An improved method of manufacturing a photosensitive printing element that minimizes relief variation and improves image fidelity. The method involves a step of pre-curing the first (floor layer) of photocurable material prior to depositing an additional layer or layers of photocurable material that may be imaged and developed to produce a desired relief image on the surface of the photosensitive printing element. The photosensitive printing element is then thermally developed by contacting the photosensitive printing element with at least one roll that is capable of moving over at least a portion of the imaged surface of the flexographic printing element to remove the softened or melted non-crosslinked photopolymer. Non-crosslinked photopolymer on the imaged and exposed surface of the flexographic printing element can be softened or melted by positioning a heater adjacent to the imaged surface of the flexographic printing element and/or heating the at least one roll that contactable with the imaged surface of the flexographic printing element.

Flexography is a method of printing that is commonly used for high-volume runs. Flexography is employed for printing on a variety of substrates such as paper, paperboard stock, corrugated board, films, foils and laminates. Newspapers and grocery bags are prominent examples. Coarse surfaces and stretch films can be economically printed only by means of flexography. Flexographic printing plates are relief plates with image elements raised above open areas. Such plates offer a number of advantages to the printer, based chiefly on their durability and the ease with which they can be made.
Although photopolymer printing elements are typically used in "flat" sheet form, there are particular applications and advantages to using the printing element in a continuous cylindrical form, as a continuous in-the-round (CITR) photopolymer sleeve. CITR photopolymer sleeves add the benefits of digital imaging, accurate registration, fast mounting, and no plate lift to the flexographic printing process. CITR sleeves have applications in the flexographic printing of continuous designs such as in wallpaper, decoration and gift-wrapping paper, and other continuous designs such as tablecloths, etc. CITR sleeves enable flexographic printing to be more competitive with gravure and offset printing processes on print quality.
A typical flexographic printing plate as delivered by its manufacturer, is a multi-layered article made of, in order, a backing or support layer, one or more unexposed photocurable layers, a protective layer or slip film, and a cover sheet. A typical CITR photopolymer sleeve generally comprises a sleeve carrier (support layer) and at least one unexposed photocurable layer on top of the support layer.
It is highly desirable in the flexographic prepress printing industry to eliminate the need for chemical processing of printing elements in developing relief images, in order to go from plate to press more quickly. Processes have been developed whereby photopolymer printing plates are prepared using heat and the differential melting temperature between cured and uncured photopolymer is used to develop the latent image. The basic parameters of this process are known, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,279,697, 5,175,072 and 3,264,103, in published U.S. patent publication Nos. US 2003/0180655, and U.S. 2003/0211423, and in WO 01/88615, WO 01/18604, and EP 1239329, the teachings of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. These processes allow for the elimination of development solvents and the lengthy plate drying times needed to remove the solvent. The speed and efficiency of the process allow for use in the manufacture of flexographic plates for printing newspapers and other publications where quick turnaround times and high productivity are important.
The photopolymer layer allows for the creation of the desired image and provides a printing surface. The photopolymers used generally contain binders, monomers, photoinitiators, and other performance additives. The composition of the photopolymer should be such that there exists a substantial difference in the melt temperature between the cured and uncured polymer. It is precisely this difference that allows the creation of an image in the photopolymer when heated. The uncured photopolymer (i.e., the portions of the photopolymer not contacted with actinic radiation) will melt or substantially soften while the cured photopolymer will remain solid and intact at the temperature chosen. Thus the difference in melt temperature allows the uncured photopolymer to be selectively removed, thereby creating an image.
The printing element is then selectively exposed to actinic radiation. Preferably, the photopolymer layer is coated with an actinic radiation (substantially) opaque layer, which is also sensitive to laser ablation. A laser is then used to ablate selected areas of the actinic radiation opaque layer creating an in situ negative, and the printing element is then flood exposed through the in situ negative.
Once the photopolymer layer of the printing element has been selectively exposed to actinic radiation, it can then be developed using heat. As such, the printing element is generally heated to at least about 70° C. The exact temperature will depend upon the properties of the particular photopolymer being used. However, two primary factors should be considered in determining the development temperature:                1. The development temperature is preferably set between the melt temperature of the uncured photopolymer on the low end and the melt temperature of the cured photopolymer on the upper end. This will allow selective removal of the photopolymer, thereby creating the image.        2. The higher the development temperature, the quicker the process time will be. However, the development temperature should not be so high as to exceed the melt temperature of the cured photopolymer or so high that it will degrade the cured photopolymer. The temperature should be sufficient to melt or substantially soften the uncured photopolymer thereby allowing it to be removed.
Once the heated printing element has been developed, uncured photopolymer can be melted or removed. In most instances, the heated printing element is contacted with a material that will absorb or otherwise remove the softened or melted uncured photopolymer. This removal process is generally referred to as "blotting". Blotting is typically accomplished using a screen mesh or an absorbent fabric. Either woven or non-woven fabric is used and the fabric can be polymer based or paper, so long as the fabric can withstand the operating temperatures involved. In most instances, blotting is accomplished using rollers to bring the material and the heated printing plate element into contact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,072 to Martens, the subject matter of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes the removal of uncured portions of the photopolymer by using an absorbent sheet material. The uncured photopolymer layer is heated by conduction, convection, or other heating method to a temperature sufficient to effect melting. By maintaining more or less intimate contact of the absorbent sheet material with the photocurable layer, a transfer of the uncured photopolymer from the photopolymer layer to the absorbent sheet material takes place. While still in the heated condition, the absorbent sheet material is separated from the cured photopolymer layer in contact with the support layer to reveal the relief structure. After cooling, the resulting flexographic printing plate can be mounted on a printing plate cylinder.
Upon completion of the blotting process, the printing plate element is preferably post-exposed to further actinic radiation in the same machine, cooled and then ready for use.
Current thermal development apparatuses using heated rolls for blotting away the uncured photopolymer typically use only one heated roll that is of approximately the same width as the plate. This increases the difficulty in making printing elements of different sizes. In addition, additional problems may arise when attempting to make the blotting machine larger to accommodate larger printing elements.
Another problem with the current blotting methods is that a tremendous amount of force (approximately 100 pounds/linear inch) must be applied by the heated roll to force the blotting material into the image on the printing element. This large force can cause the heated roll to bend, resulting in an uneven floor. Furthermore, the heating and blotting process must often be repeated several times in order to obtain effective removal of the uncured photopolymer.
In addition, the biggest downfall to the commercialization of thermally produced plates is relief variation. Due to the fact that not all of the uncured resin may get processed, the amount of resin that actually gets removed can be affected by various conditions in the process. For instance, the type of image being processed can affect relief tolerance, such as combination copy, in which screens and solids are both present within the same image. Next, the actual set up conditions in the thermal processor, such as the number of cycles and the processing temperature, can affect uncured resin removal in a non-uniform manner. Resin removal, via a thermal process, is a very empirical-based output, and is ultimately dependent on the true need of the end-user. Thus, it is highly likely that the final process will result in residual un-cured resin remaining on the plate that will then become cured during the resultant post-exposure steps.
A further complication of thermally processing plates is that the traditional process of producing seamless photopolymer sleeves can inherently produce floor variations. While flat plates that are processed thermally may have floor inconsistencies that are manifested from the thermal process itself, the true floor of such plates is actually very uniform. This uniformity can be confirmed by simply processing the plate in a solvent-based developing system. However, for printing sleeves, the light exposure techniques that exist today are limited by the ability to expose the sleeve through the back side of the sleeve carrier, which ultimately results in an inherent floor variation. This inherent variation can be further complicated by the thermal process itself, which defines the need for an improved method of eliminating this pitfall in the sleeve manufacturing process.
To that end, the present invention is directed to an improved method of manufacturing photosensitive printing elements that minimizes relief variation and improves image fidelity. By providing a fully cured layer underneath the image layer, a sleeve can be properly processed without concern over floor variation or loss in image fidelity.
Furthermore, exposing, developing and post exposure/detack steps have traditionally been carried out in separate devices. This requires additional time to transfer the printing element from the exposure device to the development device and can affect the quality of the finished plate as a result of handling the printing element. Thus, it would be desirable to accomplish the exposing, developing and post exposure/detack steps in the same apparatus in order to improve both the quality and the accuracy of the final product.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for thermally processing photosensitive printing sleeves


A device for vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication, including a computing apparatus for data processing and a generating apparatus for generating vehicle-to-X messages by a protocol stack. The computing apparatus is configured to forecast an anticipated event triggering the broadcasting of a V2X message and to produce data forecast on the basis of the anticipated event and to provide the same to the generating apparatus for generating a forecast vehicle-to-X message. A corresponding method as well as the use of the device in a vehicle is also disclosed.

Vehicle-to-X (V2X) systems have to meet requirements in respect of a latency time of the broadcast of a V2X message, for example after the occurrence or detection of an event or a change in state of a vehicle. All V2X messages to be broadcast must be signed using a certificate, a so-called pseudonym certificate, such that a receiver of the message can check the authenticity of the sender without the privacy of the sender being affected. The most frequent implementations of corresponding algorithms for signing already require a large part of the overall maximum permitted latency time. Furthermore, the V2X messages are usually signed in order of their planned broadcast, which however in the case of event-based V2X messages can result in extended latency times if one or more V2X messages are already waiting to be signed. For example, a case can occur if a message of a message type (e.g. "BSM" or "CAM") to be broadcast periodically has just been signed and an event occurs immediately which triggers the broadcast of a message of a different message type (e.g. "enhanced BSM" or "DENM"). Compliance with the required maximum latency time for the event-triggered message proves particularly difficult in such cases.
In order to meet the requirements in respect of the latency times with which compliance needs to be achieved, the signing apparatuses are usually equipped with very extensive computing resources which are intended to ensure compliance in every case.

Vehicle-to-X communication and procedures device


An automatic focus and indirect illumination control system for focusing a camera imaging lens on a scene and for selectively illuminating the scene with light from a camera associated light source wherein the camera includes active and passive scene range finders for automatic focus control of the imaging lens, an active bounce surface range finder and direct and indirect illumination lamps operable in relation to the detection of a reflective surface. The active range finders are connected to a common drive circuit and auto ranging circuit and are operated selectively by the camera microcontroller in conjunction with a scene illumination photometric sensor. A passive multi-spot scene range finder is operated in conjunction with the active single-spot scene range finder for automatic focus control based on left, central and right subject distance information under normal scene illumination conditions and central subject distance information under low scene illumination, respectively.

Sophisticated, microprocessor based control systems for video cameras, still cameras and cine cameras have been developed together with advances in synchronized direct and indirect scene illumination systems for providing automatic exposure, automatic focus and, in the case of still cameras, automatic strobe flash illumination, mounted on or associated with the camera. The microprocessor based control systems for such cameras store operating algorithms for processing user interface and sensor developed signals and for developing imaging lens focus, image exposure, media (film or videotape) advance and illumination control signals as well as providing data and signals to the user. Such a highly developed automatic camera control system is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,916 to O'Such et al, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The illumination of objects in a scene that is insufficiently lighted by natural or artificial indoor lighted is typically effected by a camera mounted or associated flood lamp, in the case of video or cine cameras, and the electronic strobe flash systems, in the case of still cameras. Electronic strobe flash systems mounted on or in a camera and involving the rapid discharge of a high voltage through a flash lamp synchronized with the exposure of an image frame are well-known in the photographic art. For indoor illumination of a scene, it is desirable to provide indirect lighting so that it appears to be illuminated from above in a way characteristic of natural lighting and to illuminate the scene directly to soften dark shadows caused by downwardly directed light.
In strobe flash illumination for still cameras, the indirect illumination is commonly known as "bounce" flash, since the light is typically directed upward and bounced off a reflective ceiling and onto the scene, although it is also known to bounce the flash light off a vertical wall or panel to provide side illumination. Flash light aimed directly at the scene is referred to as direct illumination or "fill-in" flash. Where natural illumination from above is available, such as in daylight outdoor scenes, direct or fill-in flash may be employed to soften shadows falling on the subject to be photographed. Conversely, in indoor scenes, where illumination from above is not available or does not possess natural light spectral characteristics, it is desirable to provide indirect illumination by bouncing flash light off a ceiling and onto the scene or subject to be photographed. In such situations, it is also desirable to provide direct illumination so as to again fill in shadows created by the downwardly directed bounce flash illumination. The combination of bounce and fill-in flash illumination minimizes the undesirable effects of direct illumination alone, including harsh shadows, red eye, specular reflections, and high contrast or loss of tonal detail depending on the distance of subjects in the image. Unfortunately, indirect flash illumination requires much more energy than direct illumination due to light intensity loss by absorption and scattering by the ceiling or wall surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,616 describes a photographic flash apparatus for providing both fill-in and bounce flash illumination provided by a direct illumination flash bulb 17 and an indirect illumination flash bulb 19, which are simultaneously charged from a single battery 20 and a discharge capacitor 23. The high voltage capacitor 23 is discharged simultaneously through the flash tubes 17 and 19 synchronously with the operation of the camera shutter. By configuring the direct and indirect flash tubes differently and choosing appropriate circuit components, bounce flash illumination provided by the indirect flash tube 19 exceeds the fill-in illumination provided by the direct flash bulb 17. The amount of illumination provided is measured by a photo detector aimed at the scene, and both fill-in and bounce flash light is terminated simultaneously when a desired total reflection of light from the scene is achieved. A ratio of indirect to direct illumination of about 75:25 is sought in the operating example of the circuit described in the '616 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,238 discloses an electronic strobe flash apparatus for bounce and fill in flash illumination of a scene also having direct and indirect flash tubes coupled in parallel to a charging capacitor, battery, DC/DC converter, and control circuit and to separate quenching circuits for separately halting discharge through each of the flash tubes. In the flash apparatus of the '238 patent, the control circuit is switched into operation synchronously with the camera shutter release and first causes the indirect flash lamp to discharge and emit bounce flash illumination on the scene. During a 40 microsecond period, a photo detector circuit measures the light reflected from the scene and, if the reflected light falls below a certain threshold indicating the absence of a suitable reflective ceiling surface, the bounce flash illumination is quenched and fill-in flash illumination is simultaneously commenced. If, however, the bounce flash illumination reflected from the scene is sufficiently high, then bounce flash illumination continues until the reflected light reaches a second threshold, whereupon bounce flash illumination is quenched and fill-in illumination is commenced. The photo detector and control circuit continues to monitor the accumulated reflected fight and quenches fill-in illumination when the total measured illumination reaches a further threshold related to the film %W and shutter speed. The user may override the control circuit by disabling bounce flash illumination when there is sufficient overhead illumination or when no ceiling is present.
A further U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,312 to Weaver et al, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes a direct and indirect flash illumination system wherein the presence of a suitable reflective ceiling surface is detected by light reflected therefrom is employed to control the ratio of indirect and direct illumination and, in conjunction with light reflected from the scene, total illumination. In one embodiment, an active radiation emitter transmits IR radiation upward in a manner such that a portion of the radiation is reflected back to a photo detector which provides a first signal containing information relating to the distance between the surface and the flash system as well as the quality of the reflective surface. A control system responsive to the signal causes both bounce and fill-in flash illumination when the indirect reflecting surface is within a predetermined distance and causes operation of only fill-in or direct flash illumination when the indirect reflecting surface is not within the predetermined distance. The first signal and a further signal developed by a photodetector aimed at the scene are employed in controlling total illumination by separately quenching the direct and indirect illumination.
In an alternative embodiment, a photodetector aimed upward is employed in a passive mode to detect bounce flash illumination reflected back from the ceiling, if present, in order to provide the first signal under the circumstances previously described. Thus, the '312 patent discloses a system which determines the presence or absence of a suitable reflective ceiling by measuring light reflected therefrom and controls bounce flash illumination in dependence thereon. Variable flash output and aperture selection can be combined in a single system to match the optical depth of field with the depth of illumination provided by the bounce and/or fill-in flash illumination. A quick recycle mode is also disclosed wherein bounce flash illumination is suppressed. In the various disclosed embodiments, when bounce flash illumination is allowed, it commences simultaneously with fill-in flash illumination, and the illumination from both the direct flash tubes is quenched either simultaneously or in an order dependent on the detected light returning from the scene in accordance with known exposure control algorithms.
In a further U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,865 to Fujino et al, a pair of separately controlled direct and indirect flash apparatus are disclosed which may or may not be incorporated into the camera body wherein bounce and fill-in illumination are provided of a scene under a number of operating algorithms. Preferably, the fill-in illumination is provided by a direct flash lamp, battery, charging circuit and control circuit, all incorporated in the camera body, and bounce illumination is provided by an indirect flash apparatus having a self-contained battery, charging capacitor and micro-computer based control system which may be mounted to hot-shoe of the camera body as if the camera had no internal flash apparatus. The various modes of operation include a charging subroutine illustrated in FIG. 7 where it appears that charging of the external and internal flash apparatus high voltage capacitors is triggered simultaneously and the priority of direct and indirect flash illumination may depend on which capacitor charges up first. The speed of charging the high voltage capacitor of the internal flash apparatus may be affected by prioritized allocation of current drawn from the battery for powering other camera functions, such as automatic focus and motorized film advance as shown in FIG. 17.
In conjunction with direct and indirect illumination systems as described above, sophisticated cameras are also provided with various range finding systems for automatic focus (AF) adjustment of the camera imaging lens. As is well known in the art, the range finders employed in video and still cameras may be characterized as either active or passive. The active AF systems project infrared light or sound electromagnetic radiation from a position on the camera onto an object in the scene to be photographed and detects the reflected portion of the projected electromagnetic radiation. Passive range finders typically rely on ambient scene illumination, although it is known to provide a light emitting diode directed typically toward the center of the scene to augment the available scene illumination.
In AF control systems, the active and/or passive range finders provide signals from which the distance between the camera body and, typically, the subject or structure in the scene that the user has centered the imaging lens on may be determined and employed with a motorized servo-system to adjust the focal length of the imaging lens. Passive range finders employ one or more pairs of linear photo-diode arrays that are positioned end-to-end with respect to one another and a fixed distance apart which forms the baseline of the autoranging triangulation system. In triangulation AF systems, the baseline is a necessary dimension which allows for the formation of similar triangles used to calculate subject distance. Generally, as the baseline dimension and focal length increases and the linear sensor array width (pitch) decreases, the maximum sensing distance increases.
Typically, a pair of focusing lenses are positioned with respect to each pair of spaced apart linear photosensitive arrays to focus the image the camera is pointed at onto the linear arrays. In SLR camera systems, the focusing lenses are arranged symmetrically with respect to the optical axis of the camera's imaging lens and light passing through the lens (Tm) is diverted by half silvered mirrors through the pair of focusing lenses and onto the linear arrays. In range finder cameras, the pair of focusing lenses and the associated linear arrays of photosensitive elements are mounted end-to-end on the camera a distance away from the imaging lens.
The photo-electrically converted signals from the photosensitive elements of the linear arrays of a passive range finder are processed by the microprocessor based AF control algorithm to detect a displacement of the two images focused thereon and to provide an AF control signal to a motor which drives a gear mechanism to adjust the imaging lens focus. The -operation of a typical AF system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,557 to Ishizald et al (incorporated by reference herein in its entirety) and is referred to in the above incorporated '259 patent.
Active range finders typically include a radiation light beam source for emitting a beam of, for example, infrared radiation through a focusing lens in a direction aligned with the axis of the camera imaging lens and a two-area radiation sensitive element spaced a fixed distance away from the radiation emitting element and also having a focusing lens for focusing the infrared radiation reflected by an object in the scene onto the radiation sensitive element as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,242, to Toyama, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The focal point of the radiation emitting and detecting lenses are correlated to the focal point of the imaging lens, and, if the imaging lens is not in focus on the object from which the radiation is reflected, the reflected radiation is focused more favorably on one or the other of the two areas of the radiation sensitive element. The imaging lens is driven by a servo motor to change its focus as a function of the positive or negative out of focus deviation detected by the active auto range finding integrated circuit until the reflected radiation is imaged in a null zone between the two active areas of the two-part radiation sensor or is equally focused, in intensity, on both areas. Other tis of active range finders are known particularly for use with multiple lens camera systems, but all share the common components of an electromagnetic radiation emitter and detector and signal processing circuits for providing the servo control signal to drive the lens focal length adjustment motor and may be referred to as "single-spot" active range finders, since the emitted light beam is directed onto and reflected from a spot on the scene, typically the central portion thereof.
The active range finder is able to respond to objects of low brightness or low contrast (such as a blank wall). Additionally, because the signal to noise ratio of its signal becomes higher at shorter object distances, where the depth of field is shallow, the active type range finder generally has a high degree of accuracy. There are very few objects whose distances are impossible to measure with an active-type range finder. However, there are limitations in the ability of active range finders to measure objects of low reflectivity at far away distances because the projected energy of an active range finder radiation source cannot be increased as much as desired. Furthermore, if the active range finder radiation beam falls on a target that absorbs its energy (like the black stripe in a shirt), it may fail to detect the object. Additionally, the amount of electrical energy drawn by the active range finder radiation emitter presents a considerable load on the camera battery powering other camera systems.
Conversely, the passive-type range finder is not limited by object distance or object reflectivity contrast and consumes only a small amount of electrical power. However, it is almost impossible for the passive range finder to measure the distance to dim objects. Even where possible, the measurement may take a long time, e.g., half a second. Accordingly, there is a response gap in measuring distance, especially for moving objects. Moreover, the system algorithms become delayed due to the time necessary to carry out the integration of the measured signal. And, as stated above, passive range finders win fail to detect a low contrast target. As also stated above, it is known to extend the useable light level range of passive range finders by providing an infrared light emitting diode which may be energized at low light levels to illuminate the scene and speed operation of the passive range finder. Such illumination is directed at the center of the scene to illuminate the presumed subject of greatest interest. A passive range finder of the type described with available augmenting illumination is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,817, incorporated herein by reference.
In view of these known complimentary strengths and weaknesses of active and passive range finder systems, cameras have been provided with both active and passive range finder systems used selectively or in combination to provide AE in both video and still cameras. See, for example, the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ 4,518,242 Toyama 4,592,638 Kaneda, et al. 4,693,582 Kawamura, et al. 4,818,865 Matsui, et al. 4,835,561 Matsui 4,843,227 Matsui, et al. 4,992,817 Aoyama, et al. ______________________________________
The above listed patents disclose a variety of systems and algorithms for selecting and employing the active and passive range finders under a variety of conditions to take advantages of each range finder.
Referring again to the above-incorporated '916 patent, it sets forth the difficulties inherent in the selection and control of various combinations and alternative types of direct and indirect illumination and the selection of the appropriate lens aperture setting that provides sufficient depth-of-field to properly illuminate and expose the primary and background portions of the scene. In the '916 patent, a "multi-spot" passive range finder is focused on the renter, left and right portions of the scene to derive three sets of distance data from which the closest and most distant objects within the three portions of the scene may be employed to assess the "depth" of the scene. The scene depth data may be employed for both AE and AF control and taken into account in selecting the lens aperture setting when employing each type of illumination.
Multi-spot passive scene range finders are available in the form of multiple, e.g. 2 or 3, linear photosensitive element arrays arranged end-to-end to form a first array assembly which is associated with a first lens for focusing the left, central, and right portions of the scene on each respective array. An identical second array assembly and second lens, formed in the same fashion, is provided so that each respective array is positionally paired with its counterpart in the other array, and output signals Of each photosensitive element of each respective pair of arrays are processed as described above to provide two or three separate sets of AF control signals. As in the single array or "single spot" passive range finders described above, augmenting illumination may be provided, but doing so adds even further complexity since two or three separate light emitters and light directing lens elements may be necessary to illuminate each of the two or three portions of the lens. If a single light emitter is provided, it would be directed at the central portion of the scene so as to make the multi-spot array useable as at least a single spot array when such illumination is used.
The complexity, expense and current consumption of such highly automated cameras dictates the necessity of reducing the number of components and simplifying the operating algorithms wherever possible. The problem inherent in the incorporation of all of these automatic features into a single camera resides in the increased cost, complexity and current consumption.

Automatic focus and indirect illumination camera system


A method and mechanism is disclosed for performing a spacing rule DRC check that does not require an excessive number of passes through the IC design. In one approach, a two-pass approach is employed to perform a spacing check. In an approach, a polygons are associated with a family of related polygons.

The invention relates to technology for implementing electronic design automation tools, and in particular, design tools for performing design rule checks (DRC) for an integrated circuit ("IC") design.
An IC is a small electronic device typically formed from semiconductor material. Each IC contains a large number of electronic components, e.g., transistors, that are wired together to create a self-contained circuit device. The components and wiring on the IC are materialized as a set of geometric shapes that are placed and routed on the chip material. During placement, the location and positioning of each geometric shape corresponding to an IC component are identified on the IC layers. During routing, a set of routes are identified to tie together the geometric shapes for the electronic components.
Spacing rules are established to ensure that adequate spacing exists between any two objects/shapes on the IC design. These rules are usually established by the foundry that will produce the IC chip. A DRC tool is used to check for violations of spacing rules on the IC design.
"Width-dependent" spacing rules may also be established for an IC design. With modern, advanced technology, the minimum spacing between two metals on the IC design may be relative to the width of the two metal shapes. For example, if the metal width is X, then the spacing between this metal with the next space to the adjacent metal may need to be distance d. If the metal width is 2×, then the spacing between this metal with the next space to the adjacent metal may need to be wider, e.g., a distance of 1.5d.
DRC tools may use a process called "undersize-oversize" to address this problem. By first undersizing the metal shapes, all metals below a designated size are eliminated. The remaining metals are then restored to their original sizes by using the oversizing process.
FIG. 1 illustrates an application of this technique. Shown are two metal objects 102a and 104. Object 102a has a width of "3a" and object 104 has a width of "a". During the undersize process, each object is reduced by a common shrinking factor, e.g., "a/2". After the undersize process, any object that falls below a minimum number is eliminated from the design.
Here, assume that the dotted shape within object 102a shows the remaining size of this object after the undersize process. Further assume that object 104 will be too small and will be eliminated after the undersize process. Therefore, remaining after the undersize process is an object 102b that is a reduced version of object 102a. Note that in the undersizing process, the angled corners for object 102a have not been retained in object 102b.
Next, an oversizing process is applied to restore object 102b back to its original size. Object 102c is shown restored back to the original size of object 102a. However, it is noted that the angled corners of object 102a have not been restored. An additional step is performed to add the original angled corners to produce the layout having object 102d, which has the size and shape of the original metal object 102a.
As is evident, a series of several passes (e.g., 4) is required to perform this type of process. With modern designs, it is likely that there will be multiple segments (e.g., three segments) to the design, and each segment will undergo the same process. This multiplies the number of passes through the design to perform this type of process (up to 12 passes, which is four passes for the undersize-oversize process multiplied by three for each of the three segments). Since each pass through the design consumes a significant amount of system resources, the more passes it takes to perform the process, the greater the negative impact to the system. In a modern IC design having many millions of objects to process, this type of process having requiring many passes through a design could consume an excessive amount of system resources.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to implement a method and mechanism for performing a spacing rule DRC check that does not require an excessive number of passes through the IC design. Embodiments of the invention provide an improved method and mechanism for performing a spacing rule DRC check that does not require an excessive number of passes through the IC design. In one embodiment, a two-pass approach is employed to perform a spacing check. In an embodiment, polygons are associated with a family of related polygons.

Method and mechanism for performing DRC processing with reduced passes through an IC design


A polarized light emitting diode (LED) includes a marker indicating a polarization direction. A package for the LED also includes a marker indicating the polarization direction. The markers on the LED and package are used for mutual alignment, wherein the LED is attached in a favorable orientation with respect to a package, so that the polarization direction of emitted light from the package is apparent. The marker is placed on the LED before die separation and the marker is placed on the package before alignment. The marker on the LED comprises a photolithographic pattern, an asymmetric die shape, a notch on the die, or a scratch on the die, while the marker on the package comprises an electrode shape or pattern, an asymmetric package shape, a notch on the package, or a scratch on the package. Finally, the LED or package may be installed in an external circuit or system that also indicates the polarization direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging technique for the fabrication of polarized light emitting diodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used in the last thirty years as indicator lamps, local illuminators, and optical transmitters, among their many applications. In the last ten years, high-brightness AlInGaN-based blue and green LEDs have been developed for, and have started to emerge in, general lighting and full-color display applications.
In terms of LED fabrication, because of the incoherent and unpolarized light emission from conventional LEDs, it is not essential to define a particular die orientation of an LED package when the die is attached to the package. In common LED fabrication, die orientation is only significant when an LED wafer is diced, that is why LED photolithographic patterning onto a wafer is carried out by aligning the patterns along crystallographic directions. This alignment process makes die separation reliable and results in higher production yield.
In the case of AlInGaN LEDs prepared on an insulating substrate (for example, sapphire), where two electrical contacts are made on one side of an LED die, die orientation in relation to the package is significant in terms of position of the positive and negative metal contacts. These alignments for reliable die separation and electrical contacts are common practice for any semiconductor devices, not necessarily only in LED fabrication. However, LED die alignment has never been considered in fabrication in terms of emitted light properties.
Internal electrical polarization is a unique property of the (Al,In,Ga)N system compared to other semiconductors used in optoelectronics, and this property originates in the hexagonal crystallographic structure of the (Al,In,Ga)N material system. FIG. 1 is a schematic of a generic hexagonal würtzite crystal structure 100 and typical crystallographic planes of interest 102, 104, 106, 108 with principal crystallographic axes or directions 110, 112, 114, 116 identified therein, wherein the fill patterns are intended to illustrate the planes of interest 102, 104 and 106, but do not represent the materials of the structure 100.
Electrical polarization is created in the hexagonal structure due to its lack of inversion symmetry along the c-axis. For example, in the case of GaN shown in FIG. 2, along the c-axis gallium atoms (cation, positively charged) and nitrogen atoms (anion, negatively charged) are positioned alternately and as a whole, electric neutrality is maintained. However, because of the lack of inversion symmetry there exists an internal electric field along the c-axis when the atoms are displaced from their ideal positions relative to each other along this axis. Since atoms in the AlInGaN system usually do not maintain their ideal positions, this polarization field almost always exists along the c-axis. For this reason, the c-plane is called a polar plane. Polarization fields do not exist along any of the a-axes or m-axes, due to the inversion symmetry along these particular axes. For this reason, a-planes and m-planes are called non-polar planes. For these planes, the polarization vector, which expresses direction and strength of polarization field, is parallel to the planes, since the net polarization vector is parallel to the c-axis.
AlInGaN materials are conventionally grown in the c-direction (direction along c-axis), and therefore on the c-plane. LEDs grown on the c-plane emit light with negligible light polarization. On this plane, the polarization field has no in-plane component and the isotropic mechanical stress within the c-plane in a quantum well (QW) structure of an LED does not change the nature of carrier recombination in the QW.
It has recently become possible to prepare AlInGaN LEDs on a-planes and m-planes. These LEDs exhibit linearly polarized light emission. The polarization field is in a particular direction (c-direction) in the plane, and the stress in the QW is anisotropic due to different degrees of lattice mismatch between the substrate and QW in the two perpendicular directions in the plane. The inventors have confirmed the emitted light from these non-polar LEDs is linearly polarized in a direction perpendicular to the c-axis.
Linearly polarized light is an electromagnetic wave that has its electric field only in one plane perpendicular to its propagation. Non-polarized light has its electric field evenly distributed in directions in planes perpendicular to its propagation. A principle application for polarized light is backlighting for liquid crystal displays (LCDs), in which LEDs are beneficial due to their compactness and energy efficiency compared to conventional cold cathode fluorescent tubes.
(Al,In,Ga)N LEDs prepared on a semi-polar plane have also been confirmed to emit polarized light. The projection of the polarization vector, which is parallel to the c-axis, lies in the semi-polar plane, similar to the non-polar plane case.
What is needed in the art are simplified methods of fabricating polarized LEDs and packaging such LEDs. The present invention satisfies those needs.

Packaging technique for the fabrication of polarized light emitting diodes

The Regents of the University of California


Physical-health tuning means that may adjust and bring into harmony physical health—that in particular may improve physical health out of sorts due to electromagnetic-wave harm—are presented. The physical-health tuning means include: (A) a plurality of bar magnets whose obverse sides are N poles and whose reverse sides are S poles, running lengthwise; (B) wire that is non-magnetic yet electroconductive; and (C) a shaping support material. The wire is arranged coiling the magnet obverse faces in right-hand turns from one end to the other end of the bar magnets in the lengthwise direction. The plurality of magnets onto which the wire is wound are disposed to form a tubular hollow with the N-pole faces adjoining the S-pole faces in alternation, and the shaping support material being put on the outside of this assembly. Combined use with rhombohedral system crystalline substances can increase efficacy.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to tuning, i.e., adjusting and bringing into harmony, physical health; in particular to means for tuning physical health that is out of sorts due to electromagnetic wave disorders. The invention also relates to methods of manufacturing and to methods of using such physical-health tuning means.
2. Description of Related Art
With the striking spread in recent years of electronic devices such as computers, mobile telephones, microwave ovens, and so forth there is concern over the impact on the human body of electromagnetic waves issuing from these electronic devices.
Electromagnetic wave shielding aprons for shielding from electromagnetic waves issuing from computer cathode-ray tubes are on the market, but are not sufficiently effective in shielding against electromagnetic waves because magnetic fields are not emitted directly from CRT screens, but spiral out from the vertical, describing innumerable ellipses from the emission source.

Physical-health tuning means, and manufacturing and use methods therefor


A microprocessor controlled and instrumented bioreactor for conditioning tissue engineered medical products. The microprocessor control providing measurement and control of the tissue displacement and subsequent determination of material and growth properties. The microprocessor control providing adaptive adjustment of the applied conditions to provide optimal tissue growth.

Tissue engineering is a rapidly growing area that seeks to create, repair and/or replace tissues and organs by using combinations of cells, biomaterials, and/or biologically active molecules. It is an interdisciplinary field that integrates aspects of engineering, and other quantitative sciences, with biology and medicine. Research and technology development in tissue engineering promises to revolutionize current methods of health care treatment and significantly improve the quality of life for millions of patients. As one indication of the scope of the problem that tissue engineering addresses, worldwide organ replacement therapies utilizing standard organo-metallic devices consume 8 percent of medical spending, or approximately $350 billion per year. Organ transplantation is another option for replacing damaged or diseased tissue, but one that is severely limited by donor availability. Tissue-engineered products hold the promise for true functional replacement at affordable cost. However, despite early successes, few functional tissue engineered products are currently available for clinical use.
Researchers have sought to develop living alternatives to traditional "man-made" medical devices. These tissue engineered medical products (TEMPs) use the patients own cells to create a replacement device that can be nurtured and grown once they are implanted. Through design, specification, and fabrication of cells, biomaterials, or biomolecules, it is hoped that TEMPs will play a major role in many future surgeries. In the orthopedic area considerable energy is being expended on the development of tissue engineered ligaments, tendons, cartilage or meniscus replacements. Likewise, similar efforts are being made to develop new replacements for heart valves, arteries, heart muscle tissue and venous valves. Tissue engineered replacements for secretory organs such as the liver, kidney and skin also hold great promise for future therapies. Tissue engineered skin replacements are already available and are dramatically improving the outcomes for burn victims and cosmetic therapy.
There is a need in the art for method and apparatus for growing and conditioning tissue engineered orthopedic and medical products.

Instrumented bioreactor with material property measurement capability and process-based adjustment for conditioning tissue engineered medical products


An easy-access over-the-bed bassinet especially useful in hospitals for new mothers that has a barrier to prevent the infant from rolling off a sleeping platform, wherein one wall may be lowered to permit a mother to reach in and cradle the infant. The convertible wall has a restoring mechanism to move it back to its original barrier position upon removal of the weight of the mother's arms. The convertible wall may translate vertically into a frame, or pivot about a bottom edge, or pivot or roll underneath the sleeping platform. The bassinet may include a strap that maintains contact of the mother against the bassinet while breast feeding the baby in the bassinet. The entire sleeping platform may tilt about a horizontal axis, and may rotate about a vertical axis for ease of positioning relative to the mother. The bassinets are mounted on sturdy frames that permit over-the-bed positioning.

National statistics report over 4 million births in the U.S. in 2007, which is over 300,000 births per month, or 30,000 births per day. The average length of stay for a mother and baby is 3 days; including both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Every baby requires a bassinet for the postpartum hospital stay, and there are approximately 900,000 bassinets presently in hospitals throughout the United States. The average bassinet that is presently used in the hospital costs approximately $1000, and the most popular model is a standalone crib-type.
Hospitals have embraced the "rooming in concept", that allows the mother to have her newborn in her hospital room day and night. The infant is in the care of the mother, who has just delivered her baby. New mothers naturally want to cuddle the infant, and many of course commence breast-feeding right away. However, the arduous labor process and the possibility of the mother having received narcotics during labor or during her cesarean section results in fatigue and exhaustion. This increases the chance of a mother falling asleep with her infant. It has also been reported that mothers will sacrifice sleeping while attending to their infant, and the research has proven that sleep deprivation can lead to postpartum depression and anxiety. Furthermore, in extreme cases infants die from suffocation as a result of a sleeping mother unknowingly laying on her infant and cutting off the infant's airway.
Consumers are driving the rooming-in concept versus the traditional concept of having the infant in the nursery at night, coming out only for feedings. While research supports the theory that rooming-in facilitates mother-infant bonding and increases successful breast feeding, there is much concern about mothers getting adequate rest, and of course about the possible danger to the infant. Nursery nurses are unable to observe the infants in their charge as closely when they are rooming-in with their mothers, and while nurses round on their patients on a consistent basis, there is always a chance for an accident to occur due to an infant being in bed with a sleeping mother. While there is substantial research surrounding postpartum depression and sleep deprivation, little has been done to explore possible solutions to insure that mothers are able to get adequate sleep during their hospital stay.
In addition, nurses on post partum floors report that the number one reason a mother asks for help is that she is too tired to get her baby out of the nearby bassinet, or too tired to return the baby to the bassinet, and needs the nurse to assist her. It is understandable that an exhausted mother could easily fall asleep before getting up to return her infant to its bassinet. The primary concern is that an exhausted mother who is feeding her baby in bed does not realize she is drifting off to sleep and will fall asleep with the baby in her arms, and the nursing staff will not be aware of the situation.
Statistics have shown that infants have suffocated in hospital settings due to "overlaying" (lying on the baby while sleeping). There are many reports of infants falling from their sleeping mother's arms onto the floor. Studies have also shown that there are over 700 reported infant falls in hospitals in the U.S. annually, and probably many more unreported events. The falls usually occur when a mother falls asleep nursing her baby and the baby falls out of her arms and onto the floor.
Indeed, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics, warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds. These organizations state that the practice of co-sleeping puts babies at a higher risk of suffocation and strangulation. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the primary risks of infants sleeping in adult beds include suffocation caused by an adult rolling on top of or next to a baby; suffocation when an infant gets trapped or wedged between a mattress and a headboard, nightstand, wall, or other object; suffocation resulting from a baby being face down on a waterbed, a regular mattress or on soft bedding, such as pillow blankets, or quilts; and strangulation in a headboard or footboard that allows a portion of an infant's body to pass through an area while trapping the baby's head.
To avoid these risks, there are ways to keep a baby close by, but not in the adult's bed. A bassinet that allows a mother to view her infant without having to get out of bed, and be able to access her infant while in bed, can help prevent sleeping accidents from occurring, thereby reducing a mother's anxiety and promoting rest and safety for the mother during her postpartum hospital stay. For example, a baby can be placed in a bassinet or crib next to the adult's bed. There are also devices that look like a bassinet minus one side, which attaches to the adult bed and is termed a "co-sleeper." These devices allow the parent and baby to be next to one another without the possibility of the parent rolling over onto the infant. Various co-sleepers that attach to a bedside are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,172,435, 5,430,899, 6,934,981, and 7,406,725.
Unfortunately, many rooms do not have enough space to place these devices in the same room as the adult bed, let alone at the side of the adult bed. When used, a bassinet placed next to a bed will be inconvenient in that only one adult on one side of the bed will have convenient access to it. Additionally, when a bassinet is placed near the side of the bed, this can block easy access to the bed and make it difficult for an adult to move in or out of the bed. In a hospital setting the co-sleeper may interfere with the nurses' duties.
Another design where the infant bed is suspended above the adult bed is seen in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0222810. This device features a holding structure supported by a horizontal arm extending from a relatively sturdy support stand behind the head of the bed, or by a "C-shaped" apparatus which extends from below the bed upward, and over the adult bed area. The constructions shown are relatively bulky and likely expensive, and the overall ergonomic functioning leaves something to be desired.
In an effort to improve outcomes for mothers and infants, an over-the-bed bassinet designed for a mother's comfort and the baby's safety, and which is relatively simple and cost-effective, is needed.


An interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying frequency, amplitude and direction information provided by an intelligence system is provided comprising: a plot of RF versus amplitude, and a graph of frequency versus direction. The intelligence system has a front end to generate digital data based on received radio frequency (RF) signals, a post processing stage to process the digital data, and a direction finding stage to prevent the post-processing stage from processing portions of the digital data that correspond to RF signals arriving from a direction other than a predetermined direction. The GUI is updated continuously in near real time. Methods of operating the GUI are also provided.

Present day military-grade signal collection and surveillance equipment is used to capture communications transmissions from enemy radios and/or clandestine sources. A crucial piece of this equipment is the wideband receiver. The wideband receiver can intercept various wireless communications over a large subset of the RF spectrum. The interception of various wireless communications is a critical signal intelligence function that is vital for national security interests. The captured signals and raw data energy are then fed to a post-processing stage, where the actual voice or digital data is extracted. For a wideband system with direction-finding capabilities, the direction of the source of the signals is also determined.
Currently, the high end signal collection equipment that is used generates a lot of information; the amount of information exceeds the capabilities of current graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to display the information to the operator. This is a significant problem today. The modern military unit or intelligence organization needs GUI tools to display (intuitively and automatically) the massive amounts of data and computation results that state-of-the-art wideband systems with DF capability generate. This present requirement is critical since currently there are not enough human resources to analyze all captured signal data properly.
Prior art methods for the GUI display of direction attributes of signal data are archaic, because they are designed for use with systems that employ only narrowband receivers. The prior art GUI displays are very limited in their use and incapable of displaying the range of signal attributes detected by today's wideband systems. Among these attributes are frequency, amplitude, and direction.
Over time, the capabilities of wideband systems will grow exponentially. As more and more data is received, modern user interfaces of wideband systems must adapt so as not to overwhelm the user with data. This flood of detected data poses a significant threat to national security since the intelligence information ages quickly, and thus as much of the signal data as possible needs to be understood very quickly. The GUI needs to abstract the data at a high enough level so that the user is protected from the flood of raw information. The raw information is still very important, so while the GUI needs to show a high level of abstraction, the GUI also needs to allow the user to drill down into any specific data of interest. Thus the capability of the GUI must grow exponentially to meet the demands of growing amounts of detected data.
What is needed therefore in order to quickly understand and interact with the many signals detected by modern wideband signal collection systems is a real-time graphical user interface that can handle the display of much information, intuitively and interactively. What is needed is an invention that not only: 1) Preserves the capabilities and intuitive nature of prior art systems, but also 2) adds capabilities far beyond prior art systems, to display many attributes of received signals in various dimensions and graphs, in real time.

Method and technique for the processing and intelligent display of wideband direction-finding data


Apparatus, such as a liner, adapted to be hung in a downhole tubular such as casing is described. The apparatus includes one or more circumferentially distributed abrasive portions, arranged to be movable radially outwards by a dimple former or an expander. In an embodiment, the abrasive portions are provided on disks moveable in recesses in the outer diameter of the apparatus being hung. In an embodiment, the apparatus is hung by operating a dimple former provided on the running tool.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for hanging apparatus on the inner diameter of a downhole tubular, such as an existing casing string in a wellbore. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to an improved liner and a method of hanging a liner from an existing casing section or other tubular in a wellbore.
In the field of wellbore operations, liners are strings of pipe, used to case open holes below an existing casing. It is known to use liner hangers to anchor a liner to the inner diameter of an existing casing string. A number of techniques have been employed to meet these aims.
It is often necessary to anchor apparatus and tools other than liners in downhole tubulars, for example to cover up holes in casing. Examples include the hanging or anchoring of packers, plugs, bridge plugs, sandscreens, scab liners or other apparatus.
Generally, existing hanging methods are unsuitable for tight tolerance or close clearance casing schemes. The tolerance of standard casing is not tight enough to allow for substantial surface variations on a tubular or tool being hung, such as surface irregularities, without risk of the tubular or tool jamming within the casing.
PCT Application Number PCT/GB03/01895 describes a method and apparatus for expanding tubulars. This involves radially expanding a first smaller diameter tubular into frictional contact with a second larger diameter tubular or well bore. The disadvantage of this method is that an expanding helical band, such as therein described, is weakened as it is expanded and will part if put under too much pressure. Additionally radial deformation of the first tubular will lead to a decrease in the tensile strength of the first tubular.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,823 describes a method of installing a casing section in a well, where in one aspect a technique known in the art as dimpling is used. Here, discrete sections of the liner profile are forced to expand into corresponding eccentric undercuts of the existing casing in order to fix the casing being installed in the required position. This is achieved by means of forcing a number of pellets or dimple formers radially outwards into the liner.
A disadvantage of this technique is that dimpling alone is insufficient to sustain a high hanging load and slippage often occurs. Furthermore this technique requires an eccentric undercut being formed on the existing casing. This is another distinct disadvantage as it is difficult to make such undercuts inside a casing when already in place. Therefore, such formations must be carried out well in advance, or a compatible casing must have been installed when the bore was cased.
It is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide apparatus for anchoring to an existing casing string that obviates and mitigates one or more disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.
Moreover, it is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a means for hanging apparatus in an existing casing string that is integral to the wall thickness of the apparatus.
It is a further aim and object of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for suspending, anchoring or hanging apparatus from the inner diameter of an existing downhole tubular in a wellbore which obviates or mitigates the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with the prior art.


An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate coated with a photoresist to form a latent image to the photoresist, comprises an original holding unit configured to hold an original including a phase-modulation diffraction grating so that an interference pattern is formed on a surface of the substrate by a light beam diffracted by the original, a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate, and a light beam dividing optical system configured to divide a light beam to form a plurality of light beams which enter the original, wherein a latent image is formed on the substrate by superposition of a plurality of interference patterns formed on the surface of the substrate, the plurality of interference patterns respectively corresponding to the plurality of light beams which enter the original.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate, and a device manufacturing method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A projection exposure method used in manufacturing, for example, semiconductor devices has been known. In this method, a pattern formed on an original (reticle) is projected onto a substrate coated with a photoresist by a projection optical system to expose the substrate.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-161295 proposes an interference exposure method using a diffraction grating (phase-shift grating) as one exposure method of forming a fine pattern with a simple arrangement. The interference exposure using a diffraction grating is an exposure method of forming an interference pattern on a substrate by a plurality of diffracted light beams generated by irradiating a diffraction grating with a light beam having coherency, thereby exposing the substrate using this interference pattern. This exposure method uses an arrangement simpler than that used in the projection exposure method, and therefore has the feature that it can easily form a periodic interference pattern with a high resolution and a large depth of focus at a low apparatus cost.
As another interference exposure method using a diffraction grating, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-027350 proposes a method of scanning and exposing a large-area exposure region by scanning a substrate with respect to a diffraction grating. In this method, two diffraction gratings having different grating pitches are used so that light beams diffracted at nearly the same point on the first grating are diffracted by the second grating and superposed on each other again at nearly the same point on the substrate. Hence, a high-contrast interference pattern can be obtained even when the gratings are irradiated with low-coherency illumination light.
When high-coherency light is used as the exposure light, an unwanted interference pattern called a speckle is generated. The term speckle refers to a speckled intensity distribution generated as high-coherency light (coherent light) is scattered by the minute three-dimensional pattern on the object plane, and the scattered light beams interfere with each other on the substrate in a random phase relationship. The contrast of a finally obtained pattern may decrease as speckle-induced noise components are superposed on a targeted interference pattern, resulting in local defects of the final pattern.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using original with phase-modulation diffraction grating to form interference pattern


A wireless communication apparatus is capable of improving communication efficiency by reducing the amount of control information transmitted. A channel quality information extraction section extracts CQI's from a received signal. An allocation control section allocates subcarriers for every communication terminal apparatus and selects a modulation scheme in such a manner that required transmission rate is satisfied for each communication terminal apparatus based on required transmission rate information, etc. and CQI's for communication terminal apparatus of each user. A required subcarrier number determining section decides the number of subcarriers allocated to every communication terminal apparatus so as to satisfy the required transmission rate for each communication terminal apparatus. A required subcarrier number information generating section generates information for the number of subcarriers allocated to every communication terminal apparatus. A subcarrier allocation section allocates packet data to selected subcarriers. Modulating sections adaptively modulate packet data allocated to each subcarrier.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus and subcarrier allocation method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wireless communication method and subcarrier allocation method combining adaptive modulation and frequency scheduling.
Description of the Related Art
A multi-user adaptive modulation OFDM system is a system for carrying out effective scheduling for an entire system according to a propagation path of each mobile station. Specifically, a base station apparatus is constituted by a system for allocating a plurality of subcarriers appropriate for each user based on channel quality (frequency division user multiplexing), and selecting appropriate modulation coding schemes (hereinafter referred to as "MCS") for each subcarrier. Namely, a base station apparatus is capable of carrying out multi-user high-speed data communication by allocating subcarriers in a manner that is the most effective utilization of frequency capable of satisfying the communication quality (for example, minimum transmission rate, error rate) desired by each user based on channel quality, selecting MCS to ensure maximum throughput for each subcarrier, and carrying out data transmission. In this way, in a multi-user adaptive modulation OFDM system such as, for example, "MC-CDM Method Using Frequency Scheduling," Technical Report of the Institute of Electronics Information and Communication Engineers of Japan, RCS2002-129, July 2002, pp. 61-pp. 66), a reporting method for reporting channel quality information from each mobile station to a base station apparatus is proposed.
An MCS selection table decided in advance is used in the selection of MCS. An MCS selection table shows correspondence between reception quality such as CIR (Carrier to Interference Ratio) etc. and error rates such as packet error rate (hereinafter referred to as "PER") or bit error rate (hereinafter referred to as "BER") etc. for each MCS modulation scheme and error encoding scheme. An MCS of a maximum speed capable of satisfying the desired error rate is then selected based on measured reception quality in MCS selection.
However, in the related art, in frequency division user multiplexing, each mobile station reports channel quality information for all subcarriers to a base station apparatus. FIG. 1 shows a reporting format of signal to noise ratio (hereinafter referred to as "SNR") of channel quality information reported from a mobile station to a base station apparatus of the related art, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a relationship between SNR report bits and modulation scheme. As shown in FIG. 1, the base station apparatus allocates subcarriers and performs adaptive modulation by receiving notification of SNR report bits for every subcarrier in subcarrier order from each communication terminal apparatus for all subcarriers in the communication band. In this event, in the case that transmission by 64QAM adopted as a modulation scheme satisfying the desired transmission rate and PER is required, the base station apparatus selects the first or fifth subcarrier for which an SNR report bit is 3, and allocates packet data employing 64QAM to the first or fifth subcarrier.
However, with the base station apparatus and subcarrier allocation method of the related art, each mobile station reports channel quality information for all subcarriers to the base station apparatus, regardless of whether only some of the subcarriers of all of the subcarriers within the communication band are used. The amount of channel quality control information therefore becomes extremely large in accompaniment with increase in the number of mobile stations and number of subcarriers, and communication efficiency therefore falls.

Wireless communication apparatus and wireless communication method


An automobile weatherstripping includes an extrusion-formed part and a mold-formed part, the mold-formed part being welded and integrated with the extrusion-formed part. The extrusion-formed part is made of an olefin elastomer and the mold-formed part is made of a resin composition containing an olefin resin, ethylene-xcex1-olefin copolymer rubber, hydrogenated aromatic vinyl conjugated diene compounds block copolymer mineral oil and at least one of natural rubber and butadiene rubber in predetermined proportions. The extrusion-formed part and the mold-formed part have a sufficient level of bonding strength with no bonding agent layer being used therebetween.

This application is related to and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from Japanese Patent Application Nos. Hei 9-07506 and Hei 10-063373, incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to automobile weatherstripping which includes an extrusion-formed part and a mold-formed part and in which the mold formed part is welded and integrated with the extrusion-formed part.
An olefin elastomer which is represented by ethylene propylene non-conjugated diene rubber (EPDM) has a small specific gravity and contains substantially no unsaturated bonds. Therefore, it is easy to satisfy a demand for a reduction in weight and an increase in weather resistance. For this reason, it has hitherto been widely used as a forming material of automobile weatherstripping (referred to simply as xe2x80x9cweatherstrippingxe2x80x9d hereinafter).
The weatherstripping was conventionally manufactured, for example, by cutting an extrusion vulcanized formation consisting of an EPDM rubber blend, setting the resulting material with respect to a mold from one side, both sides, or multiple sides, and injecting the rubber formed material into a cavity to thereby perform vulcanization mold forming.
On the other hand, it has been considered to use, as material for use in this mold forming, nonpolar thermoplastic polyolefin- or styrene-based elastomer or the like necessitating no vulcanization step in place of the EPDM from the viewpoint of productivity (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-159329).
However, in general, it is difficult to obtain a practical bonding strength between the extrusion-formed part, which is an EPDM vulcanized formation, and the thermoplastic elastomer (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cTPExe2x80x9d) mold-formed part. Therefore, it is necessary to interpose a bonding agent layer between the extrusion-formed part and the mold-formed part and, therefore, the use of such an elastomer is still difficult to use to satisfy the demand for enhanced productivity.
In view of the above problems of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide automobile weatherstripping which has a sufficient level of bonding strength between the extrusion-formed part an the mold-formed part even with no bonding agent layer interposed therebetween.
To attain the above object, according to the present invention, automobile weatherstripping has an extrusion-formed part and a mold-formed part, the mold-formed part being welded and integrated with the extrusion-formed part, where the extrusion-formed part is made of an olefin elastomer and the mold-formed part is made of a resin composition containing the following components (A) to (E) below (provided, however, that the sum total of (A) to (E) is 100 parts by weight).
(A) an olefin resin of 5 to 50 parts by weight;
(B) an ethylene-xcex1-olefin copolymer rubber 5 to 86 parts by weight;
(C) a hydrogenated aromatic vinyl conjugated diene compound block copolymer of 2 to 30 parts by weight;
(D) at least one component selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, isoprene rubber and butadiene rubber of 2 to 40 parts by weight; and
(E) a mineral oil of 5 to 80 parts by weight.
As will be supported by examples as described later, the weatherstripping according to the present invention enables the procurement of a sufficient level of bonding strength between the extrusion-formed part and the mold-formed part even with no bonding agent layer being interposed therebetween. Accordingly, in the present invention, it becomes possible to manufacture the weatherstripping with high productivity.
Also, the weatherstripping of the present invention has excellent follow-up flexibility, sealing properties and mechanical strength at the portion of a corner (mold-formed part) of, for example, weatherstripping a door. Accordingly, the weatherstripping of the present invention is excellent in terms of the performance of the mold-formed part.


A method of manufacturing a three dimensional image display device includes: applying an adhesive member to any one of a lens plate and a display panel so as to form a continuous frame having an application height higher than a separation distance between the lens plate and the display panel in a bonding complete state; measuring the application height of the adhesive member; figuring out a volume of an enclosed space, which is formed by the display panel, the adhesive member and the lens plate, by using a lowest application height of the adhesive member, and figuring out a bonding pressure leading to obtaining of a necessary internal pressure in the enclosed space, by using the figured-out volume of the enclosed space; and bonding the lens plate and the display panel together with the adhesive member in a reduced pressure atmosphere with the figured-out bonding pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a three dimensional image display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat panel display devices are generally used as display panels for three dimensional image display devices. Such flat panel display devices include: a liquid crystal display panel (LCD) which controls the intensity of light by utilizing the orientation of liquid crystals, a plasma display panel (PDP) in which ultraviolet rays of plasma discharges cause phosphors to emit light, a field emission display panel (FED) in which electron beams of a field emission electron emitter cause phosphors to emit light, and an electron emission display panel in which electron beams of a surface-conduction electron emitter cause phosphors to emit light.
Various systems such as a multi-view system and an integral imaging system are used as three dimensional image display systems for three dimensional image display devices. As one type of three dimensional image display devices which display three dimensional images using such systems, there has been developed a three dimensional image display device including a lenticular lens. Three dimensional images provided by the display device including a lenticular lens are viewable without use of glasses or the like for three dimensional image viewing.
In order to mount a lenticular lens on a display panel, an adhesive applied on the display panel in a rectangular frame shape is used to bond a lens plate including the lenticular lens and the display panel together. In this regard, a technique of mounting a lenticular lens on a liquid crystal display panel has been proposed for the purpose of improving the efficiency for light utilization (see JP-B No. 3708112, for example).
In a process of mounting a lenticular lens on a display panel, it is so difficult to bring the lenticular lens into complete contact with the display panel that a gap may be formed therebetween. Even when a display panel and a lenticular lens are brought into complete contact with each other, deformation due to their own weights, partial pressurization from outside, ambient temperature rise and the like may cause a gap after the manufacturing. If such a gap is larger than an allowable range (for example, a range of a desired value plus or minus several tens of μm), an error in the viewing angle falls outside an allowable range. Accordingly, the display quality of a three dimensional image is degraded.
One possible countermeasure for solving the above problem is a method in which, by using an adhesive member in a continuous frame shape (close-loop shape), a display panel and a lens plate are bonded together in a reduced pressure atmosphere with the display panel and a lenticular lens facing each other. This method, however, causes a phenomenon in which an internal pressure in an enclosed space in the display device becomes higher than a pressure in the reduced pressure atmosphere in which the bonding is performed. This phenomenon is explained in detail below.
In the process of manufacturing the display device, the height of an adhesive applied on a periphery portion of a display panel is made higher than the height of the final adhesive (adhesive layer) after the manufacturing. Such application of the adhesive is intended to ensure bonding in the entire adhesive-applied area after the bonding is completed. With such application of the adhesive, however, the applied adhesive is squashed to some extent by the display panel and the lens plate before the display panel and the lens plate are bonded finally. In this bonding process, when the display panel and the lens plate come close to each other with the adhesive member interposed therebetween, the display panel and the lenticular lens firstly form an enclosed space while being spaced apart from each other. Thereafter, as the display panel and the lens plate come closer to each other, the volume of the enclosed space proportionally decreases. As a result, the internal pressure in the enclosed space becomes higher than the ambient pressure (bonding pressure) of the surroundings.
Here, when Vb denotes the volume of the enclosed space formed in a distant state where the display panel and the lenticular lens are spaced apart from each other; Va denotes the volume of the enclosed space in a bonding complete state where the bonding is completed; and Pb denotes the ambient pressure of the surroundings (bonding pressure) where the bonding is performed, a final internal pressure Pa in the enclosed space is expressed as Pa=Pb×Vb/Va. For example, when Pb=0.5 atm and Vb/Va=1.5, Pa=0.75 atm.
In the case where the adhesive is applied to the display panel or the lens plate in a close-loop shape in advance to bond the display panel and the lens plate together, the volume Vb of the enclosed space in the distant state is determined by the lens shape, the frame size and the height of the adhesive applied in the close-loop shape, and the like. Even under the same conditions (pressure, nozzle diameter, application speed, and the like) of an applicator, the height of the applied adhesive (simply called "application height" below), in particular, varies depending on a viscosity change of the adhesive due to a temperature, a time length from the completion of application to bonding, or the like. Such a variation in the application height largely affects the final internal pressure Pa.
As described above, the internal pressure Pa of the enclosed space is higher than the ambient pressure (bonding pressure) Pb of the atmosphere where the bonding is performed. As a result, the internal pressure Pa only has a small pressure difference from the atmospheric pressure. This condition facilitates the generation of a gap between the display panel and the lens plate because of deformation due to their own weights, partial pressurization from outside, ambient temperature rise and the like, and thereby makes it difficult to maintain accuracy of a gap between the display panel and the lens plate, i.e., gap accuracy between the pixels and the lens.

Method of manufacturing three dimensional image display device


A turner bar for a rotary press for deflecting a substrate web in two web running directions is acted upon by pressurized air. The turner bar includes at least one inner tube and one outer tube, which have air discharge holes assigned to one another to produce an air cushion above the turner bar. The inner tube can be adjusted relative to the outer tube, so that the air discharge holes can be closed in such a way that the air cushion is adapted to the margins of the substrate web. It is thus possible to use the turner bar in both web running directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a turner bar for rotary presses and especially a reversible turner bar for use in two web running directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The running direction of a substrate web, such as a web of paper, is changed in a rotary press by means of a turner bar. The turner bar is acted upon with compressed air and forms an air cushion at least in some sections of its outer peripheral surface, so that the substrate web does not come into direct contact with the turner bar. This provides several advantages. The friction that arises during the deflection of the substrate web is reduced by the air cushion. The deposition of printing ink on the turner bar is avoided. The printing on the still wet substrate web is not smeared by the turner bar during the deflection of the substrate web. Depending on the printing run, it may be necessary to change the running direction of the substrate web. For example, it may be necessary to deflect a substrate web for one printing run to the right of the web running direction by an angle of, e.g., 90°, and to the left by 90° in another printing run.
To meet these requirements, so-called "flying" turner bars are used in the prior art. For this purpose, the turner bar is detachably mounted in a holder, and a specially manufactured turner bar is necessary for each desired web running direction. In other words, it is necessary to change over from one turner bar to another turner bar that is kept in stock.
Aside from the fact that a separate turner bar must therefore be produced for each web running direction, this solution means increased logistical expense for printing press operators, since turner bars must be stored in the printing plant.
German Patent DE 34 36 870 C1 deals with the aforementioned disadvantages. The early disclosure document discloses a rotatably supported turner bar, in which two pistons, whose geometry corresponds to the edge of the web of paper guided around the outside of the turner bar, are mounted inside the turner bar and are axially displaced by two spindles to close the holes that are not needed in the turner bar.
The design shown in DE 34 36 870 C1 is not very flexible with respect to the web widths to be processed and has fluid-dynamic disadvantages in the formation of the air cushion on the turner bar.


A method for promoting uniform "bookshelf" textures in light modulators using smectic C* liquid crystal is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of confining smectic C* phase liquid crystal between parallel substrates having inner surfaces treated to promote homeotropic alignment of the liquid crystal near the inner surfaces, generating an electric field normal to the inner surfaces of the substrates and biasing the liquid crystal in a direction parallel to the inner surfaces of the substrates to induce the formation of smectic layers normal to the inner surfaces of the substrate. For example, the perturbation may be carried out by supplying a cyclic shear to one of the substrates or by means of a magnetic field parallel to the substrates. Reversal of the polarity of the electric field switches the material between two stable bookshelf textures. These textures are homogeneous in alignment even near the inner surfaces of the substrates, and the anchoring of the molecules near the substrates changes as the material is switched between bookshelf textures.

A number of transmissive mode displays using smectic C* phase liquid crystal have been proposed. Molecules of a liquid crystal having a smectic C* phase are elongated and chiral. Smectic C* phases are characterized in that the molecules align in layers with their molecular directors oblique with respect to the layers. The tilt directions are twisted with respect to one another, so that the directors trace the surface of a cone. Smectic C* materials are "ferroelectric" in that the electrical polarization of the liquid crystal may be realigned with an electric field and remains stable in thin films once the field is removed.
"Surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal" ["SSFLC"] displays make use of thin films of smectic C* liquid crystal confined between substrates. In one proposed device of this type, the liquid crystal is confined between substrates which are placed between crossed optical polarizers. Preferably, the liquid crystal is aligned in a so-called "bookshelf" texture in which the molecules are arranged in layers perpendicular to the inner surfaces of the substrates and the molecular directors are approximately parallel along a line normal to the layers. If the film is sufficiently thin, the bookshelf texture should be stable when an electric field is removed. The material may be switched between two stable bookshelf textures by generating external electric fields across the liquid crystal normal to the inner surfaces of the substrates. The field useful for switching the material from one texture to the other is opposite in polarity to the field useful for switching back to the first of the textures. The two stable bookshelf textures are similar to each other in that the molecular directors are aligned homogeneously, but differ in that the molecular directors in the two textures form mirror images about a plane normal to the layers and to the inner surfaces of the substrates.
SSFLC displays modulate light by controlling the polarization direction of linearly polarized light transmitted through the liquid crystal. Due to the birefringence of the liquid crystal, the component of light incident on the liquid crystal is decomposed into two components of different speeds which change the polarization dependent on the thickness of the liquid crystal material. In an SSFLC display, the upstream polarizer is aligned so that the polarization direction of light incident on the liquid crystal is parallel or perpendicular to the molecular directors in a first of the two stable bookshelf textures; in this texture, the incident polarized light is transmitted without change of the polarization direction by the liquid crystal and is consequently blocked by the downstream analyzer. In addition, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is selected to effect a 90.degree. rotation of the polarization direction of the polarized light incident on the liquid crystal when the liquid crystal is in the second of the two stable bookshelf textures, so that the polarized light transmitted by the liquid crystal in this second texture is transmitted by the analyzer. Consequently, the SSFLC display is dark when the liquid crystal is in the first of the stable bookshelf textures and bright when the liquid crystal is in the second of the two bookshelf textures.
Among the advantages attributed to displays using smectic C* liquid crystal are fast switching times, low switching voltage and high contrast compared to commercially available liquid crystal displays such as twisted nematic displays. In particular, displays using ferroelectric smectic C* liquid crystal may be capable of switching times on the order of microseconds.
One disadvantage of displays using smectic C* liquid crystals is the difficulty of obtaining stable bookshelf alignment of the liquid crystal. The layers of smectic C* materials confined between substrates have a tendency to undulate or twist, producing defects which reduce the contrast. The liquid crystal is usually aligned on cooling from a high temperature using a surface coating which promotes homogeneous alignment of the molecules near the coating. This method gives a good bookshelf texture at the high temperature limit of the smectic range (often a smectic A phase). Due to the temperature dependence of the layer thickness, however, the layers generally form defects on further cooling. Quasi-bookshelf textures can be obtained by the use of certain napthalene derivatives, for which the layer tilt is only about 5.degree. at room temperature. Furthermore, the use of surface coatings which promote homogeneous alignment in order to induce a bookshelf texture significantly increases the switching voltage required to switch between stable textures. Despite intense research over the past decade, there remains a need for method of aligning smectic C* liquid crystal in a stable bookshelf alignment capable of low voltage switching. In particular, there is a need for a method to align the films in the finished display.

Method of producing a homogeneously aligned chiral smectic C liquid crystal having homeotropic alignment layers


A method for determining the absolute value of a rotational angle includes imaging a continuous segment of a code track of a code carrier on a sensor array such that the sensor array generates a corresponding output signal. The code track includes a code provided over an angular range of 360°. The code contains a plurality of code words with each code word respectively corresponding to an angular value in the angular range. The output signal is correlated with a reference signal in a correlation filter to produce a correlation function signal. The reference signal is indicative of the code and the angular values corresponding to the code words. The correlation function signal is processed to determine the code word of the imaged segment of the code track as a function of the angular value where the output signal best coincides with the reference signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for determining the absolute value of a rotational angle, in particular the angular position of a motor vehicle steering wheel, by means of a transceiver comprising a light source and a sensor array having a plurality of optoelectronic transducers, and a code carrier arranged so that the code carrier can rotate with respect to the transceiver, the code carrier has a unique, single-track encoding of the angular values, a continuous segment of the encoding being imaged on the sensor array, and the output signal of the sensor array being evaluated to determine a code word corresponding to the current angular value.
2. Background Art
The absolute angular position of the steering wheel, also called the steering angle, is needed in motor vehicles so that this value can be supplied to a vehicle movement dynamics control system, for example. In addition to the mentioned steering angle value, such a vehicle movement dynamics control system receives other measurement data, such as the wheel speed or the rotation of the motor vehicle about its vertical axis. First the absolute steering angle and second the steering speed are needed so that these values, along with the other captured data, can be evaluated by the vehicle movement dynamics control system and converted to control actuators, for example the brakes and/or the engine management system.
DE 40 22 837 A1 discloses an optoelectronic steering angle sensor that is suitable to accomplish such a process. The steering angle sensor described in this document comprises an electronic control unit and a sensor unit consisting of two elements that are arranged so that they are parallel to one another and at a distance from one another—a light source and a line sensor—and, arranged between the light source and the line sensor, an encoder disk, which is connected with the steering shaft in a torsionally rigid manner. The line sensor provided is a CCD sensor. The encoding provided in this encoder disk is a light slit extending over 360° in the shape of a spiral of Archimedes. The illumination of corresponding transducers of the line sensor at a certain steering angle makes it possible to derive information about the real steering angle position. The spiral of Archimedes used as the encoding is continuous, so that it can be spoken of as an analog encoding. However, using the same arrangement it is just as possible to read a digital encoding on the encoder disk.
DE 197 58 104 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,389) discloses a process for determining the absolute value of a rotational angle. This process involves evaluating sharp signal changes, generally referred to as edges, in the sensor array's output signal to convert the signal into a contrast difference. A microcontroller decodes the contrast differences by comparing them with a black-and-white pattern representing the angle information.
Although in theory this process is able to achieve the goal of determining the sought-after angular value, it is very sensitive to any kind of interference. For example, dirt in the optical system can cast additional shadows, which also manifest themselves as edges in the electrical output signal, and thus cause additional contrast differences not corresponding to the encoding. Especially when used in an automobile, electromagnetic interference also occurs, which causes additional edges in the sensor array's output signal. However, since the evaluation process is based precisely on identifying and evaluating such edges, or rather the contrast differences derived from them, such spurious pulses cause corresponding measurement errors. Although such measurement errors can be recognized by means of appropriate procedures for plausibility checking of the measurement results derived from them, correction of these measurement results is impossible.

Process to determine the absolute angular position of a motor vehicle steering wheel