The present invention provides an antenna with an integral electrical connection to a printed circuit board. The electrical connection is accomplished by providing a connection beam from a conductive layer to the circuit board. The connection beam is provided with a channel extending through the connection beam, such as a channel through the geometric center of the beam, and the channel is plated. The connection beam terminates with a contact point. The beam is deflectable to provide contact force.

1. Field
The technology of present application relates generally to wireless communication devices, and more specifically to electrical connections for internal antenna assemblies.
2. Background
Wireless devices use a variety of different types of antennas. The styles can be classified in two generic categories: external and internal. External antennas are generally more efficient than internal antennas. But internal antennas are less prone to damage and usually more aesthetically pleasing. The technology of the present application generally relates to internal antennas and can be used with single or multi-band antennas.
Internal antenna can be made using a number of different methodologies. One method of making internal antennas is a stamped metal or embossing technique. The stamped metal technique uses thin metal that is stamped and formed into the size and shape needed to form the needed radiator design. This piece of metal is then connected to a non-conductive carriage to form the antenna assembly. Another technique used to manufacture antennas is the flexible film approach. This technique uses a thin layer of conductive material such as copper attached to a think non-conductive substrate such as Capton or Mylar. The substrate has a thin layer of adhesive on the back surface. To form the radiator geometry, the copper that is not needed is removed by using conventional printed circuit board manufacturing methods. This flexible film is then attached to a rigid structure such as the antenna carriage or the handset housing wall. Yet another method of manufacturing antennas is the multi-shot injection molded, selectively plated technique. The multi-shot technique usually has an injection molded base of non platable plastic with a platable plastic injection molded onto selective portions of the base. The platable plastic is then metalized using one of many various techniques, such as, for example, electroplating. Another method of to manufacture antennas includes a laser direct structure methodology. The laser direct structure methodology uses a plastic carrier that can be activated by a laser such that a portion of the carrier in the radiator pattern is platable. The activated portion of the laser direct structure plastic is than plated using a conventional plating technique, such as electroplating.
Against this background, improved internal antennas are still desirous.

Antenna assembly with connectors having an internal conductive channel


In an anti-fuse repair control circuit, a semiconductor memory device is integrated into a multi-chip package to perform an anti-fuse repair. An anti-fuse repair control circuit includes a data mask signal input circuit, a cell address enable unit a repair enable unit, and a repair unit. The data mask signal input circuit receives and outputs a data mask signal upon receiving a test control signal for an anti-fuse repair. The cell address enable unit receives an anti-fuse repair address to enable a cell address of an anti-fuse cell to be repaired upon receiving the data mask signal outputted from the data mask signal input circuit. The repair enable unit codes the cell address and output a repair enable signal and a drive signal according to whether or not an anti-fuse cell corresponding to the cell address is enabled. The repair unit supplies a repair voltage to the anti-fuse cell when the repair enable signal, the address, and the drive signal are enabled.

The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to an anti-fuse repair control circuit, in which a semiconductor memory device integrated into a multi-chip package is improved to individually perform an anti-fuse repair, and a semiconductor device including a DRAM which has the anti-fuse repair control circuit when integrated into a multi-chip package.
Recently, a variety of mobile devices have been developed and a semiconductor device having multi-functions is required in order to improve the function of those mobile devices.
The semiconductor device as a single memory chip is limited in realizing the required multi-functions. Accordingly, a semiconductor device is often realized in a structure of a multi-chip package, in which the semiconductor device is integrated with the same DRAMs in the same package or is integrated with a DRAM and a flash memory in the same package.
For a semiconductor device, which is realized as a package as described above, an anti-fuse repair technique is used to repair a bit fail occurring in an integrated chip, such as a DRAM.
According to the anti-fuse repair technique, a bit fail is repaired by melting an anti-fuse with a high voltage between both ends of the anti-fuse corresponding to a position where a bit fail has occurred, not by cutting a fuse element with a laser beam.
A typical multi-chip package has a structure in which an input address, a clock signal, and a command are shared by the mounted chips. FIG. 1A illustrates a case in which a flash memory and two mobile DRAMs are integrated into one package. FIG. 1B illustrates a case in which two mobile DRAMs are integrated into one package.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, two DRAMS included in a multi-chip package have separate data input/output (DATA IO) ports but share an input address, a clock signal, and a command.
Therefore, if a bit fail occurs in either one of the DRAMs, then repair information is transmitted to both DRAMs. As a result, the DRAM in which the bit fail occurredas well as the normal DRAM, in which no bit fail occurred, perform an anti-fuse repair operation at the same time.
Accordingly, in performing an anti-fuse repair operation in a conventional multi-chip package by a semiconductor device, a normal DRAM would perform an unnecessary anti-fuse repair operation, because the DRAMs in a conventional multi-chip package share the input address and the clock signal and the command as discussed above. Consequently, in a conventional multi-chip package, the overall repair efficiency of the semiconductor device decreases to less than half due to performance of the unnecessary anti-fuse repair operations.

Anti-fuse repair control circuit and semiconductor device including DRAM having the same


An electrical device including a first semiconductor device in a first region of the SOI substrate and a second semiconductor device is present in a second region of the SOI substrate. The first semiconductor device comprises a first source and drain region that is present in the SOI layer of the SOI substrate, raised source and drain regions on the first source and drain regions, and a first gate structure on a channel region portion of the SOI layer. The second semiconductor device comprises a second source and drain region present in a base semiconductor layer of the SOI substrate and a second gate structure, wherein a gate dielectric of the second gate structure is provided by a buried dielectric layer of the SOI substrate and a gate conductor of the second gate structure comprises a same material as the raised source and drain region.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to structures and methods for forming semiconductor devices on semiconductor on insulator (SOI) substrates.
Description of the Related Art
With the continuing trend towards miniaturization of integrated circuits (ICs), there is a need for transistors to have higher drive currents with increasingly smaller dimensions. In order to be able to make integrated circuits (ICs), such as memory, logic, and other devices, of higher integration density than currently feasible, one has to find ways to further downscale the dimensions of field effect transistors (FETs), such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS). Scaling achieves compactness and improves operating performance in devices by shrinking the overall dimensions and operating voltages of the device while maintaining the device's electrical properties.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

High voltage metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor integrated into extremely thin semiconductor on insulator process

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus and method of manufacture for metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors is disclosed. Devices in accordance with the invention are operable at voltages below 2V. The devices are area efficient, have improved drive strength, and have reduced leakage current. A dynamic threshold voltage control scheme comprised of a forward biased diode in parallel with a capacitor is used, implemented without changing the existing MOS technology process. This scheme controls the threshold voltage of each transistor. In the OFF state, the magnitude of the threshold voltage of the transistor increases, keeping the transistor leakage to a minimum. In the ON state, the magnitude of the threshold voltage decreases, resulting in increased drive strength. The invention is particularly useful in MOS technology for both bulk and silicon on insulator (SOI) CMOS. The use of reverse biasing of the well, in conjunction with the above construct to further decrease leakage in a MOS transistor, is also shown.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to MOS transistors. More specifically, the invention relates to the improvement of drive-strength and leakage of deep submicron MOS transistors.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Users of conventional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology currently face some difficult choices as the minimum feature size of such devices shrinks to below 100 nanometers and power supply voltage is reduced to less than 1.0V. A typical layout of a 0.18 micron transistor 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The transistor is manufactured over a well 110 where a diffusion area 120 is created. The gate 130 of the transistor 100 is formed over a well 120, and has a width w, for example, of 0.18 micron as a minimum width for a transistor that is fabricated using 0.18 micron technology. Contacts 140 and 141 comprise one terminal of the NMOS transistor, for example the drain, and the contact 150 provides another terminal of the transistor 100, for example the source. A contact 131 is connected to the gate 130. There are other minimal feature sizes, such as a minimal size for the well x and a minimum distance from the edge of the well to the diffusion area 120 marked as y. Dimensions, such as w, x and y are generally process dependent. Power supply voltage is reduced in correspondence with the minimum feature size to maintain a limit on the electrical field across the oxide, which is made thinner as feature size is decreased. Therefore, power supply voltage is decreased from 3.3V for 0.35-micron CMOS technology to 1.8V for 0.18 micron technology, and is further expected to be at the 1.0V level for 100 nanometers CMOS technology.
While power supply voltage is decreased, the threshold voltage of NMOS transistors has stayed between 0.45V and 0.35V. The relationship between the NMOS threshold voltage Vth and CMOS power supply VDD is known to be very critical. The threshold voltage determines the leakage current Ioff of the transistor when it is in its OFF state. As the threshold voltage is driven lower, the leakage current increases.
The drain current of the transistor is a direct function of the overdrive of the transistors, measured as the difference between power supply VDD and threshold voltage Vth. The drain current of the transistor determines the time required to charge the load capacitance from ground to the level of power supply VDD, or vice versa. This overdrive voltage has decreased constantly as the power supply decreased from 3.3V to 1.0V, while threshold voltage decreased only from 0.45V to 0.35V. For 0.1 micron technology, the threshold voltage of the transistors is scaled below 0.35V at the expense of a very high OFF stage leakage current IOFF, which ranges between 1 nA to 100 nA for a transistor having a width of 1 miron. For a transistor with gate width of 10 microns, the OFF current increases to ten times the value stated above, i.e. from 10 nA to 1000 nA. For CMOS technology having a 0.1-micron minimum feature size, a typical VLSI chip is expected to contain over 100 million gates. Given a leakage of every gate of 1 microamperes, this results in a whopping 100 amperes of leakage current.
A scheme for dynamically controlling the transistor threshold voltage has been proposed by Takamiya et al. in High Performance Electrically Induced Body Dynamic Threshold SOI MOSFET (EIB-DTMOS) with Large Body Effect and Low Threshold Voltage IEDM Technical Digest 1998. Takimiya et al. suggest a scheme that shorts the gate and the substrate of the transistors, thereby causing the substrate voltage of the transistor to increase as the gate voltage is increased for an n-channel MOS (NMOS) transistor. This scheme is proposed for NMOS transistors fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, where the transistor substrate is totally isolated. This scheme manipulates the threshold voltage by changing the bias of the substrate or well in the positive direction for a NMOS transistor, along with a positive signal at the gate. As the substrate or well-to-source voltage becomes positive, the depletion layer width is reduced resulting in lower threshold voltage for the transistor, thereby increasing the current from the transistor. In the native form, Takimiya et al. is applicable only for circuits using a power supply voltage of less than 0.6V because this scheme turns on the substrate-to-source diode and the leakage from this diode must be limited or one would trade one type of leakage for another, i.e. from drain-to-source leakage to substrate-to-source leakage. Another approach is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,521,948 by Ebina trying to solve is the accumulation of holes, created by impact ionization, in the floating body region of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) transistor. The accumulated holes cause a relatively uncontrolled decrease in threshold voltage. Therefore, Ebina places the body into a slight, presumably controlled, forward bias conditions with respect to the source by connecting a reverse biased diode. Specifically, Ebina concentrates on controlling the current in the ON state, in particular to avoid its variable and uncontrolled increase. The use of a backward biased diode is deficient in several ways. Firstly, the reverse current through the diode varies over orders of magnitude and is highly sensitive to temperature. Secondly, the expanded polysilicon gate region creates a depletion region in the SOI substrate, and more explicitly in fully depleted SOI, which effectively cuts off the end of the gate from the source or the drain region during the ON state of the transistor. Secondly, while Ebina deals effectively with voltage ranges of 2 volts and above, it fails to provide a solution for transistor operating in lower voltages as common in modern designs.
Douseki in U.S. Pat, No. 5,821,769 describes a method for the control of the threshold voltage of an MOS transistor by connecting a MOS transistor between the gate and the substrate to control the threshold voltage. Douseki requires the addition of another transistor for every transistor whose threshold voltage is dynamically controlled. The adjusted threshold voltage is fixed by the power supply voltage and the threshold voltage of the additional transistor. The area penalty is fairly large for this approach and it requires additional process steps.
There is a therefore a need in the art for a technology which can reduce the leakage of MOS transistors without adversely affecting the drive current or the drain current under saturation conditions, which are defined as drain-source voltage and gate-source voltage equal to the power supply voltage (VDS=VGS=VDD). It would be further advantageous if the solution addressed low voltage operation in the range of 2V and below.

Apparatus and method for improving drive-strength and leakage of deep submicron MOS transistors


The present disclosure provides a crosslinkable composition including a (meth)acrylate polymer and a visible light absorbing compound. Two percent or less of the carbon-carbon bonds in the crosslinkable composition are double bonds. The composition allows for inclusion of one or more materials degradable by ultraviolet radiation and/or stabilized against ultraviolet radiation. Methods for making a crosslinked composition is also provided. One method includes obtaining a crosslinkable composition and subjecting the crosslinkable composition to radiation having a wavelength of 400 nm or greater. Another method includes subjecting a crosslinkable composition to first and second radiations that are different from each other.

Curing using ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been developed due to the need for short curing times and one-part compositions, and has expanded into commercial use for materials such as inks, sealants, and adhesives. Certain materials (e.g., in optical applications) that are vulnerable to ultraviolet rays, UV stabilized, and/or including multilayer structures, however, are less suitable for curing by UV radiation. This presents a challenge in bonding such materials using adhesives that require ultraviolet radiation curing/post-curing.

Crosslinkable composition including a (meth)acrylic polymer and methods of making a crosslinked composition


There is provided a method of treating a nickel base super alloy (NiSa) article. First, the NiSa article having fine grains is obtained. The NiSa article has a uniform distribution of the fine grains and substantially uniform mechanical properties throughout. One or more regions within the NiSa article are mechanically deformed. Then, the NiSa article is heat treated to obtain coarse grains in the one or more regions, the coarse grains having a size that is larger than that of the fine grains of the NiSa article outside of the one or more regions.

Nickel based super alloys (NiSa) are corrosion resistant high-temperature alloys that are particularly useful in the aerospace industry. The machinability of NiSa has always been a challenge, however NiSa traditionally can only be cast in order to make aircraft and/or gas turbine engine parts. The resulting NiSa cast part has substantially uniform grain size distribution, and therefore substantially uniform mechanical properties across the part. When used to manufacture complex parts, the mechanical properties obtained after casting may not be optimal for the function of complex parts. Casting yields large coarse grain size because of the heat extraction limitations, which while providing good creep resistance is less optimal with respect to fatigue.
Powder bed fusion deposition by electron beam fusion (PBF-EB) is an alternative method, however it is not able to produce non-weldable alloy and thus it is difficult to locally control microstructure of the grains with PBF-EB.
Therefore, improvements are needed in the manufacture of NiSa parts.

Method of manufacturing nickel based super alloy parts


An automatic transmission shift lock device is provided including a lower portion dimensioned for positioning within a housing for a shift lever, whereby a cut-out pattern on the lower portion aligns with the shift pattern of the shift lever. Also included is an upper portion dimensioned for engagement with the lower portion for lockable engagement therewith.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic transmission shift lock device and more particularly pertains to locking a transmission shift in place to prevent tampering with an automatic transmission shift lock device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of shift lever locks is known in the prior art. More specifically, shift lever locks heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of locking a shift lever in place are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,592 to Pattock discloses a shift lever interlock system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,792 to Lee discloses a concealed car locking device for automatic shift lever.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 306,253 to Solow discloses the ornamental design for an automobile lock for attachment to a floor-mounted gear shift lever and hand brake.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,613 to Fort et al. discloses a vehicle anti-theft device.
In this respect, the automatic transmission shift lock device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of locking a transmission shift in place to prevent tampering with an automatic transmission shift lock device.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved automatic transmission shift lock device which can be used for locking a transmission shift in place to prevent tampering with an automatic transmission shift lock device. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Automatic transmission shift lock device


The present invention is a vehicle body conveying apparatus in which a vehicle body (20) conveyed by a shuttle conveyor (32) is then conveyed in the order of an inclining belt conveyor (1) and a slat conveyor (21). A miniconveyor (26) is disposed between the inclining belt conveyor (1) and the slat conveyor (21) in such a relation that a rear end of the miniconveyor (26) overlaps a delivery side of the inclining belt conveyor (1), and the front end overlaps a receiving side of the slat conveyor (21) so as to ensure smooth transfer of the vehicle body (20) between them. Further, the inclining belt conveyor (1) is inclined by an elevating mechanism (8) to separate the vehicle body (20) from the shuttle conveyor (32).

When a vehicle body is conveyed through welding and assembling steps, etc. on an automotive vehicle assembly line, the conveying efficiency is rather lowered due to the differences in the details of work in the individual steps even when an attempt is made so as to maintain a constant vehicle conveying speed. That is, it is more efficient to convey the vehicle body at a low speed during each of the welding and assembling steps, and, after this welding and assembling step, to convey the vehicle body at a high speed between that step and the next welding and assembling step.
Therefore, in the finishing steps which are performed after the welding and assembling steps on the vehicle body are completed to a certain extent, and in which the operator makes necessary finishing including external appearance check, finish working, repair, etc., it is a common practice that the vehicle body having been subjected to a certain extent to the required welding and assembling is conveyed by a shuttle conveyor onto a roller conveyor, and the vehicle body is then conveyed by this roller conveyor onto a slat conveyor disposed at the finishing station to permit the required finishing by the operator.
In this case, the shuttle conveyor conveys the vehicle body onto the roller conveyor while supporting left and right side members fixed by welding to a floor panel of the vehicle body. Therefore, the roller conveyor conveys the vehicle body toward the slat conveyor while supporting left and right side sills of the vehicle body.
The roller conveyor is composed of many rollers of the shape of round bars having the same diameter and arranged in parallel to each other, and a force for rotating these rollers in one direction is imparted to the rollers so as to convey the vehicle body placed on the rollers. At the delivery end of this roller conveyor, its end roller is located in close proximity to the receiving end of the slat conveyor so that the vehicle body can be smoothly transferred from the roller conveyor to the slat conveyor.
However, when the vehicle body is conveyed onto the slat conveyor while being supported at the left and right side sills by the roller conveyor and these side sills ride over the individual rollers, such a problem may arise that the vehicle body cannot be smoothly conveyed due to engagement of the ends of the side sills with the rollers, and the side sills tend to be hurt by engagement with the rollers.
On the other hand, when a belt conveyor is used in lieu of the roller conveyor, such another problem may arise that a large gap is formed between the delivery end of the belt conveyor and the receiving end of the slat conveyor by the presence of a drive mechanism disposed between the delivery end of the belt conveyor and the receiving end of the slat conveyor, with the result that the vehicle body cannot be smoothly transferred.
Further, the shuttle conveyor has engaging pins engageable with engaging holes formed on the side members of the vehicle body, and, when the shuttle conveyor is advanced to receive the vehicle body on the belt conveyor until the vehicle body is completely transferred onto the belt conveyor. The shuttle conveyor is then retracted, so that one vehicle body after another can be successively placed on the belt conveyor.
However, because the shuttle conveyor supports the vehicle body by the engaging pins engaging the corresponding engaging holes formed on the side members of the vehicle body, the vehicle body cannot be disengaged from the shuttle conveyor, and the shuttle conveyor cannot be retracted, unless the engaging pins of the shuttle conveyor are disengaged from the corresponding engaging holes of the vehicle body after the vehicle body is transferred onto the belt conveyor. In order to disengage the engaging pins from the engaging holes, it is necessary to move downward the engaging pins or the whole supporting mechanism. However, this requirement provides the problem that the structure becomes inevitably complex.

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


The present invention relates to a fluorine-containing amphoteric polymer for surface coating and preparation method thereof, in particular, to a fluorine-containing amphoteric polymer for surface coating and preparation method thereof in which a hydrocarbon compound with hydrophilic groups serves as a main chain and a macromonomer prepared by copolymerization of an unsaturated hydrocarbon compound and a perfluoro alkyl compound is incorporated into side chains, thereby imparting amphoteric property on the present polymer. Therefore, the present polymer allows self-emulsification and shows soil release, water-repellent and oil-repellent properties with no help of emulsifier, applicable to a variety of industrial fields such as coating, adhesive, fiber, precision chemistry, biological/biochemical industry, electric/electronic, automobile and metal industries.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluorine-containing amphoteric polymer for surface coating and a preparation method thereof, in particular, to a fluorine-containing amphoteric polymer for surface coating and a preparation method thereof in which a hydrocarbon compound with hydrophilic groups serves as a main chain and a macromonomer prepared by copolymerization of an unsaturated hydrocarbon compound and a perfluoro alkyl compound is incorporated into side chains, thereby imparting amphoteric property on the present polymer. Therefore, the present polymer allows self-emulsification and shows soil release, water-repellent and oil-repellent properties without surfactant, applicable to a variety of industrial fields such as coating, adhesive, fiber, fine chemistry, biological/biochemical industry, electric/electronic, automobile and metal industries.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surface coating agents are widely used for their uses in various industrial fields such as coating, adhesive, fiber, fine chemistry, electric/electronic, automobile and metal industries.
Among polymers for surface coating agents, the material with improved hydrophobicity has been known very useful in the senses that it can impart on various substances properties such as water-repellent, oil-repellent, soil-release, lubricating, non-adhesion and low surface tension. Such polymer material with improved hydrophobicity can be prepared using fluorine-containing monomer with perfluoroalkyl groups. The perfluoro group [CF3(CF2)n(CH2)2—] contained in the fluorine-containing monomer exhibits super-hydrophobicity with 8 dynes/cm of critical surface tension, showing the lowest surface energy among the existing compounds. The perfluoroalkyl groups are oriented toward air at the interface of air, and the surface of the coated materials shows an extremely low surface energy.
According to the conventional process to prepare materials for surface coatings, perfluoro alkyl group-containing acrylate or methacrylate and hydrocarbon-typed acrylate with ethylene oxide (EO) adduct are subject to emulsion polymerization or radical copolymerization and then emulsified in water. Although the process shows competitiveness with respect to the simplicity and performance, it is not advantageous in that it may not produce collective surface properties due to irregular polymer configuration, thus requiring an additional emulsifier depending on the use of high-cost perfluoroalkyl acrylate (hereinafter referred to as FA). The surfactant used as an additional emulsifier elevates the surface energy at coating surface, and also forms a thin layer with nano-scaled thickness on the surface of fluoro-containing polymer. In this regard, it is difficult to perform the biological/chemical transformation using functional groups at surface, and the reaction yield is decreased and the surfactant present at surface acts as a contaminant at the time of assembly and processing by use of fluorine-containing polymer, so that the additional steps become necessary.

Fluorine-containing amphoteric polymer for surface coating and preparation method thereof

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology


A photomask etch chamber, which includes a substrate support member disposed inside the chamber. The substrate support member is configured to support a photomask substrate. The chamber further includes a ceiling disposed on the chamber and an endpoint detection system configured to detect a peripheral region of the photomask substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the fabrication of integrated circuits and to the fabrication of photomasks useful in the manufacture of integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor device geometries have dramatically decreased in size since such devices were first introduced several decades ago. Since then, integrated circuits have generally followed the two year/half-size rule (often called Moore's Law), which means that the number of devices on a chip doubles every two years. Today's fabrication plants are routinely producing devices having 0.15 μm and even 0.13 μm feature sizes, and tomorrow's plants soon will be producing devices having even smaller geometries.
The increasing circuit densities have placed additional demands on processes used to fabricate semi-conductor devices. For example, as circuit densities increase, the widths of vias, contacts and other features, as well as the dielectric materials between them, decrease to sub-micron dimensions, whereas the thickness of the dielectric layers remains substantially constant, with the result that the aspect ratios for the features, i.e., their height divided by width, increases. Reliable formation of high aspect ratio features is important to the success of sub-micron technology and to the continued effort to increase circuit density and quality of individual substrates.
High aspect ratio features are conventionally formed by patterning a surface of a substrate to define the dimensions of the features and then etching the substrate to remove material and define the features. To form high aspect ratio features with a desired ratio of height to width, the dimensions of the features are required to be formed within certain parameters, which are typically defined as the critical dimensions of the features. Consequently, reliable formation of high aspect ratio features with desired critical dimensions requires precise patterning and subsequent etching of the substrate.
Photolithography is a technique used to form precise patterns on the substrate surface. The patterned substrate surface is etched to form the desired device or features. Photolithography techniques use light patterns and resist materials deposited on a substrate surface to develop the patterns on the substrate surface prior to the etching process. In conventional photolithographic processes, a resist is applied on the layer to be etched, and the features to be etched in the layer, such as contacts, vias, or interconnects, are defined by exposing the resist to a pattern of light through a photolithographic reticle having a photomask layer disposed thereon. The photomask layer corresponds to the desired configuration of features. A light source emitting ultraviolet (UV) light or low X-ray light, for example, may be used to expose the resist to alter the composition of the resist. Generally, the exposed resist material is removed by a chemical process to expose the underlying substrate material. The exposed underlying substrate material is then etched to form the features in the substrate surface while the retained resist material remains as a protective coating for the unexposed underlying substrate material.
Photolithographic reticles typically include a substrate made of an optically transparent material, such as quartz (i.e., silicon dioxide, SiO2), having an opaque light-shielding layer of metal, typically chromium, disposed on the surface of the substrate. The light-shielding layer is patterned to correspond to the features to be transferred to the substrate. Generally, conventional photolithographic reticles are fabricated by first depositing a thin metal layer on a substrate comprising an optically transparent material, such as quartz, and depositing a resist layer on the thin metal layer. The resist is then patterned using conventional laser or electron beam patterning equipment to define the critical dimensions to be transferred to the metal layer. The metal layer is then etched to remove the metal material not protected by the patterned resist, thereby exposing the underlying material and forming a patterned photomask layer. Photomask layers allow light to pass therethrough in a precise pattern onto the substrate surface.
During processing, endpoint data from the patterns disposed on the photolithographic reticles may be used to determine whether the process meets the desired recipe. Each photolithographic reticle generally has its own set of patterns. Consequently, different photolithographic reticles operating under the same recipe generally yield different endpoint data, thereby making it difficult to determine whether the processing conditions in the chamber meet the desired recipe.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for an improved apparatus and method for generating endpoint data that would be consistent for each photolithographic reticle.

Interferometer endpoint monitoring device


A marking tile is disclosed, for use in conjunction with pedestrian platforms and walkways. The preferred embodiment of the tile has a plurality of buttons or longitudinal strips projecting upwardly therefrom to provide a distinctively textured upper surface. The upward projections are of a lower height adjacent each exposed edge than elsewhere on the tile. An integral flange, vertical or angled away from the vertical, projects downwardly from each exposed edge. The edges of the tile which are exposed to pedestrian traffic may have a downwardly angled portion such that the height of the upper surface of the tile at the exposed edge is substantially at the height of the lower surface of the rest of the tile, so that the edge may be installed flush with the platform or walkway if the surface of the platform or walkway is bevelled beneath the angled portion. The button surfaces and the surface of the tile between the buttons are provided with a plurality of small upward projections to texture the surfaces.

1. Field of the invention
This invention relates generally to pedestrian platforms, walkways, and sidewalks and the like, and specifically to textured tiles which assist pedestrians, particularly those who are blind or visually impaired, in following a walkway or in detecting the location of a sidewalk edge, platform edge or other similar hazard.
In public transit facilities, for example, such as subway stations, railway stations and airports, there is often a need for a pedestrian to follow a particular path to arrive at the correct platform or other embarkation point. In the case of a platform, there is also a need to mark the location of the platform edge so that the pedestrian does not accidentally walk off the edge of the platform. The need for marking such walkways and platform edges is of course particularly acute in attempting to make such facilities accessible and safe for blind or visually impaired persons.
The need to indicate the location of hazards applies not only to public transit facilities, of course, but also to loading docks, stages, speaking platforms, stairway tops, sidewalks, curb ramps at roadway crossings, etc..
In many public transportation systems, passenger traffic is increasing. A concomitant societal commitment to increasing access to public facilities has increased the independent mobility of persons traditionally believed to be physically disabled. Thus, there is an increased need for means to indicate to pedestrians the location of walkways and the vicinity of the edge of platforms.
Colored strips and signs are clearly inadequate for blind or visually impaired persons. It is important to provide a tile which can be detected by a blind or visually impaired person by contact through a shoe or with a cane. The tile must be anchored securely to the floor, and must not create a tripping hazard.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Surface markings of a platform or walkway edge involving painted borders or flooring having distinctly different surface properties are known for indicating walkways or for forewarning pedestrians of the vicinity of a platform edge. Many such prior art means lose effectiveness under conditions of heavy passenger traffic and with wear, which can necessitate significant expenditures of time and energy to maintain maximum effectiveness.
Various prior art tiles having raised dimples are known, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,743 (Schmanski), for example. Such tiles suffer from a number of drawbacks, however, not the least of which is a tendency to peel from the floor after a period of time, and to potentially create a tripping hazard.

Tiles for pedestrian platforms and walkways


The object of the present invention is to provide a compound useful for the prevention and treatment of viral infectious diseases, and particularly liver diseases caused by HCV infection due to its having a high degree of replication inhibitory activity against HCV, its production method, an intermediate compound useful for its production and a pharmaceutical composition containing these compounds, and the present invention relates to a compound represented by the formula (I):

There are currently 100-200 million persons infected with HCV around the world, and there are estimated to be more than 2 million infected persons in Japan. Approximately 50% of these patients progress to chronic hepatitis, approximately 20% of those patients progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer thirty years or more after infection. Roughly 90% of the cases of liver cancer are said to be caused by hepatitis C. In Japan, more than 20,000 patients each year die from liver cancer concomitant to HCV infection.
HCV was discovered in 1989 as the primary causative virus of non-A, non-B hepatitis following transfusion. HCV is an RNA virus having an envelope, and its genome is composed of a single-stranded (+) RNA. It is classified as a hepacivirus belonging to the Flavivirus family.
Since HCV avoids the host's immune mechanism for reasons that are as yet unclear, there are many cases in which a sustained infection results even when the virus has infected adults having a developed immune mechanism. It then progresses to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, and there are known to be a large number of patients in which liver cancer recurs due to inflammation occurring at non-cancerous sites even if excised surgically.
Accordingly, there is a desire to establish an effective method of treatment for hepatitis C, and aside from nosotropic methods which suppress inflammation through the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a particularly strong public desire for the development of a drug that is capable of reducing or eradicating HCV in the liver of the affected site.
At present, interferon treatment is the only known treatment method that is effective in eliminating HCV. However, interferon is effective only in about one-third of all patients. The efficacy of interferon against HCV genotype 1b in particular is extremely low. Thus, it is strongly desired to develop an anti-HCV drug that can be used in place of or in combination with interferon.
In recent years, although ribavirin (1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxyamide) has been sold commercially as a therapeutic drug for hepatitis C by concomitant use with interferon, its efficacy remains low, and new hepatitis C therapeutic drugs are sought after. In addition, although attempts have been made to eliminate the virus by enhancing patient immunity through the use of interferon agonists, interleukin-12 agonists and so forth, none of these have been found to be effective.
Ever since cloning of the HCV gene, although molecular biological analyses have progressed rapidly on the mechanisms and functions of virus genes and the functions of various viral proteins, mechanisms involving virus replication within host cells, sustained infection, pathogenicity and so forth have yet to be fully elucidated. At present, a reliable testing system for HCV infection using cultured cells has not been established. Thus, it has so far been required to use substitute virus assay methods using other analogous viruses when evaluating anti-HCV drugs.
In recent years however, it has become possible to observe HCV replication in vitro using a non-structural domain portion of HCV. As a result, anti-HCV drugs can now be evaluated easily by the replicon assay method (Non-Patent Document 1). The mechanism of HCV RNA replication in this system is considered to be the same as the replication of the entire length of the HCV RNA genome that has infected hepatocytes. Thus, this system can be said to be an assay system that is based on cells useful for identifying compounds that inhibit HCV replication.
The inventors of the present invention found that a series of compounds, which are disclosed in International Patent Laid-Open Publication No. WO 98/56755 (Patent Document 1), derived from microorganisms such as Aureobasidium genus have a high degree of HCV replication inhibitory activity as determined according to the aforementioned replicon assay method (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-34056). These inhibitors have a high potential for use as therapeutic drugs for HCV. However, since this series of compounds is derived from microorganisms, they have the disadvantage of being difficult to synthesize or only allowing the synthesis of limited derivatives from naturally-occurring compounds.
Patent Document 1: International Patent Laid-Open Publication No. WO 98/56755 pamphlet
Non-Patent Document 1:
V. Lohmann, et al., ed., Science, 1999, Vol. 285, p. 110-113

Compound having anti-HCV activity and process for producing the same

Abstract: (wherein A represents —(CH2)n—, etc.; B represents —(C═O)—, etc.; D represents —(CH2)m—R′, etc.; E represents a hydrogen atom, etc.; G represents —(CH2)p-J, etc.; bond Q represents a single bond or double bond; and R1, R2 and R3 may be the same or different and each represent a hydrogen atom, etc.), a prodrug thereof or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.


A rigid wheel (18) or roller for a compactor machine, comprising a drum for contacting material to be compacted. The drum has a profiled outer surface including a first cylindrical portion (27) and a second cylindrical portion (29). The first cylindrical portion has a larger rolling diameter than the second cylindrical portion. An inclined portion (24) extends between the first and second cylindrical portions. The area of contact between the outer surface of the drum and refuse, soil or other material to be compacted varies with the depth of penetration of the wheel into the material. The different rolling diameters within the scope of one wheel gives different ground pressures. This means that the pressure applied to the material for compaction varies depending upon the depth of penetration of the wheel. One benefit of this wheel/roller design is to allow improved go anywhere mobility—high floatation where needed changing to heavy ground pressure where conditions demand.

A compactor machine can be used to compact materials for example, but not limited to, refuse at a landfill site, or soil, gravel, etc. at a construction site.
A conventional compactor machine has wheels and/or rollers with a drum of constant outer diameter. The drum may have a smooth exterior or may have teeth (spikes, pads tips, etc.) extending therefrom. The teeth are often referred to as "sheep's feet" and aid in compression and traction due to the penetration of the smaller contacting area into the material.


A data forwarding method includes: acquiring a mapping between EPS bearer information and PDU session information; and transmitting the snapping between the EPS bearer information and the PDU session in formation to the SMF entity, so that the SMF entity configures a data forwarding tunnel in accordance with the mapping between the EPS bearer information and the PDU session information.

Currently, in order to ensure normal operation of a 5th-Generation (5G) mobile communication system, it is necessary for a 5G network to support interoperation with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network using a universal mobile communication technique. In a single-registration interoperation mode, an inter-Radio Access Technique (RAT) switching operation is capable of being performed by a User Equipment (UE) between the 5G network and the UE network. In a switching process, a data transmission mode of the 5G network is different from that of the LTE network, so when forwarding the data between different systems, a core network function entity supporting a data forwarding function is required to be capable of correctly mapping data received from one system to a transmission path for another system. In a conventional interoperation scheme, a Public Data Network Gateway User Plane (PGW-U)+User Plane Function (UPF) entity that supports PGW-U and UPF simultaneously is adopted to forward the data. However, the routing the forwarded data to the PGW-U+UPF entity leads to redundant data muting and an increase in a time delay for the data forwarding.
Currently, in an interoperating scenario with the 5G network and the LTE network, the PGW-U+UPF entity serves as a data forwarding node. The data issued by an anchor point for a session is required to be routed back to the anchor point, and then forwarded to a target base station. Hence, the conventional data forwarding method in the interoperating scenario leads to the redundant forwarded data, a large time delay for forwarding the data, and low data forwarding efficiency, especially in a roaming scenario where home routing is adopted.

Data forwarding method and device, network function entity, and session management function entity

CHINA ACADEMY OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY


The device for storing and ordering biological sampling blocks, each block being in the form of a housing provided with identification information on one surface thereof, includes: storage for at least one element as a horizontally-extending drawer for positioning the blocks vertically in columns and rows with the above-mentioned surface facing upward, and with a nesting device provided as regularly spaced projections or recesses, forming male and female parts on the base, in which the blocks can be inserted; and a device for referencing the position of each block within the storage. The device for referencing includes a device for reading the identification information of each block and for the computerized recording of the position. The method includes using this device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention falls within the medical field of analysis of tissue and cell samples.
The invention relates in particular to the preservation and storage of such samples.
Within the framework of the medical care of a patient or within the framework of the research, the cell or tissue sampling may be performed for a histological and/or molecular analysis. For preservation purposes, these elements are dehydrated and then stored embedded in paraffin in a support, commonly referred to as "paraffin blocks". After carrying out the cuts necessary for the histological and/or molecular analysis, the tissue and cell residues embedded in paraffin are stored in order to permit to accede later on to complementary analyses (sometimes years later).
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
Such paraffin blocks are generally formed of a housing made of plastic material having a standard shape, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the bottom of which is pierced with through-orifices. In addition, one of the sidewalls, generally the front wall, receives unique identification information for the sample, such as a reference. Such a wall may be designed inclined, in order to facilitate the reading of said information.
Several examples of such housings are described in U.S. D448 487 S, U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,246 and GB 2,113,249. Generically, these housings are referred to as "cassettes".
A detail of FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary housing or cassette in vertical position, the upper face facing forward. Such a cassette has a height of 41.8 millimeters (mm), for a width of 28.5 mm and a height or thickness of 6.5 mm.
Thus, in such a cassette is deposited the biological sample and it is provisionally closed by a removable cover, which is then removed at the time of embedding into paraffin, the upper face revealing the paraffin, which can subsequently be taken out with the sample it encloses. The cassette and the sampling embedded in paraffin constitute then a paraffin block.
These blocks and the sample preserved in same are listed and stored by various institutions, namely medical analysis laboratories. Legally, their storage is compulsory for each person over a minimum period of ten years for a private company, up to several decades for a public institution or a pharmaceutical industry.
At present, said blocks are ordered and handled manually by operators, who necessarily received no specific training, without any control. Therefore, such a manual management gives rise to errors and a considerable loss of time in their search, up to the detrimental loss of some samples.
Moreover, in this context the quantities of existing blocks are constantly evolving: from about 200 million per year in the 1990's, their number has increased to nearly 400 million per year in 2010 and this growth is estimated at 750 million per year by 2030. Therefore, the storage capacities and the empirical means presently implemented are not designed to support the management of a rational and safe storage for such quantities.
At present, there is no appropriate solution dedicated to the storage and management of such blocks. It should however be noted that other systems for managing medical equipment exist, without therefore being adapted.
US 2007/135965 describes a device for storing medical objects, providing management of the traceability of their use. Such a device is in the form of a cupboard provided with trays or drawers, divided internally into compartments by vertically protruding walls. In particular, these compartments have dimensions that can be adapted by moving said walls, in order to change their respective size depending on the size of the objects they are aimed at receiving.
In addition, this device integrates data-processing means for managing the access to each compartment. In particular, these means permit to read a code on each object and to reference the information related to same. In addition, these management means permit to quickly and easily find, by means of a touch interface providing an accurate graphical display, the compartment in which the object looked for is located.
Another solution is described in WO 99/60982 relating to a housing device with a hinged cover, aimed at receiving drugs in same. In particular, such a housing can be positioned in a drawer provided for this purpose. During their ordering, several housings are positioned side by side in columns and rows. Moreover, a protruding label on the lower face of the bottom of each housing is aimed at cooperating by snapping into a slot provided for in the upper face of the bottom of said drawer. Each housing also comprises internally electronic identification means, which, during their nesting within the drawer, permit to establish a connection and to accurately identify the position of each housing in the drawer.
Yet another solution is described in document US 2001/032035 relating to a tray aimed at being placed in a drawer. Said tray comprises removable inner walls, so as to divide their interior into several compartments, the dimensions of which are adaptable depending on the objects they will receive.
Such systems are thus clearly not adapted to the management of items that are all identical and of small dimensions, such as the paraffin blocks. In addition, the systems of the state of the art do not provide for any particular positioning of the objects, all different and of heterogeneous shapes, they intend to store without taking into consideration the peculiarities of each of them.
In addition, it should be noted that known technologies are implemented to facilitate the identification and the traceability of objects in the medical field. By way of an example, the RFID (for "Radio Frequency Identification") technology can be used through contiguous chips attached to such objects, ensuring their automatic identification through a wireless reader having a short-range detection field ("Near Field Communication"). Since the reader is connected to a remote data-processing manager, it permits to perform a tracking of the objects used and to manage their supply. An example of such a solution is contemplated through WO 2005/032035.
A similar solution consists in providing a sampling-pipe support, such as a test tube, with a data-processing memory in which can be stored information related to said sampling. It is then no longer necessary to apply the information directly on the sampling tube. An example of such a solution is described in EP 0 706 825.
However, these solutions provide a technology for containing information relating to objects, without therefore ensuring their classification and ordering, in particular for large quantities of identical objects.

Device and method for storing and ordering biological sampling blocks


An eddy current correction method is provided for use in an MR system disposed to generate difflusion-weighted echo planar images by employing a bipolar diffusion-weighting gradient as well as the nominal components in an echo planar imaging pulse sequence. The correction method comprises the steps of deriving eddy current parameters (i.e., amplitude and time constant) associated with each eddy-current-induced magnetic field component caused by the diffusion-weighting gradient, and generating a set of correction terms, each of the correction terms being a function of the parameters. The method includes the further steps of modifyg a set of ideal echo planar imaging gradients and the receiver phase and frequency to respectively offset the eddy current induced magnetic field gradient and the spatially independent B.sub.0 -magnetic field. The modification occurs in two stages. Prior to data acquisition, errors are exactly corrected by altering the pre-phasing and the slice-refocusing gradient areas as well as the initial receiver phase. During data acquisition, the eddy current induced errors are approximately compensated for by adding offset gradients and dynamically changing the receiver phase and frequency using either a piece-wise-constant approximation or a constant approximation. Using either method, artifacts in diffusion-weighted echo planar images can be significantly reduced.

The method disclosed and claimed herein generally pertains to a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique known as diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging (EPI). More particularly, the invention pertains to a method for significantly reducing errors in MR images acquired in accordance with a diffusion-weighted EPI technique, wherein the errors are caused by eddy currents induced by the diffusion-weighting gradient.
As is well known to practitioners in the field of MR imaging, diffusion-weighted images can be obtained using a pair of diffusion-weighting gradients placed, for example, before and after a 180.degree. refocusing radio-frequency (RF) pulse. With the diffusion-weighting gradient, spins with different diffusion coefficients exhibit different degrees of signal loss according to the formula S=S.sub.0 e.sup.-bD. In this expression, S and S.sub.0 are the signals with and without the diffusion-weighting gradient, respectively, D is the diffusion coefficient for a given tissue, and b is known as "b-factor" which is proportional to the square of the diffusion-weighting gradient amplitude. In order for tissues with distinct diffusion coefficients to show adequate contrast in MR images, the amplitude of the diffusion-weighting gradient must be strong enough to ensure a sufficiently large b-factor.
Diffusion-weighted MR imaging technique is particularly useful for early detection of cerebral ischemia. Within only a few hours of the onset of a stroke, diffusion-weighted imaging can highlight the ischemic regions with excellent contrast, whereas other techniques either detect the ischemia at a much later time or cannot detect it at all. Early stroke detection is particularly important as therapeutic drugs such as TPA are effective only within a relatively narrow "therapeutic window", which typically lasts several hours. For effective stroke detection, a b-factor between 600 and 1000 s/(mm).sup.2 is frequently used, resulting in a large diffusion-weighting gradient (e.g., 2 G/cm) to be active for an extended period of time (e.g., 30 ms). Such a diffusion-weighting gradient makes the pulse sequence extremely sensitive to patient motion and eddy current effects. While the motion problem can be effectively removed using the EPI technique, the eddy current problem is aggravated in EPI and causes degrading effects including image shift, geometric distortion, and intensity reduction.

Method to reduce eddy current effects in diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging


Disclosed herein is a cap assembly loaded on an open upper end of a cylindrical container of a battery configured to have a structure in which an electrode assembly (jelly roll) of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in the cylindrical container, the cap assembly including a safety vent connected to a current interruptive device (CID) for safety, a protruding top cap connected to the safety vent along an outer circumference thereof, and a gasket mounted at an outer circumference of the top cap, wherein a cathode tab is attached to a cathode active material-uncoated portion of the cathode by welding and the gasket is provided with at least one groove depressed upward from an outer circumference of a lower end of the gasket for easy welding between the CID and the cathode tab at the time of manufacturing the battery.

As mobile devices have been increasingly developed, and the demand for such mobile devices has increased, the demand for secondary batteries has also sharply increased. Among such secondary batteries is a lithium secondary battery exhibiting high energy density and operating voltage and excellent preservation and life span characteristics, which has been widely used as an energy source for various electronic products as well as varieties of mobile devices.
Based on the shape of a battery case, a secondary battery may be classified as a cylindrical battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a cylindrical metal container, a prismatic battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a prismatic metal container, or a pouch-shaped battery having an electrode assembly mounted in a pouch-shaped case formed of an aluminum laminate sheet. The cylindrical battery has advantages in that the cylindrical battery has relatively large capacity and is structurally stable.
The electrode assembly mounted in the battery case serves as a power generating element, having a cathode/separator/anode stack structure, which can be charged and discharged. The electrode assembly may be classified as a jelly roll type electrode assembly configured to have a structure in which a long sheet type cathode and a long sheet type anode, to which active materials are applied, are wound in a state in which a separator is disposed between the cathode and the anode, a stacked type electrode assembly configured to have a structure in which a plurality of cathodes having a predetermined size and a plurality of anodes having a predetermined size are sequentially stacked in a state in which separators are disposed respectively between the cathodes and the anodes, or a stacked/folded type electrode assembly, which is a combination of the a jelly roll type electrode assembly and the stacked type electrode assembly. The jelly roll type electrode assembly has advantages in that the jelly roll type electrode assembly is easy to manufacture and has high energy density per weight.
In connection with the above, the structure of a conventional cylindrical secondary battery is shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, the cylindrical secondary battery 10 generally includes a cylindrical container 20, a jelly roll type electrode assembly 30 mounted in the container 20, a cap assembly 40 coupled to the upper end of the container 20, and a crimp region 50 at which the cap assembly 40 is mounted.
The electrode assembly 30 is configured to have a structure in which a cathode 31 and an anode 32 are wound into a jelly-roll shape in a state in which a separator 33 is disposed between the cathode 31 and the anode 32. To the cathode 31 is attached a cathode tab 34, which is connected to the cap assembly 40. To the anode 32 is attached an anode tab (not shown), which is connected to the lower end of the container 20.
Meanwhile, a lithium secondary battery has a disadvantage in that the lithium secondary battery has low safety. For example, when the battery is overcharged to approximately 4.5 V or more, a cathode active material is decomposed, dendritic growth of lithium metal occurs at an anode, and an electrolyte is decomposed. At this time, heat is generated from the battery with the result that the above-mentioned decompositions and several sub decompositions rapidly progress and, eventually, the battery may catch fire and explode.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, therefore, a general cylindrical secondary battery includes a current interruptive device (CID) and a safety vent mounted in a space defined between an electrode assembly and a top cap to interrupt electric current and release internal pressure when the secondary battery malfunctions.
Specifically, the cap assembly 40 includes a top cap 41 constituting a cathode terminal, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element 42 for interrupting electric current through the great increase of battery resistance when the interior temperature of the battery increases, a safety vent 43 for interrupting electric current and/or exhaust gas when the interior pressure of the battery increases, an insulating member 44 for electrically isolating the safety vent 43 from a cap plate 45 excluding a specific portion, and the cap plate 45 connected to the cathode tab 34, which is attached to the cathode 31. The cap assembly 40 is configured to have a structure in which the top cap 41, the PTC element 42, the safety vent 43, the insulating member 44, and the cap plate 45 are sequentially stacked.
The crimp region 50 is formed at the upper end of the container 20 such that the cap assembly 40 can be mounted to the open upper end of the container 20. More specifically, the crimp region 50 is formed by beading the upper end of the container 20 such that a beaded part 21 is formed at the inside of the container 20, sequentially inserting the outer circumferences of the cap plate 45, the insulating member 44, the safety vent 43, and the top cap 41 into a gasket 60, and bending the upper end of the container 20. As a result, the crimp region 50 is formed in a shape to surround the gasket 60 positioned at the inside of the crimp region 50. The cap assembly 40 is mounted at the crimp region 50 by crimping and pressing.
Since welding between the cathode tab 34 and the cap plate 45 is performed at the inside lower end of the gasket 60, however, interference may be caused due to the structure of the outer circumference of the lower end of the gasket. As a result, contact between the cathode tab and the cap plate may be weakened.
In addition, when the battery falls or external impact is applied to the battery, the jelly roll may rotate in a specific direction or move upward and downward with the result that a short circuit may occur at a cathode tab contact region.
Therefore, there is a high necessity for technology to fundamentally solve the above problems.

Cap assembly having improved manufacturing processability and cylindrical battery comprising same


A system for cooling electronic components includes a cold plate having a channel through which a fluid coolant is transported, a plurality of bosses each receiving an electronic, optical, or other heat-generating component, and a plurality of fin structures, at least three of which are adjacently disposed in a sequential order on the cold plate. Each fin structure contacts a boss, and has a fin inlet and a fin outlet in fluid communication with a section of the channel for supplying the area around the boss with coolant and cooling the component seated on the boss. A portion of the channel defines a serpentine path for transporting the fluid coolant to the at least three sequential fin structures in a non-sequential order. Sections of the channel in the serpentine path further transport the coolant in opposite directions, thus enhancing heat transfer and temperature equilibration across the cold plate. The system can further include a plurality of such cooling plates disposed in a vertical stack, and a manifold delivering coolant to the cooling plates. When the cooling plates are stacked, the flow rate and pressure drop across each plate is substantially uniform, thus providing a cold plate having a substantially isothermal surface across a portion of the cold plate.

The electronic industry is constantly challenged by the task of creating a system to dissipate effectively heat generated by electronic components during operation. Electronic components in use typically generate significant heat, which unless cooled, can result in damage to the components themselves as well as damage to adjacent components. Where the components are part of an intricate electronic system such as a cellular phone station or a aircraft control system, such damage can result in operating problems and/or system malfunction. In addition, such electronic systems typically must operate in relatively confined or congested areas so that the space required for air cooling systems is not available or practical. In most urban areas, for example, the space required for a fan-operated air cooling system would be prohibitively expensive and such a system would required large unsightly containers to house the fans or other air conditioning units.
One means to cool electronic components during operation in a more confined area is to use a cold plate, which essentially is an enclosed container through which fluid coolant flows to cool electronic components in contact with the cold plate. A conventional cold plate is shown in FIG. 1, and includes a plurality of bosses 4, 6 upon which the electronic components are seated, and a fluid path 2 through which a liquid coolant or air flows around the bosses 4, 6. A fluid source 7 is typically coupled to the inlet 3 of the cold plate 1 for delivering liquid coolant or air to the cold plate 1, and a receptacle 9 is typically coupled to the outlet 5 for re-cooling and/or recycling the liquid coolant or air. As further shown in this figure, the fluid path 2 associated with the conventional cold plate 1 is sequential, so that the electronic component mounted at the first boss 4 is cooled, and then the electronic component mounted at the second boss 6 is cooled, and so on. The fin area 8 surrounding each boss 4, 6 absorbs the heat generated by the electronic components to be cooled.
Where the number or configuration of electronic components to be cooled necessitates the use of more than one cold plate, the cold plates can be disposed in a vertical stack. In such a system, a single liquid coolant or air source typically delivers the fluid through a manifold to the inlet of each cold plate. To ensure that the pressure and flow rate across each cold plate is about equal, the diameter of the orifice of the inlet is adjusted for each plate. The increasing diameters of the orifices of successive cold plates force the fluid to travel up the stack and through the successive cold plates. Obtaining the proper diameter of the inlet orifices is often difficult however, and typically requires extensive testing and frequent adjustment. As a result, the time and expense required to fabricate and maintain the cooling system is increased. In the absence of such adjustment, the fluid delivered from the source will typically enter the first cold plate in greater proportion before traveling to cold plates disposed above the first plate, resulting in fluid starvation at the top-most cold plate.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cold plate and system for cooling electronic elements that provides a substantially uniform pressure drop across each cold plate without adjusting the diameter of the inlet orifice to each plate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system with substantially uniform flow across each cold plate regardless of the location of the cold plate in the stacked system.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cold plate cooling system that cools electronic components and achieves a substantially isothermal surface.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cold plate cooling system that uses a minimum amount of coolant.

Cold plate having uniform pressure drop and uniform flow rate


A computer system and computer implemented method automatically classify video sequences into categories. A set of categories is defined either manually through the association of selected video sequences with user supplied category designations, or automatically through segregation of a set of video sequences into groups of similar sequences. Input video sequences are then classified by either pixel decomposition or primitive attribute decomposition; the former analyzing each image on a pixel basis, the latter employing extracted image information. Categories can be trained as new video sequences are input into the system, or new categories can be created to accommodate such new sequences that are dissimilar from existing categories.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and systems for the image analysis, and more particularly, to methods and systems for automatically classifying images into categories.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is currently a growing demand for computer systems that can produce, edit, and manipulate graphic images, and in particular, for systems that can create, edit, or manipulate digitized video images. This demand is generated by several market influences and consumer trends. There has been, and will continue to be, steady growth in the multimedia marketplace for computer-based products that integrate text, audio, graphics and increasingly video, for educational, entertainment, and business purposes. Also, the use of video for educational or business presentations and for artistic or personal applications has become increasingly popular as the costs of video production equipment has fallen. Products ranging from video games to computerized encyclopedias to computerized training guides now commonly employ digitized video to entertain, educate, and instruct.
These consumer trends are matched by various technological advances that have made widespread the use of video for computer based applications. Equipment to digitize video at high speed and quality has allowed software designers to integrate video into commercial software products such as computer games, and has allowed individual computer users to incorporate video into business presentations or other similar projects. Improvements in telecommunications and network technologies, such as increased transfer rates, bandwidth, and the like, have made realistic the opportunity for computer users of all types to access online libraries of video with acceptable speed and quality.
The rise of desktop video production, including the development of video compression standards such as MPEG, have reduced the cost of video production systems, making pre- and post- production systems accessible to more users and businesses. There are now available a number of software products for multimedia authoring that handle video, graphics, audio, animation in the development environment. Such technologies have been made possible by increases in microprocessor power coupled with dramatic reductions in cost. Personal computers now offer performance previously found only in engineering workstations, or mainframes.
In addition to computation power and sophisticated software, improvements in storage capacities and compression technologies have increased the ability to store digitized video, which typically requires large storage needs. Uncompressed NTSC quality video requires 15 Mb per second for 30 fps video, or almost 1 Gb for a minute's worth of video. The MPEG standard for video image compression provides for a 40:1 compression ratio, allowing a hour's video footage in about 1.3 Gb of storage capacity. Compression also facilitates network access, and thus the developments of video libraries that allow user to select and retrieve video footage in real, or near real time.
All these factors have produced a demand for systems and products that aid the storage, identification, and retrieval of graphic images and video. This is because designers of multimedia software products, computer graphic artists, and even individual users, often have extensive libraries of digitized photographs, digitized video, or other computer generated graphic images, for incorporating such materials in multimedia products. Thus a designer may have hundreds, or thousands, of images of people, animals, urban settings, landscapes, sporting events, or any other category of images, and may have hours of similarly diverse video footage, all useful for creating multimedia presentations. Similarly, with the emergence of desktop video production, video producers will typically develop extensive libraries of video for use by themselves, or others, to aid in the creation of new works. Other businesses that have existing libraries of video, and that generate large quantities of video, such as television stations, film studios, and the like, will eventually produce and store increasing quantities of video using computers and mass storage devices.
To effectively use a library of images or video, the software designer must be able to retrieve an image or video according to certain visual attributes or characteristics in the image. For example, the designer may need an single image or even video footage of a sunset over a ocean shore for a given project, and would need a way to locate that image from many other images, without having to review many hours of video, or numerous photographs that may or may not match the desired visual characteristics of the image. In the past, such retrieval was manually performed. For computer based image retrieval to be useful, some type of image analysis and classification of the visual characteristics of the images is necessary in order to speed up the retrieval process and make computer based storage an effective and efficient tool.
The visual attributes or statistical qualities of images have been extensively researched, and there are many techniques for determining various aspects of an image, such as density and distribution of its colors, the presence and degree of motion between two images, the presence and position of distinct objects, and the like. However, most of these techniques have been developed for use in two principal areas, compression techniques for communicating or storing images and video, and pattern recognition techniques for determining whether a particular image matches a given reference, such in industrial part inspection.
These various image analysis techniques have not previously been used for classifying images. Rather, classifying images is typically based on storing images in a database with descriptive text annotations. The designer then searches by inputting a text description of an image and attempting to locate images that have a matching text description. There are numerous problems with using this approach to classify images and video.
First, a human observer must view each image in the database. This is an extremely time consuming process, especially in a database that may contain thousands of images, and must be repeated for each image added to the database. Second, during viewing, the observer must decide which visual elements of an image are significant in determining the proper classification of the image. This subjective judgment may overlook various image details that may later be part of image characteristics for which the user is searching by reviewing a list of classification. Thus the observer may not note or descriptive specific objects in the background of image, or implicit elements of an image or video such as panning or zooming. Even in still images, the user may overlook significant colors, shapes, the presence of persons, or other elements. As a result of these subjective judgments, the observer's classification of the image may be either too general (classifying an image of a sunset over the beach as merely a "Sun & Sky") or too specific ("Sunset on The Strand"). When the classification is too general, many dissimilar images will be included in the classification, thereby diluting the value of the classification for discriminating images. Where the classification is too narrow, too few images will be included in later classifications, thus increasing the number of distinct classifications that the user must review in order to locate a desirable image.
Classifying video even more difficult and time consuming. In order to classify a video, an observer must view the entire video, noting its various contents, such as different scenes, and when each occurs, along with a description of each scene and aspects significant for later retrieval. Again, not every feature will be noted by the observer; this is an even more significant problem for video since there is typically more "content" to a video in terms of varying images than a single photograph, and thus a single classification of video is likely be inadequately descriptive of all of the content. None of these approaches use computer based analysis of the images to classify a desired image.
Pattern recognition techniques have been previously used to classify images with computers. These techniques have usually been specialized to a particular field, for example analysis of satellite imagery or component identification for defect analysis. In addition, these techniques have typically dealt only with still images not video. Existing techniques have generally hardwired the classification engine since only a small number of known categories is typically of interest. However, for general video analysis it is necessary to provide more flexible classification methods and to allow inclusion of time based features such as motion.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide various methods for classifying images according to their image attributes for later retrieval. Where a user creates numerous images or is constantly adding such images to an image database, automatic classification of images should categorize new images on the basis of various user supplied criteria. In addition, it is desirable to provide for adaptive learning of the user's classification of images based on image attributes in user classified images.

Method and system for automatic classification of video images


A driving method and a driving device for a display panel, and a display device are provided. Each pixel of the display panel includes at least two primary-color sub-pixels of different colors and one mixed-color sub-pixel, and the driving method comprises: determining display power consumption according to the obtained brightness value of each of the primary-color sub-pixels; compensating for the brightness value of each of the primary-color sub-pixels according to the display power consumption; determining an output brightness value of each of the sub-pixels according to the compensated brightness value of each of the primary-color sub-pixels and a color coordinate of each of the sub-pixels; and outputting the output brightness value of each of the sub-pixels to a source driving circuit.

In order to improve the display effect, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels usually begin to adopt four-color sub-pixels. For example, each pixel of the display panel includes a red (R) sub-pixel for generating red light, a green (G) sub-pixel for generating green light, a blue (B) sub-pixel for generating blue light, and a white (W) sub-pixel for generating white light. Among them, R, G, B sub-pixels are generally referred to as primary-color sub-pixels, and W sub-pixel is generally referred to as a mixed-color sub-pixel.
Since the image signal transmission interface in the driving device for the display panel generally only supports RGB data signals, the driving device can convert the received RGB data signals into the RGBW data signals and then output to the source driving circuit when driving the OLED display panel having the RGBW four-color sub-pixels.

Driving method and driving device for display panel, and display device


A computerized accounting system adapted to be used by at least first and second groups of users. The system comprises a host accounting system, an overlay system, a host report system, and an overlay report system. The host accounting system allows users to store transaction data representing financial transactions. The overlay system allows users in the second group of users to store overlay adjustment data representing adjusting journal entries related to the financial transactions. The host report system allows users to generate host reports based on the transaction entries. The overlay report system allows users in the second group of users to generate overlay reports based on the transaction entries and the overlay journal entries.

The purpose of an accounting system is to keep records of a business' financial transactions. Traditionally, accounting systems employ what is referred to as a "general ledger" defining a plurality of "accounts". Each general ledger account has a unique purpose, and each financial transaction is associated with one or more of the general ledger accounts. For example, a typical general ledger will define bank accounts for recording banking transactions, sales accounts for recording sales transactions, and cost accounts for tracking transactions affecting the value of company assets.
One type of transaction employed by traditional accounting systems is an "adjusting journal entry". The purpose of an adjusting journal entry is to adjust summary accounts in the general ledger system to reflect a change to the summary account. Adjusting journal entries are recorded in what is referred to as a "journal". The purpose of the journal is to maintain a history of the adjusting journal entries for the purpose of creating an audit trail.
Computers have long been used to automate the process of accounting for financial transactions. Although specific implementations of a computerized accounting system may vary, computerized accounting systems generally conform to the long-established paradigm of a general ledger comprising a plurality of accounts. Typically, the general ledger is implemented as a computer database, with each general ledger account and each transaction being assigned a unique reference number.
In the context of the present invention, the term "report" will refer to any set of data contained in the general ledger database that has been filtered, sorted, and/or formatted for a particular accounting purpose. A report will typically be associated with a specific function or a specific reporting period defined by beginning and ending dates.
Typically, computerized accounting systems employ separate task modules that create or allow the user to create adjusting journal entries for separate specialized business functions. Each task module displays database reports and interface components that facilitate the entry of adjusting journal entries by the user. Task modules typically maintain the General Ledger summary and journal history either through active posting of individual journal records for each business transaction or batch posting of transactions collected and summarized in a single adjusting journal entry.
Examples of common task modules used by conventional computerized accounting systems include Payroll and Accounts Receivable modules. A payroll module will typically adjust accounts related to employee earnings and payments, while an Accounts Receivable module typically adjusts accounts related to product sales and receipt of funds related to sales.
The use of a computerized database to track accounts and transactions greatly reduces the effort required to compile reports for purposes such as state and federal tax accounting, money or business management (controller reports), GAAP reports for a third party financial institution, and the like. Some of these report formats are highly specialized and have little or no use outside of a specific purpose.
The present invention is of particular significance in the context of a small business in which a mix of employees and outside consultants maintain and access a computerized accounting system. In this context, the accounting system is typically maintained and accessed by at least several users having different accounting purposes and different levels of accounting background.
For the purposes of describing the present invention, users of computerized accounting systems will be referred to as operators, managers, and service providers. Operators are typically employees such as clerks and bookkeepers who perform repetitious or patterned data entry and/or reconciliation tasks on a daily basis. Managers are typically officers or owners of the business and have an unknown or low level of accounting expertise. Managers typically do not maintain the accounting system but instead access reports generated by the accounting system for the purpose of making business decisions. Service providers are typically employee controllers or outside consultants such as public accountants that operate out of what will be referred to herein as a "service center". Service providers typically have access to the accounting system on a periodic basis, often less than daily, for the purpose of generating reports for tax, financing, or other specialized purposes.
An exemplary scenario involving all of these various users would be the purchase of an asset for use by a business. An operator such as a bookkeeper will write a check for the asset using one task module of the computerized accounting system. The task module allows the bookkeeper to identify the appropriate general ledger account, and the system will typically reduce a bank account by the amount of the check and make an adjusting journal entry increasing a cost account to reflect ownership of the asset. A manager may generate a balance sheet report indicating a decrease in the bank account and an increase in the cost account reflecting ownership of the asset. A service provider such as an accountant or controller may subsequently adjust the cost account related to the asset to capitalize tax costs of the asset.
Problems arise when service providers make adjusting journal entries for the purpose of generating two or more specialized reports related to one host accounting system. Conventional accounting systems make it possible to first enter specific adjusting journal entries used only for one given report type (e.g., tax) and/or reporting period.
However, these report-specific journal entries are permanent and cannot be removed; if a report of a second type (e.g., GAAP) and/or reporting period is to be created, entries for the first report type must be cancelled by a matching reversing entry. Then, adjusting journal entries specific to the second report type are entered and the second report created. Entering and then subsequently reversing report specific adjusting journal entries in a host accounting system can be confusing to less experienced operators, and can create problems with report closings.
For these and other reasons, service providers typically do not use the process of entering and then subsequently reversing out adjusting journal entries in a host accounting system. Instead, service providers often use a separate class of software product referred to as "trial balance software". One example of a trial balance software system is available in the marketplace under the tradename Workpapers Plus.
Trial balance software systems typically can connect to the host accounting system database or can use an exported copy of the host database. Using the trial balance system, the user makes adjusting journal entries into the copy of the database for a particular report type and reporting period. The trial balance software typically further contains features that aid the service provider in the creation of specialized paginated reports.
As with a host accounting system, adjusting journal entries made in a trial balance software system are permanent and may be removed only by entering a separate reversal entry. The reversal process prevents the trial balance system from carrying forward to a later reporting period the adjusting journal entries used in an earlier reporting period.
The need thus exists for computerized accounting systems that conform to conventional accounting paradigms but which allow operators, managers, and service providers to interact more productively with the accounting system.

Computerized accounting systems and methods


In each of the second and subsequent heat treatments, in a case where a glass substrate shrinks by heat treatment at the same average cooling rate as the average cooling rate in the immediately preceding heat treatment, the average cooling rate is set to be larger than that in the immediately preceding heat treatment, and inversely, in a case where the glass substrate extends, the average cooling rate is set to be smaller than that in the immediately preceding heat treatment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for heat treatment of a glass substrate suitable for the production of a display panel such as a plasma display panel or a liquid crystal display panel.
2. Prior Art
The production of a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as PDP) includes a step for laminating or forming a laminate such as an electrode material, a dielectric material, a diaphragm or a fluorescent material on a glass substrate by means of screen printing or photolithographic technique. In such a forming step, it is usually necessary to heat-treat each laminate at a temperature of from 500.degree. to 600.degree. C. in order to dry and sinter the material laminated on the substrate. Namely, the substrate will be subjected to heating and cooling repeatedly.
It is generally known that glass undergoes a change in the specific volume by heat treatment. Due to such a dimensional change of glass, deviation of the laminated material from the pattern is likely to result, the operation efficiency for bonding the front substrate and the rear substrate tends to deteriorate, or a cross talk is likely to take place in the display.
Heretofore, in order to suppress extension or shrinkage of glass during such heat treatment, it has been common to use a glass having high strain point, or to stabilize extension or shrinkage of glass by pre-heat treatment i.e. by preliminarily heat treating the glass in a pattern close to the temperature conditions for heat treatment. However, even when a glass having a high strain point is used, such extensibility or shrinkage of glass can not completely be removed. The pre-heat treatment is effective to some extent when the heat treatment step is only once during the production of a panel, but when heat treatment is repeated a plurality of times, it is difficult to suppress extension or shrinkage of glass in the second and subsequent heat treatments, since the degree of extensibility or shrinkage differs in every heat treatment.
On the other hand, in recent years, along with the progress in sophistication of picture elements of a display, an improvement in precision of a film-forming technique is required, and an improvement of dimensional stability during heat treatment of glass has been increasingly important.
The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to present a technical means to control extensibility and shrinkage of glass during heat treatment of a glass substrate.

Method for heat-treating a glass substrate


Post exposure bake methods are provided. In one example, a method includes placing a workpiece having a photoresist layer on a workpiece support disposed in a processing chamber. The method includes exposing the photoresist to photons of a wavelength through a photomask. The method includes performing a post exposure bake heating process on the workpiece with the photoresist heating layer. The post exposure bake heating process can include heating the workpiece with both a radiant heat source and a second heat source disposed in the workpiece support until a temperature of the workpiece reaches a post exposure bake setpoint temperature.

In semiconductor processing, device fabrication can include several lithography steps. Additionally, critical dimension (CD) of workpieces continues to shrink, and deep UV and extreme UV (EUV) lithography has become mainstream in the most advanced device production and development. Most advanced photolithography methodologies (e.g., deep UV and extreme UV) adopt chemically amplified resists (CARs). Chemical amplification for CARs is based on the generation of a chemically stable catalytic compound upon exposure. During a subsequent post-exposure bake (PEB) process, the photo-generated catalyst can initiate a chain reaction (e.g., one photochemical conversion can lead to several chemical reactions) resulting in a significant improvement in photoresist sensitivity.
In advanced lithography applications, the time required to reach a PEB temperature setpoint can be a critical parameter in controlling acid diffusion length in the CAR layer. A reduction of heat up time in PEB process can improve CD control, such as line-edge-roughness (LER) control. Conventional resistive heater block design can include resistive heating elements embedded in a heater base having a material of high thermal conductivity. Conventional resistive heater block design can have several limitations for PEB processes in advanced lithography. With a low thermal mass of the heater base materials, there can be an initial temperature drop up to a few degrees in heater block temperature upon placement of a cold workpiece on the hot heater block surface. Furthermore, conventional heater block control adopts a dynamic temperature control algorithm for resistive heating element power input, which needs to balance between the requirements of a fast response and a precise control. As a result, the response of conventional heater block can be slow to correct the initial heater block temperature drop upon placement of the cold workpiece without overshooting the PEB temperature setpoint. In addition, with only a physical contact between the workpiece with the heater block, it can take time for the workpiece to reach thermal equilibrium with the resistive heater block. As a result, conventional resistive heater technology for PEB processes can only heat workpieces to required temperature setpoints in a relatively long timeframe (e.g., greater than 15 seconds). The slow increase of workpiece temperature to the setpoint for CAR activation not only can limit PEB tool throughput, but also can result in a deterioration of CD control, including LER roughness control in advanced lithography.

Methods and apparatus for post exposure bake processing of a workpiece

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