A method controls the height of a floor of a car of a vehicle relative to a platform. The car includes a body provided with a distance sensor, at least one bogie and at least one secondary suspension between the bogie and the body. The method includes measuring the distance between the distance sensor and the platform via the distance sensor, calculating the difference between the height of the platform and the height of the floor from the measured distance, and adjusting the height of the secondary suspension based on the difference.

In the passenger transport sector, more particularly rail transport, a vehicle is called upon to make several stops in stations, or train stations, to allow travelers and/or objects to exit or enter.
Access by travelers and/or objects to a car is done at the floor of the car, which is generally positioned opposite the platform of the station.
However, the height difference that may exist between the floor and the platform can prove unacceptable for certain users, in particular those with reduced mobility. In particular, the ADA (American Disability Act) standard requires a height difference between the platform and the floor of less than 16 millimeters (mm).
The height difference can further make it difficult to transfer bulky and/or heavy objects from the platform to the body and vice versa.
The height of the floor then needs to be adapted to the platform height(s). However, the height of the platform may vary from one station to another. Furthermore, the height of the access floor is subject to significant variations, under the effect of various parameters. These in particular include the value of the load of the car in particular corresponding to the mass of the passengers and baggage occupying the car, the distribution of this load, or the wear of the wheels. Thus, a solution not taking these parameters into account does not make it possible to comply with the ADA standard.
Document FR 3,053,301 proposes a method for controlling the height of the floor relative to a platform in particular making it possible to satisfy the ADA standard, in which the height of the secondary suspension is adjusted to adapt the height of the floor. The adjustment of the height of the secondary suspension is done based on the estimate of the height of the apex of the bogie chassis, this estimate essentially depending on internal parameters of the vehicle.
However, said internal parameters may evolve over the course of the use of the rail vehicle, such that they no longer correspond to the initial configuration. An adjustment of the parameters, for example by measurement over the course of maintenance operations or owing to estimates, is done, which makes the method complex and/or may make said maintenance operations longer.

Vehicle height control method and associated vehicle


An integrated circuit package system comprising: providing an elevated tiebar; forming a die paddle connected to the elevated tiebar; attaching an integrated circuit die over the die paddle adjacent the elevated tiebar; attaching a shield over the elevated tiebar and the integrated circuit die; and forming an encapsulant over a portion of the elevated tiebar, the die paddle, and the integrated circuit die.

Users of electronic products continue to demand new features, speed, data, or reliability sometimes unwittingly. These demands have continually driven the electronics industry to reduce size, improve utility, or increase performance of the integrated circuits and integrated circuit packages contained within these electronic products. We have become very accustomed to and sometimes dependent on many modern conveniences that include electronic technology.
Electronic products have become an integral part of our daily lives. Notably, many portable electronics with integrated circuits are not only common but also often used without a user realizing that there is underlying electronic technology or the extent of the electronic technology. Many products such as cell phones, portable computers, voice recorders, cars, planes, etc. include very sophisticated technology that may or may not be obvious to an end user.
In order to interface an integrated circuit with other circuitry, it is common to mount it on a lead frame or substrate. Each integrated circuit has bonding pads that are individually connected to the lead frame's lead finger pads using extremely fine gold or aluminum wires. The assemblies are then packaged by individually encapsulating them in molded plastic or ceramic bodies to create an integrated circuit package.
In addition to the physical and electrical protection, many integrated circuit devices require protection from electromagnetic interference (EMI) as well. Integrated circuit devices and behave erratically or fail altogether if subjected to sufficient electromagnetic interference. Other integrated circuit devices or components can produce electromagnetic radiation as part of their typical operation so care must be taken to protect sensitive devices.
There is a significant demand for integrated circuit packages with EMI shielding. Attempts to shield packages such as quad flat no-lead (QFN) have struggled with process simplicity, robustness of package construction, and efficiency of EMI shielding including coverage area of the shield. There have been many limitations in shield footing, shield attach methods, and electrical grounding.
There continue to be issues with package shielding such as complex processing, poor package construction, or insufficient shielding. Complex processing often results in higher costs or decreased yield. Poor package construction can result in decreased yield or unreliable operation. Insufficient shielding can result in intermittent of partial failures due to poor device coverage or failures do to less than needed performance.
Despite the advantages of recent developments in integrated circuit and integrated circuit package manufacturing, there is a continuing need for improving integrated circuit package shielding to provide improved process simplicity, robust package construction, and efficiency of EMI shielding.
Thus, a need still remains for an integrated circuit package system to provide improved shielding. In view of the increasing demand for improved density of integrated circuits and particularly portable electronic products, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Integrated circuit package system with shielding


A method is disclosed for producing signals representative of an image of a scene including the following steps: providing an image sensor with a lenticular lens pattern thereon, and projecting the image onto the image sensor via the lenticular lens pattern, the image sensor having a pixel element pattern and the lenticular lens pattern being diagonally oriented with respect to said pixel element pattern; and producing image-representative signals by reading out signals from the pixel elements of the image sensor.

As initial background, reference can be made, for example, to my U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,208,382 and 6,266,093, and to my copending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/653,983 and 09/954,969, all assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
The 720 60P format for HDTV is almost totally incompatible with the 1080 30I format. However, they both require the same bit rate and produce images with about the same sharpness. The interlaced image suffers from the usual interlace artifacts of interline flicker, line crawl and reduced vertical resolution. Because of the Kell factor in interlaced images, the vertical resolution is not as high as the horizontal resolution. The 720 line format has the disadvantage that a CRT in this format requires a higher horizontal scan frequency. It is one of the objectives hereof to devise a system that combines the advantages of both formats to produce images that are sharper than either one. It is also among the objects hereof to devise improved techniques and apparatus for producing video signals.

Producing video signals using sensor and lenticular lens pattern


In one embodiment, a beamforming RF repeater includes: a beamforming controller; a first array of antennas organized into a plurality of first sub-arrays; a plurality of first RF combiner and decombiner circuits corresponding to the plurality of first sub-arrays, wherein each first RF combiner and decombiner circuit is configured to phase shift in the RF domain a received RF signal from the corresponding first sub-array according to a first beamforming command from the beamforming controller such that a first combined signal formed from the phase-shifted signals from the plurality of first RF combiner and decombiner circuits is received in a first desired beam direction; a second array of antennas organized into a plurality of second sub-arrays; and a plurality of second RF combiner and decombiner circuits corresponding to the plurality of second sub-arrays, wherein each second RF combiner and decombiner circuit is configured to phase shift in the RF domain the first combined signal according to a second beamforming command from the beamforming controller such that a transmitted signal from the second array of antennas is transmitted in a second desired beam direction. Because the beamforming is in the RF domain, the beamforming controller need not demodulate the repeated RF signal, thereby avoiding the necessity of any baseband processing.

Conventional high-frequency antennas are often cumbersome to manufacture. For example, antennas designed for 100 GHz bandwidths typically use machined waveguides as feed structures, requiring expensive micro-machining and hand-tuning. Not only are these structures difficult and expensive to manufacture, they are also incompatible with integration to standard semiconductor processes.
As is the case with individual conventional high-frequency antennas, beamforming arrays of such antennas are also generally difficult and expensive to manufacture. Conventional beamforming arrays require complicated feed structures and phase-shifters that are impractical to be implemented in a semiconductor-based design due to its cost, power consumption and deficiency in electrical characteristics such as insertion loss and quantization noise levels. In addition, conventional beamforming arrays become incompatible with digital signal processing techniques as the operating frequency is increased. For example, at the higher data rates enabled by high frequency operation, multipath fading and cross-interference becomes a serious issue. Adaptive beamforming techniques are known to combat these problems. But adaptive beamforming for transmission at 10 GHz or higher frequencies requires massively parallel utilization of A/D and D/A converters.
The need for overhead intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance is growing in both civilian and military applications. Terrain obstacles (both urban and rural) make line-of-sight radio communication between legacy military radios problematic. A wireless repeater having beamforming capabilities would enable non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communication, thereby significantly enhancing signal fidelity and integrity. In addition, beamforming provides inherent resistance to signal jamming and multi-path interference. However, the aforementioned problems make conventional wireless repeaters costly and unreliable. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved beamforming wireless repeaters.


A medical tool includes a handle, a tubular member, and a bendable shape memory element (SME). The tubular member is attached to and extends from the handle and is configured to be inserted into an orifice of a patient. The tubular member has a distal-end section that is configured to be bent so as to perform a medical procedure in the orifice. The bendable shape memory element (SME) is coupled to the distal-end section of the tubular member, wherein the SME is configured to straighten when heated into a pre-formed shape, thereby straightening the distal-end section.

Various surgical tools were proposed in the patent literature for facilitating treatment that may require adjusting a shape of the tool. For example, U.S. Patent Application 2014/0150782, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,004,863 on Jun. 26, 2018, describes a closed suction system module comprising a coupling member configured to couple to a suction port of a multi-port manifold or endotracheal tube adapter. In one embodiment, the closed suction system module comprises a suction catheter configured to clean the interior surfaces of body-inserted tubes orartificial airways (alone or in addition to suctioning natural airways or portions of the respiratory tract). The suction catheter may comprise a cleaning portion at a distal portion of the suction catheter (e.g., near the distal end or tip of the suction catheter). In an embodiment, the distal end of the suction catheter can comprise one or more flexible materials that aid in the steerabilty of the catheter.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,906 describes medical devices which are currently proposed to use elements made from shape memory alloys that may be improved by the use of stress-induced martensite alloy elements instead. The use of stress-induced martensite decreases the temperature sensitivity of the devices, thereby making them easier to install and/or remove. In an embodiment, a catheter device is straightened by insertion of a straight pin down the catheter axis, the catheter deforming by the formation of stress-induced martensite.
U.S. Patent Application 2008/0200761, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,231,524 on Jul. 31, 2012, describes an endoscope device having a curvable portion and a pivotable lever enclosed within a housing. The lever is connected to a spring means for returning a trigger and the control wire to a resting position once a user is finished squeezing the trigger. The pivotable lever defines first and second ends connected to an adjustment wire and a control wire respectively. When the trigger is squeezed the curvable portion curves in a controlled manner from a fully straight configuration.

Shape memory element for straightening malleable device


An automated banking machine (10) is provided. The automated banking machine may include a fascia (50) in operative connection with a frame (110). The machine may include a plurality of hardware devices which are accessible through the fascia. The hardware devices may include a cash dispenser (24), receipt printer (20), and a card reader (22). The fascia may include replaceable bezels (550,552) with apertures therein for providing access to hardware devices. The bezels may be operative to float with respect to the fascia and hardware devices to automatically align hardware devices with the bezels. In addition the hardware devices may include movable portions which are operative to automatically align with the bezels. The bezels may include ramps, ribs, or other angled surfaces which guide the hardware devices into alignment with the openings in the bezels.

Automated banking machines are well known. A common type of automated banking machine used by consumers is an automated teller machine ("ATM"). ATMs enable customers to carry out banking transactions. Common banking transactions that may be carried out with ATMs include the dispensing of cash, the making of deposits, the transfer of funds between accounts, the payment of bills and account balance inquiries. The types of banking transactions a customer can carry out are determined by capabilities of the particular banking machine and the programming of the institution operating the machine. Other types of automated banking machines may allow customers to charge against accounts or to transfer funds. Other types of automated banking machines may print or dispense items of value such as coupons, tickets, wagering slips, vouchers, checks, food stamps, money orders, scrip or traveler's checks. For purposes of this disclosure an ATM, an automated banking machine, or an automated transaction machine shall encompass any device which carries out transactions including transfers of value.

Cash dispensing automated banking machine with leveling leg


A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle includes a drive mode control portion and a battery degradation determination portion. The chive mode control portion sets the drive mode to a CD mode after the charging of a battery by a battery charger ends as the state of charge of the battery reaches a first predetermined range. The drive mode control portion switches the drive mode to a CS mode if, after the hybrid vehicle starts driving in the CD mode, the state of charge of the battery declines to a second predetermined range that is lower than the first predetermined range. The battery degradation determination portion performs determination regarding degradation of the battery on the basis of data collected while the vehicle is driving.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle and, more particularly, to a control apparatus that detects degradation of an electrical storage apparatus mounted in a hybrid vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Hybrid vehicles that drive by drive force from an electric motor have a battery for storing electric power that is to be supplied to the electric motor. The battery capacity declines from full charge capacity of an initial state by various factors, including the current, voltage, temperature and SOC of the battery as well as the elapsed time, etc. . . . . In order to determine when to replace the battery due to degradation, it is necessary to precisely detect the decline in the full charge capacity.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-224701 (JP 2000-224701 A) discloses a degradation determination apparatus for a battery that is mounted in a hybrid vehicle. The degradation determination apparatus integrates the output current of the battery and also the regenerative current stored into the battery during the period from when the battery charge is at an upper limit until when it reaches a lower limit. This degradation determination apparatus performs the determination regarding degradation of the battery by comparing the integrated value of current with a pre-set degradation criterion value (see (JP 2000-224701 A).
However, in the hybrid vehicles as described above, it is rare that the battery charge changes from the upper limit to the lower limit. Therefore, there is possibility that the occurrence frequency of performing the detection of degradation of the battery may become inconveniently low.


A rotary connector including a stationary housing, a rotating housing and a lock member. When the lock member is mounted on the rotary connector, both housings are reliably locked with no free rotation therebetween permitted. The lock member is easily broken at a thin portion to release the locked state. A holder having a slot is integrally formed with the outer cylindrical portion of the stationary housing, while a projection is formed on the top surface of the rotating housing. The lock member is integrally formed of a horizontally extending arm portion, a ring-shaped finger-hook portion integrally connected to one end of the arm portion, and a coupling portion that extends downward from the other end of the arm portion. Formed on the border between the arm portion and the coupling portion is a V-shaped groove, as the thin portion, which is mechanically weaker than the rest of the lock member. The coupling portion of the lock member is snapped in the slot while the hole formed in the arm portion receives the projection of the rotating housing, and thus a relative rotation between both housings is blocked. By pivoting upward the finger-hook portion and the arm portion about the thin portion as a fulcrum, the arm portion is broken at the thin portion away from the coupling portion, and the coupling portion remains snapped in the slot.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary connector which establishes electrical connection using a flexible cable between a pair of housings coupled in a relatively rotational relation and, more specifically, to a lock mechanism for use in the rotary connector, for retaining both housings in their neutral rotational position until the rotary connector is mounted on the steering device of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some rotary connectors comprise a pair of rotating and stationary housings coupled in a relatively rotational relation, and a flexible cable coiled within an annular container defined between both housings, with both ends of the flexible cable supported respectively at both housings to be connected to external electrical connections. As the rotating housing rotates relative to the stationary housing, the flexible cable is coiled tightly or loosely within the container depending on the rotation direction of the rotating housing. In either movement, electrical connection between both housings is maintained via the flexible cable.
The rotary connector thus constructed is used as electrical connection means for an air bag inflator, a horn switch and the like, with the stationary housing mounted on a combination switch as a stator member of a steering device while the rotating housing mounted on a steering wheel as a rotor member of the steering device. The rotary connector is required to rotate in a balanced fashion from the neutral rotational position of the steering wheel with a range of travel in clockwise rotation and a range of travel in counterclockwise rotation being equal. For this reason, a known rotary connector is typically provided with a lock mechanism which retains both housings in the neutral position until the rotary connector is mounted onto the steering device.
One of known rotary connectors with a lock mechanism is a lock member of a synthetic resin into which a coupling portion, a finger-hook portion and a key portion are integrally formed, wherein a thin portion is formed between the coupling portion and the finger-hook portion. Using the lock member, the relative rotation of one housing to the other housing is blocked. More particularly, with both housings positioned at the neutral position, the coupling portion of the lock member is engaged with a coupling hole of one housing while the key portion is engaged with a rotation restraint portion of the other housing, and thus the free rotation of one housing to the other is restrained. Such a locked state is continuously maintained until the mounting of the rotary connector onto the steering device. When the rotary connector is mounted on the steering device, the finger-hook portion is drawn using a finger or a tool and then the finger-hook portion and the key portion are broken at the thin portion away from the coupling portion. The locked state of the housings by means of the lock member is thus released. In this unlocked state, the coupling portion broken at the thin portion remains in the coupling hole, and thus an unintentional removal of the lock member can be checked by the presence of the coupling portion.
In such a conventional rotary connector, the finger-hook portion and the coupling portion are arranged with the thin portion therebetween, generally in a line in alignment with the direction of drawing of the finger-hook portion. If the thin portion is designed to be mechanically too weak, it will be easily and possibly unintentionally ruptured in the locked state by an external force acting on the lock member and the housings. If the thin portion is designed to be strong enough to reliably maintain the locked state, the lock member is difficult to rupture when the releasing of the locked state is actually needed.


A display device may include the following elements: a transistor; a first pixel electrode electrically connected to a drain electrode of the transistor and including a first-type subpixel electrode and a second-type subpixel electrode; a first-type common electrode overlapping the first-type subpixel electrode; a second-type common electrode overlapping the second-type subpixel electrode; a first-type common voltage line electrically connected to the first-type common electrode, electrically insulated from the second-type common electrode, and overlapping each of the first-type common electrode and the second-type common electrode; and a second-type common voltage line electrically insulated from the first-type common electrode, electrically connected to the second-type common electrode, and overlapping each of the first-type common electrode and the second-type common electrode.

(a) Technical Field
The technical field relates to a liquid crystal display.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device may include a pixel electrode, a common electrode, and a liquid crystal layer. A voltage may be applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode to generate an electric field, such that liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer may be oriented to control transmission of incident light for displaying images. Visibility of the displayed images at different positions (or different viewing angles) with respect to the LCD device may be substantially different. As a result, visibility of the displayed images may be unsatisfactory.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is for enhancement of understanding of the background of this application. The Background section may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


An enterprise trust server (ETS) can include a user interface configured to initiate generation of a first file signature associated with a first file accessed from a file system associated with a computer system at a first time and generation of a second file signature associated with a second file accessed from the file system at a second time subsequent to the first time. The ETS also includes a file signature comparator configured to compare the first and second file signatures to determine a difference set of file signatures. The ETS can be configured to send a request comprising the difference set of file signatures to a trust repository and to receive a response that identifies a software product associated with the first and second files that changed between the first and second times based on the difference set of file signatures.

File systems on computers and computer systems can store a variety of different software files. The software files that are stored in the file systems can correspond to a number of different software products that are installed on the given computer or computer system. It is often necessary to access and identify the software files stored in the file systems, such as for maintenance and troubleshooting purposes. One such example can be to determine if a malicious computer virus or malware has been loaded onto the computer system. Many of the software files that are stored in a computer system are generated and/or utilized by the computer system in a manner that is transparent to the user, such as by the result of the operation of background processes of software products that run on the respective computer system. Such software files can often still be accessed from the file system by a user.

System and method for identifying software changes


Darkness correction is carried out effectively. A printing method is provided with the following steps: A step of, when a plurality of nozzles arranged in a predetermined direction for each of a plurality of colors of ink is moved in a movement direction intersecting with the predetermined direction while ejecting ink of the plurality of different colors, correcting a darkness of only a predetermined color, of the plurality of colors, for each dot row region so as to inhibit darkness non-uniformities between dot row regions that are formed on a medium by dot rows in the movement direction of the nozzles, and a step of performing printing by moving the plurality of nozzles while ejecting ink.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to printing methods, computer-readable media, printing apparatuses, methods for manufacturing printing apparatuses, printing systems, and correction patterns.
2. Description of the Related Art
Color inkjet printers (hereinafter referred to as "printers") that eject inks of a plurality of color onto a medium such as paper to form an image are known as printing apparatuses. These printers repeat in alternation a dot formation operation of forming dots on a paper by ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles, which move in the movement direction of a carriage, and a carrying operation of carrying the paper in an intersecting direction (hereinafter, also referred to as the "carrying direction") that intersects the movement direction using a carry unit. By doing this, a plurality of raster lines each made of a plurality of dots aligned in the movement direction are formed in the intersecting direction, printing an image.
With this type of printer, there are variations in the ink droplet ejection characteristics, such as the amount of the ink droplet and the travel direction, for each nozzle. Discrepancies in the ejection characteristics are a cause of darkness non-uniformities in printed images, and thus are not preferable. In conventional countermeasures, correction patterns are first printed on the paper using each of the respective color inks that are ejectable. Next, the darknesses of the printed correction patterns are read, correction information is obtained based on the data that had been read, and printing is carried out by executing darkness correction based on the obtained correction information.
(1) In conventional methods, correction patterns are printed using each ejectable color ink, the printed correction patterns are then read, and darkness correction is carried out based on the data that has been read. That is, if four color inks are ejectable, then four correction patterns are printed for those colors, and if six color inks are ejectable, then six correction patterns are printed for those colors. However, depending on the ink color, there are colors in which darkness non-uniformities have a tendency to occur (colors in which darkness non-uniformity is easily visible) and colors in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur (colors in which darkness non-uniformity is not easily visible). For this reason, there is little effect in carrying out darkness correction for a color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur. That is, notwithstanding the large amount of time spent in processes such as the process of printing a correction pattern using a color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur, the process of reading the correction pattern of the color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur, the process of obtaining correction information based on the data that has been read for the color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur, and the process of carrying out darkness correction based on the obtained correction information for the color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur, there is little effect in darkness correction for the color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur. And for this reason, a large amount effort and time is wasted by carrying out darkness correction for a color in which it is difficult for darkness non-uniformities to occur, such that there is a problem of reducing the throughput of the printer.
(2) Furthermore, in carrying out darkness correction, a large amount of time and effort is spent in processes such as the process of printing a correction pattern, the process of reading the correction pattern, and the process of carrying out darkness correction based on the data that is read. Conversely, by omitting darkness correction in regions in which there is little effect, it would be possible to restrain the effort and time wasted on these.
In this regard, darkness non-uniformities tend to occur easily in light regions within a printed image. For example, when printing portrait images, the darkness of the printed image is light in regions in which human skin colors are rendered, and therefore darkness non-uniformities tend to occur easily. For this reason, the effect of darkness correction is easily obtainable in regions of light darkness. On the other hand, darkness non-uniformities tend not to occur easily in dark regions within a printed image, and there is little effect in carrying out darkness correction.

Printing method, computer-readable medium, printing apparatus, method of manufacturing printing apparatus, printing system, and correction pattern


A musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus having a modulation function comprises a delay loop system including a delay circuit and a filter, a excitation signal input section, a control member and a filter characteristic control circuit. The excitation signal input to the delay loop system circulate therein, so that a musical tone signal is formed. The control member instructs modulation of a musical tone signal. The filter characteristic control circuit changes with time the characteristics of the filter in accordance with an output from the control member. So that pitch modulation accompanied with tone color modulation is effected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus utilized in electronic musical instruments, music education apparatuses, toys, and the like and, more particularly, to a musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus for receiving a musical tone control signal for steadily or time-serially controlling musical tone parameters such as a pitch, a tone color, a tone volume, and the like of a musical tone, and forming a musical tone waveform signal according to the input musical tone control signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As an apparatus of this type, an apparatus which utilizes a so-called delay feedback type decay tone algorithm for inputting a nonlinear signal to a delay loop system including a delay circuit to perform feedback arithmetic processing, thereby forming a musical tone signal (to be referred to as a delay feedback type musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus hereinafter) is known (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho. 63-40199).
The delay feedback type musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus physically approximates mechanical vibration systems of acoustic instruments such as a tube body of a wind instrument, strings of a bowed instrument, and the like by means of an electrical circuit. This apparatus is expected to be able to relatively naturally and faithfully synthesize a tone of a wind instrument or bowed instrument including a change in tone level by inputting a nonlinear signal corresponding to a reed or an embouchure of a wind instrument or a movement of a contact between a bow and a string of a bowed instrument to the delay loop.
However, a delay feedback type musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus which can reproduce a musical tone added with a vibrato effect to have high fidelity to an acoustic instrument has not been realized yet.

Musical tone waveform signal forming apparatus having pitch and tone color modulation


A superconducting wire (12), containing NbTi superconducting material and Cu, comprising a multiplicity of hexagonal elements, which, as seen in cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the superconducting wire (12), have an at least approximately hexagonal outside contour is characterized in that at least a portion of the hexagonal elements is constituted as Cu—Al composite elements (3), wherein, in cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the superconducting wire (12), the Cu—Al composite elements (3) are each constituted with an Al core (4) and a Cu sheath (5) that surrounds the Al core (4). The NbTi superconducting wire is thereby stabilized and has low weight as well as a reduced risk of crack formation during manufacturing, especially during wire drawing.

The invention relates to a superconducting wire, containing NbTi superconducting material and Cu, comprising a multiplicity of hexagonal elements, which have an at least approximately hexagonal outside contour, as seen in cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the superconducting wire.
Such a superconducting wire is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,183 A.
Niobium-titanium (NbTi) is an important superconducting material, which, due to its good plastic deformability (both as a final material and with respect to its precursors), can be deployed in a variety of ways, for example, in superconducting magnet coils or in superconducting cables. The NbTi superconducting material is typically integrated in a superconducting wire, wherein a multiplicity of NbTi filaments usually extend in the longitudinal direction of the superconducting wire.
The wire manufacturing process usually includes, as part of a drawing process, plastic deformation into a hexagonal outside cross-section in order to simplify the bundling process of individual NbTi filaments (or also other structures and intermediate structures). The resulting hexagonal elements can then be very compactly disposed, for example, in a copper enclosing tube, cf. U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,183 A referred to above.
The superconducting properties of NbTi are only achieved at especially low temperatures, below approx. 9 K, so that the superconductor must be cooled, for example, with liquid helium. Moreover, the superconducting condition cannot be maintained if the magnetic field strength or the electric current density is too high.
NbTi superconducting wires are typically stabilized with copper (Cu), usually with a high degree of purity. The copper runs parallel with the superconducting filaments in the superconducting wire; for example, the copper can constitute a matrix for superconducting NbTi filaments. Copper is a good heat conductor, through which effective cooling of the superconducting NbTi filaments can be achieved. Furthermore, copper exhibits high electrical conductivity. If superconductivity in the superconducting wire is lost locally, the copper provides a parallel electrical current path, limiting a rise in electrical resistance and the associated heat generation. With effective cooling, superconductivity can be restored to the local, normally conducting region in the superconductor (stabilizing function). Even if superconductivity cannot be recovered, the copper protects the superconductor from damage ("melting") by limiting the increase in resistance and thus limiting heat generation, while also efficiently removing the resulting heat (quench protection). Moreover, the copper improves the mechanical strength of the superconducting wire.
Copper is not only an expensive material, it is also relatively heavy with a density of approx. 8.9 g/cm3, which is undesirable for many applications. Alternative materials for stabilizing NbTi superconductors are therefore sought that can at least partially replace copper. Pure aluminum (Al) would be a suitable material in terms of heat conductivity and electrical resistance, and is less expensive than copper and, with a density of 2.7 g/cm3, considerably lighter.
WO 2008/121764 A1 proposes a NbTi superconductor structure with a Cu sleeve, an Al core and multifilament NbTi rods disposed in a ring between them.
While Cu and NbTi are both relatively hard and behave in a similar way when plastically deformed, Al is much softer than NbTi and Cu. When wire containing Al structures is drawn, in particular, an Al core, cracks that run transverse to the longitudinal direction of the wire have been observed in the NbTi superconducting wire. A wire containing cracks is of no use for superconductor applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,386 discloses a superconductor structure in which an Al core is divided into six sectors by Cu—Ni alloy layers. This structure is relatively complex.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,697 describes a superconductor structure in which three Al wires and four multifilament wires are bundled, for example, with NbTi filaments and a copper matrix. One of the multifilament wires is disposed in the center of the superconductor structure. The structure is held together with PbSn solder. It is difficult to process solder in wire production and, as an additional material, it can additionally aggravate the problem of crack formation.
JP 09 282953 A describes a Nb3Al superconductor wire in which Nb3Al filaments are embedded in a copper matrix. Embedded additional structures made of Nb or Ta can be used for strengthening. In one embodiment, additional structures with an Al rod in a Cu tube are proposed.
The object of the invention is to propose a stabilized NbTi superconducting wire, which has low weight and which, in the manufacturing process, especially during wire drawing, reduces the risk of crack formation.


An optical waveguide circuit includes a first loss component for causing a diffraction loss of light propagating through an optical waveguide, and a second loss component provided at least one of before and after the first loss component, for causing a diffraction loss less than the diffraction loss in the first loss component to the light propagating through the optical waveguide. This enables the beam spot size of the lightwave launched into the first loss component to be magnified seemingly, and to reduce the radiation angle of the lightwave at the first loss component, thereby making it possible to reduce the excess loss involved in the propagation of the light through the optical waveguide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical waveguide circuit, and particularly to an optical waveguide circuit having a loss component that causes a diffraction loss to light propagating through an optical waveguide.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, research and development has been carried out intensively of planar lightwave circuits (PLC) composed of silica-based glass waveguides formed on silicon substrates.
There are various types of the planar lightwave circuits. For example, H. Takahashi, et al., "Arrayed-Waveguide Grating for Wavelength Division Multi/Demultiplexer With Nanometer Resolution" (Electron. Lett., vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 87–88, 1990) discloses an optical wavelength multi/demultiplexer like an arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG); and M. Okuno et al., "8×8 Optical Matrix Switch Using Silica-Based Planer Lightwave Circuits" (IEICE Trans. Electron., vol. 76-C, no. 7, pp. 1215–1223, 1993) discloses an optical path switching like a thermo-optic (TO) switch.
Furthermore, as for a hybrid planar lightwave circuit integrating a semiconductor optical device on a planar lightwave circuit, T. Tanaka et al., "Integrated Extra Cavity laser Composed of Spot-Size Converted LD and UV Written Grating in Silica Waveguide on Si" (Electron. Lett., vol. 32, no. 13, pp. 1202–1203, 1996) discloses an external cavity frequency-stabilized laser, for example.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional arrayed-waveguide grating; and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II—II of FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, a cladding layer 202 composed of silica-based glass is formed on a silicon substrate 201, and arrayed-waveguides 203 with cores composed of silica-based glass are formed in the cladding layer 202.
At both ends of the arrayed-waveguides 203, slab waveguides 205a and 205b are connected. In addition, input waveguides 204a are connected to the input side of the slab waveguide 205a, and output waveguides 204b are connected to the output side of the slab waveguide 205b.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional thermo-optic switch; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IV—IV of FIG. 3.
In FIGS. 3 and 4, a cladding layer 212 composed of silica-based glass is formed on a silicon substrate 211, and arm waveguides 213a and 213b with cores composed of silica-based glass are formed in the cladding layer 212.
At both ends of the arm waveguides 213a and 213b, directional couplers 215 and 216 are connected. In addition, input waveguides 214a and 214b are connected to the input side of the directional coupler 215, and output waveguides 217a and 217b are connected to the output side of the directional coupler 216.
Furthermore, a thin-film heater 218 is formed on the cladding layer 212 at a position corresponding to the arm waveguide 213a, and the thin-film heater 218 is connected to wiring conductors 219a and 219b.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional external cavity frequency-stabilized laser.
In FIG. 5, a cladding layer 222 composed of silica-based glass is formed on a silicon substrate 221. In addition, an optical waveguide 223 with a core composed of silica-based glass is formed in the cladding layer 222, and a UV written grating 224 is formed in the optical waveguide 223.
Furthermore, a silicon terrace 225 is formed on the silicon substrate 221 by removing part of the cladding layer 222, and a semiconductor laser 226 is installed on the silicon terrace 225.
The optical waveguide circuits such as the planar lightwave circuits described above can improve their characteristics or carry out a new function by forming a groove by removing part of the optical waveguides or by filling the groove with a material with appropriate characteristics.
In addition, the optical waveguide circuits such as the planar lightwave circuits described above can increase flexibility in their layout by intersecting the optical waveguides, thereby enabling a variety of circuit components to be integrated on the same substrate, and implementing a new function.
Here, it is unavoidable that diffraction losses are produced in the grooves formed in part of the optical waveguides or at the intersections of the optical waveguides. As a method to reduce such diffraction losses, a technique is proposed that is increasing or decreasing the width or thickness of the waveguide, in which the groove or intersection are included, by providing a taper waveguides. In the case of increasing the width or thickness of the waveguide, the mode spot size of the lightwave magnified in accordance with the waveguide width and thickness. In the case of decreasing the width or thickness of the waveguide, the mode spot size of the lightwave also magnified, because the light confinement to the waveguide is weakened. This magnification of the mode spot size decreases a radiation angle (diffraction angle) at the groove or intersection.
International publication No. WO98/36299 discloses an example of removing part of the optical waveguides to form a groove, and of filling the groove with a material with appropriate characteristics. It removes part of the cladding and cores of an arrayed-waveguide grating to form the groove, and fills the groove with a temperature compensation material with a refractive index temperature coefficient different in sign from the temperature coefficient of the effective refractive index of the optical waveguides, thereby eliminating the temperature dependence of the transmission wavelength of the arrayed-waveguide grating. This is called an athermal arrayed-waveguide grating.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-29079 discloses another example of removing part of the optical waveguides to form a groove, and of filling the groove with a material with appropriate characteristics. It removes part of the cladding and cores of a thermo-optic switch to form the groove, and fills the groove with a temperature compensation material with a refractive index temperature coefficient different in sign from the temperature coefficient of the effective refractive index of the arm waveguides, thereby reducing the electrical power consumption of the thermo-optic switch. This is called a polymer assisted thermo-optic switch.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-97784(1999) discloses still another example of removing part of the optical waveguide to form a groove, and of filling the groove with a material with appropriate characteristics. It removes part of the cladding and core of the waveguide between the UV written grating of the frequency-stabilized laser and the semiconductor laser, and fills the groove with a temperature compensation material with a refractive index temperature coefficient different in sign from the temperature coefficient of the refractive index of the semiconductor laser, thereby reducing the mode hopping of the frequency-stabilized laser due to temperature changes.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional athermal arrayed-waveguide grating; FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a single optical waveguide of FIG. 6; FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing optical waveguides of FIG. 6; FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IXA—IXA of FIG. 8; and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line IXB—IXB of FIG. 8.
In FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9A and 9B, a cladding layer 232 composed of silica-based glass is formed on a silicon substrate 231. In the cladding layer 232, arrayed-waveguides 236 with cores composed of silica-based glass are formed as shown in FIG. 6. In addition, linear waveguides 233 are added to the arrayed-waveguides 236. The arrayed-waveguides 236 are configured such that their lengths are increased by a fixed amount ΔL step by step toward outside.
Furthermore, a groove 237 is formed across the linear waveguides 233 by removing part of the cladding layer 232 and cores from the linear waveguides 233. Thus, focusing attention to the single optical waveguide 241 of the linear waveguides 233 as shown in FIG. 7, the optical waveguide 241 is configured such that it is divided by the groove 242 with a spacing W, and the gap is filled with a temperature compensation material 243.
Next, consider a configuration that has tapered optical waveguides inserted before and after the groove 237 to reduce the diffraction loss by the groove 237 and to increase the spacing between the optical waveguides 23.3 divided by the groove 237. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a single optical waveguide of FIG. 6; and FIG. 11 is an enlarged plan view showing the optical waveguides of FIG. 6.
In FIG. 10, the optical waveguide 241 has a wide section 241c and narrow sections 241a and 241e. The wide section 241c is smoothly connected to the narrow sections 241a and 241e via tapered sections 241b and 241d, respectively. The groove 242 is formed such that it divides the wide section 241c.
In FIG. 11, the optical waveguides 233 have wide sections 233c and narrow sections 233a and 233e. The wide sections 233c are smoothly connected to the narrow sections 233a and 233e via tapered sections 233b and 233d. The groove 237 is formed such that it divides the wide sections 233c.
In addition, the groove 237 in each linear waveguide 233 is filled with a temperature compensation material 238 as shown in FIG. 9B. In particular, as for the temperature compensation material 238, it is preferable that its refractive index temperature coefficient dn′/dT differ in sign from the effective refractive index temperature coefficient dn/dT of the arrayed-waveguides 236, and that the absolute value |dn′/dT| of its refractive index temperature coefficient be sufficiently greater than the absolute value |dn/dT| of the effective refractive index temperature coefficient of the arrayed-waveguides 236. As an example of such a temperature compensation material 238, there is silicone with a refractive index temperature coefficient dn′/dT of about −40×(dn/dT).
The groove 237 in the linear waveguide 233 is formed such that its width is gradually increased by an amount ΔL′ proportional to the fixed amount ΔL which is the incremental length of the arrayed-waveguides 236 as shown in FIG. 11. In addition, the amount ΔL′ is designed to satisfy the relationship (ΔL−ΔL′)/ΔL′=−(dn′/dT)/(dn/dT) to eliminate the temperature dependence of the transmission wavelength of the arrayed-waveguide grating.
In addition, slab waveguides 235a and 235b are connected to both ends of the arrayed-waveguides 236. Input waveguides 234a are connected to the input side of the slab waveguides 235a, and output waveguides 234b are connected to the output side of the slab waveguides 235b.
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing another configuration of the optical waveguides of FIG. 6, and FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a single optical waveguide of FIG. 12.
In FIGS. 12 and 13, a plurality of grooves 252a–252n are provided across the arrayed-waveguides 251, where n is an integer equal to or greater than two. These grooves 252a–252n are filled with temperature compensation materials 253a–253n. Focusing attention to a single optical waveguide 261 of the arrayed-waveguides 251, it has n grooves 262a–262n with widths W1, W2, . . . , and Wn, which are filled with temperature compensation materials 263a–263n as shown in FIG. 13, thereby being divided by spacings d1, d2, . . . , and dn−1.
As for a configuration which has tapered optical waveguides inserted before and after the grooves 252a–252n to reduce the diffraction loss in the grooves 252a–252n and to increase the spacings between the optical waveguides 251 divided by the grooves 252a–252n, FIG. 14 is an enlarged plan view showing the optical waveguides of FIG. 6.
In FIG. 14, the optical waveguides 251 have a wide section 251c and narrow sections 251a and 251e, and the wide section 251c is smoothly connected to the narrow sections 251a and 251e via the tapered sections 251b and 251d. The grooves 252a–252n are provided such that they divide the wide section 251c.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, the grooves 252a–252n of the arrayed-waveguides 251 are lengthened by an amount ΔL′/n proportional to the fixed amount ΔL in accordance with the lengths of the arrayed-waveguides 251, which are increased by the fixed amount ΔL step by step.
FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional polymer assisted thermo-optic switch; and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line XVI—XVI of FIG. 15.
In FIGS. 15 and 16, a cladding layer 272 composed of silica-based glass is formed on a silicon substrate 271, and arm waveguides 273a and 273b with cores composed of silica-based glass are formed in the cladding layer 272.
In addition, a thin-film heater 274 is formed on the cladding layer 272 in such a manner that the thin-film heater 274 is placed between the arm waveguides 273a and 273b, and is connected to the wiring conductors 275a and 275b.
A groove 276 formed across the arm waveguide 273a by removing part of the cladding layer 272 and core. The groove 276 is filled with a temperature compensation material 277 with a refractive index temperature coefficient different in sign from the temperature coefficient of the effective refractive index of the arm waveguide 273a. As the temperature compensation material 277, silicone can be used, for example. Besides, as shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of grooves can be used instead of the single groove 276.
FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional external cavity frequency-stabilized laser whose mode hopping is supressed; FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view taken along a line XVIIIA—XVIIIA of FIG. 17; and FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line XVIIIB—XVIIIB of FIG. 17. In FIGS. 17, 18A and 18B, a cladding layer 282 composed of silica-based glass is formed on the silicon substrate 281. An optical waveguide 283 with a core composed of silica-based glass is formed in the cladding layer 282, and a UV written grating 284 is formed in the optical waveguide 283.
In addition, a silicon terrace 285 is formed on the silicon substrate 281 by removing the cladding layer 282, and a semiconductor laser 286 is mounted on the silicon terrace 285.
Furthermore, a groove 287 is formed in the optical waveguide 283 by removing part of the cladding layer 282 and core. The groove 287 is filled with a temperature compensation material 288 with a refractive index temperature coefficient different in sign from the temperature coefficient of the effective refractive index of the optical waveguide 283. As the temperature compensation material 288, silicone can be used, for example. Besides, as shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of grooves can be used instead of the single groove 287.
FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a configuration of a conventional crossed optical waveguide. In FIG. 19, optical waveguides 291 and 292 whose cladding and cores are each composed of silica-based glass are placed on a silicon substrate such that they intersect with each other. The intersection angle a of the optical waveguides 291 and 292 can be determined in accordance with the layout of the entire planar lightwave circuit.
FIG. 20 is a plan view showing another configuration of a conventional temperature compensated arrayed-waveguide grating; and FIG. 21 is an enlarged plan view showing the neighborhood of a slab waveguide 303a of FIG. 20.
In FIGS. 20 and 21, arrayed-waveguides 302, slab waveguides 303a and 303b, and input and output waveguides 304a and 304b, the cores and cladding of all of which are composed of silica-based glass, are formed on a silicon substrate 301. The arrayed-waveguides 302 are configured such that their lengths each increase by the fixed amount ΔL toward outside.
In addition, a groove 305 is formed in the slab waveguide 303a in such a manner that the width of the groove 305 increases by an amount ΔL′ proportional to the fixed amount ΔL step by step as the groove is crossed by the lines connecting the input waveguide and the arrayed-waveguides 302 as shown in FIG. 21. Furthermore, the groove 305 is filled with a temperature compensation material 306 with the refractive index temperature coefficient different in sign from the temperature coefficient of the effective refractive index of the arrayed-waveguides 302. As the temperature compensation material 306, silicone can be used, for example. In addition, a plurality of grooves can be used instead of the single groove 305.
On the other hand, as for the planar lightwave circuit, S. Suzuki et al., "High-Density Integrated Planar Lightwave Circuits Using SiO2—GeO2 Waveguides with a High Refractive Index Difference" (J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 790–796, 1994) discloses a technique that miniaturizes the circuit by reducing the radius of curvature of the optical waveguides by increasing the refractive index contrast of the optical waveguides.
For example, a passive planar lightwave circuit such as the arrayed-waveguide grating or thermo-optic switch described above can reduce its size by using high refractive index contrast optical waveguides.
In addition, a hybrid planar lightwave circuit integrating a semiconductor laser can reduce the coupling loss between the semiconductor laser and silica-based glass waveguide by using a high refractive index contrast optical waveguide.
Today, the total reduction in size and cost of the arrayed-waveguide grating is required. Therefore it is important not only to reduce the size by using the high refractive index contrast optical waveguides, but also to eliminate the temperature control by using the technique for athermalizing the transmission wavelength.
In addition, the reduction in size and electrical power consumption of the thermo-optic switch is also required. Thus, it is important to apply the high refractive index contrast optical waveguides to the polymer assisted thermo-optic switch described above.
As described above, it is necessary for the planar lightwave circuits to form the groove or grooves by removing part of the optical waveguides and to fill the groove or grooves with a material with an appropriate characteristics in order to eliminate the temperature dependence of the transmission wavelength of the arrayed-waveguide grating, or to reduce the electrical power consumption of the thermo-optic switch, or to suppress the mode hopping of the frequency-stabilized laser due to the temperature change.
Thus, the conventional planar lightwave circuits have a problem of increasing the diffraction loss in the groove or grooves formed in the optical waveguides. As a result, the arrayed-waveguide grating and thermo-optic switch have a problem of degrading the loss characteristics, and the frequency-stabilized laser has a problem of increasing the threshold current during oscillation.
Furthermore, the planar lightwave circuits have their optical waveguides intersect with each other to increase flexibility in the circuit layout, and to give new functions by integrating a variety of circuit components on the same substrate.
However, in the intersection of the optical waveguides in the planar lightwave circuits presents, there is a problem of degrading the loss characteristics of the planar lightwave circuits because of the diffraction loss at the intersection.
Moreover, as for the technique using the high refractive index contrast optical waveguides to miniaturize the arrayed-waveguide grating and thermo-optic switch, and to reduce the coupling loss between the semiconductor device and optical waveguide in the frequency-stabilized laser, the diffraction loss in the groove or grooves is greater when using the high refractive index contrast optical waveguides than when using ordinary refractive index contrast optical waveguides. Thus, it offers a problem of degrading the loss characteristics of the arrayed-waveguide grating or thermo-optic switch, and of further increasing the threshold current during the oscillation of the frequency-stabilized laser.
FIG. 22 is a graph illustrating the relationships between the length of the optical waveguide removed by the groove and the diffraction loss. FIG. 22 illustrates a comparison between the diffraction loss in an optical waveguide with the refractive index contrast of 0.75% and the core width×core thickness=6.0 μm×6.0 μm (solid line), and the diffraction loss in the optical waveguide with the refractive index contrast of 1.5% and the core width×core thickness=4.5 μm×4.5 μm (dotted line). It is seen from FIG. 22 that the optical waveguide with the refractive index contrast of 1.5% and the core width×core thickness=4.5 μmμ4.5 μm has the excess loss twice or more in terms of dB.
As for the technique applying the high refractive index contrast optical waveguides to the optical waveguide circuit including the intersection of the optical waveguides, its excess loss at the intersection is greater than that of the circuit using the ordinary refractive index contrast optical waveguides, thereby causing a problem of further degrading the loss characteristics of the planar lightwave circuit.
For example, consider the excess loss when the optical waveguides with the same structure intersect only once at an intersection angle of 45° In this case, although the excess loss in the optical waveguides with the refractive index contrast of 0.75% and core width×core thickness=6.0 μm×6.0 μm is 0.020 dB, that of the optical waveguides with the refractive index contrast of 1.5% and core width×core thickness=4.5 μm×4.5 μm is 0.035 dB.
As a conventional technique to reduce the diffraction loss in the groove or grooves formed in part of the optical waveguides or the diffraction loss at the intersection of the optical waveguides, there is a method of widening or narrowing the optical waveguides by providing tapered waveguides before and after the groove or intersection as described above. The method, however, has a problem of increase in the size because of the addition of the tapered waveguides. Besides, as for the planar lightwave circuits, an additional fabrication process required for forming the vertically tapered waveguides causes a problem of increase in the fabrication time and cost.
When only the horizontally tapered waveguides are installed to circumvent the foregoing problem, the reduction of the diffraction loss is halved as compared with the case where the tapered waveguides are installed in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A method of assembling an electrical machine includes programming at least one processor with a stator flux vector estimation scheme. The electrical machine has a stator at least partially extending around a rotor. The electrical machine is electrically coupled to an electric power system. The electric power system transmits at least one phase of electric power to and from the electrical machine with at least partial power conversion. The stator flux vector estimation scheme is programmed to generate at least one stator back-electromagnetic force (back-EMF) signal and to generate at least one stator flux vector signal using the at least one stator back-EMF signal. The at least one stator flux vector signal at least partially represents an estimated rotor position. The method also includes coupling at least one output device in data communication with the at least one processor.

This invention relates generally to electrical machines and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for assembling electrical machines.
Generally, a wind turbine generator includes a turbine that has a rotor that includes a rotatable hub assembly having multiple blades. The blades transform wind energy into a mechanical rotational torque that drives one or more generators via the rotor. The generators are generally, but not always, rotationally coupled to the rotor through a gearbox. The gearbox steps up the inherently low rotational speed of the rotor for the generator to efficiently convert the rotational mechanical energy to electrical energy, which is fed into a utility grid via at least one electrical connection. Gearless direct drive wind turbine generators also exist. The rotor, generator, gearbox and other components are typically mounted within a housing, or nacelle, that is positioned on top of a base that may be a truss or tubular tower.
Some wind turbine generator configurations include doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs). Such configurations may also include power converters that are used to convert a frequency of generated electric power to a frequency substantially similar to a utility grid frequency. Moreover, such converters, in conjunction with the DFIG, also transmit electric power between the utility grid and the generator as well as transmit generator excitation power to a wound generator rotor from one of the connections to the electric utility grid connection. Alternatively, some wind turbine generator configurations include, but are not limited to, alternative types of induction generators, permanent magnet (PM) synchronous generators and electrically-excited synchronous generators and switched reluctance generators. These alternative configurations may also include power converters that are used to convert the frequencies as described above and transmit electrical power between the utility grid and the generator. These wind turbine generator configurations rely upon accurate generator rotor position/speed indications to facilitate generator control.
Many known wind turbine generators use rotor position encoders and/or transducers to measure rotor position/speed. However, such encoder and transducer configurations include additional hardware such as shaft couplings, interface electronics and connecting cabling between them. Moreover, such configurations may also include mechanical mounting hardware such as mounting flanges, adaptor plates, and fasteners. In some wind turbine generator configurations, remote positioning of wind turbine generator control systems may facilitate cabling lengths in excess of 91 meters (m) (300 feet (ft)). Some wind turbine generators require parallel redundant systems which increase capital costs. Moreover, such redundancy increases operational and maintenance costs. Furthermore, excluding use of such redundant systems decreases operational reliability.

Method and apparatus for assembling electrical machines


A latch assembly for releasably securing a striker in a rotary pawl latch. The latch assembly includes a housing, a rotary pawl, and an actuator. The housing can have one sidewall having a notch for receiving the striker. A trigger can be pivotally attached to the housing such that the actuator releases the rotary pawl thus opening the latch.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of latch assemblies.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Latch assemblies are relied on in many applications for securing items, such as panels together. An important use for latches is in the automotive field, where there is a desire and need to access automotive compartments, such as, for example, passenger compartments of vehicles. Various latches for panel closures have been employed where one of the panels such as a swinging door or the like is to be fastened or secured to a stationary panel, doorframe, or compartment body. Although many latch assemblies are known in the prior art, none are seen to teach or suggest the unique features of the present invention or to achieve the advantages of the present invention.
Thus it will be understood that the latch components used to date have presented a number of drawbacks that typically have left the securing of a striker of a panel more awkward, time-consuming and difficult to install, remove, open, close, latch, and unlatch. In some instances, the selected latch, lock and hinge components have provided shorter than desired service lives and/or a lesser than the desired degree of security by virtue of their being relatively simple to defeat, force, break or bypass. In some instances the latch, lock and hinge components have been too weak to withstand the forces that have been encountered during normal service use (e.g., damage or unintended release has been noted as the result of these components being impacted by cargo that shifts as a pickup truck travels from place to place), or these components have taken on such size and bulk as to project into regions of cargo compartments that should be reserved for cargo.
Rotary latches capture a striker in two axes by rotation of a pawl which is activated by a trigger. There may be freedom of movement between the latch and the striker along the axis of the striker which may be cylindrical. This allows for manufacturing tolerance in the fit between the frame or first member to which the latch is mounted and the door or other second member to which the striker is mounted. In addition, difficulties have been encountered when a striker to which a latch such as a rotary latch is to be secured is off-center with respect to being aligned with a catch for engagement with the striker. There are instances when it is not practical to insure that tight tolerances will be maintained in door or frames such that the striker will always fall into the notch or mouth of the latch. The reason for misalignment between the latch and striker can be manufacturing and assembly tolerances, expansion and contraction of the structure due to environmental conditions, shifting of components due to wear during use or distortion of components due to abuse.


A weather strip is attached to the periphery of an organic glass plate. The organic glass plate is supported by a slide panel. A space is defined between the weather strip and an end face of the periphery of the organic glass plate. The space accommodates thermal expansion of the organic glass plate. A tube is located at a corner of the weather strip. Foreign matter trapped in the space moves from the space to the tube and then is discharged from the space.

The present invention relates to a weather strip for movable roofs such as vehicle sunroofs and moonroofs.
FIG. 6 shows a typical movable roof, or sliding roof 51. The sliding roof 51 is formed in a ceiling 50 of a vehicle such as an automobile. A weather strip 52 is attached to the periphery of the sliding roof 51. The weather strip 52 seals the clearance between the sliding roof 51 and the opening thereby preventing rain from entering the passenger compartment. The weather strip 52 also prevents air from flowing through the clearance between the sliding roof 51 and the opening.
In the past, sliding roofs were made of inorganic glass. Recently, to reduce the weight, organic glass such as polycarbonate is used to form sliding roofs. The sliding roof 51 includes an organic glass plate 53.
The organic glass plate 53 expands and shrinks in accordance with the temperature. Thus, if the weather strip 52 is adhered to the plate 53 with adhesive, temperature changes deform the sliding roof 51 due to the fact that the parts have different coefficients of thermal linear expansion of the glass plate 53.
Therefore, a sliding roof 54 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 has been introduced. The sliding roof 54 includes a slide panel 55, an organic glass plate 53 and a weather strip 56. The glass plate 53 is fixed to the upper surface of the slide panel 55 by adhesive 57. The weather strip 56 is engaged with the periphery of the glass plate 53. A cover lip 58 extends inward and contacts the upper surface of the glass plate 53 without adhesive in between. The glass plate 53 can be moved relative to the cover lip 58. A space S is defined between the weather strip 56 and the periphery of the glass plate 53. When the glass plate 53 expands due to a temperature change, the space S accommodates the expansion.
The weather strip 56 is formed by extrusion molding and injection molding. First, the weather strip 56 is linearly extruded by extruder. The extruded weather strip 56 has the cover lip 58 and a base 59 as shown in FIG. 7. Then, the weather strip 56 is bent at corner portions, one of which is shown in FIG. 8. At this time, the base 59 is cut off at corner portions. New bases 59 (the cross hatched portion in FIG. 8) are then formed by injection molding at the corner portions.
The cover lip 58 and the periphery of the glass plate 53 are not adhered to each other by adhesive. Thus, foreign matter such as mud and water can enter the space S between the cover lip 58 and the glass plate 53. The foreign matter remains in the space S.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a weather strip for movable roofs that discharges foreign matter trapped in the space between the weather strip and the organic glass plate in a movable roof.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a weather strip. The weather strip is attached to the periphery of an organic glass plate. The organic glass plate is supported by a support frame. A passage permits foreign matter trapped in a space to discharge from the space. The space is defined between the weather strip and an end face of the periphery of the organic glass plate. The space accommodates thermal expansion of the organic glass plate.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho


A new and distinct Clematis hybrid named ‘BFCCRAP’ is disclosed, characterized by a distinctive bright pink flowers with unusual long, undulating tepals. Plants have a dense, shrubby plant form and are well suited for container plantings. Flowers are produced from June through September. The new cultivar is a Clematis typically suited for ornamental container and landscape use.

The new cultivar is the result of planned breeding program, conductor by the inventor, Barry Fretwell in Exeter, Great Britain. The seed parent is an unnamed, unpatented, proprietary Clematis texensis, the pollen parent is also an unnamed, unpatented, proprietary Clematis texensis. The cross was made during 2005 and the selection of the new variety was made in 2007.
After selecting and isolating the new cultivar, asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'BFCCRAP' was first performed in Exeter, Great Britain at a nursery by vegetative cuttings in 2008. 'BFCCRAP' has since produced multiple generations, and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.
The inventor has applied for Plant Breeder's Rights protection in Europe during December 2013. The CPVO File Number is 2013/3222. However, plants were not available to the public until May 20, 2104 by an offer for sale through F. M. Westphal, a company in Germany. The inventor confirms, the company Westphal received plant material directly from the inventor. As this first public sale originated from a source receiving material directly from the inventor, and occurred within one year of this filing, the inventor believes he has met the requirement of U.S.C. 102(b). A copy of the EU application is included with this application at the time of deposit. The EU application verifies that at the time of filing in the EU, no sales had occurred.


Method and system for reducing power dissipation for data transmission from a transmitter to a receiver in a digital subscriber line (DSL) system when a rate of available data is below a first predetermined data rate for a predetermined length of time. The method includes the following steps. Normal parameters for a normal rate of said data transmission are stored. New parameters for a reduced rate of the data transmission are calculated. Data is transmitted at the reduced rate of the data transmission, wherein the reduced rate requires less power for data transmission. The normal rate of the data transmission is resumed using the normal parameters when the rate of available data rises above a second predetermined data rate.

The present invention relates generally to saving power in digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, and specifically to a level two method and system for providing power savings.
Remote access and retrieval of data is becoming increasingly popular in data communication. The proliferation of the Internet has provided a vast network of information that is available to the general public. As the Internet grows and technology advances, this information is becoming increasingly voluminous and the details are becoming increasingly intricate. The increase in volume of information to be transferred has presented a need for a high-speed Internet connection, since traditional telephone modems communicate at speeds too slow for efficient communication.
One proposal for high-speed communication is the introduction of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology. One of the most attractive features of DSL is that it is implemented using an infrastructure that already exists. DSL shares copper twisted pair lines typically used for telephone communication. However, only a small portion (0 to 4 kHz) of bandwidth on the twisted pair line is used for Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS). DSL takes advantage of additional available bandwidth (from 4 kHz to approximately 1.1 MHz) for transmitting data. There are various forms of DSL, generally referred to as xDSL, including Asymmetric DSL (ADSL), High bit-rate DSL (HDSL), Symmetric DSL (SDSL), Symmetric High bit-rate DSL (SHDSL), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) DSL systems and the like.
ADSL is currently the most practical form of DSL technology, and therefore the most widely implemented. ADSL is asymmetric in that its downstream (to a subscriber) capacity is larger than its upstream (from the subscriber) capacity. An ADSL transceiver unit at a central office or remote loop carrier (ATU-C) is used for sending downstream information and receiving upstream information. An ADSL transceiver unit at a remote location or user end (ATU-R) is used for receiving downstream information and sending upstream information. Typically, a Discrete Multi-tone (DMT) scheme is used. The spectrum from 4 kHz to 1.1 MHz is divided into 255 sub-channels, or tones, each having a bandwidth of 4.3125 kHz. Each sub-channel uses Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) to carry 1 to 15 bits per QAM symbol. When the modems initialize at power-up they attempt to train and synchronize their signals with the other side.
It is of great interest for DSL service providers to achieve power saving on DSL line cards on the central office (CO) side. The benefit of power saving translates into higher line density, less stringent power supply and heating requirements, and a smaller installation footprint, which are especially important for remote DSL deployment.
There are presently two underlying approaches for quiescent-mode (Q-mode), which is a transparent power savings mode. The first approach is referred to as a suspended operation approach. The second approach is referred to as a free-running operation approach. Each of these approaches and their shortcomings are outlined in the following paragraphs.
For the suspended operation approach, all of the clocks, registers, interleavers, states, and the like in higher layers are frozen upon entry into Q-mode, and are restarted upon exit. During operation in Q-mode, a special low power Q-mode signal is transmitted in place of the user data modulated signal. There are a number of problems associated with the above proposals. There is an uncertainty to the amount of power reduction actually obtained. A drift in frequency domain equalizer is possible due to a difference in the Q-mode signal as compared to a Showtime signal. A correlator and a synchronized pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) generator are needed at a receiver to detect an exit signal. The transmitter needs to communicate the Q-mode line signal to the receiver during initialization. Lastly, there are questions about the robustness of the approach's exit mechanism.
For the free-running approach, the transmission communication (TC) layers are modified to generate an all zero sequence when there is no data to transmit. The physical (PMD) layer transmits a low power QPSK signal in response to the unscrambled, all zero sequence. Exit is via a special symbol, and resynchronization between the transmitter and receiver is allowed if an exit message is missed. However, a drawback to the free-running approach is the need to modify all of the transmission communication (TC) layers to generate an all zero sequence when there is no data to transmit. This results in additional coupling between the physical and TC layers, which is preferable to avoid. In addition, the position of the data scrambler has to be moved to allow the all zero data signal at the PMD layer.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for providing a power savings that obviates or mitigates at least some of the above mentioned disadvantages.


A method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor is disclosed that enhances device robustness. The method includes the steps of forming a metal pad on a pad area of a substrate, forming a planarizing layer on the substrate including the metal pad, removing a portion of the planarizing layer to open a surface of the metal pad, forming a protective layer over the substrate including the metal pad, coating a color filter resist layer on the protective layer and selectively exposing the color filter resist layer, coating a microlens resist layer on the color filter resist layer and selectively exposing the microlens resist layer, developing the exposed color filter and microlens resist layers, forming a pad opening by selectively removing the protective layer to open a surface of the metal, and reflowing the microlens pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for enhancing the robustness and/or performance of a device, particularly an imaging device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, an image sensor is a semiconductor device that transforms an optical image into an electrical charge and/or signal. Semiconductor image sensors are mainly classified into a charge coupled device (hereinafter abbreviated CCD) image sensor and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (hereinafter abbreviated CMOS) image sensor.
A CCD image sensor commonly consists of a pixel array of photodiodes (PD) arranged in a matrix form to that convert optical signals into electrical signals and/or charges. A plurality of vertical CCDs (VCCDs), provided between columns of photodiodes in the pixel array, transfer charges generated by the photodiodes in the vertical direction to a horizontal CCD (HCCD). The HCCD transfers the charges received from the VCCDs in a horizontal direction to a sense amplifier. The sense amplifier produces electrical signals representative of the charges received from the HCCD.
The above-configured CCD has a complicated driving mechanism, consumes considerable power, and generally involves a complicated fabrication process (e.g., due to a multi-step photolithography process). Further, because it is difficult to integrate with a control circuit, signal processing circuit, analog/digital converting circuit (A/D converter) and other circuitry on a CCD chip, the above-configured CCD is disadvantageous in reducing a size of product.
Recently, attention has been paid to CMOS image sensors as a next generation image sensor that overcome many disadvantages of the CCDs. Like CCD image sensors, CMOS image sensors comprise a pixel array of photodiodes or similar light transducers. However, unlike CCDs, CMOS image sensors incorporate one or more MOS transistors in each photodiode pixel. A control circuit selectively switches the transistors in each pixel to transfer desired photodiode signals to signal processing circuitry. A control circuit, signal processing circuit and other circuitry are commonly integrated onto a CMOS image sensor as peripheral circuits. CMOS image sensors produce images by sequentially detecting electrical signals generated by each unit pixel according to a switching method accomplished in part by configuring a photodiode and MOS transistor(s) within the unit pixel.
The CMOS image sensor, fabricated using CMOS fabrication technology, provides advantages including low power consumption and a relatively simple fabrication process involving a small number of photolithography process steps.
Further, because CMOS image sensors can be integrated with control circuitry, signal processing circuitry, an analog/digital converter and other circuitry on a CMOS sensor chip, CMOS image sensors facilitate product miniaturization.
Hence, in view of their relatively simple fabrication, integration, and low power operation, CMOS image sensors are widely used for various applications, including digital still cameras, digital video cameras and the like.
CMOS image sensors are classified into several types (e.g., 3T type, 4T type, 5T type and the like) according to the number of transistors in each unit pixel. The 3T type CMOS image sensor consists of one photodiode and three transistors. The 4T type CMOS image sensor consists of one photodiode and four transistors. An equivalent circuit and layout of a unit pixel of the 3T type CMOS image sensor are explained with reference to FIGS. 1-3E.
FIG. 1 illustrates an equivalent circuit of a general 3T type CMOS image sensor. FIG. 2 illustrates a layout of a unit pixel of a general 3T type CMOS image sensor. FIGS. 3A to 3E illustrate cross-sectional diagrams of the process of fabricating a CMOS image sensor according to related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a general 3T type CMOS image sensor consists of one photodiode PD and three NMOS transistors T1, T2, and T3. The cathode of the photodiode PD is connected to the drain of the first NMOS transistor T1 and the gate of the second NMOS transistor T2.
Sources of the first and second NMOS transistors T1 and T2 are connected to a power line that supplies a reference voltage VR. The gate of the first NMOS transistor T1 is connected to a reset line that supplies a reset signal RST.
The source of the third NMOS transistor T3 is connected to the drain of the second NMOS transistor. The drain of the third NMOS transistor T3 is connected to a read circuit (not shown in the drawing) via a signal line. The gate of the third NMOS transistor is connected to a column selection line that supplies a selection signal SLCT.
In accordance with their functions, the first to third NMOS transistors T1, T2, and T3 are referred to as reset, drive and selection transistors Rx, Dx and Sx, respectively.
Referring to FIG. 2, in a unit pixel of a general 3T type CMOS image sensor, an active area 10 is defined. One photodiode 20 is formed on a relatively wide part of the active area 10. Gate electrodes 120, 130 and 140 of the three transistors Rx, Dx, Sx are formed to overlap with remaining portions of the active area 10. Namely, the reset, drive and selection transistors Rx, Dx and Sx are configured with the gate electrodes 120, 130 and 140, respectively.
Impurity ions are implanted into the active area 10, except for the portion of the active area 10 overlapped by the transistor gate electrodes 120, 130, 140, to form photodiode area PD and source/drain regions of the transistors Rx, Dx, Sx, respectively.
Power voltage terminal Vdd is connected to the source/drain regions between the reset and drive transistors Rx and Dx. One source/drain region of the select transistor Sx is connected to the read circuit (not shown in the drawing).
Each of the gate electrodes 120, 130 and 140 is connected to a corresponding signal line (not shown in the drawing). A pad is provided for each signal line to be connected to an external drive circuit (not shown).
A process of forming the signal lines having the pads and processes carried out after completion of the signal line are explained as follows.
FIGS. 3A to 3E are cross-sectional diagrams for explaining a process of fabricating a CMOS image sensor according to a related art.
Referring to FIG. 3A, an insulating layer (e.g. oxide layer) 101, such as a gate insulating layer and/or an insulating interlayer (e.g., an insulator layer between a gate layer and a metal layer, or alternatively, between adjacent layers of metal, in the CMOS image sensor device), is formed on a semiconductor substrate 100. A metal pad 102 is formed on the insulating layer 101 for each of one or more of the signal lines.
Metal pad 102 may be formed with the same material used to form the corresponding gate electrodes 120, 130 or 140 on the same layer. Alternatively, the metal pad 102 may be formed with a different material, such as Al (aluminum), which may connect to a gate electrode via a separate contact.
Corrosion resistance of the metal pad 102 (e.g., comprising Al) may be increased in a later process by surface treatment carried out on a surface of the metal pad 102 by, e.g., UV ozone treatment or solution synthesis. A protective layer 103 may be formed on the insulating layer 101 and the metal pad 102. The protective layer 103 may comprise an oxide or nitride (e.g., of silicon).
Referring to FIG. 3B, a photoresist layer 104 is coated on the protective layer 103. The photoresist layer 104 is then patterned by exposure and development to expose an upper part of the metal pad 102. The protective layer 103 is then selectively etched using the patterned photoresist layer 104 as a mask to form an opening 105 exposing the metal pad 102.
Referring to FIG. 3C, after the patterned photoresist layer 104 has been removed, a first planarizing layer 106 is formed on the protective layer 103. The first planarizing layer 106 is then patterned by photolithography so that the protective layer 106 does not overlap the metal pad 102 or, in many cases, a non-planar portion of protective layer 103.
A color filter layer 107 is then formed on the first planarizing layer 106 corresponding to each photodiode (not shown in the drawing). In this case, each color filter in the color filter layer 107 (which contains a plurality of color filters) is formed by coating a corresponding color resist and by carrying out photolithography using a separate mask for each color filter.
Referring to FIG. 3D, a second planarizing layer 108 is formed over the substrate including the color filter layer 107 and is then patterned by photolithography using a mask so that it does not overlap metal pad 102 or, in many cases, a non-planar portion of protective layer 103. Typically, second planarizing layer 108 does not contact protective layer 103.
Referring to FIG. 3E, microlenses 109 are formed on the second planarizing layer 108 corresponding to the color filters in the color filter layer 107.
A probe test is carried out on the metal pad 102 of the CMOS image sensor to check a contact resistance. If the metal pad 102 passes the probe test, the metal pad 102 is electrically connected to an external drive circuit (not shown).
Thus, the color filter layer 107 includes red, green and blue color filters formed by a plurality of photolithography processes, and separately, a unique microlens 109 over each color filter in the color filter layer 107, formed by a further photolithography process. In this process, if an alignment between the microlenses 109 and the color filter layer 107 deviates from a predetermined range, an image sensor pixel will fail to produce an expected and/or appropriate color. Furthermore, since the microlenses 109 are formed by reflow of a microlens resist at 150˜200° C., the microlenses 109 are sensitive to the temperature and thickness of the microlens resist.
These process variables (e.g., temperature and thickness of the microlens resist, photolithography alignment tolerances and variability) affect the alignment between the microlenses 109 and the color filters in the color filter layer 107. Misalignment reduces incident light throughput to the color filters and, subsequently, to the photodiodes.
Moreover, the open metal pad 102, which is exposed to photolithography development solution(s) through multi-step photolithography processes, is vulnerable to chemical attack, which may result in failure during probe test, or which may generate metal fragments from the attacked metal pad 102. Metal fragments generated from the probe test may be transferred to the microlenses and may cut off or reflect light incident on the color filters and photodiodes, resulting in a pixel noise defect.