A connecting piece for a duct such as a ventilation duct is provided and includes an inner flow space in communication with the interior of the duct, the connecting piece having at least one joining portion on which an end region of the duct is slidable and fixable. The connecting piece includes a compressed fiber material and a binder. The connecting piece displays a substantially configurationally stable portion in association with the joining portion, and the connecting piece displays, at least interiorly, a layer which is impervious to a fluid, in particular a gas, this layer being adjacent the inner flow space of the connecting piece.

The present invention relates to a connecting piece for a duct, preferably a ventilation duct, and comprising an inner flow space in communication with the interior of the duct, the connecting piece having at least one joining portion on which an end region of the duct is slidable and fixable.
The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a connecting piece intended for a duct, which is provided with an inner flow space and at least one joining portion for cooperation with the duct.
Finally, the present invention relates to a tool for manufacturing a connecting piece for a duct, and comprising a female union with a concave forming surface, the forming surface corresponding to the configuration of the outside of a shell body which forms part of the connecting piece, and a male union with a convex forming surface corresponding to the configuration of the inside of the shell body.
International Application PCT/SE2009/000281 discloses a ventilation duct which is produced from a compressed fiber material with a minor admixture of binder. The duct has longitudinal flexural lines in the corner regions, while the walls of the duct have transverse pivotal portions, rigidifying portions and relatively soft portions so that, in the unloaded or unstressed state, the duct displays a rectangular, possibly square cross section and is self-supporting across considerable lengths, up to between 2 and 3 m. Further, the duct is slightly flexible as a result of the presence of the relatively soft portions in the walls of the duct.
In one variation of the above-described duct, the duct has, on two opposing sides, been provided with longitudinal fold lines so that the cross-sectional configuration of the duct may thereby be modified from rectangular to hexagonal configuration. As a result, two opposing sides will be approximately twice as wide as the remaining four sides. Further, the cross-sectional configuration may vary so that it will be more or less flattened.
For interconnecting and joining duct sections of the above-outlined types, different types of connecting pieces are required, which may be straight connecting pieces of varying lengths, T-junctions, bends with different angles of curvature and radii, etc.
Those connecting pieces that are previously known in the art have been intended for ventilation ducts manufactured from sheet-metal material and consist of or comprise the same material themselves. This implies high manufacturing costs, often requirements on external insulation given the risk of condensation and needs for fire protection, and also probably considerable assembly- and sealing problems if they were to be used together with the above-described duct types.
It is desirable to design the connecting piece intimated by way of introduction such that it may be manufactured at low cost, that it inherently possesses a superior insulation property, that there are no fire hazards, and that simple assembly may be put into effect.
It is also desirable to design the method intimated by way of introduction such that the advantages inherent in the thus manufactured connecting piece will be attained.
It is also desirable to design the tool intimated by way of introduction such that it permits simple, rapid and economical manufacture, as well as adjustment of the tool for the manufacture of connecting pieces of different designs.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a connecting piece intimated by way of introduction is characterised in that the connecting piece includes a compressed fiber material and a binder, that the connecting piece displays a substantially configurationally stable portion in association with the joining portion, and that the connecting piece displays, at least interiorly, a layer which is impervious to a fluid, in particular a gas, this layer being adjacent the inner flow space of the connecting piece.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method comprises the steps that two mirror-symmetric, possibly continuous shell bodies are produced by compression of a fiber material and a binder, that the shell bodies are provided with substantially configurationally stable portions in association with those portions that, in the finished state of the connecting piece, are to form the joining portion, that the shell bodies, at least on that side which, in the finished state of the connecting piece, is turned to face towards the flow space, is provided with a layer which is impervious to a fluid, in particular a gas, and that the shell bodies are united together.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a tool is characterised in that the forming surfaces are composed of edge surfaces on lamellae which are included in the female union and the male union.

Connecting piece and a method and tool for its manufacture


A satellite antenna arrangement for a satellite communication system comprising: a reflector for producing a far field pattern with near-zero field strength at a predetermined location to reject unwanted signals from said predetermined location or minimize signal power transmitted to said predetermined location, the reflector having a surface comprising a stepped profile arranged to generate the near-zero field strength in the predetermined location. The stepped profile may comprise a radial step. The location of the near-zero field strength can be steered by moving the reflector or by adjusting the amplitude and phase of an additional beam that covers substantially the same region as the main beam reflected by the reflector.

Satellite communication has become an important part of our overall global telecommunication infrastructure. Satellites are being used for business, entertainment, education, navigation, imaging and weather forecasting. As we rely more and more on satellite communication, it has also become more important to protect satellite communication from interference and piracy. There is now a demand from commercial satellite operators for satellite antennas that provide rejection of unwanted signals or minimise signal power to unwanted receivers.
Especially, satellite communication can be degraded or interrupted by interfering signals. Some interference is accidental and due to faulty ground equipment. Other interference is intentional and malicious. By directing a powerful signal at a satellite, the satellite can be jammed and prevented from receiving and retransmitting signals it was intended to receive and retransmit.
The above mentioned problems can be solved by creating a receive or transmit radiation pattern with zero or near-zero field strength, also known as a null, in the direction of the interfering signal or the unwanted receiver. Conventionally, a region of zero directivity or a null in a radiation pattern is produced by the summation of a main pattern having a wide flat gain distribution and a cancellation beam which is of the same amplitude but in antiphase with the main beam at the required location of zero field strength. It is known to use multiple feed elements carefully combined with the correct relative amplitude and phase to produce such cancellation.
Most commercial satellites these days use reflector antennas shaped to provide the desired regional coverage. The surface of the reflector in the reflector antenna can be modified during the design process using reflector profile synthesis software to produce the required beam pattern. An example of suitable reflector profile synthesis software is POS from Ticra. Reflector profile synthesis software of the type used in synthesising shaped reflectors for contoured beams can also be used to generate a pattern with low field strength in a predetermined direction. The reflector profile synthesis software numerically analyses the desired far field to suggest a surface profile of the reflector in order to create the desired beam. An example of a surface profile of a conventional reflector for producing a pattern with low field strength in a predetermined position is shown in FIG. 1. An example of a far field radiation pattern generated by a conventional reflector for producing a pattern with low field strength in a predetermined position is shown in FIG. 2. The min/max algorithms employed by conventional synthesis software to produce the appropriate surface profile rely on making smooth, differentiable changes to the surface and the resulting field, close to the zero, exhibits the typical quadratic behaviour of a cancellation beam approach. A problem with this approach is that quadratic cancellation patterns are sensitive to random surface errors of the reflector and to errors in the feed pattern as shown in FIGS. 8b and 9b.
The invention aims to improve on the prior art.


The present invention relates to a method of machining a metal work piece with a coated cutting tool insert having a cemented carbide body and a coating deposited as monolayer(s) or as multiple and/or alternating layers. The coating has a total thickness of from about 25 to about 75 μm and the machining is performed at a cutting speed of greater than about 600 m/min, preferably from about 800 to about 1500 m/min. The invention also relates to a coated cutting tool useful for such machining operation.

The present invention relates to a method for high speed machining of metallic work pieces and a coated cemented carbide cutting inserts particularly useful for that application.
Cemented carbide cutting tools coated with various types of hard layers have been commercially available for years. Such tool coatings are generally built up by one Ti(C,N) hard layer and one Al2O3 hard layer where the Ti(C,N) is the innermost layer adjacent to the cemented carbide. The thickness of the individual layers is carefully chosen to suit different cutting applications and work-piece materials e g cast iron and stainless steel. More particularly, a coating generally comprises:                a Ti-compound layer, as an inner layer, formed by CVD or MT-CVD with an average thickness of 2 to 10 μm made of one major Ti(C,N) layer or a plurality of two or more layers of TiC, TiN, Ti(C,N), Ti(C,O) and Ti(C,N,O)        an Al2O3-layer, as an outer layer formed by CVD which has an average thickness of 2 to 10 μm and generally with the α- and/or κ type crystal structure;        optionally, a TiN layer having an average thickness of 0.5 to 2 μm, as a surface layer, deposited on the upper layer for the purpose of identification of the cutting edges before and after cutting operations because of its golden color tone.
Such coated cemented carbide tool inserts may be used for both continuous and interrupted cutting operations of various types of steels and cast iron.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,874 discloses a cutting tool used for machining operations at cutting speed up to 420 m/min, having a hard coating including: a Ti compound layer, as a lower layer, formed by vapor deposition, having an average thickness of 0.5 to 20 μm and made of at least one layer chosen from TiC, TiN, Ti(C,N), Ti(C,O) and Ti(C,N,O); an aluminium oxide layer, as an intermediate layer, with an average thickness of 1 to 25 μm and a heat transformed α-type crystal structure derived from a vapor deposited κ- or θ-type aluminium oxide layer, and with a structure having cracks therein formed during heat transformation uniformly dispersed and an aluminium oxide layer, as an upper layer, formed by vapor deposition having an average thickness of 0.3 to 10 μm and an (α-type crystal structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,720,095 discloses a coated sintered cemented carbide body including a cemented carbide body, a first layer adjacent the cemented carbide body, the first layer including Ti(C,N) and having a thickness of from about 3 to about 20 μm, an alumina layer adjacent said first layer, the alumina layer including α-Al2O3 or κ-Al2O3 and having a thickness of from about 1 to about 15 μm, and a further layer adjacent the alumina layer of a carbide, carbonitride or carboxynitride of one or more of Ti, Zr and Hf, the further layer having a thickness of from about 1 to 15 μm. A friction-reducing layer, including one or more of γ-Al2O3, κ-Al2O3 and nanocrystalline Ti(C,N) and having a thickness of from about 1 to about 5 μm, can be adjacent to the further layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,846 discloses a coated cutting tool including a hard coating on a surface of a base material of cemented carbide or cermet. The hard coating includes an inner layer on the base material, an intermediate layer on the inner layer and an outer layer on the intermediate layer. The inner layer with a thickness of 0.1 to 5 μm consists of a carbide, a nitride, a carbonitride, a carbooxide, a carbo-oxynitride or a boronitride of Ti. The intermediate layer consists of Al2O3 with a thickness of 5 to 50 μm or ZrO2 with a thickness of 0.5 to 20 μm. The outer layer with a thickness of 5 to 100 μm consists of a carbide, a nitride, a carbonitride, a carbo-oxide, a carbo-oxynitride or a boronitride of Ti.
Cemented carbide, in particular coated cemented carbide, is by far the most commonly used cutting tool material. Other materials include cermets, ceramics, cBN and diamond. Ceramics are often used in applications requiring high productivity such as the machining of brake discs and other components in the car industry because cemented carbide can not withstand the high temperature generated during the high speed operations required to obtain the desired high productivity. However, ceramic tools are expensive because of the high manufacturing cost. It is therefore a desire, if possible, to be able to replace ceramic tools with cemented carbide tools.

Method for high speed machining and coated cutting tool


An insulating layer having an irregular upper surface is provided to improve the adhesion and increase the coefficient of friction between the insulating layer and a bonding pad formed over the insulating layer. By making the upper surface of the insulating layer irregular, the area of contact between the bonding pad and the insulating layer is increased. As a result, the adhesion between the bonding pad and the insulating layer is also increased. This prevents the bonding pad from being detached from the insulating layer when a bonding wire is later attached to the bonding pad. The upper surface of the insulating layer can be made irregular by etching one or more cavities in the upper surface of the insulating layer. The upper surface of the insulating layer can alternatively be made irregular by forming one or more raised structures beneath the insulating layer. The raised structures cause plateaus to be formed at the upper surface of the insulating layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure and method for improving the adhesion between a bonding pad, and a surface of an integrated circuit (IC).
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional diagram of a portion of prior art integrated circuit 100. Integrated circuit 100 includes a lightly doped p type silicon semiconductor substrate 101, doped semiconductor regions 102 and 103, gate oxide layer 104, polysilicon gate 105, insulating layers 106-108, passivation layer 109, metal layers 110-112, and bonding wire 114.
Semiconductor devices are formed along the upper surface of substrate 101 using fabrication techniques known in the art. For example, n type regions 102 and 103, gate oxide 104 and polysilicon gate 105 form a conventional n-channel MOS transistor. Gate oxide layer 104 is also formed along the upper surface of substrate 101. Polysilicon gate 105 is then formed by etching a polysilicon layer (not shown) which is formed over gate oxide layer 104.
Insulating layers 106-108 are alternately formed with metal layers 110-112 to form a multi-layer interconnect structure. Openings are formed in insulating layers 104 and 106-108 to allow portions of metal layers 110-112 to extend through insulating layers 104 and 106-108. Metal layers 110-112 variously interconnect the silicon regions. In the plane of FIG. 1., metal layers 110, 111 and 112 provide an electrical connection to n type region 102, metal layers 110 and 111 provide an electrical connection to n type region 102, and metal layer 110 provides an electrical connection to polysilicon gate 105.
Metal layer 112 includes metal bonding pad 116 and integral electrical connector 117 simultaneously formed on insulating layer 108. Metal bonding pad 116 and electrical connector 117 are typically aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In general, bonding pad 116 is formed near an edge of integrated circuit 100. Electrical connector 117 travels from bonding pad 116 along the upper surface of insulating layer 108 to the opening which extends through insulating layer 108. Passivation layer 109 is formed over metal layer 112. Opening 115 in metal layer 112 is formed to allow bonding wire 114 to be connected to bonding pad 116.
FIG. 2 is a top view of integrated circuit 100 which illustrates passivation layer 109, metal layer 112 (in dashed lines), and bonding wire 114. The other layers of integrated circuit 100 are not shown in FIG. 2. Bonding wire 114 provides an electrical connection between integrated circuit 100 and its external pins (not shown).
Methods for attaching bonding wire 114 to bonding pad 116 include conventional ultrasonic, thermosonic and thermocompression techniques. These techniques typically result in ball bond 113 being formed at the interface between bonding wire 114 and bonding pad 116. These techniques can also result in thermal and mechanical stresses within bonding pad 116. The stresses can cause the bonding pad 116 to become detached from insulating layer 108 and/or electrical connector 117. When this happens, integrated circuit 100 can be rendered non-functional. It would therefore be desirable to have a structure which provides increased adhesion and friction between bonding pad 116 and underlying insulating layer 108. It would also be desirable to have a simple and inexpensive method to provide this increased adhesion.

Methods for fabricating a bonding pad having improved adhesion to an underlying structure


Boiler tubes are removed from a boiler vessel without damaging the vessel by severing the boiler tube near the exterior periphery of the vessel, and using a piloted rotary cutting tool fixtured with respect to the longitudinal axis of the severed boiler tube to remove all but a very thin shell of the severed tube. The rotary cutting tool is then withdrawn, and the remaining thin shell of the boiler tube is manually peeled away from the periphery of the boiler vessel opening. In a preferred implementation, the rotary cutting tool is annular, and a tapered cylindrical pilot having an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the expanded portion of the boiler tube is retractably mounted within the annulus of the cutting tool.

Fire tube and water tube boilers designed for commercial and industrial applications have two or more heavy duty drums or headers (collectively referred to herein as vessels) interconnected with numerous steel boiler tubes in the range of 2–3 inches in diameter. The boiler tubes are inserted through openings in the boiler vessel, welded to the exterior periphery of the vessel, expanded against the circumference of the openings, and flared or beaded against the vessel on the inner periphery of the openings. Over the life of the boiler, the boiler tubes may be removed and replaced up to five or six times incident to either repair or routine maintenance.
Boiler tube removal is usually achieved by cutting off the tubes close to the exterior periphery of the boiler vessel, heating and/or notching the tube stub with a torch, and forcibly driving the tube out of engagement with the vessel. This typically damages the boiler vessel openings, which must then be repaired before installation of replacement boiler tubes. Another possible technique, described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,642 to Weeks et al., is to use a special purpose cutting tool to slit the boiler tube stub throughout its entire length and thickness, and then radially compress the tube end to close the slit and force the tube walls out of engagement with the boiler vessel opening, whereafter the tube stub is withdrawn from the opening. While this technique adequately addresses the problem of tube removal damage, it necessarily involves a considerable expense for the special purpose cutting tools, and has not gained widespread acceptance in the boiler repair industry. Accordingly, what is needed is a simple and cost-effective way of removing boiler tubes without causing boiler vessel damage.


An exhaust device for guiding exhaust gas from an exhaust pipe in front of an engine to a muffler in a rear of the engine is provided. The exhaust device includes a catalyst case in which a catalyst configured to purify the exhaust gas that passes through the exhaust pipe is accommodated, and a chamber in which a muffling chamber configured to reduce an exhaust noise is formed downstream of the catalyst case. The catalyst case is disposed in a range from a front space with respect to the engine to a front part of a lower space of the engine. The chamber is disposed so as to occupy at least a rear part of the lower space of the engine.

The present invention relates to an exhaust device.
In the related art, as an exhaust device of a straddle-type vehicle, a device in which a catalyst case is disposed on a lower side of an engine is known (for example, see Patent Literature 1). In the exhaust device disclosed in Patent Literature 1, four exhaust pipes extend downward from a front of an engine, and the four exhaust pipes are integrated into a single collecting pipe on the lower side of the engine to be connected to the catalyst case. One exhaust pipe is connected to downstream of the catalyst case, and the exhaust pipe extends to a side of a rear wheel and is connected to a muffler. When exhaust gas enters the muffler from the catalyst case, the exhaust gas is expanded in a muffling chamber in the muffler, so that an exhaust noise is reduced.    Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2012-052514


A hot press device according to the present disclosure includes a first press, a second press, a conveyance device linking the first press and the second press together, and a heating furnace provided within a conveyance range of the conveyance device.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 2009-142852 (Patent Document 1) and 2009-285728 (Patent Document 2) disclose hot press devices. These hot press devices are configured by a single heating furnace, a single press, and a conveyance device to convey a pressing target from the heating furnace to the press. Hot pressing is performed by conveying sheet steel that has been heated in the heating furnace to the press for pressing by the press.


In a production process for a transverse electrical field type active matrix liquid crystal display apparatus, a photolithographic step is eliminated to reduce the cost. There are formed on an insulating substrate carrying thin-film transistors as switching elements, drain electrodes 31, drain bus lines 32 connected to the drain electrodes 31, source electrodes 33 and pixel electrodes 34 formed by the first low-resistance electrically conductive film 3. Islands are formed on the resulting assembly by a semiconductor film. There are further formed on the resulting product gate electrodes 61, gate bus lines 62 and counter electrodes 63. The gate electrodes 61, gate bus lines 62, counter electrodes 63 and the islands 71 can be formed by a sole photolithographic step to reduce the number of the photographic steps and hence the cost.

Recently, a thin-film transistor having semiconductor films, such as films of non-crystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon or CdSe, is used as a switching element for a liquid crystal cell of the active matrix liquid crystal display apparatus. FIGS. 4 to 6 show, step-by-step, a production process for a conventional liquid crystal display device of this type (first conventional example) as proposed in JP Patent Kokai JP-A-3-49237 (1991). In each of these figures, (a) and (b) show plan views and cross-sectional views taken along line A--A, respectively. First, a transparent electrically conductive film 8 of, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO), is formed by sputtering on an insulating substrate 1, and patterned by a photolithographic process and wet or dry etching, to form a drain electrode 81, a drain bus line 82 connected to the drain electrode 81, a source electrode 83 and a pixel electrode 84 connected to the source electrode 83, as shown in FIG. 4.
Then, current is allowed to flow through the drain electrode 81 and the drain bus line 82 on the insulating substrate 1 formed in the above step to form a low-resistance plating layer 3' by electrical nickel plating. Then, a semiconductor film 4 of, for example, amorphous silicon (a-Si) and an insulating film 5 of, for example, silicon nitride (SiN) are formed by the plasma CVD method on the insulating substrate 1, as shown in FIG. 6. A low-resistance metal film 6 of chromium (Cr) is formed thereon by sputtering. The resulting assembly is patterned by a photolithographic process and wet or dry etching, to form a gate electrode 61, a gate bus line 62 connected to the gate electrode 61 and an island 41 formed by the semiconductor film 4 coextensive as the gate 61 and the gate bus line 62.
Since the first conventional example is of the longitudinal electrical field type in which an electrical field is applied in a direction perpendicular to the planar direction of the substrate, it is necessary to form a counter electrode entirely facing the pixel electrode 84 on the entire surface of the counter substrate, not shown in the drawing, arranged at a preset separation distance from the insulating substrate 1. Thus, the drain electrode 81 and the gate electrode 61 are necessarily facing the counter electrode, so that a parasitic capacitance is inevitably produced between the drain electrode 81, source electrode 83 and the counter electrode. This parasitic capacitance significantly affects the power consumption such that the electric power for charging/discharging the capacitance across the pixel electrode and the counter electrode amounts to tens to hundreds of the power required for actual display. Also, since the drain bus line 82 and the pixel electrode 84 are formed simultaneously, the drain bus line 82 needs to be formed by a transparent electrically conductive film having a high resistance, while a plating film 3' needs to be formed by a process such as metal plating for lowering the wiring resistance, thus complicating the production process and the structure.
On the other hand, FIGS. 7 to 10 show, step-by-step, a production process for a transverse electrical field type active matrix liquid crystal display apparatus, employing a thin-film transistor as a switching element (second conventional example), as proposed in JP Patent Kokai JP-A-63-21907 (1988). In each of these figures, (a) and (b) are plan views and cross-sectional views taken along line AA, respectively. First, as shown in FIG. 7, a transparent insulating substrate 2 is formed on an insulating substrate 1 a low resistance metal film 3 of, for example, Cr, is formed thereon by sputtering. The resulting assembly is patterned by a photolithographic process and wet or dry etching to form a drain electrode 31, a drain bus line 32 connected to the drain electrode 31, a source electrode 33 and a pixel electrode 34 connected to the source electrode 33. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, a n-type semiconductor layer 7 of, for example, n.sup.+ a-Si, is formed by the plasma CVD method on the insulating substrate 1. The resulting assembly is patterned by the photolithographic process and wet or dry etching to form an ohmic contact area 7a on the drain electrode 31 and on the source electrode 33.
Then, a semiconductor film 4 of, for example, a-Si, is formed by a plasma CVD method on the insulating substrate and is patterned by the photolithographic process and wet or dry etching to form an island 41. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, a transparent insulating film 5 is formed by depositing SiN on the insulating substrate 1 by the CVD method and a low-resistance metal film 6 of Cr is formed by sputtering. This low-resistance metal film 6 is patterned by the photolithographic process and wet or dry etching to form the gate electrode 61, gate bus line 62 connected to the gate electrode 61, and the counter electrode 63.
Since this second conventional example is of the transverse electric field system, in which the pixel electrode 34 and the counter electrode 63 are formed on the sole insulating substrate 1, it is possible to drastically reduce the parasitic capacitance across the drain electrode 31 and the gate electrode 61 and the counter electrode 63 in a manner more meritorious than with the first conventional example described above. Moreover, with the present second example, since the liquid crystal is arrayed (oriented) in the transverse direction and is rotated transversely during driving, there is no fear of the liquid crystal molecules becoming perpendicular with respect to the substrate, while the liquid crystal molecules can hardly interrupt the light proceeding in an oblique direction, thus providing an advantage that the angle of visibility (visual field angle) is extended as compared to that possible with the first conventional example.

Transverse electrical field LCD with islands having a pattern the same as the combined pattern of gate electrodes, gate bus lines and counter electrodes


A composition including: a plurality of microcapsules each including one to five particles in a liquid droplet, and a complex coacervation induced shell encapsulating the liquid droplet and the one to five particles.

Microcapsules have a variety of uses. Various microencapsulation techniques are available to fabricate these microcapsules. New microcapsules and microencapsulation techniques are desired to expand the applications in which microencapsulation technology may be useful.
Conventional microcapsules and microencapsulation techniques are described in xe2x80x9cKirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology,xe2x80x9d Vol. 15, pp. 470-493 (3rd Edition 1981); Klaveness et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,110,444; Jason et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,927; Baker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,408.
The present microcapsules and microencapsulation technique may be used in the manufacture of components for display devices. Conventional display devices (some including microcapsules), components for display devices, and the manufacture of such display devices and their components are described in Sheridon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,027; Jacobson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,804; Jacobson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,026; Albert et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,185; Crowley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,098; Sheridon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,594; and Stefik, U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,204.
The present invention is accomplished in embodiments by providing a composition comprising: a plurality of microcapsules each including one to five particles in a liquid droplet, and a complex coacervation induced shell encapsulating the liquid droplet and the one to five particles.
There is also provided in embodiments a composition comprising: a plurality of microcapsules each including a single particle in a liquid droplet, and a complex coacervation induced shell encapsulating the liquid droplet and the single particle.


Adjuvants are disclosed for antigens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites, including their metabolic products or parts of the virus, bacteria and parasite structures for the immunization, as well as a process for producing such adjuvants and their uses. The object of the invention is to create adjuvants that in combination with vaccine antigens or with peptidoglycanes in histocompatible composition allow the defence mechanisms in the body to be stimulated to such a large extend that for the first time besides active immunoprophylaxis a even of weak antigens also a general and specific immunotherapy is made possible. The cost of producing the adjuvant should not exceed the usual cost and should ensure the applicability of the vaccine. In relatively weak immuno-incompetent phases of life, a combination of general immunoprophylaxis or the only use of the adjuvant should ensure a high immuno-competence. Residual effects of the adjuvant should not cause any problems. The disclosed adjuvants are oil-in-water emulsions. The oil phase consists of polydimethyl siloxanes and the aqueous phase substantially consists of a biocompatible salt solution. The oil phase is stabilised in the water phase by means of a complex emulsifying agent with HLB value from 9 to 16. The complex emulsifying agent is a combination of aliphatic alcohols of sorbitol with 10 to 100 carbon atoms in the chain and/or of glycerol fatty acid esters and polysorbates. The biocompatible salt solution is a phosphate-buffered sodium chloride solution with EDTA sodium. The combination further contains dimethylsulfoxide. A complete adjuvant is produced by adding peptidoglycanes based on species-specific St. Aureus strains and water-soluble natural and/or synthetic polymers.

Vaccines are administered to improve the development of antibodies with the help of adjuvants. Adjuvants are to retard the absorption of parenterally administered antigens and contribute to a long antigen stimulus. Thus, adjuvants act as enhancers of the immunogenic effect of antigens.
A well known adjuvant is the Freund adjuvant. In its intermediate form, it is a mineral oil-in-water emulsion which can provoke a substantial response from the immune system, while the finished form is produced by the addition of inactivated mycobacteria to the intermediate for considerably higher immunostimulation. The adjuvant action of inactivated mycobacteria is attributed to a growth fraction contained therein. The finished Freund adjuvant frequently causes granuloma formation at the site of the application. The original, finished Freund adjuvant is therefore used only for experimental purposes involving animals.
Aluminum compounds, in the form of hydroxides or phosphates, are frequently used in medicine as adjuvants. Through coupling with vaccine antigens, the so-called adsorbate, these aluminum compounds result in vaccines, the immunopotentiation action of which is explained by the resulting vaccine depots, from which the release of antigen for adsorption is retarded. The aggregation and settling tendencies of solid aluminum compounds, as well as the behavior of their residue, is a disadvantage of the use of these compounds.
A stable water-in-oil emulsion is a further development of an intermediate Freund adjuvant, which, as is well known, includes a mineral oil, a simple emulsifier such as mannitol monooleate, physiological salt solution and Tween 80. These components usually are dispersed with a strong homogenizer, and finished with specific vaccine antigens into the vaccine.
It is a common feature of all of these vaccines, which are based on the oil-in-water emulsion, that the antigen is dispersed only in the aqueous phase of the emulsion. Consequently, a correspondingly long depot action of the antigen is not achieved. Since the viscosity of water-in-oil emulsions is relatively high, it is difficult to administer them. Therefore, hypodermic needles with a large diameter must be used. Moreover, all generally used equipment requires intensive cleaning because of the oiling.
Granuloma may be formed at the site of the injection, as a result of which the antigens are rapidly incorporated over the lymph tracts.
According to the literature, the stability at 37.degree. C. does not exceed one week. After that, there is phase separation and the emulsion is destroyed.
It is also a disadvantage that high-power homogenizers are absolutely essential for producing these water-in-oil emulsions. It is furthermore, disadvantageous that the emulsion must be transported and kept refrigerated.
In the East German patent No. 265 992, an adjuvant is described for immunization as well as methods for producing the same. The oil-in-water emulsion that is used, results in a vaccine having a low viscosity, and requires no special technique of administration. The apparatus can be cleaned without extra expense and the use of the suggested dipolar aprotic solvent guarantees the dispersal of the antigen in the aqueous and oil phases thus, increasing the immunizing effect. Relatively little mechanical energy is required for producing the oil-in-water emulsion, so that simple stirring is sufficient for producing an emulsion of this type. The oil portion of the emulsion is a mineral oil and can optionally contain silicone oils.
It is a disadvantage of this adjuvant that the use of mineral oils, in this case paraffin oils, is associated with a series of problems with regard to the stability of the oil-in-water emulsion. For example, the viscosity of the mineral oil can be varied only within narrow limits. This causes relatively large particles to be formed during the dispersal of the oil droplets. Larger oil droplets cause an increase in the overall viscosity of the emulsion and the associated disadvantages and also unfavorably affect the stability of the emulsion, because cream formation in the oil cannot be avoided, particularly after the emulsion has been standing for some time. The polydisperse particle size distribution of the oil droplets in this oil-in-water emulsion also leads to unstable relationships and histo-incompatibilities.
A further disadvantage is the residue behavior of the mineral oils, which results in incompatibilities with the organism and, when used in animals, can render the animals unfit for human consumption.
Mineral oils also tend to attack certain antigens and thus make the vaccines ineffective.
The use of dipolar aprotic solvents, such as dimethyl sulfoxide, in conjunction with mineral oils will also not bring about the expected depot effect. Evidently, a slow resupplying of antigens from the oil phase into the aqueous phase (boosting), by the exchange of the antigens between the aqueous phase and the oil phase is not optimally obtained in the presence of a dipolar aprotic solvent.

Adjuvant for antigens, and process for making


An elongated support member extends generally vertically upward from a playing surface. An elongated arm extends outward from two opposite sides of the support member in generally perpendicular relationship to the support member. The arm has freedom of rotation about the support member. At least two blocking dummy holders are configured to be suspended from the arm such that at least one each of the blocking dummy holders is positioned on each of the two opposite sides of the support member. Each of the blocking dummy holders has freedom of rotation about the arm, whereby a person on the playing surface who strikes a blocking dummy held by the blocking dummy holder will cause the arm to rotate about the support member and the blocking dummy to rotate about the arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to football type blocking dummies and/or sleds which are utilized by a football coach to instruct an offensive lineman in the proper technique to more effectively block a defensive lineman and a defensive player in the proper techniques to more effectively tackle an opponent and, more particularly, this invention relates to an improved training apparatus which will at a minimum provide such coach with the capability of accurately comparing both the blocking and tackling skills of a particular player with respect to the blocking and tackling skills of another player.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior to the conception and subsequent development of the present invention, it is generally well recognized in the football equipment art that football coaches have for a number of years made extensive use of a training apparatus which is commonly known in the football equipment art as a "blocking dummy" in order to more easily teach an offensive lineman to effectively block a defensive lineman. Conversely, these blocking dummies have also been used to teach defensive players proper tackling techniques.
These prior art type blocking dummies have generally consisted of a canvas type cylindrical bag which is filled with a relatively heavy type material. Normally these canvas bags will have at least one strap secured to the side thereof to assist in carrying them to and from the football field. Additionally, the strap is normally used to hold onto while the player attacks the bag from a predetermined blocking or tackling position.
It is also a rather common practice to attach these blocking dummies or other similarly padded devices to sleds. In this case, the players line up and take turns running at the blocking dummy to strike it and attempt to move the sled as far as possible.
While these prior art type blocking dummies and sleds have generally provided the football coach with some needed capability to at least measure and/or make some desirable improvement in the player's blocking technique these blocking dummies possess the inherent disadvantage that they cannot be instrumental in providing such football coach with any significant measure of such player's overall strength with respect to the overall strength of another player.
In the case of blocking dummies attached to sleds, as is the case when teaching blocking techniques to a group of players, momentum is imparted to the sled as each player strikes it. By the time the last player strikes the sled, the sled has far less resistance than that experienced by the first player and with significantly less effort required from the player. This is obviously not the best way of training athletes or of comparing their abilities.
Furthermore, because sleds are movable, they may be stolen if not removed from the field at the end of the practice day.


An optical structure includes a substrate, a circular grating resonator (CGR) formed on the substrate, the CGR including a center disc and a plurality of concentric rings spaced from one another; an input planar waveguide and an output planar waveguide each formed on the substrate, the input planar waveguide and the output planar waveguide optically coupled to the CGR; and an electrode pair, formed on the substrate, coplanar with the input and output planar waveguides, the electrode pair comprising an electrically conductive material in contact with opposing ends of the center disc of the CGR so as to render the CGR capable of electro-optical control.

The present invention relates generally to optical switching devices and, more particularly, to a circular grating resonator structure with integrated electro-optical modulation.
Multi-core microprocessor architectures have been developed in order to mitigate increased power dissipation in high-performance computer chips. However, the bandwidth limitations for global electrical interconnections between various cores are rapidly becoming the major factor in restricting further scaling of total chip performance. One approach resolving this interconnect bottleneck is to transmit and route signals in the optical domain, since optical signals can provide both immense aggregate bandwidth and large savings in on-chip dissipated power.
Many existing types of optical switches fall under the category of microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, in which tiny components such as prisms or mirrors are positionally adjusted in order to redirect input optical signals. However, such MEMS devices are not suited for multi-core chip scaling purposes. On the other hand, the field of integrated optics has expanded tremendously in recent years, and integrated optical device solutions are now being proposed for applications in a variety of fields including, for example, telecommunications, data communications, high performance computing, biological and chemical sensing, and radio frequency (RF) networks.
In this regard, an optical waveguide or combination of optical waveguides may be formed on an integrated circuit (IC) to form devices such as optical resonators, arrayed waveguide gratings, couplers, splitters, polarization splitters/combiners, polarization rotators, Mach-Zehnder (MZ) interferometers, multimode interference waveguides, gratings, mode transformers, delay lines, and optical vias. Such on-chip devices may in turn be used to create an integrated optical circuit or planar light wave circuit that performs one or more optical functions such as, for example: multiplexing/demultiplexing, optical add/drop, variable attenuation, switching, splitting/combining, filtering, spectral analysis, variable optical delay, clock distribution, amplitude/phase modulation, polarization rotation, comb generation, and dispersion compensation.
Circular grating resonators (CGRs), also known as Annular Bragg reflectors or "fingerprint" structures have more recently been considered for applications in integrated optics such as lasing and all-optical switching. In particular, CGRs have a very small footprint of a few micrometers, which essentially corresponds to the smallest optical resonators possible. Thus, even at relatively low refractive index contrasts, CGRs offer full two-dimensional light confinement, making circular grating resonators a very attractive candidate for future integrated photonic devices since they may be fabricated of any transparent (low absorption) material.
With respect to electro-optical devices in which the resonance of the optical modulator is adjusted by an electrical control signal, there must be a technical means of applying an electric field in the region of the resonator. The electric field changes the index of refraction of the resonator and hence its resonance frequency. In so doing, an input optical signal to the resonator may be switched on and off. However, the incorporation of electrodes into a photonic structure such as a CGR is a significant challenge, since electrically conducting materials absorb light and thus lead to high losses.

Circular grating resonator structure with integrated electro-optical modulation

International Business Machines Corporation


This system and Method serve as both a raw data logger for well operation analysis and a well event logger for well performance analysis. An improved methodology of remote event and process variable logging and data retention designed specifically to address the needs of intermittently flowing gas wells is useful for eliminating gas slippage associated with intermittent or erratic gas flow conditions, eliminating measurement errors, and lowering operating costs. The well data can be scanned in seconds for its current flow situation, and as a set of specific conditions are met, a built-in control program reacts to those conditions by shutting down the well until certain pressure criteria are met to allow the well to flow again. To maintain measurement integrity, precise event logging of the valve positions to indicate the actual flowing period are included in the flow integration. There are auto-calibration and reintegration features in the system methodology for eliminating slippage gas and eliminating settling disputes between the producer and the pipeline operator. Graphical presentation of event logs and process variable data allows the user to quickly and effectively diagnose and correct gas well problem. The same graphical presentation provides visual inspection and analysis to optimize gas well production.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems and methods for measuring volume and rate of gas well flow by electrical means using differential pressure with time integration. More specifically it relates to an improved methodology for resolving measurement slippage associated with intermittent or erratic flow conditions in order to enhance accurate gas well flow measurement. In addition it relates to a method for improving gas flow control, and concomitant to that, optimum gas reservoir recovery.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because the majority of gas wells are in a decline stage, and therefore flow intermittently, the conventional mechanical chart recording and electronic flow measurement inventions are inaccurate. The gas industry acknowledges that as much as 20 percent of natural gas production is not accounted for, and therefore not paid for, because of the inadequacies of the existing measurement systems. These inadequacies are primarily due to the fact that the majority of gas wells flow intermittently, while existing flow measuring mechanical circular chart recording and electric computer systems are designed to measure continuous flow. Currently, these mistakes cannot be corrected because the existing measurement systems do not provide raw data for an audit-trail for use in recalculating possible errors due to interpretations nor do they in any other way reproduce the actual flow results. Furthermore, in both of the state-of-the-art measurement systems, the recorded data which is available can be manipulated by either the gas producers or the gas purchasers in their favor. As is further detailed below, these measurement errors and the inability to fairly and reliably audit or correct them, are the main cause of disputes between gas producers and gas purchasers. In addition, the lack of audit-trail or analytical quality gas flow trending data which could provide historical profiles of gas reservoir and gas flow performance for each well prevents the gas producer from achieving effective control and optimization of the gas well. The lack of analytical quality trending data leads to faulty gas production practices, and as a result, most gas well reservoirs are poorly managed, and fail to allow for well production optimization.
The most commonly used gas flow measurement system is the mechanical multi-pen chart recorder system. It adequately meets the gas industry's flow measurement needs for accounting purposes if the well flows at a stable, constant rate. However, this situation is rare, due for example, to intermittent gas flow, line surging, and mechanical vibration at the chart, each of which can cause a solid band of ink on the chart, thereby obscuring the actual gas flow, and resulting in gas flow measurement slippage, i.e. improperly measured gas flow. Even in the absence of those conditions, the thickness of the ink track on the chart may cause errors of as much as 30 minutes. Furthermore, because of their lack of adequate detail, and because each person who integrates a chart will do it differently, since no raw data is available, circular charts are incapable of providing a reliable audit-trail. These and other short comings make chart recorders inadequate to provide accurate gas !low data, especially for wells with erratic gas flow, plus they provide no well control options.
With the recent advancements of computer technology, electronic flow measurement (EFM) systems which are capable of frequent sampling and flow integration have begone to be used to replace the circular chart and mechanical flow integration systems. However, the on-site EFM systems introduce different problems that may result in gas flow measurement slippage. First, it must be understood that EFM systems calculate gas flow based on data generated by transducers that convert line pressure, differential pressure and the temperature of the gas flow into electrical signals of about 1 to about 5 volts. These three variables are then converted to engineering numbers and are the basic gas flow variables used to determine gas flow volume using the industry wide accepted formula of the American Gas Association (AGA-3). These basic variables which are used in EFM systems at an on-site, i.e., remote, calculating computer provide some improvement in overall accuracy and timeliness of gas flow measurement, as compared to mechanical multi-pen chart recorder systems, but they create a new set of problems in accurately measuring intermittent gas flow. These problems include the total reliance on the signal from the differential transducer to determine the flow/no-flow condition of the well for gas pressure, because 0 inches differential pressure does not necessarily mean that there is "zero" or "no gas flow" without actual knowledge or determination of actual gas flow. Without going into excessive details herein, an EFM system calculates and accumulates an hourly average flow volume so long as both the line pressure and differential pressure are positive. In addition, for the EFM system to be accurate in flow integration of erratic or intermittent flow, the transducer must be unconditionally infallible, and the gas flow in an ideal condition of no turbulence. This ideal condition does not exist in nature, because, as the gas flow rate approaches or falls below a predetermined level, say 10 inches (of water pressure) of differential pressure, the relationship between the differential pressure and the actual flow becomes erratic. At that point, these systems are not reliable because they rely on a preset moving differential pressure zero (zero cut-off) reference to establish the integration or flow period. For reasons set forth in the STELA.TM. METHODOLOGY brochure, the accuracy of the typical EFM transducer can be in error by about 0.25% because of total accuracy and transducer drift. Typically, an EFM system sets the calibration of the transducer at, say exactly 1 volt for 0 inches of differential pressure, and the transducer reading can be in error by as much as say about 0.5 inches. Since the flow calculation is reliant on a differential pressure reading to establish a flow condition, this error causes problems. As a result, the gas flow could be shut off, while the EFM system continues to compute about 50,000 cubic feet of gas per day, and conversely, the flow could actually be 50,000 cubic feet per day, yet the transducer might indicate 0 inches of differential pressure, with the result that the EFM system would calculate no flow.
Furthermore, the current, but misguided, logic says that the accuracy of the flow computing system is based on the accuracy of the EFM flow transducers which measure line pressure, differential pressure, and temperature and the frequency and speed of the calculations. However, accuracy really depends on precise awareness of the integration period, that is, knowing when true flow/no-flow conditions occur and knowing the true differential pressure based on a dynamically adjusted true zero. Currently, it is a common practice of the pipeline operator to assume that the no-flow point must be established at a certain positive differential pressure value, which incidently ensures that any slippage is in favor of the purchaser. However, the imposition of such a zero cut-off prematurely cuts off flow calculation while the well is still flowing. This is the major cause of measurement slippage in EFM systems. Under other conditions, the zero base flow could also shift positively, and without a zero cut-off, show a difference of 20%.
The EFM systems convert all engineering values of flow variables, calculate, and store hourly flow volumes at the well head location, which is usually remote from the central operations office. Typically the raw data of the basic flow parameters are discarded during integration, thereby eliminating the audit trail capability of this system. Consequently, the raw data needed for reintegration is unavailable. As a result, recalculation of the local hourly averaged data will not match the average of the integrated flow result because of the square-root effect in the flow formula of the American Gas Association (AGA-3). That is, the sum of the square-root will equal the square root of the sum only if the line pressure and differential pressure remain constant, but in nature these pressures are not (constant in most wells. This lack of audit trail requires the field personnel to enter all of the calibration factors arid all data needed for the AGA-3 flow calculation before activation of the on-site EFM systems. This information along with the transducer readings allows the on-site computer to calculate flow. The result is an average hourly flow, even if the well was only open 30 minutes, that cannot be recalculated because the raw data has not been stored. Erroneous integrated results due to incorrect entry of the above data, are found to be very difficult to correct.
Not only is unintentional human error likely with the EFM systems, but, as set forth in the STELA.TM. METHODOLOGY brochure, the possibility of intentional manipulation exists. The hourly managed data provided by the EFM system further obscures the analytical quality data needed by the producer to operate and manage the production of the well.

Method and apparatus for measuring and controlling the flow of natural gas from gas wells


Correction data is produced for density errors in prints produced using a printer. While printing a test image, the periods of rotation of one or more rotatable imaging members arranged along a receiver feed path in the printer are measured using respective period sensors. The printed test image is measured in both the cross-track and in-track directions and a two dimensional map of the one or more period sensors is determined. A reproduction error signal representing deviation from aim density is determined. The variations from the data at measured periods in one or both directions are used to produce a correction signal.

Printers are useful for producing printed images of a wide range of types. Printers print on receivers (or "imaging substrates"), such as pieces or sheets of paper or other planar media, glass, fabric, metal, or other objects. Printers typically operate using subtractive color: a substantially reflective receiver is overcoated image-wise with cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K), and other colorants. Various schemes can be used to process images to be printed. Printers can operate by inkjet, electrophotography, and other processes.
In the electrophotographic (EP) process, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor by uniformly charging the photoreceptor and then discharging selected areas of the uniform charge to yield an electrostatic charge pattern corresponding to the desired image (a "latent image"). After the latent image is formed, charged toner particles are brought into the vicinity of the photoreceptor and are attracted to the latent image to develop the latent image into a visible image. Note that the visible image may not be visible to the naked eye depending on the composition of the toner particles (e.g., clear toner).
After the latent image is developed into a visible image on the photoreceptor, a suitable receiver is brought into juxtaposition with the visible image. A suitable electric field is applied to transfer the toner particles of the visible image to the receiver to form the desired print image on the receiver. The receiver is then removed from its operative association with the photoreceptor and subjected to heat or pressure to permanently fix ("fuse") the print image to the receiver. Plural print images, e.g., of separations of different colors, are overlaid on one receiver before fusing to form a multi-color print image on the receiver.
Printers typically transport the receiver past an imaging element (e.g., the photoreceptor) to form the print image. The direction of travel of the receiver is referred to as the slow-scan, process, or in-track direction. This is typically the vertical (Y) direction of a portrait-oriented receiver. The direction perpendicular to the slow-scan direction is referred to as the fast-scan, cross-process, or cross-track direction, and is typically the horizontal (X) direction of a portrait-oriented receiver. "Scan" does not imply that any components are moving or scanning across the receiver; the terminology is conventional in the art.
Various components used in printing processes, such as belts and drums, can have mechanical or electrical characteristics that result in periodic objectionable non-uniformities in print images, such as streaks (extending in-track), bands (extending cross-track) and irregular two dimensional patterns. For example, drums can experience run out: they can be elliptical rather than circular in cross-section, or can be mounted slightly off-center, so that the radius of the drum at a particular angle with the horizontal varies over time. Likewise, they may have irregular deformities to their shape or surface characteristics. Belts can have thicknesses that vary across their widths (cross-track) or along their lengths (in-track). Damped springs for mounting components can experience periodic vibrations, causing the spacing between the mounted components to change over time. These variations can be periodic in nature, that is, each variation cycles through various magnitudes repeatedly in sequence, at a characteristic and generally fixed frequency. The variations can also be non-periodic. For example, two cooperating drums with periodic non-uniformities at frequencies whose ratio is irrational will produce a non-periodic nonuniformity between them.
Various schemes have been proposed for correcting image artifacts in prints, including those resulting from these mechanical or electrical variations.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,058,325 to Hamby et al. deposits a test patch, measures its density, and corrects using a feedback or feedforward control routine. U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,165 to Rushing et al. scans a document to be reproduced, and the resulting reproduction, and adjusts for calibration errors in the processing of the image of the document. U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,833 to Stelter et al. detects variations and periodicities of densities in a print. U.S. Pat. No. 7,755,799 to Paul et al. also measures test patches, and uses a defect once-around signal to synchronize the measurements to the rotation of the drum. The once-around signal is derived from an optical sensor monitoring the drum's position. Paul describes that the phase of a periodic banding defect (an artifact extending cross-track) is difficult to measure because, unlike frequency, it varies from page to page. U.S. Pat. No. 7,382,507 to Wu analyzes test patterns to generate image quality defect records and stores the records in a database for later analysis.
However, often times the non-uniformities are somewhat irregular rather than a smooth sinusoidal function. This is especially evident when considering two dimensional non-uniformities in dimensional or surface properties. For these cases, a map of one period of rotation of the rotating member can best represent the variation. This can be either a look up table or by applying functions that estimate variation in one or both directions.

Compensating for printing non-uniformities using a two dimensional map


An image generation device generates a mosaic image which is suitable for users to see even if sufficient images are not acquired to complete the mosaic image. The image generation device specifies, in units of divided areas, an image area in which an image is drawn in each layer of a plurality of layers divided into the plurality of divided areas, allocates the acquired image to the divided areas in the image area of one of the layers, based on color information of the acquired image and color information of each of the divided areas in the specified image area, and generates a mosaic image by superimposing, between layers, the image allocated in the image area of two or more layers of the plurality of layers in which an image is allocated to at least one of all of the divided areas in the image area of each of the layers and the divided areas of another layer having a display position which overlaps the divided areas.

Conventionally, synthetic images which are referred to as "mosaic art" (mosaic images and photo mosaics) are known as expression methods for posters, web pages and the like used for advertising new products or announcing events.
For example, the mosaic art can be generated by selecting in advance an image showing a picture (design) which is the source of the mosaic image, and generating divided areas by dividing the source image into a plurality of areas. Further, this method includes generating a mosaic image by extracting a plurality of images which are similar to color information (such as chromaticity data such as RGB) of the divided areas and match the divided areas, and combining the extracted images in a tile pattern. By this means, a mosaic image which imitates a source image is generated.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of generating a mosaic image provided to a terminal device, using an image posted by a user. With this technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a mosaic image comes closer to completion a little by little in proportion to an increase in a number of posted images.

Image generation device, image generation method, image generation program, and recording medium


The present invention refers to an acoustic filter for reciprocating compressor and, in special, a suction acoustic filter containing at least one inlet pipeline (21), at least one outlet pipeline (22), and at least one intermediate pipeline (42). Said acoustic filter (1) comprises at least two horizontal chambers (5, 6), wherein said chambers are interconnected by an intermediate pipeline (42), which has a superior portion (421) with a length that is equivalent to approximately 75% to 98% of the height of the first horizontal chamber (5) and an inferior portion (422) with a length that is equivalent to approximately 45% to 80% of the height of the second horizontal chamber (6).

The current prior art is composed of an infinity of models of suction acoustic filters for reciprocating compressors. Generally, such suction filters comprise a chamber arranged between the fluid return pipeline of any system (such as, for example, a refrigeration system) and the suction inlet of the reciprocating compressor that composes that system.
As already known by the skilled in the art, the main functionality of these types of suction acoustic filters is the mitigation of part of the suction noise caused by the compressor. Thus, the chamber of the suction acoustic filters presents a volume that is capable of muffling the suction pulsations.
Consequently, it is noted that the volume of the chamber of a suction acoustic filter must be, in a certain way, pre-sized in accordance with the capability and applicability of each reciprocating compressor. In this sense, it is also considered the type of working fluid that will be compressed. Moreover, it is broadly known that the prior art provides several types of materials for manufacturing suction acoustic filters.
Conventionally, the suction acoustic filter suitable for reciprocating compressor is placed in the interior of the shell of the compressor, the inlet thereof being immediately next to the fluid return pipeline, and the outlet thereof being physically associated with the head of the compressor. Therefore, the chamber of the suction acoustic filter shall present a volume that is suitable for its operation, and, additionally, it cannot occupy a big area in the interior of the shell of the compressor.
A great part of the prior art suction acoustic filters is exclusively designed for reducing noises, and, in this case, other arrangements, that are incorporated or not into the compressor, are responsible for eliminating liquid fluids from the inlet of the suction of the compressor.
Thus, it shall be emphasized that the entrance of liquid-phase fluids in the suction chamber of the compressor extremely prejudices its operation, since liquids are not compressible. The compression of liquids results in very high pressure levels, which can cause the failure in the components of the compressor, reducing, therefore, the performance and the service life or, in a more extreme case, causing the critical failure in the compressor with total loss of operation.
Causes for the return of liquid to the compressor are assorted, and the major causes are related to failures in the design or in the use of the refrigeration system. Peculiarly, in refrigeration systems of commercial use, it is necessary to have a robust compressor to deal with the return of critical amounts of fluid, more specifically in two processes: flooded start and thaw of the evaporator (in refrigeration systems). In the flooded start, the compressor has its shell partially filled with the working fluid in the liquid phase, and the process of starting shall occur considering such severity. In the thaw of the evaporator, occurs the continuous pumping of the liquid to the compressor, due to the use of the overheated gas of the discharge of the compressor to thaw the evaporator, wherein the gas is liquefied and returns through the suction.
One example of the arrangement (placed outside from the suction acoustic filter) designed for reducing the liquid-phase fluid can be observed in document PCT/BR2010/000179, wherein it is revealed a suction pipeline whose inlet end for the fluid return presents a geometry that is capable of expelling part of the liquid-phase fluid.
In any case, the current prior art also provides suction acoustic filters whose constructivity is, in part, responsible for the retention of at least one portion of the working fluid in the liquid phase.
One example of this type of acoustic filter can be noted in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,032. The object of this document is further illustrated, for better clarifications, in FIG. 1 of the instant invention.
The filter illustrated in FIG. 1 (figure of document U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,032, but having the references altered) comprises a chamber that, among other aspects, comprises one inlet E, one outlet S, and one intermediate pipeline I. Thus, all the return fluid (suction fluid), whether in the liquid phase or in the gaseous phase, enters the acoustic filter through the inlet E, flows towards the bottom of the chamber through the intermediate pipeline I, and flows towards the outlet pipeline S. As the intermediate pipeline I is not interconnected to the outlet pipeline S, it can be considered that at least one portion of the liquid-phase fluid will be retained in the bottom of the chamber of the acoustic filter. However, this aspect is not mentioned in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,032, and, moreover, it is noted that, since the liquid-phase fluid occupies a certain volume of the chamber, the function of retaining liquids is almost non-existent.
Additionally, the inlet E of the acoustic filter of FIG. 1 (document U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,032) is inferior, resulting in the suction of a greater amount of liquid-phase fluid by the acoustic filter, since the inlet E is directed to the inferior region of the shell of the compressor which is conventionally filled with working fluid in the liquid phase.
In this sense, it shall be further mentioned that the current prior art already reveals models of suction acoustic filters whose inlet and outlet are directed to the superior region of the shell of the compressor, whose purpose is to deal with the flooded start process, capturing the gas above the liquid portion. One example of such assemblage is illustrated in FIG. 2 of the instant invention.
Although the above-mentioned solutions are robust against processes considering the suction of liquids, there is a decrease of the efficiency of the compressor during its normal operation. The gas that enters the suction passing part is not directly conducted to the inlet of the acoustic filter. Before reaching the inlet of the suction chamber, the gas gets in contact with the hot parts of the compressor, causing the heating and reduction of its specific mass, resulting in the decrease of mass flow, capability of refrigeration and performance. One solution to reduce the effects of the overheating, without losing its robustness against the suction of liquids, would be the generation of obstacles for the suction of liquids without prejudicing the suction of gas.
Thus, it is noted that the current solutions and designs of suction acoustic filters for reciprocating compressors do not provide concretizations that are especially dedicated to efficiently retain the working fluid in the liquid phase, and, with basis on this scenario, the present invention will be defined.

Acoustic filter suitable for reciprocating compressor


A process for producing chlorine dioxide a solution of chloric acid is reduced in the presence of an externally added load of perchlorate ions to form chlorine dioxide.

Chlorine dioxide is widely used as a disinfectant in water treatment/purification and as a bleaching agent in pulp and paper production. There are a variety of chlorine dioxide generator systems and processes available in the marketplace. Most of the large scale generators produce chlorine dioxide by reacting a chlorate ion with hydrogen ions and an electron. This reaction can be represented by: EQU ClO.sub.3.sup.- +2H.sup.+ +e-.fwdarw.ClO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O
These generators use sodium chlorate and/or chloric acid to provide the chlorate ions. Hydrogen ions are supplied by sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. The electron can be provided by a reducing agent such as methanol, sulphur dioxide or sodium chloride.
Unfortunately a problem exists in that these generators produce undesirable by-product salts such as sodium sulfate ("salt cake"), sodium bisulfate and/or sodium chloride. U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,520 discloses a process of producing chlorine dioxide in which sulfuric acid is reacted with sodium chlorate and methanol. Sodium ions from dissociated sodium chlorate react with sulfate ions from sulfuric acid to form by-product sodium sulfate. For every mole of sodium chlorate that reacts with a mole of sulphuric acid, one mole of sodium sulfate is produced. As the concentration of sodium sulfate rises it begins to precipitate out of solution and must be removed. The removal of sodium sulfate or other commonly formed salts represents an additional expense in the production of chlorine dioxide. Increasing the production of chlorine dioxide generally means increased capital investment to process the additional amounts of by-product salt produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,702 describes a process for Producing chlorine dioxide where an alkali metal chlorate, an alkali metal chloride and a strong acid are reacted in the presence of a catalyst. This reaction produces an effluent containing sodium sulfate which must be removed from the reaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,399 to Lobley recognizes the Problem of by-product salt formation in chlorine dioxide generators. Lobley discloses a method of producing chlorine dioxide that uses minimal amounts of sulfuric acid and feeds sodium chlorate to the generator as a solid. In this manner sulfate salt content in effluent from the generator can be reduced.
Another process of producing chlorine dioxide is disclosed by Schlumberger in U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,969 which teaches a method of making chlorine dioxide from a solution of chloric acid. Chloric acid is made by passing alkali metal chlorate through a cation exchange resin. The resulting chloric acid is reduced using hydrochloric acid in the presence of a catalyst. Sodium bisulfate and sodium sulfate are produced as by products requiring disposal in this reaction.
A process reducing the amount of by-product salt is therefore commercially desirable. In an effort to reduce the expense of removing and disposing of undesirable salts in the effluent of chlorine dioxide generators, new processes have been developed which reduce the quantity of by-product salts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,715 to Hardee et al discloses a process of producing chlorine dioxide in an electrochemical cell which reduces the salt content of effluent from the chlorine dioxide generator.
Twardowski, U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,215 discloses a chlorine dioxide generating system in which effluent containing sodium chloride from the chlorine dioxide generator is recycled though an electrochemical cell to produce hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. The hydrochloric acid can then be reused in the generator to make chlorine dioxide.
Lipstajn et al discloses a means of making chlorine dioxide whereby sulfate salts are not formed. In WO 92/03374 Lipstajn teaches the reduction of chloric acid in the substantial absence of sulfate ions to make chlorine dioxide.
While methods are known to make chlorine dioxide with reduced levels of salts in the resulting effluent, such processes are often limited by the efficiency of the electrochemical cells used in such processes. In these processes the source of chlorate ions is often sodium chlorate. In the electrolytic formation of chloric acid from sodium chlorate, the electrochemical current efficiency is determined by the ratio of sodium to hydrogen ions entering and leaving the first ion exchange compartment in a three compartment cell, or the anode compartment in the case of a two compartment cell. Hydrogen ion transport into the cathode compartment is a cause of the current inefficiency in electrochemical processes using cells in the Prior art.
Thus two problems exist. First the production of by-product sulfate salts in effluent from a generation reaction and second, the efficiency of the electrochemical acidification reaction. As a result of these problems there exists a need for a process of producing chlorine dioxide which does not produce undesirable salts and which operates at a high efficiency.

Chlorine dioxide generation using inert load of sodium perchlorate


The present invention provides a surface treatment apparatus for molded polymer products. In the operation, a molded polymer product is held by a jig (11) on a product loading and discharging unit (20) and is fed by a product feeding unit (10). A first impurity removing unit (30) cleans the surface of the product. The product passes through an inlet vacuum unit (40) and reaches a product surface ion treatment unit. The ion treatment unit controls an ion beam electric current and produces plasma cations using gas supplied from an atmospheric gas supply unit (60), and the plasma ions are evenly scanned onto the product surfaces. The surface-treated molded product passes through a second impurity removing unit and is fed to the product loading and discharging unit, at which the jig exchanges the existing product for a new product.

Generally, portable electronic appliances, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), notebook computers, liquid crystal display televisions (LCD TVs), portable wireless transceivers, CD players, and MP3 players, are freely and conveniently used by users without being limited with respect to location, so that the portable electronic appliances have been widely and preferably used in recent years.
However, the portable electronic appliances discharge a great quantity of harmful electromagnetic waves due to the variety of electromagnetic circuit units installed therein, and most harmful electromagnetic waves discharged from the appliances are absorbed by the bodies of the users while the users carry the appliances, thus being injurious to health.
The casings of the conventional portable electronic appliances are preferably produced using materials prepared by adding conductive coating materials, additives or fillers to polymer materials.
To prevent harmful electromagnetic waves of internal electromagnetic circuit units of portable terminals from leaking outside the casings of the terminals, the conventional casings for the portable terminals made using the polymer materials are coated with conductive coating materials on the inner and outer surfaces thereof, thus having electric conductivity higher than a predetermined level.
In a conventional conductive coating process, to provide conductivity to polymer materials, a variety of additives or fillers may be added to the polymer materials of the casings of the portable electronic appliances. Examples of the fillers are powdered carbon, carbon fibers, and metallic materials, such as powdered silver.
Conventional fillers, such as powdered carbon or carbon fibers, which are added to the polymer materials in the related art have insufficient volume and a resistance lower than 10Ω/□. The metallic material, such as powdered silver, forms a layer on the surface of the casing, thus degrading the quality of the casing. Furthermore, the metallic material must be added to the polymer material of the casing in an amount up to 60%, so that the metallic material cannot be preferably used, due to the weight, quality, physical and chemical performance, and cost.
Furthermore, the casings for the portable terminals, produced using the above-mentioned metallic materials for shielding electromagnetic waves, are not easily recycled. To recycle the conventional casings, expensive sorters must be used, thus increasing the cost of recycling the casings.
Particularly, the casings of the electronic appliances, which are produced using polymer materials having the conductive coating materials, such as powdered silver or powdered carbon, have reduced durability due to physical and chemical factors, so that the surfaces of the casings may be discolored, easily scratched, or easily worn, thus reducing the expected life spans of the electronic appliances.
Further, the conventional display units of the electronic appliances are made of nonconductive materials, so that it is almost impossible using conventional techniques to prevent the leakage of electromagnetic waves through the display units or to prevent the display units from being charged.
If the coated conductive layer of an electronic product manufactured using a polymer material and a molding process does not have uniform thickness, the coated conductive layer cannot provide a desired coating effect. Thus, to form a coated conductive layer having uniform thickness on an electronic product, a complex and precise high technique and complex and precise expensive equipment must be used. Therefore, the construction of the processing equipment becomes complicated and the processing technique must be precise, so that the production cost of the products is increased due to the cost of developing and designing the processing equipment and the processing techniques.
To accomplish a desired effect of shielding electromagnetic waves and to provide desired conditions for maintaining the stable and reliable operation of the internal circuit units of the electronic appliances, it is necessary to maintain a predetermined shielding ratio, for example, a 20% shielding ratio, at uniform distribution. However, it is almost impossible to accomplish such a shielding ratio using conventional techniques due to technical limits.
Furthermore, because the conventional electric appliances made of polymer materials using expensive additives are not easily recycled, the production cost of the appliances is increased. Due to insufficient performance of the appliances with respect to shielding of electromagnetic waves or the prevention of electric charges, liability for malfunctions of the appliances is increased, thus imposing a heavy burden on the manufacturers. Furthermore, the insufficient performance of the appliances in the shielding of electromagnetic waves or the prevention of electric charges prevents the appliances from being easily recycled.

Device for treating surface of a polymolecular formed product


The air conditioning system includes a housing having a vent portion and an ion generating unit positioned in the housing. The ion generating unit includes a first electrode, at least one second electrode, and a voltage generator that provides a constant potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The second electrode is removable through a bottom surface of the housing from a resting position within the housing to a location external to the housing, and the second electrode is returnable through the bottom surface of the housing.

The use of an electric motor to rotate a fan blade to create an air flow has long been known in the art. Unfortunately, such fans produce substantial noise, and can present a hazard to children who may be tempted to poke a finger or a pencil into the moving fan blade. Although such fans can produce substantial air flow, e.g., 1,000 ft3/minute or more, substantial electrical power is required to operate the motor, and essentially no conditioning of the flowing air occurs.
It is known to provide such fans with a HEPA-compliant filter element to remove particulate matter larger than perhaps 0.3 micrometers. Unfortunately, the resistance to air flow presented by the filter element may require doubling the electric motor size to maintain a desired level of airflow. Further, HEPA-compliant filter elements are expensive, and can represent a substantial portion of the sale price of a HEPA-compliant filter-fan unit. While such filter-fan units can condition the air by removing large particles, particulate matter small enough to pass through the filter element is not removed, including bacteria, for example.
It is also known in the art to produce an air flow using electro-kinetic techniques, by which electrical power is directly converted into a flow of air without mechanically moving components. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,801 to Lee (1988), depicted herein in simplified form as FIGS. 1A and 1B. Lee's system 10 includes an array of small area ("minisectional") electrodes 20 that is spaced-apart symmetrically from an array of larger area ("maxisectional") electrodes 30. The positive terminal of a generator 40 that outputs a train of high voltage pulses (e.g., 0 to perhaps +5 kV) is coupled to the minisectional array, and the negative generator terminal is coupled to the maxisectional array.
The high voltage pulses ionize the air between the arrays, and an air flow 50 from the minisectional array toward the maxisectional array results, without requiring any moving parts. Particulate matter 60 in the air is entrained within the airflow 50 and also moves towards the maxisectional electrodes 30. Much of the particulate matter is electrostatically attracted to the surface of the maxisectional electrode array, where it remains, thus conditioning the flow of air exiting system 10. Further, the high voltage field present between the electrode arrays can release ozone into the ambient environment, which appears to destroy or at least alter whatever is entrained in the airflow, including for example, bacteria.


On two active areas formed in a semiconductor substrate, source electrodes, gate electrodes, and drain electrodes are disposed symmetrically to each other. A gate pad section electrically connected to both gate electrodes is disposed at one side of the active areas, and a drain pad section electrically connected to both drain electrodes is disposed at the other side of the active areas. A source pad section electrically connected to one source electrode is disposed at one side of the gate pad section and the drain pad section, and a source pad section electrically connected to the other source electrode is disposed at the other side of the gate pad section and the drain pad section. An input slot line is formed between the gate pad section and the source pad sections, and an output slot line is formed between the drain pad section and the source pad sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high-frequency semiconductor devices. The present invention more particularly relates to a high-frequency semiconductor device for use in a millimeter-wave or quasi-millimeter-wave circuit module for amplification, oscillation, or modulation.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a structure of a high-frequency semiconductor device (HEMT) 1 that is currently in common use. In this semiconductor device 1, on the upper surface of a compound semiconductor substrate 2 (width: 300 .mu.m, length: 400 .mu.m) in which two active areas 3a and 3b are formed, a drain pad section 4 is disposed at one side against the line connecting the active areas 3a and 3b, which serves as a boundary, two gate pad sections 8 are disposed at the other side, and a source pad section 6 is disposed around the gate pad sections 8. Drain electrodes 5 extend from the drain pad section 4 toward the active areas 3a and 3b, respectively. Source electrodes 7, each divided into two portions, extend from the source pad section 6 to the active areas 3a and 3b, respectively. Gate electrodes 9 extend from the gate pad sections 8 toward the active areas 3a and 3b such that the gate electrodes pass between the two divided portions of the source electrodes 7. Each gate electrode 9 (which is very narrow and has a gate length Lg of 0.15 .mu.m) is disposed between the drain electrode 5 and the source electrode 7 in each of the active areas 3a and 3b.
When this semiconductor device 1 is mounted to an external circuit board, the source electrodes 7 are connected to the ground of the circuit board with bonding wire connected to the source pad section 6, and the gate electrodes 9 and the drain electrodes 5 are connected to RF signal lines of the circuit board with bonding wire connected to the gate pad sections 8 and the drain pad section 4, respectively. An RF signal is input to the gate electrodes 9 from the circuit board through the bonding wire and output from the drain electrodes 5 to the circuit board through the bonding wire.
When an RF signal is transmitted through a bonding wire, it is known that the RF characteristics of the semiconductor device 1 deteriorate due to the parasitic inductance of the bonding wire at high frequencies (especially at the frequency of a millimeter wave). As understood from the structure of the semiconductor device 1 shown in FIG. 1, since the source electrodes 7 are disposed very close to the gate electrodes 9, parasitic capacitance exists between the gate electrodes 9 and the source electrodes 7. Due to parasitic capacitance between the gate electrodes 9 and the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 2 in addition to the above parasitic capacitance, the high-frequency characteristics of the semiconductor device 1 deteriorate.
To reduce parasitic components generated in a semiconductor device, flip-chip mounting using solder bumps may be employed instead of bonding wire. When flip-chip mounting is used, although parasitic inductance caused by bonding wire decreases, there is an increase in parasitic capacitance between an electrode pad and a circuit board. This method therefore does not essentially solve the problem.
Since the drain pad section 4 is spaced away from the source pad section 6 at the drain electrodes 5, parasitic capacitance between those pad sections 4 and 6 is small. Since the surface of the semiconductor is not covered by an electrode between the drain pad section 4 and the source pad section 6, however, a surface wave may be generated between those two electrodes, which causes a loss and deterioration of the RF characteristics.
As described above, a high-frequency semiconductor device having the conventional structure has a problem of characteristics deterioration caused by parasitic components, such as parasitic capacitance and inductance, and thereby yield in manufacturing semiconductor devices is reduced. It is very difficult to suppress the characteristics deterioration in a high-frequency semiconductor device having the conventional structure.

High frequency semiconductor device with slots


An in-vehicle power supply apparatus supplies power to an external load while bypassing the occurrence of an overcurrent, even when there is a failure on a main battery side or a failure on a sub-battery side includes a main battery and a sub-battery and two relays. One of the relays is connected to the main battery via the other relay, and transitions from a closed to an open state when an overcurrent flows thereto after the other relay transitions from the closed state to the open state. The other relay transitions from the closed state to the open state when an overcurrent flows thereto. The sub-battery is connected to the main battery via both of the relays. The main battery is connected to a backup load, bypassing both of the relays. A sub-power supply path connects the sub-battery and the backup load via the one relay.

In recent years, advances have been made in the electrification of vehicle loads. There are loads that receive power supply and are driven, even in the case where the engine has stopped in order to idle stop (provisionally referred to hereinafter as "at the time of ignition off"). These loads will hereinafter be referred to as idling stop loads (in the drawings, displayed as "IS load"). Navigation apparatuses and audio apparatuses are given as examples of idling stop loads.
FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a battery system in which an in-vehicle power supply apparatus 200 supplies power to an idling stop load 7, in addition to a general load 5. The in-vehicle power supply apparatus 200 is provided with a main battery (in the drawings, denoted as "Main BAT") 1, a sub-battery (in the drawings, denoted as "Sub-BAT") 2, and relays 201, 202 and 203. The relays 201 and 203 are connected in parallel. The load 5 is connected to the main battery 1 without passing via the relays 201, 202 and 203.
When the ignition is turned on and a starter 8 is driven, the main battery 1 is charged by a power generation function of an alternator 9. The sub-battery 2 is connected to the main battery 1 via the relays 201, 202 and 203. The idling stop load 7 is respectively connected to the main battery 1 via the relays 201 and 203 and to the sub-battery 2 via the relay 202.
If the relays 201 and 202 are normally open relays and the relay 203 is a normally closed relay, power is supplied to the idling stop load 7 from the main battery 1 via the relay 203, even when a control apparatus (not illustrated) that controls the relays 201, 202 and 203 fails. Such a technology is introduced in the following JP 2012-130108A.
The case where a failure, such as ground fault, for example, occurs closer to the main battery 1 that is the relay 201 is envisaged. Normally, when an overcurrent is detected, the relays 201 and 202 are controlled to transition from a closed state to an open state in order to cut off this overcurrent. Therefore, in the case where it is envisaged as described above, the overcurrent starts flowing from the sub-battery 2 via the relays 201, 202 and 203, and the relay 202 enters the open state.
If the relay 202 thus enters the open state, power supply from the sub-battery 2 to the idling stop load 7 will stop. Because the failure has occurred on the main battery 1 side, power is effectively not supplied to the idling stop load 7, even when the relay 203 is closed at this time.
There are also electrified loads that perform functions relating to travelling, steering, and stopping. Therefore, it should be possible to avoid loss of the battery function (including malfunction thereof; this similarly applies below). From this viewpoint, it is also desirable to adopt a sub-battery as a backup power supply.
In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology for supplying power to an external load while avoiding the occurrence of an overcurrent, even in the case where a failure on the main battery side or a failure on the sub-battery side has occurred.

In-vehicle power supply apparatus and control method for the same