A switching power supply apparatus which effectively utilizes energy accumulated in a leak inductance of a circuit to enhance the efficiency. The switching power supply apparatus having a switch element on/off controlled by a driving signal generated from a driver circuit, wherein a first capacitor and a first diode are inserted in series between both terminals of the switch , and a second capacitor and a second diode are further connected in series between a connecting point of the first capacitor and the first diode and a grounding terminal of the switch element to use charges accumulated on the second capacitor as a voltage source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching power supply apparatus for switching an input direct-current (DC) voltage with a switching element to convert the input DC voltage into an output DC voltage having a value different from the input voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, switching power supply apparatuses are known as DC-DC converters for converting an input DC voltage into an output DC voltage having a desired value.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a conventional DC-DC converter. In FIG. 1, a switching element 1 is on/off controlled by a driving signal 3 generated by a switching element driver circuit 2 to switch on or off a DC voltage of a DC power supply 4. A rectangular wave voltage 5 generated by the switching is converted into a DC voltage by a rectifying/smoothing circuit 6 and outputted from output terminals 7, 8. A part of the output voltage is fed back to the driver circuit 2 such that the driver circuit 2 outputs the driving signal 3 in accordance with the output voltage. For the switching element 1, an FET (field effect transistor), a bipolar transistor, or other semiconductor switching elements may be used.
Switching power supply apparatuses as described above have been widely utilized in recent years as power supply circuits for a variety of electronic systems such as information processing systems and so on because of their features of compact size and high efficiency.
FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a specific configuration of the circuit shown in FIG. 1, where portions having the same functions as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. Also, FIG. 2 illustrates a converter by using an FET as a switching element 1.
In FIG. 2, a driving signal 3 outputted from a driver circuit 2 is applied to a control terminal of the switching element 1 (the gate terminal of the FET) through a capacitor 9, a resistor 10 and a resistor 11 for a stable switching operation. The switching element 1 turns on when the driving signal 3 is at a positive voltage and turns off when the driving signal 3 is at zero voltage.
The on/off operation of the switching element 1 switches a current from a DC power supply 4 through a leak inductance 12 and a primary winding of a transformer 13, whereby a rectangular wave voltage is generated on the secondary side of the transformer 13. The rectangular wave voltage is converted into a DC voltage by a rectifying/smoothing circuit 6 including a diode 14 and a capacitor 15, and then outputted from output terminals 7, 8.
Generally, it is known that when a higher switching frequency is employed in a switching power supply apparatus, components thereof can be reduced in size. However, as the switching frequency becomes higher, the switching power supply apparatus tends to increase power loss in a voltage converting operation to such a degree that the power loss caused by an increase in the switching frequency reaches an amount which cannot be neglected with respect to the volume of the apparatus. Therefore, a switching frequency is restricted by a certain upper limit.
The power loss as mentioned above is predominantly caused by loss due to the overlapping of voltages and currents generated during a certain time period in a state transition of the switching element 1 from ON to OFF and from OFF to ON and loss due to the charging and discharging of a parasitic capacitance of the switching element 1, in addition to loss due to the capacitor and diode constituting the rectifying/smoothing circuit 6. For reducing the power loss when a switching operation is performed, it is necessary to reduce a transition time of the switching element 1 as much as possible. Conventionally, a variety of circuits have been proposed to meet this requirement.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of such proposed circuits which is disclosed in JP-A-53-132732.
In FIG. 3, a transformer 13 is provided with a tertiary winding 16, one end of which is connected to a control terminal of a switching element 1 through a resistor 17 and a capacitor 18.
According to this configuration, a flyback pulse, which is a negative voltage generated in the transformer 13 simultaneously with the switching element 1 turning OFF, is applied from the tertiary winding 16 to the control terminal of the switching element 1 through the resistor 17 and the capacitor 18, thereby promptly extracting charges accumulated in the parasitic capacitance of the switching element 1. In this way, the switching element 1 can promptly change from an ON state to an OFF state.
However, when the switching transition time is reduced as described above, a current flowing through the switching element 1 abruptly decreases when the switching element 1 turns OFF, so that energy accumulated in a leak inductance 12 and so on concentrates on the parasitic capacitance of the switching element 1 to abruptly generate a large surge voltage between the drain terminal and the source terminal of the switching element (FET) 1. Such a surge voltage, which causes noise, not only affects other circuit portions but also exceeds the break-down voltage of the switching element 1 depending upon the magnitude of accumulated energy, resulting in breakage of the switching element 1 in some cases. Further, since a major portion of the accumulated energy is eventually consumed by the switching element 1 as loss, the temperature of the switching element 1 rises to sometimes lead to breakage of the switching element 1. These problems are particularly significant in low voltage and large current applications even if switching power supply apparatuses have the same power capacity.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, a switching power supply apparatus having a snubber circuit 19 or 20 has been proposed as illustrated in FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, the snubber circuit 19, composed of a diode 21, a capacitor 22, and a resistor 23, is arranged in parallel with a primary winding of a transformer 13. Additionally, the snubber circuit 20, composed of a diode 24, a capacitor 25, and a resistor 26, is arranged in parallel with the switching element 1.
According to the above configuration, a surge voltage generated at the time the switching element 1 turns OFF is absorbed by the capacitor 22 through the diode 21 and is consumed by the resistor 23 in the snubber circuit 19. Likewise, a surge voltage generated on the drain side of the switching element 1 is absorbed by the capacitor 25 through the diode 24 and is consumed by the resistor 26 in the snubber circuit 20. In this way, the snubber circuits can reduce surge voltages and noise, and moreover protect the switching element 1 from breakage.
However, the circuit illustrated in FIG. 3 requires the tertiary winding 16 as a power supply for extracting accumulated charges in the switching element 1. If the tertiary winding 16 is not built in the switching power supply apparatus, a dedicated power supply must be externally provided, thus causing several problems such as increased power consumption, increased cost of parts, reduced efficiency, and so on.
On the other hand, when the snubber circuits 19, 20 are arranged as illustrated in FIG. 4, although they provide a large energy absorbing effect, the absorbed energy is consumed by the resistors 23, 26, thus causing problems such as a reduced efficiency, increased capacity and a larger cooling device, and so on.
Some switching power supply apparatuses have both a positive voltage output and a negative voltage output. This type of switching power supply apparatuses will hereinafter be called the "bipolar switching power supply apparatus".
FIG. 5 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a conventional bipolar switching power supply apparatus.
On a positive voltage output side in FIG. 5, a switching element 51 is on/off controlled by a driving signal 53 generated by a switching element control circuit 52 in order to switch a DC voltage from a DC power supply 54. A rectangular wave voltage 55 generated by the switching is converted into a DC positive voltage by a rectifying/smoothing circuit 56 and outputted from output terminals 57, 58. A part of the output voltage is fed back to the switching element control circuit 52 such that the switching element control circuit 52 outputs the driving signal 53 in accordance with the output voltage.
On a negative voltage output side in FIG. 5, a switching element 59 is on/off controlled by a driving signal 61 generated by a switching element control circuit 60 in order to switch the DC voltage from the DC power supply 54. A rectangular wave voltage 62 generated by the switching is converted into a DC negative voltage by a rectifying/smoothing circuit 63 and outputted from terminals 64, 58. A part of the output voltage is fed back to the switching element control circuit 60 such that the control circuit 60 outputs the driving signal 61 in accordance with the output voltage.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a specific configuration of the circuit shown in FIG. 5, where parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals. Also, FIG. 6 illustrates a bipolar switching power supply apparatus which employs bipolar transistors (hereinafter simply called the "transistors") for switching elements 51, 59.
In the illustrated circuit, a single DC power supply 54 is shared by positive and negative voltage outputs, and a buck chopper switching power supply circuit is used for the positive voltage output while a buck-boost chopper switching power supply circuit is used for the negative voltage output.
A rectifying/smoothing circuit 56 is composed of a flywheel diode 65, a choke coil 66, and a capacitor 67, while a rectifying/smoothing circuit 63 is composed of a flywheel diode 69, a choke coil 68, and a capacitor 70.
In FIG. 6, a driving signal 53, outputted from a control circuit 52, is applied to a control terminal of a switching element, i.e., the base terminal of the transistor 51. The transistor 51 turns ON when a forward bias is applied at the base terminal thereof by the driving signal 53, and turns OFF if no bias is applied by the driving signal 53.
On the positive voltage output side, the transistor 51 is switched in response to the driving signal 53 created by the control circuit 52 in order to switch an input voltage from the DC power supply 54 to stabilize an output voltage. When the transistor 51 turns ON, the input voltage supplies energy to the choke coil 66, the capacitor 67, and a load externally connected to the output terminals 57, 58. In this case, the energy is accumulated in the choke coil 66 by a current flowing through the choke coil 66.
Next, when the transistor 51 turns OFF, the energy accumulated in the choke coil 66 is supplied through the flywheel diode 65 to the capacitor 67 and to the load externally connected to the output terminals 57, 58. By the foregoing operations, a target positive voltage output is generated.
On the negative voltage output side, the transistor 59 is switched in response to a driving signal 61 created by a control circuit 60 in order to switch an input voltage from the DC power supply 54 to stabilize an output voltage. When the transistor 59 turns ON, a current flows from the DC power supply 54 through the transistor 59 and the choke coil 68, whereby energy is accumulated in the choke coil 68.
Next, when the transistor 59 turns OFF, the energy accumulated in the choke coil 68 is supplied through the flywheel diode 69 to the capacitor 70 and to a load externally connected to the terminals 64, 58. By the foregoing operations, a target negative voltage output is generated. In this way, the bipolar switching power supply apparatus is configured for generating both positive and negative outputs.
In the bipolar switching power supply apparatus configured according to the prior art as described above, although the DC power supply 54 is shared by the positive and negative voltage output circuits, the positive and negative voltage output sides respectively have their own switching power supply circuits. For this reason, each of the positive and negative voltage output sides must be provided with a relatively expensive control circuit, a switching element, an inductor element, and so on exclusively for its use, so that the cost required by the manufacturing of the associated circuits increases substantially proportional to the number of output circuits. In addition, since the control circuit is also composed of a large number of elements, a plurality of such control circuits, when incorporated in a single switching power supply apparatus, result in a complicated circuit configuration as a whole.
Generally, negative voltage outputs are often used in power supply applications for driving a microcomputer, for communications, and so on, and most of these applications require small output currents. However, the conventional bipolar switching power supply apparatus described above with reference to FIG. 6 is effective when large currents are required on both the positive and negative voltage output sides. Unfortunately, since no appropriate alternative circuit technique is available for providing a small output current on the negative voltage output side, the foregoing conventional bipolar switching power supply apparatus has been obliged to be used even for the small current applications.

Switching power supply apparatus with a return circuit that provides a return energy to a load


An aerodynamic, lightweight, flexible material flatbed top for enclosing a flatbed of a wheeled vehicle. The horizontal frame structure of front and side rails may be expansible. Inverted U-shaped cover support poles run front to rear and are mounted in the rectangular horizontal frame. A flexible material is stretched or draped over the support poles and secured to the frame structure. Cooperating locking and pivoting pin assemblies for each corner of the trailer top cooperate with corner brackets located at the deck corners of the flatbed to secure the top to the flatbed and to permit alternating rotation about an axis located at the front of the top or an axis located at the rear of the top to gain access into the space covered by the top on the flatbed.

The present invention relates to tops for flatbeds of wheeled vehicles, such as trucks or trailers, and more particularly to a quick-release removable flatbed top that is aerodynamical, lightweight, and capable of being pivotally opened about a rotational axis forwardly or rearwardly of the top.
Flatbeds are common in vehicles. Generally the flatbed of a trailer or motorized vehicle includes a horizontal surface or deck without walls or a ceiling. The advantage of flatbeds is that they permit the transport of any of a variety of structures or devices without concern for adequate side or vertical space because walls and ceilings are generally nonexistent on a flatbed.
Another significant advantage of flatbeds is that they are relatively lightweight with the absence of a ceiling and sidewalls which otherwise make for heavy rigid structures. Furthermore, with the absence of sidewalls and ceilings, flatbeds are relatively economical to purchase and more economical to transport without the significant and weighty sidewalls and ceiling.
There is a need for an aerodynamic, lightweight trailer top for enclosing flatbeds that quickly fastens onto a flatbed and is capable of opening by upward pivotal rotation either from the front or the rear of the flatbed along a front or rear axis.
An aerodynamic, lightweight, flexible material flatbed top for enclosing a flatbed of a wheeled vehicle. The horizontal frame structure of front and side rails may be expansible. Inverted U-shaped cover support poles run front to rear and are mounted in the rectangular horizontal frame. A flexible material is stretched or draped over the support poles and secured to the frame structure. Cooperating locking and pivoting pin assemblies for each corner of the trailer top cooperate with corner brackets located at the deck corners of the flatbed to secure the top to the flatbed and to permit alternating rotation about an axis located at the front of the top or an axis located at the rear of the top to gain access into the space covered by the top on the flatbed.
The principal object and advantage of the present invention is that the flatbed top supported by its frame has cooperating locking and pivoting pin and bracket assemblies with the trailer decking which permit the flatbed top to be easily removed or secured upon the deck of a flatbed.
Another object and advantage of the present invention is that the locking pivot pin assemblies and brackets permit the opening of the flatbed top from either the front or the rear as the top rotates either along a rear or front pivoting axis.
Another object and advantage of the present invention is that the trailer top is significantly lightweight, between 100 to 150 pounds, for a trailer that is less than fourteen feet long. Thus the trailer top does not significantly add to the towing weight of the trailer or overall gross vehicle weight of the motorized vehicle.
Another object and advantage of the present invention is that the top is relatively inexpensive when compared to a trailer or wheeled vehicle having fixed sidewalls and ceiling.


A sheet in accordance with the present invention includes sheets as print mediums for a printer and a package member surrounding the sheets which have been stacked up. The sheet package is configured so that the sheets can be set in the printer together with the package member exposing part of the sheets. The package member is integrally provided with a flap part which can expose part of the sheets by being opened when the sheet package is set in the printer and cover the exposed part of the sheets by being closed when the sheet package is not used.

As a known configuration of a sheet package, numbers of sheets which have been stacked up are surrounded and covered with a package member, and the package member is opened when the sheets are used for a printer. Such configuration allows a user to handle numbers of sheets in a mass, package by package, and thereby provides improved usability of sheets. The configuration, covering and protecting the sheets inside, is especially advantageous when heat-sensitive sheets susceptible to light and heat are employed as the print sheets.
The sheet package is opened by cutting off a flap part of the package member to expose part of the sheets and then set in a printer together with the package member for use in the printer.


Transforming an integer comprises receiving the integer, where the integer can be expressed as a modular factorization. The modular factorization comprises one or more factors, where each factor has an exponent. The integer is expressed as a product of residues. A discrete logarithm of the integer is established from a sum corresponding to the product of residues. A value for an exponent of a factor is determined from the discrete logarithm. The integer is represented as the modular factorization comprising the one or more factors, where each factor has a value for the exponent.

A k-bit integer n satisfying 0≦n≦2k−1 has a modular factorization n=|(−1)s2p3e|2k. Integer n may be represented by an exponent representation such as the exponent triple (s,p,e), where 0≦s≦1, 0≦p≦k, and 0≦e≦2k−2−1. A discrete logarithmic system (DLS) may represent integers n by their corresponding exponent triples (s,p,e). By doing this, integer multiplication may be reduced to addition of corresponding terms of the triples.
Known techniques for determining the exponent triple for a k-bit integer involve tables that grow exponentially with respect to k. These tables, however, are of limited use for representation of k-bit integers for k≧16. Accordingly, these known techniques are not efficient in certain situations.

Method and apparatus for integer transformation using a discrete logarithm and modular factorization


An engine blowby injection system including a blowby passage, and a blowby injector with a blowby flow outlet sized to inject the blowby flow into an exhaust gas flow generated by an internal combustion engine. The blowby injector includes a cooling mechanism for cooling the blowby flow outlet to reduce the likelihood of carboning. In one embodiment, the blowby injector includes an adapter, an injector body including an injector nozzle with the blowby flow outlet, and a flow passage that allows cooling air to flow therethrough. A method of injecting blowby flow from an internal combustion engine is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a blowby injector and a blowby injection system, as well as a method for injecting internal combustion engine blowby flow into an exhaust gas flowstream.
2. Description of Related Art
In an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine, the differential in pressure above and below the reciprocating pistons causes a small amount of gas to leak from the combustion chambers, past the pistons and the piston rings, and into the crankcase. Leakage gas flow into the crankcase can also result from the engine air handling system and/or on-engine air compressors. Such leakage flow is also commonly referred to as blowby. If a flow path is not provided for the blowby flow, pressure can build in the crankcase which can result in crankcase cover gasket leaks and shortened life of shaft seals.
The conventional prior art method for addressing the above noted problem is to vent the blowby flow to the environment via an open crankcase breather. The problem with such an approach is that the blowby flow picks up oil droplets as it passes through the crankcase, and releases them into the environment. This has a negative impact on the environment, and in some cases, does not satisfy environmental regulations.
One way to overcome the above-mentioned problems is to provide a closed circuit breather system in which the blowby flow is fed into the intake air of the engine for subsequent combustion. However, some of the oil carried with the blowby flow will cause carboning (also known as coking or carbonizing) upon contact with hot engine components such as turbocharger compressors and/or intake air intercoolers. Such carboning in the engine components can reduce the compression efficiency of the turbocharger compressor and/or reduce the effectiveness of the intercooler in removing heat from the charge air. To reduce this problem, gas/oil separators are often employed to try to minimize the flow of oil droplets into the intake air flow. However, provisions of such separators add cost to the engine, and in most cases, do not totally remove the oil content of the blowby flow. This limitation of gas/oil separators is due to the fact that the oil is generally in the form of a fine aerosol which can pass through such separators rather than in the form of sizeable droplets.
In an effort to overcome one or more of the above-mentioned problems, it has been proposed in patents GB 1531080 and DE 3312818, to feed the blowby flow into the exhaust system of the engine. One disadvantage of feeding the blowby flow into the exhaust before the muffler, or silencer as suggested in these references, is that the pressure in the exhaust system upstream of the muffler is likely to be significantly higher than the maximum pressure capability of the crankcase gasket and seals.
Japanese unexamined patent application 8-61037 proposes that the blowby flow be introduced into the exhaust system at a point downstream of the muffler. However, the apparatus disclosed in JP 8-61037 has one key disadvantage in that the blowby flow outlet protrudes into the hot exhaust gas flowstream. The blowby flow outlet is then heated by the hot exhaust. The temperature of the surfaces of the blowby outlet can exceed the boiling point of some of the lighter engine oil components. When the oil droplets then come into contact with the hot blowby outlet surface, the lighter oil components vaporize and leave a deposit of carbon behind. Over time, the carbon deposit accumulates and restricts the blowby flow which can lead to excessive crankcase pressure. Thus, frequent, and possibly difficult, decarboning of the blowby flow outlet is required to maintain proper operation of such an apparatus. Moreover, an apparatus constructed in accordance with JP 8-61037 where the blowby flow outlet is perpendicular to the wall of the tailpipe and formed with a bend, will exacerbate the carboning, and will be expensive to manufacture and install.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,712 to Darley discloses a blowby flow outlet that injects the blowby flow after the muffler of the exhaust system. The reference discloses that the blowby apparatus includes an adapter with a first hollow member that engages the wall of the exhaust system, and a nozzle with a second hollow member disposed within the first hollow member that serves as a blowby flow passage. The reference also discloses that the second hollow member is shorter than the first hollow member, and has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the first hollow member. Such dimensioning of the members is disclosed as defining a space between the members that provides an insulating effect to reduce the temperature of the blowby nozzle. The reference discloses that blowby nozzle temperatures as low as about 160° C. have been attained, thereby reducing the likelihood of carboning at the nozzle and associated service requirements.
However, when the blowby apparatus as described in the Darley reference is applied to high output internal combustion engines that tend to have higher exhaust gas temperatures, the temperature at the blowby nozzle has been found to be in the range of approximately 160° C. to 200° C. At these elevated temperatures, carboning can still occur from the oil mist in the blowby flow which can eventually lead to increased crankcase pressure and increased servicing requirements. Therefore, the above described problems regarding carboning of blowby devices remain unresolved by the prior art.
Therefore, there exists an unfulfilled need for a blowby system and method that can effectively maintain reduced crankcase pressure in an internal combustion engine. In addition, there exists an unfulfilled need for a blowby system and method that can minimize the likelihood of carboning so as to reduce service requirements. Finally, there exists an unfulfilled need for such a blowby system and method that may be used to minimize the likelihood of carboning, even when applied to high output engines that generate exhaust gas at elevated temperatures.

Engine blowby injector and injection system and method for injecting blowby


Provided herein are IL-21 muteins and fusion proteins comprising the same for use in methods of treating a disease. Related conjugates, nucleic acids, vectors, host cells, pharmaceutical compositions and kits are also provided herein. Methods of making the IL-21 muteins and fusion proteins comprising the same, as well as methods of treating a subject in need thereof, are provided by the present disclosure. Further provided are PD-1 antigen-binding proteins.

The PD-1/PD-L1 axis is involved in the suppression of T cell immune responses in cancer. Antagonists of this pathway have been clinically validated across a number of solid tumor indications. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab are two such inhibitors that target the PD-1 pathway, and each has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Recently, researchers have tested the paradigm of checkpoint inhibition in the setting of other tumor types. While some advances have been made, checkpoint inhibition therapy still remains in the shadows of other cancer treatment options.
Studies of checkpoint inhibitors in combination with other agents are underway or recently have been completed. The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, a CTLA-4 receptor blocking antibody, for example, was tested in a Phase III clinical trial on patients with unresectable stage III or IV melanoma. In this study, the percentage of patients achieving a complete response was the highest among those that received the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab, beating the outcome exhibited by those in the group receiving either drug alone. Other combinations are also currently being explored.
Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is a T cell derived pleiotropic cytokine that regulates the activity of both innate and adaptive immune cells. IL-21 can augment T cell survival and effector function. Because it plays a key role in anti-tumor and anti-viral responses, in addition to exerting major effects on inflammatory responses that lead to the development of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases, IL-21 has been an attractive target for several therapies.
However, the development of IL-21-based therapies has been complex. The research has been complicated by studies showing that enhancing, or confusingly, inhibiting IL-21 action leads to a therapeutic effect. Additional challenges exist due to the broad expression of the receptor for IL-21 (IL-21R). IL-21R is expressed not just on T cells, but also on B cells, NK cells and myeloid cells. Accordingly, care must be taken to limit broad IL-21 activation in leukocytes and avoid the potential for toxicity. Restriction of IL-21 signaling must be balanced and selective. Triggering the effects of IL-21 must be designed to occur at the right time and place.
Indeed, any success, especially clinical success with IL-21 moieties as a monotherapy or in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, has been muted. Thus, there remains a need for treatment modalities utilizing IL-21, including modalities combining IL-21 moieties with checkpoint inhibitors. There also remains a need for IL-21 therapies combined with immune checkpoint inhibition.

Interleukin-21 mutein/ anti-PD-1 antibody conjugates


The invention relates to the manufacture of difluoromethane by catalytic gas-phase fluorination of methylene chloride.. The operation is carried out in the presence of oxygen at a temperature of between 330 and 450.degree. C. and with a bulk or supported chromium catalyst.

There are various known processes for the synthesis of F32. The hydrogenolysis of F12 (dichlorodifluoromethane) or of F22 (patents JP 60-01731 and EP 508 660) has the disadvantage of being generally not very selective and of giving worthless methane as by-product. It has recently been proposed to produce F32 by fluorination of bis(fluoromethyl) ether (patent EP 518 506).
It is also possible to produce F32 by fluorination of methylene chloride (F30) using anhydrous HF. Many patents describe this reaction, claiming the use of catalysts such as Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3, CrF.sub.3, AlF.sub.3, Cr/carbon, Ni/AlF.sub.3 etc.
The difficulty in this reaction lies in the stability of the catalyst, which tends either to coke rapidly or to crystallize. The problem becomes very tricky if it is intended to combine a high space time yield and a good selectivity while maintaining good stability of the catalyst.
To reduce this deactivation it has been proposed to employ specific catalysts such as a mechanical mixture of alumina and chromium oxide (patent GB 821 211). This patent gives an example for the fluorination of methylene chloride, but the F32 space time yields obtained on this catalyst are low (<200 g/h/l) and the cumulative duration of the tests is shorter than 5 hours.
More generally, during fluorination reactions, it is very often envisaged to inject oxygen or air continuously to lengthen the lifetime of the catalysts. Thus, patent JP 51-82206 claims the use of 0.001 to 1% of oxygen to maintain the activity of a catalyst containing chiefly chromium oxide and optionally other metal oxides. It is indicated that the use of more than 1% of oxygen results in the appearance of secondary reactions and it is therefore recommended to employ preferably from 0.005 to 0.1% of oxygen. In this patent the fluorination reactions are carried out between 100 and 500.degree. C. and preferably between 250 and 350.degree. C. In addition, it is stated there that, starting at 200.degree. C., the catalyst activity is maintained by the introduction of oxygen. Although this patent mentions, among the reactions, the fluorination of CCl.sub.4, CHCl.sub.3,CH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2,CCl.sub.3 F, C.sub.2 Cl.sub.6, C.sub.2 Cl.sub.4 and C.sub.2 H.sub.3 Cl.sub.3, the examples refer only to the fluorination of perhalogenated saturated materials (CCl.sub.4 and C.sub.2 Cl.sub.3 F.sub.3). It is known, however, that the reactivity of perhalogenated molecules is very different from that of the hydrogenated materials.
The latter, such as F133a (1-chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane) are sensitive to elimination reactions (loss of HCl or of HF) and to chlorination reactions, which result in the formation of worthless by-products. As patent FR 2 433 500 shows, the introduction of oxygen at the reaction temperature (generally higher than that employed for fluorinating perhalogenated molecules) can then result in a drop in selectivity.
Chromium oxide, well known as a fluorination catalyst, is also a good catalyst for the oxidation of HCl (U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,065 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,589). The oxygen introduced during the fluorination reaction reacts with the HCl formed to produce chlorine by the Deacon reaction. This chlorine can then easily cause a chlorination of the hydrogenated materials present in the reaction mixture. In the case of fluorination of F133a in the presence of oxygen, products of the F120 series (C.sub.2 HCl.sub.n F.sub.5-n) are thus chiefly formed. Besides the formation of chlorine, this Deacon reaction also produces water which, because of corrosion problems, is particularly undesirable in a fluorination process.
To overcome this disadvantage it has been proposed to employ some chromium-based mixed catalysts which make it possible to restrict the Deacon reaction. Thus, patent EP 546 883 shows that, in the case of bulk catalyst, the addition of a metal such as nickel allows the oxidation of HCl to be partially inhibited. A similar phenomenon is observed on Ni-Cr/AlF.sub.3 mixed catalysts (patents EP 486 333 and WO 93/25507).
With a similar objective in view, patent EP 328 127 proposes to carry out the reaction of fluorination of F133a to F134a on a catalyst containing no chromium. The recommended solids contain at least one metal chosen from cobalt, manganese, nickel, palladium, silver, ruthenium and aluminium.
Recently, after having shown that in the case of the reaction of fluorination of methylene chloride in the presence of oxygen the chromium catalysts were not very selective (formation of F22 and of halogenated ethane derivatives), patent JP 5-339179 has also claimed the use of catalysts devoid of chromium, which are specific to the synthesis of F32. These catalysts, such as CoCl.sub.2 /AlF.sub.3 or NiCl.sub.2 /AlF.sub.3, are highly selective and their stability is increased by additives chosen from the rare earths (La, Ce) or alkaline-earth elements (Mg, Ca, Sr). The lifetimes obtained in the presence of oxygen are considerable (150 days), but the space time yields of F32 are very low (<10 g/h/l) and are not compatible with an industrial production of F32.


A variable posture bed includes a base rest located on a floor surface; a bed board arranged in a horizontal state above and opposite the base rest; a connection support portion disposed at the center of the base rest between the base rest and the bed board and that supports the bed board to be vertically movable in all directions around the center thereof; connection support portions disposed at four corners of the base rest and the bed board and that support the bed board to be vertically movable; and a drive control device that continuously moves the bed board in the vertical direction with a predetermined operation pattern and that limits the vertical movement of the head side of the bed board between the horizontal position and a predetermined upper position.

People are always affected and fatigued by gravity. Even in the state of lying down, the fatigue decreases but does not completely disappear. Therefore, in order to reduce the burden caused by gravity and to maintain a good sleep, a person moves his or her body by performing a postural change such as a roll-over (hereinafter, described as the postural change) even during sleep. Normally, the postural change is performed dozens of times a night. When a person is in poor physical condition or ill, the number of postural changes increases than usual, which may cause more fatigue and lack of sleep. Further, a person in a severe bedridden state has difficulty performing the postural change by oneself. Accordingly, there is a problem that bedsores are developed at the pressured part by gravity. In addition, there is another problem that, due to gravity, bone structures are distorted, skin, muscles and internal organs are stressed, and blood flow and lymph flow are inhibited by keeping the same posture for a long time, which may cause various diseases. Further, such a seriously ill person requires postural change to be frequently performed about every two hours by a care-giver, which is very heavy work for the care-giver. As a result, there is a problem that the care-giver's workload hugely increases and the care-giving cost therefor becomes very high.
For example, an electrically operated rocking bed is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3122978. In the electrically operated rocking bed, a suspending pillar is vertically disposed at each of the four positions of a bed base at both of the front and rear sides, and a pillar for the suspension is disposed under a board of the bed. A suspension is slung between the suspending pillar and the pillar so that the suspension can support a force. A projecting wheel is disposed at the shaft of the motor and fixed in a transmitting frame which is disposed at a corresponding position under the board. When the motor-driven projecting wheel starts and rotates, the electrically operated rocking bed receives the reciprocating motion of the projecting wheel and rocks in the front-rear direction and the right-left direction. This bed, however, rocks the board in the front-rear direction and the right-left direction, not performing the postural change to a person lying on the board. Further, such rocking motion in the front-rear and right-left directions is apt to affect the brain, the semicircular canal of the ear, the otolith, and the like. Therefore, there is a problem that motion sickness symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, and discomfort, are apt to occur. A rocking baby bed and a bed rocking apparatus which have similar structures to the abovementioned are respectively disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-229784 and Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3096816.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-117293 discloses a lengthwise motion rocking bed. The length motion rocking bed performs a lengthwise motion in which both of the front and rear sides of the rocking frame of the bed vertically moves around the center in the lengthwise direction and a widthwise motion in which both of the right and left sides vertically moves around the center in the widthwise direction. However, this rocking bed is not only incapable of performing the postural change in the case of the lengthwise motion but also shakes the head downward from the horizontal state, and therefore, is apt to affect the brain, the semicircular canal of the ear, the otolith, and the like. Accordingly, there is a problem that motion sickness symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, and discomfort, are apt to occur. In the case of the widthwise motion, although the postural change can be performed, there is no motion in the lengthwise direction. Accordingly, the blood flow etc. in the lengthwise direction of the body is not promoted. Further, each of the right half and the left half of the head repeatedly falls below the horizontal state. As a result, since blood is apt to be gathered to the head, there are problems that motion sickness symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, and discomfort, are apt to occur and further, that a cerebral blood vessel or a heart blood vessel is apt to be blocked.
The present invention is to solve the abovementioned problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a variable posture bed which can automatically and naturally perform the postural change such as roll-over.


A transfer apparatus for transferring a body side of an automotive vehicle which is supported so that a front-to-rear direction of the body side coincides with a transfer direction, includes a hanger having a plurality of support members for supporting a side sill lower portion, a rear pillar or its adjacent portion and an arch portion front side of a rear wheel house of the body side, respectively. The hanger is configured to support the body side in a posture inclining inboard of the automotive vehicle and declining toward a rear end of the body side hanger is further configured so that the body side is urged only by its own weight against the support members so as to be positioned and supported thereby. A transfer method for the body side is also provided.

The present invention relates to a transfer apparatus for transferring a body side (body side panel) of an automotive vehicle while supporting the same by means of a hanger, along a predetermined transfer path in a vehicle body assembly line, i.e., a so-called overhead type body side transfer apparatus and more specifically to a body side transfer apparatus that can be widely used in transfer of body sides for various vehicle models or designs and in transfer of the body side in either of the forward facing posture in which the body side is transferred with its front side being positioned more forward than its rear side with respect to the transfer direction or in the rearward facing posture in which the body side is transferred with its rear side being positioned more forward than its front side with respect to the transfer direction, and furthermore that is simple in structure while being capable of supporting the body side in a predetermined posture stably.
A transfer apparatus adapted to hang the body side by a hanger while clamping the same by a clamp mechanism that is driven by an actuator has been widely used for transfer of the body side of the automotive vehicle. On the other hand, a transfer apparatus configured to dispense with the clamp mechanism that requires an actuator while being capable of supporting the body side stably has been proposed as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-278140.
The body side transfer apparatus of the above-described publication has a support member for supporting the body side in a hang-down manner at a door opening portion upper edge that is located forward of a center pillar and a first positioning member abuttingly engageable with a front edge of the center pillar, an inclination member positioned rearward of the first positioning member and capable of inclining forward from its upstanding position and a second positioning member provided to the upper end of the inclination member for insertion into an opening provided to the rear side of the center pillar.
When the body side is suspended from the transfer apparatus, it turns about a support member so as to decline toward a rear end and the inclination member receives an inclination moment caused by inclination of the body side, thus causing the second positioning member to abut upon a corner portion at the front upper end of the opening portion to allow the center pillar to be held between the first and second positioning members thereby positioning the body side.

Transfer apparatus for transferring body side of automotive vehicle and transfer method thereof


The present invention provides monoclonal antibodies specific for interleukin-32 (IL-32, previously referred to as “natural killer cell transcript 4” or “NK4”) and hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies specific for IL-32. Also provided are diagnostic methods and kits (e.g., ELISA, Western blot, etc.) which utilize monoclonal antibodies specific for IL-32.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of molecular biology, immunobiology, and medicine. More particularly, it concerns monoclonal antibodies which specifically bind interleukin-32 (IL-32), and uses thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Cytokine IL-32 is a recently discovered proinflammatory cytokine. IL-32 has four isoforms (α, β, γ, δ) which all lack sequence homology with previously identified cytokine families (Kim et al., 2005). IL-32 induces IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, and chemokines, and IL-32 is an IL-18 inducible gene (Joosten et al., 2006; Kim et al. 2005).
IL-32 has been implicated in several disease states, including inflammatory diseases such as arthritis (Breenan and Beech, 2007; Asquith and McInnes, 2007), Crohn's disease, and autoimmune or immune-inflammatory diseases (Conti et al., 2007; Dinarello and Kim, 2006). IL-32 may also play a role in immune responses to tuberculosis (Kundu and Basu, 2006; Netea et al., 2006).
Presently, limited tools exist for the evaluation of IL-32. Although an anti-IL-32 polyclonal antibody is commercially available, monoclonal antibodies directed towards the isoforms of IL-32 have not yet been developed. Clearly, there is a need for additional tools for the evaluation and manipulation of IL-32.

IL-32 monoclonal antibodies and uses thereof

Konkuk University Industrial Cooperation Corp.


The transmission includes a hydraulically operated actuator for selectively controlling a locking mechanism for a differential mechanism interconnecting a motion input shaft and at least two motion output shafts. The lubricant for the differential mechanism is supplied by a pump to an actuator for the lock device with the pump being driven from the motion input shaft. In one embodiment, the pump and the actuator are disposed in a support for the differential mechanism. In a second embodiment, the pump is mounted on the housing and is provided with a reciprocating piston driven by a rotatable cam mounted for rotation with the differential casing. The plunger is biased in one direction by a spring in such a manner that the plunger is driven for a suction stroke by the cam and for a delivery stroke by the spring.

This invention relates to a transmission for vehicles of a kind which comprises:
a motion input shaft and at least two motion output shafts interconnected by a differential mechanism,
a storage reservoir for a differential mechanism lubricant,
a device for locking said differential mechanism,
a hydraulically operated actuator for selectively operating said locking device, and
a means of admitting a pressurized medium to said actuator.
A transmission with the above features is known, for example, from German Utility Model of DE-G 8911619.4.
In that transmission, the arrangement for operating the hydraulic differential lock actuator includes a piston pump which is driven by the rotational speed differential between the two crown wheels of the differential mechanism wherever a condition of the kind of a wheel spin occurs.
Accordingly, that structure only allows the differential to be locked after either wheel has entered a spinning condition. Thus, the differential can be locked neither ahead of a spin nor as both wheels of one axle are spinning at the same rate. In addition, with the differential locked, the actuator would be fed no more medium, and in the event of a leaky actuator, the differential locking action could soon become ineffectual.
On the other hand, there exist situations in the operation of a vehicle wherein the differential lock is expected to be operative with no difference in rotational speed between the wheels, such as preparatory to critical runs where even a temporary spin condition could defeat the vehicle capability to proceed or when the differential is locked to counteract the tendency of a vehicle to wander from a straight line travel path.
The transmission of the above-mentioned German Utility Model shows to be quite unsuited to such situations.
The pump linked operatively to the differential lock is, moreover, supplied with a medium stored in a separate reservoir from any storage reservoir for the differential lubricant.
It follows that, additionally to the need for a dedicated system branch-off for the delivery and return flows of the medium, usually an oil, to/from the actuator, any leakage therefrom may result in undesirably flooding the axle or at least the actuator case. It matters to observe that the working oil for the actuator is not always to the same specifications and composition as that intended for lubricating the differential, so that undesired problems may be caused by the two oils getting mixed together.
Further, also on this same account, the actuators require the provision of suitable seals and gaskets which, besides involving precision machining of the sealed surfaces, may become damaged or worn and result over time in the aforesaid leaky and flooded conditions.
The technical problem that underlies this invention is to provide a transmission whose construction and performance features can obviate the above-noted drawbacks with which the prior art is beset.


A process for the preparation of a beta-silicon carbide powder of high purity which is suitable for use in the manufacture of semiconductor equipment and which has a content of 1 ppm or less of each atom harmful to the manufacture of semiconductor devices. The process comprises preparing a carbon- and silicon-containing starting mixture comprising (a) at least one siliceous material selected from liquid silicon compounds and solid siliceous substances derived from a hydrolyzable silicon compound, and (b) at least one carbonaceous material selected from polymerizable or cross-linkable organic compounds prepared in the presence of a catalyst which is substantially free from atoms harmful to the manufacture of semiconductor devices. The starting mixture comprises at least one liquid substance used as component (a) or (b). The starting mixture is then solidified by heating and/or by use of a catalyst or a curing agent. The resulting solid body is optionally heat treated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature in the range of from 500.degree. C. to 1300.degree. C. for a period sufficient to remove volatiles. The cured and optionally heat-treated body is calcined in a non-oxidizing atmosphere under conditions sufficient to give beta-silicon carbide powder.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a silicon carbide powder having a purity sufficient for its use in semiconductor device-manufacturing equipment (hereinafter merely referred to as "semiconductor equipment"). Semiconductor equipment is used to carry silicon wafers or similar substrates and shield them from air in the manufacture of semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits. Semiconductor equipment usually includes one or more wafer carriers (called boats) and tubes and other parts. The manufacture of semiconductor devices usually involves one or more heat treatment steps at high temperatures such as oxidation, CVD, PVD, SOI (silicon on insulator), or thermal diffusion of an impurity as a dopant, so semiconductor equipment is required to resist such high-temperature atmospheres.
Semiconductor equipment which has conventionally been used is usually made of quartz glass (fused silica) or silicon. Semiconductor equipment made of quartz glass has a quite limited service life under the conditions existing during heat treatment at a high temperature since it is susceptible to deformation or distortion during heat treatment due to the relatively low softening point of quartz glass which is in the vicinity of 1100.degree. C. Furthermore, when kept at a high temperature for a prolonged period, it may become devitrified and broken due to phase transition into alpha-cristobalite.
Semiconductor equipment made of silicon has the problem that it is contaminated with the impurities used as dopants in thermal diffusion steps by undesirable diffusion of the impurities into the equipment. The impurities build up in the equipment during use, thereby causing contamination of wafers which are being processed therein.
Silicon carbide (SiC) is chemically stable and resistant to corrosion at high temperatures and its strength and stiffness are much higher than those of quartz glass. In view of these properties, semiconductor equipment made of sintered silicon carbide is sometimes used. However, such semiconductor equipment is rarely used in processing of silicon wafers of high quality which are sensitive to metallic impurities, since presently available silicon carbide contains a considerable amount of metallic impurities, which are often evaporated to generate a gas during thermal diffusion treatment, resulting in contamination of wafers.
Accordingly, there is a need for pure silicon carbide powder which is substantially free from metallic impurities, i.e., with a content of 1 ppm or less for each metallic impurity, as a raw material for sintered silicon carbide.
Silicon carbide has two crystal forms, alpha-form (hexagonal) and beta-form (cubic), of which beta-silicon carbide in powder form, which has a structure similar to diamond, is more suitable for use in the manufacture of semiconductor equipment. Known methods used to prepare beta-silicon carbide powder involve (1) a reaction of SiO.sub.2 with C, (2) a reaction of metallic Si with C, or (3) a vapor phase reaction of an Si compound, e.g., SiCl.sub.4, with a hydrocarbon. Method (1) is used in commercial production of beta-silicon carbide powder since the starting materials are inexpensive and the reaction can be easily controlled.
The preparation of beta-silicon carbide powder by a reaction of SiO.sub.2 with C proceeds through either the following
______________________________________ reaction scheme (a) or (b) at a high temperature: ______________________________________ Reaction Scheme (a): SiO.sub.2 + 3C .fwdarw. SiC + 2CO(g) Reaction Scheme (b): SiO.sub.2 + C .fwdarw. SiO(g) + CO(g) SiO(g) + 2C .fwdarw. SiC + CO(g) ______________________________________
where (g) means that the material is in a gaseous phase.
Of these reaction schemes, scheme (a) is usually employed because scheme (b) includes a heterogeneous solid-vapor reaction, thereby making it difficult to form a uniform powder product having even particle diameters, and the product of reaction scheme (b) is contaminated with a small amount of alpha-silicon carbide.
The most popular process for the preparation of beta-silicon carbide powder using the above-described reaction scheme (a) is the Acheson process. The Acheson process comprises reacting a siliceous material (SiO.sub.2 or its precursor) and a carbonaceous material (C or its precursor) by heating a mixture of these two solid materials in powdery form in a batchwise electric-resistance furnace known as an Acheson-type furnace to produce silicon carbide in lumps. The Acheson process has the drawbacks of poor operating efficiency and a deteriorated work environment since it requires the removal of a side wall of the furnace for the recovery of the product in each reaction cycle. Moreover, each of the solid starting materials contains an appreciable amount of impurities, and since the resulting silicon carbide product in lumps must be pulverized into powder, additional metallic impurities are incorporated into the powder product during pulverization of the hard, lump silicon carbide. Therefore, the Acheson process has another significant drawback that the product is inevitably contaminated with a considerable amount of impurities.
In order to improve the operating efficiency, it has been proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-18325(1983) and No. 58-34405(1983) that a mixture of the powdery starting materials be shaped by use of a binder such as pitch, thereby making it possible to directly produce a beta-silicon carbide powder without a pulverization step. Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 61-6110(1986) discloses an improved continuous process for the preparation of beta-silicon carbide powder which comprises preparing a starting mixture consisting of a solid siliceous material, a solid carbonaceous material, a liquid silicon compound, and a curable organic compound having polymerizable or cross-linkable functional groups, preheating the starting mixture so as to cure the organic compound and solidify the mixture, and calcining the solidified mixture in a non-oxidizing atmosphere.
It is also known that a starting mixture is homogenized using a liquid starting material in order to produce a silicon carbide powder having a uniform particle diameter or shape. For example, it is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 57-88019(1982) to prepare a starting mixture by treating a carbonaceous material with a silicic acid solution and calcining the mixture in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. Preferably, the carbonaceous material is also a liquid substance and the mixture is prepared in a liquid state. A small amount of silica sol is undesirably formed in the starting mixture and adversely affects the quality of the product. In order to eliminate this drawback, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-42886(1989) to use a mixture comprising a liquid siliceous material, a curable or polymerizable liquid organic compound capable of forming carbon upon heating, and a polymerization or curing catalyst which is compatible with the liquid organic compound to form a homogeneous solution. The mixture is reacted to form a cured body containing Si, O, and C as an SiC precursor, which is then calcined in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to give a beta-silicon carbide powder.
However, in the above-described prior-art processes for preparation of beta-silicon carbide powder, it was difficult or impossible to produce a beta-silicon carbide powder of high purity having a content of 1 ppm or less for each metallic impurity, a purity level which is accepted in the manufacture of semiconductor equipment. It has been found that the final products obtained in these processes are contaminated with metallic impurities in considerable amounts, e.g., on the order of 3 ppm or more for one or more impurity metals, and this level of contamination is not acceptable in semiconductor equipment. Although washing is an effective means for removing impurities, it is quite difficult in a commercial process to decrease an impurity level to 1 ppm or less by washing.

Process for preparing silicon carbide powder for use in semiconductor equipment


The subject invention relates to a type of keyboard with expandable function keys, on the keyboard are a number of expanded function keys, said function keys are connected to the additional I/O cable for the microprocessor in the circuit structure in the keyboard, to coordinate with the original keyboard scanning matrix, forming a new scanning matrix, hence the default codes of said function keys may coordinate with the execution of the application programs in the window system, so the operator may directly control the existing functions of a peripheral device (multimedia) on the keyboard, with the control panel operation displayed on the monitor screen, with one IRQ connector pin of said microprocessor being connected jointly to the negative poles of three LED diodes, while the positive poles of each LED diode is connected to one line of the scanning matrix, so said keyboard may be compatible with an XT microprocessor in its application; so said function keys may be defined in the original scanning matrix that has not yet been defined, and the operator may directly control the existing functions of a peripheral device on the keyboard; and that said function keys may be set to "in-use" mode as required by the operator.

The subject invention relates to a type of keyboard with expandable function keys, to an IRQ pin of the microprocessor is connected to three LED diodes, while the positive pole of respective LED diode is connected to a line of scanning matrix, so said keyboard is compatible with an XT microprocessor; and said function keys may be defined in the original scanning matrix that has not yet been defined, so the operator may directly control the existing functions of a peripheral device on the keyboard; and that said function keys may be set to "in-use" mode as required by the operator.
Conventionally, a prior art of "keyboard with expandable function keys" comprises a number of expanded function keys on the keyboard, such as multimedia control keys (Volume Up, Volume Dn, Mute, WWW, Record, Rewind, Close, . . . ), said function keys are connected to the additional I/O cable for the microprocessor in the circuit structure, to coordinate with the original keyboard scanning matrix, forming a new scanning matrix, and achieve the objective of expanded function keys, so that the operator may directly control the existing functions of a peripheral device on the keyboard, with operation displayed on a monitor screen, or the expanded function keys are made to coordinate with a macro program, to accomplish the scheduled control; however, it is designed to function with an AT, PS/2 microprocessor, hence it is not compatible with an XT microprocessor.


The disclosure relates to a method for determining an eyeglass prescription for a vision defect of an eye. In certain embodiments, the method includes optimizing a caustic in the area of the retina of the eye for a light ray passing through the eyeglass prescription and the eye. The disclosure further relates to an apparatus that is suitable for carrying out the method.

The vision-impaired human eye has refractive errors which in first approximation can be described in terms of a sphere, a cylinder and an axis orientation. This is based on the assumption that the eyesight defect can be approximately corrected through a lens with a toroidal surface. This approximation is adequate to correct an error in the refraction of light rays which fall on the center of the eye pupil.
While it was customary in the past to determine the refractive errors of the human eye by relying on the subjective reaction of the patient under examination when presenting to him a plurality of optotypes of different refractive power (subjective refraction), the possibility of measuring the refractive errors of the eye has now been available for several years (objective refraction). It is possible to measure the refractive power of the eye over the entire pupil and in particular also in the peripheral areas of the pupil. The measurable errors include for example spherical aberration, coma, trefoil error, higher orders of spherical aberration, etc. The objective refraction method is based on determining the wavefront of a propagating light bundle. The functional principal of a wavefront refractor is described in DE 601 21 123 T2, which also includes a synopsis of a plurality of different variants.
It has been customary for a few years to describe the refractive errors or imaging errors of the human eye by means of so-called Zernike polynomials. The errors of the eye near the center in regard to sphere, cylinder and axis can be described through second-order Zernike polynomials. These errors are therefore often referred to as second-order errors. The errors far from the center can be described through higher-order Zernike polynomials. These errors are therefore in general also referred to as higher-order errors.
The information gained from a wavefront refractor can be used in the development of improved vision aids or improved eyesight correction methods. A well-known example for an eyesight correction method is the procedure of wave-front-guided refractive surgery. In this procedure, a volume of any desired geometry is removed from the surface of the cornea in order to correct refractive errors, including those of a higher order.
With vision aids such as for example a spectacle lens or a contact lens, this kind of correction is not generally possible at all or possible only under certain conditions. A spectacle lens has the peculiar property that the line of vision from the eye has to pass through different areas of the lens. A complete correction of higher-order errors in a spectacle lens is generally possible only for one specific direction of the line of vision. As soon as the eye looks in another direction, the correction no longer matches the higher-order errors, which lowers the vision performance. Furthermore, a complete correction of higher-order errors in a spectacle glass may lead to unacceptable distortions outside the area of correction.
However, the wave-front measurement technique can nevertheless lead of improved spectacle lenses.
The subjective refraction is conventionally performed under daylight conditions with high-contrast optotypes. This leads to refraction values which are optimized for these conditions, i.e. for a good illumination and for a high level of contrast. For many individuals, this method of refraction is not suitable for night vision or twilight vision. A wavefront measurement, on the other hand, can be performed in the dark or under mydriatic conditions. This provides the information for a much larger pupil, which opens the possibility to obtain an objective refraction result (in particular for a second-order refraction) which is also suitable for mesopic or scotopic light conditions.
Spectacle lenses, in particular progressive lenses, can have intrinsic aberrations. These intrinsic aberrations can be combined with the wavefront measurement taken for the eye, as a means to compute and manufacture improved spectacle lenses. These spectacle lenses can make it possible to at least partially correct the higher-order aberrations of the optical system constituted by the eye and the spectacle lens for at least one specific direction of the line of vision.
The determination of an improved second-order and higher-order refraction result from the wavefront measurement is known from the prior art in a multitude of variations. A concept of deriving the second-order refraction from the averaged main curvatures of the wavefronts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,029,119.
A system for determining a correction of aberrations in an eye of a patient is described for example in EP 1 324 689 B1. The system includes a computing device which allows the correction of the data signals to be determined in such a way that, if the correction is applied to the eye, an image quality metric in an image plane of the eye is objectively optimized. In a first step, the computing device defines a search space (i.e., values that can be assumed by the coefficients), which covers several sets of coefficients (e.g., sphere, cylinder, axis, or the corresponding Zernike coefficients). In a second step, the previously selected image quality metric (e.g., Strehl ratio, variance of point image washout function, energy of the point image washout function enclosed within the Airy disc, etc.) is calculated for each of the sets of coefficients in the search space (i.e., the corresponding dioptric values for defocus and astigmatism, as well as the associated axis orientation). In a third step, the optimal value of the image quality metric is selected from all of the values of the image quality metric that were calculated in the second step, and in a fourth step, the correction is determined in conformance with one of the several sets of coefficients for which the optimal value of the image quality metric was calculated in the third step.
In their essay "Accuracy and precision of objective refraction from wavefront aberration", which was published in Journal of Vision (2004) 4, 329-351, on Apr. 23, 2004, L. N. Thibos et al. describe a multitude of further objective methods for the determination of the refraction from a wavefront measurement.

Apparatus and method for determining an eyeglass prescription for a vision defect of an eye


The present invention is related to a method and a device which contains a diagnostic client (5) and a monitoring server (9) which aim to detect connection problems and service failures of Wi-Fi hotspot (wireless access field) services and measure user experience and connection quality.

Various different Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) wireless access structures are used for wireless internet access. Such structures are commonly used for wireless internet/network access purposes particularly at such locations as airports, shopping centers, restaurants/cafes, holiday complexes, fairgrounds, parks, and squares. Wi-Fi wireless access field (hotspot) provides Wi-Fi service provider backbone network channel connection to Wi-Fi devices via a Wi-Fi Hotspot Access Point. Wi-Fi hotspot further provides connection for security purposes or on subscription basis depending upon the choice of some Wi-Fi Hotspot Service Providers. Thereupon, before connecting a device to internet, Wi-Fi hotspot makes the device user pass through security control or payment verification by using Authentication Server of Service Provider. Only if and when it successfully passes through security control or payment control, Wi-Fi device is connected to internet. In general, Wi-Fi hotspot connection process passes through the following steps. Any Wi-Fi device links to a Wi-Fi hotspot access point and gets an IP address for device in order to be connected to Wi-Fi hotspot. Then, device user enters such information as password, and Wi-Fi service provider initiates authentication process. If authentication is completed successfully, user is granted a permission for access to Internet and/or Intranet. User enters the web address intended to be visited. Wi-Fi service provider scans through DNS servers and finds IP address of the web address, and provides the required connection to the relevant website.
Different control structures have been built in order to monitor the operability, connection speed and efficiency of Wi-Fi hotspot. As an example for this type of structures:
In the application no. US20080209537 titled "Self-Initiated End-to-End Monitoring of an Authentication Gateway", operability of authentication gateway on network is monitored. In the application, a test process initiated by authentication gateway for this purpose is explained. Authentication gateway identifies a temporary user in the system, and sends this temporary user to a special client in network, and requests the client to try to link to network through this temporary user, and tests its own operability according to the result obtained by the client. Said application has been designed to monitor operability of authentication gateway. Particularly in the case of network and access problems, authentication server cannot transmit this authentication process to the client in network, thereby initiating the authentication process. Furthermore, the innovation described in this application only aims the authentication. It does not aim to measure other services and user experience in hotspots.
Another one is the application no. US20070259670 titled "Mobile Wi-Fi network monitor". Said application describes the structure measuring the bandwidth of Wi-Fi hotspot service. In the application, a connection analysis realized by using a mobile device such as a telephone and an analysis client installed in the device is explained. Analysis client links to network, and determines bandwidth of connection. Analysis client measures bandwidth of connection on date and position bases, and transmits such measurement data to the server where analysis data are stored. However, in the innovation described in the said application, no information other than the position based bandwidth is kept. System does not test operability and performance of all Wi-Fi and Internet services to be used by a Wi-Fi hotspot user in the system. Another application no. GB2470360 titled "Monitoring the reliability of hotspots in packet-based Networks" describes the identification and reporting of inoperable wireless networks, and the establishment of connection according to the order of priority.
Wi-Fi hotspots occasionally face such various technical problems as disconnections and snagging due to various different reasons. When these technical problems occur inside Wi-Fi hotspot access point and Wi-Fi service provider backbone network, Wi-Fi service provider can record the problem in network monitoring system as it continuously provides data flow. However, in the case of a connection problem between Wi-Fi hotspot access point and Wi-Fi device, the backbone central network monitoring systems cannot detect the problems in Wi-Fi wireless networks. Such connection problems can be understood generally upon complaints and warnings of users using Wi-Fi hotspots. For this reason, connection problems faced by Wi-Fi service provider users cannot be detected and remedied in a short time.
Though Wi-Fi service provider central network monitoring solutions providing Wi-Fi wireless access services can monitor backbone network up to DSL or fiber modem, being the last cabled connection point, they fail to collect information about operability and quality of service in wireless access field at Wi-Fi hotspot access point and thereafter. Therefore, problems occurring on the side of Wi-Fi hotspot are recognized first by customers, and Wi-Fi service providers become aware of these problems only upon customer complaints.
The aforementioned existing applications provide the opportunity to monitor by different ways the connection established between Wi-Fi service provider and Wi-Fi hotspot access point. Potential disadvantage of the existing applications is their failure in reliable monitoring of communication between Wi-Fi hotspot access point and Wi-Fi device (user) while controlling the operability of Wi-Fi hotspot services. Another disadvantage thereof is that they require a control and measurement mechanism starting from the user side.
In order to eliminate the said disadvantages, a device and a method are developed to measure operability, quality and performance of wireless network services provided at Wi-Fi hotspots, thereby measuring the user experience, and to instantly detect the service failures, and to create and issue short- and long-term performance reports of the system.

Method and device for monitoring and measurement of Wi-Fi internet services


The present invention provides a display device, including a display panel and an encapsulation cover disposed on the display panel. Two circles of border sealant are sequentially disposed at intervals between the bonding area of the encapsulation cover and the display panel from periphery to the inside. The invention provides a display device, which adopts a novel encapsulation structure so that it can effectively prevent external water and oxygen from invading into the internal display panel, and therefore improve its own stability.

It is known that a packaging process is an indispensable process in the structure of a display panel with a chip, which is used to protect the chip and the display panel to realize their normal use.
Taking large-size OLED television as an example, the package methods that are usually used mainly include two types. One is a face seal package, and the other is a dam (border sealant)/getter (moisture absorbent)/filler package.
Further, in a case of the dam sealant/getter/filler package method, one common structure is generally that an outer periphery is a dam sealant, and a getter is arranged on an inner side of the dam sealant. Thereafter, a filler is filled on an inside of the getter. And finally, a package is completed by a bonding process.
In the dam sealant/getter/filler package structure, because the filler has strong fluidity, the filler often comes in contact with the getter on the outside after bonding. And because the getter used therein usually contains alkaline metal oxide, when they are in contact, a chemical reaction occurs and an alcohol product is produced.
Thus, after a long period of use, with the chemical reaction progresses, the alcohol products produced by the reaction are correspondingly increased. The accumulated alcohol products will inevitably affect the organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel inside, and cause it to deteriorate.
Therefore, when water and oxygen permeate into a dam sealer, and in a case that the getter cannot quickly and completely absorb the intrusive water vapor, the dam sealer not only cannot prevent the water and oxygen from damaging the panel but also cannot prevent the water and oxygen from invading the filler through the getter. It will greatly affect an internal OLED panel.
Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new type of display device and the package method thereof to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

Display device and package method thereof

SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A holder for stemmed drinking vessels having a base and a bowl connected by a stem. The holder has a support structure and vessel supports are disposed on the support member to support a plurality of vessels with their stems crossed. In preferred embodiments the support structure is formed symetrically about an axis to define an interior space for receiving the vessels.

Stemmed drinking vessels have awkward shapes that make it difficult to transport, store, wash or display the vessels in a space optimizing manner. Holders have been developed that suspend vessels upside down in a side by side relationship by engaging the base or bowl of the vessels on either side of the stem. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,925,540; 3,171,544; 3,214,030; 4,589,556; and 4,700,849. None of these prior holders optimize the number of vessels occupying a volume of space.


A three-dimensional molded breast pad for a brassiere is provided. The molded breast pad has a cup shape with at least one or more first layers of a first material and one or more second layers of a second material. The first and second layers/materials have different loft characteristics associated therewith. These loft characteristics influence, at least in part, the elastomeric properties of the first and second layers/materials. Thus, the molded breast pad is a moldable three-dimensional breast pad cooperative with a brassiere to support, shape and/or smooth the contours of a wearer's breast.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brassieres. More particularly, the present invention relates to a molded breast support cup or pad for spot support and shaping.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Brassieres are well known. Notwithstanding this fact, manufacturers of brassieres are continuously attempting to develop brassieres that improve on that which is conventionally known. This, as well as the demand and/or desire for brassieres that provide an optimal balance of comfort, support, and feminine allure, evidences the desirability and/or need for simple, effective and appropriate brassiere fashioning solutions. Hence, there is a need for a molded breast pad operatively connectable with a brassiere to enhance the comfort, support, and/or feminine allure associated therewith.


An apparatus for detecting people waiting for an elevator. A detecting unit detects the number of people waiting on the basis of an image from an image pickup unit and delivers that number to a corresponding second people waiting detecting unit. The apparatus includes a unit which generates a coefficient depending on a percentage of overlap of the field of view of a reference image pickup unit, which is one of several image pickup units, with the field of view of a different image pickup unit on the basis of data on the allocation of an elevator, and calculates the number of waiting people in the overall hall from the respective numbers of waiting people output from the plurality of image pickup units and those coefficients. The coefficient generating unit generates a maximum coefficient for the reference image pickup unit and a smaller coefficient for any remaining image pickup unit based on the of overlap of the field of view of the respective image pickup units. Thus, even if the fields of view of the plurality of image pickup units overlap, an accurate number of people waiting in the elevator hall, and free from an error in detection, is detected.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for detecting people waiting in an elevator hall, and more particularly to such apparatus and method which reduces possible errors in the detection of the number of people waiting which errors occur due to an overlap of fields of view of a plurality of image pickup units.
A conventional technique directed to a device which detects the number of people waiting for elevators in an elevator hall, using a plurality of image pickup units, is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP-A 2-249877.
In this technique, two kinds of image processing means are provided to pick up the image of the elevator hall without dead angles to detect the number of waiting people. Usually, an elevator controller controls the operation of the elevator on the basis of the result of such detection.
The conventional technique does not allow for a possible error in the detection occurring due to an overlap of fields of view of a plurality of image pickup units and cannot correctly detect the number of waiting people, disadvantageously.

Apparatus and methods for detecting number of people waiting in an elevator hall using plural image processing means with overlapping fields of view


An improved sandwich structure including a top facing sheet, a bottom facing sheet, a core located between the top facing sheet and the bottom facing sheet, and a damping layer extending only partially across the core and not fully interrupting the continuity of the core between the top facing sheet portion and the bottom facing sheet portion to provide damping to the core without adversely affecting the static stiffness or strength of the core.

Sandwich structures such as work station table tops generally include top and bottom facing sheets separated by a core made out of e.g., wood, particle board, or honeycomb material. Such table tops are used to provide a firm stable surface on which optical and other devices can be mounted or placed for scientific study or analysis.
To eliminate the effects of undesirable vibration, such sandwich structures are typically treated with a damping material. There are two prior art damping treatment methods: surface damping treatment and internal damping treatment.
In surface damping treatment methods, a damping layer is applied to one exterior surface, usually the bottom facing sheet, of the sandwich structure. Surface damping treatments are attractive because the damping layer applied to the surface does not reduce the stiffness or strength of the core. However, a much more effective location for the damping layer from a damping standpoint is inside the core, near its neutral plane. Such an internally damped structure exhibits a resonant compliance (a measure of damping performance) many times lower than comparable surface treatments.
Unfortunately, however, internal damping treatments also place the relatively compliant damping layer in the primary structural load path of the core severely reducing the stiffness and strength of the core. Such a structure will deflect undesirably under a static load and will also creep as the damping material stretches over time. For many applications, static strength and creep are critical design parameters and the internal damping treatment method cannot be used as a viable vibration control strategy.
Thus, surface damping treatments must be used which, as discussed above, do not always maximize vibration attenuation.


A handheld electronic device configured for thumb-typing by a user is disclosed. The handheld electronic device comprises a display and a keyboard comprising a first group of keys and a second group of keys. The first and second group of keys are arranged into a plurality of rows. Each of the plurality of rows make an angle generally between 30 and 50 degrees with respect to a longitudinal midline of the device.

Portable hand-held electronic devices such as a Personal Data Assistant (PDA), a two-way pager or a two-way email-messaging device are becoming increasingly important. However, to improve portability and hence widespread usage of these devices, the size of these devices must be reduced. Due to current electronic technology, the thickness of hand-held electronic devices is at an acceptable level. However, device users would like to see a reduction in the width of these handheld devices. In fact some users would prefer a handheld device that resembles a cell phone in which the handheld device may be slightly increased in length but reduced in width.
The electronic components that are used to construct these handheld devices can facilitate a size reduction for virtually any dimension of the device. However, it is the conventional physical user interface, such as the display and the input devices (i.e. keyboard), which places a limitation on the reduction in the length and width of these devices. The display must be maintained at a certain size so that user interaction with the device is not degraded based on the functionality that the device is providing for the user (such as text messaging, web-surfing or game-playing). Accordingly, there is a need for an alternative configuration for the input device that will facilitate a reduction in size for the hand-held electronic device.
The main input device for hand-held electronic devices is a keyboard. Keyboards are typically laid out in the QWERTY fashion. QWERTY is a reference to the order of the keys starting with the left most key in the uppermost row of the keyboard. In the standard QWERTY keyboard layout, the letter keys are laid out in three rows with a minimum of seven letter keys per row. In addition, special function keys are usually provided for entering numerals, punctuation or for editing purposes (i.e. the spacebar key, the return key, the delete key, etc.). Foreign language keyboards follow a similar keyboard layout that is referred to as an AZERTY or QWERTZ format.
In order to reduce the size of the keyboard, one may reduce the number of letter keys by combing several letters on one key. Another option is to provide a key with more than one function. For instance, some keys can represent a letter and a number, or a letter and an editing feature. Another key can be depressed, such as an ALT key, to choose between the symbol or function that a given key provides. However, if not done properly, a reduction in the number of keys may reduce the usefulness of the input device. For instance, it may take longer for the user to interact with the handheld device which will lead to frustration on the part of the user. This is unacceptable since it is desirable to have a handheld device with a smaller keyboard that allows the user to maintain typing speed and accuracy. In addition, following a standard QWERTY layout in which the keys are provided in substantially horizontal rows still results in a handheld device in which the width of the device is not greatly reduced.
Another problem with the QWERTY layout is that the user will typically grip the handheld device such that their fingers support the handheld device and their thumbs are used for typing. Consequently, a variety of thumb movements are required in order to reach all of the keys on the keyboard. These thumb movements for conventional QWERTY keyboards generally involve a combination of multi-directional movements that are not naturally occurring movements of the thumbs. This will lead to premature user fatigue.
Accordingly, there is a need for handheld devices with a keyboard interface that is compact yet at the same time functional. The keys of the keyboard should be arranged to reduce the size of the keyboard interface while at the same time better reflecting the natural movements of the human thumb as well as maintaining functionality and ease of use.

Keyboard arrangement for handheld electronic devices


A gate-all-around nanowire device and a method for forming the gate-all-around nanowire device. A first fin and a dielectric layer on the first fin are formed on a substrate. The first fin includes the at least one first epitaxial layer and the at least one second epitaxial layer that are alternately stacked. The dielectric layer exposes a channel region of the first fin. A doping concentration at a lateral surface of the channel region and a doping concentration at a central region of the channel region are different from each other in the at least one second epitaxial layer. After the at least one first epitaxial layer is removed from the channel region, the at least one second epitaxial layer in the channel region serves as at least one nanowire. A gate surrounding the at least one nanowire is formed.

With continuous development of techniques for manufacturing integrated circuits, a key dimension of a semiconductor device, especially a field effect transistor (MOSFET), is decreasing to reach a 5 nm and even lower technology node. A conventional tri-gate or double-gate fin field effect transistor (FinFET) is limited in sizes.
Gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire transistors become a hotspot in research and application. They feature in that a channel region of a nanowire is completely surrounded by a gate, thereby rendering good gate-control and driving capabilities. The GAA nanowire transistors are the most promising solution for CMOS devices in 10 nm and lower technology nodes. A channel region of the GAA nanowire transistors may be a nanowire-type or a nanosheet-type.
In conventional techniques for manufacturing the AA nanowire transistors, there is a problem that a turn-on voltage between the gate and a source distributes non-uniformly along the channel region. A decrease in a dimension of a channel may results in a severe narrow channel effect, thereby affecting device performances.

Method for forming gate-all-around nanowire device

Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device providing steps of implanting impurity ions on the whole surface of a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of gate portions, in which side walls are formed on gate electrodes, by using the gate portion as masks, and then laminating a first insulating film, carrying out a first heat treatment to diffuse the impurities implanted in the substrate and to form an impurity diffusion layer between the gate portions, removing the first insulating film in a contact formation region which substantially includes the impurity diffusion layer, carrying out a second heat treatment to reduce crystal defects on the impurity diffusion layer and to laminate a second insulating film, which is made of the same material as that of the first insulating film, on the whole surface of the semiconductor substrate including the contact formation region again, and laminating a third insulating film on the whole surface and then carrying out a third heat treatment to flatten the surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method for forming a source-drain impurity diffusion region by implanting As ions in a MOS memory cell having a LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed a method for manufacturing a MOS memory cell shown in FIG. 5 as one of methods for forming a gate construction having a LDD structure.
As shown in FIG. 5(a), a gate electrode (53) is formed on a Si substrate (51) through a gate oxide film (52). A SiO.sub.2 film as a side wall material is deposited on the gate electrode (53). FIE is carried out to form a SiO.sub.2 side wall (54).
Then, As ions (55) are implanted as impurities on the whole surface. A NSG (non-doped silicate glass) film (56) is deposited in order to prevent out diffusion. Thereafter, a heat treatment is carried out for 60 minutes at a middle temperature, for example, of about 800.degree. C. so as to diffuse the impurities. Consequently, an impurity diffusion layer (51a) is formed [see FIG. 5(b)].
A BPSG film (58) is deposited on the whole surface in order to reduce a level difference between layers. The heat treatment is carried out for 30 minutes at a high temperature, for example, of about 950.degree. C. so as to adjust a shape. Thus, the surface is made flat [see FIG. 5(c)].
Then, a contact hole is formed for metal wiring, so that an element is produced.
There has been proposed another method for forming an impurity diffusion layer (51a). More specifically, As ions (55) are implanted [see FIG. 6(a)]. A middle temperature heat treatment is carried out for impurity diffusion. A NSG film (56) is deposited in order to prevent out diffusion. Then, a BPSG film (58) is deposited so as to reduce a level difference between layers. Thereafter, a high temperature heat treatment is carried out in order to adjust the shape [see FIG. 5(b)].
Referring to a prior art shown in FIG. 6A, especially, oxide is a SiO.sub.2 film (60) is implanted in the Si substrate (51) together with the As ions (55). Consequently, crystal defects occur on the Si substrate (51). Also in the case where the middle temperature heat treatment is carried out to form the impurity diffusion region (51a), the crystal defects are not eliminated.
Referring to a prior art shown in FIG. 5, when the middle temperature heat treatment is carried out to form the impurity diffusion region (51a), crystal defects (59) occur owing to the cluster of impurities introduced into the impurity diffusion region (51a). Thus, an electric leak is caused so that a yield may be reduced.

Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device