This invention relates to a composite of a melamine derivative, particularly a liquid melamine derivative, and carbon black. A representative melamine derivative is, for example, comprised of an alkoxymethylmelamine such as hexamethoxymethylmelamine. The invention further relates to a rubber composition containing such composite of a melamine derivative and carbon black and to a rubber composition containing such composite as a methylene donor in combination with a methylene acceptor and the reaction product thereof in situ within said rubber composition. Such rubber composition may be a component of an article of manufacture, which may contain or be exclusive of, wire reinforcement, such as for example a component of a tire, vehicular track or industrial belt or hose.

Various melamine derivatives, as methylene donors, in combination with a methylene acceptor, have been reported for use in forming resin networks, usually in situ, within various rubber compositions to aid, for example, adhesion of the rubber to wire reinforcement. Various of such recited melamine derivatives have been, for example, hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM) and hexaethoxymethylmelamine and N-(substituted oxymethyl) melamine derivatives such as hexakis (methoxymethyl) melamine, N,N′,N″-trimethyl-N,N′,N″-trimethylolmelamine, hexamethyolmelamine, N,N′,N″-trimethylolmelamine, N-methylolmelamine, N,N′-dimethylolmelamine, N,N′,N″-triethyl-N,N′,N″-tris(methoxymethyl) melamine and N,N′,N″-tributyl-N,N′,N″-trimethylolmelamine.
It is important to appreciate that such melamine derivatives used as methylene donors are often not used in a high purity form and are often a mixture of melamine derivatives. For example, hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM) may actually be a mixture of tetra-, penta-, hexa-OCH2—, and hexa-methoxymethylmelamines and dimers thereof of which the HMMM may typically be the largest individual melamine derivative, or perhaps a major individual melamine derivative in such mixture. For example, the mixture itself may be comprised of from about 25 to about 70 percent HMMM with the remainder comprised primarily of the aforesaid variant melamine derivatives. Thus, while a specific melamine derivative (e.g. the HMMM) may be referred to herein, it is most likely comprised of a blend of melamine derivatives so that a composite or a rubber composition referenced as containing a specific melamine derivative may often more properly be referred to as being comprised of such specified melamine derivative.
Various of reported methylene acceptors have been, for example, resorcinol, phenols, or substituted phenols such as p-isopropylphenol, p-cresol and 4-(p-methyl)phenol, N-(3-hydroxyphenyl) meleamic acid and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) meleamic acid, phenolic cashew nut oil resin, resorcinol monobenzoate and polyhydric phenoxy resin.
Pre-formed composites of carbon black and various rubber compounding ingredients have heretofore been referred to, for example, to in U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,226 which relates to providing a pre-formed composite of carbon black and rubber compounding ingredient(s), particularly liquid rubber compounding ingredient(s) for use in various rubber compositions. Such rubber compounding ingredients are recited, for example, as liquid coupling agents (liquid bis(trialkoxysilylalkyl) polysulfides), microcrystalline waxes, antiozonants, antioxidants, vulcanization accelerators, and vulcanization inhibitors, and liquid rubber compounding ingredients in The Vanderbilt Rubber Handbook, Thirteenth Edition, 1990, Pages 295 through 395.
In practice, however, liquid melamine derivatives are considered herein difficult to utilize in a commercial rubber manufacturing operation, particularly for use as a combination of a melamine derivative based methylene donor and a methylene acceptor to form a reinforcing resin network within a rubber composition because of inherent processing difficulties relating to mixing the liquid with rubber together with other rubber compounding ingredients in a rubber mixer such as an internal rubber mixer.
Accordingly, it is proposed in this invention to provide such liquid melamine derivative based compound as a particulate, preferably free flowing, pre-formed composite of carbon black and said melamine derivative for use in blending with a rubber composition, particularly as a methylene donor in combination with an addition of a methylene acceptor to the rubber composition to form a reaction product thereof as a resin network in situ within the rubber composition. It is considered herein the carbon black component of the composite may, in part, be incorporated within the in situ formed resin network within the rubber composition.
In the description of this invention the term "phr" refers to parts by weight of an ingredient phr per 100 parts by weight of rubber. The term "rubber" and "elastomer" where used, are interchangeable unless otherwise indicated. The terms "vulcanized" and "cured", if used, are interchangeable unless otherwise indicated.

Composite of melamine derivative and carbon black, rubber composition and article having a component thereof


A method of displaying messages on handheld devices. The device displays messages in a scrollable viewport of vertically arranged fields. Date separators inserted into the vertically arranged list of messages to enable the user to associate the messages with a date. The date separators have “sticky” operation, meaning that the device ensures a date separator always appears within the viewport, even when the viewport has been scrolled to the middle of a long list of messages all associated with the same date. The device may ensure that the top field of the viewport always contains a date separator associated with the message immediately below.

Handheld electronic devices are commonly used to store and display messages. Devices that are enabled for wireless communication may also be used for sending and receiving messages. Where possible, the devices have been provided with messaging application having a user interface similar to the user interface found for similar application on a desktop computer. For example, an e-mail application may have a scrollable viewport for displaying messages in chronological order on the basis of the time and date on which they were received. The most recent messages are typically at the top. The user may then scroll through the list of messages to locate a particular desired message.
A handheld device typically has a limited display space due to its compact nature. This can result in some problems for displaying messages in a conventional format. For example, the limited display space may result in fewer messages appearing in the scrollable viewport. In some cases, the user can lose track of where he or she is in the list and may have difficulty identifying the date with which a particular message is associated.
Other features of handheld devices distinguish them from conventional desktop computers in terms of the ability to display and work with messages. For example, scrolling and selecting items on a handheld device may be more difficult since these devices typically do not includes a mouse. Therefore, simply scrolling on a handheld device may not be a desirable solution to the problem of losing track of the dates associated with messages in the viewport.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to improve the display of messages on handheld devices.
Similar reference numerals are used in different figures to denote similar components.


A gas turbine engine turbine diaphragm (460) includes an inner cylindrical portion (461), a mounting portion (463), and a disk portion (462). The mounting portion (463) is located radially outward from the inner cylindrical portion (461). The disk portion (462) extends radially between the inner cylindrical portion (461) and the mounting portion (463). The disk portion (462) includes a plurality of angled holes (464). Each angled hole (464) follows a vector which is angled in at least one plane. A component of the vector is located on a plane perpendicular to a radial extending from an axis of the diaphragm (460). The component of the vector is angled relative to an axial direction of the diaphragm (460).

Gas turbine engines include compressor, combustor, and turbine sections. Portions of a gas turbine engine are subject to high temperatures. In particular, the turbine section is subject to such high temperatures that the first stages are cooled by air directed through internal cooling passages from the compressor. The use of air from the compressor for cooling may reduce the efficiency of the gas turbine engine. Loss or uncontrolled cooling air leakage may also lead to a loss of efficiency and may lead to improper cooling.
U.S. patent Application Publication No. 2011-0274536 to A. Inomata discloses a steam turbine where a diaphragm-side cooling path is formed through the internal diaphragm in the axial direction of the rotor and a cooling medium flowing through the rotor-side cooling path diverts into the diaphragm-side cooling path and a labyrinth flow path provided between the internal diaphragm and the rotor.
The present disclosure is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discovered by the inventors.

Gas turbine engine turbine diaphragm with angled holes


Disclosed are a die bonding apparatus, a substrate bonding apparatus, a die bonding method, and a substrate bonding method that are capable of bonding a die to a substrate or bonding substrates together without using a bonding medium such as an adhesion film and a solder bump. The die bonding method includes hydrophilizing a bonding surface of the die, by plasma processing, forming a liquid film on a bonding area of the substrate, by supplying a liquid including water to the bonding area of the substrate, pre-bonding the die to the substrate by bringing the die into contact with the liquid film, and post-bonding one or more dies to the substrate at the same time, by performing heat treatment in a state in which the one or more dies are pre-bonded to the substrate.

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to a die bonding apparatus, a substrate bonding apparatus, a die bonding method, and a substrate bonding method, and more particularly, relate to a die bonding apparatus and method and a substrate bonding apparatus and method that are capable of bonding a die to a substrate or bonding substrates together without using a bonding medium including an adhesion film and a solder bump.
Recently, 3D package technologies for stacking semiconductor elements in three dimensions have attracted a lot of attention because there has been a limit to improve the degree of integration of semiconductor elements. Representatively, the technology for commercializing a 3D integrated circuit by using a Through Silicon Via (TSV) has been studied. 3D semiconductors may be manufactured through a die bonding process of stacking and bonding TSV dies.
FIGS. 1 to 3 are views illustrating a die bonding process in the related art. Referring to FIG. 1, an adhesion film 3b and solder bumps 3c, which are bonding mediums, are provided on a lower bonding surface of a TSV chip 3a to bond a TSV die 3 to a master wafer 1. The TSV die 3 including the adhesion film 3b and the solder bumps 3c is transferred above the master wafer 1 and aligned in a bonding position by a bonding head 10. Thereafter, the TSV die 3 is placed on the upper surface of the master wafer 1 or the upper surface of a TSV die 2 bonded to the master wafer 1.
A bonding process for the TSV die 3 includes a pre-bonding process and a post-bonding process. Referring to FIG. 2, the TSV die 3 is firstly bonded to the master wafer 1 by the pre-bonding process of pressing the TSV die 3 against the master wafer 1 and heating the TSV die 3 by the bonding head 10. For the pre-bonding of the TSV die 3, the bonding head 10 includes a means for pressing the TSV die 3 against the master wafer 1 and heating the TSV die 3. After the TSV die 3 is pre-bonded to the master wafer 1, the post-bonding process of curing the adhesion film 3b and the solder bumps 3c by performing heat treatment on the TSV die 3 at a high temperature and pressing the TSV die 3 is performed, and the TSV die 3 is completely bonded to the master wafer 1 by thermal compression, with the bonding film 3b and the solder bumps 3c serving as mediums.
Referring to FIG. 3, the TSV dies 2, 3, and 4 are bonded one by one to the master wafer 1 by being sequentially subjected to stacking, pre-bonding, and post-bonding one by one. In the die bonding method in the related art, every time the dies are bonded one by one, the dies have to be pressed and heated by using the bonding head 10, and the post-bonding process of thermally fusing the dies by high-temperature heat treatment has to be performed. Therefore, the time taken to perform the post-bonding process is increased in proportion to the number of dies that are bonded to the master wafer 1.
Furthermore, due to the scaling-down of an I/O pitch that is the gap between TSVs, the solder bumps may be swept and connected with the surrounding solder bumps to cause a short circuit when high-temperature/high-load bonding is performed to completely bond the stacked TSV dies. Therefore, it is difficult to use the bonding mediums. To solve the problem, the solder bumps have to be made smaller in size. However, this cannot be a complete countermeasure due to physical limitations. Moreover, the die bonding method in the related art has a problem in that as the master wafer and the TSV chip are made thinner, damage such as a crack is caused in the TSV chip and the master wafer in the high-temperature/high-load post-bonding process.

Die bonding apparatus and method and substrate bonding apparatus and method


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a first insulating film to be used as a mask for forming a trench region directly above a semiconductor substrate; forming the trench region on the semiconductor substrate using the mask; forming a second insulating film directly above the semiconductor substrate which includes the trench region and the first insulating film so that the second insulating film has a recess above the trench region and a protrusion above the first insulating film; removing the protrusion down to the bottom of the recess as a first removal step; and removing the first insulating film and the second insulating film in accordance with a chemical mechanical polishing method so that the step formed of the recess and protrusion is reduced to 20 nm or less as a second removal step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which is appropriate for shallow trench isolation (STI) processes used to electrically isolate a great number of elements, as well as a semiconductor device obtained in accordance with this method.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, semiconductor devices have a configuration where a great number of cells made up of unit elements (for example, several thousand to several hundred million), such as transistors and capacitors, are integrated within an area restricted in accordance with the capacity of the semiconductor device. It is necessary for these unit elements to be electrically isolated (insulated) from each other so that they operate independently.
As a method of electrical isolation, LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) methods in which recesses are formed on a semiconductor substrate and then a field oxide film is grown, and trench isolation methods in which a semiconductor substrate is etched in the vertical direction so that trench regions are formed, and then the trench regions are embedded with an insulating film, are widely known. Here, trench regions include not only regions in a plane but also regions which spread in the direction of the depth.
From among these methods, the LOCOS methods are simple and have fewer problems caused by stress from the oxide film, because the semiconductor substrate is thermally oxidized using a nitride film as a mask. Therefore, the LOCOS methods have an advantage, such that the quality of the obtained oxide film is excellent.
However, the area occupied by the element isolation regions is large in the LOCOS methods, and therefore, there are problems in terms of miniaturization and a problem arises, such that bird's beaks are formed.
Meanwhile, the trench isolation methods are methods in which a dry etching technology, such as reactive ion etching (RIE) or plasma etching is used to form narrow and deep trench regions, which are then embedded with an insulating film. In to these methods, the trench regions formed on the semiconductor substrate are embedded with an insulating film, and therefore, no bird's beaks are formed.
In addition, the surface of the insulating film with which the trench regions are embedded is flattened, and therefore, the area occupied by the element isolation regions becomes small. Thus, the trench isolation methods have an advantage, such that active regions (regions where unit elements are formed) can be secured as much as possible. In addition, in the element isolation regions obtained according to these methods, the junction leak current can be reduced in comparison with the LOCOS methods.
A trench isolation method is shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2002-252279.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional diagram showing the semiconductor device in this gazette, and FIGS. 2A to 2H are cross sectional diagrams schematically illustrating the steps in the manufacturing method. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor device in FIG. 1 is described below in reference to FIGS. 2A to 2H.
First, a semiconductor substrate 1 is thermally oxidized so that a pad oxidation film 2 is formed. Next, a nitride film (stopper film) 3 is deposited on the pad oxide film 2 in accordance with a chemical vapor deposition method (FIG. 2A). Next, a photosensitive film is applied over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 on which the pad oxide film 2 and the nitride film 3 are formed, and the substrate is exposed to light through a mask where a trench pattern is formed, followed by development, so that a photosensitive film pattern for forming trench regions is formed.
Next, the nitride film 3 and the pad oxide film 2 are etched and removed where not covered by the photosensitive film pattern (FIG. 2B), and after that, the semiconductor substrate 1 is etched to a certain depth where not covered by the nitride film 3 and the pad oxide film 2, so that trench regions 4 are formed in the element isolation regions (FIG. 2C). In FIG. 2C, the reference number 5 indicates an active region.
Subsequently, the photosensitive film pattern is removed and the semiconductor substrate 1 washed, and after that, the semiconductor substrate 1 is thermally oxidized using the nitride film 3 as a mask, in order to improve the element isolation properties of the trench regions 4, and thus, an oxide film is grown on the inner walls of the trench regions 4 (not shown).
Next, an insulating film 6, which is a material with which the trenches are to be embedded, is deposited over the entire surface of the semiconductor substrate 1 in accordance with a chemical vapor deposition method so that the trench regions 4 are completely embedded, and the substrate is annealed if necessary, so that the density of the insulating film 6 with which the trench regions 4 are embedded increases (FIG. 2D).
After that, the insulating film 6 is removed in accordance with chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) utilizing the difference in polishing rate between the insulating film 6 and the nitride film 3, so that the upper surface of the insulating film in trench regions 4 becomes of the same level as the top of the nitride film 3, and thus, the insulating film 6 is flattened (FIG. 2E). Furthermore, the nitride film 3 which remains in the active regions 5 is removed through wet etching or dry etching, and thus, the element isolation regions are completed (FIG. 2F).
After that, appropriate impurities are implanted in the semiconductor substrate 1 under desired conditions and the pad oxide film 2 is removed (FIG. 2G). Subsequently, the gate insulating film 7 is formed, and gate electrodes 8 are formed through a well-known photolithographic method and dry etching, so that unit elements (herein, transistors) are formed (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2H).
As described above, in trench isolation methods, the CMP method is one method for flattening the insulating film with which trench regions are embedded in order to secure the photo margin required for more integrated unit elements and minimize the length of wires.
Flattening methods include BPSG reflow, aluminum reflow, SOG reflow and etch back methods, in addition to CMP methods. However, the CMP methods have an advantage, such that flattening in a wide region and flattening at low temperature are possible, which cannot be achieved through reflow or etch back. Therefore, the CMP methods are currently effective as flattening technology for various devices.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method for the same


Consumable recharging containers for re-introducing cooled molten metal having impurities into a furnace or vessel or producing molten metal. The containers are formed of consumable materials of compatible chemistry with the remelting of molten metal and can be used in single, multiple and central pour configurations.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to consumable charging containers used to charge cooled metals with impurities into furnaces or other vessels.
2. Description of Prior Art
Prior art devices known are applicant's own U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,328 which discloses the basic consumable charge box of a specific consumable material formulation with modified bases having stacking abilities and a central multiple pour box filling arrangement.
Other prior art patents in the field including U.S. Pat. No. 152,329 which is directed to wooden boxes forming molds embedded in sand, clay or earth materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,043 discloses a consumable fiber liner for an ingot mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,911 is directed to tubs formed of inorganic fibrous materials in ingot molds.
Other prior art patents are directed towards consumable hot tops for ingot molds and blast furnace runners, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,798 (LaBate), 3,212,749 (LaBate), 4,121,805 (LaBate), 4,186,908 (LaBate), 4,262,885 (LaBate), and 4,350,325 (LaBate).
The present invention discloses a major improvement over prior art wherein consumable charge boxes for recharging materials into a furnace or a vessel for the production of molten metal is disclosed wherein the charge boxes in the form of consumable containers are of a shape and size that enables the container with solidified molten metal within can be picked up and recharged into the furnace for rapid remelting due to the combination of residual heat within the container before total solidification and the insulation of the container itself. Additionally, the interdependence of containers is disclosed wherein multiple containers can be combined together into a single container in which the contents of each container communicates with the adjacent containers.


A bin tray is provided for supporting a mail bin which receives documents from a document processing machine. The bin tray is slidable so that it may be stored underneath the table when not in use and is lowerable and removable so as to facilitate access to the underside of the document processing machine. This is accomplished by use of a tray assembly which is removably and rotably attached to two support rods running underneath the table in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the documents as they enter the bin. The support rods are generally vertically oriented with respect to each other and provide support for a housing containing a slidable bin tray.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to document handling machines, and particularly to document handling machines which include a diverter table wherein the output of the machine is fed to at least one receiving bin.
2. Related Art
Document handling machines which perform an operation, such as sorting, labeling, or inserting, on a stream of documents are well-known. Such machines often use a diverter table which diverts each item to one of a row of bins. The bins rest freely on trays extending outside the periphery of the table and the bins are lifted and removed when they have accumulated a number of documents. When one bin station is not in use, however, the bin trays present an obstruction to persons inspecting and repairing the table and components which are located on the underside of the table.

Slidable, lowerable, and removable bin tray


A pressure control system includes an overboard valve in indirect communication with a first enclosed environment and in direct communication with a second enclosed environment. The first environment is suitable for human occupancy and configured to receive pressurized air from an environmental control system. The second environment is configured to receive the pressurized air from the first environment. An inboard valve is configured to supply a discharge of pressurized air from the second environment. An outflow valve is configured to regulate a discharge of air from the first environment to an area outside the first and second environments. A positive pressure relief valve configured to regulate a discharge of air from the first environment. A negative pressure relief valve configured to regulate an ingress of air into the first environment. A control valve is configured to regulator and supply pressurized air from the first environment to a compressor.

The present invention generally relates to compressors and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for providing pressurized air to compressors.
In flight, cabin pressure control systems (CPCSs) normally exhaust pressurized cabin air directly to atmosphere pressure.
On some aircraft, this pressurized cabin air is used to provide a very small amount of aft thrust by utilizing a thrust recovery type outflow valve that speeds the cabin air exhaust to super-sonic pressure ratios and directs this exhaust as close to the aft direction as is geometrically possible—given the constraints of the valve installation. Thrust recovery valves are not aerodynamically efficient when full-open on the ground with a low pressure ratio, and thus are very large, heavy, and expensive. Further, thrust recovery valves operate with very high aerodynamic torques, causing very large rotary actuator gear boxes and motors. This makes the rotary actuators very heavy and expensive, and requires higher-current motor controllers (which also dissipate more power, and are large and expensive).
An alternative use of cabin air exhaust for its potential energy is considered where the cabin air exhaust is consumed directly by the APU core compressor. This pressurized air enables increased APU operating efficiency relative to the APU ingesting atmosphere air—especially when the airplane is in flight and the atmosphere air is at relatively (to the pressurized cabin) low pressure.
Various schemes to utilize the cabin air exhaust have been considered, but the impact on normal cabin pressure functionality and certain failure conditions have not been solved. For example, how can the CPCS satisfy APU flow demands while also controlling the cabin pressure in a safe and comfortable manner? How can the CPCS ensure low residual pressure across the fuselage and proper electronics engineering bay ventilation during ground operation, or if the APU has failed? How should the CPCS compensate for a stuck APU shut-off valve that prevents the (normal) air flow path from the cabin to the APU?
As can be seen, there is a need for improved apparatus and methods to provide pressurized air to compressors.

Cabin pressure control system architecture using cabin pressure air for inlet to APU core compressor


An electronic device may contain an input-output device such as a speaker, vibrator, or near field communications antenna. The input-output device may include an inductor. The inductor in the input-output device may be shared by wireless charging circuitry in the electronic device so that wireless charging signals can be converted into power to charge a battery in the electronic device. A separate inductor may also be provided within an input-output device to support wireless charging. A drive circuit may supply drive signals to the input-output device such as audio signals, vibrator control signals, or near field communications output signals for external near field communications equipment. An input amplifier that is coupled across the inductor in the input-output device may be used in receiving near field communications signals.

This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with wireless charging circuitry.
Electronic devices often include batteries. A battery in an electronic device can often be charged by using a cable to couple the electronic device to a source of power. It is not always convenient to rely on wired charging arrangements such as these. In compact and portable devices, for example, the use of a charging cable may be unwieldy. Charging cables can be avoided by using wireless charging, but wireless charging circuitry can be bulky.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with improved wireless charging capabilities.

Wirelessly charged electronic device with shared inductor circuitry


Systems and methods for pseudo random beacon signal scheduling and data scheduling to improve network conditions within a wireless network are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system for providing a wireless asymmetric network, comprises a hub having one or more processing units and at least one antenna for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) communications in the wireless asymmetric network. A plurality of sensor nodes each have a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional RF communications with the hub in the wireless asymmetric network. The system determines dynamic beacon frequency control with a variable delay duration for starting at least one superframe of the hub.

Most TDMA (Time Based Multiple Access) communication systems define a superframe that is a scheduling unit that defines the time of data exchanges for individual networks entities (hubs and nodes). The same pattern of a superframe keeps repeating in time.
An exemplary superframe structure is shown in FIG. 1. The superframe is composed of 49 timeslots. Timeslot 0 is a beacon timeslot. A hub sends a beacon while all the nodes that are connected to the hub wait for and receive the beacon. Then data timeslots from timeslot 1 to timeslot 11 are assigned for nodes to allow the back to back transmission of a large size data.
Timeslot 12, 13, 25 and 37 are control packet timeslots that allow the hub and nodes to exchange control packets. For the communication systems that require higher throughput, all other timeslots in a superframe are assigned for large size data delivery.


A blur correction device is disclosed, which acquires a plurality of time-division images, each captured for a time-division exposure time having a period that is an integral multiple of an image reading cycle of an image pickup device, to generate a blur-corrected image from the plurality of time-division images. According to this blur correction device, since the exposure times for the plurality of time-division images are substantially continuous, an image in which the trajectory of a moving body is continuous can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic blur correction device and an electronic blur correction method capable of effectively compensating for an image blur caused by hand shakes and the like. Particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic blur correction device and an electronic blur correction method for compensating for mutual blurring of a plurality of images continuously shot at a blur tolerable exposure time and combining the images for which a blur is corrected.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is conventionally known that a blur may occur in a shot image due to the influence of photographer's hand movements upon shooting a still image with an imaging apparatus. Therefore, various measures have been taken to prevent this blur problem. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-86398 discloses an imaging apparatus, which compensates for mutual blurring of a plurality of images obtained during continuous a shooting performed plural times for a short exposure time in which blur is acceptable, and adds the plurality of images to generate a combined image for which a blur is corrected.
It usually takes several tens to hundreds of milliseconds to read an image from an image pickup device. Further, when the focal length of a photographing lens of a 35 mm film camera is f [mm], a blur tolerable exposure time is often set to 1/f [sec] from an empirical perspective. Therefore, if shooting is performed with a photographing lens having, for example, focal length f=100 [mm], the blur tolerable exposure time t is t= 1/100 [sec]=10 [msec]. In the blur correction technique as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-86398, if the cycle of reading an image from the image pickup device of the camera is, for example, 100 [msec], exposure is performed intermittently every time period (10 [msec]) equivalent to 1/10 of the reading cycle. Then, a plurality of read, time-division images are compensated for mutual blurring and combined together.
In this case, the time interval from the end of one time-division image exposure to the start of the next time-division image exposure cannot be set shorter that the image reading cycle. Therefore, in the above example, the next time-division image exposure is started after a lapse of 90 [msec] since completion of the previous exposure of 10 [msec].

Electronic blur correction device and electronic blur correction method


An ice skate with interchangeable blades. The ice skate comprises a body defining a seat for housing a blade-holder to be clamped against the body, and a plurality of sets of blades and respective blade-holders, in which at least the blades of the sets have different geometrical configurations and each set of a blade and a blade-holder is interchangeably replaceable in the seat of the body so that blades of different geometrical configurations can be mounted on the skate, preferably in order to use the skate for different disciplines.

The present invention relates to an ice skate with interchangeable blades.
In the specific technical field, ice skates which have blades arranged for fixing releasably to the body of the skate so that the user can change the blade without having to replace the body of the skate or the associated boot are known. These skates generally only permit interchangeable replacement of blades of identical configuration and the user is consequently forced to equip himself with a different pair of skates for each of the skating disciplines which he intends to practice such as, for example, ice hockey, for which short, thick blades are required, or speed skating for which, on the other hand, relatively long, thin blades are required.
There are also known skates in which the blade is arranged to be fixed to a blade-holder which in turn is intended to be clamped against the body of the skate. However, this type of skate also only permits interchangeable replacement of blades of identical geometrical configuration and consequently has the same disadvantages for the user as that described above.
The problem solved by the present invention is that of providing an ice skate which is designed structurally and functionally so as to overcome all of the problems identified above with reference to the prior art mentioned.
To solve these problems, and in view of its purposes, the present invention provides an ice skate with interchangeable blades. The ice skate has a body defining a seat which receives a blade holder clamped against the body. The ice skate comprises a plurality of sets of blades and respective blade-holders, the blades of each of the sets having different geometrical configurations. Each set of blades is interchangeably replaceable in the body so that blades of different geometrical configurations can be mounted on the skate. This allows the skate to be used for different skating disciplines.


A field oxide region is formed with a reduced bird's beak by selectively implanting impurity atoms into the semiconductor substrate to increase the oxidation rate of the substrate and thermally oxidizing the implanted region of the semiconductor substrate. In another embodiment, a gate oxide layer having a differential thickness is formed by implanting impurity atoms into the semiconductor substrate in a selected region wherein a thick portion of the gate oxide is to be formed and thermally oxidizing the semiconductor substrate.

Conventional semiconductor devices comprise a substrate and various electrically isolated regions, or so called active regions, in which individual circuit components are formed. Conventionally, the electrical isolation of these active regions is accomplished by the thermal oxidation of the semiconductor substrate, typically silicon, bounding the active regions. The conventional method for forming a field oxide comprises growing or depositing an oxide layer on the semiconductor substrate surface and depositing a nitride layer thereon. The oxide and nitride layers are patterned and etched employing conventional photolithography techniques to form a masking layer having openings extending down to and exposing the semiconductor substrate. The openings define areas on the surface of the semiconductor substrate in which field oxide regions are subsequently formed. These exposed regions are commonly referred to as the "field." The field oxide regions are formed by heating the semiconductor substrate with the field regions exposed to an oxidizing gas such as oxygen, i.e., a technique known as Local Oxidation of Silicon (LOCOS). Often, an ion implantation step is performed prior to the oxidation to ensure the proper functioning of the individually isolated circuit elements in the active regions.
Following the oxidation, the masking layers are removed by some combination of chemical and/or physical etching. A typical resulting prior art structure is shown in FIG. 1, wherein there is depicted a typical field oxide region 10 formed in the surface of a semiconductor substrate 1.
As can be observed in FIG. 1, either edge of the field oxide tapers in its vertical dimension both above and below the original surface of the semiconductor. This tapering end portion resembles and, therefore, is commonly referred to as, a "bird's beak." The bird's beak is formed during the thermal oxidation of the field regions because the oxygen which diffuses vertically into the substrate in the open areas also diffuses horizontally once it has penetrated the substrate. See, for example, Liu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,381 and Avanzino et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,459.
This process has several inherent problems. For example, while the horizontal extent of the bird's beak can be loosely controlled by the stress induced in the masking layers adjacent to the field, this same stress can cause strain defects in the active areas including point defects, dislocations, stacking faults, as well as catastrophic failures such as delamination, particle generation, etc.
As shown in FIG. 1, the bird's beak region narrows the active region of the substrate between the field oxide regions in which active devices can be constructed down to a width X, with the width of the mask W minus X representing the area of lateral encroachment of the growth oxide. Typically, the degree of lateral encroachment of field oxide region 10 is no less than about ##EQU1## which normally corresponds to ##EQU2## To remedy this problem, the dimensions of the mask must be altered to accommodate encroachment, i.e., the openings for the field oxide region must be made smaller. However, reduction in the size of mask openings becomes a serious problem as the density of integrated circuit structures increases. Thus, as the dimensions of conductive lines and interwiring spaces are reduced into the submicron range, such as less than about 0.5 microns, even less than 0.25 microns, accuracy and, hence, manufacturability, are reduced. Further encroachment occurs upon lateral migration of the field implant, i.e., the doping beneath the field oxide, with the field oxide region during growth, thereby further reducing the active device region.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,459, the problems associated with growing a field oxide region in an integrated circuit have been recognized and addressed in different ways, such as utilizing a photoresist layer to etch a groove which is filled in with a deposited oxide before removing the photoresist mask. Another prior art technique reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,459 comprises forming an isolation oxide by refilling anisotropically etched recesses in the silicon substrate with deposited oxide.
The inventive method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,459 comprises the use of a mechanically polishable planarization layer, such as a polysilicon layer, which is applied over an oxide layer and then polished down to the highest level of the oxide. The exposed oxide is then etched down to a predetermined level above the underlying integrated circuit structure after which the remaining polysilicon is removed by a further polishing step. The oxide may then be etched down to the level of the highest portions of the underlying integrated circuit structure.
Another type of isolation structure, distinct from a field oxide region, is known as trench isolation. A trench isolation structure is quite distinct from a field oxide region in that it is typically formed by etching a trench in the silicon substrate, normally about 0.30-0.50 microns deep, conducting a thermal oxidation step to grow an oxide layer on the trench walls to control the silicon-silicon dioxide interface quality, and refilling the trench with an insulator. The surface is then planarized to complete the trench isolation structure. Such a trench isolation structure disadvantageously requires complex processing steps and costly equipment.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/571,053 (filed on Dec. 12,1995), a technique is disclosed for forming a field dielectric region which avoids thermal oxidation. The disclosed method comprises introducing dielectric forming ions into the exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate, which dielectric forming ions combine with the substrate, typically silicon, to form a field dielectric region exhibiting a significantly reduced bird's beak and reduced bulging above the surface of the semiconductor substrate without thermal oxidation.
There are various types of semiconductor devices, such as electrically programmable semiconductor devices wherein a gate oxide is provided between the semiconductor substrate and a floating gate electrode. In such type semiconductor devices a section of the gate oxide typically exhibits a greater thickness in one section than in a different section, as in an adjoining section. For example, in FIG. 2 there is depicted a conventional prior art electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) semiconductor device comprising substrate 20, source region 21, drain region 22, field oxide 23, gate oxide 24, floating gate 26, dielectric layer 28 and control gate 27. A portion of gate oxide layer 24 has a section of reduced thickness 25. It is difficult to form a gate oxide layer having sections with differential thicknesses.
There exists a need for a relatively simple, accurate, efficient and cost effective technique for forming a thermally oxidized field oxide region which, as formed, exhibits a substantially reduced bird's beak, thereby enabling the obtainment of minimal design features and spacings and, hence, high densification and integration. There also exists a need for a relatively simple, accurate, efficient and cost-effective technique for forming a gate oxide film having sections of different thicknesses.


The present invention provides a dispenser for moisturized sheets in the core of a toilet paper roll. Not only are wet and dry wipes provided coincidentally, the location is particularly handy for toilet use. In a utilization of existing bathroom fixtures, the novel concept offsets the rotational axis of the toilet paper roll to make an aperture available to dispense the moisturized sheets from the volume of the core previously occupied by the conventional spool. The invention further provides a hermetically sealed refill unit and a method of dispensing and refilling.

Towelettes, or wipes, find multiple uses in a bathroom or lavatory. In addition to housekeeping use, they can be used to cleanse or dry skin. Dry wipes are sometimes inadequate, however, when sensitive or stubbornly soiled skin is involved. Wet wipes are needed for this purpose but are rarely in a handy location, particularly when a need arises at the toilet. Wet wipes require container storage to protect against evaporative losses. The containers are generally placed on a surface remote from the handy wall location of the toilet tissue roll and may not be within reach for a person at need at the toilet.
The prior art has attempted to address this inconvenience. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,326 to Mikelionis, two rolls are placed side-by-side on the typical toilet roll spool. One of the rolls is dry and the other, pre-moistened. Each roll is one-half the width of a standard toilet tissue roll. The half-size is achieved by folding the tissues lengthwise, such that each dispensed tissue is one folded-over sheet. The moist tissues are housed in a cylindrically-configured container and are dispensed through a horizontal slot therein. Such an arrangement has several disadvantages. In the first place, it is unlikely that consumption of both wet and dry will be matched, so managing inventories of customized products may be expensive and troublesome. Secondly, dispensing from one side may involve unintended movement of the other side. The dry side is unwound by spinning the roll on the same spool supporting the wet side. This might cause a synchronous drift of the container and result in rotating the slot out of reach. Finally, and more importantly, the consumer is forced to pay extra for a specialty product in place of the ubiquitous, and relatively less expensive, commodity toilet tissue roll.
Synchronous movement is not a problem in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,960 to Marino. Marino places dry and wet rolls in two separate but connected containers hung above and below a toilet roll spool mounted in a conventional wall bracket. Both containers are loaded through hinged covers, and the dispensing from one can be independent from the other. The structure is rather bulky, however, and would cramp tight spaces. Space encroachment would prove to be a nuisance, particularly when the need for the wet version is infrequent. Additionally, it involves equipment purchase and installation.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,354,598 to Masting resolves the space problem by storing pre-moistened towelettes in the core of a paper towel roll. Masting converts a vertical stand for the roll to a container with a towelette dispensing aperture at the top. While it known to dispense wet wipes from the otherwise available space inside the core of a roll of dry goods, what is not known is how to accomplish this from a hanging toilet tissue roll. A toilet roll is conventionally suspended from a spool connected to the horizontal arms of a wall bracket. The spool partially fills the core space leaving little room for alternative use of that space. The present invention presents a novel solution for accommodating the spool while providing access to the total volume of the core.


Provided is an image pickup apparatus including an image pickup device, an AE control section, an image pickup control section that makes the image pickup device perform shooting, an EVF for image observation by looking thereinto, and an electronic display section, the electronic display section and the EVF alternatively displaying an image, wherein in exposure control, the AE control section sets a first exposure condition that is the same as an exposure condition for capturing image data for recording when the image is displayed on the electronic display section, and sets a second exposure condition that is different from the first exposure condition when the image is displayed on the EVF.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus including a plurality of display sections for observing an image, and an image pickup method in the image pickup apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are some image pickup apparatuses, such as digital cameras and digital video cameras, including a plurality of display sections for observation an image, and such image pickup apparatuses sometimes include, for example, an electronic display section, such as a crystal-liquid display apparatus, for observing an image from a distant position without looking thereinto and an electronic viewfinder for observing an image by looking thereinto to see the image through, e.g., an eyepiece lens.
As an example of such image pickup apparatuses, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-173263 describes a digital camera including an electronic viewfinder for looking at an image therethrough and a crystal-liquid monitor that enables an image to be viewed from the outside, which are display sections for observing an image to be recorded or a recorded image. This digital camera is connectable to an external device via a connection portion such as a USB, and upon detection of connection to an external device, the mode transitions to a transfer mode, whereby display is switched from the electronic viewfinder to the crystal-liquid monitor to improve the convenience when the external device is connected to the digital camera.
There are various types of photometric schemes for AE control in image pickup apparatuses, and photometry is performed with different weights provided according to respective regions in a shooting view angle. In this case, for example, in automatic exposure control mode, generally, what is called center-weighted photometry in which a center of a screen is more weighted or photometry in which a region determined to be a main object is more weighted is performed. Therefore, upon occurrence of, e.g., change in shooting direction, change in position of the main object or change in shooting range by, e.g., zooming, a photometric value changes, resulting in change in brightness of the image shot under the AE control.
On the other hand, humans have a wide dynamic range of vision as well as a view field that is wider than a standard view angle of digital cameras, and thus, none of particular regions and main objects in the view field is more weighted for brightness adjustment, and even upon occurrence of, e.g., change in eye direction or change in positions of the main objects, there is almost no change in brightness observed.

Image pickup apparatus and image pickup method


A wired circuit board includes a first insulating layer, a first conductive layer provided over the first insulating film and including a first wire, a second insulating layer provided over the first insulating layer so as to cover the first wire, and a second conductive layer provided over the second insulating layer and including a second wire. The second conductive layer includes a first terminal portion for electrically connecting the first wire to an outside, a second terminal portion for electrically connecting the second wire to an outside, and a connection portion electrically connecting the first terminal portion and the first wire.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wired circuit board and a producing method thereof, and particularly to a wired circuit board, such as a suspension board with circuit used in a hard disk drive, and a producing method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
A suspension board with circuit is used in a hard disk drive or the like, while a slider on which a magnetic head is mounted is mounted thereon. In recent years, on such suspension board circuits, various electronic elements have been mounted in addition to magnetic heads in accordance with the use purposes thereof. For example, on a suspension board with circuit for thermally-assisted recording, a light emitting element or the like is mounted. Thus, in a suspension board with circuit, to electrically connect an electronic element or a light emitting element and improve electric properties to the electronic element or the light emitting element, the number of terminal portions and wires to be connected to the electronic element or the light emitting element has increased. This requires the terminal portions and the wires to be placed at a higher density.
To meet the requirement, a suspension board with circuit has been proposed which includes a first insulating layer, a first conductive layer formed on the first insulating layer and having a first terminal portion and a first wire, a second insulating layer formed on the first insulating layer so as to cover the first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer formed on the second insulating layer and having a second terminal portion and a second wire (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent No. 2009-129490). In the suspension board with circuit of Japanese Unexamined Patent No. 2009-129490, over and under the second insulating layer, the first terminal portion/first wire and the second terminal portion/second wire can respectively be placed. This provides higher-density placement of the individual terminal portions and the individual wires.

Wired circuit board and producing method thereof


Silicon and germanium containing materials are used at surface of conductors in electronic devices. Solder can be fluxlessly bonded and wires can be wire bonded to these surfaces. These material are used as a surface coating for lead frames for packaging integrated circuit chips. These materials can be decal transferred onto conductor surfaces or electrolessly or electrolytically disposed thereon.

The metal copper has very good electrical conductivity. As a result there is currently a wide interest in the effort towards developing copper as an interconnection metalization in future packages for electronic devices. The increase in circuit density of VLSI (very large scale integration) places increasingly heavy demands on the electrical conductors on chips and on packaging substrates to which the chips are electrically interconnected. An increase in circuit density corresponds to a decrease in conductor dimensions which leads to higher resistances and current densities which increase the signal losses and promote electromigration damage to the conductors on the electronic devices and packages. The problems drive the development of high conductivity metallurgies based on copper or gold. Increased circuit density requires multiple interconnection levels which requires fully planarized structures which are achieved by complicated processes.
New materials are needed to reduce capacitive parasitics through low dielectric constants and also reduce residual stress while being susceptible to planarization. These, advanced materials and processes may have chemical incompatibilities with existing electrically conducting materials which may promote corrosion on the conductors, especially if copper is used as the electrical conductor. It becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the high conductivity of copper lines as dimensions are reduced in a case where protective overlayers are added to protect against corrosion. Since the overlayers take up space reducing room allowed for high-conductivity copper.
Gold is a commonly used corrosion resistant material. Electrical conductors on semiconductor chips and packaging substrates are commonly coated with gold to avoid corrosion. However, gold is an expensive material and must be replaced with other materials which have low resistivity and good corrosion resistance if a reduction in the cost of fabrication of electronic devices and substrates is to be achieved. For example, lead frames which have a plurality of electrically conductive leads for electrically interconnecting semiconductor chip pads to packaging substrate pads are typically formed from copper having a gold coating. Moreover, state of the art test probes as described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/583,621, Filed Sep. 14, 1990, entitled "Flexible Tape Probe", the teaching of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes the use of gold coated copper TAB lead frames For testing semiconductor devices.
Applicants have discovered that the Si and Ge materials of the present invention provide a substantially less costly substitute for gold. Gold is resistant to corrosion, gold does not form an oxide on exposure to atmospheric oxygen and gold is solder wettable. The Si and Ge materials of the present invention are substantially as corrosion resistant as gold, do not form a surface oxide and are solder wettable.
Furthermore, gold is a commonly used surface metallization on semiconductor chip or packaging substrate contact pads to which wires are electrically connected by wire bonding and ultrasonic bonding. Quite surprisingly, it has been found that the Si and Ge materials of the present invention provide a surface as suitable as gold for wire bonding.
Furthermore, gold is a commonly used surface for metallization on semiconductor chip or packaging substrate contact pads to provide a surface to which solder, in particular, lead/tin solder can be bonded. Gold is a solder wettable surface. Quite surprisingly, it has been found that the Si and Ge materials of the present invention are solder wettable.
The properties of the Si and Ge containing materials of the present invention are comparable to that of gold. These materials are useful as an intermediate layer in multilayer metal structures, such as electrically conductive pads and lines in semiconductor chips and semiconductor chip packaging substrates.
Because the materials of the present invention are resistant to oxidization and act as a diffusion barrier to oxygen, they are useful as intermediate barrier layers to prevent oxide formation.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description and the drawings and claims appended thereto.

Electronic devices having metallurgies containing copper-semiconductor compounds

International Business Machines Corporation


A deflector takes the form of a plate provided with a hole. The plate is a portion of a conical surface of revolution about a cone axis with a concave face and a convex face. The plate includes a contour with four sides. Two of these the sides are concentric circular arcs centered on the cone axis. The other two sides are segments of generatrices of the cone which connect the first sides. The invention is applicable to a deflector of a chamber endwall of a combustion chamber of a turbine engine.

The present invention relates to the technical field of combustion chambers for turbine engines. It is aimed in particular at a thermal protection shield, or deflector, for a combustion chamber endwall. It is also aimed at a combustion chamber provided with at least one such deflector. It is finally aimed at a turbine engine equipped with such a combustion chamber and/or with at least one such deflector.
Throughout the following, the terms "axial", "radial" and "transverse" correspond to an axial direction, a radial direction and a transverse plane of the turbine engine respectively, and the terms "upstream" and "downstream" correspond to the gas flow direction in the turbine engine respectively.
A conventional "divergent" combustion chamber is illustrated in FIG. 11, which is an axial section showing one half of the combustion chamber, the other half thereof being derived by symmetry with respect to the axis (not shown) of the turbine engine. The combustion chamber 110 is contained within a diffusion chamber 130 which is an annual space defined between an external casing 132 and an internal casing 134, into which space is introduced a compressed oxidant originating upstream from a compressor (not shown) by way of an annular diffusion duct 136.
This conventional "divergent" combustion chamber 110 comprises an external wall 112 and an internal wall 114 which are coaxial and substantially conical and which widen out from upstream to downstream with a cone angle α. The external 112 and internal 114 walls of the combustion chamber 110 are connected to one another toward the upstream end of the combustion chamber by a chamber endwall 116.
The chamber endwall 116 is a substantially frustoconical component which extends between two substantially transverse planes while widening out from downstream to upstream. The chamber endwall 116 is connected to each of the two external 112 and internal 114 walls of the combustion chamber 110. Owing to the small inclination of the combustion chamber 110, the chamber endwall 116 has a small conical taper. It is provided with injection systems 118 through which there pass injectors 120 which introduce fuel at the upstream end of the combustion chamber 110 where the combustion reactions take place.
These combustion reactions have the effect of radiating heat from downstream to upstream in the direction of the chamber endwall 116. To prevent this chamber endwall 116 from being damaged due to the heat, thermal protection shields, also termed deflectors 122, are provided. These deflectors 122 are substantially flat plates which are arranged on and fastened by brazing to an inner face of the chamber endwall 116. They are cooled by means of cooling air jets which enter the combustion chamber 110 through cooling orifices 124 drilled in the chamber endwall 116. These air jets, which flow from upstream to downstream, are guided by chamber fairings 126, cross the chamber end wall 116 through the cooling orifices 124, and impact on an upstream face of the deflectors 122.
In more recent designs of "convergent" combustion chambers, the external and internal walls of the combustion chamber are inclined by widening out from downstream to upstream, and not from upstream to downstream as in the case of the conventional "divergent" combustion chambers described above. These "convergent" combustion chambers can have a larger cone angle α than the cone angle α of the "divergent" combustion chambers.
Such a large inclination of the combustion chamber has repercussions on the conical taper of the chamber endwall and on the position of the deflectors with respect to the chamber endwall. Such a combustion chamber is partially illustrated in FIG. 12, in axial section. This figure shows an axial direction 100 parallel to the axis of the turbine engine, the main direction 200 of the combustion chamber 110, and the angle α between these two axes 100, 200. Owing to the large inclination of the combustion chamber 110, the chamber endwall 116 has a larger conical taper than a traditional combustion chamber endwall. When not only the inclination of the chamber endwall 116 is large but also the injectors 120 are present in a small number and/or the combustion chamber 110 has a small diameter, that affects the distance D between the chamber endwall and the planar deflectors. In the plane of the axial section shown in FIG. 12, the distance D between the chamber endwall 116 and the deflectors 122 appears to be constant. However, as illustrated in FIG. 13, which is a section on the plane XIII-XIII in FIG. 12, this distance D diminishes as it extends over a circumferential generatrix of the chamber endwall 116, to a point such that the chamber endwall 116 and the deflectors 122 can come into contact. Such a contact between these components is detrimental to a correct assembly of the deflectors in the combustion chamber. The fact that the distance D between the chamber endwall 116 and the deflector 122 is not constant is detrimental to good cooling of said deflector 122.

Deflector for a combustion chamber endwall, combustion chamber equipped therewith and turbine engine comprising them


The present invention comprises side members (15), which are vehicular skeleton members of a hybrid vehicle (10); a front cross member (18) for connecting the two side members (15); spring supports (16) connected to the side members (15); an auxiliary battery arranged further towards the vehicle front relative to a PCU (13) and attached to the front cross member (18) via a support platform (23) and a securing piece (22); a radiator (17) attached to the front cross member (18); a motor case (12) and an engine (11) connected to the vehicular skeleton member via an engine mount; an axle (25) extending from the motor case (12); and a PCU (13) connected to the motor case (12) via a guide plate (19) and a linkage bolt. Thus, there is provided a vehicular instrument-mounting structure capable of inhibiting collision of a power control device or other vehicle-mounted instrument with another member, and inhibiting damage caused to the power control device or other vehicle-mounted instrument during a vehicle collision.

Conventionally, electric vehicles that are driven by a driving force of an electric rotating machine such as a motor generator, hybrid vehicles in which an engine which is an internal combustion engine and an electric rotating machine are used in combination, fuel cell vehicles that driven by electric power generated by a fuel cell, and the like have been known. These vehicles include a power control device having a boost converter, an inverter, and so on, that receives electric power supplied from a main battery or a fuel cell and controls electric power to a motor generator (hereinafter also referred to as a "motor").
The power control device is also referred to as a PCU (power control unit). As the PCU deals with high voltage and high current, it is necessary to mount the PCU in an engine compartment near the motor generator. Accordingly, in a hybrid vehicle in which an engine is started by a motor generator, because an auxiliary battery for starting the engine does not supply electric power to a cell motor and therefore need not be placed near the engine, and in order to maximize space for disposing the PCU in the engine compartment, the auxiliary battery is disposed in a luggage compartment.
In recent years, with advancements in downsizing of high-voltage instruments, it has become possible to place the auxiliary battery within the engine compartment and near the power control device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses technology of fixing, on a transaxle (also referred to as a motor case) which includes a first motor generator forming a twin-shaft, a second motor generator arranged parallel to an axial line of the first motor generator, and a differential gear arranged on a third axial line parallel to the twin-shaft, a power control device that drives the first motor generator and the second motor generator, which is achieved by downsizing the power control device. With the use of this technology, it is possible to realize downsizing of the power control device and simplification of wiring.
However, in a case in which an auxiliary battery is disposed near a power control device, it is necessary to avoid interference between the auxiliary battery and the power control device in order to perform protection and rapid discharge of the power control device smoothly at the time of vehicle collision in accordance with the regulations for at the time of collision (FMVSS305: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the Department of Transportation in the United States. Accordingly, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure having a disengagement mechanism in which, at the time of vehicle collision, due to a load transmitted from an auxiliary battery via a guide surface, which is caused by backward movement of the auxiliary battery with the intrusion of a barrier (obstacle), a relay box moves upward and is separated from a vehicle body. With this mechanism, the battery moves backward smoothly. With such a disengagement structure of the relay box, it is possible to prevent interference between the vehicular instruments and other members that would move as a result of a collision impact and to thereby enhance the impact absorbing effect.
Further, while the auxiliary battery has a relatively low voltage of 12 volts and therefore damages caused by breakage are not significant, it is desired that damages to the power control device that controls a high voltage such as several hundred volts should be minimized. Accordingly, Patent Document 3 discloses an instrument-mounting structure in which, in order to protect the power control device itself at the time of vehicle collision, the power control device is mounted such that the front end of the power control device is located further toward the vehicle's rear side with respect to the front end of the transaxle and a motor compressor is placed toward the vehicle's rear side with respect to the power control device, and the auxiliary battery is mounted at the same position of the power control device thereby facilitating protection of the auxiliary battery.
Further, Patent Document 4 discloses an inverter disengagement mechanism which, in order to protect a power control device itself such as an inverter, causes the inverter and an inverter bracket to be disengaged from an inverter tray attached to a front member when an external force is applied to the inverter at the time of collision.


Disclosed concepts include a method of optimizing polarization of an illumination of a pattern to be formed in a surface of a substrate. Polarized illumination is optimized by determining an illumination intensity for at least one point on an illuminator for at least two polarization states, determining image log slope for the at least one point on the illuminator for the at least two polarization states, determining a maximum image log slope (ILS) where the ILS is near zero for the at least one point on the illuminator, and selecting an optimal polarization state corresponding to the at least two polarization states that minimizes an ILS for the at least one point on the illuminator. This may be repeated for a plurality of points on the illuminator.

Lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, the mask may contain a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (silicon wafer) that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single wafer will contain a whole network of adjacent target portions that are successively irradiated via the projection system, one at a time. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion in one go; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus, commonly referred to as a step-and-scan apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. Since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally <1), the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as described herein can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.
In a manufacturing process using a lithographic projection apparatus, a mask pattern is imaged onto a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). Prior to this imaging step, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures, such as a post-exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement/inspection of the imaged features. This array of procedures is used as a basis to pattern an individual layer of a device, e.g., an IC. Such a patterned layer may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, chemo-mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off an individual layer. If several layers are required, then the whole procedure, or a variant thereof, will have to be repeated for each new layer. Eventually, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc.
For the sake of simplicity, the projection system may hereinafter be referred to as the "lens"; however, this term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection systems, including refractive optics, reflective optics, and catadioptric systems, for example. The radiation system may also include components operating according to any of these design types for directing, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and such components may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a "lens". Further, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In such "multiple stage" devices the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposures. Twin stage lithographic apparatus are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,441, incorporated herein by reference.
The photolithographic masks referred to above comprise geometric patterns corresponding to the circuit components to be integrated onto a silicon wafer. The patterns used to create such masks are generated utilizing CAD (computer-aided design) programs, this process often being referred to as EDA (electronic design automation). Most CAD programs follow a set of predetermined design rules in order to create functional masks. These rules are set by processing and design limitations. For example, design rules define the space tolerance between circuit devices (such as gates, capacitors, etc.) or interconnect lines, so as to ensure that the circuit devices or lines do not interact with one another in an undesirable way. The design rule limitations are typically referred to as "critical dimensions" (CD). A critical dimension of a circuit can be defined as the smallest width of a line or hole or the smallest space between two lines or two holes. Thus, the CD determines the overall size and density of the designed circuit.
Of course, one of the goals in integrated circuit fabrication is to faithfully reproduce the original circuit design on the wafer (via the mask). Another goal is to use as much of the semiconductor wafer real estate as possible. Even another goal is to optimize illumination and enhance the contrast of an image on a wafer. By increasing the overall process window (i.e., the ability to consistently print features having a specified CD regardless of whether or not the features are isolated or densely packed relative to adjacent features), one may be able to more easily accomplish each one of the goals.
Methods for optimizing the source illumination and mask patterns so as to improve the overall printing performance have been disclosed in the prior art. One such method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,563,566 to Rosenbluth et al., incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, Rosenbluth discloses a lithographic optimization system that alleges to perform an optimization of source illumination and mask patterns to improve the printing of a given mask pattern. The function of merit utilized by Rosenbluth for determining the optimal combination of the source/mask pattern is the aerial image log-slope at a number of pre-selected points along the border of the pattern geometry. The optimization algorithm appears based on the assumption that the printing of a lithographic pattern is solely determined by the set of diffraction orders collected in the imaging pupil, independent of their location in the pupil plane.
While maximizing the aerial image log-slope at selected sampling locations in the pattern enhances the budget/tolerance for exposure variations, commonly referred to as the exposure latitude (EL), it does not help to increase the budget/tolerance for focus variations, commonly referred to as the depth of focus (DOF). Indeed, it is known that patterns that are optimized for EL under in-focus conditions (i.e., at zero DOF) show complementary results compared to patterns that have been optimized for typical process conditions that accommodate for defocus variations. Another problem is the occurrence of uneven line printing; that is, the contrast at a point on the middle of a line is greater than the contrast at a point at an end of a line formed in a resist. It is therefore desirable to optimize illumination to print features with greater precision, so as to enhance EL.
Polarization, though present in most illuminations, is negligible for low numerical aperture (NA) systems because angles of incident at the resist are shallow. Therefore, any negative or positive affects from polarization are minimal. As alluded to above, photolithographic imaging is moving towards smaller and smaller feature sizes, as would be expected. One of many ways to obtain smaller features is to increase the NA. However, angles of incidence at the resist increase, thus enhancing the negative affects caused by polarization and lessening image contrast. It is therefore desirable to overcome these problems, especially in higher NA systems.


A multifunctional electronic device for checking and managing the operating and diagnostic conditions of a mechanical seal. A method of controlling and managing the operating and diagnostic conditions of a mechanical seal.

Mechanical seals are structures designed to prevent leakage of gas or liquid between a rotating shaft and its housing, thereby causing injuries or damaging the environment. Mechanical seals are used in a variety of machines, including compressors, driers, mixers, pressure-filters, pumps, reactor stirrers, rotating shafts and separators.
Mechanical seals generally comprise two coupled surfaces or rings, a rotating one integral with a shaft and a stationary one integral with the machine in which the shaft is inserted. The rotating surface or ring and the stationary surface or ring are kept in contact by two combined forces: a mechanical force generated by springs and a hydraulic force generated by fluid pressure. The two surfaces or rings slide against one another under compression and the compression forces are calculated when designing the mechanical seal.
Mechanical seals are designed to work without significant leakage, and the efficiency, productivity and safety of the machine comprising the mechanical seal depends on the integrity and proper functioning of the mechanical seals. Concerns for human injury and environmental damage have led to research to produce more reliable, and better performing mechanical seals.
There are a large variety of types of mechanical seals available, including individual, double, balanced and unbalanced mechanical seals, and mechanical seals designed to operate under dry conditions, with liquid, under combined dry-lubricated-dry conditions, under sterile conditions, and in the presence of high temperatures. Double dry-operating mechanical seals and mechanical seals designed to operate with liquid are generally considered to be the mechanical seals most prone to failure. Further, the problems leading to failure associated with these two types of mechanical seals generally encompass the problems with all other types of mechanical seals.
In general, the primary conditions that must be taken into account when designing or selecting a mechanical seal for a particular application are the pressure to which the mechanical seal will be exposed, the flowing, the manner in which the environment of the mechanical seal will be monitored to assure its proper functioning, and the manner in which the integrity of the mechanical seal is ascertained.
Generally, pressurization is performed with nitrogen or compressed air. Many mechanical seal manufacturers also recommend that the dry-operating mechanical seals be exposed to a flowing to keep the mechanical seal parts cool, clean and lubricated. The flow-rate is usually independent of the set pressurization value.
By contrast, mechanical seals operating with liquid utilize a hydraulic circuit to pressurize the seal, and to circulate a suitable hydraulic circuit fluid within the seal. The hydraulic circuit fluid must be compatible both with the materials the mechanical seal comprises, and with the chemical and physical environment inside the machine containing the mechanical seal, because the hydraulic circuit fluid could come in contact with the rest of the machine if the mechanical seal fails. The hydraulic circuit fluid is usually circulated by a pump, or through a siphon system that exploits the temperature differences. The hydraulic circuit fluid tank containing the hydraulic circuit fluid is usually pressurized with a nitrogen or compressed air head.
Mechanical seal manufacturers generally recommend a pressurization of approximately between 0.5 and 1 bar greater than the process pressure (the pressure inside the machine containing the mechanical seal), for both dry seals and liquid-pressurized seals.
Currently, the functional, diagnostics (if present) and control aspects of a mechanical seal are partly implemented with manual regulators and partly implemented with automatic regulators or regulators coupled with automated systems which control the whole production plant in which the machine containing the mechanical seal is installed. The disadvantages of such implementation is well known to those with skill in the art. For example, manual regulators systems which control flow-rate are generally inaccurate, not subject to feed-back control and do not continuously verify the flow-rate, even though an insufficient flow-rate causes non-optimum mechanical seal cooling and lubrication, thereby reducing the service life of the mechanical seal and increasing its maintenance costs, and an excessive flow-rate causes fluid waste, and can lead to seal failure and environmental damage.
Additionally, mechanical seal pressurization pressure is usually set at a constant value during plant design or at startup, and determined by the maximum pressure that can be reached during the operation of the machine or the maximum design pressure of the machine in which the mechanical seal is installed. Setting the pressurization pressure at a constant value greatly simplifies installation and configuration of a circuit to regulate the flowing flow-rate. Unfortunately, the internal pressure of many machines containing mechanical seals varies over a wide range from near vacuum to overpressure conditions. Therefore, using a mechanical seal having a pressurization pressure set at a constant prefixed, maximum allowable pressure, though simplifying its installation, causes the mechanical seal to operate optimally only part of the time, and can result in premature failure of the mechanical seal.
For example, in filter/drier machines designed for solid-liquid separation and drying, the pressure inside the machine can vary from a near vacuum during drying, which can take several hours, to pressures as high as 4 bars during filtering and squeezing, which can take as little as tens of minutes. Therefore, a mechanical seal pressurization pressure of at least about 4.5 bars is required in such machines if the pressurization pressure is set at a constant value. During drying, the mechanical seal rings of a filter/drier machine left pressurized at 4.5 bars must support a load of 5.5 bars (4.5 bars overpressure plus 1 bar vacuum), neglecting the component due to springs, instead of 0.5 bars recommended by a typical manufacturer. Leaving the mechanical seal constantly pressurized at such high pressures, however, even when not required by the internal pressure of the machine, causes increased wear on the mechanical seal and decreases the service life of the mechanical seal.
Additionally, pump or machine efficiency, productivity and safety depends on the integrity of its mechanical seals, and mechanical seal failure can cause leakage that damages the environment, and interferes with plant certification. Currently, the integrity of mechanical seals are generally checked by automated systems to avoid operator errors created by manual systems, and are regularly checked during the normal plant operation. Current automated systems for checking mechanical seal integrity are based on monitoring on/off transducers, such as flow-meters and level switches. Disadvantageously, however, such automated systems have been proven adequate only for detecting macroscopic leakage.
Further, mechanical seals are subject to routine wear and, therefore, require periodic maintenance and replacements. Generally, a mechanical seal is replaced based on the service life determined by reference to its installation date or its last maintenance date. Disadvantageously, however, determining service life in this manner does not give an accurate reflection of the actual wear of the mechanical seal.
Additionally, the manufacturer's warranty for mechanical seals requires that the mechanical seal be installed and used according to set criteria. When a mechanical seal fails during the warranty period, there is often a dispute between the manufacturer and the end user over whether the mechanical seal was installed and used properly.
Therefore, there is a need for improvement in mechanical seal technology that addresses these problems.

Multifunctional electronic device for a mechanical seal and control and management process realised by such device


A cover plate for fluid pumps incorporating an O-ring seal 5 secured in a channel 4. The cover includes slots 7 extending to the edge of the cover plate and securing holes to allow easy positioning of the cover onto bolts which remain located in the body of the pump. These and other securing bolts 8 may have large and knurled heads for rapid finger-tightening so as to avoid the need for tools.

The present invention is directed to a cover for fluid pumps.
Many types of pumps include a housing with inlet and outlet pipes and a rotating rubber-composition impeller which functions as the fluid driving component. The rubber-composition impeller can deteriorate for a variety of reasons which can cause the pump to fail. Replacement of the impeller is a lengthy process because the covers used on these pumps are secured by a number of bolts tightened with spanners or screwdrivers. Also, the covers require gaskets and sealing compound to provide a secure seal when the cover is secured on the pump.
This lengthy replacement process has several disadvantages in many different pumping applications. For example, lengthy impeller changes and the time taken for checks and maintenance work can cause expensive down time in commercial operations as diverse as sump emptying, sewage tank emptying, mains boosting, water sampling, wash down systems, shallow well pumping, bilge pumping, hose washing, dockside pumping, fire-fighting, emergency engine cooling, and boat water systems.
The inconvenience of lengthy replacement procedures in many of these and other operations with high manpower involvement represent a high commercial cost. The application of pumps extends well beyond these examples and includes fluids of all types and also gases. Also, motor vessels and sailing crafts with diesel engines incorporate, in the engine, a water pump to circulate water around the engine for cooling purposes. Controlling the temperature of the engine is vital to its proper functioning and failure can lead to failure of the engine.
The time taken to replace an impeller may be critical for a boat left without power. In some circumstances this can lead to serious danger for the disabled vessel. The safety element in this type of application has a particularly high value.


The present invention provides an apparatus and process to extinguish fires in oil wells by encircling the nucleus of the fire by creating a barrier of isolation of the fuel. The apparatus expands gases in the gaseous and liquid states and directs such gases upon, under and around the nucleus of fire, encircling it at 360 degrees and isolating it completely from the atmospheric air, while at the same time causing the convenient cooling of the nucleus of fire, thereby avoiding any possibility of auto-ignition. The process and apparatus of extinguishing fires in oil wells either in land or at sea, is also disclosed which uses a derrick type hoist, to place the apparatus around the fire, and to apply simultaneously a non-combustible gas in the liquid state (for example, carbon dioxide CO.sub.2, or bromochlorine-difluormetane, or nitrogen or any other commercially known gas like HALON 1211), and the same gas in the gaseous state.

Known techniques to extinguish fires in oil wells where the overall pressure is above atmospheric pressure, have mainly relied on the effect of the blow produced by the burst of the explosive charge. These techniques, being extremely dangerous and slow, cause irreparable damage to the material used to set up the charges in position, which makes it also extremely expensive.
It would seem that the raising of an isolating barrier between a combustible and a fuel together with the cooling of the combustible would seem to be a preferable technique to fight such fires, but up to the present, it has not been possible to create this condition in case of fires in oil wells where the overall pressure is above atmospheric pressure.

Apparatus and process for extinguishing fires with a noncombustible fluid in liquid and gaseous states


A collapsible trailer apparatus which can be used in an extended length and stored in a collapsed and/or partially disassembled state. End members slideably fit within frame tubes and offer telescoping length choice of the apparatus. Side rails are removable, as are side panels. Side rails and side panels are available in varied length choices. The tongue is slideably fitted and adjustable in length. Prop legs are provided for upright storage. No tools are required for assembly, disassembly, or use.

A collapsible trailer offers advantages not available to most typical vehicle trailers. A primary advantage is the space-saving provided in trailer storage when the trailer is not in use. The requirement for reduced storage space is advantageous for more than one reason. Reduced storage space for a manufacturer, a shipper, and a retailer provide obvious advantages in handling and storing products. Further, the ability to store the trailer in a small area when not employed by the user is of benefit. With reduced storage space requirement provided to the end user, such as a homeowner, ownership of a utility trailer becomes economically viable, versus rental of a trailer as needed. A collapsible trailer thereby offers cost savings to all associated with such an item. A collapsible trailer is needed, with collapsibility and extension that is basic, adjustable, and requires no tools.


An interlayer insulating film has via holes. A sidewall conductive layer is arranged along a sidewall surface of one via hole and contains one or more kinds selected from a group including tungsten, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum and molybdenum. A second metal wiring layer is embedded in one via hole and contains aluminum. A plug layer is embedded in the other via hole and contains one or more kinds selected from the group including tungsten, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum and molybdenum.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
Internal structures of a contact hole and a via hole in the semiconductor device are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001-85520 and 2002-313913.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-85520, a sidewall which is made of tungsten is formed in the via hole and thereafter another tungsten is embedded in the via hole. Thereby, a contact plug which is configured by two tungsten layers is formed.
In addition, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-313913, tungsten and polycrystalline silicone are embedded in the via hole and thereby the contact plug is formed.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


Methods, systems and computer program products for providing observation-based recommendations for improved player performance and safety are provided. Aspects include receiving historical player performance data. Historical player performance data includes known correlations between visual characteristics, biometric characteristics and conditions of players of sports. Aspects include receiving current video data. Current video data includes images of a plurality of players that are playing a sport. Aspects include receiving current player biometric data. Current player biometric data includes biometric data of the plurality of players that are playing the sport. Based on the historical player performance data, the current video data and the current biometric data, aspects also include determining a condition of a target player. Aspects also include determining a break recommendation for the target player based on the determined condition.

The present invention generally relates to increasing player performance and safety of during sporting events, and more specifically, to generating recommendations for player breaks based on correlated video and biometric-based observations of players.
In many sports, there are predefined breaks in the game that allow players to catch their breath, rehydrate, stretch muscles and generally achieve some degree of physical rest and recovery before reentering the game. In some sports, breaks may also be initiated by coaches and players through selective use of a finite number of "time outs" that may pause the game to allow players to take a break. Alternatively, in some sports, individual players may be given a break by substituting the player out for another player. Although such predetermined and selectively applied breaks are designed to give one or more players rest, they do not provide a tailored solution for individual players to help players avoid injuries and maximize performance.

Observation-based break prediction for sporting events

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


Systems, methods, and devices for communicating with a second apparatus in a wireless communications network are described herein. In some aspects, a first wireless communication unit is configured to communicate with the second apparatus via a first wireless protocol. The first wireless communication unit may transmit a first message to the second apparatus. A second wireless communication unit is configured to communicate with the second apparatus over a communication link via a second wireless protocol. The second wireless communication unit may be further configured to disconnect the communication link if the first wireless communication unit does not receive a second message from the second apparatus within a predetermined amount of time after transmission of the first message.

1. Field
The present application relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices for maintaining a link using near field communications.
2. Background
In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), and the set of communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
Wireless networks may include security protocols to protect data that is transferred wirelessly over the networks. Such security protocols include wired equivalent privacy (WEP), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a Pairwise Master Key (PMK), and the like. In addition, wired networks may include security protocols to protect data that is transferred, such as hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), firewalls, and the like. However, these security protocols may be compromised if a person has access to the right tools or equipment. In some situations, a higher level of security may be desired when communicating via wired or wireless networks.

Systems and methods for secure high-speed link maintenance via NFC