A motion sensing device is embedded in a firearm. A processor in the firearm senses the pattern of motion of the firearm, and on sensing a specified sequence of motions, the processor permits operation of the firearm. The operator would move the firearm in a prescribed fashion to “unlock the gun.” For example, the operator might trace out his or her initials with the muzzle of a pistol. Unlocking would stay valid until the operator released the gun handle or squeezed extra hard on the handle.

Firearm safety has been an issue almost as long as firearms have existed. In the last several years there has been interest in developing systems that permit only authorized users to operate firearms. Designs for such systems have included (1) special rings that, when in close proximity to the firearm, permit operation of the firearm, and (2) systems that scan the fingerprint or other biomechanical marker and permit authorized users, whose physical characteristics have been pre-entered into the authorization system, to use the firearm. Examples of proposed designs having a ring or other transmitter in the vicinity of the firearm include U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,370 to Lemelson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,812 to Bennett, or published U.S. patent application No. 20030097776. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,232 to Eppler, which proposes a glove to be worn by the user. An example of a biometric type of system would be published U.S. Patent Application No. 20030098774. Each of these patents and patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
Similarly, a variety mechanisms, notably key and lock systems, are used to authorize operation of automobiles, airplanes, electrical generators, etc.
Although some of these prior mechanisms may have provided some measure of security or safety, they are inconvenient and suffer from serious drawbacks in their operation.

Equipment operator personalization device


A headrest is made from a blow-molded plastic body which has a re-entrant formation over part of its surface, the fixings for securing the body to the headrest support being located inside the re-entrant formation, and the walls of the formation cooperating with the support to define the limits between which the headrest can tilt about a horizontal axis.

This invention relates to a headrest for use with a motor vehicle seat.
A headrest is required for a motor vehicle seat to prevent the head of the seat occupant being jerked backwards in the event of a crash. The headrest therefore has to be rigid enough to restrain movement of the head, but at the same time it needs to have energy absorbing characteristics to prevent damage to the head, and also needs to be relatively soft and comfortable for use by the seat occupant under normal driving conditions.
Both headrests and head restraints are known. For purposes of this specification, head restraints are fixed structures attached to a seat back and intended to prevent neck injury in an accident. In some cases, head restraints may be able to move vertically. Headrests on the other hand, while having a primary function in preventing neck injuries, also aim to improve the comfort of the seat occupant and are able to tilt about a horizontal axis as well as being able to move up and down.


A multimedia architecture for pre-fetching data from a server provides limited-memory client machines with the ability to take advantage of a large remote database with relatively quick response time. A compiler program analyzes a given script to determine what data is needed by the current script and what potential scripts might be addressed from the current script and what server-stored data those scripts would need. That data is pre-fetched from the server upon commands from the compiler program in order to be quickly available for display at the client machine if requested by a user.

This invention relates to multimedia systems, and more particularly to script-based client-server systems with remote storage of the main database. A main object of client-server systems is to provide limited-memory client machines (e.g. personal computers) with access to a voluminous database stored in a central server. The link between the server and the client machines is commonly accomplished by means of a single data line by employing time division multiplexing with the on-line client machines.
Generally, with such an arrangement, when a client machine requests server-stored data there results a passage of a significant "click-wait-watch" time period while the server proceeds to transmit the desired data to the client machines's local memory along a limited-bandwidth (i.e. relatively slow) information channel. With many multimedia applications, this slow response time renders the application significantly less useful (and in some cases unworkable).
This problem has been a major obstacle to efficient use of the client-server technique to advanced multimedia applications.
It is therefore an object of the instant invention to reduce the latency period for client receipt of requested information in client-server multimedia environments.
It is a further object of the instant invention to supply only the currently potentially-needed data to the client machine just in time upon request.
It is yet a further object of the instant invention to provide a script-analyzing compiler program that controls the pre-fetching of data in accordance with specific applications' script routines.

Data pre-fetch for script-based multimedia systems


Provided herein are devices, systems, methods and various means, including those related to printer systems and, more particularly, relate to methods, apparatuses, systems and other means for monitoring a printer ribbon. Some embodiments use a multi-element detector, which is configured to detect a particular type of light emitted from a light emitter. The multi-state detector can include two sensors, one of which includes a polarizer filter that blocks polarized light. Embodiments can be used to determine, among other things, whether or not a printer ribbon is installed in a printer without the use of a snap plate.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to printers and other systems for printing media including labels, receipt media, paper, cards, and the like. A number of deficiencies and problems associated with the manufacture, use, and maintenance of conventional printers have been identified. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, solutions to many of these identified problems have been solved by developing solutions that are included in the various embodiments of the present invention, some examples of which are detailed below.

Tri-state detector for detecting types of light


A mounting apparatus comprises an elongated damping member including a component coupler positioned along the length thereof, the damping member operable to damp vibrations from a modular component. A rigid mounting member is coupled to the damping member adjacent the component coupler, the rigid mounting member operable to secure the modular component to a chassis.

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for mounting a component in an information handling system.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems typically include modular components coupled to the system. These components may be mounted to the system chassis and can include vibration sources, which can raise acoustical issues. In order to meet the acoustic performance requirements for the system while keeping cost at a minimum, the modular components are typically mounted directly to the system chassis with one-piece, elastomeric fasteners. These elastomeric fasteners must provide acoustic isolation while structurally supporting the modular component.
As modular components get larger, these elastomeric fasteners cannot adequately support the components weight during shock or vibration when they are installed directly in the system chassis. For example, a metal chassis can abrade the elastomeric material during shock or vibration, causing the fastener to wear prematurely.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for mounting a component in an information handling system absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above.

Method and apparatus for mounting a component in an information handling system


A vehicular fluid power transmitting device has a pump impeller, a turbine runner, damper device, an annular set member and a bearing assembly. The pump impeller has a pump shell. The damper device is provided between a drive source and the pump shell in an axial direction of an output shaft, and has a damper input member that is connected to the drive source, and a damper output member that is connected to the pump shell. The damper output member is connected to the annular set member that is fixed to the pump shell. The damper input member is relatively rotatably supported via the bearing assembly by the annular set member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fluid power transmitting device provided in a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicular fluid power transmitting device provided in a power transmission path between a power source of a vehicle and an automatic transmission is known. This vehicular fluid power transmitting device transmits' torque generated by the power source to an input shaft of the automatic transmission via fluid. One known example of a vehicular fluid power transmitting device is a fluid coupling. A fluid coupling is provided with a pump impeller and a turbine runner. The pump impeller is rotatably driven about an axis by a drive source such as an engine. The turbine runner is rotated about this axis by operating fluid that is pushed out by the pump impeller. In Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 05-050202 (JP 05-050202 U) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-084852 (JP 2010-084852 A), a torque converter is described as a vehicular fluid power transmitting device. The torque converter is provided with not only a pump impeller and a turbine runner, but also a stator that is arranged between the pump impeller and the turbine runner, in a manner rotatable about the axis.
In this kind of vehicular fluid power transmitting device, an input device such as a damper device or a drive plate that inputs torque from an engine that serves as the drive source of the vehicle to the pump impeller is fixed to a pump shell of the pump impeller by a plurality of set bolts. The plurality of set bolts are screwed into a plurality of set blocks that are fixed to the pump shell at predetermined intervals on the circumference of a circle by welding or the like.
One type of damper that may be used as the damper described above is a damper that has a damper shell that is a damper input member that is connected to the engine, a spring that is an elastic member that is housed in this damper shell, and a driven plate that is a damper output member that is connected to the pump shell. Furthermore, this damper may be provided with a bearing that positions the damper input member and the damper output member in the radial and axial directions. With this type of damper, when the driven plate is used for centering with respect to the torque converter, the damper input member that has a large mass is supported via the driven plate and the bearing. Therefore, the centering accuracy of the damper input member decreases, which is problematic. If the centering accuracy of the damper input member decreases in this way, the mass unbalance when the damper rotates will increase, causing the vehicle to vibrate.

Vehicular fluid power transmitting device


An angular viewing device is taught which enables the viewer to see, while looking downward, objects and scenery in front of him, to the right and left and also above and below the horizontal plane of the viewer's eyes. The viewing device and all of its reflective surfaces or mirrors are housed in a casing which is waterproof and also highly aerodynamically wind-resistant. The device is primarily for use as an optical visual aid for mounting on the handle bars of bicycles for forward vision purposes, safety, and easing of muscle strain associated with riding certain types of bicycles, such as English racer types.

1. Field of the Invention
The concept of the invention relates to a viewing device, primarily for use on bicycles, but not restricted thereto. It consists of an arrangement of mirrors contained within a housing of special design. The arrangement of mirrors provides an "image corrected" view of objects in front of it while the observer e.g. bicycle rider is looking down through it. The device is for front-viewing and side viewing rather than rear viewing. On a bicycle, the housing is typically adjustably mounted on the handle bars, preferably with a vibration dampening mount. It is also preferably easily removable from the handle bars to help protect against theft.
2. Description of the Related Art
A search in the U.S. Patent Office was carried out and the following patents were found:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date Inventor Title ______________________________________ 1,748,837 2/25/1930 E. L. Greensfelder Device For View- ing Objects Above and Ahead of Automobiles 1,918,802 7/18/1933 R. R. Fleischer Mirror Attachment For Motor Vehicles 4,375,316 3/1/1983 A. D. LeVantine Forward View Mirror For Bicycles 4,679,916 7/14/1987 R. A. Roller Optical Viewing Apparatus with Two Mirrors Consecutively Reflecting The Line of Sight ______________________________________
Although the above patents found in the search are somewhat relevant to the optical viewing device of the present invention, they are not considered to be anticipatory thereof, particularly with regard to several specific aspects of the device of the present invention.
The Greensfelder patent is for a device for viewing objects above and ahead of automobiles including a planar mirror in series with a convex mirror, with the mirrors being adjustable to adjust what may be viewed by the user thereof. However the mirrors are separated rather than both being contained within a housing of special design.
The Fleischer patent is also for a device for viewing ahead of automobile (but below the normal line of sight rather than above same) and also includes a planar mirror in series with a convex mirror, with the mirrors being adjustable. Like the Greensfelder patent, however, the mirrors are separated rather than both being contained within a housing of special design.
The Le Vantine patent teaches the combination of a viewing device for use by bicyclists to view ahead, including a plurality of reflecting devices, i.e. flat mirrors and prisms. However, the patent fails to teach an arrangement of mirrors contained within a housing of special design.
The Roller patent teaches a device which is intended to be worn by the bicyclist, rather than being mounted upon the handlebars of the bicycle. It also fails to teach an arrangement of mirrors contained within a housing of special design.


A control moment gyro comprising a wheel support structure which is mounted on a base by a motor, which is used to rotate the support around a first axis and bearing a wheel arrangement for driving the wheel spinner at a high speed around a second axis perpendicuIar to the first. The support structure includes a tubular part which rotates on the base and a flange which is disposed on only one side of the wheel and which is fixed both to the wheel and the tubular part. The diameter of the wheel and the point at which the wheel is fixed to the flange are proportioned such that the wheel penetrates the tubular part.

The orientation of a reference trihedron tied to the body of a satellite can be controlled about three axes by a cluster of at least three gyroscopic actuators whose gimbal exhibits just one axis of orientation of the axis of the wheel; two gyroscopic actuators suffice for 2-axis control. In practice, in general at least four gyroscopic actuators are used in a cluster to ensure redundancy for 3D control. A particularly advantageous example of an attitude control system using gyroscopic actuators is given in patent FR 98 14548 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,647 to which reference may be made.
Most existing gyroscopic actuators have an architecture of the kind shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The gyroscopic actuator comprises a plinth 10 intended to be fixed to the body of the satellite. It can moreover define, with a leaktight envelope (not represented), a volume in which the active part of the actuator is placed. Mounted on the plinth is a wheel support 12 that a motor can orient on the plinth about an axis z. Hereinafter the term "wheel" 14 will designate an assembly which comprises a part secured to the support and a spinner that can rotate on the support about an axis x orthogonal to the axis z of rotation of the support. An electric motor drives the wheel, generally at constant and regulated speed.
The support, that is generally referred to as a gimbal, although it can only orient the axis of the wheel about a single axis, generally exhibits an annular shape centered on the z axis. It completely surrounds the wheel or spinner. Consequently, the assembly occupies a considerable volume and has a high mass for given maximum angular momentum and rigidity. Now, due to the constraints encountered on board a satellite, the space required for the gyroscopic actuators and their mass must be reduced as much as possible for given angular momentum capacity.

Control moment gyro for attitude control of a spacecraft


An electro-optic display is produced using a sub-assembly comprising a front sheet, an electro-optic medium; and an adhesive layer. An aperture is formed through the adhesive layer where the adhesive layer is not covered by the electro-optic medium, and the sub-assembly is adhered to a backplane having a co-operating member with the aperture engaged with a co-operating member, thus locating the sub-assembly relative to the backplane. In another form of electro-optic display, a chip extends through an aperture in the electro-optic medium and adhesive layer. In a third form, the aforementioned sub-assembly is secured to a backplane and then a cut is made through both backplane and sub-assembly to provide an aligned edge.

This invention relates to electro-optic displays, and to materials and methods for the production of such displays. This invention is particularly, but not exclusively, intended for use with displays comprising encapsulated electrophoretic media. However, the invention can also make use of various other types of electro-optic media which are solid, in the sense that they have solid external surfaces, although the media may, and often do, have internal cavities which contain a fluid (either liquid or gas). Thus, the term "solid electro-optic displays" includes encapsulated electrophoretic displays, encapsulated liquid crystal displays, and other types of displays discussed below.
Electro-optic displays comprise a layer of electro-optic material, a term which is used herein in its conventional meaning in the imaging art to refer to a material having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, the material being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to the material. Although the optical property is typically color perceptible to the human eye, it may be another optical property, such as optical transmission, reflectance, luminescence or, in the case of displays intended for machine reading, pseudo-color in the sense of a change in reflectance of electromagnetic wavelengths outside the visible range.
The terms "bistable" and "bistability" are used herein in their conventional meaning in the art to refer to displays comprising display elements having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, and such that after any given element has been driven, by means of an addressing pulse of finite duration, to assume either its first or second display state, after the addressing pulse has terminated, that state will persist for at least several times, for example at least four times, the minimum duration of the addressing pulse required to change the state of the display element. It is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,170,670 that some particle-based electrophoretic displays capable of gray scale are stable not only in their extreme black and white states but also in their intermediate gray states, and the same is true of some other types of electro-optic displays. This type of display is properly called "multi-stable" rather than bistable, although for convenience the term "bistable" may be used herein to cover both bistable and multi-stable displays.
Several types of electro-optic displays are known. One type of electro-optic display is a rotating bichromal member type as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,808,783; 5,777,782; 5,760,761; 6,054,071 6,055,091; 6,097,531; 6,128,124; 6,137,467; and 6,147,791 (although this type of display is often referred to as a "rotating bichromal ball" display, the term "rotating bichromal member" is preferred as more accurate since in some of the patents mentioned above the rotating members are not spherical). Such a display uses a large number of small bodies (typically spherical or cylindrical) which have two or more sections with differing optical characteristics, and an internal dipole. These bodies are suspended within liquid-filled vacuoles within a matrix, the vacuoles being filled with liquid so that the bodies are free to rotate. The appearance of the display is changed by applying an electric field thereto, thus rotating the bodies to various positions and varying which of the sections of the bodies is seen through a viewing surface. This type of electro-optic medium is typically bistable.
Another type of electro-optic display uses an electrochromic medium, for example an electrochromic medium in the form of a nanochromic film comprising an electrode formed at least in part from a semi-conducting metal oxide and a plurality of dye molecules capable of reversible color change attached to the electrode; see, for example O'Regan, B., et al., Nature 1991, 353, 737; and Wood, D., Information Display, 18(3), 24 (March 2002). See also Bach, U., et al., Adv. Mater., 2002, 14(11), 845. Nanochromic films of this type are also described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,301,038; 6,870,657; and 6,950,220. This type of medium is also typically bistable.
Another type of electro-optic display is an electro-wetting display developed by Philips and described in Hayes, R. A., et al., "Video-Speed Electronic Paper Based on Electrowetting", Nature, 425, 383-385 (2003). It is shown in copending application Ser. No. 10/711,802, filed Oct. 6, 2004 (Publication No. 2005/0151709), that such electro-wetting displays can be made bistable.
Another type of electro-optic display, which has been the subject of intense research and development for a number of years, is the particle-based electrophoretic display, in which a plurality of charged particles move through a fluid under the influence of an electric field. Electrophoretic displays can have attributes of good brightness and contrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low power consumption when compared with liquid crystal displays. Nevertheless, problems with the long-term image quality of these displays have prevented their widespread usage. For example, particles that make up electrophoretic displays tend to settle, resulting in inadequate service-life for these displays.
As noted above, electrophoretic media require the presence of a fluid. In most prior art electrophoretic media, this fluid is a liquid, but electrophoretic media can be produced using gaseous fluids; see, for example, Kitamura, T., et al., "Electrical toner movement for electronic paper-like display", IDW Japan, 2001, Paper HCS1-1, and Yamaguchi, Y., et al., "Toner display using insulative particles charged triboelectrically", IDW Japan, 2001, Paper AMD4-4). See also U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2005/0259068, 2006/0087479, 2006/0087489, 2006/0087718, 2006/0209008, 2006/0214906, 2006/0231401, 2006/0238488, 2006/0263927 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,321,459 and 7,236,291. Such gas-based electrophoretic media appear to be susceptible to the same types of problems due to particle settling as liquid-based electrophoretic media, when the media are used in an orientation which permits such settling, for example in a sign where the medium is disposed in a vertical plane. Indeed, particle settling appears to be a more serious problem in gas-based electrophoretic media than in liquid-based ones, since the lower viscosity of gaseous suspending fluids as compared with liquid ones allows more rapid settling of the electrophoretic particles.
Numerous patents and applications assigned to or in the names of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and E Ink Corporation have recently been published describing encapsulated electrophoretic media. Such encapsulated media comprise numerous small capsules, each of which itself comprises an internal phase containing electrophoretically-mobile particles suspended in a liquid suspending medium, and a capsule wall surrounding the internal phase. Typically, the capsules are themselves held within a polymeric binder to form a coherent layer positioned between two electrodes. Encapsulated media of this type are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,930,026; 5,961,804; 6,017,584; 6,067,185; 6,118,426; 6,120,588; 6,120,839; 6,124,851; 6,130,773; 6,130,774; 6,172,798; 6,177,921; 6,232,950; 6,249,271; 6,252,564; 6,262,706; 6,262,833; 6,300,932; 6,312,304; 6,312,971; 6,323,989; 6,327,072; 6,376,828; 6,377,387; 6,392,785; 6,392,786; 6,413,790; 6,422,687; 6,445,374; 6,445,489; 6,459,418; 6,473,072; 6,480,182; 6,498,114; 6,504,524; 6,506,438; 6,512,354; 6,515,649; 6,518,949; 6,521,489; 6,531,997; 6,535,197; 6,538,801; 6,545,291; 6,580,545; 6,639,578; 6,652,075; 6,657,772; 6,664,944; 6,680,725; 6,683,333; 6,704,133; 6,710,540; 6,721,083; 6,724,519; 6,727,881; 6,738,050; 6,750,473; 6,753,999; 6,816,147; 6,819,471; 6,822,782; 6,825,068; 6,825,829; 6,825,970; 6,831,769; 6,839,158; 6,842,167; 6,842,279; 6,842,657; 6,864,875; 6,865,010; 6,866,760; 6,870,661; 6,900,851; 6,922,276; 6,950,200; 6,958,848; 6,967,640; 6,982,178; 6,987,603; 6,995,550; 7,002,728; 7,012,600; 7,012,735; 7,023,420; 7,030,412; 7,030,854; 7,034,783; 7,038,655; 7,061,663; 7,071,913; 7,075,502; 7,075,703; 7,079,305; 7,106,296; 7,109,968; 7,110,163; 7,110,164; 7,116,318; 7,116,466; 7,119,759; 7,119,772; 7,148,128; 7,167,155; 7,170,670; 7,173,752; 7,176,880; 7,180,649; 7,190,008; 7,193,625; 7,202,847; 7,202,991; 7,206,119; 7,223,672; 7,230,750; 7,230,751; 7,236,790; 7,236,792; 7,242,513; 7,247,379; 7,256,766; 7,259,744; 7,280,094; 7,304,634; 7,304,787; 7,312,784; 7,312,794; 7,312,916; 7,237,511; 7,339,715; 7,349,148; 7,352,353; 7,365,394; and 7,365,733; and U.S. Patent Applications Publication Nos. 2002/0060321; 2002/0090980; 2003/0102858; 2003/0151702; 2003/0222315; 2004/0105036; 2004/0112750; 2004/0119681; 2004/0155857; 2004/0180476; 2004/0190114; 2004/0257635; 2004/0263947; 2005/0000813; 2005/0007336; 2005/0012980; 2005/0018273; 2005/0024353; 2005/0062714; 2005/0099672; 2005/0122284; 2005/0122306; 2005/0122563; 2005/0134554; 2005/0151709; 2005/0152018; 2005/0156340; 2005/0179642; 2005/0190137; 2005/0212747; 2005/0253777; 2005/0280626; 2006/0007527; 2006/0038772; 2006/0139308; 2006/0139310; 2006/0139311; 2006/0176267; 2006/0181492; 2006/0181504; 2006/0194619; 2006/0197737; 2006/0197738; 2006/0202949; 2006/0223282; 2006/0232531; 2006/0245038; 2006/0262060; 2006/0279527; 2006/0291034; 2007/0035532; 2007/0035808; 2007/0052757; 2007/0057908; 2007/0069247; 2007/0085818; 2007/0091417; 2007/0091418; 2007/0109219; 2007/0128352; 2007/0146310; 2007/0152956; 2007/0153361; 2007/0200795; 2007/0200874; 2007/0201124; 2007/0207560; 2007/0211002; 2007/0211331; 2007/0223079; 2007/0247697; 2007/0285385; 2007/0286975; 2007/0286975; 2008/0013155; 2008/0013156; 2008/0023332; 2008/0024429; 2008/0024482; 2008/0030832; 2008/0043318; 2008/0048969; 2008/0048970; 2008/0054879; 2008/0057252; and 2008/0074730; and International Applications Publication Nos. WO 00/38000; WO 00/36560; WO 00/67110; and WO 01/07961; and European Patents Nos. 1,099,207 B1; and 1,145,072 B1.
Many of the aforementioned patents and applications recognize that the walls surrounding the discrete microcapsules in an encapsulated electrophoretic medium could be replaced by a continuous phase, thus producing a so-called polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display, in which the electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of discrete droplets of an electrophoretic fluid and a continuous phase of a polymeric material, and that the discrete droplets of electrophoretic fluid within such a polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display may be regarded as capsules or microcapsules even though no discrete capsule membrane is associated with each individual droplet; see for example, the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,760. Accordingly, for purposes of the present application, such polymer-dispersed electrophoretic media are regarded as sub-species of encapsulated electrophoretic media.
A related type of electrophoretic display is a so-called "microcell electrophoretic display". In a microcell electrophoretic display, the charged particles and the fluid are not encapsulated within microcapsules but instead are retained within a plurality of cavities formed within a carrier medium, typically a polymeric film. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,672,921 and 6,788,449, both assigned to Sipix Imaging, Inc.
Although electrophoretic media are often opaque (since, for example, in many electrophoretic media, the particles substantially block transmission of visible light through the display) and operate in a reflective mode, many electrophoretic displays can be made to operate in a so-called "shutter mode" in which one display state is substantially opaque and one is light-transmissive. See, for example, the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,130,774 and 6,172,798, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,872,552; 6,144,361; 6,271,823; 6,225,971; and 6,184,856. Dielectrophoretic displays, which are similar to electrophoretic displays but rely upon variations in electric field strength, can operate in a similar mode; see U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,346. Other types of electro-optic displays may also be capable of operating in shutter mode.
An encapsulated electrophoretic display typically does not suffer from the clustering and settling failure mode of traditional electrophoretic devices and provides further advantages, such as the ability to print or coat the display on a wide variety of flexible and rigid substrates. (Use of the word "printing" is intended to include all forms of printing and coating, including, but without limitation: pre-metered coatings such as patch die coating, slot or extrusion coating, slide or cascade coating, curtain coating; roll coating such as knife over roll coating, forward and reverse roll coating; gravure coating; dip coating; spray coating; meniscus coating; spin coating; brush coating; air knife coating; silk screen printing processes; electrostatic printing processes; thermal printing processes; ink jet printing processes; electrophoretic deposition (See U.S. Pat. No. 7,339,715); and other similar techniques.) Thus, the resulting display can be flexible. Further, because the display medium can be printed (using a variety of methods), the display itself can be made inexpensively.
Other types of electro-optic materials may also be used in the present invention.
An electro-optic display normally comprises a layer of electro-optic material and at least two other layers disposed on opposed sides of the electro-optic material, one of these two layers being an electrode layer. In most such displays both the layers are electrode layers, and one or both of the electrode layers are patterned to define the pixels of the display. For example, one electrode layer may be patterned into elongate row electrodes and the other into elongate column electrodes running at right angles to the row electrodes, the pixels being defined by the intersections of the row and column electrodes. Alternatively, and more commonly, one electrode layer has the form of a single continuous electrode and the other electrode layer is patterned into a matrix of pixel electrodes, each of which defines one pixel of the display. In another type of electro-optic display, which is intended for use with a stylus, print head or similar movable electrode separate from the display, only one of the layers adjacent the electro-optic layer comprises an electrode, the layer on the opposed side of the electro-optic layer typically being a protective layer intended to prevent the movable electrode damaging the electro-optic layer.
The manufacture of a three-layer electro-optic display normally involves at least one lamination operation. For example, in several of the aforementioned MIT and E Ink patents and applications, there is described a process for manufacturing an encapsulated electrophoretic display in which an encapsulated electrophoretic medium comprising capsules in a binder is coated on to a flexible substrate comprising indium tin oxide (ITO) or a similar conductive coating (which acts as an one electrode of the final display) on a plastic film, the capsules/binder coating being dried to form a coherent layer of the electrophoretic medium firmly adhered to the substrate. Separately, a backplane, containing an array of pixel electrodes and an appropriate arrangement of conductors to connect the pixel electrodes to drive circuitry, is prepared. To form the final display, the substrate having the capsule/binder layer thereon is laminated to the backplane using a lamination adhesive. (A very similar process can be used to prepare an electrophoretic display usable with a stylus or similar movable electrode by replacing the backplane with a simple protective layer, such as a plastic film, over which the stylus or other movable electrode can slide.) In one preferred form of such a process, the backplane is itself flexible and is prepared by printing the pixel electrodes and conductors on a plastic film or other flexible substrate. The obvious lamination technique for mass production of displays by this process is roll lamination using a lamination adhesive. Similar manufacturing techniques can be used with other types of electro-optic displays. For example, a microcell electrophoretic medium or a rotating bichromal member medium may be laminated to a backplane in substantially the same manner as an encapsulated electrophoretic medium.
As discussed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178, (see column 3, lines 63 to column 5, line 46) many of the components used in solid electro-optic displays, and the methods used to manufacture such displays, are derived from technology used in liquid crystal displays (LCD's), which are of course also electro-optic displays, though using a liquid rather than a solid medium. For example, solid electro-optic displays may make use of an active matrix backplane comprising an array of transistors or diodes and a corresponding array of pixel electrodes, and a "continuous" front electrode (in the sense of an electrode which extends over multiple pixels and typically the whole display) on a transparent substrate, these components being essentially the same as in LCD's. However, the methods used for assembling LCD's cannot be used with solid electro-optic displays. LCD's are normally assembled by forming the backplane and front electrode on separate glass substrates, then adhesively securing these components together leaving a small aperture between them, placing the resultant assembly under vacuum, and immersing the assembly in a bath of the liquid crystal, so that the liquid crystal flows through the aperture between the backplane and the front electrode. Finally, with the liquid crystal in place, the aperture is sealed to provide the final display.
This LCD assembly process cannot readily be transferred to solid electro-optic displays. Because the electro-optic material is solid, it must be present between the backplane and the front electrode before these two integers are secured to each other. Furthermore, in contrast to a liquid crystal material, which is simply placed between the front electrode and the backplane without being attached to either, a solid electro-optic medium normally needs to be secured to both; in most cases the solid electro-optic medium is formed on the front electrode, since this is generally easier than forming the medium on the circuitry-containing backplane, and the front electrode/electro-optic medium combination is then laminated to the backplane, typically by covering the entire surface of the electro-optic medium with an adhesive and laminating under heat, pressure and possibly vacuum. Accordingly, most prior art methods for final lamination of solid electrophoretic displays are essentially batch methods in which (typically) the electro-optic medium, a lamination adhesive and a backplane are brought together immediately prior to final assembly, and it is desirable to provide methods better adapted for mass production.
Electro-optic displays are often costly; for example, the cost of the color LCD found in a portable computer is typically a substantial fraction of the entire cost of the computer. As the use of electro-optic displays spreads to devices, such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDA's), much less costly than portable computers, there is great pressure to reduce the costs of such displays. The ability to form layers of some solid electro-optic media by printing techniques on flexible substrates, as discussed above, opens up the possibility of reducing the cost of electro-optic components of displays by using mass production techniques such as roll-to-roll coating using commercial equipment used for the production of coated papers, polymeric films and similar media.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178 describes a method of assembling a solid electro-optic display (including an encapsulated electrophoretic display) which is well adapted for mass production. Essentially, this patent describes a so-called "front plane laminate" ("FPL") which comprises, in order, a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer; a layer of a solid electro-optic medium in electrical contact with the electrically-conductive layer; an adhesive layer; and a release sheet. Typically, the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer will be carried on a light-transmissive substrate, which is preferably flexible, in the sense that the substrate can be manually wrapped around a drum (say) 10 inches (254 mm) in diameter without permanent deformation. The term "light-transmissive" is used in this patent and herein to mean that the layer thus designated transmits sufficient light to enable an observer, looking through that layer, to observe the change in display states of the electro-optic medium, which will normally be viewed through the electrically-conductive layer and adjacent substrate (if present); in cases where the electro-optic medium displays a change in reflectivity at non-visible wavelengths, the term "light-transmissive" should of course be interpreted to refer to transmission of the relevant non-visible wavelengths. The substrate will typically be a polymeric film, and will normally have a thickness in the range of about 1 to about 25 mil (25 to 634 μm), preferably about 2 to about 10 mil (51 to 254 μm). The electrically-conductive layer is conveniently a thin metal or metal oxide layer of, for example, aluminum or ITO, or may be a conductive polymer. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films coated with aluminum or ITO are available commercially, for example as "aluminized Mylar" ("Mylar" is a Registered Trade Mark) from E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington Del., and such commercial materials may be used with good results in the front plane laminate.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178 also describes a method for testing the electro-optic medium in a front plane laminate prior to incorporation of the front plane laminate into a display. In this testing method, the release sheet is provided with an electrically conductive layer, and a voltage sufficient to change the optical state of the electro-optic medium is applied between this electrically conductive layer and the electrically conductive layer on the opposed side of the electro-optic medium. Observation of the electro-optic medium will then reveal any faults in the medium, thus avoiding laminating faulty electro-optic medium into a display, with the resultant cost of scrapping the entire display, not merely the faulty front plane laminate.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178 also describes a second method for testing the electro-optic medium in a front plane laminate by placing an electrostatic charge on the release sheet, thus forming an image on the electro-optic medium. This image is then observed in the same way as before to detect any faults in the electro-optic medium.
Assembly of an electro-optic display using such a front plane laminate may be effected by removing the release sheet from the front plane laminate and contacting the adhesive layer with the backplane under conditions effective to cause the adhesive layer to adhere to the backplane, thereby securing the adhesive layer, layer of electro-optic medium and electrically-conductive layer to the backplane. This process is well-adapted to mass production since the front plane laminate may be mass produced, typically using roll-to-roll coating techniques, and then cut into pieces of any size needed for use with specific backplanes.
The aforementioned 2004/0155857 describes a so-called "double release film" which is essentially a simplified version of the front plane laminate of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178. One form of the double release sheet comprises a layer of a solid electro-optic medium sandwiched between two adhesive layers, one or both of the adhesive layers being covered by a release sheet. Another form of the double release sheet comprises a layer of a solid electro-optic medium sandwiched between two release sheets. Both forms of the double release film are intended for use in a process generally similar to the process for assembling an electro-optic display from a front plane laminate already described, but involving two separate laminations; typically, in a first lamination the double release sheet is laminated to a front electrode to form a front sub-assembly, and then in a second lamination the front sub-assembly is laminated to a backplane to form the final display, although the order of these two laminations could be reversed if desired.
The aforementioned 2007/0109219 describes a so-called "inverted front plane laminate", which is a variant of the front plane laminate described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178. This inverted front plane laminate comprises, in order, at least one of a light-transmissive protective layer and a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer; an adhesive layer; a layer of a solid electro-optic medium; and a release sheet. This inverted front plane laminate is used to form an electro-optic display having a layer of lamination adhesive between the electro-optic layer and the front electrode or front substrate; a second, typically thin layer of adhesive may or may not be present between the electro-optic layer and a backplane. Such electro-optic displays can combine good resolution with good low temperature performance.
The aforementioned 2007/0109219 also describes various methods designed for high volume manufacture of electro-optic displays using inverted front plane laminates; preferred forms of these methods are "multi-up" methods designed to allow lamination of components for a plurality of electro-optic displays at one time.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178 also describes methods for forming an electrical connection between a backplane to which the front plane laminate is laminated and the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer within the front plane laminate. As illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22 of this patent, the formation of the layer of electro-optic medium within the front plane laminate may be controlled so as to leave uncoated areas ("gutters") where no electro-optic medium is present, and portions of these uncoated areas can later serve to form the necessary electrical connections. However, this method of forming connections tends to be undesirable from a manufacturing point of view, since the placement of the connections is of course a function of the backplane design, so that FPL coated with a specific arrangement of gutters can only be used with one, or a limited range of backplanes, whereas for economic reasons it is desirable to produce only one form of FPL which can be used with any backplane.
Accordingly, the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,178 also describes methods for forming the necessary electrical connections by coating electro-optic medium over the whole area of the FPL and then removing the electro-optic medium where it is desired to form electrical connections. However, such removal of electro-optic medium poses its own problems. Typically, the electro-optic medium must be removed by the use of solvents or mechanical cleaning, either of which may result in damage to, or removal of, the electrically-conductive layer of the FPL (this electrically-conductive layer usually being a layer of a metal oxide, for example indium tin oxide, less than 1 μm thick), causing a failed electrical connection. In extreme cases, damage may also be caused to the front substrate (typically a polymeric film) which is used to support and mechanically protect the conductive layer. In some cases, the materials from which the electro-optic medium is formed may not be easily solvated, and it may not be possible to remove them without the use of aggressive solvents and/or high mechanical pressures, either of which will exacerbate the aforementioned problems.
Similar methods using selective coating of electro-optic medium and/or selective removal of electro-optic medium may also be applied to the double release films and inverted front plane laminates discussed above.
It is common practice to use laser cutting to separate from a continuous web of FPL pieces of appropriate sizes for lamination to individual backplanes. Such laser cutting can also be used to prepare areas for electrical connections to the backplane by "kiss cutting" the FPL with the laser from the lamination adhesive side so that the lamination adhesive and electro-optic medium are removed from the connection areas, but the electrically-conductive layer is not removed. Such kiss cutting requires accurate control of both laser power and cutting speed if the thin and relatively fragile electrically-conductive layer is not to be removed or damaged. Also, depending upon the location of the connection, bending of the electrically-conductive layer and the associated front substrate may crack the conductive layer, resulting in failure to make a proper connection between the backplane and the conductive layer, and hence display failure.
The aforementioned 2007/0211331 describes methods of forming electrical connections to the conductive layers of front plane laminates. This application describes a first process for the production of a front plane laminate which comprises forming a sub-assembly comprising a layer of lamination adhesive and a layer of electro-optic medium; forming an aperture through this sub-assembly; and thereafter securing to the exposed surface of the lamination adhesive a light-transmissive electrode layer extending across the aperture. The resultant FPL has a pre-cut aperture through the electro-optic medium and adhesive layers, this pre-cut aperture allowing contact to be made with the electrode layer.
The aforementioned 2007/0211331 also describes a second process for the production of a front plane laminate which comprises forming a sub-assembly comprising a layer of lamination adhesive and a layer of electro-optic medium; and thereafter securing to the exposed surface of the lamination adhesive a light-transmissive electrode layer, the electrode layer having a tab portion which extends beyond the periphery of the lamination adhesive and electro-optic layers.
One area of electro-optic display manufacture which still present problems is aligning the FPL or similar front sub-assembly with the backplane. As already noted, the FPL or other front sub-assembly is formed as a web or large sheet which must be cut to provide pieces of appropriate size for formation of single displays. It is normally necessary to ensure that the FPL or similar front sub-assembly piece is accurately aligned with certain features of the backplane; for example, it may be necessary to ensure that an electrode layer in a FPL contacts electrical contacts present on the backplane. The present invention provides methods for facilitating such alignment. One form of the present invention is especially adapted for achieving a clean edge alignment between an FPL or similar front sub-assembly and a backplane substantially the same size as the front sub-assembly.
The present invention also provides a method to facilitate mounting of driver chips or other circuitry on the backplane of an electro-optic display.

Electro-optic displays, and materials and methods for production thereof


A snack food product having a shaped core of a coherent mass of scrambled eggs enrobed in a breaded batter coating.

Eggs are highly nutritious and have been prepared in many ways, with various spices and sauces to further enhance their natural appealing taste, aroma and appearance.
A search of the prior art with respect to them subject matter hereof has resulted in location of U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,650,766, 4,469,708, 6,165,522, 6,261,611, 6,261,625 and 6,326,039.


An acoustically insulated apparatus is disclosed which includes a machine and an acoustical insulation system for the machine, wherein the machine generates noise having a peak sound frequency. The insulation system includes a two-part stratum having a porous sound absorbing media layer, and a sound reflecting barrier layer located between the sound absorbing layer and the machine, wherein the two-part stratum exhibits maximum sound absorption at the peak sound frequency.

Appliances and other machines that generate noise are usually provided with acoustical insulation to reduce the levels of sound emanating from the machines. The unwanted sound from these machines can be caused both by the mechanical operation of the motor within the machine, such as the compressor motor within an air conditioner, and by the vibration of the machine itself. In a residential dwelling, excessive noise may be generated by dishwashers, clothes washers and clothes dryers, which can be annoying to inhabitants of the dwelling.
Conventional acoustical treatments for machines generally comprises sound transmission barriers and sound absorption layers. One form of acoustical insulation involves enclosing the noise source in an insulation structure. A typical form of acoustical insulation is a layer of mineral fiber insulation, such as fiberglass insulation, wrapped around or positioned around the source of unwanted noise. For example, a fiberglass absorber is usually incorporated in the front door panel of an under-the-counter dishwasher. The blanket of glass fibers absorbs some of the sound energy entering the fiberglass board, thereby resulting in a reduced transmission of unwanted sound from the source of sound in the appliance. Further, it is known that the insertion of a reflecting sound barrier within the acoustical insulation also reduces the sound transmission through the insulation product. Reflecting sound barriers in the past have been made of paper and also of a thin layer of polymeric material, as well as of other materials such as asphalt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,318 to Maeda et al. discloses a sound absorption material for automobiles which includes a damping layer, which may act as a sound reflection barrier, a sound absorption layer which absorbs acoustical energy, and a surfacing materiel. The damping layer can be purely asphalt, or an asphalt modified with resins and polymers. The sound absorption layer can be a foamed material or a fibrous material such as a mineral fiber blanket.
Merely applying a layered insulation and sound barrier laminate to noise producing equipment has been found to provide unsatisfactory acoustical performance for many noise sources. The insulation material often has inadequate insulating capability for the level of sound energy under consideration, since many appliances and other noise producing machines have limited space for applying acoustical insulation. Further, insulation materials are not usually designed with specific noise sources in mind, and typical acoustical insulation does not address the particular acoustical or tonal characteristics of the source of the unwanted noise.
It would therefore be desirable for an apparatus that includes a noise generating machine to include an acoustical insulation system that would be suitable for effectively acoustically insulating the machine, and could be easily manufactured and installed. It would further be desirable for the apparatus to include an insulation system that exhibits maximum sound absorption at a peak sound frequency of the machine.

Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.


Virtual navigation (2255) and examination of virtual objects are enhanced using methods of insuring that an entire surface to be examined has been properly viewed. A user interface (FIG. 23) identifies regions which have not been subject to examination and provides a mechanism (2250) to route the user to these regions in the 3D display. Virtual examination is further improved by the use of measuring disks (905) to enhance quantitative measurements such as diameter, distance, volume and angle. Yet another enhancement to the virtual examination of objects is a method of electronic segmentation, or cleaning, which corrects for partial volume effects occurring in an object.

The use of 3D imaging techniques for exploring virtual representations of objects is known. For example, medical image data can be transformed into a 3D virtual representation of an organ, such as the colon, to allow a thorough examination of the region. In the case of conventional optical colonoscopy, the field of view available is generally directed only along the direction of navigation through the colon. As illustrated in FIG. 1, because of the folded nature of the colon lumen, this can result in a substantial portion of the colon not being visible during optical colonoscopy. Of course, in virtual colonoscopy, the viewer can change navigation direction and can also orient the virtual camera in any direction. While this flexibility allows the radiologist or other viewer to explore the entire surface of the colon, it is often difficult or impossible for a viewer to know whether a particular region has been explored. Thus, improved navigational aids would be desirable.
In addition to being used to view a virtual object, the 3D virtual environment can also be used to perform quantifiable analysis, such as distance and volume measurements in a region of interest. In present systems, such measurements generally involve the use of manually outlining a region for volume measurements. In addition, 3D ray-surface intersection have been used to perform length, diameter and angular measurements. Such techniques tend to be time consuming or computationally expensive. Thus, improvements for performing quantitative measurements in a virtual environment are desired.
An additional problem which is encountered during virtual examination is removing extraneous material from the object which is subject to examination. For example, in the case of virtual colonoscopy, it is necessary to remove stool and fluid from the colon to expose the surface of the colon wall. The traditional pre-imaging protocols for effecting colon cleansing are unpleasant and impose a deterrent to patients from obtaining such examination. Although electronic cleansing techniques are known, these techniques still encounter difficulties in properly removing material, such as in regions of intersection of two or more material types. Thus, improved electronic cleansing of a virtual object would be beneficial in such virtual examination applications.

Enhanced virtual navigation and examination

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


The present subject matter relates to a capacity detector, a waveguide and a manifold for use with a coin sensor as well as methods for sensing a capacity of a coin receptacle. In one aspect, the waveguide for use with a coin sensor comprises an excitation end for receiving an acoustic signal, a horn end for disposition adjacent to a coin receptacle, and a conduit interconnecting the horn end and the excitation end. In embodiments, the horn end of the waveguide may define a horn selected from a tapered horn, an exponential horn, a tractrix horn, or a modified tractrix horn.

Coin receptacles (e.g. coin tubes) can be used to store coins in a currency handling apparatus. Various techniques can be used to measure the available capacity for a coin tube to store additional coins.
For example, in some implementations, a processor can compute the available capacity of a coin tube by comparing a running count of the quantity of coins inserted into the coin tube against a predetermined quantity of coins that the receptacle is known to be capable of storing. The processor can use the computed available capacity to determine whether to stop accepting coins of a particular denomination and/or whether servicing is required.
This approach is predicated on an assumption that the stored coins have a fixed dimension (e.g. thickness). Such an assumption can result an inaccurate computation of the available capacity because the coin dimensions can vary for various reasons (e.g. manufacturing tolerances, environmental conditions, etc.). Inaccurately computing the available capacity can result in underfill or overfill of the receptacle. Overfilling or underfilling of the receptacle can lead to jams and/or downtime of the currency handling apparatus.
This approach also relies on an assumption that the coins will always be received and stored in a pre-determined orientation (e.g. stacked face-to-face). To the extent that the coins are not received and stacked in the pre-determined orientation, it is possible for the coin tube to reach or exceed maximum capacity prior to receiving the predetermined quantity of coins. For example, coins or foreign objects lodged within the coin tube can prevent subsequently inserted coins from being stacked in the pre-determined orientation, which can potentially cause the coin receptacle to reach or exceed the maximum capacity prior to receiving the predetermined quantity of coins. In this situation, the processor may not detect the overflow event, resulting in overflow of the coin tube and malfunction of the currency handling apparatus.
Ultrasonic pulses can also be used to measure the available capacity of a coin receptacle. In some implementations, ultrasonic pulses can be directed towards the top of a coin stack, and the time delay between the emitted and reflected pulses can be measured. However, ultrasonic transducers are resonant structures that produce ringing, and are therefore difficult to construct. Moreover, while damping can be used to reduce the ringing, such damping also has the negative effect of reducing the output power and can lead to potential noise problems. Also, it may be necessary to space such an ultrasonic transducer a large distance from the stack of coins to avoid detection of the reflected pulse occurring prior to a complete detection of the emitted pulse. Furthermore, if a substantial portion of the transducer output is coupled to the surrounding structure, this can result in saturation of the receiving microphone.
Therefore, there exists a need for a more efficient, smaller form-factor, high-accuracy capacity detector that can determine the available capacity of a coin tube.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide a laminated polishing pad that can be flatly bonded to a polishing platen even if it is large in size. This laminated polishing pad, comprising a polishing layer and a support layer with an adhesive member interposed therebetween, wherein the polishing layer contains 0.5 to 5% by weight of a hydrophilic substance; the support layer is a layer obtained by integrally molding a cushion layer and a resin film having a thermal dimensional change rate of 1.3 to 12.6%; the laminated polishing pad has a concavely warped form in the polishing layer side; and the laminated polishing pad has an average warp amount of 3 to 50 mm at the peripheral edge of the pad.

Production of a semiconductor device involves a step of forming an electroconductive film on the surface of a wafer to form a wiring layer by photolithography, etching etc., a step of forming an interlaminar insulating film on the wiring layer, etc., and an uneven surface made of an electroconductive material such as metal and an insulating material is generated on the surface of a wafer by these steps. In recent years, processing for fine wiring and multilayer wiring is advancing for the purpose of higher integration of semiconductor integrated circuits, and accordingly techniques of planarizing an uneven surface of a wafer have become important.
As the method of planarizing an uneven surface of a wafer, a CMP method is generally used. CMP is a technique wherein while the surface of a wafer to be polished is pressed against a polishing surface of a polishing pad, the surface of the wafer is polished with slurry having abrasive grains dispersed therein. As shown in FIG. 1, a polishing apparatus used generally in CMP is provided for example with a polishing platen 2 for supporting a polishing pad 1, a supporting stand (polishing head) 5 for supporting a polished material (wafer) 4, a backing material for uniformly pressurizing a wafer, and a mechanism of feeding an abrasive. The polishing pad 1 is fitted with the polishing platen 2 for example via a double-sided tape. The polishing platen 2 and the supporting stand 5 are provided with rotating shafts 6 and 7 respectively and are arranged such that the polishing pad 1 and the polished material 4, both of which are supported by them, are opposed to each other. The supporting stand 5 is provided with a pressurizing mechanism for pushing the polished material 4 against the polishing pad 1.
Patent Document 1 proposes a method for polishing a semiconductor substrate, comprising fixing a semiconductor substrate to a polishing head; pushing a polishing layer having a micro-rubber A hardness of 70 degrees or more, which is fixed to a polishing platen with a cushion layer interposed therebetween having a volume modulus of 600 kg/cm2 or more and a compression elastic modulus of 10 kg/cm2 or more and 140 kg/cm2 or less, against the semiconductor substrate; and rotating the polishing head or the polishing platen or both of them in the state where the warps or irregularities of the semiconductor substrate itself are absorbed into the cushion layer, so that the semiconductor substrate is polished.
Recently, a polishing pad has also been increased in size with upsizing of semiconductor wafers, and thus work of bonding a large polishing pad to a polishing platen has become difficult. In the work of bonding a polishing pad to a polishing platen, it is necessary to bond the polishing pad as flatly as possible to the polishing platen. However, if the polishing pad becomes larger in size, air becomes easy to enter between the polishing pad and the polishing platen during bonding process. Since the portion where the air enters projects convexly, there was the problem that defects (e.g., deterioration in polishing uniformity, tear of polishing layer caused by dresser, etc.) due to such a portion could occur in the polishing process of the semiconductor wafer.


A set of nanoparticles is disclosed. Each nanoparticle of the set of nanoparticles is comprised of a set of Group IV atoms arranged in a substantially spherical configuration. Each nanoparticle of the set of nanoparticles further having a sphericity of between about 1.0 and about 2.0; a diameter of between about 4 nm and about 100 nm; and a sintering temperature less than a melting temperature of the set of Group IV atoms.

Semiconductors form the basis of modern electronics. Possessing physical properties that can be selectively modified and controlled between conduction and insulation, semiconductors are essential in most modern electrical devices (e.g., computers, cellular phones, photovoltaic cells, etc.). Group IV semiconductors generally refer to those elements in the fourth column of the periodic table (e.g., carbon, silicon, germanium, etc.).
In general, a solid semiconductor tends to exist in three forms: crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous. In crystalline form, semiconductor atoms are positioned in a single unbroken crystal lattice with no grain boundaries. In polycrystalline form, the semiconductor atoms are positioned in many smaller and randomly oriented crystallites (smaller crystals). The crystallites are often referred to as grains. In amorphous form, the semiconductor atoms show no long-range positional order.
In general, conduction generally refers to the movement of electrically charged carriers, such as electrons or holes (i.e., lack of electrons), through a transmission medium. Metals tend to have substantial amounts of electrically charged particles available, whereas insulators have very few.
In the absence of impurities (called dopants), a semiconductor tends to behave as insulator, inhibiting the flow of an electric current. However, after the addition of relatively small amounts of dopants, the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor can dramatically change to a conductor increasing the amount of electrically charged carriers.
Depending on the kind of impurity, a doped region of a semiconductor can have more electrons (n-type) or more holes (p-type). For example, in a common configuration, a p-type region is placed next to an n-type region in order to create a (p-n) junction with an electric field. Consequently, electrons on the p-type side of the junction within the electric field may then be attracted to the n-type region and repelled from the p-type region, whereas holes within the electric field on the n-type side of the junction may then be attracted to the p-type region and repelled from the n-type region. Generally, the n-type region and/or the p-type region can each respectively be comprised of varying levels of relative dopant concentration, often shown as n−, n+, n++, p−, p+, p++, etc.
In another example, a junction may be created by placing an intrinsic (undoped) intrinsic semiconductor layer between the n-type region and the p-type region in order to mitigate the effects of quantum tunneling, a quantum-mechanical effect in which an electron transitions through a classically-forbidden energy state. For example, without an intrinsic separation layer, if the p-n junction is small enough, an electron can travel against the electric field and degrade the performance of the p-n junction.
In yet another example, a metal junction may be created by placing the n-type region and/or the p-type region next to a metal region in order to form an ohmic (low-impedance) contact.
One method of adding the impurities into the semiconductor involves depositing a doped glass on a semiconductor substrate, such as a Si wafer. Once exposed to relatively high temperature (e.g., 900-1000° C.), the dopants will tend to diffuse from the highly-doped glass into the substrate.
In addition, the high temperature also tends to anneal the substrate. Annealing is generally the process of heating a material above a critical or recrystallisation temperature in order to reduce the materials internal stresses, and or improve its physical and electrical properties. In the case of a semiconductor substrate, annealing allows the dopant atoms to properly position themselves in the lattice, such that the additional electrons or holes are available for the transmission of current. This is generally called activation and is critical for the creation of an efficient junction.
However, depositing doped glass may be problematic. For example, doped glass is often applied via a silk-screen. Silk-screening is generally a printing technique that makes use of a squeegee to mechanically force a liquid, such as a highly doped glass paste, directly onto a substrate. Consequently, this downward mechanical force tends to subject the substrate to additional stresses, and hence may detrimentally affect the electrical and physically characteristics of the substrate. In addition, creating alternating n-type and p-type regions on the same side of the substrate with a doped glass, such as with back contact solar cells, is difficult without the use of multiple and costly time-consuming printing steps.
Another method of adding the impurities into the semiconductor involves depositing dopants in a crystalline or polycrystalline substrate through ion implantation. Ion implantation generally accelerates dopant ions into the substrate at high energy. Like diffusion doping, the substrate must also generally be annealed at a high temperature to repair the substrate and activate the dopants. However, although dopant dosage may be controlled with high precision, ion implantation tends to be very expense since it requires the use of specialized and expensive semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
In yet a third technique of adding the impurities into the semiconductor, doped (thin) film layers may be formed using deposition techniques such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In a typical CVD process, a substrate (which can be an insulator, a semiconductor, or metal) is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or decompose on the substrate surface to produce a doped film. However, like ion implantation, CVD is expensive since it requires specialized and expensive semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In addition, CVD also tends to be very slow, as the film layers are built up a single atom at a time.
In view of the foregoing, there is desired a method of producing low cost and efficient junctions for electrical devices, such as solar cells.

Method for preparing nanoparticle thin films


An improved inline electron gun of the invention includes a plurality of electrodes spaced from three cathodes. The electrodes form at least a beam forming region and a main focus lens in the paths of three electron beams, a center beam and two side beams. The main focus lens is formed by the facing portions of two electrodes. The improvement comprises the facing portions of the main focus electrodes including a first part, and a second part positioned within the first part. The first part includes a single aperture therein. The second part includes three inline apertures therein. The first part includes four spaced ledges, and the second part is attached to the four ledges.

An inline electron gun is one designed to generate or initiate preferably three electron beams in a common plane and to direct those beams along convergent paths to a point or small area of convergence near the tube screen. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,592, issued to Hughes et al. on Jan. 25, 1983, an electron gun is described wherein a main focusing lens is formed by two spaced electrodes. Each main focusing lens electrode includes a plurality of apertures therein, equal to the number of electron beams, and also a peripheral rim, with the peripheral rims of the two main focusing lens electrodes facing each other. The apertured portion of each main focusing lens electrode is located within a recess set back from the rim. The effect of this electrode structure on the main focusing lens is a gentle voltage gradient, for reducing spherical aberration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,552, issued to Greninger on Jun. 14, 1983, discloses a modification in the shape of one of the peripheral rims of the above-described electron gun. In this modification, the recess in at least one of the electrodes is wider at the side beam paths than at the center beam path, measured perpendicular to the plane containing the inline electron beams. This modification redistributes the electrostatic field lines of the main focusing lens, so that the focus voltages for the three beams are unitized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,738, issued to Gerlach on Dec. 2, 1986, discloses a main focusing lens formed by two electrodes, each of which includes an outer oval-shaped part with a peripheral rim. The rims of each electrode face each other. Telescoped within each oval-shaped part is an apertured plate that has a corresponding oval-shaped periphery. In this type of main lens construction, it has been found that the distance between the apertured plates and peripheral rims may vary unless extreme care is taken during fabrication of the electron gun. Furthermore, it is also possible to insert the apertured plates at an angle that is slightly out of alignment with the peripheral rims. The present invention provides an improved construction for the main focusing lens electrodes in the type of electron gun that utilizes such apertured plates.

Inline electron gun having improved expanded focus lens electrodes


In an output signal level control circuit, a level adjusting section receives an input signal to adjust the input signal in level in response to a level control signal. A branching circuit branches a portion of the input signal adjusted in level by the level adjusting section to produce a branched signal. A detecting section includes the first and second detecting sections and generates a detection resultant signal based on a first detection result of the branched signal by the first detecting section and a second detection result of the branch signal by the second detecting section. The first and second detecting sections are operable at a same time. A control signal generating unit generates the level control signal based on the detection resultant signal to output to the level adjusting section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an output signal level control circuit, and more particularly, to an output signal level control circuit for controlling an output level of an output signal with a wide dynamic range when the output signal level control circuit is applied to a cellular telephone system and so on.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a car telephone apparatus, the transmission output level of an output signal must be maintained. For this reason, the output level of the output signal is always monitored and controlled with high precision in a wide range. In general, when the output level of the output signal is controlled, a part of the output signal is branched and detected by a detector. A variable attenuation unit or an amplifier is controlled based on this detection result.
In this case, it is difficult to control the output level of the output signal with high precision in a wide range because of non-linearness and temperature change of the detection characteristic of the detector.
A conventional example of the output signal level control circuit which solves such a problem is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Disclosure (J-PA-Heisei 7-106881). According to this reference, the first and second level control circuits are provided to weight the detection outputs of detecting circuits on the low level side and the high level side, respectively. By appropriately switching between the first and second level control circuits by a switching circuit, the output level of the output signal can be controlled with stability and high precision.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional example of the output level control circuit, the first and second level control circuit need to be adaptive for the detection characteristics of the detecting circuit. For this reason, the adjustment of the inclination of the detection characteristic curve and the direct current offset quantity becomes complicated and took a long time.
Also, because it is necessary to provide the memory which previously stores the detection characteristic of the detecting circuit so that the circuit scale of the detecting circuit becomes large, there is a problem in low production cost and manufacture with a small size.
Further, in the output signal level control circuit which performs the weighting of the output signal on the low level side, because the level control is performed with a high gain to correct the low detection efficiency of the detecting circuit in the low level, it is necessary to perform temperature compensation to prevent an error due to temperature change.

Output signal level control circuit using different detecting sections in different output signal levels


An engine-driven work machine having a target engine speed selection unit and a control unit. The target engine speed selection unit selects and specifies an arbitrary target engine speed from among a plurality of target engine speeds that is set in stepwise fashion. The control unit electrically controls the opening and closing of a throttle valve so that the actual engine speed conforms to the specified target engine speed.

Work machines provided with an engine-driven implement include, for example, a work machine in which the load applied to the implement increases according to work conditions, such as in a walk-behind lawnmower. A walk-behind lawnmower is a work machine that cuts grass using a cutter while under self-propulsion, and that is controlled by a walking operator. This type of walk-behind lawnmower is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-301015 (JP 09-301015 A).
The walk-behind lawnmower disclosed in JP 09-301015 A cuts grass while under self-propulsion by using the output of an engine to rotate a drive wheel and a cutter used for cutting grass. An operator operates a running clutch lever and switches the running clutch lever between a disengaged state and an engaged state, whereby the drive wheel switches between a stopped state and a running state. At this time, the angle of a throttle valve in the engine is temporarily reduced in conjunction with the switching action of the running clutch lever. As a result, since the engine speed is temporarily reduced, travel by the walk-behind lawnmower is smoothly started and stopped in a low-speed state.
Examples of lawnmowers, mowing machines, and various other types of engine-driven work machines in which a throttle valve is automatically controlled by an electronic governor provided to the engine have recently been disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 4-350333 (JP 04-350333 A) and 2005-98223 (JP 2005-098223 A).
In the lawnmower, mowing machine, or other engine-driven work machine disclosed in JP 04-350333 A, an electronic governor automatically controls the angle of a throttle valve according to the size of a load when the operator moves a throttle lever to perform work. The engine-driven work machine is also configured so that the throttle valve is automatically closed completely or partway when the operator removes his hand from the throttle lever and stops the work operation. As a result, the engine speed returns to an idling speed or a certain minimum speed.
The walk-behind lawnmower disclosed in JP 2005-098223 A is provided with an electronic governor, and cuts grass while under self-propulsion by using the output of an engine to rotate a drive wheel and a cutter used for cutting grass. The electronic governor controls the engine speed as described in (1) through (3) below by electrically controlling the opening and closing of the throttle valve.
(1) When the operator is performing neither the operation for traveling nor the operation for grass cutting, the electronic governor performs control so that the actual engine speed (actual RPM) is adjusted to an idling speed.
(2) When the operator is performing only the operation for traveling, the electronic governor performs control so as to gradually increase the actual engine speed. As a result, sudden movement of the walk-behind lawnmower is prevented.
(3) When the operator is performing the operation for grass cutting, the electronic governor performs control so that the actual engine speed is kept high after being increased without interruption to a target engine speed used during grass cutting, regardless of whether the operation for traveling is being performed.
The work conditions that are in effect during operation of the engine-driven work machines disclosed in JP 9-301015 A, JP 4-350333 A and JP 2005-98223 A are not necessarily constant. According to the work conditions, the load placed on the implement can vary significantly during work. The load placed on the engine can significantly vary as a result.
Since the electronic governor electrically controls the opening and closing of the throttle valve so that the actual engine speed conforms to the target engine speed, the angle of the throttle valve is increased according to the increase in load when the load on the engine increases.
However, when the load on the engine is at maximum, the actual engine speed begins to decrease with respect to the target engine speed even though the angle of the throttle valve has been increased. Since the rotation of the grass cutter decreases when the actual engine speed decreases, the efficiency of the grass cutting work decreases.
It is also possible for the operator to move the throttle lever to appropriately adjust the engine speed according to the engine load. The engine output is adequate even when the machine is operated in a state in which the engine speed is reduced when the load is small. When the load is large, the machine may be operated in a state in which the engine speed is increased to increase the engine output.
However, it is troublesome for the operator to move the throttle lever and adjust the engine speed to the proper value each time the load on the engine changes during work. When the engine speed is reduced to an excessive degree, the output of the engine becomes too low to handle the load. A certain level of experience is thus required to appropriately perform fine adjustment of the engine speed.
The engine may be maintained in a state of high-speed rotation so that the output of the engine can be kept high in order to obviate this troublesome adjustment operation that requires experience. However, when such a configuration is adopted, the engine speed remains high even when the load is small. As a result, the noise created by the engine during high-speed rotation continues, which is disadvantageous for improving the work environment. This configuration is also disadvantageous with regard to reducing fuel consumption by the engine.
There is therefore a need for a technique whereby the ease of operation and the working efficiency of an engine-driven work machine can be increased by enabling the operator to conveniently adjust the engine speed. There is also a need for a technique whereby the noise generated by an engine-driven work machine can be further reduced, and the working environment can be further improved.


An electromagnetic body has a movable core reciprocatably movable within a movable core chamber. The movable core has through holes and a fitting hole that pass through the movable core in a direction of movement of the movable core. A stator core facing the movable core defines the movable core chamber together with the electromagnetic body. A valve stem is fixed into the fitting hole and has a fluid chamber recessed from a first end surface facing the stator core. Air bubbles generated in a gap can be guided into the fluid chamber and collapse by flow of the fuel flowing into the fluid chamber from the through holes through the gap.

A high pressure pump for pressurizing fuel to be supplied to an internal combustion engine has been conventionally known. The high pressure pump may include an electromagnetic valve for controlling operation of a suction valve. The suction valve is configured to open and close a supply passage connected to a pump chamber in which the fuel is pressurized.
For example, a patent document 1 (JP 2012-82809 A) discloses an electromagnetic valve disposed in a high pressure pump. The electromagnetic valve includes a movable core reciprocatably disposed in a core chamber and a valve stem fixed to the movable core. The valve stem is pressed toward a pump chamber by biasing force of a spring a suction valve to open a supply passage. When the movable core is magnetically attracted toward a stator core, the valve stem releases pressure force against the suction valve.
However, in the electromagnetic valve disclosed in the patent document 1, surfaces of the movable core and the stator core may be eroded due to cavitation generated by fuel pressure fluctuation between the movable core and the stator core when the movable core reciprocates in the core chamber.
Generally, the movable core and the stator core are made of a soft magnetic material and thus may be easily susceptible to the erosion. When the surfaces of the movable core and the stator core are eroded, a gap between the movable core and the stator core may become larger. Therefore, a response time required to complete the operation of the movable core after applying electricity to the electromagnetic valve may become longer.
Further, foreign materials resulting from the erosion of the movable core and the stator core may be mixed with the fuel, and hinder operation of the high pressure pump.

Electromagnetic valve and high pressure pump using the same


A vehicle front frame structure in which an impact-absorbing extension frame is formed from an inverted U-shaped upper piece overlapping an upright U-shaped lower piece. Because the upper surface of the extension frame is formed only of the U-shaped upper piece, the need for a conventional joined construction is eliminated, thus allowing the upper surface only to be strengthened to provide the optimum desired impact absorbing deformation characteristics.

The present invention relates to a specific structure for the front part of a vehicle frame.
As taught by Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-278646, there is an automotive vehicle frame design in which the front part of the vehicle frame is comprised of an extension frame positioned so as to extend in the forward direction from the front end of vehicle's side frame member. The side frame member is aligned longitudinally with the vehicle's fore-aft axis, and its front part is inclined downward in the area where the aforesaid extension frame is installed. The upper surface of the extension frame is of an approximate flat configuration, and the entire extension frame itself extends forward and upward in relation to the downward inclination of the side frame member. When a heavy impact load is applied to the extension frame, it progressively collapses in a manner whereby the distortion begins at the forward-most part of the extension frame and proceeds toward the rear. The collapsing structure eventually assumes a V-shape as it approaches its energy-absorbing limit. In order to increases the extension frame's energy absorbing capacity, it is comprised of two overlapping. U-shaped components called the extension frame inner and extension frame outer which, when assembled, form a closed cross sectional area.
The extension frame inner and outer components are connected to the outer surfaces on the end of the side frame member, and also to the first cross member which meets the side frame member in the lateral direction in relation to the vehicle's fore-aft axis. A gusset piece is installed over the upper surface of the extension frame, and also to the side frame and cross member, with the purpose of increasing the strength of the extension frame.


The invention relates to a rotor for a centrifuge, in particular for purifying lubricating oil in an internal combustion engine, wherein said rotor is rotatably mounted in the centrifuge housing and is provided with an impurity trapping element, the rotor or the impurity trapping element thereof are made of a plastic material and remote deflecting baffles arranged in said impurity trapping element can be removed from the centrifuge housing. The invention is characterized in that the inventive rotor or the impurity trapping element thereof comprises a lower part and a top part, lower deflecting baffles are provided in the lower part, top deflecting baffles are provided in the top part, the lower and top parts are congruently welded to each other, the deflecting baffles are incorporated into the welded connection and through openings, which connect the chambers of the impurity trapping element delimited by said deflecting baffles to each other in a fluid permeable manner, are embodied in at least one part of the deflecting baffles on one or two sides of the welded connection or on the plane thereof.

The invention relates to a rotor for a centrifuge, in particular for purifying lubricating oil in an internal combustion engine, wherein said rotor is rotatably mounted on a rotary axis in a centrifuge housing and provided with an impurity trapping element having an impurity collecting area and being delimited radially towards the outside by means of a circumferential wall, the rotor as a whole or its impurity trapping element being made of a plastic material and, on the interior of the impurity trapping element, a plurality of deflecting baffles being provided which are spaced apart from each other in circumferential direction and the rotor as a whole or its impurity trapping element able to be removed from the centrifuge housing for maintenance purposes.
Centrifuges and the rotors used therein for the purification of liquids, e.g. for the purification of lubricating oil in an internal combustion engine, have been widely used for decades and are accordingly known.
In the design of rotors for centrifuges, the objective is to accelerate the liquid entering the impurity trapping element as loss-free as possible to the angular velocity of the rotating rotor and, conversely, to return the spin energy of the liquid as far as possible to the rotor when the liquid flows out of the impurity trapping element. To this end, deflecting baffles are generally arranged in the impurity trapping element which extend radially or spirally and reduce the slip between the liquid and the rotor and thus improve the conditions for the separation of impurity particles—not only in terms of the achievable rotor speeds, but also with regard to the relative velocity of the liquid in relation to the impurity particles separated in the impurity trapping element. For rotors made of sheet metal, this function is usually realized by means of the embossments forming deflecting baffles on one front side or on both front sides of the rotor.
Taking into account a problem-free disposal of the separated impurity—this is essentially soot in the case of lubricating oil as the liquid to be cleaned—rotors and, respectively, impurity trapping elements made of a plastic material are increasingly used in new developments of centrifuges. Such rotors or impurity trapping elements provide the opportunity to thermally dispose of the filled rotor or, respectively, the filled impurity trapping element in a simple and relatively environmentally compatible manner.
One disadvantage in the use of rotors or impurity trapping elements made of a plastic material is that the strength of plastic materials is significantly below that of metallic materials. This disadvantage is especially evident when the rotor or the impurity trapping element must have an axially squat design with a large outside diameter—as is frequently necessary due to specified mounting space factors.
Another problem—especially in the filling stage of the rotor or the impurity trapping element during the run-up phase of the centrifuge—is that it cannot be excluded that individual chambers separated from each other by the deflecting baffles will be irregularly filled. This irregular filling of the chambers is connected with an unbalance and as a result thereof with reduced rotor speeds, vibration accelerations, and noise emissions.