When assembled to a building support structure to form a curtain wall system of adjoining panels, a preferred embodiment of the enhanced airloop wall system as shown in FIG. 2 comprises panel frame segments that, when assembled, form interconnected inner and outer airloop segments that separate and improve water seal and air seal functions and improve sealing performance, a circuitous path (e.g., “A”) at an enlarged air opening into an airloop to pressure equalize and limit water entry into the airloop, a two point fastener support of each panel assembly to allow interfloor deflections under seismic or other loads without excessive loads on the panel assembly, a structural hook-like protrusion for resisting building outward loads on panels separate from fasteners, a splitter in a drainage cavity in the outer airloop that creates a dual drainage path and a surface upon which droplets can collect.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to curtain wall systems, specifically an improvement on curtain wall systems utilizing multiple framed panels with various facing materials, e.g., as described by Ting in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,552 and 5,598,671. The structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,552 is also known as an exposed frame airloop curtain wall system and the structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,671 is also known as a hidden frame airloop curtain wall system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In addition to providing an aesthetic appearance for the sides of a modern multi-story building, some of the major performance objectives of a curtain wall system of supported panels are as follows:
(1) to provide a barrier or at least resistance to excessive amounts of exterior air infiltrating around the edges of panels into one or more interior environments within the building;
(2) to provide a barrier or at least resistance to excessive amounts of exterior rain or other exterior liquids/particles infiltrating around the panel edges into one or more interior spaces within the building, typically when the liquids or particles tend to infiltrate in conjunction with air infiltration;
(3) to provide resistance to structural loads, specifically including supporting the weight of the panels and resisting seismic loads, wind loads, and thermal expansion/contraction loads, if any; and
(4) to provide a thermal barrier or at least resistance to excessive heat transfer between the exterior air and one or more interior environments.
The two aforementioned U.S. Patents are primarily directed to solving problems with excessive air and water infiltration or leakage using an airloop system. Previous designs dealing with water leakage typically required a nearly perfect seal to stop excessive air and water infiltration. The aforementioned U.S. Patents describe a pressure equalized airloop having two seals that separate the functions of sealing water and air, providing acceptable air and water infiltration rates even with imperfect seals. In addition, one embodiment of the airloop system allows panels to be shop assembled with perimeter panel frame extrusions so that a more reliable seal can be fabricated and a pressure equalized inner airloop is formed along the facing panel frame edges. A pressure equalized outer airloop is formed after field erection of the panels with bordering panel frames.
However, the prior airloop systems described can still allow, e.g., under extreme dynamic wind conditions, rain water to get to the air seal. Since the air seal in the airloop system can be assumed to be imperfect, water leakage can occur. In addition, the panel securing fasteners in the airloop systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,552 and 5,598,671 would be put in tension under negative wind load conditions (e.g., winds and/or wind loads directed away from the building interior on one side of the building) such that the connection strength and seal compression may be reduced. Still further, repeated negative wind loads could cause the securing screws to become loosened or stretched, causing the danger of one or more panels to fall off the building.
In addition, the panel frames may not provide the desired thermal insulation for some applications. Still further, seismic and other loads may tend to crack or loosen panels and damage seals if the building structure is even slightly deformed. Thus, although significant advancements have been made in achieving some objectives for a curtain wall system, specifically including the two aforementioned patents, an improved system is still needed.


A system and method for selecting a preferred design for a multi-tiered architecture of components based on a set of established criteria is provided. The system and method receive a model describing different design constructions and a set of performance and availability requirements and produces a design or set of designs that best meet these requirements. The system and method include a model for representing the infrastructure design space for multi-tier systems and their properties appropriate for judging performance and availability properties of services as well as associated cost. The method and system further include a method for searching the design space in an efficient manner.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of designing multi-tier system architectures, and more particularly to producing a design or set of designs meeting a high level set of performance and availability requirements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain businesses or other organizations deploying Internet and Enterprise services utilize components performing within multiple tiers. In such an environment, service downtime and poor performance either among individual components or within tiers can reduce overall productivity, revenue, and client satisfaction. The challenge in such an environment is to operate at efficient or sufficiently optimal levels of availability, where availability is defined as the fraction of time the service delivers a specified acceptable level of performance. Acceptable levels of performance may vary depending on the organization's business mission.
Component failure within the infrastructure supporting a service can adversely impact service availability. A "service" is a process that may run on one or more computing hardware components, and perhaps a large number of such components, including servers, storage devices, network elements, and so forth. Many of the hardware components run various collections and layers of software components, such as operating systems, device drivers, middleware platforms, and high-level applications. Performance of these components may be characterized by quantifiable statistics, including but not limited to component failure rates. For an individual component, if the component has a low failure rate in isolation, in total the combined infrastructure having multiple components can experience a significant rate of component failures. This significant component failure rate can in turn lead to frequent or extended periods of unplanned service downtime or poor performance.
The challenge in such an environment is to assess service availability and performance as a function of the different design choices including the type of components to be used, the number of these components and associated hardware and software configurations, and to select the appropriate design choice that satisfies the performance and availability requirements of the service at a relatively minimum cost.
Previously available assessment tools have been unable to automatically find a solution from this multi-dimensional design space that provides an enhanced cost-benefit tradeoff assessment to the user.
Currently available tools to select a design typically only enable evaluation of a single design. Since previous tools only evaluate single designs, system design has entailed employing human experts to manually define alternative designs satisfying the specific availability requirements. A primary disadvantage of the current approach is the need to employ an expert to carry out the design. Such experts may be in scarce supply or be relatively expensive. In addition, assessment and design according to the expert process is largely manual and likely slow. Finally, the final results of the manual design process are not necessarily optimal since they are guided mostly by experience and intuition rather than based on a systematic algorithm for searching the large, multi-dimensional space of candidate designs.
Automating the design and configuration of systems to meet user's availability requirements exists in very few situations. One system, an Oracle database design, implements a function that automatically determines when to flush data and logs to persistent storage such that the recovery time after a failure is likely to meet a user-specified bound. Automated design of storage systems to meet user requirements for data dependability have been considered, encompassing both data availability and data loss. Such technologies for automating subsystems, such as databases and storage systems tend to be domain specific and generally cannot be applied to designing multi-tier systems.
Certain previous attempts to manage component and configuration availability have been limited to automated monitoring and automated response to failure events and other such triggers. For example, cluster failover products such as HP MC/Serviceguard, Sun Cluster, and Trucluster detect nodes that fail, automatically transition failed application components to surviving nodes, and reintegrate failed nodes to active service upon recovery from the failure condition. IBM Director detects resource exhaustion in its software components and automates the rejuvenation of these components at appropriate intervals. Various utility computing efforts underway will also automatically detect failed components and automatically replace them with equivalent components from a free pool. Most notably, none of these products or processes provide an overall assessment for particular architectures, but merely react upon failure of a process, component, or tier.
Based on the foregoing, it would be advantageous to offer a system and method for designing multi-tier systems

Method and apparatus for designing multi-tier systems

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Methods and systems of processing a data stream are disclosed. A developer may develop a service only by programming a Service Unit (SU) including a service logic (SL) and including a Service Unit Description Language (SUDL) file, so that the developer may not need to program complicated stream processing code, such as stream source connection code, network input/output (I/O) code, and buffering code. In addition, the stream source connected dynamically to the service and a service execution mode (such as push and pull modes) may be converted by simply changing setting files based on the service model. The system includes modules for managing and processing the stream in reality, such as stream source connection modules, network I/O processing modules, and stream buffering modules, the modules operating the developed program through the service model.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a middleware system facilitating development, deployment and provision of a stream-based service, and more particularly to methods and systems of processing a data stream (DS) which is large in quantity and continuously updated, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) or a ubiquitous sensor network (USN).
2. Description of the Related Art
A ubiquitous service is a service in which a computing environment actively provides a service conforming to a situation by monitoring user environment information, compared with a traditional service in which a computing environment passively provides a service upon receiving a user request. Nowadays, various sensors such as RFID sensors, which are required for ubiquitous services, are deployed in various places for monitoring user environment information. The sensors provide data to the computing environment by periodically monitoring the environment information. Here, the data received in the computing environment is referred to as a data stream (DS) because the data is large in quantity and is periodically updated.
Service platforms currently developed and frequently used include Web services, Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) (formerly J2EE), Open Services Gateway initiative (OSGi), etc. The service platforms provide a component-based standardized computing environment for a distributed service. However, the service platforms do not consider a DS generated in a ubiquitous environment as input data. The service platforms provide a service by processing the data based on a method of reading and writing the data mainly in static data storage. Therefore, this method has a problem in terms of performance in reading and writing the DS, which is large in quantity and continuously updated.
A stream processing engine proposed for DS processing supports a new query model based on the Structured Query Language (SQL) related to DSs and supports efficient data processing only for a limited DS operation, such as a selection function or an aggregation function. However, the stream-processing engine has limitations in terms of allowing development and operation of a service logic (SL) that is more general and complicated.
Most useful high value-added services are being written in a program language other than SQL, for example, a service that searches for an ideal path in real time based on route information that is updated in real time. Here, Dijkstra's algorithm is mostly used for searching for the ideal path, but it is difficult to express Dijkstra's algorithm in SQL. Accordingly, a new system is needed to support the development and provision of a service that is more general and complicated.
RFID middleware is hardware and/or software that collects a large quantity of raw data generated in a heterogeneous environment, filters the data, summarizes the data into meaningful information, and provides the meaningful information to an application service. Various types of RFID middleware have been proposed, such as Savant Specification published by the Auto-ID Center in September 2003, the Application Level Event (ALE) specification published by EPC global Inc. in October 2004, etc. In addition, Sun, Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, ConnecTerra, Globe Ranger, etc., are developing middleware systems.
These types of RFID middleware limit input data provided from an RFID reader and focus on reducing amounts of overlapping data by correcting data that has a lot of errors, and by simple operations such as filtering, counting, aggregation, etc.
Accordingly, middleware development is needed for integrating and transmitting not only simple DSs read from RFID tags, but also DSs in other environments such as USNs, mobile applications, etc.

Method and system of processing a data stream

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A process for producing aseptically packaged tofu product which has an increased storage life and has an improved texture and taste. The process includes steps of extracting soy milk from soy bean, processing the soy milk at ultra-high temperature, and aseptically packaging the processed soy milk. In a preferred embodiment, the ultra-high temperature processing includes preheating the soy milk to a temperature of between 60.degree. C. and 105.degree. C., deaerating the soy milk, homogenizing the soy milk in a two stage homogenization process, sterilizing the soy milk by heating to between 129.degree. C. and 145.degree. C. for 2-30 seconds, cooling the sterilized soy milk first in a pre-cooler to a temperature of between 40.degree. C. and 65.degree. C., and then cooling the soy milk to a temperature of between 10.degree. C. and 30.degree. C. in a final cooler. The aseptic soy milk is then packaged by a process which includes adding a coagulant to the aseptic soy milk, aseptically packaging the soy milk, and incubating the packaged aseptic soy milk to form an aseptically packaged tofu product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates methods for producing a packaged tofu product, and more particularly to methods of producing and aseptically packaging tofu.
2. Description of the Related Art
Soy bean products, especially, a soy bean curd called tofu have recently become a popular high protein food for use in cooking. When tofu is used in cooking, it is desirable that the tofu have a firm texture so that the tofu does not lose its shape when it is cooked. In order to produce tofu having a firmer texture, a soy protein isolate is added to the soy bean protein. The addition of soy protein isolate increases firmness somewhat, however greater firmness often is desirable.
With the development of glucono-delta-lactone (GDL) as a food product additive, new methods for producing tofu using GDL as a coagulant have been developed. Tofu products including GDL are more easily produced in large quantities and have greater storage stability than tofu products produced by conventional processes. However, addition of too much of a coagulant, such as GDL, to increase the hardness of the tofu product, will adversely affect of the taste of the tofu product.
In order to increase the shelf life of the tofu product, packaged soy bean milk may be heat sterilized by a retort sterilization treatment. The tofu product produced by retort sterilization is called retort tofu or fresh tofu.
In order to further increase the shelf life of the tofu product, it is desirable that tofu products be aseptically packaged. Aseptic packaging of tofu increases the range of distribution which is available to the tofu producer. Processes for aseptic packaging of tofu include a step of Ultra High Temperature (UHT) treatment of the soy bean milk prior to packaging. However, such UHT treatment processes have a tendency to adversely affect the taste and/or texture of the final product when compared to non-aseptically packaged or fresh tofu.

Method for producing an aseptic packaged tofu product


A method of producing a sensor unit for sensing the angular position of a rotatable element with respect to a fixed element, providing an encoder element fastened to the rotatable element, adapted to generate magnetic field variations as a function of its angular position, and a sensing element fastened to the fixed element, adapted to sense the magnetic field variations. The sensing element is mounted on and connected to a printed circuit board mounted in a shielding casing fastened with the fixed element. The method further comprises a step consisting in earthing the shielding casing by electrically connecting it to a load discharging device of the printed circuit board.

Sensor units for sensing the angular position of a rotatable element often include induction sensors, for example known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,094, involving an encoder element, adapted to generate magnetic field variations, and a sensing element adapted to determine, on the basis of the magnetic field variations, the angular position of the rotating element. The data delivered by the sensing element are generally processed by electronic components integrated in a printed circuit board to which the sensing element is connected.
As this type of sensor unit is often used in assemblies including electrical motors, the sensing element and the printed circuit board are mounted in a shielding casing made of a metallic material, and adapted to protect the sensing element and the printed circuit board from too intense magnetic fields. As the shielding casing catches a substantially high portion of the magnetic fields that exist in its vicinity, it provokes electric potential differences between the shielding casing and the printed circuit board. These electric potential differences continuously increase and can reach a level at which electric arcs can occur and destroy some components of the printed circuit board.

Method for producing a sensor unit, sensor unit and instrumented bearing comprising such a sensor unit


Disclosed is a method of multi pass inkjet printing on wide format flexible substrates where errors in flexible substrate positions are corrected by adapting the geometry and position of the next printed swath to the geometry of the adjacent earlier printed image swath.

Inkjet printing has gained popularity in a number of applications. One of the growing printing applications is printing of billboards, banners and point of sale displays. The ink-jet printing process involves manipulation of droplets of ink ejected from an orifice or a number of orifices of a print head onto an adjacent print substrate. Paper, vinyl, textiles, fabrics, and others are examples of print substrates. An ink-jet print head consists of an array or a matrix of ink nozzles, with each nozzle selectively ejecting ink droplets. Relative movement between the substrate and the print head enables substrate coverage and image creation. Each ink droplet comprises an image (picture) element, or "pixel." For the simplicity of explanation the term "print head" will be used for both single print head and a plurality or print heads organized on a common mechanical structure.
Good print quality requires printing resolution higher than the native spacing of nozzles of most commercially available print heads. In order to cover the substrate with the desired print resolution a single print head scans the substrate in a reciprocating type of movement a number of times or passes. Such multi pass printing method contributes to print quality and provides a better redundancy, since different nozzles participate in printing sections of the same line when scanning the substrate in a reciprocating type of movement.
A majority of billboards and banners having relatively large dimensions are printed on flexible substrates. Roll-to-Roll (R2R) printing machines are typically used for printing on flexible substrates. One of the drawbacks of the Roll-to-Roll printing machines is the low accuracy of the relative movement between such a wide flexible substrate and the print head. When pulled/moved flexible substrate easy stretches and deforms and accordingly changes its dimensions. This makes small, comparable with the printing resolution incremental movement of flexible substrate with accuracy of few microns nearly impossible.

Method of printing on large format flexible substrate and printing apparatus


A remoistenable hot melt adhesive composition comprising (i) 25 to 80% by weight of a sulfonated polyester;. (ii) 3 to 40% by weight of an anionic or cationic plasticizer; PA1 (iii) 0 to 40% by weight of a polar tackifier; PA1 (iv) 0 to 3% by weight of an antioxidant; and PA1 (v) 10 to 35% by weight of a polar wax; and PA1 (vi) optionally 0 to 30% nonionic plasticizer, wherein the total of (i)-(vi) to equal 100% by weight.

This invention relates to remoistenable hot melt adhesive compositions having superior non-blocking properties at high temperature and high humidity.
Remoistenable adhesives are commonly used in the production of envelopes, stamps, wallpaper, tapes, labels and similar products wherein it is desirable to provide a dry adhesive film which on being moistened with water will become tacky and thereby allow for the ready adhesion to a chosen substrate. In the manufacture of remoistenable adhesive products, typically an aqueous solution or dispersion, or an organic solvent solution of the dry adhesive is applied as a wet film to a substrate. After the water or organic solvent is removed by drying and evaporation, the resulting dry adhesive film will, on being moistened, produce the desired tacky adhesive surface.
In addition to remoistenability, another desirable property for these applications is non-block. Blocking is an undesirable phenomenon which occurs when the coated substrate, such as the envelopes, are stored in stacks, and exposed to varying degrees of humidity, resulting in the tendency of adjacent surfaces of the stacked substrates to adhere to one another.
Hot melt adhesives are used commercially for a wide variety of applications. The major advantage of hot melt adhesive systems is the lack of a carrier fluid which eliminates the need for drying the adhesive film once it is applied to the substrate. This elimination of the drying step overcomes hazards associated with solvent usage and also allows for faster production line speeds and lower transportation costs.
Hot melt adhesives have historically been based on petroleum derived polymers such as polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, styrenic block copolymers, polypropylene, and vinyl pyrrolidone polymers including vinyl acetatelvinyl pyrrolidone copolymers. All these adhesive compositions are further tackified, plasticized and/or reinforced with a variety of resins, oils and/or waxes which are derived from both petroleum and naturally occurring feedstocks such as wood, gum and tall oil rosin and terpenes.
Hot melt formulations based on ethylene vinyl acetate base polymers have humidity blocking resistance, but are moisture insensitive, i.e., they do not become tacky when exposed to moisture.
Sulfonated polyesters, when used as the base polymer in hot melt adhesives, become tacky when exposed to moisture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,605 discloses that the incorporation of specific crystalline wax materials into hot melt adhesive compositions containing certain sulfonated polyesters has the unexpected advantage of improving both the heat resistance as well as the adhesive strength thereof. Such adhesives find particular use in paper-bonding applications where their water dispersibility facilities repulping of adhesively bonded paper products.
It has been found in accordance with the present invention, that the use of an anionic or cationic plasticizer in conjunction with sulfonated polyesters provides both excellent remoistenability and excellent humidity blocking resistance, while maintaining water dispersibility.

Use of anionic or cationic plasticizers with sulfonated polyesters in hot melt formulations

National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation


A method of a wireless transmitter is disclosed. The method is for mitigation of distortion caused by non-linear hardware components of the transmitter, wherein mitigation of distortion comprises mitigating at least one intermodulation component, wherein the transmitter is configured to process an input signal having an input signal spectrum, and wherein the transmitter comprises two or more signal branches, each signal branch comprising a respective non-linear hardware component. The method comprises modifying the input signal for a first one of the signal branches by applying a first phase shift to a first part of the input signal spectrum, wherein the first phase shift has a first sign and a first absolute value, and applying a second phase shift to a second part of the input signal spectrum. The second phase shift has a second sign which is opposite to the first sign, and a second absolute value which is equal to the first absolute value. The first and second parts are non-overlapping. The method also comprises modifying the input signal for a second one of the signal branches by applying the first phase shift to the second part of the input signal spectrum, and applying the second phase shift to the first part of the input signal spectrum. The method further comprises feeding the modified input signals to respective ones of the signal branches. Corresponding apparatus, wireless transmitter, communication device, and computer program product are also disclosed.

A problem often encountered in relation to typical transmitters is intermodulation distortion. Such distortion may be caused by non-linear hardware components (e.g., power amplifiers) of a wireless transmitter.
The odd orders of such non-linearity cause intermodulation distortion products at frequencies relatively close to the signal modulated for transmission. The distortion is therefore difficult to filter out. However, if left unattended to, such distortion creates disturbances to nearby channels.
Non-linearity is often very hard (if not impossible) to avoid. For example, significant non-linearity must typically be accepted to be able to reach high power amplifier efficiency.
Generally, the width of the frequency range that may be adversely affected by the intermodulation distortion equals the bandwidth of the original (useful) signal multiplied by the order of the non-linearity. Often the third and/or fifth order non-linearity cause problematic distortion. The contaminated spectrum surrounding the original signal (which spectrum would otherwise be available to other communication signals) then equals two times the bandwidth of the useful signal for third order non-linearity, and four times the bandwidth of the useful signal for fifth order non-linearity. When multi-carrier techniques (e.g., carrier aggregation) are used, the situation gets even worse, with contamination which is increased and/or more spread out in frequency.
A common way to address these problems is by application of pre-distortion to compensate for the non-linearity. In pre-distortion approaches, the signal is subjected to an inverse non-linearity function before reaching the dominant non-linearity component (e.g., a power amplifier). The inverse non-linearity inherently widens the signal spectrum. This has the result that the transmitter has to be able to handle a signal bandwidth before the dominant non-linearity component that equals the transmit signal bandwidth multiplied by the order of the highest non-linearity to suppress.
Thus, the wider the bandwidth (of the useful signal and/or of the signal including the intermodulation products to be mitigated); the more demanding requirements on the components in the pre-distortion circuitry and the transmitter signal chain. Hence, the wider the bandwidth; the more costly it is to reduce the intermodulation contamination using pre-distortion.
Furthermore, pre-distortion may typically cause increased power consumption, which may be particularly cumbersome for wideband signals with relatively low output power where the relative power overhead due to pre-distortion becomes significant.
Other problems with intermodulation is that it may be hard to protect vulnerable spectrum parts (e.g., frequency bands hosting Global System for Mobile communication—GSM) from distortion due to intermodulation. This is particularly true for multi-carrier approaches where the intermodulation distortion may be spread out over a huge frequency range.
Therefore, there is a need for additional and/or alternative approaches to mitigation of intermodulation distortion.
It would, for example, be attractive if the need for pre-distortion (or other linearization techniques) could be removed altogether; or at least be subject to less demanding requirements.

Mitigation of intermodulation distortion


A projector includes an area light source, a spatial light modulator, an illumination system that receives light from the area light source and illuminates the spatial light modulator, and a projection lens that forms an image by the light from the spatial light modulator. The illumination system includes an optical member having a cuboid shape and including an entrance plane and an exit plane, the optical member being arranged so that the entrance plane faces the area light source, and the optical member forming, on the exit plane, an illuminance distribution having a higher illuminance at a peripheral portion than at a central portion. The spatial light modulator is illuminated with the light from the exit plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a projector, light falloff at edges can occur due to the characteristic of a projection lens that projects an image onto a screen. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-41546 describes an optical system apparatus having an arrangement configured to uniform the illuminance distribution of an image projected onto a screen while suppressing the cost of a projection lens. The optical system apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-41546 includes a tapered rod that increases the sectional area as the distance from an LED (Light Emitting Diode) increases, and a light guide member for guiding light that has exited from the tapered rod to a liquid crystal panel. Providing the tapered rod makes it possible to illuminate the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal panel brighter than the optical axis portion.
In the arrangement described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-41546, the tapered rod and the light guide unit are arranged between the LED and the liquid crystal panel. Since the distance between the LED (light source) and the liquid crystal panel (spatial light modulator) becomes long, downsizing of the optical system apparatus may be impeded.

Projector with illumination system having a cuboid optical member


A wafer attracting apparatus includes a substrate made of a ceramic material and adapted to attract and hold a wafer onto an attracting surface thereof, wherein the attracting surface is constituted by a ductile worked surface, the ductile worked surface has concave portions, a diameter of each of the concave portions is 0.1 xcexcm or less, and when the wafer is attracted onto the attracting surface of the substrate and released therefrom, the number of particles attaching to that wafer is 9.3 or less per 1 cm2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate for use in an apparatus for attracting a wafer such as a semiconductor wafer and a manufacturing method thereof
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrostatic chuck are currently used to attract and hold semiconductor wafers in conveying, exposing, film-forming such as CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) and sputtering, micro processing, cleaning, etching or dicing the semiconductor wafers. Attention has been much paid to dense ceramics as materials for such electrostatic chucks. Particularly in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a halogenated corrosive gas such as ClF3 is often used as an etching gas or a cleaning gas. It is desired that the substrate or susceptor for the electrostatic chuck has high thermal conductivity in order to rapidly heat and cool the semiconductor wafer while holding it. It is further desired that the substrate has such thermal shock resistance as to be broken due to rapid temperature change. For example, dense aluminum nitride and dense alumina are considered promising, because they have good corrosion resistance to the above-stated haloganated corrosive gas and thermal shock resistance.
In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, it is necessary to prevent the production of particles which would cause defects in semiconductors. In the actual semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the semiconductor wafer is attracted and held at its back face by the electrostatic chuck. At that time, particles occur on the back surface side of the semiconductor wafer. If a large amount of particles occur, they spread over the front surface of the semiconductor wafer and into a chamber. As a result, the chamber is contaminated, so that semiconductor failure might occur on surfaces of other semiconductor wafers.
To prevent this problem, there have been proposed the following techniques. When the attracting surface of the ceramic electrostatic chuck comes in contact with a silicon wafer, the uneven attracting surface of the electrostatic chuck contacts with the silicon, and rubs off a part of the silicon having relatively low hardness to produce particles. Considering this, fine protrusions on the attracting surface of the electrostatic chuck are rounded by applying plasma onto this attracting surface, thereby preventing the silicon from being rubbed off and consequently decreasing the number of particles (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-245336).
According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-55900, when a silicon wafer is to be attracted to the electrostatic chuck, voltage to be applied to the electrostatic chuck is gradually increased, thereby to mitigate any shock caused through the contact of the silicon wafer with the chuck. By so doing, the damage to the silicon wafer is suppressed, and the number of particles resulting from silicon wafer having been rubbed off is decreased.
The present inventors have been continuing the study to decrease the number of particles adhering to the back surface of a semiconductor wafer after the wafer has been attracted by the electrostatic chuck. According to prior art stated above, it is possible to decrease the number of particles down to for example, few to several thousands per 8-inch wafer. However, to further improve the yield of the semiconductor wafers in the semiconductor manufacturing process and to cope with more micro-structured semiconductors, it is required to decrease the number of particles furthermore. It has been desired, for example, to decrease the number of particles to a few to several hundreds per 8-inch wafer.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to considerably decrease the number of particles adhering to the back surface of the wafer after the wafer has been attracted to a ceramic substrate of a wafer attracting apparatus.
The present invention relates to a substrate for use in a wafer attracting apparatus which comprises a substrate made of a ceramic material and adapted to attract and hold a wafer onto an attracting surface thereof, wherein said attracting surface is constituted by a ductile worked surface, the ductile worked surface has concave portions, a diameter of each of the concave portions is 0.1 xcexcm or less, and when the wafer is attracted onto the attracting surface of the substrate and released from the attracting surface, the number of particles adhering to that wafer is 9.3 or less per 1 cm2. The measurement of the particles adhering to the wafer is effected in the present invention under the following condition, that is, at an attracting force of 50 g/cm2 at room temperature in clean air. The ductile working is a working which effects working such as polishing of particles themselves at the surface of the substrate without peeling off such particles themselves from the attracting surface of the substrate.
The present invention also relates to a wafer attracting apparatus which comprises a substrate made of a ceramic material and adapted to attract and hold a wafer onto an attracting surface thereof, wherein said attracting surface is constituted by a ductile worked surface having a center line surface roughness height Ra of 0.05 xcexcm or less formed by etching, vertical steps are formed among ceramic particles exposed outside at the attracting surface is 0.5 xcexcm or less, and when the wafer is attracted onto the attracting surface of the substrate, the number of particles adhering to that wafer is 9.3 or less per 1 cm2.
The present invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a wafer attracting apparatus having a substrate made of a ceramic material and adapted to attract and hold a wafer on an attracting surface of the substrate, said method comprising the steps of: converting the attracting surface of the substrate to a ductile worked surface, cleaning the ductile-worked attracting surface by a cleaning member in a high purity cleaning agent while rubbing the attracting surface of the substrate with the cleaning member, and conducting an ultrasonically cleaning for the attracting surface in the high purity cleaning agent. The term xe2x80x9crubbingxe2x80x9d means that the attracting surface of the substrate is rubbed with the cleaning member, while the attracting surface is not substantially damaged thereby.
The present invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a wafer attracting apparatus having a substrate made of a ceramic material and adapted to attract and hold a wafer on an attracting surface of the substrate, said method comprising the steps of: converting the attracting surface of the substrate to a ductile worked surface having a center line surface roughness height of Ra=0.05 xcexcm, cleaning the ductile-worked attracting surface by a cleaning member in a high purity cleaning agent while rubbing the attracting surface of the substrate with the cleaning member, and conducting an ultrasonically cleaning for the attracting surface in the high purity cleaning agent.
The present invention further relates to a wafer attracting apparatus which comprises a substrate made of a ceramic material and adapted to attract and hold a wafer onto an attracting surface thereof, wherein said attracting surface is constituted by a ductile worked surface, and when the wafer is attracted onto the attracting surface of the substrate, a maximum roughness Rmax of the ductile worked surface of the substrate is 0.1 xcexcm or less, and the number of particles adhering to that wafer is 9.3 or less per 1 cm2.
The present inventors have conducted a detailed study as to particles generated after the semiconductor wafer was attracted and held by the ceramic electrostatic chuck. As a result, the inventors made discoveries as follows. Specifically, the mirror finished surface of an 8-inch silicon wafer was mounted and attracted onto an attracting surface of an aluminum nitride electrostatic chuck. Thereafter, the number of particles on the mirror finished surface of the silicon wafer was measured to be 90,000 or more particles.
Next, those particles were subjected to elemental analysis, thereby obtaining an analysis result shown in FIG. 1 where peaks of aluminum, silicon, nitrogen and carbon are observed. It is highly noted that the aluminum peak is particularly quite high. The peak of the silicon is also high. However, since the elemental analysis was conducted while particles were present on the silicon wafer, it is presumed that the peak of the silicon almost is attributable to the silicon in the wafer.
This fact contradicts the conventional assumption that particles are produced when the back surface of the silicon wafer is chipped through the shock occurring through contact between the attracting surface of the ceramic electrostatic chuck and the silicon wafer. Rather, this indicates that a main cause of the particle generation lies in the attracting surface of the electrostatic chuck.
It is not clear why particles occur on the attracting surface of the ceramic electrostatic chuck. The attracting surface of the chuck is normally flattened by grinding process. However, it is considered that fine ground pieces are generated during ordinary grinding which makes the attracting surface of the electrostatic chuck flat, and that the resulting fine ground pieces are retained in very small concave portions at the attracting surface or fixedly attached to the attracting surface.
Based upon that discovery, the present inventors cleaned attracting surfaces of electrostatic chucks in various ways. As a result, the inventors succeeded in greatly decreasing the number of particles adhering to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer to 3000 or less per a back surface of an 8-inch wafer (per 324 cm2) (that is, 9.3 or less per 1 cm2) and further to 1000 or less per a back surface of an 8-inch wafer (per 324 Cm2) (that is, 3.1 or less per 1 cm2) by the steps of mirror-finishing the attracting surface to a ductile worked surface through lapping or like, cleaning the attracting surface by using a cleaning member in a high purity cleaning agent while contacting the attracting surface with the cleaning member, and then ultrasonically cleaning the attracting surface of the chuck in pure water.
More specifically, the attracting surface of the ceramic substrate is mirror-finished to a ductile worked surface by lapping or the like until the center line average surface roughness height Ra preferably becomes 0.1 xcexcm or less. In this state, no further ceramic particles will be peeled off. Although small holes of 0.1 xcexcm or less in diameter still remain on the ductile worked surface in this state, no holes of 0.1 xcexcm or more in diameter substantially exist. In other words, the diameters of the concave portions remaining on the ductile worked surface are 0.1 xcexcm or less. Neither ceramic grains or their fragmental particles enter these small holes. None of them adhere to the semiconductor wafer.
In the present invention, that the diameters of the concave portions existing on the ductile surface are 0.1 xcexcm or less or that none of holes of 0.1 xcexcm or more in diameter substantially exist means that the number of holes of 0.1 xcexcm or more in diameter is five or less within a dimensional range of 50 xcexcmxc3x9770 xcexcm even when observations are made at 100 visual fields in an image analysis. That is, the above means that no large holes basically exist in the ceramic tissue. This may include a case where very small number of holes of 0.1 xcexcm or more in diameter exist under some quite local conditions.
However, even when the semiconductor wafer was attracted by the electrostatic chuck after the ductile worked surface was ultrasonically cleaned, about 25,000 particles were observed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer. It is considered that the reason is probably that ceramic grains or their fragmental pieces peeled from the ceramic substrate are fixedly attached to portions other than the small holes on the ductile worked surface and that the fixedly attached particles cannot be removed by the ultrasonically cleaning.
Taking this fact into account, the present inventors brush-cleaning the substrate in a high purity cleaning agent after the ductile worked surface of the substrate having a center line average height of 0.01 xcexcm or less was formed by lapping or the like. In that case, however, about 20,000 particles were observed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer. It is considered that the reason is that particles are separated from the attracting surface by brushing, remained among bristles of the brush or within the cleaning agent and the remaining particles adhered to the attracting surface of the substrate.
Based on the discovery, the present inventors cleaned the attracting surface of the substrate which was constituted by the ductile worked surface, while bringing the ductile worked surface into contact with a cleaning member. Thereafter, the inventors further ultrasonically cleaned the attracting surface of the substrate within high purity cleaning agent. As a result, the inventors succeeded in decreasing the number of particles adhering to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer, after the wafer is contacted with and released from the attracting surface of the electrostatic chuck, to 3000 or less and further to 1000 or less per a 8-inch wafer. In this way, the present invention has been accomplished.
Moreover, the present inventors polished an attracting surface of a substrate and then cleaned the resulting surface within a high purity cleaning agent while rubbing the surface with a cleaning member. Thereafter, ultrasonically cleaning was further conducted within high purity cleaning agent to the surface. As a result, the inventors also succeeded in greatly decreasing the number of particles adhering to the back surface of the semiconductor wafer after the contact between the wafer and the electrostatic chuck.
The inventors studied the reason for the successful result. If the attracting surface is polished until Ra preferably reaches 0.05 xcexcm or less, no small holes as stated above exist at the ductile worked surface mentioned above. However, a processing agent used for the polishing acts as an etching liquid, and forms steps at the ceramic grains exposed to the attracting surface. This will be explained with reference to a schematic view of FIG. 2.
A lot of ceramic grains 2A, 2B and 2C are exposed outside at the attracting surface 1 of the substrate. Since the ceramic grains differ in the direction of crystallographic axis, they differ in etching rate. As a result, height difference occur among the particles 2A, 2B and 2C after polishing, whereby grain boundaries 3 of the ceramic grains appear at the attracting surface 1.
When viewing the attracting surface having such a structure, particles adhere to the surface of each ceramic grain 2A, 2B, 2C. These particles can be removed by rubbing the ceramic grains with a cleaning member.
A part of the particles caught among bristles of the brush of the cleaning member are attached again to the surfaces of the ceramic grains 2A, 2B and 2C. However, it is considered that since those reattached particles have been already once peeled off from the surfaces of the ceramic grains by the cleaning member, the adhering force of the particles to the ceramic grains is so weak that they could be easily removed in the following cleaning step. It is noted, however, that if the height difference among the grains exceeds 0.5 xcexcm, it becomes difficult to contact the cleaning member with surfaces of the ceramic grains and therefore difficult to remove the particles. It is thus more preferable that the height difference is 0.3 xcexcm or less.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be appreciated upon reading of the following description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, with the understanding that some modifications, variations and changes of the same could be made by the skilled person in the art to which the invention pertains.

Substrate for use in wafer attracting apparatus and manufacturing method thereof


A receptacle connector prevents a plug from being obliquely inserted with a simple configuration. Receptacle connector 100 has: a hollow rectangular shape shield case (120) which is made by machining a metal plate and which includes fitting slot 101; and a housing (110) which is covered by the shield case (120) and in which contacts (130) to be connected with terminal parts (230) of an inserted plug (200) are disposed. In the shield case (120), a projecting part (124) is formed extending along one side of the fitting slot (101) by denting an upper plate part (122), which defines the accommodating part (104) accommodating the plug (200), to project toward an accommodating region (104). An end surface (124a) of this projecting part (124) on the fitting slot (101) side is closer to the fitting slot (101) side than the contacts (130) and forms a plane orthogonal to the upper plate part (122).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interface connector used to connect between electronic devices such as AV (Audio Visual) equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to a receptacle connector, plug connector and connector apparatus to be connected with a plug connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that some electronic devices such as portable AV equipment including digital cameras are connected with a personal computer through a cradle. The electronic devices are connected through a cradle by fitting the plug connector for the cradle (hereinafter, also referred to as "plug" as appropriate) into the receptacle connector of the electronic device body (hereinafter, also referred to as "receptacle" as appropriate).
The receptacle has contacts arranged to meet the terminals of the plug to be inserted, in a shield case having a fitting slot that is open in one surface and that fits with the plug to be inserted. The contacts of the receptacle are arranged on a flat base of a housing disposed in the shield case.
When the plug is inserted in the receptacle, this base is inserted in the insertion region formed in the shield case of the plug. The base inserted in the insertion region connects the contacts on the base with the terminals of the plug seen in the insertion region in the plug.
The fitting slot of the receptacle is generally formed in a rectangular frame shape, and, to match this shape, the part of the plug that is inserted in the insertion slot of the receptacle and that is surrounded by the shield case, is formed in a rectangular flat shape.
Therefore, when the plug is inserted obliquely in the receptacle, there is a problem that the housing, which is the portion of the plug that is inserted, hits the housing of the receptacle.
When the housing of the plug hits the housing of the receptacle, there is a problem that the contacts of the receptacle buckle, thereby causing a problem that labor of fixing the buckle and replacing the buckled contacts is required when the contacts buckle.

Receptacle connector, plug connector and connector apparatus


A multi-element occlusion device (10, 20, 30, 40) provides an improvement over existing systems by increasing the occupation of a vascular lumen. The device (10, 20, 30) comprises an anchoring element (12, 22, 32), a lead element (14, 24, 34) and at least one fiber (16, 26, 36) attaching said elements. The elements and fibers produce a cumulative occlusive effect greater than the sum of the individual elements. When placed in the blood stream, the anchoring element (12, 22, 32) lodges against the vessel wall and the lead element (14, 24, 34) is carried to a position distal thereto. In another embodiment, an “umbrella” of support members extend from the lead element. A fabric web extends between these support members. The umbrella intravascular device expands upon its exit from the catheter. The fabric web produces complete occlusion of the vessel without the need for thrombosis to form between the elements. With the use of multi-element deployment, the device decreases the risk of continued canalization and recanalization.

Endovascular use of devices to occlude blood vessels has become widespread both geographically around the world and anatomically throughout the body. In endovascular therapy, the doctor attempts to produce blockage or occlusion of blood flow through a vessel in order to stop bleeding. The vessel may be either an artery or a vein. His goal may be to prevent the vessel from hemorrhaging, to limit bleeding during surgery, or to stop an abnormal blood flow pattern between blood vessels (i.e. fistulas). Devices can also be used to prevent growth of abnormal protrusions from blood vessels, such as aneurysms, by creating an occlusion within the aneurysm. This occlusion minimizes or eliminates the blood pulsations which cause abnormal stresses on the wall of the aneurysm.
Several endovascular devices have been created to accomplish these goals. These devices include "glue," thrombosis producing particles, balloons, and coils. Central to the success of the device is its ability to be precisely placed within the vessel and its ability to adhere to the vessel wall. Placement typically occurs through a catheter from a proximal position outside of a patient to a distal position within the patient. Each type of device has particular advantages and drawbacks in its efficacy and its ability to be placed.
"Glue" refers to a group of compounds that are injected into a vessel. The glue solidifies on the vessel wall. Solidification typically occurs due to exposure of the glue to electrolytes in the blood. Therefore, glue is not actually a "device" which is solid at the time of its introduction. Control of the placement of the glue is hampered due to the variability of its cure rate within the blood stream.
Thrombosis producing particles can also be introduced into the vessel to produce blockage of that vessel. These particles can be formed of various material such as polyvinyl alcohol, silicone polymer, protein particles, glass beads, latex beads, or silk suture material. The blockage may be temporary or permanent, depending on whether and to what degree the particle is broken down in the body, resulting in recanalization of a blood vessel after occlusion. In the case of particles, blockage occurs at the point where the blood vessel diameter is smaller than the particle. Thus, if a small particle is released into a large vessel, the blood flow will carry the particle to the point where the vessel diameter diminishes to that of the particle. This is used to advantage in tumor or vascular malformation embolization, but has the disadvantage of loss of control over the point of occlusion. A balloon can be introduced within the vessel by a catheter and then inflated within the blood vessel to produce occlusion. The balloon may be permanently attached to the catheter, or it can have a valve at the point of attachment which closes when the catheter is withdrawn, detaching the balloon in position without producing subsequent deflation. With balloons permanently attached to a catheter, the blockage generally occurs at the point of placement of the tip of the catheter, such that the level of blockage is limited to the position of the tip of the catheter. That may be far into a vascular system, such as the brain, depending on the flexibility of the catheter and the skill of the operator, but the point of the occlusion is the tip of the catheter.
With detachable balloons, the method of detachment is usually traction of the balloon against the blood vessel, producing friction which causes resistance to withdrawal as the catheter is pulled out. Alternatively, balloons can also be detached by a so-called coaxial detachment system wherein detachment occurs by advancement of a larger catheter over a smaller catheter containing the balloon. The larger catheter contacts the inflated balloon preventing the withdrawal of the balloon. This permits the inner catheter to be removed from the balloon while the balloon maintains its position. However, this system is limited to larger vessels because the stiffness of both the outer and inner catheters limits their ability to advance into ever more tortuous, distal vessel portions.
Balloon occlusion devices can sometimes deflate or can even rupture the artery in which they are introduced, thus being somewhat hazardous and unpredictable. Also, balloon devices limit embolization options by producing vascular occlusion at the time of introduction. Thus, if combined embolization is desired using both particles and a more proximal occlusive device such as a balloon, the use of the balloon precludes the first use of the particles. Thus, balloons have the advantage of control over the point of occlusion but the inability to perform combined embolization while particles have the disadvantage of a lack of control over the point of occlusion.
A more recent endovascular device for small vessels, "coils," have been used for many years to present a solution to these problems in larger vessels. A coil is typically a stainless steel wire device wound such that its outer diameter matches the inner diameter of an angiographic catheter. The coil can be introduced into a catheter in a straight configuration and pushed through the catheter with a guide wire. As it exits the catheter, it can wind itself into a "coil" type configuration. The coil produces an obstacle in the blood vessel, causing blood to clot thereon. The clot blocks the blood vessel. Further development resulted in the addition of fibers of cotton or other material within the coil, increasing its propensity to cause thrombosis more quickly.
In recent years, advancements in catheter technology have allowed progressively more distal catheterizations. However, with more distal catheterizations, the stiffness of the stainless steel coil is a limitation. In response, small-diameter platinum "microcoils" were developed. These microcoils can be introduced through the catheter with a guide wire or, alternatively, be pushed by the force of an injection of water through the catheter, thus "injecting" them into the blood vessel. Some of these "coils" are actually straight, thus enabling them to follow flow in the vessel and act more like a particle. Some are curved, thus increasing the likelihood that they will not advance beyond the point of introduction. Still, all traditional coils have the disadvantage of a lack of control, insofar as they are free objects once they are introduced into the catheter. If the coils leave the catheter tip flowing in an untoward direction or if the catheter tip moves at the time of introduction, the physician has no control over this undesirable situation or ability to recall or reposition the coil. Thus, their successful placement is extremely dependent on the skills of the surgeon/radiologist placing them.
Additionally, coils often fail to produce complete occlusion of the vessel. Because of continued canalization or recanalization, blood flow through the partially occluded vessel continues. Also, because of the size of the coils, complete occlusion of the vessel often requires that multiple coils be placed to ensure occlusion. The additional coils add expense and lengthen the time necessary to complete the procedure.
Therefore, a need exists for a more widely applicable intravascular occlusion device. Such an occlusion device should produce the greatest amount of occlusion with the most flexible device. The occlusion device can even be a hybrid combination of other such devices. Given the time and expense involved in using intravascular coils, this new device should save substantial time and money via the use of fewer units to achieve the desired end. A need also exists for a device which creates complete occlusion of the vessel immediately. Such a device could be used in situation where distal thromboembolization would be unacceptable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A setting for formation of a network is facilitated for wireless data communications. When forming a network by Bluetooth, in a mobile phone serving as a master, a display screen for apparatus selection is displayed, so that a user can select an apparatus to be connected to the network. When the user selects an apparatus, the screen is shifted to a display screen for function selection so that a connection state can be set for each function.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling communications in a wireless data communication network such as Bluetooth.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, information processors such as personal computers are commonly used in the form in which a plurality of information processors are connected mutually so as to form a network. Considerable attention is paid to Bluetooth as a technology that can form a network for wireless communications between various electronic apparatuses such as portable telephones, various personal computers including portable computers, digital cameras, and portable video games. A general commentary article about Bluetooth is No. 759 (Dec.r, 13, 1999) of Nikkei Electronics published by Nikkei BP Co. LTD., for example.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-224156 (2000) discloses a technique for enhancing security with encryption in a close range wireless communication network such as Bluetooth. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2001-8274 (2001) discloses a technique allowing hand-free talk in which an audio apparatus in a car and a mobile phone are connected by a short range wireless connection such as Bluetooth so that a driver of a car can use a mobile phone via the audio apparatus safely without holding the mobile phone set by hand. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-261560 (2000) discloses a technique about a wireless acoustic coupler modem that connects wirelessly an acoustic coupler and a computer by wireless communications such as Bluetooth or by infrared communications such as IrDA (Infra-red Data Association). Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-276269 (2000) discloses a technique that connects between a plurality of computers and a data input apparatus such as a keyboard or a mouse by a wireless connection such as Bluetooth and performs switching.
In a network formed with computers or the like, in general, high-speed and high reliability are promoted. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-32005 (2000) discloses a technique that divides data to be transmitted into a plurality of segments, and transfers each segment in a plurality of asynchronous communication packets under the rule that if the transfer of segments is interrupted, retransmission starts with a packet whose transfer is interrupted.
Priorities are set for a selection among a plurality of apparatuses connected to a network so as to prevent a plurality of apparatuses from operating at the same time. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 11-288362 (1999) discloses a technique in which a printing apparatus that outputs in the previous time of a plurality of printing apparatuses connected to a network is used by priority. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-132494 (2000) discloses a technique that allows only a newly connected audio apparatus of a plurality of audio apparatuses connected via USB (Universal Serial Bus) to output.
Although a wireless data communication network such as Bluetooth connects various apparatuses flexibly, it utilizes a 2.4 GHz frequency band called ISM (Industry Science Medical) band and uses a frequency hopping spreading modulation system so that a difference in the way to change the frequency prevents other communications from being mixed. Furthermore, carrier sensing, which is commonly performed in other network connection methods, is not performed, and when a problem is caused in transfer of data, for example, because of collision of carriers, the problem is addressed by retransmission of the data.
Therefore, when forming a network using Bluetooth, connection forms as to where to receive which data and reconnection conditions for the time when connection is cut during data transfer have to be set. However, techniques that make it easy for users who have little technical knowledge to actually perform these connections have not been developed yet.

Communication control method in wireless data communication network


An assembly for applying a torque from an output shaft to an input shaft of an apparatus, such as a multishaft extruder, and for measuring the applied torque. The assembly includes a connecting sleeve for torque-transmittingly coupling the output shaft with the input shaft; and a torque measuring device having expansion measuring strips, a signal amplifier, a transmitting ring antenna and a receiving antenna. The connecting sleeve has a first length portion carrying the expansion measuring strips and a second length portion carrying the signal amplifier and the transmitting ring antenna. A torque-transmitting arrangement torque-transmittingly couples solely the first length portion of the connecting sleeve with the output shaft and the input shaft, so that the second length portion of the connecting sleeve is free from a torque-transmitting connection with the input shaft.

This invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the torque applied to a driven shaft, particularly to the individual worm conveyor shafts of a multishaft extruder.
Striving for ever-increasing output rates in multishaft worm conveyor extruders requires ever-increasing drive outputs and thus inherently higher input torques for the worm conveyor shafts. Also, the ever-improving process technology makes possible a continuous operation of the machine at almost 100%.
Because of the above requirements, the worm conveyor shafts of current design can be used only with very low safety values as far as their strength is concerned. A breakage of a worm conveyor shaft in a multishaft machine causes not only an interruption in the production, but also results in significant consequential damages to the extrusion part and in the machine drive. Further, the division of the output among several worm conveyor shafts is not uniform. In case of a two-shaft machine with unidirectionally driven, right-pitch worm conveyor shafts, the left-hand shaft--as viewed in the direction of conveyance--is stressed to a greater extent. For this reason a very accurate torque monitoring of each individual worm conveyor shaft is required.
European Patent No. 0 457 086 discloses a contactless measuring of the local torque input in worm conveyor-type extruder machines. For this purpose, in the conveyor housing a plurality of path sensors are arranged which scan the surface of the worm conveyor shaft during its rotation. For an improved scanning, the screw conveyor shafts are provided with notches or grooves. In addition, at the drive clutch, externally of the worm conveyor housing, a separate measuring unit is arranged which delivers a reference pulse from a location of the extruder machine where the shaft is not yet exposed to torsion. Such reference signal is compared and evaluated in a computer with signals generated in the housing. Such a complex and expensive measuring process cannot be used for multishaft worm conveyor machines; even in a single-shaft machine its use is of questionable value when viscous synthetic materials are handled. Also, the prior art system is limited to a monitoring of rotating shafts and therefore the torque of an immobilized (blocked) shaft remains undetected.

Torque measuring device particularly for a multishaft extruder


Providing an accelerating device capable of safely and efficiently accelerating an aircraft even if the aircraft is a high-speed and heavyweight one.

A supersonic passenger plane is capable of flight at a high speed greatly exceeding the subsonic passenger planes that are usually employed nowadays. Thus, realization of a supersonic passenger plane is expected principally in terms of rapidity thereof.
However, supersonic passenger planes inherently have greater wing loadings and the like than subsonic passenger planes. Moreover, in order to maintain passenger capacities in consideration of economic factors, plane body weights are larger.
Therefore, because wing loadings are greater, very long runways are necessary for takeoff. Moreover, if engine power is increased to enable takeoff from even slightly shorter runways, plane body weight increases. In addition, fuel consumption of the supersonic passenger plane and airport noise also increases.
As means for solving this, various measures have been considered, such as measures at the plane body such as providing high-lift devices, more aerodynamically refining the plane body and so forth, and also assisting the plane body on the ground at a time of takeoff and so forth.
As a device that assists a plane body on the ground, these have been proposed:
a takeoff assistance device comprising a primary coil of a linear motor that is provided at one of a plane body and a runway, and a secondary coil of the linear motor is provided at the other (patent reference 1); and
an accelerating device for a flying body in which a jet engine, which heats a propellant with laser light and provides thrust, and a laser beam incidence portion, which receives illuminated laser light, are provided at a carriage for loading the flying body, and a laser light illumination system is provided partway along a track on which the carriage runs (patent reference 2).    Patent reference 1: The publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 5-16897    Patent reference 2: The publication of Japanese Patent No. 2,861,569

Abstract: The accelerating device has a support base for supporting an aircraft so that it does not go backward or levitate and does not pitch; a guide way placed along a predetermined route; guide means for guiding the support base along the guide way; and drive means for driving the support base along the guide way.


A saddle-riding type vehicle including a simple, lightweight and high rigidity frame structure. The frame structure includes bending upward center pipes 22, which are joined to lower pipes 21 extending backward from the lower portions of a pair of right and left front pipes 20, respectively; connecting the front pipes 20 to the center portions of the center pipes 22 with straight main pipes, respectively; putting front side pipes 25 between the front pipes 20 and the lower pipes 21 for constituting the three-sides of triangles together with the front pipes 20 and the lower pipes 21, respectively; extending seat rail pipes 26 backward from the center portions of the main pipes 24 by way of cross pipes 23 put between the upper portions of the center pipes 22, respectively; and laying reinforcing pipes 27 put between the front side pipes 25 and the main pipes 24 on the same straight lines as those of the seat rail pipes, respectively. A coupling between the exhaust pipe and the muffler is located behind the rear fenders. An air cleaner is positioned beneath the seat and a recessed portion behind the fuel tank receives the suction duct. The fuel tank or other vessel includes hooks on each side with elastic bands extending to right and left frame members supporting the vessel.

The field of the present invention is saddle-riding type vehicles and the structure and component arrangements therefor.
A saddle-riding type vehicle contemplated for use on rough terrain, particularly of a four-wheel variety, requires a high strength vehicle frame. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Hei 1-87097, a vehicular frame is disclosed, as illustrated herein in FIG. 1. The vehicular frame 01 includes pairs of right and left front frames 03, lower frames 04, center frames 05, seat rails 06 and the like, rather than a large size main frame 02.
This vehicular frame has a three-block structure. A first block includes front frames 03, lower frames 04, reinforcing frames 07 and the like for supporting a front wheel. A second block includes a main frame 02 and center frames 05 for surrounding an engine. A third block includes seat rails 06 and reinforcing stays 08 for supporting a seat. This structure is intended to enhance the rigidity by each block. However, as to the whole structure, stress concentrations occur which are due to longitudinal external forces at the joints between respective blocks. Accordingly, to enhance the whole structure, it is necessary to further employ reinforcing members. This complicates the frame construction and results in increased weight.
A prior air cleaner apparatus of a saddle-riding type vehicle including a fuel tank ahead of a seat is constructed as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Sho 63-309761. A suction duct extends a substantial distance from an air cleaner to under a seat where it is bent and opened. This long suction duct supplies air to the air cleaner apparatus while preventing the permeation of mud, water and the like. The extended suction duct is disadvantageous because it increases cost and weight and also increases engine output loss.
An exhaust of a conventional saddle-riding type vehicle is constructed as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Sho 62-258112, wherein the connecting portion between the exhaust tube and a muffler is disposed ahead of the rear fenders. In such a system, to remove the muffler for repair, exchange, or maintenance/inspection, the rear fenders must first be removed. This can substantially increase the time needed for muffler removal.
In saddle-riding type vehicles, fuel tanks are generally disposed ahead of the seat, supported on the frame members extending in the longitudinal direction. The front end portion and the rear end portion of such fuel tanks are typically connected to these frame members.
For example, a fuel tank of an auto-bicycle disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Hei 1-109489 is provided ahead of a seat over a main pipe extending from a head pipe. The front end portion thereof is engaged with the stay member for connecting a head pipe, a main pipe and a down tube to each other; and the rear end portion thereof is mounted on a vehicular frame by hooking the upper end of an elastic band onto a projection provided on the rear surface of the fuel tank, and hooking the lower end of the elastic band onto a hook provided on the extension portion of the main pipe.
Also, a fuel tank of an auto-bicycle disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Hei 2-147390 is supported on frame members, wherein the front and rear end portions thereof are mounted on the frame members.
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide tank fixtures on the portions of the frame members adjacent to the fuel tank in front of and behind the fuel tank, respectively. Further, in the case of mounting the fuel tank on a pair of right and left frame members, it is necessary to provide a cross member for connecting the right and left frame members to form the tank fixtures. It is impossible to effectively utilize the spaces in front of and behind the fuel tank as the areas for mounting the other members.
For example, it is impossible to dispose an air cleaner usually provided under a seat very close to the rear end of the fuel tank to effectively utilize the space. In the saddle-riding type vehicle, many components must be disposed in the restricted area around the vehicular frame; and therefore, the effective utilization of space becomes important. The above is not limited to the fuel tank but is extended to the other vessels mounted on the frame members. It is desired to mount these vessels on the frame members for disposing other components as close to the front and rear sides of these vessels as possible.


A diazo type recording material, which has a substantially unstained background, a superior preservability, and is capable of producing images of high density, wherein the diazo recording material comprises a support having thereon a recording layer comprising a photosensitive diazo compound, a hydroxyphenylsulfone derivative and a coupling component which forms a color by reacting with the diazo compound, with the diazo compound being enclosed in microcapsules.

Copy producing materials which exploit the photosensitivity of diazo compounds are widely utilized because of their inexpensiveness. These copy producing materials are generally developed according to one of three major types of development, which are as follows:
The first type is known as the wet development type, where the copy producing material is characterized by a photosensitive layer mainly comprising a diazo compound and a coupling component on a support, and it is developed by an alkaline solution after exposure to light together with an original manuscript superposed on the top thereof.
The second type is known as the dry development type, where the exposed photosensitive layer is developed by ammonia gas instead of an alkaline solution per the wet development type.
The third type is known as the thermal development type, where the photosensitive layer contains an ammonia gas generating agent, such as urea, that generates ammonia gas upon heating, or, alternatively, it contains an alkaline salt compound, such as trichloroacetic acid, that loses its acidic properties upon heating or it exploits activation of a diazo compound and a coupling component through thermal fusion by adding a higher fatty acid amide as a color-forming aid.
The above wet type of development has various drawbacks. For example, the use of the alkaline developing solution takes time for refilling and disposing thereof, and the large size of the copying devices creates difficulties in maintenance and control. Further, entering additional exposures and images on the wet recording material is practically impossible immediately after copy-making when the material is still wet, and the copied images cannot endure long storage.
The dry type of development has several drawbacks as well. For instance, refilling of the developing solution is necessary, and an ammonia gas suction device should be provided to prevent leakage of the generated gas, which enlarges the size of the copying device, and a strong odor of the noxious ammonia is unavoidable immediately after copy-producing.
Apart from the wet type or the dry type of development, the thermal developing type has merit in terms of lessened maintenance as it does not require the use of a developing solution. However, it still has a shortcoming in that the copy forming apparatus becomes expensive in order to obtain satisfactory images, as the development temperature is as high as 150.degree. to 200.degree. C. and thermal controls must be made within the range of .+-.10.degree. C. to prevent variations in color tone due to inadequate development.
To stand such high temperatures required in thermal development, the diazo compounds to be used must be heat-resisting, but these compounds are disadvantageous to form images of high density.
Therefore, many attempts in the past have been attempted to make developments at low temperature (e.g., 90.degree. to 130.degree. C.), but it had a defect of shortening the shelf life of the copy material. The current situation is that the thermal development type of development is not yet occupying a position as the main stream in the diazo copying system, in spite of the prediction that the thermal development type has advantages in terms of lessened maintenance in comparison to the wet and dry types of development.
On the other hand, the needs of users may be completely diverse. For example, needs are arising not only to obtain colored images on a white background, as was the case in the past, but also to select the background and a hue of the image in correspondence with the use desired.
This need arises because copy images should draw the viewer's attention when such images are used as drawings or notices. However, the existing recording materials could not fully satisfy such visual requirements.
Incidentally, in order to obtain the desired color density by heating a recording material provided with a layer containing a diazo compound, a coupling component and a color-forming aid, then the respective constituents, as mentioned above, should be able to melt, disperse and react to form the coloring matter in an instantaneous manner.
However, if the recording material was designed so as to well form the color and produce images of high density at the low heating temperatures, then the color-forming reaction would tend to gradually proceed inadvertently during storage at normal room temperature before usage, and, as a consequence, the background of the recording material to be non-exposed and kept white would be colored and thus spoiled. That is, background stains occur in the recording layer before recording.
The above-described problem was somewhat overcome by a proposal for enclosing a diazo compound in microcapsules in the copy-making material provided with a photosensitive layer, which contains all of the diazo compound, a coupling constituent and a color-forming aid, on the support, and which can be thermally developed (e.g., JP-A-59-91438). The term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application".
However, this case still had a drawback that preservability of the recording material before use is insufficient when the photosensitive layer is designed to obtain images of very high density.

Diazo type recording material utilizing microencapsulated diazo compound, a coupler and a hydroxyphenylsulfone derivative


A video apparatus comprises a correction circuit for delaying a luminance stream in a digital stream. The correction circuit has a demultiplexer, a line buffer and a multiplexer to achieve this. This construction enables compensation of the luminance 2H-delay of conventional VHS and S-VHS signals. A process is disclosed for improving the picture quality of conventional VHS and S-VHS signals and for recording the corrected or quality-improved signals.

Video sequences to be displayed by video apparatus are coded in a signal according to various possible standards. One of these standards is the VHS standard which is widely-used to record a video signal on a tape.
According to the VHS standard, the luminance signal and the chrominance signal corresponding to a frame of a given number of lines on the display are recorded on a magnetic track of the tape, the luminance signal is frequency modulated in a range between 3.8 MHz and 4.8 MHz and the encoded chrominance signal being amplitude modulated on a 627 kHz carrier. The signals for two successive fields (2 interlaced fields representing 1 picture screen) are recorded on two successive tracks. To reduce cross-talk between the two successive tracks, an azimuth recording method is employed.
This is unfortunately not sufficient to eliminate cross-talk between the low-frequency part of the chrominance signal of two successive tracks. Therefore a complicated phase-shift procedure including a 2H comb-filer (for play-back) had been introduced by the VHS standard in order to eliminate this cross-talk; the chrominance signal consequently lags for a 2-line time behind the corresponding luminance signal. This means that a conventional VHS video processor outputs a chrominance signal which relates to a line originally situated two lines above the luminance signal which is output at the same time. Stated differently, the luminance and corresponding chrominance information are vertically mis-registered. The same problem arises with the S-VHS standard.
In order to correct this inherent defect of the VHS standard, it has been proposed by patent application WO 92/22 173 to provide a video apparatus meant to use the reproduced VHS signal with a CCD-delay-line in order to delay the luminance signal, preferably for a 2H duration. The luminance signal output from the CCD-delay-line thus corresponds to the same line in the originally-recorded video sequence as the chrominance signal output from the comb filter.
Unfortunately, a 2H CCD-delay-line is expensive and has thus scarcely been used for this purpose.

Video apparatus process for a video apparatus and video recorder


A smooth switching device and method for double power supplies. The devices includes a main/backup power supply switching unit (1), a relay control unit (3), a charge management unit (2), a main power supply switching auxiliary unit (4) and a backup power supply switching auxiliary unit (5). The device and the method enable the main power supply (200) and the backup power supply (300) which supply power for electric equipment (100) to be switched smoothly, so that it is not easy for the electric equipment (100) to be disconnected with the power supplies and the fluctuation of a load voltage is small. Moreover, the device doesn't need a bulk capacitor used for auxiliary switching and doesn't need to be used together with a radiator.

With rapid development of information technique, the requirement for the power supply system increases. For some important electric equipment, such as communication equipment, if the power supply of the power supply system is suddenly interrupted, it is easy to lose some important data, and the normal operation of other relevant systems may even be affected, so as to bring a serious consequence. Thus, in order to avoid the above cases, besides a commercial power as a main power supply, other equipment such as a battery group is used as a backup power supply for some important electric equipment. Therefore, a certain requirement is proposed for the switch between the main/backup power supplies.
In the prior art, there are mainly three switch solutions described below.
The first solution: a power supply switch between the main/backup power supplies is implemented by switching a movable contact of the relay between a first movable contact and a second movable contact and connecting a bulk capacitor to the load side, as specifically shown in FIG. 1. In this way, a smooth switch between the main/backup power supplies is implemented, and an energy storage function of the backup power supply is fully exerted. However, there are some disadvantages as following.
1. There is a large fluctuation of the voltage of the load, and the switch between the main/backup power supplies will cause some phenomenon such as the powerdown when the voltage of the backup power supply is low.
2. The capacitor is charged rapidly at the moment when connecting with the power supply system, such that the circuits in front of the capacitor are easily to be damaged. Therefore, the bulk capacitor is easy to introduce a hidden danger in the circuit and the cost is increased. However, the main/backup power supplies cannot be switched smoothly without the bulk capacitor storing the energy.
The second solution: a diode is used to implement the power supply switch between the main/backup power supplies, as specifically shown in FIG. 2. In this way, a smooth switch between the main/backup power supplies can be implemented without a bulk capacitor for performing an auxiliary switch. However, there are some disadvantages as following.
1. A large voltage drop will be generated at the PN junction of the diode when a large current flows through the diode, and thus the energy storage function of the backup power supply cannot be fully exerted.
2. A large amount of power consumption will be generated at the diode, and thus the reliability of the operation of the circuit will be ensured by a radiator used for heat dissipation. Meanwhile, a largely increased temperature will cause a performance degradation of devices around the diode and be adverse to miniaturize the product.
3. Since there is no over discharging protection function, the backup power supply still supplies power to the load even when the electric quantity thereof is not sufficient, such that the service life of the battery is decreased.
The third solution: a transistor is used to implement the power supply switch between the main/backup power supplies, as specifically shown in FIG. 3. Due to the short turn-on time of the transistor, a smooth switch between the main/backup power supplies is implemented. Moreover, the voltage drop of the transistor can be adjusted to be low, so the energy storage function of the backup power supply can be fully exerted. Meanwhile, a bulk capacitor is not needed for the auxiliary switch. However, there are some disadvantages as following.
1. The backup power supply is charged directly by the main power supply when a short circuit is caused due to a failure of one of the transistor Q1 and the transistor Q2, which will shorten the service life of the backup power supply and may cause the backup power supply bomb.
2. A large amount of power consumption will be generated at the transistors, and thus a radiator has to be used also. Meanwhile, a too high temperature will cause a performance degradation of devices around the transistor and be adverse to miniaturize the product.

Smooth switching device and method for double power supplies


An object is to provide a power storage device provided with a battery that is a power storage means, for safe and accurate supply of electric power in a short period of time for drive power supply voltage without checking remaining capacity of the battery or changing batteries with deterioration over time of the battery for drive power supply voltage. The power storage device is provided with a battery that is a power storage means as a power supply for supplying electric power and a counter circuit for counting charging time of the power storage means. An electromagnetic wave with electric field intensity, magnetic field intensity, and power flux density per unit time which are transmitted from a power feeder are controlled, and the power storage means is efficiently charged using the electromagnetic wave in a short period of time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power storage device. In particular, the present invention relates to a power storage device which is charged with electric power through an electromagnetic wave. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a charging system using a power storage device provided with an antenna and a power feeder which supplies electric power to the power storage device through an electromagnetic wave.
A "power storage device" mentioned in this specification refers to a general device which stores electric power by an electromagnetic wave transmitted from an external power supply device (power feeder). In addition, a battery which stores power by wireless reception of an electromagnetic wave is referred to as a wireless battery (RF battery: Radio Frequency Battery).
2. Description of the Related Art
Various electronic appliances are coming into wide use, and a wide variety of products are on the market. In particular, in recent years, the spread of portable electronic appliances has been marked. For example, mobile phones, digital video cameras, and the like have become very convenient because of high-definition display portions, increased durability of batteries, and further reduction in power consumption of the batteries. A portable electronic appliance has a structure in which a battery that is a power storage means is built in. Thus, a power supply for driving the portable electronic appliance is secured by the battery. As matters now stand, as the battery, a battery such as a lithium ion battery is used, and the battery is directly charged from an AC adaptor which is plugged into a household AC power supply that is a power supply means.
Moreover, in recent years, development of a power storage device which stores electric energy wirelessly so that a portable appliance can be charged also in a place without a commercial power supply has been advanced (e.g., see Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2003-299255).

Power storage device and semiconductor device provided with the power storage device

SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.


A projection-type display device comprises: a display body including an upper cabinet having a screen at a front portion thereof and a lower cabinet having a pair of side frames for supporting the upper cabinet; a projector unit including projectors and mounting device on which the projectors are mounted movable in the forward/backward directions with respect to the lower cabinet; guide device for guiding the projector unit to a predetermined position in the display body when the projector unit is separated from or received into the display body; locating device for locating the projector unit at a predetermined position and securing together the projector unit and the display body to separate one of them from the floor surface; and a device for supporting the other of the projector unit and the display body is grounded on the floor surface, at three positions.

The present invention relates to a projection-type display device, and more particularly to a projection-type display device in which a display body having a screen and a projector unit having a projector are mutually separable.
There is a type of projection-type display device in which a display body having a screen and a projector unit having a projector are separable from each other for purposes of repair and maintenance.
In such a projection-type display device, the projector unit has casters provided at the lower part. However, this device has a disadvantage that the projector unit cannot, be easily handled when separated from or received into the display body due to its large weight. In particular, the projector unit tends to collide with a lower cabinet of the display body when being received thereinto, thereby damaging the lower cabinet.
When the projector unit is separated from the display body and thereafter received into the display body, it is difficult to exactly locate the projector unit at the same position as it was prior to separation. Therefore, there would sometimes arise a undesirable change in the optical relationship between the projector unit and the display body. As a result, an image projected on the screen is deteriorated. Also, when the projection-type display device is moved to another place, the optical relationship between the projector unit and the display body would likewise change due to the difference in the floor state of the respective installing locations of the display body and the projector unit, so that an image projected on the screen is deteriorated. In such cases, the optical relationship should be readjusted. Adjusting the optical relationship requires quite delicate operations and a number of man-hours.
Further, although the projector unit must be inclined upon repairing and maintenance, this cannot easily be done because of the significant weight of the projector unit as mentioned hereinbefore. Therefore, it sometimes occurs that the casters provided at the lower part of the projector unit undesirably slide, damaging the flor surface or people when the projector unit is inclined.
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a projection-type display device which is capable of easily separating the projector unit from the display body and which does not suffer optical change between the display body and the projector unit when both are mutually separated or when the projection-type display device is moved to another place.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a projection-type display device which is capable of preventing the projector unit from skidding when being laid down so as not to injure or damage workers or the floor.

Projector with separable projection unit and display body