μm, 6.8° μm, 7.0° μm and 7.2° μm, respectively. Comparison between FIGS. 3A and 3B shows that twist angle variation also leads to different curves of Rex versus applied voltage.
Because, in general, a liquid crystal cell will output some light that is polarized orthogonal to the desired dominant polarization, an undesirable portion of the output light may be directed to an incorrect destination. Further, since the extinction ratio can vary with temperature within a single cell and can vary between cells, depending upon fabrication parameters, the amount of such mis-directed light is difficult to predict. This presents a problem in reproducibly fabricating optical switches based upon liquid crystal devices and in ensuring stable operation of the switches.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved liquid crystal cell apparatus. The improved apparatus should be made to operate at an optimum extinction ratio, regardless of temperature variations and cell-to-cell variations. The present invention addresses such a need.

Apparatus and method for controlling extinction ratio in a liquid crystal polarization controller optical switch


This invention is for a trigger switch apparatus for a hand held electric drill and includes a control of the electric power to a drill for fast or slow rotation of the drill bit by moving a rheostat contact bridge over a rheostat coil section for control of the rotation speed of the drill bit, and further a leaf spring holds the trigger carriage stop shoulder onto the carriage, and on seizure, kick back or sudden torque of the drill bit there is a cut off of power and the switch reverts to an “off” or “open” position, which then requires re-setting of the switch to a “closed” or “on” position for re-actuating operation of the hand held electric drill.

This invention pertains in particular to electric power hand held drill apparatus, having a safety switch for immediate "off" when the hand held electric drill at the "on" position encounters a problem of stalling, causing a kick back, sudden torque or twist of the hand held electric drill and the kick back torque or twisting causing an immediate disconnect from "on" to the "off" position of the power to the handheld electric drill.

Power hand tool switch torque controller apparatus


Provided herein is a recombinant AAV (rAAV) comprising an AAV capsid and a vector genome packaged therein, wherein the vector genome comprises an AAV 5′ inverted terminal repeat (ITR), an engineered nucleic acid sequence encoding a functional hSGSH, a regulatory sequence which direct expression of hSGSH in a target cell, and an AAV 3′ ITR. Also provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising a rAAV as described herein in a formulation buffer, and a method of treating a human subject diagnosed with MPS IIIA.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIa (MPS IIIa, MPS IIIA, or Sanfilippo syndrome type A), is an autosomal recessive inherited disorder caused by the deficiency of the enzyme N-sulfoglycosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH), involved in the lysosomal catabolism of the glycosaminoglycans (GAG) heparan sulfate. This deficiency leads to the intracellular accumulation of undegraded heparan sulfate as well as gangliosides GM2 and GM3 in the central nervous system causing neuronal dysfunction and neuroinflammation. The disease manifests first as a cognitive delay around 3 years of age followed by abnormal hyperactive and aggressive behavior. The progression of the disease then leads to a loss of motor and neurological functions during the first decade with death at a median age of 15 years.
There is currently no cure or standard treatment for people with MPS IIIA. Medications are used to relieve symptoms (such as anticonvulsants for seizures) and improve quality of life. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation does not seem to ameliorate neuropsychological deterioration significantly. Recombinant enzymes for the deficiencies in MPS III are available, but trials in enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) have not been favorable in improving prognosis because the enzymes are not able to enter the central nervous system. See, e.g., Germaine L Defendi. Genetics of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type III. Medscape. Mar. 21, 2014. Changes to the diet do not prevent disease progression, but limiting milk, sugar, and dairy products has helped some people who have excessive mucus.
A continuing need in the art exists for compositions and methods for efficient treatment of MPS IIIA.

Gene therapy for mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA


A wiring harness includes a first power transmission path; a second power transmission path; a connecting part; and a connector. The first power transmission path has stiffness ensuring autonomously retention of its shape, the shape coinciding with an arrangement path. The second power transmission paths have stiffness smaller than that of the first power transmission path and also have flexibility. The connecting part includes a connection structure configured to connect conductive ends of the first power transmission path and the second power transmission paths to each other with the conductive ends being electrically insulated from outside.

The wiring harness disclosed in the patent literature PTL 1 comprises three high-voltage electrical wires and three metallic protective pipes each accommodating corresponding one of the three high-voltage electrical wires for protection thereof The high-voltage electrical wire is configured for connecting a motor provided in a front portion of a vehicle to an inverter provided in an intermediate or rear portion of the vehicle.
The wiring harness is arranged extended through a vehicle-body's underfloor provided outside of a frame of the vehicle body. Due to this configuration, the metallic protective pipes are adapted to protect the high-voltage electrical wires against hitting by pebbles and splashing of water. The metallic protective pipe has not only stiffness required for protection of the high-voltage electrical wires against hitting by pebbles and splashing of water and prevention of loosening of the high-voltage electrical wires, but also electromagnetic shielding functionality inasmuch as it is a metal component.
The wiring harness is obtained by inserting the three high-voltage electrical wires each into the corresponding one of the three metallic protective pipes that are extended straight, and bending the metallic protective pipes such that its shape coincides with an arrangement path of the wiring harness in the vehicle-body's underfloor. The wiring harness is manufactured in this manner in a factory of a wire harness manufacturer, and then transported to an assembly factory of an automobile manufacturer, where the wiring harness is attached to a prescribed location in a vehicle, so that arrangement thereof is completed.


A process for preparing phenserine compounds which are known acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from physostigmine compounds by hydrolysis to form an eseroline compound which is then condensed with an isocyanate.

Phenserine and phenserine analogs are known acetylcholinesterase inhibitors making them useful in the treatment of Alzheimer""s diseases and as anti-inflammatory agents. Please note U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,306,825 and 5,734,062. Phenserine has been produced by the conversion of physostigmine salt such as physostigmine salicylate to eseroline which is then reacted in a organic solvent in the presence of a base catalyst at a basic pH with an isocyanate such as phenyl isocyanate to produce phenserine and it""s analogs. This process has suffered from many disadvantages due to the fact that it involved numerous processing steps in producing the phenserine or its analogs from the physostigmine salt. This resulted in poor yields of phenserine with a relatively low purity.
In the first step of this reaction, the physostigmine salt is converted to the physostigmine free base and this free base is then hydrolyzed to eseroline by treatment with a base in an organic solvent. The eseroline base produced by this method, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,726, requires extensive work-up involving numerous steps to separate it from the reaction mixture so that it can be later converted to phenserine. In another method, the eseroline base was also prepared by reacting the physostigmine with a metal alkoxide in an alcohol such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,825, or by hydrolysis of physostigmine in a water miscible organic solvent with aqueous sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,673, European Patent 0298,202 or via its eseroline fumarate salt (Heterocycles 1987, 26:5 pages 1271-1275). In these processes it is necessary to neutralize the crude reaction mixture with mineral acids or organic acids such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,673 and 5,498,726. It is also necessary to prevent oxidation of the eseroline base in the solution by either applying a vacuum to the reaction mixture or by carrying out the reaction under an inert atmosphere such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,306,825 and 5,498,726. These processes require isolation of the eseroline base from the reaction mixture in which it was formed leading to significant degradation unless strict precautions are taken to exclude air. Therefore, it has been long desired to provide an easy method for converting physostigmine salt to eseroline so that the eseroline can be converted to phenserine.
In the next step of this reaction, eseroline is reacted with an isocyanate to produce phenserine or a derivative thereof. This reaction is generally carried out in the presence of water immiscible organic solvents such as ethyl ether, diisopropyl ether, benzene, toluene or petroleum ether in the presence of traces of an alkaline substance such as an alkali metal hydroxide. Please note U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,673, 5,306,828 and 5,498,726. Other U.S. patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,705,657 and 5,726,323 describe the use of quaternary phosphonium salts and quaternary ammonium salts with a metal cyanate or bicyclic amidine catalyst for the formation of phenserine. This process has been flawed with difficulties especially with regard to the isolation and purification of phenserine or its derivatives.
In accordance with this invention, phenserine and phenserine analogs of the formula
wherein R is a lower alkyl and R1 is lower alkyl, phenyl, phenyl lower alkyl, cycloalkyl, or cycloalkyl lower alkyl;
are prepared from physostigmine compounds of the formula
wherein R is as above;
or a salt thereof, via an eseroline compound of the formula:
wherein R is as above;
by reacting the compound of formula II with an isocyanate of the formula:
R1xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90Oxe2x80x83xe2x80x83V
wherein R1 is as above;
via a unique selection of reaction conditions, solvents and processing conditions which allow the phenserine compounds of Formula III to be produced in an economic manner in high yields and in a highly purified form. This is accomplished without the necessity of utilizing a large number of processing steps. Therefore, the use of this process makes it ideally suited for large scale production of phenserine and its analogs in a highly efficient and economic manner.
The process of this invention is carried according to the following reaction scheme
wherein R and R1 are a lower alkyl and phenyl, phenyl lower alkyl or cycloalkyl, lower alkyl.
In accordance with the process of this invention the physostigmine compound of Formula I or it""s salt is reacted to form the eseroline compound of Formula II by hydrolyzing the physostigmine compound of Formula I with an alkali metal hydroxide, in an aqueous reaction medium. The eseroline compound of Formula II is then isolated in pure form, from the aqueous reaction medium.
The purified eseroline is then treated with a strong organic base in an anhydrous reaction medium containing a water miscible organic solvent. The treated eseroline compound is then reacted, without isolating it from the said reaction medium, with an isocyanate of the formula V. This reaction is carried out by mixing said isocyanate compound of formula V with said eseroline compound in said reaction medium to form said phenserine compound of formula III. Thereafter the reaction is quenched by addition of water, allowing phenserine compound of formula III to be easily isolated in pure form. In this addition, the water can be added to the reaction mixture or the reaction mixture can be added to water. Generally it is preferred to add the reaction mixture to water.
This process can be utilized to make any of the enantiomers of Formula III, i.e., the (+) or (xe2x88x92) enantiomer, as well as, the racemate thereof. Depending upon the particular enantiomer of Formula I used a starting material, the compound of Formula II and III will be produced having the same stereoconfiguration at the quarternary chiral center of the compound of Formula I. On the other, the compound of Formula I can be used as a racemate to produce the compound of Formula II and III as racemates.
In the first step of the reaction of this invention, step (a), the physostigmine compound or salt thereof of Formula I is converted to the eseroline compound of Formula II. This reaction is a hydrolysis reaction carried out in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide. Physostigmine is a compound which undergoes significant deterioration and therefore is used in the form of an acid addition salt. In accordance with the prior procedures when the physostigmine salt of Formula I is hydrolyzed to the eseroline compound of Formula II, the physostigmine salt is first converted to a free base and thereafter hydrolyzed.
In accordance with this invention the physostigmine salt of Formula I is hydrolyzed in one step without the need for conversion to its free base. This is accomplished by carrying out the hydrolysis with an alkali metal hydroxide in an aqueous medium. In carrying out this reaction any alkali metal hydroxide can be utilized. If desired, the aqueous solution may contain the compound of Formula I or, more preferably, contain this compound in the form of its salt. If desired, this aqueous solution can also contain a water immiscible organic solvent. Any conventional water immiscible organic solvent which is inert in this hydrolysis reaction can be utilized. Among the preferred solvents are included lower alkyl ethers such as ethyl ether, t-butylmethyl ether and diisopropyl ether. In carrying out this reaction temperature and pressure are not critical. This reaction of step (a) can be carried out at room temperature. However, generally temperatures from about 20xc2x0-50xc2x0 C. are utilized in carrying out this reaction. In carrying out step a) it is important that no water miscible organic solvents be used in the hydrolysis. In this way the hydrolysis reaction and recovery of the compound of Formula II is carried out in absence of any water miscible organic solvents. By this procedure, there is a direct conversion of the acid addition salt of Formula I into the eseroline compound of Formula II without the necessity of converting the salt of Formula I into the free base of Formula I. In addition the eseroline compound of Formula II can be easily isolated from the reaction medium in pure form.
The presence of water and no water miscible organic solvents during the reaction of step (a) allows the eseroline base of Formula II to form in the aqueous medium in which it is soluble. In this manner the eseroline compound of Formula II can be recovered easily in pure form with high yields from the aqueous medium in which it is formed by simple and direct means. The purity of the eseroline base of Formula II can be from 90% or higher in many cases, from 98-99.9% purity.
While the recovery can be preferably carried at any basic pH level, it is generally carried out in accordance with this invention at pH range of from 8.0 to 9.5 which minimizes the loss of the eseroline base. The reaction of step (a) is carried at higher pHs. Generally the pHs are from 12 to 14. In this manner the eseroline compound of formula II is solubilized in the aqueous reaction medium so that it can be easily recovered. After the formation of the compound of formula II in the aqueous reaction medium, the pH can be adjusted to a pH of from 8.0 to 9.5 where the compound of formula II can be extracted in pure form. Any conventional means of extraction can be utilized to achieve this purpose. As stated hereinabove, the adjustment of the pH to 8.0 to 9.5 minimizes any loss of the eseroline compound of formula II.
In adjusting the pH from 8.0 and 9.5, we found that excellent results are achieved through the addition of an alkali metal bisulfite rather than using a mineral acid. In accordance with this invention, it has been found that mineral acids deleteriously affect the yield of the compound of formula II. This deleterious effect is eradicated when the pH for extraction is lowered to from 8.0 to 9.5 by means of an alkali metal bisulfite.
The term xe2x80x9cpharmaceutically acceptable saltsxe2x80x9d refers to acid addition salts. The expression xe2x80x9cpharmaceutically acceptable acid addition saltsxe2x80x9d is intended to apply to any non-toxic organic or inorganic acid addition salt of the compounds of Formula I and III. In accordance with this invention, any pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the compound of Formula I can be utilized as the starting material with the preferred salt being a salicylate salt. Illustrative inorganic acids which form suitable salts include hydrochloric, hydrobromic, sulphuric, and phosphoric acid and acid metal salts such as sodium monohydrogen orthophosphate, and potassium hydrogen sulfate. Illustrative organic acids which form suitable salts include the mono-, di-, and tricarboxylic acids. Illustrative of such acids are, for example, acetic, glycolic, lactic, pyruvic, malonic, succinic, glutaric, fumaric, malic, tartaric, citric, ascorbic, maleic, hyroxymaleic, benzoic, hydrocybenzoic, pheynlacetic, cinnamic, salicylic, 2-phyenoxybenzoic, and sulfonic acids such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid and 2-hydroxyethanesulfonic acid. Such salts can exist in either a hydrated or substantially anhydrous form.
In the next step of the process of this invention (step (b)), the eseroline compound of Formula II is converted to the phenserine compound of Formula III by reaction with the isocyanate of Formula V. This reaction is carried by first treating the purified eseroline compound of Formula II, after isolation from the reaction medium in which it was formed, with a strong organic base in an anhydrous reaction medium containing an inert aprotic water miscible organic solvent. By treating the compound of Formula II with the organic base in an inert aprotic water miscible organic solvent, the compound of Formula II is deprotonated to produce the reactive form of this compound. In this manner, the hydrogen from the hydroxy group is removed from the compound of Formula II and the compound is in position to react with the isocynate of Formula V. The formation of the reactive form of the compound of Formula II is carried out in an anhydrous medium utilizing an inert aprotic water miscible organic solvent with catalytic amounts of the organic base. Any conventional strong organic base as lower alkyl lithium, i.e., N-butyl lithium, can be utilized. Any water miscible aprotic organic solvent such as dimethoxyethane, tetrahydrofuran, etc. can be utilized. It must be remembered that the solvent must be inert to the deprotonation reaction medium as well as to the reaction medium in which the isocyanate of Formula V is utilized which includes the isocyanate itself.
In the next step of this process after the deprotonation has occurred, the deprotonated compound of Formula II is reacted with the isocyanate of Formula V to form the compound of Formula III. The isocyanate of Formula III is mixed with the reaction mixture in which the deprotonation occurs either by adding the reaction mixture containing the deprotonated compound of Formula V to the isocyanate of Formula V or by adding the isocyanate of Formula V to this reaction mixture.
In carrying out the reaction of step (b) with the isocyanate of Formula V one can utilize the same reaction medium utilized for the deprotonation reaction. In carrying out both the deprotonation and the later condensation with the isocyanate of Formula V, temperature and pressure are not critical and this reaction can be carried out at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. On the other hand temperatures from 15xc2x0 to 30xc2x0 C. are generally utilized. After mixing with the isocyanate of Formula V, the reaction can be quenched by the addition of water. Upon this addition of water the compound of Formula III precipitates from the resulting reaction medium making it easy to isolate and purify this compound. In this manner, the reaction mixture can be added to water or vice versa. In this manner, the phenserine compound of Formula III, in the form of its free base, can be isolated as a solid by precipitation from the reaction medium through the addition of or into water without any distillation or drying steps. In this manner the phenserine base is produced and can be recovered in high yields with a high degree of purity.
If it is desired to produce the phenserine as a salt for administration, the phenserine compound of Formula I can be converted to its phenserine acid addition salts by any suitable means such as through the reaction with a pharmaceutically acceptable acid such as the acids mentioned hereinabove. The preferred salt for administration of the phenserine compound of Formula I is phenserine tartarate or succinate.
The term xe2x80x9clower alkylxe2x80x9d includes all lower alkyl groups containing one to six carbon atoms such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl, isobutyl, etc. The term xe2x80x9clower alkoxidexe2x80x9d includes alkoxides of lower alkyl groups such as methoxide, ethoxide, isopropoxide and butyloxide. The term xe2x80x9ccycloalkylxe2x80x9d includes cycloaklyl groups containing from 3 to 7 carbon atoms such as cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclohexyl.

Process for producing phenserine and its analog


The invention concerns a method for inhibition of growth of organisms on faces of constructions (11) submerged in a liquid. In themethod, an electrically conductive structure (11) to be protected is connected as the cathode of a source (14) of direct current, or an electrically non-conductive structure (111) to be protected is first coated with an electrically conductive material (111a) and connected as the cathode of a source of direct current (14), respectively, and, as the anode (12), an anode is used that has been isolated from the structure (11) to be protected or that is placed separate from said structure, which anode is connected as the anode of the source (14) of direct current. A control signal is given to the source (14) of direct current from a control unit (15), which control signal changes the current density and/or the voltage supplied by the source (14) of direct current, whereby the pH of the liquid on the face of the structure (11) to be protected varies with such of a frequency that the microbial organisms on the face of the structure (11) to be protected cannot adapt themselves to the changing conditions.

The invention concerns a method for inhibition of growth of organisms on faces of constructions submerged in a liquid, in which method an electrically conductive structure to be protected is connected as the cathode of a source of direct current, or an electrically non-conductive structure to be protected is first coated with an electrically conductive material and connected as the cathode of a source of direct current, respectively, and, as the anode, an anode is used that has been isolated from the structure to be protected or that is placed separate from said structure, which anode is connected as the anode of the source of direct current.
The phenomenon of fouling means covering of faces in contact with water with colonies formed by organisms adhering to said faces. Fouling is produced both by micro-organisms and by plants and animals. Fouling usually starts with adhering and spreading of populations of bacteria over faces that are in contact with water. The bacteria pioneers are followed by numerous different algae and other organisms with genuine nuclei, such as barnacles and polyps.
The fouling phenomenon is perhaps most harmful to waterborne traffic (the fuel consumption may increase by up to 40 percent), to industrial plants and power stations that use seawater, and to fish breeding plants.
In the waters of Finland, the fouling trouble was little in the past years. Eutrophication of the water areas near the coasts of the Baltic Sea and an increase in the salt content have increased the disadvantages caused by fouling, in particular in the case of industrial plants that use seawater.
The biggest problems caused by fouling occur in areas in which the salt content in seawater is higher than 5 per mil. In a warm area of seawater which contains salt, fouling is a serious problem for all structures present in the seawater and for all industrial plants and power stations that use seawater as well as for fishing industry. For example, the numerous population in Asia lives mainly on seafood. Ships cannot leave the ports before mechanical cleaning of propellers and other control devices has been carried out.
In order to prevent drawbacks of fouling, at present mainly so-called anti-fouling paint is used. From the anti-fouling paint, one or several substances toxic to the organisms adhering to the structures are separated, such as, for example, copper and tin compounds. In addition to the toxic agents, the smooth face of the paint makes the adhering of the organisms more difficult. However, the anti-fouling paint must be renewed, on the average, at intervals of two years. Organic tin compounds are efficient in combatting the fouling organisms on underwater structures, but they are also toxic for other groups of organisms, such as fish and mammals. Moreover, TBT (tributyl tin) is a poison that accumulates in organisms to a great extent.
Plants and animals can accumulate copper present in dissolved form to a certain extent. Accumulation of copper in the food chain is not known at present, but if high concentrations of dissolved copper are present in water, it may be dangerous to the organisms in the water.
With respect to the prior art, reference is made to the Patent GB-2,118,972, in which the anti-fouling effect described is based on sacrificial Cu/Al or Fe rods. In this prior-art method, Cu/Al or Fe rods are dissolved by means of direct current, and the system of seawater pipes or equivalent that constitutes the structure operates as the cathode. For example, the copper-aluminum hydroxide that is formed prevents formation of growth.
In the method described in the publication EP-0,145,802, the anti-fouling effect is produced by means of sacrificial metal plates, most commonly by means of Cu plates. In this method, the structures to be protected are coated with an insulating layer, onto which a metal plate of a certain size is attached, the size depending on the length of the ship. The protection against corrosion of the structures is effected by supplying a DC-voltage to the hull while graphite, cast iron, platinum-coated titanium, or a Pb/Ag-alloy operates as the anode. The source of DC-voltage consists of a potentiostat, which automatically maintains the potential of the structure to be protected at the pre-set protection potential. The copper hydroxide that is dissolved prevents formation of growth.
In the method described in the publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,757, a particular inner Ti electrode and a source of current are employed, and a high capacitance is produced between a zinc coating and the seawater. The zinc-painted hull of the ship operates as the negative terminal of the capacitor. The anti-fouling effect is based on the Helmholtz double layer produced by the electric current between the zinc coating and the seawater.
The anti-fouling effect described in the Pat. Appl. FI-915300 is based on ultrasound. The low-frequency oscillations of the sources of ultrasound make the micro-organisms to be separated from the face of the structure.
In the publication EP-0,468,739, a direct-current method is described, in which an electric shock is given to the microbes growing on the faces to be protected by means of an electric field produced between separate electrodes. In this method, the structure to be protected is not connected to the source of current, but the electric current is passed through a separate displaceable anode to a separate displaceable cathode.
In the publication EP-0,369,557, a direct-current method is described, in which the structure to be protected is coated with a conductive layer, on whose face, in an electrolysis of seawater, an anode reaction forms hypochlorite which kills microbes.
In the publication WO-87/03261, a method based on the use of alternating current is described. In this method, the organisms are destroyed by means of an electric shock produced by means of the field of alternating current. The effect can be intensified by dissolving copper, aluminum and by electrolyzing seawater by means of direct current, in which connection the chlorine gas that is formed kills microbes.
The prior-art methods involve a number of drawbacks. When anti-fouling paints are used, damage to the environment constitutes the major drawback. Also, the annual cost of maintenance becomes relatively high. Moreover, the anodes that are consumed on dissolution of copper, aluminum and iron cause a need of maintenance.
In the ultrasound method, the most important drawbacks are the high cost of the method and the detrimental effects of resonance.
The prior-art electrical methods also involve a number of significant drawbacks. In cases in which the object to be protected is subjected to an external electric field (direct or alternating current), separate electrodes that supply current are needed. Also, in these prior-art methods, a control system that optimizes the current is missing. An excessively high current density produces the risk of hydrogen brittleness in electrically conductive structures. Oxidation, i.e. wear, of a paint that operates as an anode is a clear drawback.
In a method that makes use of the Helmholtz double layer, precipitation of calcium and magnesium on the face and, consequently, formation of a face favourable for growth, is the most important drawback.

Method for inhibition of growth of organisms on faces of constructions submerged in a liquid


The invention concerns a high voltage driver comprising: first and second cascoded transistors (102, 104) adapted to generate an output signal (VOUT) based on a first voltage signal (VSL) having a first voltage range and on a second voltage signal (VSH) having a voltage range shifted with respect to the first voltage range, the output signal having a second voltage range greater than the first voltage range; and a pulse generator (128) comprising a passive high-pass filter adapted to generate voltage pulses based on at least one of the first and second voltage signals and to provide the voltage pulses to a control node of at least one of the first and second transistors.

In certain applications it may be necessary to generate a voltage signal having a voltage range greater than the safe operating voltage of the transistor technology being used. For example, in CMOS 65 nm technology, the voltage applied across the terminals of the transistors should generally not exceed 1.2 V, whereas it may be desired to generate a voltage signal having a greater voltage range.
A solution that has been proposed is to use a technique of cascoding transistors. However, while such a technique works well while the input voltage is static, transitions of the input voltage between low and high levels can cause spikes in the voltage across either or both of the cascoded transistors that correspond to an overvoltage, in other words a voltage exceeding the safe voltage limit of the transistor technology. While this may not result in an immediate failure of the transistors, over time there will a degradation in their performance, leading to a reduced life span.
There is thus a need in the art for a high voltage driver that prevents or at least partially reduces overvoltages, and that has a low surface area and/or relatively low power consumption.

Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives


The present invention provides a liquid sprayer for plants having a wand with a gas supply tube for providing a flow of a pressurized gas and a liquid supply tube for providing a liquid to be sprayed. A discharge end of the gas supply tube and a discharge end of the liquid supply tube may be arranged so that the pressurized gas through the gas supply tube flows across the discharge end of the liquid supply tube thereby drawing or siphoning the liquid through the liquid supply tube into the flow of the pressurized gas for dispersal. The liquid and pressurized gas combine to create a fine mist or fog that provides a gentler and more even application over the plant surface.

Plants are vulnerable to attack from insects and disease, which can cause significant damage and economic loss. One common method of protecting plants is to spray their leaves with a liquid pesticide. However, to be most effective, the liquid pesticide should be applied to all exposed surfaces of the plant. This is especially true for contact pesticides, which generally only kill pests as a result of direct contact. Conventional sprayers deliver a heavy volume of spray with such force that outer leaves collapse, thereby leaving the underside of the leaf unsprayed and/or leaving dense inner foliage growing within the outer leaves unsprayed.


Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods that increase protein yield from recombinant manufacturing processes. The systems and methods treat used depth filters with bound proteins of interest as a stationary phase exchange resin to recapture bound protein of interest from the depth filter.

The use of recombinantly-produced therapeutic proteins has continued to increase in treating many diseases and conditions. For example, Factor VIII is a trace plasma glycoprotein that is found in mammals and is involved as a cofactor in the activation of Factor X and Factor IXa. An inherited deficiency of Factor VIII results in the bleeding disorder hemophilia A, which can be treated successfully by administration of recombinant Factor VIII.
Recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) can be produced by Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells transfected with a vector carrying a DNA sequence encoding the Factor VIII molecule. In some cases, rFVIII is co-produced with recombinant von Willebrand Factor (rvWF). As stated, these recombinantly-produced proteins can provide an effective treatment for hemophilia.
Conventional methods of recombinantly producing proteins involve inserting the gene responsible for the production of a particular protein of interest into host cells such as bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cells, e.g., COS or CHO cells, and then growing the cells in culture media. The cultured cells then synthesize the protein of interest. Traditional bacteria or yeast systems can be unable to produce many complex proteins in a functional form. While mammalian cells can reproduce complex proteins, they are generally difficult and expensive to grow, and often produce only mg/L quantities of protein. In addition, non-secreted proteins are relatively difficult to purify from prokaryotic or mammalian cells as they are not secreted into the culture medium. Accordingly, while recombinantly-produced therapeutic proteins can provide therapeutic benefits to a large number of diseases and conditions, the large-scale production of these proteins remains a challenge.
Regarding recombinant Factor VIII, particularly, this protein is expensive to produce due to the relatively low yields obtained in processes known in the art. The yield per cell tends to be low compared to the yield that might be obtained for other recombinant proteins. Generally, secreted FVIII is separated from source CHO cells, debris and DNA using depth filtration that employs charged CUNO filters. The charged depth filter binds to the FVIII product thereby reducing the final recovery of the protein.
Based on the foregoing, new techniques that enhance production and recovery of recombinantly-produced therapeutic proteins are needed.

Systems and methods to increase protein yield from recombinant manufacturing processes


A negative sheet (1) for storing piece negatives (10) has reorder information recording sections (6) formed thereon for recording reorder information on the piece negatives (10), respectively. A printer/processor (100) determines additional printing conditions for image frames (10a) to be additionally printed, based on the reorder information read by a detector (93) from the reorder information recording sections (6) of the negative sheet (1) fed to the printer/processor (100). The piece negatives (10) to be additionally printed are drawn out of the negative sheet (1), and the image frames (10a) are printed on printing paper with the additional printing conditions determined.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a reorder processing technique using a recording medium to record order information for making photographic prints from piece negatives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a negative film used in taking pictures with a camera is brought to a photo processing agent for simultaneous printing. At a developing laboratory, the negative film is developed and image frames rendered visible are printed on printing paper. The prints and the developed negative film are handed over from the photo processing agent to the customer. Prior to this, the negative film is cut into piece negatives each having four or six frames, and individual piece negatives are put into separate holders or pockets of a negative sheet formed of transparent resin film. To enable the custom to order additional prints with ease, the negative sheet includes white, satin finished areas formed under each holder and corresponding in number to the frames on each negative piece, for entering numbers of additional prints. When ordering additional prints, the customer writes, with a pen, a desired number of prints in the number entering area corresponding to each selected image frame. An operator at the developing laboratory takes the piece negatives out of the holders having the number entering areas filled in with numbers of additional prints to be made, and feeds the piece negatives into a printer to make the required numbers of additional prints. Alternatively, the operator must make additional prints after inputting, through a keyboard, all the numbers written in the additional print number entering areas and the image frame numbers of the negative sheet. However, the numbers written by the customer with a pen are not only difficult to read mechanically (i.e. with an optical, electronic or magnetic reading device), but may be difficult even for the operator at the developing laboratory to confirm with the eyes. To enable the reorder information to be read reliably at the developing laboratory, attempts have been made by the photo processing agent to transcribe the reorder information to a reorder card. In this case, the numbers of image frames to be additionally printed and the numbers of additional prints are read from the reorder card to be inputted to the printer. Thus, the printer reads bar codes in latent images formed on the piece negatives fed therein, and sets the image frames to be additionally printed to an exposing position by using the image frame numbers read and the reorder information inputted from the reorder card.
In any case, in the above conventional transfer of reorder information to the printer, the numbers of additional prints written on the negative sheet and information on positions of image frames to be additionally printed are not inputted directly to the controller inside the printer. This step of transferring reorder information to the printer has been an obstacle to automation of the additional printing process.


Improved concentrate, premix and tank mix compositions comprising bifenthrin and chlorantraniliprole are provided.

To enable the efficient elimination or controlling of unwanted insects in agricultural and other applications, it is desirable to use effective chemical insecticides on these unwanted pests. Formulations containing multiple insecticides are desirable in order to broaden the spectrum of agronomically important insect and other pest species killed or controlled and take advantage of the individual pesticidal characteristics of each of the active ingredients.
Compositions containing mixtures two or more insecticides have been practiced in the art, but problems such the physical stability of such mixtures when diluted with water and unpredictable antagonism can adversely impact the efficacy associated with the insecticide combination. When traditional insecticidal compositions are combined, the combined components (surfactants, viscosity modifiers, wetting agents) of both may cause accelerated physical degradation (phase separation) of the mixture when diluted in low to moderately hard water. This physical degradation can occur in the mix tanks prior to application on plants or another locus where control is desired. Often this problem goes unnoticed and a uniform application of the insecticide mixture is not achieved, yielding inadequate efficacy.
A need therefore exists for improved insecticidal mixtures comprising the combination of bifenthrin and chlorantraniliprole.

Insecticidal mixtures of bifenthrin and chlorantraniliprole

FMC Corporation and FMC Agro Singapore Pte. Ltd.


A webbing winding device includes a spool, a pair of leg plates, a torsion shaft, a first locking mechanism, a second locking mechanism, and a control mechanism. A webbing belt is wound onto the spool. The two leg plates oppose one another in an axial direction of the spool. The torsion shaft is provided passing through the spool and deforms when a torque is applied to the spool. The first locking mechanism, at the side of one of the leg plates, restricts rotation of the spool in an unwinding direction. The second locking mechanism, at the side of the other of the leg plates, switches from a lock-release state to a locking state, and restricts rotation of the torsion shaft in the unwinding direction. The control mechanism is provided passing through the spool and causes the second locking mechanism to switch into the locking state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a webbing winding device which winds up and accommodates a webbing belt which is for restraining the body of a vehicle occupant.
2. Description of the Related Art
A seatbelt apparatus, which restrains the body of an occupant seated on a seat of a vehicle with a long belt-form webbing belt, is equipped with a webbing winding device which is fixed to the vehicle body sideward of the seat. The webbing winding device is provided with, for example, a spool whose axial direction is arranged substantially along a front-rear direction of the vehicle. A length direction base end side of the webbing belt is anchored at this spool. The spool accommodates the webbing belt in a state in which the webbing belt is wound up in a layered form at an outer peripheral portion of the spool.
This kind of webbing winding device is also usually provided with a locking mechanism. Such locking mechanisms have various structures but, in functional terms, the locking mechanism locks the spool at a time of sharp deceleration of the vehicle, and restricts rotation of the spool when the webbing belt is being unwound. In a state of sharp deceleration of a vehicle, an occupant of the vehicle tends to move toward a forward side of the vehicle because of inertia. At this time, the webbing belt which is applied to the body of the occupant is pulled on by the body of the occupant.
Now, as mentioned above, when the spool is locked by the locking mechanism, unwinding of the webbing belt from the spool is restricted. Consequently, the movement of the body of the occupant toward the forward side of the vehicle due to inertia in the state of sharp deceleration of the vehicle can be effectively restricted by the webbing belt.
Further, there is a structure which is provided with a torsion shaft for energy absorption at an inner side of the spool. This torsion shaft is provided coaxially at the inner side of the spool to be rotatable with respect to the spool. One end portion of the torsion shaft is integrally joined to the spool.
Another end portion of the torsion shaft is joined to the aforementioned locking mechanism. When the locking mechanism operates, the other end portion of the torsion shaft is locked by the locking mechanism. When a rotation force acts on the spool, the torque is, naturally, also applied to the one end of the torsion shaft. However, in a state in which the locking mechanism has operated, because rotation of the other end of the torsion shaft is restricted, rotation of the torsion shaft as a whole is limited as a result, and rotation of the spool is indirectly restricted.
However, in the state in which rotation of the other end of such a torsion shaft is restricted by the locking mechanism, if a rotation force exceeding a mechanical strength of the torsion shaft acts on a portion of joining between the spool and the torsion shaft, a twisting deformation occurs in the torsion shaft, and rotation of the spool by an amount corresponding to this twisting deformation is enabled.
Therefore, at a time when the body of an occupant pulls on the webbing belt with an excessive force, the webbing belt is unwound by a certain amount, and a restraining force that the webbing belt applies to the body of the occupant is temporarily slightly reduced. At the same time, energy absorption is realized by the above-mentioned twisting deformation.
In a webbing winding device which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,893 , a torsion shaft is joined to a spool at an axial direction central portion of the spool, and locking mechanisms are provided at both ends of the spool for respectively restricting rotation of the torsion shaft.
In the webbing winding device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,893 , one or both of the two locking mechanisms is operated, depending on the physical build of an occupant or the like. For the case in which both the locking mechanisms are operated, a rotation force required for causing twisting deformation of the torsion shaft must exceed a mechanical strength of the whole of the torsion shaft.
On the other hand, when only one of the locking mechanisms is operated, twisting deformation occurs in the torsion shaft if the mechanical strength of the torsion shaft at the side of the one locking mechanism, relative to the portion of joining of the torsion shaft with the spool, is exceeded.
In other words, in the webbing winding device disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,799,893, it is possible to switch the magnitude of a rotation force that is required for causing twisting deformation of the torsion shaft.
Now, in the webbing winding device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,893 , in order to operate both of the locking mechanisms, it is necessary to cause both the one locking mechanism and the other locking mechanism to operate. Obviously, it is possible to independently constitute the two locking mechanisms each with the same structure. However, with such a constitution, a number of components is large and the webbing winding device as a whole becomes larger.
Therefore, a structure which joins to the one locking mechanism and operates the other locking mechanism is desirable. However, in order to join any member of the other locking mechanism to any member of the one locking mechanism, an interlinking member which crosses between the two locking mechanisms is required.
However, because the rotating spool is disposed between the two locking mechanisms, the interlinking member is provided so as to go round the outer side of the spool. An interlinking member which goes round the outer side of the spool in such a manner cannot be formed in a structure which rotates together with the spool. Accordingly, in a case in which a member at the one locking mechanism for moving the interlinking member is a pawl which restricts rotation of the spool by meshing with a ratchet tooth, it is not possible to form a structure in which the pawl is turned together with the spool.
Therefore, the ratchet tooth that the pawl meshes with must be formed in a structure which is provided integrally with the torsion shaft, and it is extremely difficult to apply the interlinking to a structure in which a pawl rotates together with the spool and restricts rotation of the spool by meshing with a ratchet tooth formed in a frame.


A towing rocket motor assembly has a tubular solid propellant grain defined by exterior surface area and interior surface area. The exterior surface area is inhibited from ignition within a tubular region of a housing. The housing includes a first end and a second end at either end of the tubular region. The first end defines a plenum having an annular region defined by a diameter larger than that of the tubular region. A plurality of holes formed in the first end communicate with the annular region and are directed substantially in the direction of the second end of the housing. A burn-inhibiting baffle is fitted in the propellant grain wherein an annular spacing is defined between the baffle and the interior surface area of the propellant grain. An ignition assembly, mounted at the second end of the housing, is coupled to the interior surface area of the propellant grain so that the propellant grain burns from the inside out upon ignition. Burn gases are exhausted through the holes in the annular region of the first end of the housing.

The invention relates generally to rocket motors, and more particularly to a rocket motor that can be used to tow a payload without placing launch personnel in jeopardy and without damaging the payload by means of excessive acceleration forces and burning propulsion gases.
Rocket motors are well known in the art as a propulsion means that pushes its payload as propulsion gas exits the aft end of the rocket motor. However, some payloads must be towed to their destination for proper operation. For example, the U.S. Navy is developing a mine clearing system in which an explosive line charge array is flown/draped over an area of interest and then detonated to clear a path. As the line charge array is towed in the air to its destination, towing forces cause the array to deploy from a packed configuration. A variety of propulsion systems have been considered to date.
Conventional rocket motors are unacceptable for use as a towing propulsion system owing to the large exhaust footprint that exits the motor at ignition exhaust. The exhaust can damage or prematurely detonate the array of line charges at the launch site thereby placing launch personnel and platform in jeopardy as well as jeopardizing the mission. Further, existing rocket motors are complex, expensive, unreliable and/or unable to meet various insensitive munitions requirements.
Another possible propulsion system being considered is the mortar. However, mortars are incapable of meeting safe range stand off requirements without inducing large performance degrading G forces on the towed system components and on the launch platform.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a propulsion system that can be used to tow a payload.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a propulsion system that can be used to safely launch and tow an array of line charges.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a propulsion system that is simple, inexpensive, easy to build, and meets insensitive munitions requirements.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a rocket motor assembly for towing a payload is provided. A tubular solid propellant grain is defined by exterior surface area and interior surface area. The exterior surface area is inhibited from ignition. A tubular region of a housing encases the propellant grain and the means for inhibiting ignition on the exterior surface area thereof. The housing is further defined by a first end and a second end at either end of the tubular region. The first end defines a plenum having an annular region defined by a diameter larger than that of the tubular region. The first end is provided with a plurality of holes therethrough communicating with the annular region and directed substantially in the direction of the second end of the housing. A burn-inhibiting baffle is fitted in the propellant grain wherein an annular spacing is defined between the baffle and the interior surface area of the propellant grain. An ignition assembly is mounted at the second end of the housing. The ignition assembly is coupled to the interior surface area of the propellant grain so that the propellant grain burns from the inside out upon ignition. Burn gases are exhausted through the holes in the annular region of the first end of the housing.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy