A dental press apparatus for removing and installing a dental handpiece bearings includes a press having a frame having a base with a plurality of apertures therethrough for supporting a dental handpiece thereon and a push plate supported on the frame for pushing against items placed on the press. A spindle ram is attached to the push plate for removing the spindle in a dental handpiece turbine positioned on the base. A bearing ram is attached to the push plate for attaching a bearing to the dental handpiece turbine positioned on the base. A parts tray having an angled surface is removeably supported on the frame below the base for catching a turbine spindle passing through said base aperture after being removed from a dental handpiece turbine, so that a dental handpiece turbine bearing can be rapidly removed and replaced in press. The press includes a removable turbine chuck protector for the spindle ram. The frame has a plurality of suction cups and a drawer built thereinto to hold parts therein. Removable bushings are mounted in aperture in the base to support the turbine during removal and replacement of bearings. A pair of spring loaded push plate guide rods are attached to the base and extend through guide apertures in the push plate.

The present invention relates to a dental press for removing and installing components of a dental highspeed handpiece turbine and especially to a turbine for removing the bearings from a dental handpiece turbine and press fitting new bearings therein.
Dental handpieces are commonly used in connection with dental instruments in the dentist's office and are typically held by the dentist while performing cleaning, drilling or other functions on a patient's teeth. The handpiece has a rotating shaft on one end which has different removable burs for cutting teeth and the like. The handpiece attachments are quickly changed from one to another on the end of the rotating shaft of the handpiece. A dentist's office typically has more than one handpiece for working on patients. Dental handpieces are subject to bearing use and have to be rebuilt or repaired on a regular basis as the bearings wear out. It is common to repair such items by sending them back to the factory for either a new dental handpiece turbine or to rebuild the worn or broke handpiece by removing and replacing the bearings. The bearings are located in the head of the handpiece and are pressed onto a spindle along with an impeller. The spindle, bearings, chuck, and impeller make up the component which the present machine rebuilds and is referred to as the handpiece turbine.
The present invention is for a small hand press having a frame which has a handle driving a gear and rack to actuate the press. A jig is designed to be placed in the press and has a base for supporting the dental handpiece turbine therein and has a push plate slidably mounted over the base and having a pair of rams attached thereon for driving a spindle from the handpiece turbine through an opening in the base plate and a second ram for forcing a new bearing onto the spindle. The press advantageously allows for the alignment of the bearings and the supporting of the inner race of the bearings during the fitting of a new bearing into the handpiece turbine and in the removal of the old bearings. This allows the dentist to replace the bearings in a handpiece in his office at a small expense and thus have the use of the dental handpiece immediately rather than having to send the handpiece back to the factory to have the bearings replaced. This also substantially reduces the cost to the dentist in maintaining his equipment.
Large and small arbor and other types of presses have been common in the prior art including various types of hand presses which use a hand actuated arm rotating a gear to drive a rack, as in the present preferred embodiment. Other types of presses use a handle which acts as a lever arm to gain a mechanical advantage in driving the press while yet others use hydraulic rams to drive the press which rams are actuated by hydraulic pumps. In addition, presses and pin extractors can use a threaded shaft to gain the mechanical advantage of a screw in driving pins or components with a large mechanical force.
Prior art presses or extractors can be seen in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,928, for a dental press for removing and installing a dental handpiece component including a frame and a driving member supported on the frame and a driving member supported on the frame fro pushing against items placed on the press. The present application is for an improvement to this prior patent. Other prior U.S. patents may be seen in the Pabst patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,566, for an apparatus for removing commutators from armature shafts which uses a press having a hand lever rotating a gear to drive a rack to drive a plunger for removing commutators from the armature shaft. In the Taylor patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,022, a cross-head for presses is for a manually operated arbor press using a threaded driving shaft as a press screw in the press. Similarly, the Maynard patent, U.S Pat. No. 4,977,660, is a tool for removing and installing an automotive universal joint which has a push rod in a press for removing an automotive universal joint. The Gould patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,195, is an apparatus for disassembling and assembling skate wheels which has a pin actuated arm for driving a push/pull member for removing the bearings of a skate wheel and for reinstalling the bearings on the skate wheel. The Schneider patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,852, is for a piston pin remover and installer for use in automobile engine pistons for repair and replacement of a pair of new pins in the piston. The Miller patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,662, is for a press which uses a hydraulic jack for driving a push-type plate against a pair of springs to thereby drive a plunger. The Veilleux patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,442, is a tool for removing rivets and burrs and it has a hand actuating arm driving a cam to thereby drive a plunger. U.S. patents cited in the prior patent include: the Clayton U.S. Pat. No. 535,673 of March 1895 for a Veneer Press; the Krasberg U.S. Pat. No. 2,336,262 of December 1943 for a Pressing Mechanism in a hand press; the Harvis U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,242 of May 1970 for a Pallet Dismantling Apparatus; the Elola U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,843 of January 1978 for Brake Shoe Rivet Removal Press; the Balsano et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,922 of January 1993 for a Press for Making Pizza Beds; the Hollnagel U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,656 of August 1994 for Oil Filter Crushing Apparatus Having Air Bag Actuator.
In contrast to this prior art and the many other prior patents for various types of push/pull instruments, the present invention is for a specific press and jig for supporting and removing the bearings from a dental handpiece turbine and for holding a new bearing and reinstalling the bearing onto the handpiece turbine and uses special ram members for supporting and aligning members with the dental handpiece turbine to facilitate the rapid removal and installation of components. Improvements over my prior U.S. Patent includes an improvement to the spindle ram and plate and to the capture of removed spindles and to the storage and positioning of new bearings for the rebuilding of a dental handpiece.


Disclosed is a display device including a thin film transistor. A method for forming the display device includes forming an organic semiconductor pattern in the presence of a magnetic field or an electric field. Due to the presence of a magnetic field or an electric field, the molecules of the organic semiconductor layer of the thin film transistor are substantially aligned in a predetermined direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device and method for fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a display device including a thin film transistor and method for fabricating the same that includes an organic semiconductor layer.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Until recently, display devices have typically used cathode-ray tubes (CRTs). Much effort has been made to study and develop various types of flat panel displays, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panels (PDPs), field emission displays (FED), and electro-luminescence displays (ELDs), as a substitute for CRTs. In particular, these types of flat panel displays are an active matrix type display in which a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix form are driven by a plurality of thin film transistors therein. Among the active matrix types of flat panel displays, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices and electroluminescent display (ELD) devices are widely used as monitors for notebook computers and desktop computers because of their high resolution, ability to display colors and superiority in displaying moving images.
In general, an LCD device includes two substrates that are spaced apart and face each other with a liquid crystal material interposed between the two substrates. The two substrates include electrodes that face each other such that a voltage applied between the electrodes induces an electric field across the liquid crystal material. Alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal material changes in accordance with the intensity of the induced electric field in the direction of the induced electric field, thereby changing the light transmissivity of the LCD device. Thus, the LCD device displays images by varying the intensity of the induced electric field.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an LCD device according to the related art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the LCD device includes a lower substrate 10, an upper substrate 20 and a liquid crystal material 30. The lower substrate 10 is referred to as an array substrate that includes a gate line 14 and a data line 16 crossing each other to define a pixel region "P". A pixel electrode 18 and a thin film transistor "T", which is a switching element, are positioned in each pixel region "P". Thin film transistors "T" located adjacent to the crossings of the gate lines 14 and the data lines 16 are disposed in a matrix on the lower substrate 10. The upper substrate 20 is referred to as a color filter substrate that includes color filter patterns 26 including red (R), green (G) and blue (B) color filter patterns 26a, 26b and 26c, respectively, a black matrix 25 between the color filter patterns 26, and a common electrode 28 on both the color filter pattern 26 and the black matrix 25.
In the above related art LCD device, a hard type substrate such as a glass substrate has been used for the upper and lower substrates. In light of the fact that small-size portable display devices such as personal digital assistants (PDA) and notebook computers are presently widely used, much effort has been made to study and develop a flexible substrate such as a plastic substrate having a low weight and good flexibility. However, because fabricating the array substrate including the thin film transistors requires a high temperature of more than 200 centigrade degrees, it is difficult to use a flexible substrate for the array substrate. Accordingly, a flexible substrate is used for the color filter substrate and a hard type substrate is used for the array substrate.
In general, electrodes and lines made of a metallic material, an insulating layer, a passivation layer and the like on the array substrate can be formed at a temperature equal to or less than 200 centigrade degrees. However, when a semiconductor layer made of amorphous silicon or poly-crystalline silicon is formed at a temperature equal to or less than 200 degrees centigrade, the electrical properties of the thin film transistors on the array substrate including electric conductivity are degraded so that the thin film transistors may not function as a switching element.
To overcome the above problems, an effort is also being made to study and develop a method for fabricating a thin film transistor and an array substrate at a low temperature equal to or less than 200 centigrade degrees by using an organic semiconductor material.
The organic semiconductor material is categorized into a low molecular weight organic semiconductor material and a high molecular weight organic semiconductor material. The low molecular weight organic semiconductor material has properties better than the high molecular weight organic semiconductor material. However, because the low molecular weight organic semiconductor material is affected by a solvent such as alcohol, it is difficult to make an organic solution having the low molecular weight organic semiconductor material. Accordingly, it is difficult to use a coating method, which is easier than an evaporation method, for forming an organic semiconductor layer. Also, when the low molecular weight semiconductor layer is exposed to an etching solution including an organic solvent during a patterning process, the properties of the low molecular weight semiconductor layer are degraded.
The high molecular weight organic semiconductor material is not affected by the organic solvent and may be patterned easily. However, the properties of the high molecular weight organic semiconductor layer is not comparable to the low molecular weight organic semiconductor layer.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a molecular arrangement in a low molecular weight semiconductor layer according to the related art.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the molecules 62 of the low molecular weight organic semiconductor layer 60 are randomly deposited by an evaporation method. Because the long axes of the molecules 62 of the low molecular weight organic semiconductor layer 60 are randomly arranged, the low molecular weight organic semiconductor layer 60 has poor properties.
Meanwhile, a high molecular weight organic semiconductor layer may be formed by a coating method. However, because the long axes of the molecules of the high molecular weight organic semiconductor layer formed by a coating method are randomly arranged, the high molecular weight organic semiconductor layer also has poor properties.
To improve such poor properties, a SAM (self aligned mono-layer) method is added during the fabricating method. For example, in the case of a bottom contact structure where the organic semiconductor layer made of the high or low molecular weight organic semiconductor material is disposed on source and drain electrodes, an OTS (octadecyltrichlorosilane) treatment and a MNB (2-mercapto-5-nitrobenzidazole) treatment are performed as part of the SAM method. The OTS treatment is performed to improve an interface property of the organic semiconductor layer and a gate insulating layer below the organic semiconductor layer, prior to forming the organic semiconductor layer. The MNB treatment is performed to improve an ohmic contact property of the organic semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrodes.
However, because the SAM method is susceptible to moisture and temperature, the electrical properties of the thin film transistors may not be uniform, thereby reducing the reliability of the array substrate. Also, the added SAM method increases the fabrication costs and time and decreases the productivity.

Method of fabricating thin film transistor including organic semiconductor layer and substrate


An agricultural implement including a pair of support members and a pivot assembly coupled between the support members. The pivot assembly includes at least one resilient bushing and a side-play restraint system. The resilient bushing being in contact with a portion of the restraint system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to agricultural implements, and, more particularly, to a resilient bearing assembly used with a walking tandem axle on an agricultural implement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Farmers utilize a wide variety of tillage implements to prepare soil for planting. Some such implements include two or more sections coupled together to perform multiple functions as they are pulled through fields by a tractor. For example, a field cultivator is capable of simultaneously tilling soil and leveling the tilled soil in preparation for planting. A field cultivator has a frame that carries a number of cultivator shanks with shovels at their lower ends for tilling the soil. The field cultivator converts compacted soil into a level seedbed with a consistent depth for providing excellent conditions for planting of a crop. Grass or residual crop material disposed on top of the soil is also worked into the seedbed so that it does not interfere with a seeding implement subsequently passing through the seedbed. The depth of the implement is controlled by a system that uses wheels carried by a pivoting axle assembly.
The axle assembly may be in the form of a walking beam assembly, simply called a walking axle, or a walking tandem assembly. The walking tandem assembly includes two axles for wheels with a pivoting coupling located between the axles. The pivoting coupling is connected to a support structure of the implement, which transfers some of the weight of the implement to the wheels coupled to the axles.
The prior art pivoting couplings use tapered roller bearings, which require greasing and which have undesirable failure modes, such as, brinelling, contamination, and are subject to improper bearing setting.
What is needed in the art is a bearing assembly that can eliminate the need for tapered rolling bearings and their associated failure modes. And to make the assembly less prone to failure.


Various features described herein may include updating settings on a device in response to a themed cover being placed on a device (e.g., a remote control) associated with the device. The settings may be updated to correspond to a theme of the themed cover. Alternatively or additionally, the device may receive access to different content based on the theme. For example, a device may receive filtered content in response to a child-themed cover. In another example, the device may receive additional football-related content in response to a football-themed cover. The device may revert to its original settings and content access in response to the remote control being removed from the themed cover. In some embodiments, a device may update settings or content access in response to other themed devices (e.g., wearable devices) being within a threshold distance of the device.

Many people today have diverse interests and hobbies. Some people enjoy following their favorite sports teams, others spend time traveling to new places, and others spend time with time with family and friends. Many people like to share their interests and experiences with those around them; for example, discussing a weekend's events with coworkers on Monday. Another way that people share their interests is by wearing their favorite sports team's colors or jersey, decorating their car or home with colors or logos, or choosing a related computer-desktop wallpaper. There will always be a need for people to live their lives in a way that aligns with their interests.


A thermal insulation device of a screwed junction between two sections of pipe comprising an outer pipe surrounding an inner pipe between which thermal insulation material is positioned, the inner pipes being assembled together by the screwed junction, one section delimiting a male portion and the other delimiting a female portion, the portions being fitted together to delimit the screwed junction, wherein the male portion comprises the inner pipe and a tubular part connected thereto, the diameter of the tubular part being less than that of the outer pipe, and wherein the female portion comprises a part of the outer pipe and an intermediate tubular part connecting the inner pipe to the outer pipe, the inner diameter of the intermediate part being greater than the outer diameter of the tubular part of the male portion, the thermally insulating material being inserted between the outer pipe and the intermediate part.

1. Field of the Invention
The technical scope of the present invention is that of double wall pipes comprising an inner pipe and an outer pipe between which a heat insulator has been inserted and more particularly means to link two sections of piping.
2. Description of the Related Art
The piping in question relates to double wall tubing enabling the transportation of fluid and installed in a well reinforced by casing pipes. These pipes are generally manufactured in the form of sections of pre-determined length, 8 to 12 meters, for example, which must be connected together. The problem arises thereafter of the thermal insulation at the junction of two consecutive tubings. Indeed, it is important to avoid any cooling of the relatively hot fluid from the deep deposit and the ambient temperature of the surface or any heat exchange during the injection of vapor. In this case, the purpose of the thermal insulation is to preserve the quality of the vapor and to protect the casing pipe from excessive heat or else to modify the thermal balance of the subsoil. Among the negative effects of any cooling of the crude oil in this type of piping, we can mention the following points:                paraffin deposits,        asphaltene precipitation,        hydrate formation,        heat transfer with the casing pipes thereby damaging said casing pipes.
These sections are generally connected by screwing the inner pipes according to two main principles: screwing together male-female ends or screwing together male-male ends using a fitting female-female generally named coupling.
Given the reduced amount of space available and the high pressures in a well, we are obliged to look towards highly effective thermal insulation materials such as those developed for use in space or cryogenics, using vacuum-based technologies and anti-radiative screens.
In practice, we observe that the heat losses at the junction of two sections are easily ten times greater than those of the sections themselves. Thus, for an exchange coefficient for a single section of around 0.1 W/m2/K, this coefficient is one thousand times greater at the junction. Thus, if the coefficient is of 0.1 W/m2/K in the continuous sections, globally with the existing technologies it is very difficult to obtain better than 2.5 W/m2/K.
Thus, to overcome this drawback, a cylindrical insulation material has been proposed, made of a plastic material and installed at the connector. These materials are made using dense materials which are therefore not very insulating. However, this technique does not enable the use of good quality insulation materials, such as honeycomb structure materials, for example polypropylene foam with the inclusion or not of glass micro-beads. By way of example, we observe that a 15 mm cylinder made of solid polypropylene provides heat insulation of around 10 to 30 W/m2/K compared with the 0.1 W/m2/K obtained by a vacuum insulation of the same thickness.
We note the great importance of the problem of thermal insulation at the connectors of two consecutive sections which may considerably reduce the thermal performances of such a pipeline.

Thermal insulation device of a screwed junction


The present invention provides a rubber composition for a sidewall, which improves fuel economy, handling stability, tensile strength at break, elongation at break, and processability in a balanced manner, and which can also suppress the occurrence of broken spews during demolding of a resulting tire; and a pneumatic tire formed from the rubber composition. The present invention relates to a rubber composition for a sidewall, comprising a rubber component having: a combined amount of a 1,2-syndiotactic polybutadiene crystal-containing butadiene rubber and a butadiene rubber synthesized in the presence of a rare earth catalyst of 5 to 60% by mass; an amount of a terminally modified butadiene rubber of 7 to 60% by mass; and an amount of an isoprene-based rubber of 20 to 70% by mass, each based on 100% by mass of the rubber component, wherein the rubber composition has: a combined amount of a carbon black having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of 25 to 120 m2/g and a silica having a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of 70 to 250 m2/g of 20 to 40 parts by mass; and an amount of zinc oxide of 3.6 to 16 parts by mass, each per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.

Rubber compositions for sidewalls of vehicle tires are required to provide excellent fuel economy. Known methods for improving the fuel economy include: the use of a butadiene rubber modified by a modifier; the use of a neodymium butadiene rubber synthesized in the presence of a neodymium catalyst and having a cis content of 95% by mass or more and a vinyl content of 1% by mass or less; and the use of a hybrid crosslinking agent. Yet, even a further improvement in fuel economy has been required these days.
A decrease in the amount of reinforcing filler (filler) such as silica and carbon black results in a lower tan δ and further improved fuel economy. This, however, also results in a lower complex modulus E*. Consequently, the handling stability, tensile strength at break, and elongation at break tend to decrease.
A known method for increasing the E* value is to use microfibers such as polyethylene terephthalate, fine paper fibers, and aramid fibers. These microfibers, however, are not bonded with the rubber matrix, and thus may become a starting point of cutting or breaking, which poses a problem in terms of flex crack growth resistance. The use of a high cis butadiene rubber having a high viscosity can also increase the E* value. This, however, decreases the dispersibility of filler, which tends to deteriorate the fuel economy. Yet, the reduced amount of filler results in a lower kneading torque, which tends to make it more difficult to disperse the filler in a favorable manner.
Additionally, the reduced amount of filler not only decreases the E* value but also tends to deteriorate the processability (extrusion processability) because, for example, the rubber composition may stick to a discharge opening of an extruder during extrusion of the rubber composition, or an extrudate of the rubber composition may have a non-uniform edge profile.
Hence, a method for improving the fuel economy, handling stability, tensile strength at break, elongation at break, and processability in a balanced manner is desired.
Patent Literature 1 suggests a method of using a 1,2-syndiotactic polybutadiene crystal-containing butadiene rubber, natural rubber and the like to improve the properties such as fuel economy and flex crack growth resistance. However, a technique to satisfy the fuel economy, handling stability, tensile strength at break, elongation at break, and processability at the same time is yet to exist.

Rubber composition for side wall and pneumatic tire


For use in a power converter having a rectifier coupled to an output thereof, a snubber circuit including an energy storage device coupled to the rectifier that moderates a voltage across the rectifier and a method of moderating the voltage. In one embodiment, the snubber circuit includes: (1) a first switch that regulates a voltage across the energy storage device, (2) an inductor, coupled to the first switch, that provides a discharge path for energy stored in the energy storage device when the first switch is conducting and (3) a second switch that recovers energy stored in the inductor to the output when the first switch is not conducting. The snubber circuit thereby reduces voltage stress across the rectifier during a current limit mode of operation.

A power converter is a power processing circuit that converts an input voltage or current source waveform into a specified output voltage or current waveform. A full-bridge phase-shift pulse-width-modulated power converter (hereinafter referred to as a FPP converter) is a frequently employed switched-mode power converter that converts a direct current (DC) input waveform to a specified DC output waveform. The FPP converter generally includes switching circuitry coupled to an input source of electrical power. The switching circuitry includes two pairs of alternately conducting active switches. A primary winding of a transformer is coupled to the switching circuitry and a secondary winding of the transformer is coupled to a rectifier circuit (e.g., rectifying diodes). The rectifier circuit is coupled through an output filter to a load.
While the FPP converter employs the leakage inductance of the transformer to achieve zero-voltage switching (ZVS) across the active switches, other sources of inefficiencies exist in the FPP converter. More specifically, a parasitic capacitance in the form of the winding capacitance in the transformer and junction capacitance of the rectifying diodes resonate with the leakage inductance thereby inducing transients (e.g., ringing and voltage spikes) in the secondary side of the FPP converter. The transients are intensified in higher power and current applications. The transients are especially harmful to the rectifier circuit and noticeably affect the overall efficiency of the FPP converter.
There have been attempts in the past to minimize the effects of transients in power converters and the resulting stress on rectifier circuits. For instance, a primary clamping circuit that includes a pair of clamping diodes and an auxiliary inductor on the primary side of the transformer is disclosed in A Novel Soft-Switching Full-Bridge DC/DC Converter: analysis, design considerations and experimental results at 1.5 kW, 100 kHz, by R. Redl, N. O. Sokai and L. Balogh, IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conf. Rec., p. 162-172 (1990) which is herein incorporated by reference. In general, the leakage inductance of the transformer is minimized and, with the assistance of the auxiliary inductor, ZVS is achieved across the switching circuitry. The voltage across the primary winding of the transformer is clamped by the clamping diodes at the line voltage of the power converter or the ground. As a result, the resonance between the auxiliary inductor and the parasitic capacitance in the windings of the transformer does not induce excessive voltage stress across the rectifier circuit. While in theory the reduction in voltage stress appears viable, the primary clamping circuit does not actually minimize the transients across the rectifier circuit. While the voltage across the primary winding is clamped at or near the input voltage, the voltage in the secondary side of the power converter still rings due to the resonance between the leakage inductance and parasitic capacitance of the transformer and the junction capacitances of the diodes. Therefore, the primary clamping circuit is ineffective in reducing the voltage stress across the rectifier circuit, especially in higher power applications.
A resistor-capacitor-diode (RCD) snubber circuit is disclosed in A 1 kW, 500 kHz Front-End Converter for a Distributed Power Supply System, by L. H. Mweene, C. A. Wright and M. F. Schlecht, Proc. IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conf., p. 423-432 (1989) which is herein incorporated by reference. A RCD snubber circuit is coupled to the rectifier circuit in the secondary side of the transformer. As opposed to disposing the energy diverted from the rectifier circuit within the power converter itself, the RCD snubber circuit attempts to divert the energy to the output of the power converter. While the RCD snubber circuit is a relatively simple design, the circuit suffers from substantial power dissipation across the resistor that substantially affects the overall efficiency of the power converter. As the current through the power converter increases, the losses escalate thereby limiting the RCD snubber to low power applications.
Another component readily employed to reduce the voltage stress on a rectifier circuit is a saturable reactor. A saturable reactor circuit is disclosed in An Improved Zero-Voltage-Switched Pulse-Width-Modulated Converter Using a Saturable Inductor, by G. Hua, F. C. Lee and M. M. Jovanovic, IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conf. Rec., p. 189-194 (1991) which is herein incorporated by reference. Conventionally, a saturable reactor is series-coupled to each rectifying diode of the rectifier circuit. While the saturable reactor does a relatively good job of limiting the voltage stress across the rectifier circuit, the saturable reactors exhibit losses that result in a relatively high temperature rise across the core and windings thereof. The temperature rise can be alleviated by employing several saturable reactors in parallel, but at the cost of valuable space on the printed circuit board and a prohibitively expensive saturable reactor circuit. As previously mentioned, the aforementioned circuits and other prior art circuits have inadequately dealt with the transients that adversely effect the rectifier circuit in power converters.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a snubber circuit for a rectifier circuit that minimizes the voltage stress thereacross to reduce the power losses associated with the rectifier circuit and oscillations in both voltage and current therefrom and is suitable for a vast range of power applications including higher power applications.

Snubber circuit for a rectifier and method of operation thereof


A compact sheet processing apparatus mountable on the side of a copying machine body processes sheets discharged therefrom. The apparatus includes a sheet supplier for supplying sheets received from the copying machine body; a sheet discharger; a first transport route connecting the sheet supplier and discharger, and a sheet-stamping mechanism disposed opposite the sheet-bearing surface of the first transport route. Further included is a second transport route, diverging from and extending below the first transport route, which feeds sheets to a punching mechanism disposed therein; a transport drive providing controlled transport of sheets in each transport route; and a process timing control unit. The sheets are transported along both the first and second transport routes wherein the stamping and punching operations are both to be carried out, and then discharged through the discharger. The timing of the processes is controlled according to set conditions. Transport within the reduced-dimension apparatus is such that wherein holes are punched into a sheet in the punching mechanism, drive in a latter-stage unit such as a sorter mounted at the discharger need only be halted, a reversing capability or the like thereof thus being unnecessary.

The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus. More specifically, it relates to a sheet processing apparatus which can be mounted on the side of an image forming apparatus and which performs processes such as stamping on sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus.
For example, a copying machine may have a mechanisms for performing a stamping process and for punching holes in copy-processed sheets. In such a copying machine, the stamping mechanism and the punching mechanism are disposed downstream of a fixing unit. The stamping mechanism will include stamps, or a stamp unit comprising, for example, a thermal head or an ink ribbon, as a stamping member, as well as a mechanism for pressing either onto a sheet. Where sheet-stamping is performed, transportation of the image-fixed sheet is halted and the stamp or the stamp unit is pressed onto the sheet. Wherein holes are punched in a sheet, it the sheet is transported to a predetermined position, and then held so as to be punched by the punching mechanism.
It the copying machine equipped with the stamping mechanism, stamping can be performed along the leading or the trailing margin of a sheet by accordingly regulating the transportation of the sheet. More specifically, the stamp position is variable in the sheet transport direction. However, wherein stamps are employed for performing stamping operations, the stamp position cannot be varied in the width direction of the sheet. On the other hand, wherein the stamp unit containing a thermal head is used, the stamping position can be made variable in the sheet width direction by providing a head which extends accordingly and controlling each element thereof. Such an apparatus, however, is expensive and its control is complicated.
Still further, since this conventional sheet processing apparatus is provided between the fixing unit and discharge rollers within the body of a copying machine, it is impractical to fit the stamping mechanism to a copying machine not previously equipped with a stamping function.
In a copying machine equipped with the foregoing stamping and punching mechanisms, the distance from the fixing unit to the discharge rollers is increased, due to the location of the mechanisms in line along the transport path of the sheet. The machine thus outfitted is made bulkier, and additional time is required to discharge a sheet, even wherein the stamping and punching processes are not carried out.
In one means of disposing the stamping and punching mechanisms in a reduced space, the leading edge of a copy sheet is fed into a latter-stage unit, for example a sorter, during the operations performed by each mechanism. In this case, further process control in the operation of the latter-stage unit during the functioning of each mechanism becomes necessary.
Furthermore, since the stamping and punching mechanisms operate at different timings, extra time is spent in performing these processes.


Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for sharing content with a detected device. An apparatus includes a touch-sensitive display, a processor, and a memory that stores code executable by the processor. The memory stores code executable by the processor to determine an application requesting touch input from a user. The memory stores code executable by the processor to detect one or more contact locations of a touch input on the touch-sensitive display. The memory stores code executable by the processor to position, dynamically, one or more interface controls for providing touch input to the application at the one or more contact locations detected on the touch-sensitive display.

Looking at displays of mobile devices can be distracting, and at times dangerous, while performing activities that require the user's full attention such as driving. Some applications may only require a quick user response provided by touch input on a touch-sensitive display; however, in order to provide such a response, the user is typically required to look at the display to locate the input controls on the display, which draws attention from other activities the user is performing.


Improved techniques for performing accelerated video presentation on a media device are disclosed. The improved techniques enable smooth, uniform accelerated video presentation by displaying key frames from a video file in a periodic fashion. The rate and direction of accelerated video presentation can be controlled. The improved techniques are well suited for use with portable media devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to media devices and, more particularly, to playing of media on media devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, video players are able to output video to a display device. Video players can be software applications operating on a personal computer or a specialized electronic device, such as a DVD player. These video players allow a user to playback a video. In addition, these video players allow other functions, such as fast forward and rewind operations, to be invoked by their user. Unfortunately, however, these conventional video players are not well suited for portable media devices being battery-powered and having limited processing capacity. Thus, there is a need for improved techniques for presenting video on portable media players.

Portable media device with video acceleration capabilities


A flying insect trap is described including a source of insect attractant light, an insect immobilization device, and a housing partially surrounding the source of light. The housing includes a chassis configured to be attached to a mounting surface, an upper housing pivotally attached to the chassis, and a lower housing that is removably attached to the lower portion of the chassis. In an alternative embodiment, the housing of the trap includes a chassis and a lower housing, where the lower housing includes a lip that surrounds a support structure for an insect immobilization device.

Flying insect traps exist that use insect-attractant light sources and use an immobilization system to trap the insects within the trap. Often, the immobilization system is an adhesive board or glue board, which needs to be replaced periodically. Improvements to existing traps are desirable to improve the ease with which the immobilization means may be installed and changed. In addition, improvements to the structure of the housing of insect traps could decrease the likelihood that dead insects would fall from the trap while the immobilization device is being replaced.


A digital signal processing method and apparatus processes a signal obtained on splitting the entire frequency band of an input digital signal into a plurality of sub-bands. The entire frequency band of the input digital signal is split into a plurality of sub-bands, and signals of each sub-band are allocated to a plurality of sub-words divided from a word of the input digital signal. In allocating the signals, the information for reducing the noise in at least one of the sub-bands is allocated to the sub-word different from the sub-word to which is allocated the signal of the sub-band whose noise is to be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing digital signals over a wide frequency range, such as digital audio signals, a method for transmitting digital signals, and a recording medium. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for processing digital signals, a method for transmitting digital signals, and a recording medium, in which the frequency spectrum is divided into plural bands for a lower range one of which and for a higher range one of which straight PCM and high-efficiency encoding are applied, respectively.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, recording/reproduction of digital audio signals is employed extensively. In particular, standards for a compact disc (CD) or a digital audio tape recorder (DAT) have become widespread as typical standards for recording/reproduction of digital audio signals.
As for these standards for digital audio signals, since the sampling frequency for the compact disc is prescribed at 44.1 kHz, the maximum reproducing frequency is 22.05 kHz. On the other hand, since the sampling frequency for a digital audio tape recorder (DAT) is prescribed at 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz, the maximum reproducing frequency is 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz and 24 kHz, respectively.
Meanwhile, in the case of a sound source of folk music, such as gamran or yodel voice, there are contained significant amounts of frequency components exceeding the above-mentioned maximum reproducing frequency. Thus the above-mentioned sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz is no longer sufficient insofar as the above-given folk music is concerned.
On the other hand, a digital/analog (D/A) converter has recently been improved in precision and has become able to handle signals of weaker strength. Thus the dynamic range on the order of 98 dB, obtained with the number of quantization bits for the CD, has become no longer sufficient.
For combatting this problem, it may be contemplated to record signals improved in sound quality by increasing the sampling frequency or the number of quantization bits, that is the signals of broader bands or broader dynamic ranges, on a disc (recording medium) having the same size as the conventional CD.
From the technical viewpoint, the signals improved in sound quality by increasing the sampling frequency or the number of quantization bits can be recorded on the disc (recording medium) of the conventional size (recording capacity) by reducing the track pitch of the disc or the laser light wavelength of the optical pickup. However, if the device configuration is modified for increasing the recording capacity, it becomes impossible to maintain interchangeability with the conventional recording media, while confusion is produced in the software market.
For recording/reproducing the sound having the sampling frequency exceeding the maximum reproducing frequency without modifying the device or formats of the standards for conventional digital audio signals, that is without impairing compatibility with the conventional standards, it may be contemplated to provide such a signal processing method, recording/reproducing device or a recording medium in which the reproducing band for the CD is encoded with straight PCM and higher bands are encoded using high efficiency encoding, thereby recording the signals n the usual recording frequency range for the compact disc. With such method or device, the usual PCM word is divided, for recording the signals in the usual recording range for the compact disc, so that the usual reproducing range is encoded with straight PCM and higher bands are encoded using high efficiency encoding. The encoded signals are recorded on the compact disc.
In this case, the PCM word employed for the conventional reproducing range becomes naturally shorter in length than the conventional PCM word, so that the quantization noise is produced, thereby deteriorating the sound quality.
In addition, when the usual reproducing range and the higher range are encoded with straight PCM and with high-efficiency coding, respectively, and the encoded signals are recorded on the compact disc, there is raised a problem as to how the usual PCM word is to be divided. That is, if the frequency spectrum of the digital audio signals is divided as described above, some bands have allowance in recording capacity, while others do not, in dependence upon signals, such that, in the bands devoid of allowance in recording capacity, the quantization noise becomes outstanding because the number of quantization bits or the sub-word length is diminished for compensating for scarcity in the recording capacity.

Methods and apparatus for processing digital signals by allocation of subband signals and recording medium therefor


The present invention provides a ferrite core which has a structure in that plating is prevented from elongating, which can maintain insulation resistance between electrodes and can prevent short-circuit between a conductor wire and the electrode without damaging adhesion properties while mounted and, moreover, which can stabilize a Q value (loss characteristic) of a product. The ferrite core includes a wound core and flanges integrally formed at both ends of the wound core, and each of the flanges includes a plurality of legs provided so as to rise from one surface of the wound core and having a top surface to be formed with electrode, and each leg is tapered off toward the top surface and an vertical corner portion formed between adjacent side faces thereof has a curved surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ferrite core suitable for measures for common-mode noise of various kinds of electronic devices in which a high-frequency signal is used, its manufacturing method, and a common-mode noise filter used in a differential transmission circuit and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common-mode noise filter is used for measures for unnecessary radiation of a power supply line or measures for a common-mode noise of a high-frequency signal.
The common-mode noise filter is constituted such that a plurality of conductor wires are wound around a ferrite core 906 by several turns to some dozen turns. According to the conventional example disclosed in JP-A 2002-329618, as shown in FIGS. 3A–3C, the ferrite core 906 includes a ferrite porcelain having a wound core 904, flanges 901 provided at both ends thereof, and a plurality of legs 902 continued to the flanges 901, and electrodes 903 are formed on top surfaces of the respective legs 902. According to the conventional example shown in FIGS. 3A–3C, the plurality of conductor wires are wound around the wound core 904 of the ferrite core 906 constituted as described above by several turns to some dozen turns, and starting ends of the conductor wires are connected to the electrodes 903 on the top surfaces of the legs 902 by soldering, thermo-compression or the like, and finishing ends thereof are connected to the electrodes 903 on the top surfaces of other legs 902 by soldering, thermo-compression or the like.
According to this conventional example, the electrode 903 is constituted such that a paste for a thick film conductor such as Ag, AgPd and the like is applied to respective top surfaces of the legs 902 by a method such as dipping, screen printing, transferring or the like and burned, and several layers formed of Ni or Cu, Sn, SnPb, Au and the like are formed on the thick film conductor depending on usage or requests.
The plated film is formed on the thick film conductor by dipping a ferrite porcelain on which the thick film conductor is formed, into a plating solution containing predetermine metal and applying a current. In addition, after the plated film is formed, the plating solution attached onto the ferrite porcelain is rinsed out to be removed.
According to the thus constituted common-mode noise filter, when a common-phase current is applied to two conductor wires, a magnetic flux is reinforced and impedance is increased. Meanwhile, when a reversed-phase current is applied to the two conductor wires, the magnetic flux is negated and impedance is decreased. Thus, the common-mode noise filter is an electronic component having a filter function in which the common-phase current flows little but the reversed-phase current flows well.
In addition, in a field of information communication devices in which the common-mode noise filter is used, there are demands for smaller and lighter components. According to the demands, an almost rectangular size of the area when mounted becomes gradually smaller, that is, from 3216 type in which the size is 3.2 mm by 1.6 mm, to 2520 type in which the size is 2.5 mm by 2.0 mm and further to 2012 type, 1608 type and 1210 type.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3A–3C, JP-A 2002-329618 discloses that all boundary parts between the top surfaces and side faces of each leg 902 in the ferrite core 906 have curved surfaces.
In addition, a curvature radius of the curved surface body of the leg 902 is 0.2 to 0.3 mm and the side faces of the four legs 902 on the side of the wound core 904 are inclined surfaces 908 inclined from the upright direction by 30 to 70°.
According to the above, since the boundary part between the top surface and the side face of the leg 902 has the curved surface whose curvature radius is about 0.2 mm, it is assumed that breaking or short-circuit of the conductor wire at this boundary part can be prevented. Furthermore, since the side face of the leg 902 on the side of the wound core 904 has the inclined surface 908, the conductor wire wound around the wound core 904 by bifilar winding can be connected to the electrode 903 at a gentle angle. As a result, it is shown that there can be provided the common-mode noise filter having higher reliability.
According to the ferrite core according to a second conventional example disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3168972, as shown in FIGS. 15A, 15B and 15C, an inclined surface is formed at a leg 952.
According to the second conventional example, it is assumed that since a conductor wire 957 can have a necessary distance because of the inclined surface, a short-circuit, pressure deterioration and the like caused when an electrode 954 of the leg 952 to be connected comes into contact with an electrode 954 of the adjacent leg 952 can be sure prevented.
In addition, it is assumed that when the conductor wire 957 is mounted along the inclined surface, since a connection angle of the conductor wire 957 can be gentle, the conductor wire 957 can be prevented from breaking so that there is provided a common-mode noise filter having higher reliability.
However, in the filed of information communication devices in which such common-mode noise filter is used, there are demands for further smaller and lighter components in accordance with miniaturization of the device. As a result, according to a wiring type of common-mode noise filter, its almost rectangular size when mounted is gradually miniaturized from a size of 3.2 mm by 1.6 mm to a size of 2.5 mm by 2.0 mm, 2.0 mm by 1.2 mm, 1.6 mm by 0.8 mm, and 1.2 mm by 1.0 mm.
Under such circumstances, the common-mode noise filter using the ferrite core disclosed in JP-A 2002-329618 has the following problems.
That is, when the electrode 903 is formed on the top surface of the leg 902, there is a problem such that the plating elongates along a boundary part (vertical corner portion) between the side faces of the leg.
When the plating elongates along the vertical corner portion, it becomes difficult to acquire insulating properties as the component becomes smaller. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the electrode 903 is formed on the top surface of the leg 902, the plated layer is liable to elongate along the edge line of the leg and it becomes difficult to acquire insulating properties.
According to a structure of the conventional common-mode noise filter, in the case of the size of 3.2 mm by 1.6 mm, for example, even when the plating of the electrode 903 elongates as described above, since the distance between electrodes 903 of the legs 902 is kept at about 0.6 mm, insulating properties can be remained, but when the size becomes smaller, it becomes difficult to acquire the insulating properties.
In addition, although it is preferable to increase the thickness of the electrode 903 in order to acquire mounting strength when the common-mode filter is mounted on a substrate, since the plating elongates along the vertical corner portion in the conventional structure, there is a limitation in forming thickly the plate layer and it is difficult to sufficiently acquire the mounting strength. That is, the plating elongates well as the thickness of the plating is increased.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, there is a problem such that the conductor wire connected to one electrode 903 of the adjacent legs comes in contact with the plated layer elongated along the vertical corner portion of the other leg to cause a short-circuit.
Furthermore, since the dimensions of the electrodes 903 vary because of the elongation of the plating, there is a problem such that loss of a magnetic flux generated at the ferrite core 6 varies and a Q value (loss characteristic) is liable to vary.
Still further, according to the common-mode noise filter using the ferrite core disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3168972, there is a problem such that the area of the top surface of the leg 952 is decreased because the inclined surface is provided at the leg 952, so that adhesion strength when mounted is lowered.

Ferrite core, method of manufacturing the same, and common-mode noise filter using the same


A cover folder which includes a binding bar and a cover, the binding bar being slidably and removably mounted on the cover. The binding bar includes a pair of oppositely facing sidewalls which define the sides of an interior slot. Each sidewall includes an angled barb which projects out in a direction towards its opposing sidewall. The cover comprises a sheet folded over on itself to form a pair of panels having a common folded edge, the body of each of the pair of panels being separable from one another. A plurality of semicircular cutouts are formed on each panel. In use, the cover is inserted into the interior slot of the binding bar such that at least some of the cutouts on each panel engage the barbs so that the binding bar will not slip off the cover when the cover is opened to insert sheets or examine sheets already inserted.

The present invention relates generally to cover folders and more specifically to cover folders for securely holding and covering sheets of paper and a method of constructing the same.
Various kinds of cover folders are utilized to hold papers for business and school reports.
In a cover folder of a well-known type, a sheet of either plastic or paper is folded to form a pair of sheets having a common folded edge. The papers comprising the report are placed between the two sheets with the left side edge of the papers arranged adjacent and parallel to the common folded edge. An elongated plastic or metal binding bar is slid onto the outside of the common folded edge of the cover sheet. Such binders binding bars generally include two elongated panels that are joined along a common edge, the elongated panels forming a narrow opening opposite the common edge through which the cover sheet and the enclosed papers may be inserted. The elongated panels of the binder binding bar resiliently press and hold the opposing leafs of the cover sheet and the enclosed papers together.
A major drawback prevalent in many prior art cover folders of the type described above is that because the binding bar can be readily removed by sliding it either parallel to or at an angle relative to the folded edge. Very often, when the cover sheet is opened and separated, even with only small force, the binding bar tends to move perpendicularly relative to the folded edge. Because there generally is insufficient friction between the binding bar and the cover sheet to keep the binding bar mounted on the common folded edge of the cover sheet, the binding bar may separate from the cover sheet, particularly as the number of pages of the report increases. As a result, the enclosed papers are no longer held together and may become soiled or disorganized if they fall out of the cover sheet.
Due to the relative ineffectiveness of such cover folders, an adhesive or other binding element has often been used in the art to ensure secure engagement. In addition, some report covers comprising a binding bar and a cover have been provided with auxiliary clips or fasteners which must be inserted through the binding bar, the cover, and the sheets of paper held therein. The binding bar may, in any event, be retained to provide additional holding force or to improve the outer appearance of the report cover. The use of auxiliary components for holding the report papers together can result in the need to locate the edges of the pages at a distance away from the folded edge. Accordingly, the overall width of the cover must be increased to provide proper coverage for papers of standard size.
The use of additional clips, fasteners, supports, staples and the provision of additional cover area to properly accommodate the papers necessarily increases the overall cost of the report cover. Also the use of additional fasteners makes it more difficult and time consuming for the user to insert and remove the sheets. Moreover, certain types of report documents may not have sufficient margins for providing holes for the passage of fasteners. Also, it may otherwise be undesirable to form holes in the report pages in order to accommodate the fasteners. Holes are undesirable because, among other things, sheets secured by holes tend to tear during normal handling, and aesthetically, the appearance of such documents are greatly detracted.
As a result, attempts have been made in the art to construct cover folders which do not require an adhesive or other binding element to ensure secure engagement. An example of such a cover folder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,032 to Leahy, which issued on Dec. 4, 1984. In this patent, there is disclosed a cover folder having a binder that securely retains the cover and inserted sheets, without the use of external fasteners. The cover is formed from a sheet which is folded once and then folded again to form the overlapping flap formed on the cover sheet. The binder is an elongated bar with an interior channel for receiving and holding a folded cover. The bar includes within the channel slanted ribs which engage the folded edge of the cover sheet along an overlapping flap. The overlapping flap of the cover sheet may be made more rigid by heat treatment and/or by a reinforcing coating.
Another report cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,123 to Giblin et al, which issued on Mar. 11, 1986. In this patent, a folded report cover is provided with a lock strip extending along at least one side of the cover parallel and contiguous to the fold and outwardly of the plane of the side. A channel-shaped gripping member is engaged to the cover along the fold and locked in place by a stop which extends from the interior of one leg of the gripping member into resilient engagement with a longitudinal edge of the lock strip and the one side of the cover. The other leg of the gripping member engages the opposite side of the cover. The lock strip is preferably an integral portion of the material of the cover.
Other examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,676 to K. J. Su, U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,738 to R. Colonna, U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,104 to F. Gloeckle, U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,479 to S. Mizutani, U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,792 to G. Simmons, U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,035 to J. W. Berezowsky, U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,530 to G. Daguerre, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,546 to C. Cognata, U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,947 to H. Einzig, U.S. Pat. No. 990,262 to G. H. Hedges, and U.S. Pat. No. 936,223 to J. N. Dean.

Cover folder and method of constructing the same


Provided is a method for treating cancer by administering to an individual who has the cancer a MAD1 peptide. The peptide can enhance the effect of a chemotherapeutic agent that is administered to the individual in combination with the peptide.

Chemotherapeutic resistance is a frequent cause of treatment failure in oncology, often preceding disease relapse and patient death. It is now common practice to select combinatorial cocktails of drugs with different mechanisms of action to prevent the emergence of resistant cell sub-populations. These regimens almost exclusively employ small molecule inhibitors that act on intracellular biochemical pathways, while compounds that target and disrupt the membranes of cancer cells are comparatively underexplored. Yet, there is accelerating clinical interest in adding tumor lytic agents to combinatorial therapies due to their ability to kill cancer cells through rapid, physical mechanisms that are not shared by conventional drugs.
ACPs are one such class of potential therapeutics that exert their action by preferentially intercalating into and disrupting the plasma and mitochondrial membranes of cancer cells. These membrane-destabilizing, or membranolytic, effects can promote the intracellular diffusion and passive transport of otherwise poorly permeable small molecule drugs and biologics. More importantly, the rapid and non-stereospecific mechanisms of ACPs have led to the conclusion that evolutionary resistance towards these agents is probabilistically low. Taken together, these attributes suggest that ACPs could have significant potential to advance combinatorial strategies in precision medicine if properly exploited. However, ACP discovery campaigns are constrained by the need for large empirical screens of complex natural product mixtures. These methods are costly, laborious and hindered by extensive med-chem optimization of lead candidates. There is thus ongoing and unmet need for improved approaches to cancer treatment. The disclosure is pertinent to this need.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Anticancer peptides that synergistically enhance chemotherapeutic potency


A semiconductor memory device is provided that is capable of detecting a short circuit defect to be detected in a memory array without causing an error due to off-current of a sense amplifier circuit. Sense amplifier circuits amplify a potential between a pair of bit lines, which occurs based on potential of memory cells selected by driving word lines and bit lines. Selection transistors are provided between the bit lines and the sense amplifier circuits. A word-SE interval control circuit included in an X timing generating circuit turns off the selection transistors and disconnects the bit lines from the sense amplifier circuits based on a signal representing a test state for expanded time when a test to expand an interval between word line driving and activation of the sense amplifier circuits and detect defect sites of the bit lines is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device which enables a test of defect sites in dynamic random access memory, for example Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-182360, filed Jul. 11, 2007, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
A memory array of dynamic random access memories (DPAMs) is configured by bit lines and word lines. Data is stored in memory cells arranged at intersections of the bit lines and the word lines. By detecting a minute potential difference which occurs on a pair of bit lines, the data is detected from the memory array. The minute potential difference occurring on the pair of bit lines is amplified and output by a sense amplifier circuit included in the DRAM.
With the recent advance of miniaturization technologies, gaps between wirings in a memory array become narrower and narrower. Due to this, defects appear such as short circuit between word lines and bit lines. One method of detecting and rejecting such short circuit defects is a test mode to expand generation intervals of word line driving sense amplifier circuit activation signals SE (hereinafter referred to as "word-SE interval expansion test"). In this test mode, the generation intervals of word line driving and sense amplifier circuit activation signals SE are expanded from several ns in normal operation up to several μs.
The word-SE interval expansion test mode will be now described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing an operation in a normal state, where the word-SE interval expansion test is not performed. A control signal R2AC0B determines a timing at which a word line is driven. Control signals RSAEPT and RSAENT correspond to the above-mentioned sense amplifier circuit activation signal SE and cause a sense amplifier circuit to initiate an amplification operation. When an active command ACT is input, a mat array selection signal is input by an address input along with the active command and accordingly a targeted memory mat is selected. When the control signal R2AC0B is input, that is, when the control signal R2AC0B is changed from an "H (High)" state to an "L (Low)" state, the word line is driven. As described above, in the operation in the normal state, the sense amplifier circuit is activated after the lapse of several ns during which the word line is driven. Due to this, the control signals RSAEPT and RSAENT are generated by delaying the control signal R2AC0B by means of a delay element or the like, thereby activating the sense amplifier circuit.
FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing an operation in a case of word-SE interval expansion test mode. In the case of word-SE interval expansion test mode, a generation interval of an external CLK is expanded to several μs by means of a tester or the like. This delays generation of the control signals RASEPT and RSAENT to activate the sense amplifier circuit, thereby achieving the word-SE interval expansion test. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12, it can be seen that an interval between word line driving and generation of the sense amplifier circuit activation signal is further expanded as compared to FIG 11.
As the word-SE interval is expanded, a bit line detected as having a short circuit defect loses the amount of signal output from a memory cell due to leakage through the short circuited site. Therefore, when the sense amplifier circuit is activated, it is possible to detect the site having the short circuit defect and thus to reject the defect site.
In recent years, with an increase in the speed of DRAMs, due to reducing power consumption, voltage of a power unit has been lowered, such as single data rate (SDR) (3.3 V), double data rate (DDR) (2.5 V), DDR2 (1.8 V), DDR3 (1.5 V) and so on. With such lowering of voltage, the voltage of a memory cell array (hereinafter referred to as "Vary") has also been lowered. The lowering of the Vary lowers the voltage of a gate with respect to a source of a transistor of a sense amplifier circuit in a sensing operation (hereinafter referred to as "Vgs"). This becomes the cause of a decrease in a sensing speed. If a threshold voltage of the transistor of the sense amplifier circuit is lowered in order to prevent such decrease in the sensing speed, it is known that off-current of the sense amplifier circuit is increased.
In the above-described word-SE interval expansion test, the transistor of the sense amplifier circuit is in a turn-off state for a long time after normal operation starts.
If the threshold voltage is lowered in order to prevent a decrease in the sensing speed, increased off-current flows for the expanded time. In this state, when the short circuit defect is to be detected in the word-SE interval expansion test, read data is lost due to the off-current of the transistor of the sense amplifier circuit. That is, there arises a problem that a site in which data is lost due to the off-current is also detected in addition to the short circuit defect to be originally detected.


The present invention relates to a carrier cup of a planet carrier that improves strength thereof and reduces noise occurring in an automatic transmission by changing an interior circumferential shape of a leg. The carrier cup of a planet carrier according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention at which pinion gears are mounted such that the pinion gears are rotatably supported thereby may include a carrier plate provided with a carrier hole for mounting a carrier shaft and a plurality of pinion holes for mounting the pinion gears, and a plurality of legs extending perpendicularly from one side surface of the carrier plate, wherein radial thickness of the leg is changed along a circumferential direction thereof.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a planet carrier. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carrier cup of a planet carrier that improves strength thereof and reduces noise occurring in an automatic transmission by changing an interior circumferential shape of a leg.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An automatic transmission controls a hydraulic pressure by operating at least one solenoid valve according to a driving state, such as a vehicle speed and a throttle opening, in order to perform shifting to a target shift speed.
In order to automatically shift to a target shift speed, the automatic transmission includes at least one of planetary gear sets. Such a planetary gear set includes a sun gear, a ring gear, and a planet carrier as operational members thereof, and a plurality of pinion gears, engaged with the sun gear and the ring gear, are connected to the planet carrier.
In addition, planetary gear sets are divided into simple planetary gear sets and compound planetary gear sets, and the simple planetary gear sets are divided into single pinion planetary gear sets and double pinion planetary gear sets.
The single pinion planetary gear set is a planetary gear set where one type of pinion gears is engaged with the sun gear and the ring gear, and the double pinion planetary gear set is a planetary gear set where two types of pinion gears are engaged with each other, one of them being engaged with the sun gear and the other being engaged with the ring gear.
A conventional planet carrier includes a carrier cup and a carrier cover.
The carrier cover is provided with a carrier hole formed at a middle portion thereof, and the carrier cup is provided with a carrier hole corresponding to the carrier hole of the carrier cover. Therefore, the carrier cup is connected to the carrier cover by a carrier shaft inserted in the carrier holes.
In addition, a plurality of pinion holes is formed at the carrier cover and the carrier cup around the carrier holes, and pinion shafts are inserted respectively in the pinion holes. A pinion gear is rotatably mounted at the pinion shaft.
The carrier cup includes a carrier plate and a plurality of legs formed perpendicularly to the carrier plate. The leg has an arc shape and covers a part of an exterior circumference of the pinion gear.
According to the conventional carrier cup of the planet carrier, the leg covering the part of the exterior circumference of the pinion gear has a uniform thickness regardless of the shape of the exterior circumference of the pinion gear, and thus a distance between the exterior circumference of the pinion gear and an interior circumference of the leg is not uniform. Therefore, a tilt error of the pinion shaft that occurs when the carrier cup is not mounted perpendicularly to the carrier cover is substantial, and more particularly such tilt error is greater in the double pinion planet carrier where more than two pinion gears are mounted at one leg. In a case that rotational members of the planetary gear set are rotated, the tilt error is a major cause of noise occurring in the automatic transmission.
In addition, since the thickness of leg is uniform, it is hard to strengthen the leg.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


The invention, in one aspect, provides a photovoltaic cell including a charge carrier material and a photosensitized interconnected nanoparticle material including nanoparticles linked by a polymeric linking agent, both disposed between first and second rigid, significantly light-transmitting substrates. In one embodiment, the charge carrier material and the photosensitized interconnected nanoparticle material are disposed between a first and second flexible, significantly light-transmitting substrate that are themselves disposed between the first and second rigid, significantly light-transmitting substrates.

Thin film solar cells composed of percolating networks of liquid electrolyte and dye-coated sintered titanium dioxide were developed by Dr. Michael Gratzel and coworkers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. These photovoltaic devices fall within a general class of cells referred to as dye-sensitized solar cells ("DSSCs"). Conventionally, fabrication of DSSCs requires a high temperature sintering process (>about 400° C.) to achieve sufficient interconnectivity between the nanoparticles and enhanced adhesion between the nanoparticles and a transparent substrate. Although the photovoltaic cells of Grätzel are fabricated from relatively inexpensive raw materials, the high-temperature sintering technique used to make these cells limits the cell substrate to rigid transparent materials, such as glass. In addition, the high-temperature sintering technique precludes the use of tempered glass, which is significantly more resistant to thermal and mechanical stresses and strains than ordinary glass, but which loses its temper at the temperatures inherent to a high-temperature sintering technique.

Photovoltaic cells incorporating rigid substrates


A memory cell data equalization control circuit is provided for sensing data stored in a memory cell. The memory cell data equalization control circuit outputs the sensed data through a bit line and an input/output line in an input/output stage of a semiconductor memory device. The circuit includes a feedback unit for generating a plurality of feedback signals in accordance with a signal output from a main amplifier coupled to the input/output line and an equalizer for equalizing the input/output line in accordance with a first feedback signal. The circuit self-equalizes the data input/output line using the feedback signals generated according to the output from the main amplifier to enhance the data input/output speed. The circuit further controls the coupling of the bit line and the data line to reduce electric power consumption. Further, the circuit prevents instability in an applied system caused by glitching of an address signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to equalizing a data line of a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a memory cell data line equalization control circuit that self-equalizes the data input/output lines using a feedback signal output.
2. Background of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a first related art data input/output control circuit of a semiconductor memory device includes a sense amplifier 12 for sensing and amplifying to a first predetermined level a data being reciprocated to and from a memory cell 11 via bit lines B/L. A switch unit 13 selectively couples the bit lines B/L to an input/output lines I/O in accordance with a switch signal YS. A main amplifier 16 amplifies a signal received through the input/output lines I/O in accordance with a main amplifier control signal MAC. A pair of equalizers 14A, 14B are for coupling to and equalizing the input/output lines I/O in accordance with an equalization control signal EQC. A precharge unit 15 precharges the input/output lines I/O to the level of a supply potential Vcc in accordance with a precharge control signal PCS. A data latch unit 17 latches the output from the main amplifier 16, and a data output buffer 18 is for interfacing the latched data to an external device (not shown).
In the related art data input/output control circuit of the semiconductor memory device, a word line W/L is enabled by a row address strobe (RAS) type signal (not shown) to store data in the memory cell 11 or to read previously stored data from the memory cell. The resulting data value is sensed in the sense amplifier 12 via the bit lines B/L.
A column address strobe (CAS) signal (not shown) applied to a semiconductor memory chip generates an address transition detecting signal ATD for notifying a change of the CAS signal on which the data read/write operation is based.
With reference to FIG. 2, the steps of reading data stored in the memory cell 11 will now be described.
When an address signal ADD changes its level (i.e., value) as shown in FIG. 2C, the address transition detecting signal ATD turns to a low level as shown in FIG. 2D. At this time, an equalization control signal EQC shown in FIG. 2E is applied to activate each of the pair of equalizers 14A, 14B. The pair of equalizers 14A, 14B equalize the input/output lines I/O to the level of the supply voltage Vcc as shown in the leading portion of FIG. 2G during a time period t.
Next, the equalization control signal EQC turns to a low level and then a high switch signal YS is applied to the switch unit 13 to turn on each of the NMOS transistors NM12, NM13 (as shown in FIG. 2B. As a result, the bit lines B/L is coupled to the input/output lines I/O, and a main amplifier control signal MAC turns to a high level to thereby actuate the main amplifier 16 as shown in FIG. 2H.
Then, a high level signal is applied to the word line W/L and the output from the capacitor C11 is transmitted through the NMOS transistor NM11 and the bit lines B/L to the sense amplifier 12. The signal sensed by the sense amplifier 12 is sent through the switch unit 13 to the input/output lines I/O to couple the electric potential of the input/output lines I/O to the first predetermined level as shown in the trailing portion of FIG. 2G.
At this time, the main amplifier 16 amplifies to a second predetermined level and outputs the signal received from the input/output lines I/O. The output from the main amplifier 16 is latched in the latch unit 17 and appropriately processed to interface with an external device (not shown) and generate the final output data Dout as shown in FIG. 2I.
Here, during a data output operation in accordance with the CAS signal, the address transition detecting signal ATD and the CAS signal are decoded to generate the switch signal YS, which is in turn provided to the switch unit 13. The equalization control signal EQC applied to each of the equalizers 14A, 14B is generated according to the address transition detecting signal ATD after a certain delay time t (=ATD). Consequently, the output time for the data Dout is delayed.
A second related art data line equalization control circuit for the direct sensing of data is shown in FIG. 3. A signal output from the bit lines B/L is applied to the gate of each of a pair of NMOS transistors NM32, NM33, and an NMOS transistor NM34 is between a node coupled to the sources of the NMOS transistors NM32, NM33 and a ground potential Vss. The NMOS transistor NM34 is switched in accordance with the switch signal YS coupled to its gate. The rest of the operation of the second related art circuit shown in FIG. 3 is identical to the circuit as shown in FIG. 1.
The related art data input/output controlling circuit of a semiconductor memory device has at least the disadvantage that the equalization control signal is based on the address transition detecting signal during a data output operation according to a CAS signal. Thus, the equalization finishing time and accordingly the data output time is delayed by as much as the timing interval of the address transition detecting signal.
Further, the delayed switching time for the bit lines and the input/output lines results in an increased electric power consumption.
Still further, the circuit is vulnerable to glitches of an address signal, which lead to instability of the circuit in an applied system and an equalizing technique using a static Y-switch causes additional electric power consumption.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.

Memory cell data line equalization controlling circuit for semiconductor memory device


A thin film transistor and a semiconductor device and a method for forming the same. A silicon thin film formed on an insulating substrate is heated at 550 to 800.degree. C. so that it has crystallinity, and a thin film transistor is formed using the crystalline silicon film thus obtained. Thermal contraction of the insulating substrate is set in a range of 30 to 500 ppm in the heating process, so that the thin film transistor has high mobility, low threshold voltage and high off-resistance. Thermal contraction of the insulating substrate may be also set 100 ppm or less in a heating process after a patterning treatment in a thin film transistor producing process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a thin film transistor and a semiconductor device and a method for forming the same, more particularly to a method of producing a silicon thin film transistor for use in an active matrix drive type liquid crystal display, an image sensor, a thermal head, etc., and to a silicon thin film transistor manufactured by the same.
2. Description of Prior Art
A silicon thin film transistor has been hitherto utilized in a liquid crystal display for a compact TV or computer, and an active element or a part of a drive circuit for an image sensor and a thermal head which are used in a facsimile machine, etc. An amorphous silicon thin film transistor is being most vigorously developed now because it can be manufactured relatively easily and designed in a large area.
The amorphous silicon thin film transistor, however, has a demerit that electron and hole mobilities are very small, 1 cm.sup.2 /Vsec and 0.1 cm.sup.2 /Vsec respectively. This is not a critical problem, for example when it is used to perform a switching operation of each pixel of a liquid crystal display or each bit of an image sensor, but is a critical problem particularly in a switching speed when a drive circuit is constructed the same on substrate.
On the other hand, a polycrystal silicon thin film transistor which has been used for a compact-size liquid crystal TV or an image sensor has electron and hole mobilities of about 10 cm.sup.2 /Vsec, and some driving circuits comprising polycrystal silicon thin film transistors are actually marketed as a product. However, the polycrystal silicon thin film transistor is also insufficient to satisfy scale-up and speed-up needs of a device. The polycrystal silicon thin film transistor has polycrystal silicon film formed in an active layer by an LPCVD method, for example. Such polycrystal silicon has a high potential barrier at a grain boundary, so that both of electron and hole mobilities are limited to about 10 cm.sup.2 /Vsec or less. In addition, in most cases, cost is high because of use of expensive quartz as a substrate.
Apart from such amorphous silicon thin film transistor or polycrystal silicon thin film transistor, another method in which amorphous silicon film is formed on a substrate formed of quartz or glass, and then heated for a long time to be grown in solid phase and crystallized has been recently studied. This method provides a thin film transistor having a high mobility of several times to several-tens times of that of a polycrystal silicon thin film transistor (this is dependent on a process condition), and also has high productivity, so that this method is more effective for the next generation's active matrix drive liquid crystal display having driving circuits formed on the same large substrate, for example.
Since a quartz substrate is durable to high temperature above 1000.degree. C., the following advantages are obtained: a gate insulation film formed by thermal oxidation of silicon active layer, which is used generally in silicon wafer process, can be adopted, and a quartz substrate provides a good silicon/silicon-oxide interface. However, the thin film transistor grown in solid phase on the quartz substrate by above method has not only a problem that stable and uniform characteristics cannot be obtained because of lack of uniformity of thermal contraction of quartz, but also a problem that there occurs a failure due to an instability phenomenon that reduction of off resistance and current-curve variation with time lapse are developed, and these problems make it difficult to realize large-area device. In addition, the quartz substrate is more expensive several times than glass, especially for a large-area substrate, so that the quartz would be unsuitable as substrate in this respect.
On the other hand, relatively-low cost glass which is durable to a thermal process of about 600.degree. C. at maximum has been recently developed. Some kinds of this glass can be used for a solid-phase thermal growth process below 600.degree. C. because they contain a small amount of alkali component. These kinds of glass show a very large coefficient of thermal contraction by heating them at 600.degree. C. for 24 hours, for example. Therefore, when a thin film transistor is formed on such a glass substrate, a threshold voltage is observed to be shifted to a positive side by 2 to 5 volt because the substrate is thermally contracted by a heat-treatment in a crystallization process of the semiconductor film, so that a compression stress acts on an active layer of the thin film transistor and the interface condition of the active layer silicon/gate insulator layer is deteriorated.
In addition, since the thermal contraction of the substrate exceeds 200 ppm in a heating process for activating impurities doped in the thin film transistor, a pattern alignment is difficult even using a reduction projecting light exposure device having a mechanism of correcting a substrate expansion and contraction, especially when the diagonal length of the substrate exceeds 10 inches.

Thin film transistor and semiconductor device and method for forming the same

Semicoductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


An electrophotographic photosensitive body having a photosensitive layer on a conductive base, in which at least the outermost layer thereof contains particles having a double structure composed of a core member and a shell member having a larger rubber hardness than the core member. The electrophotographic photosensitive body has excellent mechanical strength such as wear resistance, abrasion resistance, and scratch resistance as well as excellent electrophotographic characteristics such as cleaning properties over time.

Electrophotographic photosensitive bodies recently proposed and utilized are as follows: a laminated organic electrophotographic photosensitive body (OPC) in which a photosensitive layer has at least two layers, that is, a charge generating layer (CGL) that generates charge by exposure and a charge transporting layer (CTL) that transports charge, and a monolayer organic electrophotographic photosensitive body in which a photosensitive layer is composed of a single layer obtained by dispersing a charge generating substance and a charge transporting substance in a binder resin or by dispersing only a charge generating substance in a binder resin.
Further, both the laminated and monolayer electrophotographic photosensitive bodies each provided with a protective layer (OCL) for the protection of its surface layer have been utilized in view of a problem to be described later.
An organic electrophotographic photosensitive body is requested to have predetermined sensitivity, predetermined electrical characteristics, and predetermined optical characteristics in accordance with an electrophotographic process to be applied.
Electrical and mechanical external forces are applied to the surface of the photosensitive layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive body every time an operation such as corona charging or contact charging, development with toner, the transfer of toner onto paper, or a cleaning treatment is performed because the surface is repeatedly subjected to such operation.
Therefore, the photosensitive layer provided to the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive body is requested to have durability against those external forces in order that the image quality of an electrophotograph may be maintained for a long time period.
To be specific, the photosensitive layer is requested to have durability against: the generation of wear or a flaw on its surface due to friction; and the deterioration of its surface due to an active gas such as ozone or discharge in corona charging, contact charging, or transfer.
A polycarbonate resin using, for example, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (bisphenol A) or 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane (bisphenol Z) having good compatibility with a charge transporting substance for use in a photosensitive layer and good optical characteristics as a starting material has been heretofore used as a binder resin for an organic electrophotographic photosensitive body to respond to such requests.
However, even such polycarbonate resin using bisphenol A or bisphenol Z as a raw material does not sufficiently satisfy the above requests, and a large number of methods each involving the use of a polycarbonate resin or any other resin having a structure except bisphenol A and bisphenol Z have been proposed and put into practical use.
In recent years, the surface of a photosensitive body is requested to have low surface energy, in particular, to maintain low surface energy in order that high cleaning property may be realized in association with the fact that a printing machine or copying machine employing an electrophotographic process has become possible to represent colors.
For example, an approach involving dispersing an additive for imparting hydrophobicity or fine particles each made of a material having low surface energy has been taken to respond to the above-mentioned request. However, the additive is apt to exude (bleed out) from an electrophotographic photosensitive body, and the fine particles each made of a material having low surface energy are apt to agglomerate, so the additive and the fine particles involve problems such as light scattering in the photosensitive body and insufficient dispersibility at the time of the production of the photosensitive body.
In addition, attempts such as the change of a binder resin and the addition of various additives have been made to improve the dispersibility of each of various fine particles (Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, each of the change of a binder resin and the addition of various components leads to the deterioration of the electrophotographic characteristics of an electrophotographic photosensitive body such as a reduction in sensitivity of the body, thereby causing another problem.
Patent Document 1: JP 63-65451 A
Patent Document 2: JP 05-45920 A


A lock arm deformation prevention construction for preventing the plastic deformation of an elastic lock arm so as to prevent a mutually-fitted condition of connectors from being affected. In the lock arm deformation prevention construction, a lock arm (3) is formed on a connector housing (2) of first connector (1), and displacement prevention piece portions (4) of an elastic nature are provided between the lock arm (3) and that surface of the connector housing (2) having the lock arm formed thereon, and abutment piece portions (6) are formed on a press portion (5), formed at an end portion of the lock arm (3), in an opposed relation respectively to the displacement prevention piece portions (4). Abutment cancellation ribs (7) for respectively displacing the displacement prevention piece portions (4) when the male and female connectors are fitted together are formed on a housing (9) of the second connector (8).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lock arm for locking the fitting connection between male and female connectors, and more particularly to a lock arm deformation prevention construction for preventing plastic deformation of the lock arm so as to prevent the incomplete locking of the fitting connection.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 9-183844, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 6 shows male and female connectors, in which a conventional lock arm is formed on the male connector. Female terminals 22 are retained in a housing 21 of the male connector 20 respectively by housing lances 33, and male terminals 25 are retained in a housing 24 of the female connector 23 respectively by housing lances 34. The male connector 20 is inserted into a tubular portion 32 formed at a front end of the female connector housing 24, so that the male terminals 25 are fitted into and electrically connected to the female terminals 22, respectively.
A lock arm 27, having an engagement projection 28, is formed on the male connector 20, and a flexing space 26 is formed on the lower side of the lock arm 27. A slit 30 for receiving the engagement projection 28 is formed in the tubular portion 32 of the female connector 23.
For fitting the male connector 20 into the female connector 23, the male connector 20 is inserted into the tubular portion 32 of the female connector 23 while pressing down a press portion 31 provided at a distal end of the lock arm 27, and when the engagement projection 28 is brought into a position where this projection 28 can fit into the slit 30, the application of a pressing force to the press portion 31 is stopped. As a result, the engagement projection 28 is fitted into the slit 30, and engages an engagement portion 29 formed at a front end of the slit 30, so that the two connectors are held in a mutually-fitted condition, and also each pair of male and female connection terminals are kept in an electrically-connected condition.
When it is desired to intentionally disconnect or disengage the male and female connectors, fitted together, from each other, the press portion 31 is pressed down, thereby disengaging the engagement projection 28 from the engagement portion 29, and in this condition the two connectors are moved away from each other.
However, if an external force F continues to act on the press portion 31 of the male connector 20, having the above lock arm, when the male connector 20 is in its independent condition, that is, not fitted in the female connector 23, and can be subjected to an external force from other parts, for example, during transport, this leads to the possibility that the lock arm 27 is plastically deformed.
If the lock arm 27 is plastically deformed, the engagement of the engagement projection 28 with the engagement portion 29 is incomplete as shown in FIG. 6 when the male connector 20 is fitted in the female connector 23, and even when the press portion 31 is not pressed down, the two connectors can be easily disengaged from each other upon application of an external force tending to move the two connectors away from each other. If such connectors are mounted, for example, on an automobile or the like, the mutually-engaged condition of the two connectors is canceled by vibrations developing during the running, so that each female terminal 22 is disconnected from the associated male terminal 25, thus breaking the electric circuit, which may cause a grave accident.

Lock arm deformation prevention construction