A fine pattern having first elements within track widths and second elements, which are shifted half a track pitch from the first elements, are drawn across the entire surface of a disk accurately and at high speed. A transfer pattern for a magnetic transfer master carrier is drawn by scanning an electron beam on a disk coated with resist. The first elements and the second elements, which are shifted half a track pitch such that they straddle adjacent tracks, are drawn. While the disk is rotated unidirectionally, the electron beam is deflected in the radial direction within a single track of the disk to draw the first elements. Deflection of the electron beam in the radial direction is shifted half a track, to draw the second elements that straddle adjacent tracks at the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron beam lithography method, for drawing and exposing elements that constitute an uneven transfer pattern on a master carrier for magnetic transfer, by irradiating an electron beam on a resist provided on a disk.
The present invention also relates to a patterned master for magnetic transfer, having a transfer pattern that corresponds to an amplitude servo pattern constituted by amplitude servo signals.
Further, the present invention relates to a lithography method, for drawing and exposing elements that constitute the transfer pattern on the patterned master carrier for magnetic transfer, by irradiating an electron beam on a resist provided on a disk.
Still further, the present invention relates to a preformatted magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Accompanying increases in amounts of data, magnetic recording media, which have high capacity, are inexpensive, and preferably enable readout of necessary portions in a short time, that is, capable of so-called high speed access, are desired. Various types of high density magnetic recording media are known. The data recording regions of the high density magnetic recording media are constituted by narrow tracks. Tracking servo technology plays a large role in enabling magnetic heads to scan the narrow tracks to reproduce signals with high S/N ratios. A sector servo technique is commonly employed to perform tracking servo.
The sector servo technique is a technique for causing magnetic heads to correct their positions. In the sector servo technique, servo data, such as servo signals, track address data signals, and reproduction clock signals, are recorded in servo fields. The servo fields are provided regularly at predetermined angles on data surfaces of magnetic recording media, such as magnetic disk media. Magnetic heads scan the servo fields and read out the servo data, to confirm and correct their positions.
A technique that employs reproduction amplitude data of servo signals is commonly applied to servo signals for track positioning. A common servo pattern comprises servo signals in A, B, C, and D burst portions. Each bit of A burst bit strings and B burst bit strings that constitute the A burst portion and the B burst portion is recorded at positions shifted one half of a track width from the center line of a track. When a reproducing magnetic head passes the servo field, positioning servo is applied such that the reproduction signal amplitude of the A and B burst bit strings are the same.
It is necessary for servo data to be recorded on magnetic recording media as preformatting during production thereof. Presently, preformatting is performed by dedicated servo recording apparatuses. The servo recording apparatuses are equipped with magnetic heads having head widths of approximately 75% of a track pitch, for example. A disk is rotated in a state in which a magnetic head of a servo recording apparatus is in close proximity thereto, and servo signals are recorded by moving the magnetic head from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the disk every ½ tracks. Therefore, a long amount of time is required to preformat a single disk, which is a problem from the viewpoint or production efficiency.
Meanwhile, a method for accurately and efficiently preformatting magnetic recording media has been proposed in Japanese-Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 10(1998)-040544 and 10(1998)-269566. This method transfers patterns, which are formed on master carriers and bear servo data, to magnetic recording media by magnetic transfer.
Magnetic transfer employs patterned master carriers, which have transfer patterns constituted by uneven patterns that correspond to data to be transferred, to magnetic recording media (slave media), such as magnetic disk media. The master carriers and slave media are placed in close contact, then transfer magnetic fields are applied thereto. Thereby, magnetic patterns that correspond to data (servo signals, for example) borne by the uneven patterns of the master carriers are magnetically transferred to the slave media. Magnetic transfer is advantageous in that: recording can be performed statically, without changing the relative positions of the master carriers and the slave media; accurate preformatting is enabled; and the amount of time required for recording is extremely short.
As a method to produce master carriers, which are utilized in magnetic transfer, an application of an optical disk stamper production method is being considered (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-256644, for example). The optical disk stamper production method uses an original disk, having an uneven pattern formed of resist that corresponds to data to be transferred, as a base. During production of the optical disk stamper, a disk (a glass plate, for example) having resist coated thereon is rotated. Data is converted to lengths of pits, and data is written into the resist by emitting laser beams, which are modulated according to the lengths of pits, onto the resist.
It is considered that drawing of the fine patterns onto master carriers for magnetic transfer may also be performed by rotating a disk having resist coated thereon and emitting a laser beam modulated according to data to be transferred, similar to the production method for the optical disk stamper.
However, miniaturization and increase of data capacity are desired in magnetic disk media. If bit lengths or track widths are decreased to accommodate increases in recording density (for example, if bit lengths or track widths become 0.3 μm or less), the decreased sizes approach the drawing limits of laser beams. Therefore, the shapes of the ends of drawn portions become arcuate, causing difficulty in forming rectangular elements of the uneven patterns. The shapes of the elements that constitute the uneven patterns of master carriers, and particularly the shapes of the upper surfaces of the elements, are those of the drawn portions. Therefore, if the ends of the drawn portions are arcuate, the upper surfaces of the protrusions of the uneven patterns on the master carrier substrate become shapes different from rectangles, such as ovals. In these cases, it becomes difficult to form desired magnetic patterns on slave media.
Meanwhile, in the field of semiconductors, patterning is already being performed by utilizing electron beams, which are capable of exposure with smaller diameter spots than laser beams. By utilizing the electron beams, it is becoming possible to perform highly accurate patterning of fine patterns.
In addition, patterned exposure using electron beams has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-110050. The patterned exposure using electron beams has been proposed to produce miniature, light weight and high recording density magnetic patterned media, the realization of which is being anticipated.
Accompanying the narrowing of track widths to accommodate increases in recording capacities of magnetic recording media, the accuracy in forming amplitude servo patterns thereon becomes an important factor, from the viewpoint of securing tracking performance of magnetic heads.
Specifically, fine structural elements of a servo pattern may be drawn on an enlarged recording surface during a design step. In actuality, however, the fine elements are drawn by deflecting and irradiating an electron beam on a resist surface of an original size. Therefore, it is difficult to draw the elements according to the designs thereof.
Patterned master carriers have been produced, based on servo patterns drawn by electron beams. These master carriers have been employed to record amplitude servo patterns onto magnetic recording media as magnetic patterns. When these magnetic recording media are actually loaded into drives to perform recording and reproduction, however, there are cases in which the exhibited tracking performance, that is, heads accurately following tracks, falls short of design parameters.
Basically, if production accuracy of servo patterns is low, positioning servo accuracy is also decreased. There are cases in which heads are unable to scan the positions of designed tracks, and scan outside the tracks. However, in practice, it is impossible to form all of the elements of servo patterns with high accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to study what degree of accuracy is required to secure tracking performance, and to form servo patterns at a level of accuracy that does not pose actual problems in servo positioning.
It is also necessary to investigate drawing methods for the servo pattern that secures the desired level of accuracy.
Servo signals include, for example: a preamble (synchronization signal), which is recorded across an entire track width; gray codes (track number discriminating signals); and burst signals, which are recorded in halves of the track widths, for positioning heads. Transfer patterns (uneven patterns formed in magnetic material), which are formed on the magnetic transfer master carriers to transfer and record the servo signals correspond to the servo signals. That is, the transfer patterns comprise: first elements, which are protrusions formed across the entire track width; and second elements, which are protrusions formed at positions shifted half a track pitch from the first elements so as to straddle two adjacent tracks (or protrusions which are formed across half the track width). It is necessary to draw each element in resists, which are coated on disks, efficiently and accurately by use of electron beams.
The amplitude servo pattern described above is illustrated in the figures of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 10(1998)-040544 and 10(1998)-269566. As illustrated in the figures, the amplitude servo pattern comprises servo burst signals constituted burst bit strings. The burst bit strings are provided in different tracks and adjacent to each other in the track width direction, with intervals of approximately one track width therebetween. The burst bit strings include those which are formed across substantially the entire track width with the center of the track in the track width direction as their centers, and those which are formed from the central portion of a track to the central portion of an adjacent track so as to straddle the two tracks. An electron beam is deflected to draw burst bit strings on adjacent tracks, and also deflected to draw elements, which are shifted a half a track from other elements. It has been found that accuracy in these deflection operations is important in securing servo positioning.
Particularly in the production of the aforementioned master carrier for magnetic transfer, it is necessary to perform patterning concentrically or in a spiral. Therefore, favorable pattern formation is difficult, in the case that an electron beam lithography method that employs an XY stage, as in the field of semiconductors, is adopted. Accordingly, a lithography method, which is capable of drawing favorable patterns, is desired. In particular, the aforementioned second elements, which are shifted half a track pitch from the tracks (or only formed across half the tracks) cannot be drawn in a manner similar to that for drawing the first elements, and therefore, innovations are required. Accompanying increases in the numbers of tracks (numbers of sectors), the number of elements also becomes enormous. Thus, reductions in drawing times, by improvements in drawing speeds, as well as improvements in the shapes and positional accuracy of drawn elements across the entire surfaces of disks, are desired.

Electron beam lithography method, patterned master carrier for magnetic transfer, lithography method for patterned master carrier for magnetic transfer, and method for producing performatted magnetic recording media


The cat climbing apparatus provides for cats to scratch, stretch, climb, and position themselves at an elevated height. The sturdiness of the apparatus mounting brackets insures cat use, as cats hesitate or simply refuse to use scratching and climbing posts that are not sturdily anchored, one reason why cats often choose furniture over poorly designed cat implements. The apparatus provides for a user to arrange tubes, angles, and at least one platform as desired, thereby best fitting spaces available as well as providing aesthetic appeal and cat intrigue. The rope wrap of the tubes is durable and inviting to a cat.

Those who have lived with cats that have not been de-clawed are fully aware of the hazard presented to home indoors by same. While many devices have been proposed for alleviating the problems of having a cat indoors and also for aiding a cat in a healthy life, few provide even the basics for such. For example, cats need a scratching post that allows them to fully accommodate the cat's fully extended body. A cat also demands a scratching post that is extremely stable. Having a large based scratching device for stability is not always best because sufficient space is not always available. A further disadvantage of a large base is that it must be moved during housecleaning. A room's aesthetics are also subject to concern. Cats also have the desire to view their world from an elevated position, so a proper cat indoor device should provide for a cat's choice in achieving a relatively high altitude. Additionally, modularity provides for replacement of various parts—a design concern not always considered.


It is an object of the present invention to provide a transparent conductor exhibiting a small increase in resistance value even when used under high-humidity conditions over long periods of time. A transparent conductor in a preferred embodiment comprises indium tin oxide, an additive component having zinc oxide as a main component thereof, and a resin cured product, the content of the additive component being 0.1 to 50 wt % relative to the total amount of indium tin oxide and the additive component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transparent conductor.
2. Related Background Art
Transparent electrodes are widely used in display devices such as LCD, PDP, organic EL, touch panels and the like. Many such transparent electrodes are formed of a transparent conductor comprising, for instance, indium tin oxide (hereinafter "ITO" for short). Known such transparent conductors include, for instance, transparent conductors formed of a material comprising conductive oxide microparticles that contain, among others, indium oxide, tin oxide and/or zinc oxide, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-202738.


The invention relates to novel thermostable pullulanases obtainable from Pyrodictium.

The production of sweeteners from starch has been largely improved by application of different microbial enzymes to obtain better quality and yields, but the necessity of performing several steps of the starch-hydrolysing process at elevated temperatures means that there is still a need for new starch-hydrolysing enzymes with increased thermal stability.
It is known that Pyrococcus, e.g. Pyrococcus woesei and Pyrococcus furiosus, for reference see Arch. Microbiol. 155, 1991, pp. 572-578, and Appl. Env. Microbiol. 56, 1990, pp.1985-1991, can produce highly thermostable amylases.
The paper and pulp industry is using xylanase compositions in the bleaching process to enhance the brightness of bleached pulps, to decrease the amount of bleaching chemicals, e.g. chlorine, used in the bleaching stages, and to increase the freeness of pulps in the recycled paper process.
Thermostable xylanases from Thermotoca have been described, for reference see Biochem. J. 277(2), 1991, pp. 413-418.
It is the object of this invention to provide a xylanase, an amylase and a pullulanase with temperature optimum at 100.degree. C. or above 100.degree. C.


Exemplary embodiment for customizable drum sets for creating a drum set out of household items are disclosed herein. An exemplary drum set includes a frame, two or more holder sections, a first retaining member located within each holder section and a second retaining member located within each holder section. The drum set further includes at least one guide member and the first retaining member is movable along the guide member in a linear direction. A tensioner for causing the first retaining member to be biased towards the second retaining member is also included. The first retaining member and the second retaining member are configured to releasably secure a household item therebetween.

Percussion instruments are believed to be the oldest family of musical instruments after the human voice. A percussion instrument is defined as an instrument made of sonorous material. Vibrations in the sonorous material produce sounds of definite or indefinite pitch when shaken or struck.
It is believed that percussion instruments have existed since before 6000 B.C. The first types of percussion instruments were drums consisting simply of any object struck by other object (including human hands) to produce sound. For as long as people have understood that striking an object produces sound, they have been creating improvised percussion instruments (from hitting two sticks together to drumming on their desks with pencils, and including untold number of other combinations).
Household items are commonly repurposed as drums. Kitchen pots and pans, struck by wooden spoons, are a well-known example (see, for instance, the lyrics to "Shake, Rattle and Roll," written and first recorded in 1954, which state in relevant part, " . . . get in that kitchen, make some noise with the pots and pans . . . "). Recyclable items—coffee cans, milk jugs, plastic bottles, cardboard boxes, among many others—and other goods like inflatable balls. pillows and cushions are often conscripted into use as drums.

Apparatus for creating customized drum set


A rotary stove for warming food items being served at a table has a tray mounted on a base for rotation about a vertical axis and includes a central protrusion supporting a hot plate surrounded by a plurality of peripheral vessels removably seated in the tray. The tray has a first electric heater in contact with the hot plate and a plurality of second electric heaters each contacting respective ones of the removable vessels. The heaters are connected to a power supply by cooperating slip rings and brushes on the tray and base. A pot may be placed on the hot plate to be heated and different foods placed in the vessels for warming may be conveniently chosen by rotation of the tray. Alternatively, the plurality of removable vessels may be replaced by a single annular vessel in contact with the second heaters.

In a table serving dinner foods or dishes for a plurality of guests in a dinner party or for customers such as a group of the families or business colleagues in a restaurant, the foods especially the diversified Chinese foods once placed on the table will become cool to influence its delicous flavor or taste unless being frequently warmed by alcohol burner or other heating methods, causing a very inconvenient dinner service.
Even a chafing dish may be provided on the table for keeping the foods warm for the guests sitting around the table, the so many kinds of foods present on the table may require a plurality of chafing dishes for warming the foods, still causing an inconvenient dinner service. Meanwhile, it may embarrass the guest to pick up his or her preferred foods among the so many dishes, unless the table is made as a rotatable table.
Therefore, the present inventor invents a rotary stove for overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of a conventional dinner arrangement.

Rotary electric stove for heating and warming food at a table

c/o Hung Hsing Patent Service Center, P.O. Box 55-1670


Determining storage of particular data in cache memory of a storage device includes using a first mechanism to determine when to remove the particular data from the cache memory and using a second mechanism, independent from the first mechanism, to inhibit the particular data from being stored in the cache memory independent of whether the first mechanism otherwise causes the particular data to be stored in the cache memory. The first mechanism may remove data from the cache memory that was least recently accessed. The second mechanism may be based, at least in part, on a prediction value of an expected benefit of storing the particular data in the cache memory. The prediction value may be determined based on input data corresponding to measured cache read hits (RH), cache write hits (WH), cache read misses (RM), cache write destage operations (WD), and prefetch reads (PR) for the particular data.

Host processor systems may store and retrieve data using a storage device containing a plurality of host interface units (I/O modules), disk drives, and disk interface units (disk adapters). The host systems access the storage device through a plurality of channels provided therewith. Host systems provide data and access control information through the channels to the storage device and the storage device provides data to the host systems also through the channels. The host systems do not address the disk drives of the storage device directly, but rather, access what appears to the host systems as a plurality of logical disk units. The logical disk units may or may not correspond to any one of the actual disk drives. Allowing multiple host systems to access the single storage device unit allows the host systems to share data stored therein.
Performance of the storage device may be improved by using a cache memory, which is a relatively fast memory that is often volatile and often relatively more expensive. The cache memory temporarily stores data that is being accessed. Thus, for example, a block of data that is read by a host may initially be fetched from a disk drive and stored in the cache memory. Subsequent reads by a host system may then access the data in the cache memory so that it is not necessary to fetch the data from a disk drive after the initial fetch. Data that has been stored in the cache memory may be subsequently removed to make room for more recently accessed data.
A ratio of a number of times accessed data is in the cache memory (cache hit) to a number of times accessed data needs to be fetched from (or written to) non-volatile memory (cache miss) is called the cache hit rate. Since accessing data from the cache rather than from non-volatile memory is more efficient, it is desirable to increase the cache hit rate. One possibility is to increase the size of the cache memory and to decrease instances of data being removed therefrom. However, empirical analysis of cache behavior shows that the cache hit rate does not improve proportionally to the cache size. As more cache memory is added, the cache hit rate eventually reaches a plateau where the additional cache memory fails to produce any appreciable benefit.
Accordingly, it is desirable to increase efficiency (hit rate) of cache memory usage beyond any increase in hit rate values provided by increasing the cache memory size.

Optimizing cache performance with probabilistic model


In a light beam scanning recording device, a color image is recorded on a recording material by scanning the recording material in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction with light beams of three different wavelengths modulated according to an image signal. A light source which emits a plurality of light beams which form a predetermined number of beam spots on the recording material arranged in the sub-scanning direction is used as the light source for emitting light beams of each wavelength, whereby recording is effected simultaneously along the predetermined number of main scanning lines.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a light beam scanning recording device which records a color image by two-dimensionally scanning a recording material with light beams of a plurality of different wavelengths modulated according to information to be recorded, and more particularly to a light beam scanning recording system in which recording is effected simultaneously along a plurality of main scanning lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known various light beam scanning recording devices in which a color image is recorded on a recording material by modulating light beams of a plurality of different wavelengths according to an image signal and scanning the recording material in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction with the modulated light beams.
In such light beam scanning recording devices, each recording light beam is modulated by directly modulating a semiconductor laser which is used as a light source or by use of an external light modulator such as an acoustooptic modulator or an optoelectronic modulator, and intensity modulation, pulse width modulation or pulse number modulation is generally employed.
In order to record a high quality image at a high speed using such light beam scanning recording devices, it is necessary to increase the amount of light projected onto each picture element and widen the dynamic range. Such a requirement can be met by using a light source of a high output power and setting long the recording time for one picture element so that the pulse width and/or the pulse number can be modulated over a wide range.
However, increase in output power of the recording light source is inherently limited and especially when a semiconductor laser is used, the output power of the laser cannot be satisfactory. Further attempts have been made to increase the amount of light projected onto each picture element by combining light beams emitted from a plurality of semiconductor lasers into a single beam. However this approach is disadvantageous in that there is required a combining optical system which must be highly accurate in alignment, which adds to cost of the device.
On the other hand, when the recording time for one picture element is set long, the recording speed lowers.


A novel head stack assembly (HSA), and method for HSA assembly, are disclosed and claimed. A first flexure tail has a long axis approximately parallel to a side of the actuator arm. The actuator arm includes a slot in the side having a slot end. The first flexure tail is disposed partially within the slot. The first flexure tail includes a first raised region in contact with the slot adjacent the slot end. The first raised region includes an out-of-plane bend with cross-sectional curvature along the long axis. The first raised region may be squeezed while inserting the first flexure tail partially within the side slot, with the first raised region adjacent the slot end, and then allowed to expand into contact with the slot adjacent the slot end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of information storage devices, and more particularly to head stack assemblies used in such devices.
2. Background of the Art
Information storage devices are used to retrieve and/or store data in computers and other consumer electronics devices. A magnetic hard disk drive is an example of an information storage device that includes one or more heads that can both read and write, but other information storage devices also include heads—sometimes including heads that cannot write.
In a modern magnetic hard disk drive device, each head is a sub-component of a head-gimbal assembly (HGA) that typically includes a laminated flexure to carry the electrical signals to and from the head. The HGA, in turn, is a sub-component of a head-stack assembly (HSA) that typically includes a plurality of HGAs, an actuator, and a flex cable. The plurality of HGAs is attached to various arms of the actuator, and each of the laminated flexures of the HGAs has a flexure tail that is electrically connected to the HSA's flex cable.
Modern laminated flexures typically include conductive copper traces that are isolated from a stainless steel structural layer by a polyimide dielectric layer. So that the signals from/to the head can reach the flex cable on the actuator body, each HGA flexure includes a flexure tail that extends away from the head along the actuator arm and ultimately attaches to the flex cable adjacent the actuator body. That is, the flexure includes traces that extend from adjacent the head and terminate at electrical connection points at the flexure tail. The flex cable includes electrical conduits that correspond to the electrical connection points of the flexure tail.
Each flexure tail is physically held adjacent a supporting actuator arm, typically by adhesive tacking. If the flexure tail is not adequately secured to the actuator arm, air induced by disk rotation can cause the flexure tail to excessively flutter. Excessive flutter is undesirable because it can lead to excessive vibration of adjacent components, causing dynamic disturbances that can induce read/write errors. Excessive flutter may also cause contact locations between the flexure tail and actuator arm to wear, thereby generating debris particles that can undesirably contaminate the head/disk interface. On the other hand, adhesive tacking is undesirable because it is both a risky and cumbersome manufacturing process in a high-volume manufacturing environment. Disk drive components are typically assembled in clean rooms because small amounts of contamination can result in manufacturing yield loss due to interference with the operation of sensitive and high-precision components such as magnetic recording heads. Control of the spread of adhesive and its constitutive chemicals represents a formidable challenge in high volume disk drive manufacture, and therefore processes that require adhesive are not favored.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved flexure tail and actuator arm configurations to facilitate securing the flexure tail(s) to corresponding actuator arms with reduced need for adhesive tacking.

Head stack assembly with flexure tail retention features


An automated system may be employed to perform detection, analysis and recovery from faults occurring in a distributed computing system. Faults may be recorded in a metadata store for verification and analysis by an automated fault management process. Diagnostic procedures may confirm detected faults. The automated fault management process may perform recovery workflows involving operations such as rebooting faulting devices and excommunicating unrecoverable computing nodes from affected clusters.

A distributed computing system may be composed of many computing nodes. Depending on the architecture of the distributed system, each of these nodes may comprise numerous hardware components such as memory, storage devices and so forth, all of which have the potential to fail. In addition, the software components operating on the computing nodes may be subject to various faults, crashes, performance degradations and so forth. In some cases, the faults may cause the immediate failure of a computing node, while in others the fault may portend an approaching failure. In yet other cases, a fault may be safely ignored. Accordingly, management of a distributed computing system may involve investigating and responding to numerous faults and conditions. A delayed response to these faults and conditions may have a variety of detrimental effects, such as increasing the risk of a serious failure or increasing the length of time a computing node is unavailable.


A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a semiconductor substrate; an isolation region including a liner film formed so as to contact a lower surface and a lower side surface of an inner wall of a trench formed in the semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film formed so that at least a part of a side surface and a lower surface of the first insulating film contact the liner film within the trench, and a second insulating film formed so as to contact an upper side of the first insulating film and formed so as to contact an upper side surface of the inner wall of the trench, the second insulating film having a higher etching resistance than that of the first insulating film; and a plurality of semiconductor elements disposed on the semiconductor substrate so as to be isolated from one another by the isolation region.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a semiconductor device having a feature in its isolation structure, and a method of fabricating an isolation region of the semiconductor device.
An isolation structure useful in realizing scale down of semiconductor element structures has been required along with a high degree of integration of semiconductor devices. In recent years, a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure suitable for a finer isolation structure has been used instead of the conventional Local Oxidation of Silicon (LOCOS) structure. Proposals for various problems of the STI structure have been made for a generation in and after the 45 nm generation.
For example, a semiconductor device having an STI stricture in which a SiN film is formed as a liner film on an inner wall of a trench portion, and a polysilazane-spin on glass (P-SOG) film and an element insulating film are disposed in an upper side and a lower side of the trench portion, respectively, thereby obtaining a two-layer structure is known as conventional one. This semiconductor device, for example, is described in a non-patent literary document 1 of Jin-Hwa Heo, "Void Free and Stress Shallow Trench Isolation Technology using P-SOG for sub 0.1 μm Device", 2002 Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Papers. In this semiconductor device, the P-SOG film is disposed as an upper layer of the trench portion, which results in that it is possible to realize an improvement in productivity, relaxation of a stress, and reduction of voides.
In addition, a semiconductor device having an STI structure in which SiO2 films are formed in an upper side and a lower side of a trench portion by utilizing a plasma CVD method and a spin coating method, respectively, thereby obtaining a hybrid structure, for example, is known as another conventional one. This semiconductor device, for example, is described in a non-patent literary document 2 of K. Ota, "Stress Controlled Shallow Trench Technology to Suppress the Novel Anti-Isotropic Impurity Diffusion for 45 nm-node High-Performance CMOSFETs", 2005 Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Papers. In this semiconductor device, a stress direction can be controlled by the SiO2 film formed as the lower layer of the trench portion by utilizing the spin coating method, and an operating current of each of an n-channel FET and a p-channel FET can be improved by up to 20%. In addition, a leakage current caused to flow through a junction portion is improved because a compressive stress due to the STI structure is reduced by a stress relaxing function of the SiO2 film which is formed as the lower layer of the trench portion by utilizing the spin coating method.
However, in order to suppress the leakage current caused to flow through the junction portion in the STI structure as described above, it is necessary to prevent the compressive stress from being increased by thinning the SiO2 film which is formed as the upper layer of the STI structure by utilizing the plasma CVD method. On the other hand, this semiconductor device involves a problem that the liner film is formed near each of a source region and a drain region, thereby deteriorating short channel characteristics.

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating isolation region


Novel 2,2,4-trialkyl-1,2-dihydroquinazoline-3-oxides and their synthesis are described. These compounds possess cardiotonic activity, and are useful for the treatment of heart failure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel 2,2,4-trialkyl-1,2-dihydroquinazoline-3-oxides of the formula ##STR1## as described further below. These compounds possess cardiotonic activity, and are useful for the treatment of heart failure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fey, L. et al., J. Prakt. Chem. 35, 225 (1967) describes a 1,2-dihydro-2,4-dialkylquinazoline-3-oxide of the formula ##STR2##
Chem. Abstract 62, 16241/E describes similar compounds of the formulas ##STR3## where X is hydrogen or bromo.
Armarego, W.L.F. et. al., J. Chem. Soc. 6, 1433 (1966) describes another 1,2-dihydro-2,4-dialkylquinazoline-3-oxide of the formula ##STR4##


A connector element includes: at least two contact elements; and at least one latching element which has two diametrically opposed detents, which latching element is situated between the at least two contact elements. The at least one latching element is configured to be pivotable or bendable, and the two contact elements each have a recess for establishing a form-fit connection to one of the detents of the latching element. The recess is further configured to enable the latching element to be pivoted or bent in the direction of one of the two contact elements, so that the form-fit connection between the other contact element and the associated detent is able to be released.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plug connector technology for automotive applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional connector elements for automotive applications, contact elements are introduced into a contact carrier, for example, the housing of the connector element, after crimping, i.e., the connection of a cable to a contact element. In this context, the contact elements lock a so-called primary locking lance using either a flexible element on the contact element, or by a flexible element in the connector housing, which engages in a corresponding recess on the contact element.
For contact elements having a primary locking lance, it is frequently possible to achieve higher chamber extraction forces for a given overall size, since plastic undercuts provided for locking may be designed to be larger than plastic locking hooks of the connector element.
Conventional plastic locking hooks are frequently made up of a flexible bar, to which a detent is attached, which engages in an opening in the contact element or on an edge on the contact element.
FIGS. 1a through 1c show embodiments of connector elements.
Connector elements having chambers into which the contact elements may be introduced are known. These chambers have locking hooks (see FIG. 1a) situated at a position, for example, on a rear wall. These locking hooks 6 engage in openings 16 of a contact element 4 and lock it, so that contact element 4 is prevented from being extracted from or sliding out of housing 14 of a connector element 2.
Another embodiment uses locking hooks, in which the movement of the hooks is not limited by chamber walls. The elimination of rear or intermediate spaces between contact elements and latching elements makes it possible to reduce the space requirement per chamber.
The movement of a locking hook 6 may occur, for example, in a recess, which is present in any case, or also in the direction of an additional locking hook 6 (see FIG. 1b). Alternatively, a locking hook 6 may also be used in the direction of an additional contact chamber on the side facing away from separate locking hook 6 (see FIG. 1c). For this purpose, in particular the removal of a contact element may require the previous removal of an additional contact element 4. In particular, compared to FIG. 1c, it may be necessary to remove right contact element 4 first in order to subsequently be able to remove left contact element 4. On the other hand, it may thus be possible to fix left contact element 4 using right contact element 4. Thus, depending on the system, limitations may be present with respect to the assembly sequence of the individual contacts (see FIG. 1c).
The dimensioning of a locking hook and thus also the buckling resistance to the extraction force are directly incorporated in the achievable row spacing in plug connector 2.

Plug connector having novel primary locking hooks


A pressure alarm for sewage treatment systems such as waste-water or sewage treatment tanks which require water level control. In a preferred embodiment the pressure alarm includes a pressure sensing apparatus which includes a tee or elbow located in a tank or system aerator air line, a nipple set into the tee leg of the tee or the elbow and a ball float fitted with a shaft or neck extending through the nipple and receiving an air deflector. According to the method of this invention, the air deflector projects into the run of the tee or the elbow responsive to floating of the ball float upwardly in a high water condition in the treatment tank or system. Extension of the air deflector into the run of the tee or the elbow causes a pressure drop through the tee or elbow as air is deflected from the run of the tee through the tee leg or elbow. A control system including a pressure-sensitive switch, is provided, typically on a conventional compressor or blower for sensing this pressure drop and sounding an audible and/or a visual alarm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/058,569, filed Sep. 11, 1997.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to alarm systems for high water conditions in water, waste-water or sewage treatment systems and tanks and more particularly, to a pressure-reducing apparatus attached to the air supply line of a treatment system or tank for effecting a reduction in the incoming aeration air pressure and a pressure-sensing system attached to the air supply compressor or mounted in or on the air supply line for indicating the pressure reduction by audible and/or visual alarms. In a preferred embodiment the pressure-reducing element includes a fitting such as a tee or elbow located in the incoming aeration air pressure line, a nipple which may be perforated in one embodiment and is typically threadably inserted in the leg of the tee or elbow, a slotted collar may be provided in the nipple in the perforated nipple embodiment of the invention and a float is extended below the nipple and is provided with a rod, shaft or neck that extends through the nipple and the tee leg or elbow and terminates at an air deflector that normally seats in the mouth of the nipple. According to the method of this invention, under conditions of high water or sewage in the treatment tank or system, the float is displaced upwardly, thus projecting the air deflector into the run of the tee or into the elbow, and causing a pressure drop through the tee or elbow, as air is deflected through the float neck or the collar slots and the perforations in the nipple mounted in the tee leg or elbow. This reduction in pressure is sensed by a pressure-sensing switch and control circuit mounted on a conventional air compressor or blower or in the air supply line, which control circuit typically includes audible and visual alarms for alerting treatment tank or system personnel as to the abnormally high water or sewage condition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of techniques and systems have been developed for detecting high water in waste-water and sewage treatment tanks and systems. Many of these devices are electrical in nature and depend upon a float mechanism of various design, which causes a short or other disrupted electrical connection under conditions of high water in the tank or system monitored, to thus sound an alarm and alert treatment tank or system personnel. Typical of these devices is the "Liquid Level Controlling Device" detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,678, dated Sep. 24, 1963, to Cole. The fluid controlling apparatus includes a pneumatic, single-diaphragm control mechanism coupled to a liquid supply control valve, for controlling the level of a liquid in a tank or vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,507, dated Dec. 19, 1967, to Montgomery, details a "Septic Tank Sludge Indicator" which includes an outer tube and an inner tube provided in the outer tube, with multiple selenium cells connected in parallel to each other and located within the inner tube. A light source is located adjacent to the outer tube, such that electric current emitted from the selenium cells and lighting the light is a function of the thickness of the sludge in the tank. U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,437, dated Jun. 8, 1971, to Mastroianni, details a "Whiteprint Duplicating Machine Liquid Supply System", which includes a metering device and a reservoir which receives a liquid developer. A pump elevates liquid from the bottom of a container to the top of the reservoir and a relay energizes a signal device such as a lamp or buzzer if the liquid level in the reservoir falls below a vertical air pipe connected to an air-sensitive switch and the reservoir. U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,602, dated Jan. 7, 1975, to Brym, details an "Air Operated Safety Shutoff System For Liquid Reservoir Feed". The system is designed to control the level liquid in a container and includes a pressurized air system for maintaining a valve in a liquid feed system in the open condition. A valve in a safety alarm system is closed during normal safe operation and any unsafe condition depressurizes the system to close the liquid feed line and engage the safety valve. A "Septic Tank System" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,612, dated May 4, 1976, to Wilkerson. The system is provided with an indicator above the ground surface to indicate the water level and the tributaries leading from the tank, so that any excess water in the tank may be pumped out of the tank before it causes backup of sewage upstream in the septic tank. U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,038, dated Dec. 12, 1978, to Leutenegger, details an "Apparatus For Indicating the Level of Liquids in the Containers or Watercraft". The compartment or container includes a float connected to a piston by a vertical piston rod. The piston rises in a cylinder when the float rises in response to admission of liquid into the compartment, such that the piston effects two timely spaced compressions of a confined gas, which actuates a pilot valve for a flow-regulating valve when the pressure of the confined gas reaches a preselected value. Warning signals are provided for signaling "full" and "empty" conditions of the tank or compartment. An "Automatic Tank Reading Gauge" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,493, dated Jan. 2, 1990, to Johnson et al. The device includes an elongated, flexible measuring member having a scale with a float affixed to one end and a counterweight at the other end. A measuring member is positioned within an O-shaped body having a weep hole, an air check valve and a top sight area. When the body is placed through a filler hole to extend to the bottom of a tank, the volume of fluid within the tank is indicated at the top sight area. U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,818, dated Aug. 27, 1996, to McGrew, details a "Sewage Treatment System", including a cylindrical tank fitted with an air distribution system for aerating the sewage in the tank. The tank is typical of the system in which the pressure alarm for sewage treatment of this invention can be utilized.
It is an object of this invention to provide a pressure alarm and method of operation for water and sewage treatment systems, including treatment tanks and vessels, which alarm is characterized by a float-type pressure-reducing element that responds to a high water or sewage condition in the tank or vessel and reduces air pressure in the air supply system and a pressure-sensing element that senses this reduction in the pressure of the aeration air flowing into the tank, to sound and/or visually indicate an alarm.
Another object of the invention is to provide a pressure alarm and method of operation for sewage and waste-water treatment systems, which alarm includes a pressure-reducing apparatus, typically including a tee or elbow located in the aeration air line entering the system or tank, a float located beneath the tee or elbow and aligned with a pipe or nipple, which may be perforated and is typically threaded into the tee or elbow leg and a shaft or neck connecting the float to an air deflector normally seated in the top of the nipple inside the line. According to the method of this invention the air deflector is designed to extend upwardly into the tee run or elbow when the water or sewage rises abnormally high in the tank or vessel, responsive to flotation of the float and air pressure is reduced in the tee run or elbow and the air line, as air is diverted from the tee run or elbow through the float neck or the perforations in the pipe or nipple.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a pressure alarm for sewage and waste-water treatment tanks and a method for indicating a high water or sewage condition in a tank or vessel, which alarm includes a pressure-reducing air deflector system for deflecting air from the aeration air line extending into the tank responsive to operation of a float, wherein the pressure reduction in the aeration air line is sensed by a pressure-sensing switch and control system mounted on a pump or blower or in or on the aeration air line, for indicating, visually, audibly or both, the high water or sewage condition in the tank.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved pressure alarm and method for sewage treatment tanks and systems, which alarm system includes a pressure-reducing apparatus characterized by a tee or an elbow located in the aeration line extending into the tank, a nipple, (which may be perforated), threaded into or otherwise seated in the tee leg of the tee or in the elbow, a ball float located beneath the tee or elbow and the nipple and fitted with a shaft or ball neck projecting through the nipple and terminating in an air deflector which normally seats in the mouth of the nipple and allows air to flow freely through the run of the tee, or to bypass the elbow. The air is caused to flow through the aeration line and tee run and normally bypass the elbow by means of a conventional pump or blower which is typically fitted with a pressure-sensing switch and control system for monitoring the pressure of the aeration air. According to the method of this invention, when a high water or sewage condition exists in the tank, the buoyant ball float is forced upwardly, thereby elevating the air deflector into the run of the tee or into the elbow and deflecting air through the nipple and the air spaces or passages in the ball neck or the perforations in the nipple, thus reducing the pressure of the air in the run of the tee or elbow. This pressure reduction is sensed by the pressure switch mounted on the blower or pump or elsewhere pneumatically connected to the aeration line. This decrease in air pressure triggers either a visual, audible or both, alarm by operation of the pressure switch control system, thus indicating the high water condition in the tank or system.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method for indicating a high water, waste-water or sewage condition in a tank or vessel by pressure differential, which method includes the steps of providing a float beneath an air supply line to the tank or vessel; mounting an air deflector on the float for extension into the air supply line responsive to flotation of the float with the high water or sewage and diverting air from the air supply line to create a pressure reduction in the air supply line; providing a pressure-sensing device in pneumatic association with the air supply line for sensing the pressure reduction in the air supply line; and providing an alarm system in association with the pressure-sensing device for indicating an alarm in the high water or sewage condition.

Pressure alarm and method of operation for sewage treatment system


A closure for a beverage container holder, comprising a unitary closure assembly, comprising an integral hole having a diameter, wherein the diameter is sufficient to passably dispose a neck of a beverage container bottle therethrough, and wherein the diameter is smaller than the diameter of the beverage container bottle, a resiliently compressible lining disposed about the inner circumference of the integral hole, a gripping area for a user's hand, and a lateral engaging surface constructed of a resiliently compressible material and capable of exerting a lateral engaging force against a lateral engaging surface for a beverage container holder when integrally positioned, wherein the lateral engaging surface is generally cylindrical, and wherein the lateral engaging surface is of a narrower diameter than the gripping area and a larger diameter than the integral hole.

Various beverages are preferably served at a particular temperature. A wide variety of techniques have been employed to keep beverages as close to the optimum consuming temperature as possible for as long as possible. For example, ice buckets have been used to chill wine, and foam and/or fabric insulation devices, e.g., koozies, have been employed to insulate beverages in cans or bottles. Prior techniques suffer from a variety of drawbacks, e.g., spilling, slipping, poor thermal performance characteristics, difficulty of use, etc. Accordingly, one object of this disclosure is to provide a simple, effective technique for neatly maintaining temperature of a beverage in a container.


A memory is composed o a storage element 10 having a magnetization fixed layer 3 provided relative to a storage layer 5 through an intermediate layer 4 in which the direction of magnetization of the storage layer 5 is changed with application of an electric current to the storage element 10 in the lamination layer direction to record information on the storage layer 5 and a wiring through which an electric current flows to the lamination layer direction of the storage element 10, wherein when information is read out from the storage layer 5, an electric current of the same polarity as that of an electric current to record information in such a manner that an electric resistance of the storage element 10 is changed from the high resistance state to the low resistance state flows through the wiring to the storage element 10.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory including a storage element composed of a storage layer to store the magnetization state of a ferromagnetic layer as information and a magnetization fixed layer of which magnetization direction is fixed and in which the magnetization direction is changed with application of an electric current. More particularly, this invention relates to a memory suitable for use as the application to a nonvolatile memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
As information communication equipment, in particular, personal small information equipment such as personal digital assistants is widespread rapidly, it is requested that devices such as memory and logic constructing personal small information equipment should become higher in performance in such a way as to become higher in integration degree, to become higher in operation speed and to become smaller in power consumption.
In particular, technologies to make semiconductor nonvolatile memories become higher in speed and larger in storage capacity become more important as complementary technologies to a magnetic hard disk which has been so far essentially difficult to be miniaturized, to become higher in speed and to become lower in power consumption due to the presence of movable parts and the like. Also, the above-mentioned technologies to realize the above-mentioned high-speed and large-capacity semiconductor nonvolatile memory become more important in order to realize new functions such as a so-called "instant on" by which an operation system can get started at the same time it is energized.
A semiconductor flash memory and a FeRAM (ferroelectric nonvolatile memory) and the like are now commercially available as the nonvolatile memory, and such nonvolatile memories are now under active research and development in order to make nonvolatile memories become higher in performance.
In recent years, as a new nonvolatile memory using a magnetic material, a MRAM (magnetic random-access memory) using a tunnel magnetoresistive effect has been developed and advanced so far remarkably and it now receive a remarkable attention (see Cited Non-Patent References 1 and 2, for example).
This MRAM has a structure in which very small magnetic memory devices to record information are located regularly, wirings, for example, word lines and bit lines being provided to access these magnetic memory devices.
Each magnetic memory device includes a storage layer to record information as the magnetization direction of a ferromagnetic material.
Then, as the arrangement of the magnetic memory device, there is employed a structure using a so-called magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ: magnetic tunnel junction) composed of the above-mentioned storage layer, a tunnel insulating layer (nonmagnetic spacer film) and a magnetization fixed layer whose magnetization direction is fixed. The magnetization direction of the magnetization fixed layer can be fixed by providing an antiferromagnetic layer, for example.
Since this structure generates a so-called tunnel magnetoresistive effect in which a resistance value relative to a tunnel electric current flowing through the tunnel insulating film changes in response to an angle formed between the magnetization direction of the storage layer and the magnetization direction of the magnetization fixed layer, it is possible to write (record) information by using this tunnel magnetoresistive effect. The magnitude of this resistance value becomes the maximum value when the magnetization direction of the storage layer and the magnetization direction of the magnetization fixed layer are anti-parallel to each other and it becomes the minimum value when they are parallel to each other.
According to the magnetic memory device having the above-mentioned arrangement, information can be written (recorded) on the magnetic memory device by controlling the magnetization direction of the storage layer of the magnetic memory device with application of a synthesized electric current magnetic field generated when an electric current flows through both of the word line and the bit line. It is customary to store a difference between the resultant magnetization directions (magnetized states) of the storage layer in response to "0" information or "1" information.
When on the other hand recorded information is read out from the magnetic memory device, a memory cell is selected by using a device such as a transistor and a difference between the magnetization directions of the storage layer is detected as a difference between voltage signals by using the tunnel magnetoresistive effect of the magnetic memory device, whereby recorded information can be detected.
Having compared this MRAM with other nonvolatile memories, it is to be understood that the maximum merit of the MRAM is that, since "0" information and "1" information are rewritten by inverting the magnetization direction of the storage layer formed of the ferromagnetic material, the MRAM can be rewritten at a high speed nearly infinitely (>1015 times).
However, the MRAM has to generate a relatively large electric current magnetic field to rewrite recorded information and hence an electric current of a certain large magnitude (for example, about several milliamperes (mA)) should flow through the address wirings. Therefore, it is unavoidable that power consumption of the MRAM is increased considerably.
Also, the MRAM needs write address wiring and read address wiring and hence it has been difficult to microminiaturize a memory cell from a structure standpoint.
Further, as the device is microminiaturized increasingly, the address wiring also is reduced in width so that it becomes difficult to apply a sufficient electric current to the address wiring. In addition, since coercive force of the device is increased, a necessary electric current magnetic field is increased and hence power consumption of the device is increased.
Accordingly, it has been difficult to microminiaturize the device.
For this reason, a memory having an arrangement to use magnetization inversion generated by spin transfer receives a remarkable attention as an arrangement capable of inverting the magnetization direction with application of a small electric current.
Magnetization inversion generated by spin transfer is to cause magnetization inversion to occur in other magnetic material by injecting spin-polarized electrons from the magnetic material to other magnetic material (see Cited Patent Reference 1, for example).
Specifically, magnetization inversion generated by spin transfer is a phenomenon to give torque to the magnetization of this magnetic layer when spin-polarized electrons passed through the magnetic layer (magnetization fixed layer) of which magnetization direction is fixed enter other magnetic layer (magnetization free layer) whose magnetization direction is not fixed. Then, the magnetization direction of the magnetic layer (magnetization free layer) can be inverted with application of an electric current of a magnitude higher than a certain threshold value.
For example, with application of an electric current to a giant magnetoresistive effect device (GMR device) or a magnetic tunnel junction device (MTJ device) including a magnetization fixed layer and a magnetization free layer in the direction perpendicular to the film plane thereof, the magnetization direction of at least a part of the magnetic layer of these devices can be inverted.
Thus, when the storage element including the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization free layer (storage layer) is constructed and a polarity of an electric current flowing through the storage element is changed, the magnetization direction of the storage layer is inverted to rewrite "0" information and "1" information.
When recorded information is read out from the memory, recorded information can be read out from the memory by using the tunnel magnetoresistive effect similarly to the MRAM because this memory has the arrangement in which the tunnel insulating layer is provided between the magnetization fixed layer and the magnetization free layer (storage layer).
Then, magnetization inversion based on spin transfer has an advantage in that magnetization inversion can be realized without increasing an electric current even when the device is microminiaturized.
An absolute value of an electric current flowing through the storage element to invert the magnetization direction is less than 1 mA in a storage element of the scale of approximately 0.1 μm, for example. In addition, the above-mentioned absolute value is decreased in proportion to a volume of a storage element, which is advantageous from a scaling standpoint.
In addition, since the recording word line, which has been required by the MRAM, becomes unnecessary, this memory has an advantage in that the arrangement of the memory cell can be simplified.
[Cited Non-Patent Reference 1]: NIKKEI ELECTRONICS, 2001, VOL. 2. 12 (pp. 164 to 171)
[Cited Non-Patent Reference 2]: J. NaHas et al., IEEE/ISSCC 2004 Visulas Supplement, p. 22
[Cited Patent Reference 1]: Official Gazette of Japanese laid-open patent application No. 2003-17782
If the memory is constructed by using the magnetization inversion based on the above-mentioned spin transfer, then when information is written in the storage layer (information is rewritten by "0" information and "1" information) and information is read out from the storage layer, an electric current passes the same channel.
For this reason, it is requested that a read electric current should be set sufficiently lower than a write electric current and that dispersions of both read and write electric currents should be suppressed at the minimum so that information may be prevented from being written by mistake during information is being read out from the memory.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an arrangement of a storage element capable of recording information by using spin transfer according to the related art.
As shown in FIG. 1, this storage element 110 is composed of an underlayer 101, an antiferromagnetic layer 102, a magnetization fixed layer 103, a nonmagnetic layer 104, a storage layer 105 and a capping layer 106 laminated with each other, in that order, from the lower layer.
The storage layer 105 is made of a ferromagnetic material having uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and the storage element 110 is able to store information therein depending on the magnetization state of this storage layer 105, that is, the direction of a magnetization M112 of the storage layer 105.
The magnetization fixed layer 103 made of a ferromagnetic material and of which direction of a magnetization M111 is fixed is provided through the nonmagnetic layer 104 to the storage layer 105. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, since the antiferromagnetic layer 102 is formed on the lower layer of the magnetization fixed layer 103, the direction of the magnetization M111 of the magnetization fixed layer 103 is fixed by the action of this antiferromagnetic layer 102.
When information is written in this storage element 110, the direction of the magnetization direction M112 of the storage layer 105 is inverted based on spin transfer with application of an electric current flowing through the direction perpendicular to the film plane of the storage layer 105, that is, the lamination layer direction of the storage element 110.
Magnetization inversion based on spin transfer will be described in brief.
Electron has two kinds of spin angular momentums. Let it be assumed that the two kinds of spin angular momentums are defined as upward spin angular momentum and downward spin angular momentum. Both of the upward spin angular momentums and the downward spin angular momentums are of the same number within the nonmagnetic material but they are different in number within the ferromagnetic material.
In the storage element 110 shown in FIG. 1, let it be considered the case in which the directions of the magnetic moments are anti-parallel to each other in the magnetization fixed layer 103 and the storage layer 105 and in which electrons are to be transferred from the magnetization fixed layer 103 to the storage layer 105.
Electrons passed through the magnetization fixed layer 103 are spin-polarized so that the upward spin angular momentum and the downward spin angular momentum are different from each other in number.
If electrons reach the other magnetic material before the thickness of the nonmagnetic layer 104 is sufficiently thin so that spin polarization is relaxed and electrons are placed in the non-polarized state (upward spin momentum and downward spin momentum are the same in number) of the ordinary nonmagnetic material, then since the directions of the magnetic moments of the magnetization fixed layer 103 and the storage layer 105 are anti-parallel to each other and signs of degree of spin polarization are opposite to each other, a part of electrons is inverted, that is, the direction of the spin angular momentum is changed in order to decrease energy of the system. At that time, since a total angular momentum of the system should be preserved, reaction equivalent to the total of angular momentums changed by electrons of which directions are changed is given to the magnetic moment of the storage layer 105.
When there are few electric currents, that is, electrons passed at the unit time, there are a small total number of electrons whose directions are to be changed so that the change of the angular momentum generated in the magnetic moment of the storage layer 105 is small. However, when an electric current is increased, many changes of the angular momentums can be given to the electrons within the unit time. The time change of the angular momentum is torque. When torque exceeds a threshold value, the magnetic moment M112 of the storage layer 105 starts to be inverted and it is stabilized after it was rotated 180 degrees owing to its uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. That is, the magnetic moment is inverted from the anti-parallel state to the parallel state.
On the other hand, when the directions of the magnetic moments are parallel to each other in the magnetization fixed layer 103 and the storage layer 105, if an electric current flows through the direction to transfer electrons from the storage layer 105 to the magnetization fixed layer 103, then torque is applied to the magnetization fixed layer 103 and the storage layer 105 when electrons spin-inverted after they were reflected on the magnetization fixed layer 103 enter the storage layer 105 with the result that the magnetic moments can be inverted from the parallel state into the anti-parallel state.
However, an amount of an electric current required to invert the magnetic moments from the parallel state to the anti-parallel state is increased more as compared with that required when the magnetic moments are inverted from the anti-parallel state to the parallel state.
As described above, information ("0" information and "1" information) is recorded on the storage layer 105 with application of electric currents higher than a certain threshold value corresponding to the respective polarities in the direction from the magnetization fixed layer 103 to the storage layer 105 and vice versa.
Also, information can be read out from the storage layer 105 by using a resistance change dependent on a relative angle between the magnetic moments of the storage layer 105 and the magnetization fixed layer (reference layer) 103, that is, a so-called magnetoresistive effect in which the minimum resistance is obtained when the magnetic moments are parallel to each other and in which the maximum resistance is obtained when the magnetic moments are anti-parallel to each other.
Specifically, when a substantially constant voltage is applied to the storage element 110 and a magnitude of an electric current flowing at that time is detected, information can be read out from the storage layer 105.
In the following description, a relationship between the resistance state of the storage element 110 and information will be prescribed in such a manner that a low resistance state is prescribed as "1" information, a high resistance state being prescribed as "0" information, respectively.
Also, an electric current to transfer electrons from the capping layer 106 shown in FIG. 1 to the underlayer 101, that is, from the upper layer to the lower layer is prescribed as a positive polarity electric current. At that time, when a positive polarity electric current flows through the storage element 110, electrons are transferred from the capping layer 106 to the underlayer 101, that is, from the storage layer 105 to the magnetization fixed layer 103 so that the direction of the magnetization M111 of the magnetization fixed layer 103 and the direction of the magnetization M112 of the storage layer 105 are placed in the anti-parallel state, thereby resulting in the storage element 110 being set to the high resistance state as mentioned hereinbefore.
Accordingly, an electric current to write "1" information (low resistance state) becomes negative in polarity and an electric current to write "0" information (high resistance state) becomes positive in polarity.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a mutual relationship between operation electric currents for write operation and read operation in a storage element like the storage element 110, shown in FIG. 1, for recording information by using spin transfer. In FIG. 2, a horizontal axis represents an electric current and a vertical axis represents the number of elements through which an electric current of a certain magnitude flows upon predetermined operation.
FIG. 2 shows distributions and average values of electric currents +Iw and −Iw which are required to write "1" information or "0" information, respectively.
Further, in FIG. 2, Ir0 and Ir1 denote distributions and average values of electric currents required upon reading. Ir0 with a small electric current amount corresponds to the reading of the high resistance state ("0" information) and Ir1 with a large electric current amount corresponds to the reading of the low resistance state ("1" information). In FIG. 2, reference numeral Ic denotes an electric current which flows through a read reference cell (cell to generate a reference electric current for use with an operational amplifier for comparison). Reference numeral ΔI denotes a difference current corresponding to the change of resistance upon reading.
In the storage element for recording information by using spin transfer, it has been customary that a read electric current may have an arbitrary polarity.
Also, the write electric current −Iw with the write polarity, that is, the negative polarity may optionally correspond to the writing of "1" information or the writing of "0" information, which may be prescribed depending on the arrangement of the multilayer film of the storage element 110.
However, when the resistance value of "1" information, that is, the low resistance state is low, as shown in FIG. 3, the electric current Ir1 flowing through the storage element 110 when "1" information is read is increased and it becomes a value close to the electric current +Iw required to write information. As a result, it is frequently observed that the bottom edges of the distributions of the electric current values having dispersions may overlap with each other.
At that time, since the distributions of the electric current values of the read electric current Ir1 and the write electric current +Iw overlap with each other, there is a possibility that an error which causes information to be written in the storage element 110 although information should be read out from the storage element 110 will occur.
Then, this fact becomes disadvantageous against the case in which it is intended to decrease the write electric current +Iw in order to decrease electric power and the like. Further, from a development standpoint, this fact inevitably encounters with the difficulties in which dispersions of the write electric current and the read electric current should be suppressed in order to decrease the portion in which the write electric current and the read electric current overlap with each other.

Choosing read/write current polarities to reduce errors in a magnetic memory


Embodiments are disclosed that relate to calibrating a predetermined eye location in a head-mounted display. For example, in one disclosed embodiment a method includes displaying a virtual marker visually alignable with a real world target at an alignment condition. At the alignment condition, image data is acquired to determine a location of the real world target. From the image data, an estimated eye location relative to a location of the head-mounted display is determined. Based upon the estimated eye location, the predetermined eye location is then calibrated.

Near-eye display systems, such as head-mounted displays, present virtual content to the eyes of a user. To provide a realistic virtual image or hologram, the virtual content may be stereoscopically rendered from the point of view of each eye. To determine each eye's point of view, an estimated location of each of the user's eyes may be determined. In one example, the interpupillary distance (IPD) of the user and/or one or more assumptions regarding a location of the eyes relative to the display may be assumed or ascertained.
However, the use of an IPD to determine an estimated location of a user's eyes may pose various challenges. For example, depending upon the age, gender and other characteristics of a user, an IPD may range from 40 mm or less to 73 mm or more. Thus, using an assumed IPD introduces uncertainty into the accuracy of the corresponding estimated location. Further, directly measuring the IPD of a user typically involves an optical professional measuring the user's IPD using a millimeter ruler or a corneal reflex pupillometer. Visiting such a professional to acquire an IPD measurement may impose a significant inconvenience on a user of a near-eye display, as well as additional expense.
Additionally, it will be appreciated that an IPD value provides the distance between the pupils of each eye, without reference to each eye's location relative to the actual near-eye display. Thus, using solely an IPD value to estimate a user's eye location provides limited information with regard to each eye's actual location relative to the display.


A gripper arm for a gripping device for grasping, holding and guiding containers, comprises at least one rotatably mounted control cam, the control cam designed and disposed such that the gripper arm can be moved from at least one first position into at least one second position and/or vice versa, wherein the gripper arm comprises at least one bore hole for at least partially receiving a bearing pin, wherein the bearing pin is designed such that the gripper arm can pivot in the gripping device, and wherein the gripper arm further comprises at least one seating for a closing means configured such that it can move the gripper arm from the second position into the first position and/or vice versa, and wherein the gripper arm comprises at least one gripping section at least partially of fork-like form. A gripping device, a transport mechanism and a transport system is also provided.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a gripper arm for a gripping device for grasping, holding and/or guiding in particular small and round containers as well as a gripping device, a transport mechanism and a transport system.
2. Background Information
Gripping devices for grasping, holding and/or guiding in particular small and large (albeit not exclusively round, but also oval, uniformly polygonal, etc.) containers are already known in the prior art and are used in assembly line container processing operations.
As used in the following, the term "container" refers in particular, but not solely, to small and round containers, particularly those having a circular cross section, e.g. small bottles or cans made of glass, metal or plastic.
Particularly when cleaning, filling or sealing, the containers are grasped at an infeed station by a gripping device having at least one pair of gripper arms and transported to the next station in the process. Such a gripping device for a container transport system has two gripper arms and can alternate between a gripping position and an open position. In order to transport a container, the gripper arms normally grasp underneath the collar of the neck or, particularly in the case of small bottles, around the body of the container. An opening means is normally provided to open and close the gripping device.
The gripper arms of a gripping device normally grasp a bottle to be transported underneath the collar of the bottle's neck or around the body of the bottle. While gripping the collar of the bottle's neck allows a container to be stably guided, gripping, and thus guiding, from the body of the bottle is less stable due to the higher center of gravity and the lack of a collar. This is especially the case with elongated and/or filled containers. While the skilled person knows that using a plurality of gripper arm pairs to hold a container will have a stabilizing effect, because of the multi-part components involved, doing so increases the complexity of a gripping device, and hence its manufacturing, maintenance and cleaning expenditures. The impurities which collect on the gripper arm pairs is disadvantageous, particularly in the case of hygiene-sensitive processes such as bottling milk or baby food. Impurities thereby accumulate particularly in recesses in and/or between the components.
Hence, operating a gripping device as known in the prior art gives rise to either stability problems when holding and guiding containers or increased manufacturing, maintenance and cleaning expenditures, which has proven disadvantageous particularly when used in sectors such as the industrial filling of beverage or juice bottles. Solving in particular the above cited problems is thus desirable.


An actuator is provided with an output shaft connected to a driving gear, a pair of cam followers turned by the shaft and driving the cams held on driven shafts urging members held in housings of the driving gear, a rotation retaining plate mounted on the output shaft so that the rotation retaining plate cannot be rotated relatively to the output shaft, a plurality of pressing parts formed on the rotation retaining plate so as to project therefrom, and slits for preventing the driving gear and pressing parts from interfering with each other. The rotation of the driving gear is transmitted to the output shaft via the springs and rotation retaining plate. When the rotation of the driving gear is continued with the output shaft locked and stopped, one of both end portions of each spring is pressed by the corresponding pressing member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over apparatus suitably used for a part-time four-wheel drive vehicle (4WD) and the like, and an actuator for driving the same.
2. Related Art
A part-time four-wheel drive vehicle (4WD) capable of driving four wheels only in case of necessity in a two-wheel drive vehicle is known. A change-over apparatus for switching two-wheel driving condition and four-wheel driving condition from one to the other in such a part-time four-wheel drive vehicle is also known which is adapted to selectively drive a two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over shaft and a four-wheel speed change-over shaft so that four driving condition including two-wheel driving, four-wheel high-speed driving, four-wheel neutral and four-wheel low-speed driving condition can be switched from one to another.
A related art actuator has some inconveniences. Namely, when two-wheel driving condition is switched to four-wheel driving condition, the phases of an output gear for rear wheels and a front drive gear are shifted from each other, and the spline engaging of the two gears with each other cannot be done by a two-wheel and four-wheel drive change-over slider in some cases. When four-wheel driving condition is switched to two-wheel driving condition, the power needed to stop the spline engaged condition of the two gears becomes too large, and the two gears cannot be disengaged from each other in some cases. It is also known that this actuator is provided as countermeasures with a waiting mechanism for waiting for a certain period of time until the time at which the two gears are meshed with each other or disengaged from each other. The related art examples of such techniques include the techniques disclosed in, for example, JP-A-7-179138. A waiting mechanism disclosed in this publication includes a spiral spring, first and second plates and a bush member. Therefore, the number of the parts is large, and a work efficiency in the assembling of the parts is low. Moreover, since the dimensions of the waiting mechanism increase, the actuator as a whole became large-sized.
Under the circumstances, the present invention has been made so as to solve these problems, and aims at providing a miniaturized, inexpensive actuator by reducing the number of parts constituting a waiting mechanism and thereby improving the work efficiency in the assembling of the parts.
A first invention provides an actuator which has two driven shafts arranged in parallel with each other and made movable in the axial direction thereof, and cams held on these driven shafts for driving the driven shafts respectively, and which is adapted to move the driven shafts selectively in the axial direction thereof by a predetermined stroke by driving each cam to a predetermined stopping position in accordance with a mode changed over from another by a switching operation of an operating switch having a plurality of modes to be switched, the actuator including a motor adapted to be rotated forward or backward by a current supplied thereto, a driving gear meshed with a worm formed on a shaft of the motor, an output shaft connected to the driving gear, a pair of cam followers adapted to be turned by a rotation of the output shaft, and engaged with the cams and drive the same, urging members held in urging member housings formed at predetermined intervals along a circle which is the same as an outer circumference of the driving gear, a rotation retaining plate mounted on the output shaft so that the rotation retaining plate cannot be rotated relatively thereto, a plurality of pressing parts each of which is formed so as to project from the rotation retaining plate, and each of which is capable of pressing either one of both end portions of each urging member, slits formed in the portions of the driving gear which are among the urging member housings so as to prevent the driving gear and pressing parts from interfering with each other, a first actuator case in which the driving gear, rotation retaining plate and output shaft are housed, and a second actuator case fixed to the first actuator case, supporting each driven shaft so that the driven shafts can be moved freely in the axial direction thereof and housing each of the cams therein, a rotation of the driving gear being transmitted to the output shaft via each urging member and rotation retaining plate, either one of both end portions of each urging member being pressed by a corresponding pressing part of the rotation retaining plate when the rotation of the driving gear is continued after the output shaft is locked and stopped in the intermediate position of the rotation thereof.
A second invention provides an actuator which is in accordance with that of the first invention, in which the plural urging member housings formed on the driving gear is three arcuate urging member housings arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction thereof, the urging members being three cylindrical compression springs.
A third invention provides an actuator for actuating a two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over apparatus having a first change-over shaft for switching two-wheel drive/four-wheel drive and a second change-over shaft for changing speeds of four wheels, the first and second change-over shaft being arranged in parallel with each other in a transfer and movable in axial directions thereof by cams held on the first and second change-over shafts for driving the first and second change-over shafts respectively, wherein the actuator is adapted to switch selectively from one to another of four driving conditions including two-wheel drive, four-wheel high-speed drive, four-wheel neutral and four-wheel low-speed driving condition by driving the cams in the change-over apparatus to predetermined stopping positions respectively in accordance with a mode changed by a shifting operation of a mode change-over switch, and thereby moving the change-over shafts selectively in the axial directions at predetermined strokes, the actuator including: a motor adapted to be rotated forward or backward by a current supplied thereto, a driving gear meshed with a worm formed on a shaft of the motor, an output shaft connected to the driving gear, a pair of cam followers adapted to be turned by a rotation of the output shaft, and engaged with the cams and drive the same, urging members held in urging member housings formed at predetermined intervals along a circle which is the same as the outer circumference of the driving gear and in the circumferential direction thereof, a rotation retaining plate mounted on the output shaft so that the rotation retaining plate cannot be rotated relatively thereto, a plurality of pressing parts each of which is formed so as to project from the rotation retaining plate, and each of which is capable of pressing either one of both end portions of each urging member, slits formed in the portions of the driving gear which are among the urging member housings so as to prevent the driving gear and pressing parts from interfering with each other, a first actuator case in which the driving gear, rotation retaining plate and output shaft are housed, and a second actuator case fixed to the first actuator case, supporting each driven shafts so that the driven shafts can be moved freely in the axial direction and housing each of the cams therein, a rotation of the driving gear being transmitted to the output shaft via each urging member and rotation retaining plate, either one of both end portions of each urging member being pressed by a corresponding pressing part of the rotation retaining plate when the rotation of the driving gear is continued after the output shaft is locked and stopped in the intermediate position of the rotation thereof.
A fourth invention provides an actuator for driving a two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over apparatus, which actuator is in accordance with that of the third invention, in which the plural urging member housings formed on the driving gear are three arcuate urging member housings formed on the driving gear at regular intervals in the circumferential direction thereof, the urging members being three cylindrical compression springs.
A fifth invention provides two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over apparatus having a first change-over shaft for switching two-wheel drive/four-wheel drive and a second change-over shaft for changing speeds of four wheels, the first and second change-over shafts being arranged in parallel with each other in a transfer and movable in axial directions thereof, cams held on the first and second change-over shafts for driving the first and the second change-over shafts respectively, and an actuator adapted to be driven rotationally to predetermined stopping positions respectively in accordance with a mode changed by a switching operation of a mode change-over switch, and drive each cam and thereby move the change-over shafts selectively in the axial directions thereof at predetermined strokes, wherein the actuator includes: a motor adapted to be rotated forward or backward by a current supplied thereto, a driving gear meshed with a worm formed on a shaft of the motor, an output shaft connected to the driving gear, a pair of cam followers adapted to be turned by a rotation of the output shaft, and engaged with each of the cams and drive the same, urging members held in urging member housings formed at predetermined intervals along a circle which is the same as an outer circumference of the driving gear, a rotation retaining plate supported on the output shaft so that the rotation retaining plate cannot be rotated relatively thereto, a plurality of pressing parts each of which is formed so as to project from the rotation retaining plate, and each of which is capable of pressing either one of both end portions of a corresponding urging member, slits formed in the portions of the driving gear which are among the urging member housings so as to prevent the driving gear and pressing parts from interfering with each other, a first actuator case in which the driving gear, rotation retaining plate and output shaft are housed, and a second actuator case fixed to the first actuator case, supporting the change-over shafts so that the change-over shafts can be moved freely in the axial direction, and housing the cams therein, a rotation of the driving gear being transmitted to the output shaft via each urging member and rotation retaining plate, either one of both end portions of each urging member being pressed by a corresponding pressing part of the rotation retaining plate when the rotation of the driving gear is continued after the output shaft is locked and stopped in the intermediate position of the rotation thereof.
A sixth invention provides a two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over apparatus which is in accordance with that of the fifth invention, in which the plural urging member housings formed on the driving gear are three arcuate urging member housings formed on the driving gear at regular intervals in the circumferential direction thereof, the urging members being three cylindrical compression springs.

Two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive change-over apparatus and driving actuator therefor


A precision antenna pointing system and methods are disclosed. Antenna pointing error is determined by detecting RF signal phases at locations along the edge of an antenna reflector. A set of signal phase reference harnesses are used to compensate for harness induced errors. Furthermore, multiplexing is used to minimize electronics induced phase errors.

Precision pointing of an antenna LOS is used to accurately direct transmitting or receiving of an RF beam of an antenna to a receiving or transmitting antenna at a distance from the antenna. For spacecraft RF antennas, high precision is required because even small deviations from a correct LOS can result in a very large drop in signal power from transmitting antennas to receiving antennas. This is due to the fact that there is a large distance between spacecraft or ground antennas that transmit RF signals and ground or spacecraft antennas that receive the signals.
Many spacecraft RF communication and radar antennas require precision LOS pointing to meet mission objectives. Alignment, launch shift, deployment error and thermal deformation can all cause pointing errors. Alignment error is antenna miss-pointing error due to the fact that the LOS of an antenna is not aligned in the required direction. Launch shift error is antenna LOS shift caused by a rocket launch. Deployment error results from inaccuracy of a deployment mechanism. Thermal deformation error is caused by temperature change induced antenna structure deformation when the spacecraft is orbiting in its orbit. Alignment error, launch shift, and deployment error can be measured and corrected during spacecraft initial orbit calibration. Thermal antenna deformation, however, can not be completely calibrated and usually causes a significant amount of spacecraft antenna LOS pointing error during on-orbit operation.
A ground based beacon is often used to measure spacecraft RF antenna LOS pointing errors during operation on-orbit. These errors include the error caused by antenna structural thermal deformation. For commercial spacecraft, maintaining a ground based beacon for about 15-18 years is very expensive as equipment, facilities and human operation can easily cost customers millions of dollars. In many military applications, ground based beacons cannot be used because of their vulnerability to enemy attacks. Sometimes, in commercial applications, ground based beacons are unavailable in the antenna coverage area of the spacecraft.


A dispenser can be utilized for selectively providing a denture cleaning tablet. The apparatus includes a rotatable storage container holding a plurality of columns of the tablets and a dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism includes an input hole. A user of the dispenser can acquire a tablet through rotating the rotatable storage container to align one of the columns of tablets to the input hole and cycling the dispensing mechanism.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure. Accordingly, such statements are not intended to constitute an admission of prior art.
Dentures, when worn daily, can pick up stains, especially if the wearer smokes or drinks a lot of tea, coffee or red wine. In most cases this staining is removable with regular cleaning. A common practice is to use an effervescent (fizzy) denture cleaner that is provided in tablet form. Denture cleaning tablets presently come in individually wrapped packaging where the consumer must squeeze the packaging and push the tablet through paper/foil to drop it into a cup. For older customers or customers with arthritis, such a routine can be difficult or painful, and some are physically unable to do so and must enlist the help of others. This individual foil/blister packaging is also wasteful and expensive, creating excessive waste that the consumer must then throw away.

Denture cleaning tablet dispensing apparatus