A system for controlling automatic transmission downshift points includes a control computer for electronically controlling an internal combustion engine and a transmission having at least one automatically selectable gear. The control computer is responsive to at least a throttle signal, provided by either a manually actuatable accelerator pedal or a cruise control system, to compute an engine load value, and is further responsive to either an engine speed signal or a vehicle speed signal to compute a deceleration value. The control computer is operable to compute a downshift engine RPM value based on the deceleration value and either the throttle signal or the engine load value, wherein the downshift engine RPM value is lower than a default downshift engine RPM if the deceleration value indicates a relatively slow deceleration rate and the throttle signal or the engine load value indicates high throttle or engine load. Conversely, the downshift engine RPM value is higher than the default downshift engine RPM value if the deceleration value indicates a relatively high deceleration rate and the throttle signal or the engine load indicates high throttle or engine load.

Automatic and semiautomatic transmissions, the latter of which are defined for purposes of the present invention as transmissions having a number of manually selectable gear ratios and a number of automatically selectable gear ratios, are known and widely used in the automotive and heavy duty truck industries. In vehicles including such transmissions, a control computer is typically provided for controlling the shifting between the automatically selectable gear ratios in accordance with various engine and vehicle operating conditions.
One specific embodiment of a known semiautomatic transmission used with heavy duty trucks is commonly referred to as a "TOP-2" transmission, wherein a number of the numerically high gear ratios (i.e. numerically lower gears such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) are manually selectable, and shifting between the numerically lowest two gear ratios (i.e. numerically highest, or Top-2, gears) is managed by a control computer pursuant to a gear shifting control algorithm. Examples of such TOP-2 transmissions and control algorithms therefore are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,393,276, 5,393,277, 5,401,223, 5,498,195, 5,591,102, 5,609,548 and 5,638,271 to White et al., each of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In controlling shifting between the automatically selectable gear ratios of such a semiautomatic transmission, the control computer is typically operable to vary the automatic downshift points (i.e. the engine RPM at which the control computer automatically shifts to the next lower gear) in accordance with certain engine operating conditions. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of one prior art downshift point modulation scenario 85, wherein a control computer is operable to vary the downshift points from an automatically selectable top gear of a semiautomatic transmission to the next lower automatically selectable gear. Under high throttle percentage conditions such as when encountering a steep grade, the control computer sets the downshift point at 1250 RPM to thereby maintain a high engine RPM for high throttle operation. Under a low throttle percentage conditions, the control computer moves the downshift point down to 1200 RPM. Finally, if the engine includes an engine brake system, the control computer moves the downshift point up to 1300 RPM whenever the engine brakes are enabled and the throttle percentage is below some low throttle percentage level, to thereby maintain a higher engine RPM for optimal engine brake operation.
Although the foregoing downshift modulation scenario provides for satisfactory operation under low throttle and active engine brake operating conditions, the downshift scenario for high throttle operation has certain drawbacks associated therewith. For example, when the vehicle approaches a small hill, it may be preferable from the driver's perspective to forego a downshift if the vehicle can traverse the small hill above some acceptable engine RPM level. Implementation of such a shift strategy requires moving the high throttle downshift point to a lower engine RPM. Such a downshift scenario results in "later" downshifts and in some cases results in no downshift at all if the vehicle can traverse the small hill at some reduced, but acceptable, engine RPM. Conversely, when the vehicle approaches a steep grade, it is preferable from the driver's perspective to downshift "earlier" in order to maintain higher average engine RPM and thereby minimize the total number of shifts needed to traverse the steep grade. Implementation of this shift strategy requires moving the high throttle downshift point to a higher engine RPM level. While both of these downshift scenarios are desirable, both represent mutually exclusive shifting goals using known downshifting criteria.
Designers of engine and transmission control systems have heretofore addressed the foregoing problem by providing a system that raises the downshift RPM point for assisted hill climbing if a driver manually activates the system, typically by modulating the accelerator pedal in a predetermined manner (e.g. by releasing the accelerator pedal and thereafter applying 100% throttle within some predefined time period). One problem with this approach, however, is that downshift point modulation requires driver intervention. Drivers may thus tend to use this feature when it is not needed, thereby resulting in degraded fuel economy.
What is therefore needed is a system for electronically controlling automatic transmission downshift points that is sensitive to variations in the grades encountered by the vehicle. Preferably, such a system should lower the downshift RPM point when encountering a small grade and should raise the downshift RPM point when encountering a steep grade, thereby maximizing fuel economy and minimizing the total number of shifts.

System for controlling downshift points of automatically selectable transmission gears


An organic light emitting display device and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The device includes: a substrate having a first pixel region, a second pixel region and a third pixel region; a first electrode disposed on the substrate; an organic emission layer disposed on the first electrode; a second electrode disposed on the organic emission layer; and a first organic layer and a second organic layer disposed between the first electrode and the organic emission layer. The first organic layer and the second organic layer have a combined thickness of approximately 500 to 700 Å or approximately 2000 to 2400 Å in the first pixel region, approximately 1600 to 2000 Å in the second pixel region, and approximately 200 to 400 Å in the third pixel region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light emitting display devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to an organic light emitting display device and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The organic light emitting display device, a self-emissive display device, has an ideal structure which is thin and lightweight, made of simple components and has a simple manufacturing process. The organic light emitting display device has advantages of wide viewing angle, high picture quality, excellent display of motion pictures, high color purity, and low power consumption and low driving electric current suitable for mobile devices.
Conventional organic light emitting display devices include a substrate, a pixel electrode disposed on the substrate, an organic layer including an emission layer (EML) disposed on the pixel electrode, and a counter electrode disposed on the organic layer. The organic layer may include a hole injection layer (HIL) and a hole transport layer (HTL) disposed between the pixel electrode and the EML, and an electron transport layer (ETL) and an electron injection layer (EIL) disposed between the EML and the counter electrode.
Driving the conventional organic light emitting display device may be performed as follows. By applying electric current between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode, holes are injected from the pixel electrode into the EML via the HIL and the HTL, and electrons are injected from the counter electrode into the EML via the EIL and the ETL. The holes and electrons injected into the EML are recombined in the EML to create excitons. Light is emitted while the excitons transition from an excited state to a ground state.
In general, a conventional top emitting organic light emitting display device uses a light resonance effect so that it is important to match the thickness of the pixel electrode and the thicknesses of the HIL and HTL disposed between the EML and the pixel electrode with a possible wavelength band. The HIL enhances power consumption efficiency and the lifespan of the organic light emitting display device by facilitating the injection of holes from the pixel electrode, which is an anode. The HTL increases hole mobility and the probability of forming excitons by easily transporting holes and confining electrons to the emission region.
However, when the conventional organic layer of the organic light emitting display device is formed thinly to extend the lifespan of the device, there is a high probability of dark pixels being generated due to particles. On the other hand, when the conventional organic layer is formed thickly to reduce dark pixels, driving electric current increases while efficiency and lifespan decrease. Thus, it is difficult to form the organic layer to have an appropriate thickness.

Organic light emitting display device and method of fabricating the same


A device for securing a door includes an elongated flat rigid member. A first segment is connected to a second segment by a transition segment perpendicular to the first and second segments. The first segment forms an aperture to admit a restraining device. The device also includes a first blocking member having two apertures and configured to engage the first member such that the restraining device restrains the first blocking member relative to the flat rigid member. The device also includes a second blocking member configured to lockably engage the second segment, thereby securing the device relative to a frame of the door with the first and second segments on opposite sides of the frame. When the device is secured and the door closed, and the first blocking member restrained relative to the flat rigid member, the door is blocked from being opened by the first and second blocking members.

Often it may be desirable to use supplemental security measures to keep a door shut. For example, travelers often wish to store valuables in safes provided in their hotel rooms, but these safes are known to be accessible to hotel staff via a universal key or combination, and the traveler may wish also to prevent hotel staff from opening the safe without the traveler's knowledge and permission. Some approaches to providing supplemental security in such a case have suffered various drawbacks. For example, some approaches have utilized nylon straps that may be cut by a person who wishes to defeat the security measure. Other approaches have included clamps to be applied to the walls of a safe. Such an approach may be awkward and require the use of large and heavy equipment relative to what a traveler would prefer to carry, and the clamps may be susceptible to being dislodged.

U.S. Government as represented by the Director, National Security Agency


A centralizer assembly for centralizing casing inside a riser includes a locking element to move generally radially outward from the casing toward the riser in response to a change in pressure in the annulus between the casing and the riser. The locking element may be a first wedge shaped element adapted for movement in a radial direction from the casing toward the riser and a second wedge shaped element adapted to move generally axially along the casing and adapted for engaging the first wedge shaped element in response to a pressure activated driver. The driver may be a rupture device that ruptures when the pressure in the annulus reaches a predetermined threshold. Ratchet teeth are included between the elements for engaging and locking the wedge shaped elements in position once driven by the driver.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to borehole centralizers and is specifically directed to a self-contained, self-energizing centralizer system.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Centralizers are devices used to provide space between an interior member and the walls of a bore hole, thereby maintaining a concentric assembly with a uniform annulus between the interior member and the bore hole wall. The centralizer field includes many different inventions which have attempted to improve the functions of the centralizer. Its two primary functions are to: 1) provide space between the anchorage and the walls of the bore hole, and 2) to provide a locking mechanism for the several centralizer elements so that they do not fail once installed.
In certain oilfield applications, in particular in dual barrier deepwater production risers, it is necessary to rigidly centralize and locate an inner casing string within an outer riser. There may be up to 50 centralizers at various heights up the riser all within the annular space. The centralizers must be kept un-activated while the casing is installed in the riser, to prevent damage and hang-ups on restrictions to the riser bore in the wellhead.
The usual way of achieving this is some sort of hydraulically activated device, where each centralizer is manifolded to a hydraulic line which must exit the annulus at the wellhead so that it can be controlled. This has the disadvantages of a large number of potential leaks, expense and complication of contracting and assembling the system, and potential for causing a leak path later in field life.
Known relevant prior art has focused on improving the locking mechanism. Prior art designs have had some success in overcoming some of the problems inherent with centralizer systems, including inflexibility in meeting multiple applications and relatively complex locking mechanisms. However, the prior art virtually neglects the problem of complex locking systems and the requirement that the lock activator exit the annulus at the wellhead in order to be controlled.
As is well known in the art, the collars of such centralizers normally comprise hingedly connected, arcuate sections which may be opened up for assembly about the casing and then latched to one another in close fitting relation thereabout. The bow springs comprise relatively thin, flexible strips of metal which are bowed outwardly intermediate their ends so as to tightly engage the bore of a well. More particularly, the bow springs are equally spaced apart so as to hold the casing in a generally centered position within the well bore to insure that the column of cement forced into the annulus between the casing and well bore is of substantially uniform thickness. The collars fit closely about the casing, but are free to slide therealong, so that, when the central portions of the bow springs are inwardly compressed by engagement with the well bore, their ends move the collars away from one another.
Many patents including U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,556, U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,322, U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,823, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,869, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,269, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,470 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,022 describe a centralizer device which comprise a plurality of spring bows, a method of attaching the bow springs while still allowing flexure, and a method of fixing the centralizer device to a drill-pipe or casing. The bow springs allow the centralizer to pass down into the bore, and pass small irregularities and restrictions in the bore, while still maintaining some centralizing load.
Other patents including U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,225 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,903 disclose an alignment devices comprising a fixed portion for the purpose of centralizing a component in a bore. These devices offer a rigid centralization inside a true bore, but cannot pass through small irregularities and restrictions in the bore
U.K. Pat. No. GB 2,381,280 describes a centralizer with a plurality of moveable ribs which can be activated to centralize the casing or pipe inside a bore. This device requires manual activation, and moves the ribs out to a position where they are locked in place and functions like a fixed diameter centralizer. It is conceivable that this invention could be converted to use in an annular space by configuring hydraulic cylinders to activate the centralizer mechanism. This has the disadvantage of requiring hydraulic lines between each centralizer device, and a means for exiting the hydraulic control line from the enclosed annular space.
It would be desirable to provide a locking system that can be energized without invading the bore and without requiring extensive energization systems.


An information handling system comprises a first bus system comprising a plurality of connection pins wherein at least one pin is unused, at least one control line for controlling or communication with devices of the system, a controllable coupling/de-coupling unit for coupling/de-coupling the control line with the at least one previously unused pin, and a control unit for controlling the coupling/de-coupling unit coupled with the control line.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems, such as, personal computers, servers, laptop computer with docking stations, and other computer systems having a bus system for adapter cards are well known in the art. These computer systems typically include a CPU coupled with a plurality of on board devices, such as, a clock system, a timer unit, a plurality of memory modules, etc. Usually dedicated internal bus structures are used to exchange data between these modules and the CPU. Other logic is provided to couple the CPU with a high bandwidth local expansion bus, such as the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) VL bus. These standardized bus systems comprise usually a number of slots wherein each of the slots is capable of receiving an extension card. Each extension card can comprise a plurality or a single peripheral device, such as, a video card, serial and/or parallel interfaces, high speed communication interfaces, etc. To this end, each slot provides a plurality of connection pins. Communication between a bus system and other peripherals or the CPU is usually limited to the defined hardware and the respective protocols specified for the specific bus system. However, there is often a need for communication between certain peripheral devices which could be handled by a different bus system not available to the standardized slot system.

Information handling system with improved bus system


A fragrance capsule and a diffusing device therefor, the capsule including                substrate elements into which a fragrance is adsorbed,        a frame,        a first grille and a second grille which are fixed in the frame facing one another, each grille having a plurality of bars, wherethe bars of one and the same grille being spaced apart and the grilles being spaced apart, so that the capsule allows a single layer of substrate elements to be held in the frame and between the grilles and allows air to circulate through the frame around the substrate elements and the bars.

Supports for scented substances can be classified as follows:                reservoirs of scented substances in the liquid state which are intended to be vaporized either by micronization using the Venturi effect which may or may not be coupled with microvibrations, or using a wick employing the effect of capillarity when subjected to an air flow;        materials which pass from the solid state to the liquid state and then to the vapor state under the effect of heat, the classical example being a scented candle;        wet supports soaked with substances, such as scented wipes; and        solid supports into which scented molecules are adsorbed and released into the atmosphere by spontaneous diffusion or diffusion assisted by air flow, for example certain scented filters used in automotive cabin interiors or dry capsules of polymers used in certain devices that diffuse ambient fragrances.
The invention relates to this last category of supports and more particularly to a fragrance capsule comprising substrate elements into which a fragrance is adsorbed. The invention also relates to an associated fragrance-diffusing device.
As far as the prior art is concerned, dry capsules of polymer beads are described for example in document EP1054697. In that document, a capsule is placed in a cylindrical duct made in a plug of spherical overall shape so that the capsule can be isolated from the environment by turning the plug when scent is not to be diffused. However, that document provides no specific detail regarding how the beads are positioned inside the capsule.
Furthermore, document EP0104758 describes a capsule provided with a protective member for hermetically isolating it from the ambient air when not in use. That document provides no specific detail regarding how the beads are positioned in the capsule.
The same is true of documents FR1500142, WO03105652, WO2009003704 and WO2006046940 which provide no information regarding any special positioning of the scented elements.

Fragrance capsule and associated fragrance-diffusing device


The present invention discloses a means for limiting the pressure within the induction system of an internal combustion engine having a flexible elastomeric sealing wall disposed between components of the intake. When internal pressures reach a predetermined limit, the wall is subject to elastic deformation to thereby vent the pressure increase within the induction system to the exterior thereof. Rates of pressure rise and peak pressures are thereby lowered. Return of normal system pressure levels operate to reseat the sealing wall enabling continuation of engine operation.

The induction systems of internal combustion engines typically employ intake manifolds of varying size and complexity to deliver air and fuel to associated combustion chambers. During engine operation, the intake may experience periods of high pressure which may necessitate the provision of a venting or control device when pressure levels reach a predetermined limit. Such control devices may take the form of valves which open to atmosphere during the pressure event or flexible retaining clips operable to allow separation of intake components to vent pressure therebetween. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,669 issued Sep. 29,1992 to Rush, II et al.
The means for limiting the pressure within the intake heretofore described require the modification of the intake manifold to accommodate the addition of a valve member or the use of flexible retainers. Additionally, use of such devices results in the proliferation of parts and assembly operations with concurrent cost, serviceability and durability penalties.

Pressure relief means for induction system


An apparatus, computer program product, and method are provided for predictive recommendations of device rendered objects using one or more objective models. In the context of a method, the method generates, for each device rendered object of a plurality of device rendered objects, a multiple objective score. The method also determines a real-time adjustment factor based in part on a received objective adjustment signal and generates, for each device rendered object of the plurality of device rendered objects, an adjusted multiple objective score based on the real-time adjustment factor. The method also generate a ranked device rendered object set, selects a subset of the ranked rendered object set, and transmits the ranked device rendered object subset to a client device associated with the user object of the user object objective, the subset configured for rendering within the user, interface area of the client device.

Generating sets of device rendered objects may be burdensome in situations in which multiple parties have different interests in the device rendered objects. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, solutions to improve generation of device rendered object sets have been realized and are described in connection with embodiments of the present invention.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product for device rendered object sets based on multiple objectives


New antineoplastic, system - L specific amino acid nitrogen mustards with reduced myelosuppressive effect are disclosed. A method for identifying and isolating the cellular component comprising the L - amino acid transport system is also described.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is related generally to phenylalanine mustards. More particularly, the present invention is related to the synthesis of new, system L specific amino acid nitrogen mustards useful as antineoplastic agents and as probes for identifying the L-amino acid transport system.
2. State of the Art
The phenyalanine mustards, a group of antitumor agents of the alkylating agent class, were synthesized in the 1950's and found to possess a broad range of antitumor activity aginst both experimental and human neoplasms. These antitumor agents incorporated into their structure the physiological amino acid carrier phenylalanine and the cytotoxic bis(2-chloroethyl) amino group. However, even though effective as antitumor agents, the degree of myelosuppression produced by this group of antineoplastic compounds was found to be undesirable and dose-limiting. Hence, the need to develop more selective antitumor agents inter alia with reduced myelosuppressive activity became obvious.

Antineoplastic, system-L specific amino acid nitrogen mustards

The United States of America as represented by the Secy. of the Dept. of Health & Human Resources


A shovel, particularly useful for weeding soil, has a tubular socket with a proximal end having an opening configured to receive a distal end of an elongate handle. The socket has a slot configured to receive a proximal end of a blade at its distal end, the slot. The slot is further configured to receive the blade such that the proximal end of the blade is positioned continuously through the slot without interruption. The shovel further includes a foot step having platform for accommodating a person's foot at the proximal end of the blade. The footstep has a support integral with the platform such that the support contacts the bottom surface of the blade at a location distal from the proximal end to provide support to the blade and the platform.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to shovels, and more particularly to a weeding shovel with an improved footplate for added stability and leverage.
2. Description of Related Art
Implements, such as shovels or spades, generally include a work engaging blade, an elongated handle for manipulating the blade and a socket which joins the handle to the blade. Because these shovels are typically used for pulling weeds or transferring or loosening relatively heavy material, such as dirt or similar material, by taking advantage of the leverage provided by the elongated handle, considerable stress is applied to the area where the handle and socket interface with the work engaging blade. This often leads to the blade being subjected to sufficient stress to either deform or break. Such a deformation or breakage can also in part result from metal fatigue caused by repeated stress over a long period of time. Typical implements currently used in the art are formed from a single sheet of material which is pressed or stamped into the required form. Such single sheet configurations frequently fail at the blade/handle interface, as there is insufficient support to handle the associated loads.
Typical implements often have a formed blade with a portion of the top of the blade is reinforced or folded over to provide a reinforced portion to which a foot is applied to force the shovel blade into the ground. If the ground is compacted or a clay soil, it is difficult to force the blade into the ground and the narrow reinforced folded portion may apply excess pressure on the foot through the sole of the shoe.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a shovel for weeding and other high-leverage activities, with increased support in the blade/handle interface region most directly affected by stress and most likely to undergo fracturing or deformation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a footstep that increases the platform for the user to apply foot pressure to the blade, and is supported by the shovel blade. At least some of these objectives will be met in the embodiments described herein.


A method of making a semiconductor device includes forming a semiconductor substrate having an undulated surface, a gate insulating layer on the semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer, and a source/drain impurity diffusion region in the substrate. The method of fabricating the semiconductor device includes the steps of forming an undulated surface on the substrate by using HSG (hemispherical grain), forming a gate insulating layer on the substrate, forming a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer, and forming an impurity region in the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for reducing a short channel effect in highly integrated semiconductor devices.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As semiconductor devices are becoming more highly integrated, they are downsized to achieve sub-micron level semiconductor devices. As a result, the problem of short channel effect in transistor has arisen, caused by hot carrier or punch through phenomenon as the distance between the source and drain regions becomes shorter.
According to the article by Chemning Hu et. al, "Hot Electron-induced MOSFET Degradation Model, Monitor and Improvement", IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. ED32. No. 2, 1985, pp. 375-385, instability of the transistor due to the hot carrier is generated by a short channel and a very high electric field around a drain junction caused by applying a high voltage. Therefore, a lightly doped drain (LDD) structure is suggested to improve a conventional transistor device having the problems of hot carrier and short channel.
With reference to the attached drawings, a conventional semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same will be described as follows.
The conventional semiconductor device, as illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a semiconductor substrate having an active region and a field region, a gate insulating layer 12 on the active region, a gate electrode 15 on the gate insulating layer 12, a sidewall spacer 17 on both sides of the gate electrode 15, and an impurity diffusion region is having an LDD structure in the semiconductor substrate 11 below each of the sidewall spacers 17.
A method of fabricating the conventional semiconductor device is illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D. Referring to FIG. 2A, the gate insulating layer 12 and a polycrystal silicon layer 13 for the gate electrode are successively formed on the semiconductor substrate 11. After a photoresist layer 14 is deposited on the polycrystal silicon layer 13, the photoresist layer 14 is patterned by an exposing and developing process.
As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the polycrystal silicon layer 13 and the gate insulating layer 12 are selectively removed by using a patterned photoresist layer 14 as a mask, thereby forming the gate electrode 15. After the patterned photoresist layer 14 is removed from the gate electrode 15, impurity ions are implanted lightly by using the gate electrode 15 as a mask to form a lightly doped impurity region 16.
In FIG. 2C, an insulating layer (not shown) for the sidewall spacer 17 is deposited on the overall surface of the substrate and an etch-back process is performed to form the sidewall spacer 17 on both sides of the gate electrode 15 and the gate insulating layer 12.
FIG. 2D illustrates impurity ions are implanted heavily on the overall surface of the substrate by using the sidewall spacer 17 and the gate electrode 15 as masks, so that the impurity diffusion region 18 having the LDD structure are formed below each of the sidewall spacers 17.
However, the aforementioned conventional semiconductor device has a problem as follows. Since the semiconductor substrate is planar and the gate electrode is formed thereon, a channel length cannot be long enough to prevent a short channel effect. In other words, the degree of transistor integration is limited. In order to increase the channel length, the size of a MOS transistor must also be increased in the conventional device.

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same


A printed wiring board, which may be included in an electronic apparatus, includes a pair of signal pads including a first signal pad and a second signal pad formed on a front side thereof and configured to transmit differential signals, a ground pad formed at a position in proximity to the pair of signal pads, and a via configured to connect the ground pad to a ground pattern formed either on a back side or on an inner layer of the printed wiring board directly or via a lead wire led out from the ground pad. The via is located at a substantially equal position spaced away from the first signal pad and the second signal pad.

Recently, signals that travel on a printed wiring board, or PWB, have been transmitted with smaller amplitude in a higher frequency band.
When a PWB includes two or more layers or is otherwise multilayered, the structure of the PBW may be complex due to increases in density and number of layers of the PWB. In such PWB with a complex structure, return current paths each of which extends along corresponding signal traces may not be secured. Therefore, there is a concern that waveforms of the signals may be distorted, which can adversely affect reliability of operation of circuits or electronic components mounted on the PWB.
A related-art PWB for transmitting high-speed signals includes power patterns for power having rather stable potential and ground patterns for grounding the power, and the power patterns and the ground patterns of the related-art PWB are arranged in proximity to signal trace patterns for high frequency signals. Further, metal shielding plates may also be used to cover the PWB.
To prevent degradation of transmission quality of high-speed digital signals, a connector-conversion adapter for CD-ROM device employs a PWB having the above-described construction so that a positioning hole of the PWB may be formed according to a through-hole structure and a metal film that forms the positioning hole may be connected to multiple ground patterns. Specifically, the metal film forming a part of the through-hole structure of the CD-ROM device is connected to three ground patterns, which have been separately connected, so that the metal film of the through-hole structure may be included in the ground patterns. By so doing, a ground potential is enhanced to prevent high-speed digital signals from being degraded while being transmitted through the connector-conversion adapter.
It is required that signals traveling over the PWB further increase their transmission speed. To meet such demand, recent PWBs intend to employ a transmission method for high-speed differential signals, such as Serial-ATA and PCI-Express. As noted above, for multilayer PWBS, the structure thereof has become more complex due to increases in the density and number of layers, and therefore it has been difficult to secure return current paths extending along respective signal traces, which can adversely affect the operating reliability of the circuits or electronic components mounted on the PWB.
To eliminate the above-described drawbacks, multilayer PWBs for carrying high-speed signals include a power layer that holds rather stable potential and a ground layer that is arranged in proximity to a layer having signal traces for high frequency signals so as to secure the return current paths. When the PWB includes a double-sided structure, the ground pattern may be provided on a back side of the PWB. When the PWB is multilayered, the ground pattern may be provided on a second, intermediate layer, which is an internal conductive layer.
With the above-described structure of the PWB, when the length of a lead pattern is long, waveforms may degrade during signal transmission. For example, when signals that are transmitted at speeds of Gbps travel over an inappropriate layout of ground of a PWB, wiring delay and potential difference may be caused due to inductance in a lead wire between a ground pad of an electronic component and a via connecting to an inner layer ground pattern. Consequently, high speed differential signal traces on the PWB may experience increased loss of fidelity to waveforms in signal transmission in the high-frequency band, and therefore the output waveforms may be degraded and not have fidelity in signal transmission.
Further, regarding a distance from a lead or via to a trace pattern, when an extended end portion (including the lead wire or via) of a return current path with respect to a signal trace for high-speed differential signals is laid out carelessly, the equilibrium of high-speed differential signals may be lost, and therefore the quality or fidelity of the waveform may deteriorate.
With the construction previously described, the ground can be made stronger but the inductance from the ground pad to the through hole cannot be removed.

Printed wiring board and electronic apparatus including same


A space-based electronic data transfer network system is disclosed. The space-based electronic data transfer network system connects to multiple external sources and transmits information securely within the network, enabling information to be quickly communicated between external satellites and ground stations. The space-based electronic data transfer network system is modularly expandable and additional external satellites and communications frequencies may be incorporated into the network by simply adding one or more additional satellites capable of communicating with the external satellite or communications frequency.

Modern communications rely heavily on orbital satellites, and different types of communications rely on different types of orbital satellites. A satellite achieves a stable orbit when the satellite's kinetic energy balances its potential energy. This balance occurs when the velocity of the satellite is balanced by the centripetal force of gravity, creating a stable circular or elliptical orbit. The closer a satellite is to the earth, the higher the velocity necessary to balance the centripetal force. A geostationary orbit (GEO) is an orbit that appears to maintain a fixed position relative to a point on the surface of the rotating Earth. All geostationary satellites orbiting the Earth orbit at approximately 42,164 kilometers (or 26,199 miles) from the center of the earth, which requires an orbital velocity of 11,068 kilometers (6,878 miles) per hour.
There are upsides and downsides to different satellite orbits, and owners have to select the best orbit for each satellite's intended activity. Geosynchronous orbits maintain the same roughly 24 hour orbital period as the earth's rotation. Geostationary orbits are a subset of geosynchronous orbits that appear to maintain an apparent fixed position in the sky. Geostationary orbiting satellites are capable of maintaining long duration connections with a ground station due to their apparent fixed position; however the distance from the earth introduces lag time as any request travelling from the surface of the earth, 36,000 kilometers to a geosynchronous satellite and 36,000 km back to the ground station. Even at the 299,792,458 meter per second speed of light, the minimum latency (ignoring delays within the electronics) to receive a response from a geosynchronous satellite is on the order of a quarter second (approximately 240 milliseconds), and this latency is doubled if your request has to be sent from a user to the GEO satellite to a ground station back to the GEO satellite and back to the user. Additionally launching a geosynchronous orbit satellite can be significantly more expensive than launching a lower orbit satellite due to the additional energy necessary to transport hundreds or thousands of kilograms against the force of the Earth's gravity across tens of thousands of kilometers. The radius of a geostationary orbit causes the satellite to travel within the Van Allen belt, exposing geostationary and other geosynchronous satellites; by contract, the Van Allen belt actually shields lower orbiting satellites from solar and background radiation.
By contract, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites appear to zoom around the earth, sometimes orbiting the earth multiple times each day. For example, a satellite orbiting 800 kilometers above the earth must travel faster than 26,000 kilometers per hour to maintain orbit. A ground station communicates with low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites during fixed windows as the satellite traverses the sky, but because the distance between the satellite and the ground station is only 800 milliseconds, a ground station can rapidly send inquiries and receive responses with a brief 2-3 millisecond delay. LEO satellites can also be significantly more cost effective to place into orbit than GEO satellites, so it is relatively easier to expand a LEO satellite network ring 200.
Due to the differences in connection window, price, and latency different satellite orbits are used for different communication purposes. The half second communications delay makes a geostationary satellite an ineffective node for telephone conversations or general purpose internet access, but that same delay is not noticeable for broadcast services such as satellite television, satellite radio, and even large downloads or on-demand streaming media services (e.g., Twitch® Youtube® or Netflix®) once the initial connection is established. The latency is generally attributed to a generally accepted "load time", and users don't differentiate between satellite communication delays and local buffering. By contract, LEO satellites may be inferior to GEO satellites for some systems requiring prolonged, stable connection periods such as broadcasting.
Additionally satellites can communicate between each other, both within a single orbit (e.g., LEO or GEO) or between multiple different orbits (e.g., LEO to different elevation LEO, LEO to different orbital plane LEO, or LEO to GEO). Indeed, LEO satellites frequently communicate with GEO satellites as they pass through the GEO satellites coverage area(s).
Different satellites carry different types of communications arrays, including but not limited to infrared, radio frequency, optical laser, etc. A single satellite may include multiple different communications arrays including capabilities to communicate within multiple different frequency ranges. Common satellite communication ranges include, but are not limited to the L-band, S-band, C-band, X-band, Ku-band, K-band, Ka-band, V-band, and W-band, all within the range of microwave frequency communication).
In some instances, it may be desirable to transmit information from a first satellite to a second satellite. Traditionally, the first satellite would transmit to a ground station, the information would be sent via ground-based communications systems (e.g., cables, antennae, towers, etc.) around the world to a second ground station capable of transmitting that information to the second satellite. Even if the first satellite and second satellite are relatively close to each other, communication between the first satellite and second satellite required an intermediary ground station.
In other instances a satellite on one side of the world may need to transmit information to a distant location on the surface of the Earth outside the satellite's range. Historically, the first satellite would communicate with a ground station in the first satellite's coverage area and that communication would be transmitted via ground-based communications systems to the intended recipient.
The combination of ground-based communications and ground station to satellite communication introduces delays and potential inefficiencies. Each medium is subject to different limitations, restrictions, and latency, so combining the two communications media subjects the information to both sets of drawbacks.
Because satellites are often limited to the hardware available and included at initial launch, there is not much opportunity to upgrade satellites once set in orbit. The ground station may upload some software upgrades or navigation/logistics commands to the satellite, but hardware upgrades it is not generally feasible to update existing satellites, especially geosynchronous satellites due to their significant distance, to add functionality or communication.
Accordingly the inventors have recognized that there is a need for an improved satellite network ring 200 that adds functionality to new and existing satellites by connecting a network of inter-connected (or "cross-strapped") satellites capable of bridging the connection between other satellites and ground stations.

Intermediary satellite network for cross-strapping and local network decongestion


In view of the fact that in line processing, when processing is performed to a certain depth, the processing does not advance with the passage of a further processing time, a processing apparatus is provided which can appropriately control the depth of grooves in linear groove processing and perform the processing at high speed. A line width and line depth are calculated so as to minimize a processing time of processing on a line to a required depth and processing is performed using the width and line depth as set values of processing. Furthermore, processing is performed with the area in which the beam is actually irradiated superimposed on the scanned image of a focused ion beam and displayed on a screen. In the case of an ion beam inclined with respect to the sample surface, processing is also performed by displaying the area where the beam is actually irradiated by taking the inclination of the sample with respect to the beam into consideration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charged particle beam processing apparatus, and relates, for example, to a charged particle beam processing apparatus that processes, when processing grooves linearly, a sample by forming the grooves to a desired depth in the sample.
2. Background Art
Transmission electron microscopes generally require thin lamina having a thickness on the order of 0.1 μm as samples. According to a conventional method, a micro piece including observation locations is cut out from a sample, thinned by means of mechanical polishing and then a thin lamina having a thickness on the order of 0.1 μm is created using an ion milling apparatus.
In recent years, focused ion beams are being more and more used to create such thin samples. Enabling observation and processing, a focused ion beam apparatus can create a thin sample including desired observation locations processed to a size on the order of 10 μm and a thickness on the order of 0.1 μm.
Therefore, when observing, for example, a semiconductor device using a transmission electron microscope, the use of a focused ion beam makes it possible to identify observation locations and create a thin sample including the observation locations. Such a sample creation method using a focused ion beam is reported in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2.
Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus and method for focused ion beam processing using a column which is inclined with respect to a wafer and a rotation function of a stage. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a method (sampling method) of cutting out a thin-lamina sample piece using a focused ion beam and a sampling probe.
[Patent Document 1] JP Patent Publication (Kohyo) No. 2002-503870
[Patent Document 2] JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-52721
[Non-Patent Document 1] "When Preparing Sample for TEM Using Focused Ion Beam" Surface Science Vol. 16, No. 12, pp 755-760, 1995
[Non-Patent Document 2] "Transmission Electron Microscope Sample Preparation Using a Focused Ion Beam"; J Electron Microscope 43, pp 322-326, 1994
[Non-Patent Document 3] Yamamura, Y., "Energy Dependence Of Ion-induced Sputtering Yields From Monatomic Solids At Normal Incidence," At.Dat, &Nuc.Dat.Tab.62 (1996) 149)

Charged particle beam processing apparatus


A new and distinct variety of miniature rose with long lasting, novel red flowers, and abundant dark green and attractive foliage. It exhibits compact, uniform growth and flowering under greenhouse conditions when grown as a potted floral plant. The new variety propagates well from cuttings and by grafting. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation.

The new variety of miniature rose plant of the present invention originated from a controlled crossing in a breeding program between 'KORkleiva', a patented rose described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,232 issued on Feb. 22, 2000, and 'Poulrac' a patented rose described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,543 issued on Oct. 3, 2000.
The two parents were crossed and the resulting seeds were planted in a controlled greenhouse environment. The resulting seedlings exhibited distinctive physical and biological characteristics. The new rose plant was selected in as a single plant from the seedling beds due to its superior characteristics and asexually propagated for further evaluation. This new and distinctive miniature rose variety is named 'KORpolare'.

W. Kordes' Söhne Rosenschulen GmbH & Co KG


A camshaft of a combustion engine may include a drive element and first and second roller bearings for mounting the camshaft in the combustion engine. The drive element and at least the first roller bearing may be adjacent and exchangeable with one another.

Camshafts are usually mounted in combustion engines of motor vehicles by means of roller bearings, because such roller bearings make possible a reduction of the bearing friction and hence a reduced fuel consumption. The individual roller bearings of the camshaft are, however, differently stressed here, wherein the greatest stress usually occurs on a drive element, in particular on a driving toothed wheel. Especially in utility vehicles, high bearing stresses occur in the region of the drive element, which in certain circumstances lead to a premature wear and hence to a high maintenance expenditure, based on the fact that usually the entire camshaft has to be dismantled, in order to replace the individual roller bearings.


A three-terminal snapback device is utilized with a control circuit to provide a low snapback voltage that is protected from non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples. In response to a fast edge, the control circuit lowers the snapback voltage, unless a status signal indicates that normal operating voltages are present, and raises the snapback voltage a predefined time later. If the fast edge represents an ESD pulse, SCR operation is initiated at the lowered snapback voltage. If the fast edge represents a power on sequence, the maximum voltage is less than the momentarily lowered snapback voltage and therefore insufficient to initiate SCR operation. Further, once normal operating voltages are present, the control circuit continuously maintains the raised snapback voltage so that a non-ESD voltage spike or ripple can not improperly turn on the snapback device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electro-static discharge (ESD) protection circuit and, more particularly, to an ESD protection circuit with a low snapback voltage that is protected from non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples.
2. Description of the Related Art
A silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) is a device that provides an open circuit between a first node and a second node when the voltage across the first and second nodes is positive and less than a snapback voltage. When the voltage across the first and second nodes rises to be equal to or greater than the snapback voltage, the SCR provides a low-resistance current path between the first and second nodes. Further, once the low-resistance current path has been provided, the SCR maintains the current path as long as the voltage across the first and second nodes is equal to or greater than a holding voltage that is lower than the snapback voltage.
As a result of these characteristics, SCRs have been used to provide electro-static discharge (ESD) protection. When used as an ESD protection circuit, the first node becomes a to-be-protected node, and the second node becomes a reference node. The SCR operates within an ESD protection window that has a maximum voltage defined by the destructive breakdown level of the to-be-protected node, and a minimum voltage (also known as a latch-up voltage) defined by any dc bias on the to-be-protected node. The snapback voltage of the SCR is then set to a value that is less than the maximum voltage of the window.
Thus, when the voltage across the to-be-protected node and the reference node is less than the snapback voltage, the SCR provides an open circuit between the to-be-protected node and the reference node. However, when the to-be-protected node receives a voltage spike that equals or exceeds the snapback voltage, such as when an ungrounded human-body contact occurs, the SCR provides a low-resistance current path from the to-be-protected node to the reference node. In addition, once the ESD event has passed and the voltage on the to-be-protected node falls below the holding voltage, the SCR again provides an open circuit between the to-be-protected node and the reference node.
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view that illustrates a prior-art SCR 100. As shown in FIG. 1, SCR 100 includes a p−semiconductor substrate 110, an n+ buried layer 112 that is formed in the top surface of p− semiconductor substrate 110, and an n− epitaxial layer 114 that is grown on p− semiconductor substrate 110.
SCR 100 also includes an n− well 120, a p− well 122, and a number of shallow trench isolation regions 124 that are formed in n− epitaxial layer 114. In addition, SCR 100 includes an n+ region 130 and an p+ region 132 that are formed in n− well 120, separated by a shallow trench isolation region 124, and electrically connected together and to a to-be-protected node 134. As shown in FIG. 1, p+ region 132 lies closer to p− well 122 than does n+ region 130.
In addition, SCR 100 includes an n+ region 140 and a p+ region 142 that are formed in p− well 122, separated by a shallow trench isolation region 124, and electrically connected together and to a reference node 144. As shown in FIG. 1, n+ region 140 lies closer to n− well 120 than does p+ region 142.
In operation, when the voltage across nodes 134 and 144 is positive and less than the snapback voltage, the voltage reverse biases the junction between n-well 120 and p-well 122. The reverse-biased junction, in turn, blocks charge carriers from flowing from node 134 to node 144. However, when the voltage across nodes 134 and 144 is positive and equal to or greater than the snapback voltage, the reverse-biased junction breaks down due to avalanche multiplication.
The breakdown of the junction causes a large number of holes to be injected into p− well 122, and a large number of electrons to be injected into n− well 120. The increased number of holes increases the potential of p− well 122 in the region that lies adjacent to n+ region 140, and eventually forward biases the junction between p− well 122 and n+ region 140.
When the increased potential forward biases the junction, a npn transistor that utilizes n+ region 140 as the emitter, p− well 122 as the base, and n− well 120 as the collector turns on. When turned on, n+ (emitter) region 140 injects electrons into (base) p− well 122. Most of the injected electrons diffuse through (base) p− well 122 and are swept from (base) p− well 122 into (collector) n-well 120 by the electric field that extends across the junction. The electrons in (collector) n− well 120 are then collected by n+ region 130.
A small number of the electrons injected into (base) p− well 122 recombine with holes in (base) p− well 122 and are lost. The holes lost to recombination with the injected electrons are replaced by holes injected into (base) p− well 122 by the broken-down reverse-biased junction and, as described below, by the collector current of a pnp transistor, thereby providing the base current.
The electrons that are injected and swept into n− well 120 also decrease the potential of n− well 120 in the region that lies adjacent to p+ region 132, and eventually forward bias the junction between p+ region 132 and n− well 120. When the decreased potential forward biases the junction between p+ region 132 and n− well 120, a pnp transistor formed from p+ region 132, n− well 120, and p− well 122 turns on.
When turned on, p+ (emitter) region 132 injects holes into (base) n− well 120. Most of the injected holes diffuse through (base) n− well 120 and are swept from (base) n− well 120 into (collector) p− well 122 by the electric field that extends across the junction. The holes in (collector) p− well 122 are then collected by p+ region 142.
A small number of the holes injected into (base) n− well 120 recombine with electrons in (base) n− well 120 and are lost. The electrons lost to recombination with the injected holes are replaced by electrons flowing into n− well 120 as a result of the broken-down reverse-biased junction, and n− well 120 being the collector of the npn transistor. Thus, a small part of the npn collector current forms the base current of the pnp transistor.
Similarly, as noted above, the holes swept into (collector) p− well 122 also provide the base current holes necessary to compensate for the holes lost to recombination with the diffusing electrons injected by n+ (emitter) region 140. Thus, a small part of the pnp collector current forms the base current of the npn transistor.
Thus, n+ region 140 injects electrons that provide both the electrons for the collector current of the npn transistor as well as the electrons for the base current of the pnp transistor. At the same time, p+ region 132 injects holes that provide both the holes for the collector current of the pnp transistor as well as the holes for the base current of the npn transistor.
One of the advantages of SCR 100 over other ESD protection devices, such as a grounded-gate MOS transistor, is the double injection provided by n+ region 140 and p+ region 132 of SCR 100. With double injection, SCR 100 provides current densities (after snapback) that are about ten times greater than the densities provided by a grounded-gate MOS device, thus increasing the ESD protection capability. (Protection capability can be defined as the required contact width of the structure required to protect from a given ESD pulse amplitude, or the maximum protected ESD pulse amplitude for a given contact width.)
One of the disadvantages of SCR 100, however, is that a very large positive voltage, e.g., 50 volts, must be dropped across nodes 134 and 144 before the junction between n− well 120 and p− well 122 breaks down. As a result, SCR 100 can not be used to protect devices, such as MOS transistors, that can be permanently damaged by much lower voltages, e.g., 15 volts.
One solution to this problem, known as a laterally diffused MOS (LDMOS) SCR, incorporates a high-voltage LDMOS transistor into SCR 100. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view that illustrates a prior art LDMOS SCR 200. LDMOS SCR 200 and SCR 100 are similar and, as a result, utilize the same reference numerals to designate the structures that are common to both devices.
As shown in FIG. 2, LDMOS SCR 200 differs from SCR 100 in that LDMOS SCR 200 includes a channel region 210 of p− well 122, a layer of gate oxide 212 that is formed on epitaxial layer 114, and a gate 214 that is formed on gate oxide layer 210 over channel region 210 and a portion of n− well 120. In addition, gate 214 is connected to reference node 144 via a resistor R.
In operation, LDMOS SCR 200 operates the same as SCR 100 except that gate 214 substantially lowers the snapback voltage. During an ESD event, the voltages on n+ region 130 and n− well 120 rise quickly with respect to the voltage (ground) on p+ region 142 and p− well 122. In addition, n− well 122 is capacitively coupled to gate 214. As a result, the voltage on gate 214 also rises quickly, and turns on the NMOS transistor operation of LDMOS SCR 200.
When the NMOS transistor operation of LDMOS SCR 200 turns on, electrons flow from n+ region 140 to n+ region 130. The rising voltage on n− well 120 along with the flow of electrons into n− well 120 causes the pn junction between n− well 120 and p− well 122 to break down at a much lower snapback voltage than the snapback voltage of SCR 100. Once the pn junction breaks down, LDMOS SCR 200 continues to operate the same as SCR 100.
One problem with LDMOS SCR 200 is that, because of the low snapback voltage, LDMOS SCR 200 is susceptible to improperly turning on in response to non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples. For example, when LDMOS SCR 200 is utilized to ESD protect an input voltage pin (e.g., node 134 is connected to the input voltage pin and node 144 is connected to a ground pin) of a high-voltage switcher, such as a high-voltage buck converter, the high-voltage signals output by the switcher can cause non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples to appear on the input voltage pin of the switcher, and thereby on node 134 of LDMOS SCR 200. Since LDMOS SCR 200 has a relatively low snapback voltage, the non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples on node 134 can cause LDMOS SCR 200 to improperly turn on.
Thus, there is a need for an ESD protection circuit with a low snapback voltage that is protected from non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples.

ESD protection circuit with a low snapback voltage that is protected from fast non-ESD voltage spikes and ripples


Introduced here are health management platforms able to monitor changes in the health state of a subject based on the context of digital activities performed by, or involving, the subject. Initially, a health management platform can identify a physiological response by examining physiological data associated with a subject. Then, the health management platform can identify a stimulus presented by an electronic device that provoked the physiological response by examining contextual data associated with the subject. The contextual data may be in the form of a screenshot of a computer program in use by the subject during the physiological response. In some embodiments, the health management platform prompts the subject to specify whether the physiological response is a positive physiological response that resulted in an upward shift in health or a negative physiological response that resulted in a downward shift in health.

Contemporary research has begun exploring how stimuli presented by electronic devices affect the health state. Such research has considered emotion as a predictor of media selection, an outcome of media exposure, a mediator of other psychological/behavioral outcomes resulting from media exposure, etc. For example, several studies have examined the emotional consequences of using social media (e.g., photo-sharing social networking services, video-sharing social networking services, and micro-blogging social networking services). These studies have shown that the use of social media can cause positive and negative feelings, which can facilitate or hinder the development of social capital and social connectedness.
The drawings depict various embodiments for the purpose of illustration only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative embodiments may be employed without departing from the principles of the technology. Accordingly, while specific embodiments are shown in the drawings, the technology is amenable to various modifications.

Suggesting behavioral adjustments based on physiological responses to stimuli on electronic devices


A body cover being formed by joining together a plurality of cover members including a maintenance cover which is detachably disposed on the side of the power unit. A pedal which is actuated by an individual operating the vehicle wherein the overall body frame is covered without modifying the structure and arrangement of the pedal. A suspension system wherein a swing arm type or an independent suspension type may be used in the vehicle. A light structure for a tail light wherein attaching lighting components such as a light emitting section are attached to a substrate formed in part of a lid of a utility box attached to a rear part of a vehicle. The lighting components such as the substrate are directly assembled in the concave section, and a lens is attached to the concave section by welding.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 1-29194 discloses a buggy vehicle wherein the overall body frame is covered by an overall body cover that is integrally formed of a synthetic resin.
Since the overall body cover is formed integrally in the conventional buggy vehicle, the assembling of the body cover to the body frame is unsatisfactory. In addition, since it is necessary to remove the overall body cover for maintenance of the power unit, maintenance performance is also unsatisfactory.
A buggy vehicle is known that is configured such that a bracket is provided rearwardly of and below a center frame and the front portion of a swing arm is swingably supported by the bracket. See, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-302076.
Rear suspension systems are known for all terrain vehicles that include the independent suspension type as well as the swing arm type as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-302076. Body frames having different structures have been individually used for such respective appropriate rear suspension systems. If the body frame can be shared by the swing arm type and the independent suspension type, however, a cost reduction can be achieved.
An all terrain vehicle is known wherein a brake pedal is disposed on the side of a power unit mounted on a body frame. See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-81280.
Buggy vehicles such as all terrain Vehicles are generally configured such that a power unit is not surrounded and covered by a body cover. More specifically, the power unit is normally exposed to the outside as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-81280. Such conventional buggy vehicles have a gear change pedal and a brake pedal that are disposed outside from the body cover.
However, if a body cover is arranged to cover the overall body frame including a power unit in order to enhance the external appearance, it is necessary to dispose a pedal to be placed on the side of the power unit at a position not interfering with the body cover. With such an arrangement, it is desired to cover the overall body frame with the body cover without modifying the structure and arrangement of the pedal.
Conventionally, a light structure for a vehicle light is known wherein storage sections are provided in a vehicle and technology is available for attaching a light unit, formed by housing lamplight components such as a base and a light emitting body etc. within a case mounted in the storage sections for each case. See, for example, Japanese Patent Publication Hei. 6-57542.
However, since a light unit is inserted into the storage sections provided in the vehicle for each case, both the storage sections and the cases are required. Thus, there is a desire to reduce the number of components.


In a drive controller for a vehicle including: a drive source configured to output a drive force to a first axle serving as one of front and rear wheel axles; an electric motor configured to output a drive force to a second axle serving as the other of the front and rear wheel axles; a one-way power transmission device disposed on a power transmission pathway between the second axle and the electric motor so as to transmit a power drive force from the electric motor to the second axle; a two-way power transmission device that transmits a rotation power from the second axle to the electric motor or transmits the power drive force and a regeneration drive force from the electric motor to the second axle, the drive controller includes: a first detector that detects a speed of the vehicle or a rotation speed of the second axle; a target rotation speed determination section that determines a target rotation speed of the electric motor based on the speed of the vehicle or the rotation speed of the second axle; a second detector that detects a rotation speed of the electric motor; and a controller that controls the electric motor such that the rotation speed of the electric motor is synchronized with the target rotation speed and that controls an output torque of the electric motor or an activation of the two-way power transmission device, when the electric motor starts power drive or regeneration drive while the vehicle is traveling by the drive force from the drive source.

As a vehicle drive unit, a device has been devised in which the left and right axles of a vehicle are connected to a differential apparatus and drive power is transmitted to the differential apparatus via a speed reduction mechanism using an electric motor coaxially disposed on the outer circumferential side of one of the axles (for example, refer to Patent document 1).
This drive unit 100 is, as shown in FIG. 35, equipped with an electric motor 102 for driving axles, a planetary gear reducer 112 for reducing the drive rotation speed of this electric motor 102, and a differential apparatus 113 for distributing the output of this planetary gear reducer 112 to the left and right axles 110A and 110B of a vehicle, wherein the planetary gear reducer 112 and the electric motor 102 are disposed coaxially with each other on the outer circumferential side of the axle 110B, one of the axles connected to the differential apparatus 113. Furthermore, the sun gear 121 and the planetary carrier 123 of the electric motor 112 are connected to the rotor 115 of the electric motor 102 and the differential case 131 of the differential apparatus 113, respectively, the ring gear 124 of the planetary gear reducer 112 is rotatably accommodated in the reducer case 111 that is secured to a vehicle body, and a hydraulic brake 128 for applying a braking force to the ring gear 124 by engaging the ring gear 124 with the reducer case 111 is provided between the ring gear 124 and the reducer case 111.
When the braking force is applied to the ring gear 124 by the hydraulic brake 128, the ring gear 124 is secured to the reducer case 111, and the drive power input from the rotor 115 of the electric motor 102 to the sun gear 121 is transmitted to the differential case 131 of the differential apparatus 113 while speed is reduced by a preset reduction ratio. The drive power transmitted to the differential case 131 is distributed to the left and right axles 110A and 110B of the vehicle by the differential apparatus 113. Moreover, when the braking force applied from the hydraulic brake 128 is shut off, the ring gear 124 rotates freely with respect to the reducer case 111. Hence, for example, when the braking force applied by the hydraulic brake 128 is shut off in a state in which the rotation speed of the axles 110A and 110B is higher than that required for the driving of the electric motor 102, the ring gear 124 idly rotates inside the reducer case 111 depending on extra rotation on the sides of the axles 110A and 110B, and the rotations of the axles 110A and 110B are not input to the electric motor 102. Hence, in the case that the driving and regeneration of the electric motor 102 are not necessary, accompanied rotation of the electric motor 102 can be prevented by shutting off the application of the braking force of the hydraulic brake 128, whereby improvement in fuel consumption is attained.
FIG. 37 is an overall view showing a hybrid vehicle described in Patent document 2. Furthermore, FIG. 38 is a view showing a torque transmission mechanism for use in the hybrid vehicle described in Patent document 2. The hybrid vehicle H shown in FIGS. 37 and 38 can travel by virtue of at least either one of an engine 101 and a motor 102. The hybrid vehicle H is equipped with a clutch mechanism 106, a connection control mechanism 141 and a rotation speed control mechanism 122.
In the clutch mechanism 106, a one-way clutch 105 for transmitting the torque of the motor 102 to the drive side in the case that the vehicle starts traveling from its stop state and a hydraulic clutch 104 for hydraulically connecting the output shaft 121 of the motor 102 to a drive shaft 103 are provided in parallel with the drive shaft 103. The connection control mechanism 141 disengages the hydraulic clutch 104 in the case that the rotation speed of the motor 102 is equal to or more than its allowable rotation speed and reengages the hydraulic clutch 104 in the case that an operation condition in which the rotation of the motor 102 is allowable is obtained. As shown in FIG. 39, at the time of the reengagement, the rotation speed control mechanism 122 performs control in which the rotation speed of the motor 102 is raised sharply to a rotation speed (changeover rotation speed r) lower than a target rotation speed R by a predetermined value and then the rotation speed of the motor 102 is raised gradually to the target rotation speed R.
In this hybrid vehicle H, by virtue of the control performed by the rotation speed control mechanism 122, a phenomenon in which the rotation speed of the motor 102 overshoots the target rotation speed R can be avoided, and the output shaft 121 of the motor 102 is smoothly engaged with the one-way clutch 105. Hence, a mechanical shock that occurs in the case that the output shaft 121 of the motor 102 is suddenly engaged with the one-way clutch 105 can be avoided.


Lightweight high-efficiency, high temperature electric drive system is disclosed herein. An example electric drive system including an electric motor including an output shaft. The example electric drive system including power electronics electrically coupled to the electric motor, wherein the power electronic include an inverter. The example electric drive system including a gearbox coupled to the output shaft. The example electric drive system including a first heat exchanger coupled to a surface of the electric motor, the first heat exchanger including coolant. The example electric drive system including a second heat exchanger coupled to a surface of the power electronics, the second heat exchanger including the coolant.

Motor drive system can generate mechanical (rotational) energy to drive a mechanical load using power electronics. Applications of the motor drive systems include electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, among others. Power electronics in a motor drive system could include direct current (DC) to DC converters, DC to alternating current (AC) inverters, AC to DC rectifiers, and AC to AC converters. Power electronic manufacturers can manufacture power electronics using semiconductor materials such a silicon carbide (SiC).
A highly integrated motor drive system includes a power electronics system (DC to AC inverter), an electric motor (eMotor), and a combined thermal management system (TMS). The TMS is also integrated with the power electronics systems and the electric motor. Therefore, resulting system is termed an electric drive (eDrive) with built-in thermal management. This eDrive system could have very high-power density and could synergistically use common cooling media (water and/or oil) for the power electronics and the motor, resulting in a simplified system architecture that requires far less space and volume in electric and hybrid vehicles.
The figures are not to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers or regions may be enlarged in the drawings. In general, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, region, or plate) is in any way on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part, indicates that the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween.
Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. Stating that any part is in "contact" with another part means that there is no intermediate part between the two parts. Although the figures show layers and regions with clean lines and boundaries, some or all of these lines and/or boundaries may be idealized. In reality, the boundaries and/or lines may be unobservable, blended, and/or irregular.
Descriptors "first," "second," "third," etc. are used herein when identifying multiple elements or components which may be referred to separately. Unless otherwise specified or understood based on their context of use, such descriptors are not intended to impute any meaning of priority, physical order or arrangement in a list, or ordering in time but are merely used as labels for referring to multiple elements or components separately for ease of understanding the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor "first" may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while the same element may be referred to in a claim with a different descriptor such as "second" or "third." In such instances, it should be understood that such descriptors are used merely for ease of referencing multiple elements or components.


A cooling system includes a radiator for radiating heat of a coolant heated by a fuel cell, and a first main pipe line and a second main pipe line which allow coolant to circulate between the fuel cell and the radiator. A thermostat is located midway through the second main pipe line and adapted to switch the circulation path for the coolant, and a bypass pipe line. The radiator includes a first tank connected to the first main pipe line, a second tank connected to the second main pipe line, and a cooling portion provided between the first tank and the second tank and adapted to perform heat exchange with the outside air. The thermostat is connected to the first tank by the bypass pipe line. The resulting configuration facilitates pipe line routing and increases the freedom of the layout of components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular cooling system having a heat source, such as a fuel cell or an engine, and a radiator for radiating heat of coolant heated by the heat source. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicular cooling system having a selector switch such as a thermostat for switching the coolant circulation path.
2. Description of Background Art
In recent years, there have been developed fuel cell vehicles in which electric power generated by a fuel cell system is supplied to a motor and wheels are driven by the motor. In the above-mentioned fuel cell system, electric power is generated by chemical reaction between hydrogen as fuel gas and oxygen as reactant gas in a fuel cell stack (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "fuel cell"). Here, oxygen is taken in from the air through a compressor, and hydrogen is supplied from a high-pressure fuel cylinder.
A fuel cell generates heat through chemical reaction. For efficient power generation, excess heat must be radiated away to cool the fuel cell to keep it within an appropriate temperature range. For efficient heat radiation, such as a fuel cell vehicle disclosed in JP-A No. 2005-119600, for example, a water-cooling type cooling system may be employed to cool the fuel cell and radiate heat out of the heated cooling water by a radiator.
In the fuel cell vehicle disclosed in JP-A No. 2005-119600, a reservoir tank is provided above the fuel cell, and the reservoir tank is provided with a degassing mechanism capable of automatically removing air entering the coolant.
Although the reservoir tank described in JP-A No. 2005-119600 above allows removal of air entering the pipeline in the cooling system, it is difficult to release air entering the fuel cell to the pipeline or the reservoir tank. Accordingly, the air in the fuel cell may remain in an upper part of the fuel cell for a long time, resulting in deterioration in cooling efficiency.
Further, when the temperature is below an appropriate temperature and a warm-up is required, the circulation path for coolant may be switched by a thermostat (see, for example, JP-A No. H11-93666) to allow the coolant to be bypassed without passing through the radiator, thereby promoting temperature rise.
In a fuel cell motorcycle, a large number of components such as a fuel cell, a supercharger, and a humidifier must be disposed within a narrow confined space. Accordingly, it is desirable that routing of the pipe line between these components can be easily performed so as not to interfere with the layout of other components. It is desirable that not only the pipe line of a supply system for fuel gas and reactant gas to which a supercharger, a humidifier, and so on are connected, but also the pipe line in the cooling system be disposed in an appropriate manner so as not to affect the arrangement of other components.
Further, typical motorcycles or four-wheeled vehicles are also mounted with a cooling system having an engine and an electric motor as heat sources and a radiator for cooling these components. Since these vehicles do not necessarily have a large engine room, the pipe line arrangement in the cooling system must be performed in an appropriate manner.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling system for a fuel cell vehicle which allows efficient removal of air entering a fuel cell. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicular cooling system which allows easy pipe line routing and an increase in the freedom of the layout of components.


An apparatus for attachable sensory assembly includes a plurality of gear tracks, a sensory device, a first structure, and a second structure. The sensory device is suspended by the first structure and the second structure, where the sensory device is moveable along a length of the first structure and a length of the second structure. A first end and a second end of the first structure are each disposed on a first portion of the plurality of gear tracks, where the first portion of the plurality of gear tracks guide the first end and the second end of the first structure. A first end and a second end of the second structure are each disposed on a second portion the plurality of gear tracks, where the second portion of the plurality of gear tracks guide the first end and the second end of the second structure.

A machine rack, or server rack, typically includes various electrical equipment and components configurable according to customer requirements. Each machine rack is unique due to the numerous combinations of electrical equipment and mounting options possible when meeting each specific customer requirement. Visual and audible monitoring of the various equipment on the machine rack is typically manually performed by an administrative user, where the administrative user is located onsite and requires physical access to the machine rack to perform the visual and audible monitoring to register readings. The administrative user may not always be available to perform the visual and audible monitoring to register readings during critical events (e.g., machine failure or error) that require immediate action to prevent additional damage to the electronic equipment.

International Business Machines Corporation


A catalyst for the synthesis of methyl mercaptan from hydrogen sulfide and methanol as well as a process for preparation of the catalyst. The catalyst is an active aluminum oxide onto which 5 to 25% by weight potassium tungstate is deposited as an activator. A two-stage impregnation with intermediate drying produces a catalyst which exhibits distinctly better selectivity for formation of methyl mercaptan than catalysts obtained by single-stage impregnation.

The present invention relates to a catalyst for the synthesis of methyl mercaptan from methanol and hydrogen sulfide, and a process for preparing this catalyst. In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a process for the synthesis of methyl mercaptan utilizing the aforesaid catalyst.
Methyl mercaptan is an important industrial intermediate for the synthesis of methionine and for production of dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethyl sulfone. At present it is produced predominantly from methanol and hydrogen sulfide by reaction in the presence of an aluminum oxide catalyst. Methyl mercaptan is usually synthesized in the gas phase at temperatures from 300.degree. C. to 500.degree. C. and at pressures of 1 to 25 bar.
The reaction gas mixture contains not only the methyl mercaptan produced but also the unreacted starting materials and byproducts such as dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl ether, as well as gases which are inert in this reaction, such as methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen. The methyl mercaptan produced is separated from this reaction mixture.
If the reaction of hydrogen sulfide and methanol is carried out in the presence of the catalyst at elevated pressure so that the product of methyl mercaptan preparation is at elevated pressure (more than 7 bar), methyl mercaptan can, for example, be separated by washing with methanol at a washer head temperature of 25.degree. C., as described in German patent 17 68 826. If the reaction product is at normal pressure, it is necessary to recover the product at temperatures down to -60.degree. C. (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 45-10728) to obtain the methyl mercaptan in liquid form. The unreacted hydrogen sulfide can be returned to the reactor, as described in German Patent 17 68 826.
The highest possible selectivity is required in the catalytic reaction of methanol and hydrogen sulfide to produce methyl mercaptan, so as to keep the cost of separating the methyl mercaptan produced as low as possible, for the process to be economically feasible. Here the cost of energy for cooling the reaction gas mixture to condense the methyl mercaptan is a major cost factor.
The aluminum oxide catalyst is usually activated with potassium tungstate to increase its activity and selectivity. The activator is usually used in proportions of up to 15% of the total weight of the catalyst. The activity and selectivity can also be improved by increasing the molar ratio of hydrogen sulfide to methanol. Usually molar ratios of 1 to 10 are used.
A high molar ratio, of course, means that the hydrogen sulfide is in great excess in the reaction gas mixture, so that large volumes of gas must be recirculated. The ratio of hydrogen sulfide to methanol should be only slightly different from 1 to reduce the cost of energy for recirculation. It is also desirable to carry out the reaction at the lowest possible temperature to reduce heat loss from the reactor.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,062 describes a process for producing organic thiols using an activated aluminum oxide catalyst which has been activated with potassium tungstate in proportions of 1.5% to 15% by weight, based on the weight of the catalyst. This catalyst gives good activities and selectivities at a reaction temperature of 400.degree. C. and a molar ratio of 2. This U.S. patent mentions various possibilities for incorporating the potassium tungstate into the aluminum oxide, including impregnation processes, coprecipitations, and simple mixtures. The actual catalyst production is considered of little importance to the economics of the process for methyl mercaptan synthesis.
An object of this invention is to improve the methyl mercaptan synthesis in terms of improved activity and selectivity at low molar ratios of hydrogen sulfide to methanol, in comparison with the known methods using known catalysts, and which therefore gives a more economical process.

Catalyst, process for its preparation, and use for synthesis of methyl mercaptan


A linear motor (10), a linear compressor (100), a method of controlling a linear compressor (100), a cooling system (20) and a system of controlling a linear compressor (100) to operate a linear compressor (100) in resonance in it's the greatest possible efficiency throughout its operation are described. One of the ways of achieving these objectives is by means of a linear compressor (100) applicable to a cooling system (20), the linear compressor (100) comprising a piston (1) driven by a linear motor (10), the piston (1) having displacement range controlled by means of a controlled voltage (VM), the controlled voltage (VM) having a voltage frequency (φP) applied to the linear motor (10) and adjusted by a processing unit (22), the range of piston (1) displacement being dynamically controlled in function of a variable demand of the cooling system (20), the linear compressor (100) having a resonance frequency, the processing unit (22) adjusting the range of piston (1) displacement, so that the linear compressor (100) will be dynamically kept on resonance throughout the variations in demand of the cooling system (20).

A resonant linear motor essentially comprises a linear motor, for example, a linear motor coupled to a resonant mechanism, which may comprise a spring, or to a to any load that produces a spring effect, to generate a resonant movement between the linear motor and the load. The applications of this type of linear motor may include driving fluid pumps in general, which can actuate variable loads.
Typical examples of this type of construction are linear motors employed on linear compressors that are often applied to cooling systems, due to its efficiency in terms of economy of electric energy. A linear compressor 100 employed on a cooling system is, as shown in FIG. 1, usually mounted inside a housing (not shown), the gas contained in this housing being under low pressure and being aspirated and compressed by the linear compressor for release in a high-pressure environment 7.
The gas compression mechanism takes place by axial movement of the piston 1 inside a cylinder 2 having a head 3; suction 3a and discharge 3b valves being positioned at the head 3, these valves regulating the entry and exit of gas in and out of the cylinder 2. The piston 1 is driven by a linear motor 10, which is formed by a stator 411 having a coil 11 and a support 4. The stator 411, in turn, actuates a magnet 5 that impels the actuator, in this case the piston 1, the actuator being associated to a helical-type spring 8, forming the resonant assembly of the linear compressor 100.
The resonant assembly, driven by the linear motor 10 that has the function of producing a linear reciprocating movement, causing the movement of the piston 1 inside the cylinder 2 to exert a compression action compressing the gas admitted by the suction valve 3a, to the extent where the latter can be discharged to the high-pressure side through the discharge valve 3b into the tubing 7.
The amplitude of the operation of the linear compressor 100 is regulated with the balance of the power generated by the linear motor 10 and the power consumed by the mechanism in compressing the gas plus other losses.
Another characteristic of the linear mechanism is the possibility of varying its pumping capacity, reducing the power of the electric motor, the operation amplitude in turn reducing the pumping capacity.
A parameter to be varied for controlling the amplitude of the linear compressor may be the feed voltage of the electric motor. From the feed voltage of the electric motor until the desired amplitude is achieved there are various coupled impedances, such as electric resistance of the electric motor, the inductance of the electric motor, capacitance if a capacitor is used, the counter-electromotive force, the impedances of the resonant system (mass/spring) and the compression work with its inherent losses. The impedance of this system depends upon the actuation frequency of the system, that is to say, the frequency of the voltage applied to the electric motor. At a certain frequency the output of this system is optimum, and this occurs when the mechanical system enters into resonance; at this frequency the output of the linear compressor is maximum.
"Gas Spring" Effect
The resonance frequency of the mechanism is not perfectly fixed. When compressed, the gas has a mechanical effect similar to the one of a spring (also known as "gas spring"), this "gas spring" is affected mainly by two factors: the distance between the piston and the valve plate and the pressures that the linear compressor operates.
The distance between the piston and the plate is altered when the piston stroke is reduced, generating an increase of the "gas spring" and in the resonance of the mechanism (this effect is the most relevant to the operation stability of the mechanism). In a cooling system, these two factors alter substantially, the pressures varying from the instant when the system is turned on until it reaches the operation condition, the operation condition is affected by the room temperature and the internal temperature of the cooler, the piston/plate distance is altered when the system needs more or less energy for its operation. In this way, the resonance frequency of the mechanical system varies due to various factors.

Linear motor, a linear compressor, a method of controlling a linear compressor, a cooling system, and a linear compressor controlling a system