In an optical disk apparatus, an ejection lock mechanism includes three (3) arm portions; i.e., a lock arm for locking a tray, being engaged with a lock member provided on a housing, a drive arm, in contact with the lock arm, for moving the lock arm to a position of being engaged with or releasing from engagement with the lock member, a solenoid having a movable plunger to be engaged with the drive arm, and a reset arm for restoring the plunger of the solenoid, wherein the reset arm is made up with an arm portion and an elastic portion, which are formed in one (1) body (as a unit) from a plastic, and the arm portion has two (2) arm pieces, and wherein a first arm piece has a function for moving the drive arm to the position of releasing from engagement with the lock member, through rotation thereof while being in contact with the lock member, and a second arm piece has a function for restoring the drive arm to a plunger storing portion of the solenoid, with a biasing force of the elastic portion, and the elastic portion has the “U”-shaped portions, turning round to the reset arm through an upper portion of the drive arm, whereby rotation of the first arm piece in contact with the lock member makes a mutual distance between the “U”-shaped portions, so as to maintain stability on the spring biasing force thereof.

The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus of using a tray therein (i.e., of a tray type), and it relates to, in particular, an ejection lock mechanism in such the optical disk apparatus.
Many of the optical disk apparatuses, which are installed within a notebook type personal computer, adopt so-called a tray type, having a disk tray for loading an optical disk thereon being freely movable in/out a housing thereof. With such the apparatus, in particular, when loading the optical disk thereon, the tray is pulled out from the housing, so as to attach (i.e., load) the optical disk thereon, and is pulled back into the housing, thereby to start driving of the disk.
The tray-method optical disk of such the conventional art, in general, adopts the structures, wherein that tray is taken out/in from an opening formed on the housing, which is constructed by combining a top case and a bottom case. Further, on the tray are mounted a disk motor for rotationally driving the optical disk, an optical pickup for irradiating a laser beam upon the optical disk, thereby recording/reproducing a signal thereon/from, an optical pickup transmission mechanism for moving the optical pickup in a radial direction of the optical disk, and an ejection lock mechanism for locking the tray at an insertion position within the housing of the apparatus, etc., and, on both sides of that tray are rails for guiding the tray to be inserted into and discharged from the housing. On the other hand, on that housing are provide rail guides for guiding the rails thereon, and a lock member for locking the tray, etc., and thereby enabling an ejecting operation of the tray with using an eject button provided on a front bezel.
However, the conventional ejection lock mechanism applied within such the tray-type optical disk apparatus is already disclosed, for example, in the following Patent Document 1, has the structures, including a lock arm and a lock spring, a reset arm and a reset spring, a driving arm and a driving spring, and a solenoid plunger, etc., thereby achieving a small-sized mechanism for enabling the ejection with stability. Also, the similar structures are also disclosed, for example, in the following Patent Document 2, which will be mentioned below. Further, in the following Patent Document 3, which will be mentioned below, there are disclosed the structures of adopting a release arm therein, which are constructed with a plural number of members, for increasing reliability with respect to a lifetime of the ejection lock mechanism mentioned above.
Also, for example, in the following Patent Document 4, in the place of such the structures of three (3) members as was mentioned, there is disclosed the structures of unifying or integrating them into one body, and further in the following Patent Document 5, for example, there is disclosed an attempt of omitting a drive spring therefrom, by forming the lock arm in the ejection lock mechanism with the drive spring into a one (1) body, through the plastic molding.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-303289 (2004);
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-234800 (2004);
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-120190 (2006);
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-190350 (2006); and
[Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 8-235717 (1996).


An assembling screwdriver with hexagonal socket is composed of a handle, a socket and a set of bits, the handle has a hexagonal socket holder with a pair of inner rails along the inner wall. The socket is in hexagonal inner shape, and has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the socket holder of the handle, and comprises a pair of protuberances extending from the outer wall corresponding to the rails of the socket, an aperture on the wall between the protuberances, a block secured in the socket with a recess adapted to receive a spring and a bearing therein. The bit set includes a pair of bits, each bit is in hexagonal shape and has an aperture on one side adapted to receive a spring and a bearing therein. The two bits are placed in each end of the socket, while the socket is inserted in the socket holder of the handle with the bearing urged by the spring against the wall.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an assembling screwdriver, and more particular to a screwdriver with hexagonal socket holder design.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional screwdriver comprises a handle and an integral bit, and the bit is in either a cross or minus type head. The head can be made in various sizes. Therefore, people need to prepare a number of screwdrivers with different heads and sizes for different purposes. Other than economic inefficiency, they also take more space to store. For this reason, a screwdriver with replaceable bits are designed which has a unit handle and various types and sizes of screwdriver bits in a separated way, however, the screwdriver bits are easy to be misplaced and makes the whole unit useless. Further, hexagonal bolt and nut are used in various purposes, in many occasion, both screwdriver and hexagonal socket are used at same time, therefore, if a screwdriver also equipped with hexagonal socket is the most favorable tool, it corresponds not only economically, but also convenience.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide with a multi-purpose hand tool which functions as a screwdriver with various types and sizes of bits and as a socket.
It is another object of the present invention to provide with a multi-purpose hand tool which is easy to exchange the bits and takes less space to store.

Assembling screwdriver with hexagonal socket design


A fuel pipe which is inexpensive and is excellent in salt spray corrosion resistance, characterized by being comprised of a steel pipe member having as a material a ferritic stainless steel which contains, by mass %, C: 0.015% or less, Si: 0.01 to 0.50%, Mn: 0.01 to 0.50%, P: 0.050% or less, S: 0.010% or less, N: 0.015% or less, Al: 0.010 to 0.100%, and Cr: 13.0 to 18.0% and further, one or both of Ti: 0.03 to 0.30% and Nb: 0.03 to 0.30% and a metal fitting part, the metal fitting part and the steel pipe member having between them a crevice structure at the surface which the structure is exposed to a salt spray environment, an opening amount at a crevice part of the crevice structure being 0.2 mm or more, and an inside of the crevice part being coated by electrodeposition.

A fuel pipe for automotive use is required under U.S. laws to have a guaranteed lifetime of 15 years or 150,000 miles. Fuel pipes made of stainless steel (SUS436L: 17Cr-1.2Mo) as materials have already been commercialized.
Automobiles which operate in the North American region are exposed to de-icing salt spray environments, so the materials which are used for the fuel pipes are required to have excellent salt spray corrosion resistance. In the past, SUS436L has been applied. However, due to the recent soaring prices of resources, demands have arisen for reducing the material costs. SUS436L contains the expensive Mo in about 1%, so even with just replacement by the Mo-free AISI439 steel (17Cr), a large effect of reduction of costs is obtained.
However, if cutting the alloying elements of a material, the corrosion resistance deteriorates. Therefore, the weak points due to lowering of the grade of the material require compensation by other methods.
The locations of a fuel pipe where corrosion is a concern are the crevice structures at the outer surface side of the fuel pipe which is exposed to a salt spray environment. In the past, as a means for improving the salt spray corrosion resistance of a crevice part in a crevice structure, coating by cationic electrodeposition has been used.
PLT 1 discloses a method of production which uses SUS436 pipe as a material and uses projection welding to assemble a fuel pipe and coats it by cationic electrodeposition. However, according to the findings of the inventors, with this art, the corrosion proofing cannot be said to be complete even with SUS436. Therefore, when using a lower grade material, it cannot be deemed that a sufficient corrosion proofing effect can be obtained by this art.
PLT 2 discloses the art of using SUS436 as a material so as to assemble a fuel pipe and coating the fuel pipe by electrostatic coating to prevent crevice corrosion.
PLT 3 shows the art of coating stainless steel fuel pipe by a chip-resistant coating so as to secure a sufficient corrosion proofing property even with chipping.
However, these arts involve higher coating costs than electrodeposition coating. On the other hand, the insides of crevices cannot be coated, so a sufficient corrosion proofing effect cannot be obtained.
Various corrosion proofing methods aside from coating have also been proposed.
PLT 4 discloses the art of placing sacrificial positive electrodes of zinc at the locations where passivation films are damaged by welding, brazing, plastic working, etc. in the assembly of stainless steel fuel pipes or at crevice locations and making use of sacrificial corrosion.
However, placing zinc at all of the locations where corrosion is a concern is troublesome and time-consuming. Further, zinc is an expensive metal. Furthermore, zinc is easily consumed in a salt spray environment, so the amount required soars. Therefore, in a fuel pipe, sacrificial corrosion cannot be said to be a realistic technique.

Fuel pipe and method of production of same

NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN STAINLESS STEEL CORPORATION


Methods and apparatus for generating a vapor to be injected into a flue gas stream are described. The apparatus includes a fluid vaporization and injection assembly including an input for receiving a non-flue gas, e.g., clean, fluid heat transfer medium, e.g., air; a first sealed coil having an input and an output through which a fluid, such as ammonia, to be vaporized is passed; and a second sealed coil having an input and an output through which a heated second fluid, such as water or steam, is passed. The second sealed coil is arranged to transfer heat from the heated second fluid to the non-flue gas fluid heat transfer medium. The first sealed coil is arranged to absorb heat from the non-flue gas fluid heat transfer medium. An injection unit is coupled to an output of the first sealed coil for injecting the vaporized fluid into a flue gas stream.

One of the byproducts of power plants and turbine engines is exhaust gas, commonly known as flue gas. This gas may contain components which are harmful to the environment, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The production of NOx can occur when fossil fuels are combusted, such as in turbines, refinery heaters, steam boilers, etc. Such fuels include coal, oil, natural gas, waste product such as municipal solid waste, petroleum coke, and other carbon-based materials. It is beneficial to the environment to control the levels of NOx released into the atmosphere by burning such fuels.
One common approach to handling this situation is to inject a reducing gas into the flue gas stream, which will remove NOx from the stream. One common method is a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process which involves the injection of ammonia (NH3) into the flue gas stream and then passing the resultant flue gas over a catalyst. The flue gas and the ammonia regent travel through a catalytic converter that facilitates the breakdown of NOx into nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), and water, which are not harmful to the atmosphere.
One known method for generating ammonia vapor uses anhydrous ammonia, which is evaporated with either a direct electric heat source or with steam coils directly supplying the heat to the ammonia. The vaporized ammonia is then diluted with air in order to provide an adequate mass necessary to distribute the ammonia reagent evenly over a large ductwork cross-section. A disadvantage of such a system is the need for maintenance of the electric or steam coils as they are in direct contact with the anhydrous ammonia. Further, any breach of the steam coil could result in ammonia contamination of the steam system.
Another known method of generating ammonia vapor is to use a selective non-catalytic reduction process (SNCR) wherein a liquid aqueous ammonia derivative is sprayed into a high temperature region of the furnace in order to accomplish NOx reduction. In some systems the energy from the flue gas is used to accomplish the phase change. A major problem associated with this method of relying on the flue gas to supply the heat is that a long time is required in the hot region in order to vaporize the water and ammonia and for the reaction with the NOX.
Another known method is to vaporize aqueous ammonia, and then inject the vapor into the flue gas stream at a location upstream of the SCR reactor. A known approach to heating the aqueous ammonia is to use a diverted portion of flue gas, to heat up the aqueous ammonia. A problem with this approach is that everything that the flue gas comes in contact with is contaminated, from such contaminates in the flue gas as dust, ash, and sulfur oxides. In addition, the amount of heat available for vaporization is a function of the flue gas temperature making control of vaporization more difficult than where the heat source can be readily controlled to supply differing amounts of heat depending on sensed operating conditions
In view of the above discussion, it should be appreciated that there is a need for new and improved ways of preparing an ammonia regent for injection into the flue gas stream of a furnace in order to reduce the level of NOx in the flue gas.

Ammonia vaporization system using non-flue gas intermediate heat transfer medium


An electronic equipment is provided with a fluid device using fluid including an additive, a main body comprising an installation site for installation of the fluid device and a detection part reserving the fluid. The detection part makes the fluid visible by means of the additive or is provided with a detection substance changing its nature when contacting the fluid, thereby leakage of the fluid is detected. The detection part may be further provided with electrodes to measure an electric property change therebetween. The detection part is disposed on either the installation site or the fluid device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic equipment with a fluid leakage detection unit and, more particularly, relates to an electronic equipment using a fluid device, such as a fuel cell or a fluid cooling system, with a fluid leakage detection unit for leakage detection of the fluid used in the fluid device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, it is diligently considered that an application of a fuel cell to a power source of a portable electronic equipment, such as a cellular phone, a notebook type PC and such, is diligently being studied. As such, a fuel cell, a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC, hereinafter), in which methanol aqueous solution is directly used as a fuel for power generation, is now considered to be preferable.
A DMFC unit is, in general, provided with a fuel cell for reaction, a fuel tank for housing the methanol aqueous solution as a fuel and supplying the fuel to the fuel cell and flow paths interconnecting the fuel cell, the fuel tank and such. Whole of the DMFC unit may be either housed in the electronic equipment or attached to an outside of the electronic equipment.
A fuel cell unit housed in or attached to the electronic equipment may be subject to severe impact causing leakage of the fuel because the electronic equipment often drops to the ground or a floor during carrying or use.
Furthermore, the electronic equipment may be provided with a water cooling system for cooling electronic devices housed therein. The water cooling system may also have risk for leakage of water therein.
For prevention of undesired problem caused by fluid leakage, there is a proposed art disclosed in Japanese Patent Application laid-open No. 2002-232176, in which a water cooling system for cooling semiconductor devices is covered by water-absorbing material.

Electronic equipment and fuel cell for the same


A transport refrigeration system (26) includes a transport refrigeration unit (44), an energy storage device (46), a supply refrigerant tube (108), a return refrigerant tube (110) and at least one electrical pathway (98). The transport refrigeration unit is adapted to cool a container. The energy storage device is adapted to provide electrical energy for operating the transport refrigeration unit. The supply refrigerant tube flows a refrigerant from the transport refrigeration unit to the energy storage device, and the return refrigerant tube flows the refrigerant from the energy storage device back to the transport refrigeration unit to cool the battery in the energy storage device (46). The electrical pathway extends between the transport refrigeration unit and the energy storage device, and supplies at least electrical energy to the transport refrigeration unit.

The present disclosure relates to a transport refrigeration system and, more particularly, to an energy storage device of the transport refrigeration system.
Traditional refrigerated cargo trucks or refrigerated tractor trailers, such as those utilized to transport cargo via sea, rail, or road, is a truck, trailer or cargo container, generally defining a cargo compartment, and modified to include a refrigeration system located at one end of the truck, trailer, or cargo container. Refrigeration systems typically include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator serially connected by refrigerant lines in a closed refrigerant circuit in accord with known refrigerant vapor compression cycles. A power unit, such as a combustion engine, drives the compressor of the refrigeration unit, and may be diesel powered, natural gas powered, or other type of engine. In many tractor trailer transport refrigeration systems, the compressor is driven by the engine shaft either through a belt drive or by a mechanical shaft-to-shaft link. In other systems, the engine of the refrigeration unit drives a generator that generates electrical power, which in-turn drives the compressor.
With current environmental trends, improvements in transport refrigeration units are desirable particularly toward aspects of environmental impact. With environmentally friendly refrigeration units, improvements in the use and reliability of energy storage units is also desirable.


Disclosed are organic semiconductor materials, including mixtures of relatively low molecular weight aromatic ring compounds, in which at least one nitrogen atom or oxygen atom is present as a heteroatom in the aromatic ring compounds for forming hydrogen bonds between the heteroatom(s) and adjacent molecules and thereby increase intermolecular stacking. Organic semiconductor layers formed using such organic semiconductor materials will, accordingly, exhibit increased intermolecular stacking and associated improvements in one or more electrical properties of the semiconductor layer. Organic thin film transistors incorporating such organic semiconductor layers will tend to exhibit improved transistor properties including, for example, increased carrier mobility and reduced off-state leakage current. Further, the organic semiconductor layers may be manufactured using conventional room temperature processes, for example, spin coating or printing, thereby simplifying the fabrication process.

1. Field of Endeavor
The example embodiments generally relate to organic semiconductor materials including at least one stacking-inducing compound, compositions comprising such materials, organic semiconductor thin films formed using at least one of the compositions, and organic electronic devices, for example, organic thin film transistors (OTFT), incorporating at least one of the thin films. More particularly, example embodiments include organic semiconductor materials comprising a mixture of low-molecular-weight aromatic ring compounds in which at least one heteroatom, for example, nitrogen or oxygen, is present in the molecules and in a position whereby the heteroatom(s) can form bonds with a hydrogen atom of an adjacent molecule, the hydrogen bond being of sufficient strength to induce intermolecular stacking, and to applications thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
After the development of polyacetylene, a conjugated organic polymer having semiconductor properties, interest in organic semiconductors and their potential for use as electric and electronic materials has increased Organic semiconducting materials may provide certain advantages over conventional inorganic semiconductor materials including for example, various synthesis methods, easy formability into fibers or films, improved flexibility, improved conductivity, and/or reduced fabrication costs. In light of these potential advantages, research and study efforts in the field of functional electronic devices and optical devices incorporating such materials has been increasing.
Compared to conventional silicon thin film transistors, OTFTs may provide advantages in that semiconductor layers may be formed using atmospheric pressure wet processes and thereby avoid the need for the conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processes. In addition, the fabrication processes may be carried out using roll-to-roll processes and may utilize plastic substrates, if suitable or necessary for the intended application, thereby decreasing the cost of fabricating the semiconductor device. OTFTs may be suitable for use in a number of applications including, for example, display drivers for active displays, smart cards, plastic chips for inventory control, for example, RFID tags.
However, in conventional methods of fabricating OTFTs in which the thin film is formed using a room-temperature wet process, the resulting thin film does not tend to exhibit a highly ordered structure relative to conventional inorganic semiconductor materials. To the extent that the organic thin films exhibit reduced intermolecular ordering, this less ordered structure tends to result in undesirable effects including, for example, decreased charge mobility and/or increased off-state leakage current that may render such films unsuitable for use in various applications.
Conventional attempts to address these issues have included various methods of treating an insulator with a surface treatment agent that is interchangeable with a semiconductor material. However, such methods tend to introduce additional issues including, for example, increased manufacturing costs and/or more complicated fabrication procedures, and does not tend to with the use of additional material, and also has a complicated procedure and does not realize the desired effects.

Organic semiconductor materials using stacking-inducing compounds, compositions comprising such materials, organic semiconductor thin films formed using such compositions, and organic electronic devices incorporating such thin films


A two-dimensional code detector detecting a two-dimensional code including a plurality of position identifying patterns and an information pattern and generating control information for an object provided with the two-dimensional code, the two-dimensional code detector includes: an image input unit which inputs an acquired image obtained by an image pickup of the object; a pattern detection unit which detects position identifying patterns within the acquired image; a position/posture calculation unit which calculates position/posture information indicating a position and posture of the two-dimensional code in a three-dimensional space based on a two-dimensional position of the position identifying patterns detected by the pattern detection unit; a decoding device which decodes the information pattern; and a control information generating unit which generates the control information based on the decoded information decoded by the decoding device and the position/posture information calculated by the position/posture calculation unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-dimensional code detector (2D-code detector) which detects a position and posture of a two-dimensional code (2D-code) provided on an object and also detects information encoded to the 2D-code and a program for this detector. Additionally, the present invention relates to a robot control information generator and a robot.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Conventionally, the recognition of a position and posture of an object by a robot etc. is performed by applying a known model to stereo information of the object that is formed from distance information in a three-dimensional space of the object. However, the estimation of the position and posture of the object has been realized in a limited environment, e.g. such that the object is in a known shape. In a complex scene, the recognition of a target object with speed and precision is difficult under a current computer capacity, and therefore has not been realized at present time.
Therefore, various techniques for assisting the recognition of a position and posture of an object are proposed and for example a system in which a barcode or a two-dimensional code (2D-code) is provided on an object to recognize the position and posture has been discovered in Japanese unexamined patent publication JP No.2004-1153. In this system, an image pickup of the object, which is provided with the 2D-code and is placed on a table, is performed by an image pickup device. Next, vertices of the 2D-code are detected by analyzing an acquired image obtained by the image pickup. Then, the orientation (rotation) etc. of the object is detected based on the vertices.
In this system, furthermore, a grasp and transfer of the object by a robot is enabled by controlling the posture of the robot in accordance with the orientation of the object.
In this system, additionally, features such as a type, shape, size and etc. of the object can be recognized by decoding data which is encoded into the 2D-code, when the robot grasps the object.
In the system disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication JP No.2004-1153, only an object orientation (rotation) on a two-dimensional plane (table) placed in a predetermined position can be detected as an object posture. That is, in this technique, the posture of an object installed in a three-dimensional space cannot be detected.
Moreover, in the technique described above, features of an object itself are encoded in the 2D-code and are utilized as information used when the robot grasps the object. But, in this case, the position of the object cannot be precisely recognized unless the 2D-code has been provided on the object at a certain position.
In the conventional system, therefore, the position on the object of the 2D-code has to be recorded beforehand for each object. Thus, the position of the 2D-code has to be recorded again when processing other object, and lacks in versatility.
Therefore, a two-dimensional code detector (2D-code detector), which can recognize a position and posture of an object in a three-dimensional space by detecting a two-dimensional code (2D-code) attached to the object and can generate control information to be required for an operation such as a grasp of the object in a three-dimensional space, and a program thereof have been required. Furthermore, a robot control information generator and a robot incorporated with a robot control information generator, which each can provide the same function of this detector, have been required.

Two-dimensional code detector and program thereof, and robot control information generator and robot


A method of genetically evaluating animals by using mitochondrial DNA is disclosed. Polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA are detected by isolating, fragmenting, and sequencing the DNA. The restriction patterns and nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial DNA of different animals are correlated to expressed traits in the animals. This may be confirmed by comparing results to expression of the trait in maternal lineages of animals. Further, effects of maternal lineages are determined by partitioning maternal genetic variation from nuclear variation.

In genetically evaluating animals, researchers use theory based on nuclear genes. Higher organisms have a nucleus within their cells that contains nuclear genetic material. This has been the source of genetic material for scientists in analyzing genetic background and inheritance of animals. However, there are other organelles within the cells that have their own genetic makeup, one of which includes the mitochondria with its own DNA.
Until now, it was widely held that essentially no variation existed in mitochondrial DNA. This invention relates to the finding that there is variation, or polymorphism, within mitochondrial DNA, and these polymorphisms may be used to evaluate inheritable traits of animals.
The use of mitochondrial DNA is a significant advancement in the science of animal breeding. Current genetic improvement programs are based solely on use of nuclear genes. Classical animal breeding methods have been developed first by using mass selection and then by progressing to evaluation of lineages, pedigrees, selection index, and best linear unbiased prediction methods. Progeny testing is the breeding method used most often in cattle. All methods are based on use of nuclear genetic material. Mitochondrial genes are inherited maternally. That is, they are transmitted from a female to both sexes of progeny; males do not transmit mitochondrial genes to their progeny. Thus, in a progeny test, bull mothers pass their maternal genetic material to their sons, but these sons do not transmit this genetic material to their daughters. Both nuclear and mitochondrial genetic material contributes to the production records of bull mothers, but, because only nuclear material is transmitted through their sons to his daughters, the bull mothers may be over- or under-evaluated, depending upon the bull mother's mitochondrial contribution. If the magnitude of the cytoplasmic or mitochondrial effect is known, the pedigree estimate of the bull mother's contribution can be adjusted appropriately.
Milk volume and percentage of milk fat and milk protein (two constituents of milk, along with lactose and minerals) are economically the most important traits of dairy cattle. Reproduction and health of cattle, however, merit attention as well, because the interval between successive calvings and health costs also determine profitability of dairy cows. Effects of cytoplasmic inheritance on reproductive measures have been shown for number of days open (days from calving to next conception), days from calving to first detected estrus, first service conception rate, and number of services.
It has now been found that there are polymorphisms in mitochondrial DNA and that a method of isolating and preparing specific fragments of the mitochondrial DNA has been developed so that fragments in the mitochondrial DNA may be associated with phenotypic expression as a particular trait in the animal. This discovery has been applied specifically to a herd of dairy cattle by associating the presence of particular nucleotide substitutions in the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with increased volume productions of milk and with greater milkfat content. Other associations are also made for important economic traits such as days open and certain health traits such as mastitis and reproductive problems.
Mitochondrial lineage influences on health differences of cattle have not been examined. Much work associating human diseases to mitochondrial DNA sequence differences has been reported. Kearns-Sayres Syndrome (KSS) and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) are examples of such diseases. In fact, LHON has been shown to be correlated with a single guanine-adenine transition that converts an arginine to a histidine in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 gene of mtDNA. Such mtDNA nucleotide sequence substitutions may affect health and other production traits in cattle.
Molecular variation in bovine mtDNA has been demonstrated through RFLP analysis and comparison of nucleotide sequences. Displacement loop (D-loop) sequences of mtDNA from 36 distinct registered maternal lineages available for this study were previously compared Lindberg, G. L. 1989. Sequence heterogenity of bovine mitochondrial DNA. Ph.D Dissertation, Iowa State University, Lib. Ames. University Microfilm order No. DA-9014925. Ann Arbor, Mich. Fifty-one sequence differences were located, including 48 single base pair (bp) substitutions, one 9-bp deletion, and two variable length poly G-C runs. Where possible, D-loops from two or more animals of the same maternal lineage were sequenced to verify accuracy of mtDNA isolation and nucleotide sequencing and to confirm constancy of mtDNA within maternal lineages, supra.
The D-loop region of mtDNA does not code for any known gene products; hence, sequence polymorphisms there would not alter specific protein chain subunits. Promoters for transcription of both heavy and light strands of mtDNA as well as the origin of heavy strand replication, however, lie within the D-loop. Thus, sequence differences in the mtDNA D-loop may alter transcription or replication rates. Moreover, such D-loop polymorphisms may serve as markers of differences elsewhere on the mtDNA genome in coding regions of genes that are associated with phenotypic expression of traits.
The primary objects of the invention are, therefore, to evaluate animals genetically by using their mitochondrial DNA by phenotypic analyses of differences between maternal lineages.
Another object of the invention is to use polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA of animals to associate the absence or presence of single or several markers with traits of economic importance including health trait importance in animals.
A further object of the invention is to determine the sequence of nucleotides in mitochondrial DNA fragments and associate presence or absence of specific nucleotide sequences of fragments with traits of economic and health importance.
A still further object is to associate polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA with its expression in the maternal lineage of an animal.
A further object is to provide for improved genetic evaluation of animals by phenotypically determining the relative worth of maternal lineages for economic traits.
Another object of the invention is to predictably isolate efficient milk producers and lineages of milk producers from dairy herds by evaluation of polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent in the following disclosure.

Association of bovine mitochondrial DNA with traits of economic importance

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


A toaster has heating elements (H1, H2) arranged at opposite sides of a product (5) to be toasted. The size of the product to be toasted (5) is detected by a sensor, for example a mechanical sensor (2.1, 2.2, 2.3) or an optical sensor device with a photo-emitter and a photo-receiver. The power delivered by the heating elements (H1, H2) is controlled in dependence on the detected size. Thus, the power consumption of the toaster is adapted to the size of the product to be toasted and overheating of the product is avoided and a constant toasting time is obtained.

The invention relates to a toaster comprising: a toasting chamber for receiving a product to be toasted and at least one heating element arranged in the toasting chamber for heating the product.
Toasters of this type are generally known. The bread to be toasted is inserted into the toasting chamber and is exposed to heating by the heating element. The number of heating elements depends on the type of toaster. There are types having a centrally mounted heating element, enabling a slice of bread to be placed on either side of the heating element. In this type the slice of bread should be turned in order to allow both sides of the slice to be toasted. There are also types having two heating elements, the slice being interposed between the heating elements and both sides being toasted at the same time. There is a trend towards and a demand for toasters having a larger toasting chamber in order to enable as many as possible different types of bread having just as many different sizes to be toasted. A larger toasting chamber requires larger heating elements with higher power ratings so as to maintain the power density over the increased area. A disadvantage is that such a toaster consumes more current than usually necessary, that a smaller than normal piece of bread is toasted more rapidly than envisaged for a normal piece of bread, and that comparatively small pieces of bread are heated more intensively by the surplus heating area of the heating element and become too dark or even charred.


Apparatus and methods for reducing glitches in digital step attenuators are disclosed. By configuring a multi-bit DSA such that an attenuation control block changes a plurality of control signals in a manner sequencing individual switches of the DSA, glitches can be reduced and RF signal behavior can be enhanced. The sequence, based upon a unit time delay, causes the transient attenuation value to be bounded between a minimum and maximum and can improve settling time.

Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to electronic systems, and more particularly, to digital step attenuators.
Description of the Related Technology
Digital step attenuators (DSA) frequently include attenuator units and switches to selectively adjust the attenuation level. A control unit can provide control signals to control the state of the switches, on state or off state, which in turn control the state of the attenuator units, insertion state or attenuation state.
In one example, a control unit provides control signals to change the state of switches of a DSA to increase the impedance and thereby increase the total attenuation.
In another example, a control unit provides control signals to change the state of switches of a DSA to decrease the impedance and thereby decrease the total attenuation.


A shower assembly is disclosed having a spray nozzle (41) through which liquid flows into a shower cabinet (10). The shower has a collecting container (22) for the liquid, the nozzle and container being integrated with a circulation system including a pump (33) with which the liquid in the collecting container can be circulated through the nozzle (41). The shower also has a mechanism (18, 20) by which the liquid either can be directed to the container (22) or directly to a sewage (21).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shower assemblies, and specifically to a shower having a spray nozzle through which liquid flows and a collecting container for the liquid, the nozzle and container being a part of a circulation system including a pump by means of which the liquid in the collecting container is circulated through said nozzle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Compared to bath tubs, the use of conventional shower assemblies results in a considerable saving of energy and water which has contributed to the popularity of showering. In spite of this, the energy and water consumption still is high.
Recently, shower cabinets have been marketed which are simple to install, do not need a special insulation for wet room areas, and have the advantage that the cleaning procedure is limited to a restricted area which is comparatively easy to clean. These shower cabinets are open at their upper part which means that moisture, together with a large amount of heat, escapes to the surrounding area during the shower.
In order to save energy and water during the shower, it has been suggested to use flow reducing means such as water saving nozzles and impulse shower assemblies. However, even when using these types of showers, a large amount of energy and water disappears directly to the sewage system.
It has moreover been suggested to use shower assemblies which have a circulation system for water, see for instance SE 8106668-0 and corresponding U.K. Patent No. 1,602,191 and DE 3436941. SE 8106668-0 describes a shower assembly having a circulation system in which the water is stored in two containers. The water in one of the containers is used during an initial soap or cleaning procedure whereas the water in the other container is used during the rinse procedure. The disadvantage with this system is that, in addition to the water handling problem when filling the containers, only dirty water is circulated since the clean rinsing water during the shower is transferred to and mixed with the cleaning water. This in turn means that the rinsing procedure only can be carried through as long as there is water in the container being used for that purpose.
DE 3436941 describes a system which is used for a rinsing procedure after a sauna bath, the water being filled into a container and then being circulated through nozzles. This system cannot, however, be used during a combined cleaning and rinsing procedure since the dirty water which is a result of the cleaning procedure would also circulate during the rinsing procedure. In order to carry through a rinsing procedure with clean water, it is necessary to empty the container and then take in new water.


A receiver (300) includes a first mixing digital-to-analog converter (DAC) (336, 332), a second mixing DAC (338, 334), a direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS) (302), a phase correction circuit (340), a selectable load (306) and a magnitude correction circuit (350). The first mixing DAC (336, 332) includes a first input for receiving an input signal, a second input for receiving a digital first local oscillator (LO) signal and an output. The second mixing DAC (338, 334) includes a first input for receiving the input signal, a second input for receiving a digital second local oscillator (LO) signal and an output. The DDFS (302) is configured to provide the first and second LO signals, which are quadrature signals. The phase correction circuit (340) is configured to provide a phase correction signal to a control input of the DDFS (302). The first selectable load (306) includes an input coupled to the output of the first mixing DAC (336, 332) and a control input. The magnitude correction circuit (350) is configured to provide a first magnitude correction signal to the control input of the first selectable load (306).

As is known, broadcast TV uses a frequency spectrum of about 40 MHz to about 900 MHz, depending on the country and standard. In the usual case, the spectrum may be populated with both weak and strong channels, depending on a location of a given receiver with respect to a particular transmitter. In a typical case, a mixer of a receiver down-converts both a desired channel and an image channel. The image channel is situated on an opposite side of a local oscillator (LO) frequency at two times the intermediate frequency (IF) away from the desired channel. The image channel, when provided by a transmitter located near a receiver, may have a relatively high power, as compared to a power of a desired channel provided by a transmitter located at a greater distance from the receiver. Even when the down-conversion gain of the image channel is reduced through specific techniques (e.g., bandpass filtering around a desired channel), it can be difficult to achieve a desired attenuation of the image channel. As an image channel resides on top of a desired channel when down-converted, the image channel can significantly degrade the reception quality of a receiver.
A number of techniques have been utilized in receivers to address the image channel issue. For example, open-loop gain and phase correction (or calibration) has been used to address image channel issues for complex mixers of a receiver. However, when analog correction circuitry is implemented, the low accuracy of typical analog correction circuits tend to limit the image rejection performance of a receiver. Furthermore, an analog correction circuit typically requires calibration or recalibration to account for process, temperature, and/or supply voltage variations. In a quadrature mixer, finite image rejection may be attributable to phase and gain mismatch between two quadrature signals. Ideally, the quadrature signals should be at ninety degrees phase shift and have the same magnitude.
With reference to FIG. 1, a prior art complex receiver 100 is depicted that implements an analog in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) signal mismatch calibration circuit. As is illustrated, an input of a low noise amplifier (LNA) 110 receives a radio frequency (RE) input signal (RFIN) and an output of the LNA 110 is coupled to a first input of a mixer 102 and a first input of a mixer 104. The mixer 102 receives, at a second input, an in-phase local oscillator (LO(I)) signal from a quadrature voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) 112. Similarly, the mixer 104 receives, at a second input, a quadrature local oscillator (LO(Q)) signal from the VCO 112. An output of the mixer 102 is coupled to an input of a variable gain amplifier (VGA) 106 and an output of the mixer 104 is coupled in an input of a VGA 108. Gain adjustment inputs of the VGAs 106 and 108 are coupled to an output of an analog I/Q gain correction circuit 118. An output of an RF-phase locked loop (RF-PLL) 114 is coupled to a reference input of the VCO 112.
The RF-PLL 114 provides a reference signal at the reference input of the VCO 112. The VCO 112 implements two different oscillators (not separately shown) that are coupled together by a differential transistor pair 120 that includes a current source 112, coupled between sources of the differential transistor pair 120 and ground. An I/Q phase correction circuit 116 is coupled to the inputs of the differential pair 120. The I/Q phase correction circuit 116 modifies a phase between in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals by changing a ratio between tail currents that flow through the differential transistor pair 120.
Thus, the receiver 100 may correct for a phase shift between I and Q signals by performing an analog phase matching adjustment. Similarly, the I/Q gain correction circuit 118 adjusts, in an analog manner; a gain value of the quadrature signal paths by applying an appropriate analog signal to the gain inputs of the VGAs 106 and 108. Unfortunately, this technique has a relatively low accuracy due to the analog correction circuitry implemented within the gain correction and phase correction circuits 118 and 116, and, as such, the image rejection performance of the receiver 100 is limited. Moreover, as previously mentioned, an analog correction circuit is subject to process, temperature, and/or supply voltage variations, which requires repeating the calibration process when conditions change. Furthermore, an analog implementation is not particularly well suited for modern highly integrated receivers that utilize digital signal processors (DSPs) and which usually implement digital control signals.
While digital control of gain and phase correction for complex RF receivers has been employed, implementing digital control has required converting intermediate frequency in-phase (IF(I)) and quadrature (IF(Q)) signals to a digital format. In the terrestrial TV case, converting the IF(I) and IF(Q) signals to a digital format has required analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with relatively large dynamic ranges. Integrating an ADC with a relatively large dynamic range requirement in general purpose complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is generally difficult.
Turning to FIG. 2, a prior art complex receiver 200 is depicted that implements a digital I/Q correction technique, which requires the quadrature IF signals be converted into a digital format. An input of a low noise amplifier (LNA) 202 receives an RF input signal (RFIN) and an output of the LNA 202 is coupled to a first input of a mixer 204 and a first input of a mixer 206. An RF-PLL 210 provides a reference signal to a circuit 208, which provides an in-phase LO signal to a second input of the mixer 204 and a quadrature LO signal to a second input of the mixer 206. An output of the mixer 204 is coupled to an input of an anti-aliasing filter 212, whose output is coupled to an input of a variable gain amplifier (VGA) 216. An output of the VGA 216 is coupled to an input of an adaptive active filter (AAF) 220, which compensates for frequency dependent transmission path attenuation by boosting higher frequency components of a received signal. An output of the AAF 220 is coupled to an input of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 224, whose output is coupled to an input of an I/Q correction circuit 228, which performs I/Q correction on the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals.
Similarly, an output of the mixer 206 is coupled to an input of an anti-aliasing filter 214, whose output is coupled to an input of a VGA 218. An output of the VGA 218 is coupled to an input of the AAF 222, whose output is a coupled to an input of the ADC 226. An output of the ADC 226 is coupled to an input of the I/Q correction circuit 228, which, as previously noted, functions to correct a phase and gain difference between the I and Q signals. Outputs of the I/Q correction circuit 228 are coupled to inputs of a digital signal processor (DSP) 230, which performs digital mixing and channel selection. Thus, in order to perform I/Q correction the receiver 200 converts the quadrature IF signals to a digital format. While variations of the receiver 200 have been successfully implemented in communications systems, e.g., cellular telephony and satellite TV receivers, the relatively large ADC dynamic range requirement of the architecture is not particularly appropriate for general purpose CMOS integration.
What is needed is a technique for performing I/Q correction of a complex radio frequency receiver implemented in a terrestrial TV application that may be readily integrated within current CMOS processes.

Techniques for performing gain and phase correction in a complex radio frequency receiver


The ostomy bag includes a multi-stage filter system that provides contamination protection for a deodorizing filter in the system. The multi-stage filter system also includes a gas transmissible protection filter that is impassible to semi-liquid waste material. The protection filter is located in the ostomy bag to precede the deodorizing filter such that gaseous waste must pass through the protection filter before it passes through the deodorizing filter. In one embodiment of the invention wherein the ostomy bag has a single chamber, the protection filter is a two layer structure with different pore counts that overlay the deodorizing filter. In another embodiment of the invention wherein the ostomy bag has dual chambers, the protection filter, without overlaying the deodorizing filter, is disposed across the flow path of gaseous waste to the deodorizing filter such that any gaseous waste that reaches the deodorizing filter must flow through the protection filter. Thus semi-liquid waste material cannot contact the deodorizing filter since it cannot bypass the protection filter to reach the deodorizing filter.

This invention is directed to ostomy bags and more particularly to an ostomy bag with a novel multi-stage filter that resists contact contamination by semi-liquid waste collected in the bag.
Gases emitted from the stoma into an ostomy bag and gases that issue from waste material confined in the bag are usually evacuated through a deodorizing filter. A gas outlet is thus provided in the ostomy bag, normally adjacent the deodorizing filter to ensure that the outward flow of gas passes through the filter.
Most ostomy bags can generally be worn a few days before the deodorizing capability of the filter begins to lose effectiveness. The exhausted filter can then be replaced if the bag has provision for replaceable filters as in ostomy bags of U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,652. If there is no provision for filter replacement as in the ostomy bag of U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,851, the entire bag is disposed of and replaced when the filter is no longer an effective deodorizer.
If the deodorizing filter is inadvertently contaminated by contact with waste material that accumulates in the bag, it may be desirable to replace the disposable bag immediately. Waste material contact with a deodorizing filter can occur as a result of physical activity by the wearer that shifts the contents of the bag toward the deodorizing filter, especially if such waste material is of a liquid or semi-liquid consistency.
Contact of the deodorizing filter with semi-liquid waste material will often clog the filter, thereby preventing adequate deodorization and evacuation of waste gas. Whenever a filter is contaminated by contact with semi-liquid waste material and such contamination impedes the function of the filter, the filter or bag should be replaced as soon as possible. The need for accelerated replacement of deodorizing filters and/or ostomy bags because of contact contamination by waste is usually an inconvenience to the wearer.
Filter contamination from contact with semi-liquid waste also commonly occurs when an individual is asleep or reclining because the ostomy bag is in a relatively horizontal orientation. In such instances, gas pressure may build up in the bag because of the lowered rate of gas evacuation due to filter clog. Pressure release can thus occur through an undesirable break in the bag seal at the stoma. If the leak or seal break is not detected, it can result in the soiling of an individual's garments.
It is thus desirable to provide an ostomy bag with a multi-stage filter system that prevents semi-liquid waste material from contaminating a deodorizing element but does not inhibit evacuation of gaseous waste through the deodorizing element.


A microcomputer having a signal generating circuit which generates pulse width modulation signals defined by a carrier wave, and which controls controlled portions according to pulse width modulating signals. The signal generating circuit comprises a carrier wave defining timer which outputs a value varying the same as a waveform providing a carrier wave, a control register which controls the time period of the timer, a reload register which holds a count value, control blocks which generate pulse width modulation signals according to the value of the timer and the count value of the reload register.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to microcomputers. More specifically, this invention relates to a PWM (pulse width modulation) signal generating circuitry which drives a unit to be controlled such as an inverting device.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, when a three-phase motor is driven by using an inverting device, the inverting device is controlled by a PWM signal. In general, a PWM control is a method for controlling the inverting devices by using a fundamental wave of a pulse period known as a carrier wave and changing a duty (active level) of the fundemental wave. And, it is well known that the inverting device includes two transistors which are connected in series between a power supply and a ground (GND), and the two transistors are cyclicly turned on and off in a complementary relation. In practice, however, because of a delay of a gate input signal and a variation of on-off characteristics of the transistors, it is in some cases that both of the two transistors are turned on at the same time so that an excessive current flows. The excessive current may break the transistors.
In general, to avoid such problems, it has been an ordinary practice that the gate input signals of the inventing devices have a period for ensuring that both transistors turn off. That period is called a dead time.
Now, a construction and an operation of the prior microcomputer generating PWM signals will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the construction of the prior microcomputer. The prior microcomputer includes a timer 101 and a compare register 102. The timer 101 is used as a counter of a period of the carrier wave and a counter of a set-reset timing of the PWM waveform. The compare register 102 is a register which sets the time period of the carrier wave (carrier frequency). The compare register 102 compares the value of the timer 101 with a comparison value set in the compare register itself, and generates a periodical interrupt signal 103 when a coincidence is detected.
The microcomputer also has three control blocks 110, 120 and 130 which have the same construction. The control block 110 consists of four compare registers 111, 112, 113 and 114, and two set-reset flipflops (RS-F/F) 115 and 116.
It is well known that a three-phase motor has three phases which are called U-phase, V-phase and W-phase, respectively. In case of driving these three-phases by using the inventing devices, the microcomputer outputs control signals U and U for the U-phase, control signals V and V for the V-phase and control signals W and W for the W-phase. In the figures, the three-phase motor can be controlled by controlling the U-phase by using the control block 110, controlling the V-phase by using the control block 120 and controlling the W-phase by using the control block 130.
Now, the operation of the microcomputer shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 illustrating a timing diagram.
The timer 101 performs a freerunning-counter action. The compare register 102 connected to the timer 110 compares the value of the timer 101 with the set comparison value. In this comparison action, the compare register 102 has set a value "a" as a comparison value at first stage. In case of the value of the timer 101 coinciding the value "a", the compare register 102 detects the coincidence of both values and generates the interrupt signal 103. The following process will be practiced by a software process at the time of the input of the interrupt signal 103. And the interrupt signal 103 sets up the value "b" which provides a time period width of the next period to the compare register 102 as a comparison value.
A value "c1" is set to the compare register 114, and a value "d1" is set to the compare register 111 respectively. In case of a coincidence of the value of timer 101 with the value "c1" or the value "d1", the control signal U will be set and the control signal U will be reset.
If the compare register 111 detects a coincidence of the value of the timer 101 and the value "d1", the interrupt signal 117 will be generated. In response to the interrupt signal 117, the compare register 114 will be set with the value "c2", and the compare register 111 will be set with the value "d2" by a software process, in order to determine the timing used in the next PWM time period.
And, a value "e1" is set to the compare register 112, and a value "f1" is set to the compare register 113 respectively. In case of a coincidence of the value of timer 101 with the value "e1" or the value "f1", the control signal U will be set and the control signal U will be reset. If the compare register 113 detects a coincidence of the value of the timer 101 and the value "f1", the interrupt signal 118 will be generated. In Response to the interrupt signal 118, the compare register 112 will be set with the value "e2", and the compare register 113 will be set with the value "f2" by a software process, in order to determine the timing used in the next PWM time period.
The prior microcomputer generates the PWM signal under the above-mentioned respective processes. The U-phase operation has been described in this example, however the operations of the V-phase and the W-phase are the same as the U-phase operation.
That is, the V-phase signal sets a comparison value to respective compare registers by the interrupt signals 127 and 128, and the W-phase signal sets comparison values to respective compare registers by the interrupt signals 137 and 138.
As above mentioned, the prior art microcomputer sets up the various set values such as the time period of the carrier wave, the timing of the set-reset of the PWM signal of each output, the dead time of the period of the active level (a low level in this case) of the control signals U and U, the control signals V and V, and the control signals W and W necessary for the drive of the inverting devices. As shown in FIG. 1, the number of the compare registers setting the comparison values is 13 in the case of three-phase motor control.
And also, it will be seen that the number of the interrupts (the number of the interrupt signals) generated in one period of the PWM time period is 7, shown as the Reference Numbers 103, 117, 118, 127, 128, 137 and 138.
A problem of the microcomputer for driving the inverter controlled by the prior PWM control is an increase of the interruption number and therefor an increase of the necessary time for a software process. Because the set of the period of the time period of the carrier wave, the set of the timing of set and reset of the PWM signal including dead time are set up by an operation process of the software, interrupting the CPU as occasion arises. And such problems cause the microcomputer for driving the inverter controlled by the prior PWM control not to be able to control a high speed motor whose carrier wave frequency is 15.about.20 KHz.

Pulse width modulation signal generating circuit


A low switching field magnetoresistive tunneling junction memory cell including a first exchange coupled structure having a pair of magnetoresistive layers and an exchange interaction layer sandwiched therebetween so as to pin the magnetic vectors of the pair of layers anti-parallel, a second exchange coupled structure having a pair of magnetoresistive layers and an exchange interaction layer sandwiched therebetween so as to pin the magnetic vectors of the pair of layers anti-parallel, and electrically insulating material sandwiched between the first and second exchange coupled structures to form a magnetoresistive tunneling junction. Each of the first and second exchange coupled structures, and hence the memory cell, has no net magnetic moment.

A magnetic random access memory (MRAM) is a non-volatile memory which basically includes a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) material or magnetoresistive tunneling junction (MTJ) structure, a sense line, and a word line. The MRAM employs the GMR effect to store memory states. Magnetic vectors in one or all of the layers of GMR material or MTJ are switched very quickly from one direction to an opposite direction when a magnetic field is applied to the GMR material over a certain threshold. According to the direction of the magnetic vectors in the GMR material or MTJ, states are stored, for example, one direction can be defined as a logic "0", and another direction can be defined as a logic "1". The GMR material or MTJ maintains these states even without a magnetic field being applied. The states stored in the GMR material or MTJ can be read by passing a sense current through the cell in a sense line because of the difference between the resistances of the two states.
In very high density arrays of magnetic memory cells the size of individual cells becomes very small if the array is constructed small enough to be useful in present day electronic devices. As the size of individual cells becomes smaller the aspect ratio (length/width ratio) generally becomes smaller. In two layer magnetic memory cells, e.g. standard tunneling cells, as the aspect ratio goes below 5, magnetic vectors in the cells are antiparallel in non-energized (zero magnetic field) conditions. In a copending application entitled "Multi-Layer Magnetic Memory Cells with Improved Switching Characteristics", Ser. No. 08/723,159, filed on Sep. 25, 1996, and assigned to the same assignee, methods of reading cells with antiparallel magnetic vectors are disclosed. Also, in a copending application entitled "Magnetic Device Having Multi-Layer s with Insulating and Conductive Layers", Ser. No. 08/834,968, filed on Apr. 7, 1997, and assigned to the same assignees, a dummy magnetic layer is added to a two magnetic layer stack and coupled to one of the two magnetic layers so that the other magnetic layer is a free layer. A drawback of the dummy magnetic layer approach is that it relies on cancellation of magnetostatic interaction between the two magnetic layers and this magnetostatic interaction strength depends on the geometry of the cell and the interlayer spacing. These parameters change as the critical dimension shrinks.
Also, in two layer magnetic memory cells, e.g. standard tunneling cells, as the aspect ratio goes below 5, the amount of magnetic field required for switching states of the cell increases dramatically.
Further, as cell density increases, magnetic interaction between adjacent cells becomes a greater problem.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to provide magnetic random access memories and memory cells which are capable of being written (stored states switched) with less magnetic field.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved multi-state, multi-layer magnetic memory cell with ferromagnetically coupled magnetic layers which produces less magnetic interaction with adjacent cells in an array.
It is still another purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved multi-state, multi-layer magnetic memory cell with ferromagnetically coupled magnetic layers which can be fabricated very small and with an aspect ratio less than 5.
It is a still further purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved multi-state, multi-layer magnetic memory cell which is simpler to manufacture and to use.
It is also a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved multi-state, multi-layer magnetic memory cell which, because of its size, results in a high density array of cells.

Low switching field magnetoresistive tunneling junction for high density arrays


A method for displaying a color image by providing a color image display apparatus having at least three narrow-band emissive light sources that define a display color gamut. Image data values are accepted that are defined within an original color gamut that is smaller in area than the display color gamut. The input image data values are transformed into display color gamut data values having an expanded image chromaticity range. At least a portion of the expanded chromaticity range lies outside the original color gamut. At least a portion of the display color gamut lies outside the expanded image chromaticity range. The display color gamut data values are provided to the color image display apparatus to form an image.

The conventional tristimulus color gamut devised for color television broadcasting and adapted for conventional CRT displays used in computer monitors and related types of displays is based on the red, green, and blue light emitted from CRT phosphors. The CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage or "International Commission on Illumination") Standard Colorimetric Observer, first drafted in 1931 and revised in years following, defines a color space in which the color gamut for a phosphor-based CRT display device can be represented. Any such color gamut within this color space is defined by the three primary colors that are emitted by a standard set of CRT phosphors. FIG. 1A shows a chromaticity diagram with a two-dimensional projection of the conventional broadcast television color gamut based on the CIE 1976 u′, v′ Metric Chromaticity Coordinates representation that is familiar to those skilled in the color display arts and is in conformance with International Telecommunications Union (ITU) specification ITU Rec. 709.
In this chromaticity representation, an outer curve, or spectrum locus 10 represents the range of pure colors, that is, colors of a single wavelength. The ends of the spectrum locus are connected by the line known as a purple boundary 11. The area bounded by spectrum locus 10 and purple boundary 11 contains the colors that can be perceived by the human visual system. An inner triangle 12 represents the conventional ITU Rec. 709 color gamut. Vertices 14r, 14g, 14b of triangle 12 are defined by the three primary CRT phosphor emission colors, red, green, and blue, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 1B, various regions and characteristics of the ITU Rec. 709 color gamut representation are indicated for reference. Neutral colors are approximately centered about a white point 20 within triangle 12. Constant hue lines 22 radiate outwards from white point 20. Colors on the same constant hue line 22 have the same hue, varying by saturation, which is proportional to the distance of the color coordinates from white point 20. For example, colors at coordinates 24 and 26 in FIG. 1B have the same hue; color 26 has increased saturation over color 24. Constant hue lines 22 are represented using dashed lines in FIG. 1B, which are substantially straight, exhibiting slight curvature when using this chromaticity representation.
As is readily apparent from FIGS. 1A and 1B and well known to those skilled in color reproduction, the ITU Rec. 709 color gamut represented by the area of triangle 12 is limited with respect to the range of color that could be represented by a display in the ideal case, represented by the full gamut of physically realizable colors contained within the region defined by the spectrum locus 10 and purple boundary 11. This is because CRT display phosphors, upon which the ITU Rec. 709 color gamut has been based, do not emit pure colors, that is, they do not emit light having a single wavelength. In terms of the graph of FIG. 1A, the limited gamut is represented by vertices 14r, 14g, 14b of triangle 12 lying well within the region bounded by spectrum locus 10 and purple boundary 11. Because of the relatively limited color gamut available using the ITU Rec. 709 encoding, many colors cannot be adequately represented and must therefore be approximated. This is particularly true for colors that are highly saturated.
The development of low-cost lasers at visible wavelengths now offers the promise of significantly increased color gamut in color display applications. This is because, unlike the CRT phosphors upon which the ITU Rec. 709 encoding is based, the laser emits light of nearly a single wavelength. Thus, in terms of the gamut representation in the chromaticity diagrams of FIGS. 1A and 1B, primary colors from laser sources lie on the periphery of spectrum locus 10, rather than well inside this curve, as is true for the CRT phosphor primaries of the ITU Rec. 709 gamut. In FIG. 1A, points 16r, 16g, and 16b represent the positions of laser color primaries within this spectrum locus, for one specific set of laser primaries. These and other such color vertices lying directly on spectrum locus 10 can provide a substantially greater possible color gamut obtainable by a display.
There has been some effort expended to take advantage of laser capabilities for color display. Methods and apparatus for adapting the color gamut capabilities of display systems that use laser primaries are described, for example, in the following:
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,613 entitled "Broad Gamut Color Display Apparatus Using an Electromechanical Grating Device" to Agostinelli et al., and No. 6,736,514 entitled "Imaging Apparatus for Increased Color Gamut Using Dual Spatial Light Modulators" to Horvath et al., disclose display apparatus using more than three lasers to expand the color gamut;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,774,953 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Color Warping" to Champion et al., discloses a method for using Look-Up Tables (LUTs) to adapt gamma-corrected R′G′B′ color data encoded for CRT display to an expanded color space afforded by a laser display. The Champion et al. '953 disclosure does not, however, describe how LUT values are derived.
While these and other patents describe how an expanded color gamut can be obtained and describe techniques for quick computation of transformed color data values suited to an alternate color gamut, however, the problems of accurate hue reproduction and preservation of near neutral colors have not been addressed. In terms of the graph of FIG. 1B, near-neutral colors are those within a relatively short distance from white point 20. Near-neutral colors include pastels and other low-saturation colors.
With the corresponding development of spatial light modulators that are ideally suited to handle laser illumination, such as the electromechanical conformal grating device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,663, entitled "Spatial Light Modulator with Conformal Grating Device" to Kowarz, for example, there is heightened interest in the possibility of expanding the relatively constrained ITU Rec. 709 color gamut and displaying colors that are more visually pleasing.
Two basic approaches have been followed for transforming the color gamut of the ITU Rec. 709 standard to that afforded by lasers. The first approach, as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,352 entitled "Laser-Driven Television Projection System with Attendant Color Correction" to Deter et al., discloses a mapping of color data that simply adapts the gamut of a laser display to the conventional ITU Rec. 709 gamut, so that lasers simply replace the CRT phosphors. While this approach allows the use of laser illumination as a substitute for CRT display, however, it fails to take advantage of the broader color gamut afforded by lasers. In effect, the method proposed in the Deter et al. '352 disclosure simply performs a re-mapping of colors from the ITU Rec. 709 gamut, while also compensating for certain areas of the color gamut that may not be easily reached using lasers, but without an attempt to take advantage of the potentially broader color gamut afforded by a set of visible light lasers. While this approach allows the implementation of lasers for color display, color gamut expansion is not a goal of the Deter et al. '352 disclosure. Typically, a Look-Up Table (LUT) or 3×3 matrix is used to provide color transformation, mapping input ITU Rec. 709 values in one color gamut to the expanded output color gamut.
A second approach follows the solution of simply remapping a smaller color gamut to a larger one. In its most basic form, this approach simply applies the ITU Rec. 709 encoded data values directly to the broad gamut of the laser display, without applying any type of transformation to the data values. Unlike the re-mapping of the Deter et al. '352 disclosure, this second approach proposes expansion of the color gamut to take advantage of the pure wavelengths of laser emission. In conventional use, this basic approach has been found appropriate, for example, where one set of CRT phosphors provides an incremental increase in gamut over another set of CRT phosphors; this would correspond to slightly expanding the area of triangle 12 in FIG. 1A. For such a case, the increased saturation could provide a more appealing display of color and any subtle hue changes that might result may be imperceptible.
While this second approach would be suitable in moving from one phosphor set to an improved phosphor set, where there is incremental expansion of color gamut, this approach is not ideal for transformations between the ITU Rec. 709 phosphor primaries and laser primaries, where a substantial color gamut transformation is possible. Where larger chromatic increments are involved, color re-mapping or transformation from one color gamut to another is complicated by perceptual and psychophysical factors. Thus, experimentation has shown that a more pleasing or realistic color display of ITU Rec. 709 encoded color data is not necessarily achieved by simply expanding the color gamut, so that, for example, points 16r, 16g, and 16b on curve 10 now serve as the new primary colors, providing vertices for a broadened color gamut. Even though a significantly broader range of colors can now be displayed, simply remapping colors to a broadened color gamut does not necessarily provide a satisfactory result.
In transforming colors represented in a restricted-gamut encoding, such as ITU Rec. 709, to a gamut using laser primaries, the conventional techniques that worked well enough when handling subtle changes between different CRT phosphor sets have been shown to be less than satisfactory. With respect to FIG. 1B, near-neutral colors and flesh tones, for example, may no longer appear realistic when using conventional re-mapping techniques. Other undesirable hue changes are noticeable, particularly since laser display primary colors typically differ in hue from phosphor primary colors.
Thus, in spite of the promise of considerably improved color representation with lasers, the results obtained when applying conventional gamut expansion techniques have been surprisingly disappointing. Therefore, while it seems that an expanded color gamut should yield significant improvements in the appearance of a color display, true improvements have proven to be somewhat more elusive.
There is, then, a need for display apparatus and methods that take advantage of the broadened color gamut afforded by laser illumination, to provide a display that is more visually pleasing and is well-suited to the color perception of the viewer when used in conjunction with standard broadcast-encoded color-image data.

Laser-based display having expanded image color


Disclosed is an urban non-metallic pipeline leakage location method, the method comprise the following steps: determining whether leakage occurs in a pipeline through numerical simulation law analysis or a Markov chain-based flow analysis method; for a leaking pipeline, establishing an inverse-transient control equation for non-metallic pipeline gas leakage, and obtaining pressure and flow rate data of each measuring point in different periods of time through experiments and substituting the data into the control equation to analyze experimental data; and defining a nonlinear programming problem of an objective function with a least squares criterion, and applying a sequential quadratic programming method to minimize the objective function, so as to determine the size and position of the leakage.

Because non-metallic pipes have the advantages of high strength, low density, strong corrosiveness, excellent insulating properties, long service life, etc., and thus gradually replace metallic pipes for pipeline transportation of energy sources, raw materials and the like. As the urban buried pipeline network becomes more and more dense, with the increase in the number of these pipelines and the increase in operation time, the hidden dangers or accidents caused by pipeline leakage of non-metallic pipelines due to joint leakage, breakage, or damage by a third party are increasingly. Therefore, effective detection and timely treatment of pipeline faults are particularly important. In recent years, a lot of research work has been done on pipeline leakage detection technologies and leakage location at home and abroad. The research of pipeline leakage detection methods based on an inverse-transient method is developing rapidly.
Inverse-transient analysis (ITA) was originally proposed by Pudar and Liggett abroad in 1992. This method is commonly used in a water distribution network and is a powerful method for friction coefficient leakage detection and calibration in pressurized pipelines. Through this method, the transient flow is started and the pressure is measured somewhere in the system, and leakage parameters are calibrated by reducing the error between the measured pressure and the actual pressure, so as to perform leakage detection and location. For this purpose, the establishment of numerical models and the selection of various optimization technologies have become major challenges for the application of ITA technologies in pipeline leakage detection. Foreign scholars have proposed a hydraulic transient solver for the water distribution network to improve model accuracy and reduce the error, and have adopted lots of algorithms for the optimization solution in ITA. Shuffled complex evolution (SCE) adopted by Vitkovsky in 2001 for the optimization of large hole leakage (the ratio of the leakage hole diameter to the pipeline diameter is greater than 0.1) has good calculation accuracy, but it is not suitable for small hole leakage (the ratio of the leakage hole diameter to the pipeline diameter is equal to or less than 0.1). Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) adopted by B. S. Jung in 2010 have strong global search capabilities, but have a large amount of calculation, poor convergence to the objective function, and low friction coefficient calibration capabilities.

Urban non-metallic pipeline leakage location method


The security substrate includes an at least partially light transmitting carrier supporting a security feature and includes at least first and second layers, at least one of which covers an area which is less than a full surface area of the carrier and which at least partially overlaps the other layer. The layers have substantially the same color and texture, and the reflective contrast ratio of the overlapping areas and the non-over lapping areas is less than 20% and the transmissive contrast ratio of the overlapping areas and the non-overlapping areas is greater than 3%.

The present invention relates to improvements in security substrates incorporating a security feature which inhibits the ability of counterfeiters to produce counterfeit notes which is formed from at least two layers which are indistinguishable in reflected light but are distinguishable in transmitted light.
The increasing popularity of colour photocopiers and other imaging systems and the improving technical quality of colour photocopies has led to an increase in the counterfeiting of banknotes, passports, and identification cards etc. There is, therefore, a need to add additional authenticating or security features to existing features. Steps have already been taken to introduce optically variable features which cannot be reproduced by a photocopier into such documentation. There is also a demand to introduce features which are discernible by the general public but which are "invisible" to, or viewed differently, by a photocopier. Since a photocopying process typically involves scattering high-energy light off an original document containing the image to be copied, one solution is to incorporate one or more features into the document which have a different perception in reflected and transmitted light, one example being watermarks and enhancements thereof.
US-B-4,307,899 describes an identification card with hallmarks which are adapted to be inspected in both transmitted and incident light. This comprises a homogenous white layer printed on a transparent substrate with a layer printed thereover which has gaps in the form of indicia. A further layer is printed on top of this layer in the form of the indicia, but offset with regard to the gap. When viewed in transmitted light, the single layer printed portions appear bright, whilst in incident light they appear dark. The multilayer printed portions, on the other hand, appear dark in transmitted light and bright in incident light, thus producing a watermark like effect.
EP-A-0657297 describes a security document which uses light interference pigments in a layer printed over a transparent support, over which is printed a pattern containing a common light reflecting pigment. This provides a security feature which cannot be copied by photographic techniques. By changing the viewing conditions from transmission to reflection mode, the differently printed parts change their colours complementarily, so that the colours become inverted.
Another type of security feature which cannot be reproduced by a photocopier is one which has different perceptions at different viewing angles in reflected light, an example of which is described in EP-A-1592561. In the method described in this patent specification a motif is printed on to a substrate, over the top of which is printed a semi-transparent motif using an optically variable ink. This enables the background on which it is printed to be visible in reflected light, whilst allowing the overlying motif to be seen at varying angles. This represents a combination of three superimposed colours, being the background colour and the two colours of the optically variable ink.


A method for controlling a two-phase stepping motor gauge for an instrument cluster includes the steps of: providing a two-phase motor for displaying information to a driver, determining a desired position of the two phase motor at a rate and in a manner consistent with an intended application; updating a waveform to the input of a first inverter coupled to one of the motor coils; integrating the waveform using a first and second inverter to energize one of the motor coils. Thus, the present invention allows the control of a conventional two-phase motor coil using only one control signal. Additionally, the present invention requires low actual current to maintain gauge position.

The present invention relates generally to control systems for stepper motors, and more particularly, to a two-phase stepping motor gauge control system.
Analog instrumentation remains the most widely used and preferred method of displaying automobile data to the driver. This is due to their simple function and ability to be adapted to many different styles. Even expensive automobile models that essentially have an unlimited instrumentation budget commonly choose analog gauges. Future requirements for instruments will unquestionably include analog gauges.
Although air core gauges have enjoyed wide usage for many, many years, they continue to enjoy significant usage in the age of electronics because they provide certain advantages that newer electronic readouts have not yet been able to achieve. Perhaps, most significant of these advantages are cost, durability, and ease of reading.
An air core gauge can be fabricated in a cost-effective manner. Once an air core gauge has been installed and found to be operating properly, it should provide reliable service for the life of the vehicle in normal circumstances. Because an air core gauge uses a pointer to indicate its reading, the driver can quickly see if a reading is normal or abnormal.
An electronic gauge that comprises a digital readout is generally more costly, and the value of the parameter which it displays may require interpretation by the driver in order to determine if the reading is normal or abnormal. While the latter attribute of a digital electronic readout may not always be true in the case of a digital speedometer, a digital tachometer, or a digital fuel level gauge, it is often true in the case of other readouts.
Stepper motor gauges are being used increasingly in vehicle displays instead of traditional air core gauges because they exhibit improved accuracy, linearity, lower power consumption and they are easier to drive from a microprocessor. Unfortunately, typical control of a two-phase stepper motor coil requires the use of two control lines.
In some stepper motors, the geometry of the motor core provides two natural stable or detent points for the two pole rotor. Adjacent points define a full motor step. These points are important when considering the behavior of the motor when a gauge is powered down. When power is removed from the motor, the rotor approaches equilibrium to the closest one of the two detent points and is used as a rest point. Other stepper motors are designed to minimize the stable detent effect, and when power is removed from the motor the rotor remains stationary due to friction. In this case, any point may be selected as a rest point.
The disadvantages associated with these conventional motor control techniques have made it apparent that a new technique for two-phase stepper motor control is needed. The new technique should allow the control of a conventional two-phase motor coil using only one control signal. Additionally, the new technique should require low actual current to maintain gauge position. The present invention is directed to these ends.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved and reliable two-phase stepping motor gauge control system. Another object of the invention is to allow the control of a conventional two-phase motor coil using only one control signal.
In accordance with the objects of this invention, a two-phase stepping motor gauge control system is provided. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling a two-phase stepping motor gauge for an instrument cluster includes the steps of: providing a two-phase motor for displaying information to a driver, determining a desired position of the two phase motor at a rate and in a manner consistent with an intended application; updating a waveform to the input of a first inverter coupled to one of the motor coils; integrating the waveform using a first and second inverter to energize one of the motor coils.
The present invention thus achieves an improved two-phase stepping motor gauge control system. The present invention is advantageous in that low actual current is required to maintain gauge position.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the description that follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Two-phase stepping motor gauge control system


In order to manufacture a phase shift mask for hyperfine patterning, a sidewall phase shift mask is formed on both sides of each phase shift film in a spatial frequency modulation type phase shift mask. Accordingly, the light intensity occurring from the end part of the phase shift film, as the forming factor of the bridge pattern film, is reduced by the sidewall phase shift film.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a phase shift mask, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing a spatial frequency modulation type phase shift mask. A mask for hyperfine patterning of a submicron unit has recently been required in accordance with high integration of all elements.
In order to meet this requirement, the phase shift mask has been developed, and the manufacturing theory on the phase shift mask is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 1, a phase shift film 1 is basically necessary for manufacturing the phase shift mask and the role of the phase shift film 1 is to shift the phase of light amplitude to be incident. Here, the number 2 indicates chrome Cr and the number 3 indicates silica Si.
FIG. 2 shows the light amplitude and a graph (a) indicates the light amplitude to be incident to silica 3 when the phase shift film 1 is not there, and a graph (b) indicates the light amplitude when the above film 1 is there.
In accordance with FIG. 2, the phase of the light amplitude is known to have been shifted 180.degree. by the phase shift film. Here, if n is the refractive index of the phase shift film, d the thickness, and n.sub.o the air refractive index, the phase difference .delta. of graph (a) and (b) (of FIG. 2) can be put into the following formula (1). ##EQU1##
At this time, the phase difference .delta. should be 180.degree., in order that the phase is perfectly shifted. If .pi. is substituted into the formula (1) instead of the phase difference .delta., the thickness of the phase shift film, to be perfectly shifted, can be put into the following formula (2) ##EQU2##
With reference to FIG. 3(a)-(d) and FIG. 4(a)-4(d), comparing the general mask with the phase shift mask, the state is as follows.
FIG. 3 (a) shows the state that the general masks 4 for pattern are aligned in parallel on the substrate, FIG. 3 (b) shows the light amplitude out of the mask 4, FIG. 3 (c) shows the light amplitude out of the substrate 5, and FIG. 3 (d) shows the light intensity.
As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the light amplitudes out of the mask 4 offset each other, and the classification of intensity is not clear on the substrate, because the difference of the light amplitude is slight, as shown in FIG. 3 (c) and FIG. 4 (d). Accordingly, when hyperfine patterning is executed, the degree of offset is larger, so that hyperfine patterning cannot be performed with the above mask 4.
FIG. 4 (a) shows the alignment state of the phase shift mask 7 having the phase shift film 6 between masks 4. FIG. 4 (b) shows the light amplitude from the mask 4, FIG. 4 (c) shows the light amplitude from the substrate 5, and FIG. 4 (d) shows the light intensity. As shown in FIG. 4 (c) and FIG. 4 (d), the difference of the light amplitude is bigger, so that the classification of intensity is clear, therefore hyperfine patterning is in a better position.
The different types of phase shift masks include a spatial frequency modulation type, an edge stress type and a cut-off effect stress type, and these will be explained with reference to FIG. 5 (a).about.FIG. 5 (f).
FIG. 5 (a) shows a spatial frequency modulation type. The patterning is performed after the chrome film 9 is formed on the silica substrate 8, and then the phase shift film 10 is formed between the patterned chrome film 9.
FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 5(c) show the edge stress type. The phase shift film 10 is formed so as to shield the patterned chrome film 9, or the phase shift film 10 is formed on the chrome film 9.
FIG. 5 (d).about.FIG. 5 (f) show the cut-off effect stress type. The phase shift film 10 is formed between the patterned chrome film 9 and the chrome film 9, or the phase shift film is formed on the separated chrome film 19 after having been patterned and separated from the patterned chrome film 9 again, or the chrome film 9 is formed on the silica substrate 8 not to be etched after having been patterned in advance and repeatedly etched enough to the predetermined width.
With reference to FIG. 6 (a).about.FIG. 6 (d), the manufacturing process of a spatial frequency modulation type phase shift mask as a prior art of the present invention among the above 3 techniques will be explained.
FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view of the manufactured phase shift mask, and FIG. 6 (b).about.FIG. 6 (d) are cross-sectional views of manufacturing processes along the line a-a' of FIG. 6 (a), and FIG. 6 (e) is a cross-sectional view along the line b-b' of FIG. 6 (a).
First, the chrome film 9 is formed on the silica substrate 8, as in FIG. 6 (b), and then the process of photo/etch is performed on the chrome film 9 by using the negative photoresist 11 and the chrome film 9 is patterned. And, the phase shift film 10 is generally formed on the patterned chrome film 9, as in FIG. 6 (c), and then the phase shift film 10 is patterned by the dry-etch method, so that the above film 10 is left between the chrome film 9 and the adjacent chrome film 9, as in FIG. 6 (d). As a consequence, the manufacture of the phase shift mask is completed.
When the wafer spread with photoresist is developed by using the phase shift mask, as in FIG. 6 (a), the ideal pattern film 11, as in FIG. 7 (a), is not formed, but the pattern film, as in FIG. 7 (b), is formed. Namely, the normal pattern film 11 is formed in the direction of the line a-a' of FIG. 6 (a), but the unnecessary bridge pattern film 11a is formed in the edge part of the direction of the line b-b' having only the phase shift film 10 without the chrome film 9.
With reference to FIGS. 8 (a) and (b), the reason that the bridge pattern film 11a is to be formed, will be explained as follows.
As light is incident, the light amplitude has a predetermined positive level value in the part without the phase shift film 10, but the light amplitude has a negative level value, having the same absolute value as the above positive level value, on both sides of the edge part in the phase shift film 10. Accordingly, the light intensity to have been incident has a negative impulse value on both sides of the edge part in phase shift film 10, as in FIG. 8 (b). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the unnecessary bridge pattern film 11a is formed between the pattern films 11.
Further, control of the manufacturing process is difficult, owing to using the negative photoresist, when the predetermined wafer is patterned by using the above conventional spatial frequency modulation type phase shift mask.

Method of manufacturing a phase shift mask comprising two phase shift layers and sloping sidewalls