An accelerometer system has a node with a first single-axis accelerometer coupled to a single associated TEDS Transducer Electronic Data Sheet memory component in accordance with IEEE 1451 Standards. Information about second and third single-axis accelerometers external to the mode resides in the single TEDS memory component. The first, second, and third accelerometers are of the same type and manufacturer, and the single TEDS memory component is configured with a memory table having listings of identifying data common to all of the first, second, and third accelerometers and first, second, and third calibration data unique to the first, second, and third accelerometers, respectively.

A transducer electronic data sheet (TEDS) stores transducer information, such as calibration data, identification information, and manufacturer information. TEDS formats are standardized and defined in the IEEE 1451 set of smart transducer interface standards. The TEDS is stored in a memory device attached to a transducer and contains the information needed by a measurement instrument or control system to interface with the transducer. As defined in the IEEE standard, each transducer has its own memory device, and that particular memory device only stores information pertaining to that transducer.

Single TEDS electronic data sheet for multiple accelerometers


An apparatus and method for collecting whole blood and then separating it into components for subsequent use or storage. A self-contained bag set is used to collect the sample, which may then be placed into container adapted to fit into a centrifuge for separation of components. Each component is then sequentially extracted according to density, with a sensor present in the container to control the operation of valves directing the collection of each component. Each component may then be separated into its own storage container.

Blood collection is always important, particularly in times of emergency (immediate use), but whole blood may only be stored for about 30 days before it is "outdated". For long term storage, the ability to separate the whole blood into its major components (white blood cells, platelets, red blood cells and plasma) is of paramount importance because the long term storage conditions for each component is different in terms of temperature and storage media. The most important component separations occurring after collection is the separation of red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets, and plasma from one another. Within the WBC it is sometimes important to separate the granulocytes from the lymphocytes. After separation and extraction of particular components, a fraction of the blood may be returned to the patient.
It is possible to separate the various components of whole blood either under or after centrifugation, due to their differing densities. Some prior art methods, such as that in U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,448, utilize a chamber connected to a centrifuge. The centrifuged blood separates in the chamber, and a plurality of collection means are positioned at various locations in the chamber corresponding to the areas where each component congregates, which is density-dependent.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Blood component separation method and apparatus


A method, system, and apparatus are provided for identifying unresponsive portions of a computer program. According to the method, program code that can potentially result in unresponsive behavior is wrapped in timers. A timer is started on a background thread at the beginning of the execution of a section of program code. The timer is set to expire after a specified threshold period of time has expired. A determination is made as to whether the timer expires during the execution of the section of program code. If the timer expires during the execution of the section of program code, execution is interrupted and the section of program code is identified as unresponsive and system state information is stored for use in diagnosing the computer program and remedying the unresponsive behavior. The actual system state information stored may be defined by a remote control file and may be stored at or around the time the timer expires.

One of the most important stages in the software development cycle is the debugging stage that occurs after a software product has been shipped to customers. This stage is important because the actual experiences of users of the software product may be utilized during this stage to isolate program errors, identify frequently or infrequently used features, and to generally make the software product better and more stable.
The main focus of analysis in the after-release debugging stage is typically to identify the program errors (also referred to as "bugs") that occur most frequently. By identifying the most frequently occurring bugs and fixing them, the usability experience of many users can be improved. There is another category of analysis, however, that has been generally unaddressed by previous after-release debugging systems. This category involves identifying computer "hangs." Hangs are periods of time in which the software ceases to respond to user input and ceases to redraw the display screen.
Although a hung computer program continues to execute, the program is typically completely unresponsive to the user because no input is received and the display is not updated. This can be extremely frustrating for a user because it may be unclear to the user as to whether the program has encountered a fatal error from which it will not recover, or whether the program will complete its processing and again receive input and update the display screen. If the period of unresponsiveness is extended, the user may believe that the computer program has encountered a fatal error and choose to terminate the program. Terminating a hung program in this manner can result in the loss of data and an unstable system state.
If the portion of a computer program that is causing the unresponsive behavior can be identified, any one of a number of steps can be taken to improve the responsiveness of the program code. For instance, the unresponsive portion may be rewritten to perform its processing asynchronously or on a background processing thread. Alternatively, if the unresponsiveness is being cause by performing processing on the program's main message loop, the processing can be moved out of the message loop. Other types of changes to the program may be made to improve the responsiveness of a computer program once the portion of the computer program causing the unresponsive behavior has been identified. Accordingly, there is a need for a method, system, and apparatus for identifying unresponsive portions of a computer program. There is also a need to monitor such performance issues as they are encountered by actual users and to do so in a way that does not degrade application performance or the user experience.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the present invention have been made.

Method, system, and apparatus for identifying unresponsive portions of a computer program


A tamper evident packaging material is described. The material is formed from a substrate having a weak skin layer and at least one additional layer. A pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to the weak skin layer. An electron beam cured coating having a non-migratory slip agent is disposed on the surface of the substrate opposite the weak skin layer. The weak skin layer has a lower Z tear strength than the affinity that the pressure sensitive adhesive has for itself and for the weak skin layer, such that at least part of the weak skin layer separates from the at least one additional layer when the pressure sensitive adhesive is sealed against the weak skin layer of a second substrate and the two substrates are subsequently pulled apart.

Cold sealable materials are known for packaging products that would be adversely affected by exposure to heat, such as might occur during heat sealing of a package, after the product has been placed therein. Candy bars with an external chocolate coating are an example of such a product.
Previously used cold seal packaging materials typically use one of two structures. One structure includes a layer of white oriented polypropylene ("OPP") material, with ink printing on the outside, covered by a layer of lacquer, and a rubber latex cold seal coating on the inside. Another structure comprises a laminate of a white OPP ply and a clear OPP ply, bonded together by an adhesive, with a rubber latex cold seal coating on the exposed, inside, face of the white OPP ply. The clear OPP ply is reverse printed. Both of these structures present a number of problems. With the laminated structure, when the material is stored in rolls, the cold seal coating lies against the clear OPP outer ply, and it is difficult to prevent the cold seal coating from offsetting onto the outer ply when the material is unrolled. Special measures can be taken when applying the coating to ensure that the coating bonds securely to the white OPP ply, so that it will remain attached to that ply and not offset onto the outer ply. However, such measures increase the cost and complication of manufacture. The lacquer in the single-ply structure can be formulated to act as a release layer, but previously used lacquers often contain mobile additives. Such additives may poison the cold seal coating while the packaging material is stored in rolls and the cold seal coating is in contact with the lacquer, or may migrate through the packaging and contaminate the contents in use. Such lacquers are also not very stable, and have a limited life, because of the loss of volatile or migratory components.
Another problem with known cold seal packaging materials is associated with the cold seal itself. The package is sealed by aligning and contacting cold seal cohesive materials, which have been pattern applied to opposing surfaces of the package. Unfortunately, when a user pulls the opposing surfaces apart to open the package, the seal can fail at the interface between the two cohesive materials. The failure between the two cohesive materials leaves the cohesive substantially in tact on both of the opposed surfaces. This leaves open the possibility of a tamperer opening the package, tampering with the contents disposed therein, and then re-contacting the intact cohesive materials to again seal the package. Such tampering may be very difficult, if not impossible, for an unwary consumer to detect.


Formation of a zirconia based thermal barrier layer is described. In accordance with the present invention, a thermal barrier layer composed of zirconia or an allow of zirconia is presented. An advantageous layer might be composed of zirconia or an alloy of zirconia with silica having improved properties. In some embodiments, such a zirconia layer might be deposited with a fraction of it's zirconia in a metallic state. Such a fraction, particularly if it were very low, would act to nucleate crystalline grains of silicon during the recrystallization phase of excimer laser melting due to the formation of point defects of zirconium silicide or other nucleating compound or formation. Heat treating the Zirconia layer anneals the Zirconia layer so that it can act as a gate oxide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to annealing of surface films on low temperature substrates and, in particular, to deposition of low temperature Zirconia Based Thermal Barrier Layer which enables such annealing of surface films.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Many thermal processes for thin films, such as rapid thermal heating or pulsed laser recrystallization, require the surface film to be heated to high temperature for a period of time. Such processing can be carried out on low temperature material such as glass or plastic substrates if a thermal barrier layer is formed between the layer to be treated and the substrate.
One example of such a thermal process is the laser crystallization of amorphous silicon on a low temperature substrate. The recrystallization to form electronic grade poly silicon, requires that the silicon layer be completely melted for a period of time, typically several hundred nano seconds. The completely melted state is referred to as the full melt state (FMS) and the threshold laser power to accomplish such a melted state is referred to as the full melt threshold (FMT).
If the amorphous silicon is deposited directly on a glass substrate, the substrate may be structurally damaged by the high temperature of the liquid silicon in the full melt state. In the case of glass, diffusion of alkali or boron from the glass into the liquid silicon or other harmful diffusion or structural effects may result from the proximity heating of the glass substrate. Clearly low temperature materials such as plastic would be harmed by such a thermal process.
Consequently, a thermal barrier layer or film to isolate the heat affected layer from the substrate is advantageous. Silica is often utilized for this purpose when the substrate is glass. However the thermal conductivity of Silica are poorly matched to glass or plastic substrates and it is known that standard sputtered or CVD deposited silica results in a poor barrier for water or oxygen, and is only a marginal barrier for alkali ions and boron.
Therefore, there is a general need for a vacuum thin film, thermal barrier layer material and process demonstrating lower thermal conductivity and improved electrical and barrier properties.

Low temperature zirconia based thermal barrier layer by PVD


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with converting an input signal into an output signal with a different sampling rate. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a feedforward circuit configured to receive the input signal comprised of discrete data samples with the first sampling rate and to generate a first intermediate value based, at least in part, on a feedforward coefficient and the input signal. The apparatus includes a feedback circuit configured to generate a second intermediate value that is based, at least in part, on a feedback coefficient and a predetermined number of previous samples of the output signal. The apparatus includes a signal combiner configured to combine the first intermediate value and the second intermediate value together to interpolate a data sample of the output signal at the second sampling rate. The output signal is a converted form of the input signal at the second sampling rate.

Sample-rate conversion (SRC) refers to the process of translating a sequence of discrete data samples with a first sampling rate into another sequence of data samples with a second sampling rate that is different from the first sampling rate. In general, when transferring data from a first device (that uses a first sampling rate) to a second device (that operates using a second sampling rate), the data needs to be converted to correspond to the second sampling rate. As an example, the first device may sample the data at 8 KHz and then the data is subsequently converted to 44.1 KHz for use by a device operating at 44.1 KHz. The data is in the form of an electronic digital signal.
Additionally, when the second sampling rate is not an integer multiple of the first sampling rate, converting the data can be complex. For example, difficulties may arise because of incorrect underlying assumptions with rate converter designs, use of large data tables that consume a large semiconductor chip area, or semiconductor processing performance inefficiencies.

Filter for data rate conversion using feedback with a different frequency


A semiconductor light emitting device includes a first conductive clad layer that is group III-V semiconductor mixed crystal, an active layer, and a second conductive clad layer. The second conductive clad layer has a laminated structure of at least three layers including a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer disposed in this order closer to the active layer. The second layer and the third layer are included in a striped ridge, and the second layer is positioned at a skirt of the ridge. The surface of the first layer is a flat part at both sides of the ridge. When Al compositions of the first layer, second layer, and third layer are X1, X2, and X3, respectively, the relation X2>X1, X3 is satisfied. When film thicknesses of the first layer, second layer, and third layer are D1, D2, and D3, the relation D2<D3 is satisfied.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor light emitting devices, and more particularly to ridge-type semiconductor lasers and methods for manufacturing same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor lasers have been used for diversifying purposes, including optical communications, welding, and medical care in industrial use; and optical disks in commercial use. Many semiconductor lasers adopt a real-guide structure that can easily achieve both improved efficiency of current injection to an active layer and stabilization of lateral mode. There are many ways to obtain the real-guide structure, including buried type and ridge type. With respect to cost reduction and easy manufacture of semiconductor laser, the ridge type is often adopted.
FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of a conventional ridge-type semiconductor laser (Japanese Patent Publication No. 3242967, FIG. 1).
In the structure of the ridge-type semiconductor laser shown in FIG. 6, from p-type GaInP cap layer 108 to p-type AlGaInP clad layer 107 are etched to process a ridge shape. Here, p-type GaInP etching stop layer 106 shown in FIG. 6 is provided between p-type AlGaInP clad layer 105 and p-type AlGaInP clad layer 107. In the conventional method, etching is completed before p-type AlGaInP clad layer 105 is etched, using the condition that an etching rate of p-type GaInP etching stop layer 106 is smaller than an etching rate of p-type AGaInP clad layer 107, in order not to etch p-type GaInP clad layer 105 in an etching process. The etching rate is mainly adjusted by adjusting Al composition in each layer. Normally, if the Al composition is high, the etching rate becomes larger. If the Al composition is low, the etching rate becomes smaller. Therefore, to secure a sufficient difference in etching rates, the conventional ridge-type semiconductor laser uses p-type GaInP without Al as the etching stop layer for securing an etching selectivity with p-type AlGaInP clad layer 107.

Semiconductor light emitting device and method for manufacturing same

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


A telephone includes an upper casing, a lower casing, and a receiver transmitter. The lower casing has a pair of projecting support sections at one end of the bottom, to which a first leg is rotatably mounted. The first leg includes a rotatable and slidable second leg. In a large-angle inclined state of the telephone, first and second engaging sections of the second leg are in engagement with first and second engaged sections of the first leg, respectively. When an excessive load is applied to the telephone in the direction of the arrow, the engaging sections are elastically deformed, being brought out of engagement with the engaged sections. Accordingly, the second leg tilts onto a desk into parallel with the desk. Consequently, the second leg is subjected to no longitudinal load. Thus, even if the second leg is not strong in structure, the second leg can be prevented from breaking.

The present invention relates to a mechanism for preventing the breakage of a tilt leg of a terminal device, using a telephone as an application example.
The main points of an installation-angle adjusting mechanism of a device such as a telephone will first be described as a first related art with reference to Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. H10-23126.
Referring to FIG. 1, a telephone 31 includes an upper casing 32, a lower casing 33, and a receiver transmitter 34. The upper casing 32 includes a numeric keypad 32a. The lower casing 33 has a first leg 35 rotatably attached to one end of the bottom thereof. The first leg 35 includes a second leg 36 rotatably and slidably attached thereto (the details will be described later). The lower casing 33 has a leg 33a, made of an elastic material such as rubber, attached to the other end of the bottom thereof.
Referring to FIG. 2, a holding section 33b is provided at one end of the bottom of the lower casing 33 for accommodating the first leg 35 and the second leg 36. The holding section 33b has a shaft 33c on side wall 33b1.
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the lower casing 33 is horizontally positioned on a desk 37. The first leg 35 and the second leg 36 are overlaid in the holding section 33b. A leg 35a made of an elastic material such as rubber is attached to one end of the first leg 35. Similarly, a leg 36a is attached to one end of the second leg 36. A leg 36b is attached to the vicinity of the leg 36a in the direction perpendicular to the leg 36a. In this state, the leg 36b is in contact with the desk 37.
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the lower casing 33 is moved onto the desk 37 at a small angle. The first leg 35 rotates approximately at 90 degrees together with the second leg 36 from the holding section 33b in the direction of the arrow around the shaft 33c, and so the leg 35a is brought into contact with the desk 37.
FIG. 5 shows a state in which the lower casing 33 is moved onto the desk 37 at a large angle. The second leg 36 rotates at 180 degrees with respect to the first leg 35 with a shaft-support rotating mechanism (not shown) and then slides in the direction of the arrow with a pin and a guide groove mechanism (not shown), and so the leg 36a is brought into contact with the desk 37.
The main points of an angle adjusting mechanism of a telephone will now be described as a second related art with reference to Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. H07-250145.
Referring to FIG. 6 and FIGS. 9 to 11, a telephone 41 includes an upper casing 42, a lower casing 43, and a receiver transmitter 44. The lower casing 43 has a pair of first legs 45 (only one is shown) rotatably attached to one end of the bottom thereof. The first leg 45 has a second leg 46 slidably attached thereto (the details will be described later). The lower casing 43 has a leg 43a attached to the other end of the bottom thereof.
The pair of first legs 45 are joined together with a joint 47. A shaft 48 projects horizontally from the side of each first leg 45. A bearing 49, shown in FIG. 7, is attached to the lower casing 43. The bearing 49 has an inclined surface 49a for the shaft 48 to insert, on the lower inside (upside down in FIG. 7) of the bearing 49. The inclined surface 49a is inclined outward toward the lower end. The bearing 49 has a bearing hole 49b in the center. The shaft 48 of the first leg 45 is pushed into the interior of the bearing 49 through the inclined surface 49a such that it can be inserted in and drawn out from the bearing hole 49b by the elastic deformation of the bearing 49.
The pair of second legs 46 is joined together with a joint 50. Each second leg 46 is supported in the first leg 45 such that it can be inserted therein or protrude therefrom. A guide rib 46a protruding from each second leg 46 is engagement with a guide groove 45a of each first leg 45. The guide rib 46a serves as a guide when the second leg 46 is inserted into or protrudes from the first leg 45. Each first leg 45 has engaging holes 45b and 45c in the upper and lower parts. Each second leg 46 has an engaging protrusion 46b that comes selectively into engagement with the engaging hole 45b or 45c. Referring now to FIG. 8, the engaging protrusion 46b has an inclined surface 46c inclined backward at the lower part. The engaging protrusion 46b can be held in the first leg 45 such that it is inserted therein or protrude therefrom by selectively bringing the engaging protrusion 46b into engagement with the engaging hole 45b or 45c.
The lower casing 43 and the joint 50 have an engaging protrusion 43b and an engaging hole 50a, respectively, in correspondence with each other. The legs 45 and 46 rotate from the position indicated in FIG. 6 to the position along the bottom of the lower casing 43 of the telephone 41, indicated in FIG. 9, around the bearing hole 49b and the shaft 48, with the second leg 46 inserted in the first leg 45. At that time, the engaging hole 50a is forcedly brought into engagement with the engaging protrusion 43b.
The outer surface of the first leg 45, or the surface of the first leg 45 in contact with a desk 51 in the normal state shown in FIG. 9, includes a leg 45d mounted thereto. In this state, the telephone 41 is prevented with the legs 43a and 45d from slipping with respect to the desk 51.
The engaging hole 50a is forcedly brought out of engagement with the engaging protrusion 43b in the normal state of FIG. 9 and, as shown in FIG. 10, the legs 45 and 46 are rotated approximately at 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow from the bottom of the lower casing 43. Then an operating surface 42a of the telephone 41 moves to the position at which the inclination angle relative to the desk 51 is increased by a small angle. In this state, the telephone 41 is prevented with the leg 43a of the lower casing 43 and legs 46d of the second legs 46 from slipping with respect to the desk 51.
When each second leg 46 is drawn downward with respect to the first leg 45 in the small-angle inclined state of FIG. 10, the engaging protrusion 46b is brought out of engagement with the engaging hole 45b and brought into engagement with the engaging hole 45c, from the state shown in FIG. 8. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the operating surface 42a of the telephone 41 moves to the position at which the inclination angle relative to the desk 51 is increased by a large angle. In this state, the telephone 41 is prevented with the legs 43a and 46d from slipping with respect to the desk 51.
The related-art techniques are capable of three-step (more than four steps by design changes) angle adjustment of terminal devices, with the first leg and the second leg as tilt legs. However, measures are not taken at all to prevent breakage of the tilt legs when an excessive load is applied to the terminal devices.

Tilt-leg-breakage prevention mechanism of terminal device


A binding machine, includes a staple guide portion adjacent to a staple in a staple accommodating portion. A staple driver moves from below to above and pushes the staple located at the front end portion upward while pushing the crown portion of the staple. A clincher abuts against the pair of leg portions of the staple pushed out in a process of the staple driver moving upward from below so as to fold the pair of leg portions. The staple guide supports the crown portion of the staple from a side near a base end portion of the crown portion in a process of the staple being pushed out.

A horticultural binding machine has been used for binding work during cultivating of agricultural crops. For example, in cultivating of agricultural crops such as sesames, grapes, tomatoes, pears, and plums, a horticultural binding machine is used in order to bind vines and stems of plants to struts and nets. The binding machine strikes a staple from a staple magazine unit to fix ends of a binding tape.
Since a binding machine described in JP-A-2017-222403 has an structure in which a staple magazine body 62 and an ejection port 62A are integral, so that a dimensional change of the ejection port 62A can be prevented, which in turn prevent problems such as staple jamming and double-staple striking.
However, the problems such as staple jamming may occur due to other reasons. For example, at a time of performing a binding method, which is called "end fixing", for tightly fixing a loop of a binding tape to firmly fix branches and number wires, a problem such as the staple jamming may occur.
When the binding tape is cut in a state where a strong tension is applied due to the end fixing, the binding tape moves to a front where the cutting blade is located. As the binding tape moves forward, a staple that is to be advanced directly above the staple driver is pulled forward and fall down, and as a result, a problem such as staple jamming may occur in which the staple is caught between a clincher and the staple driver.


A method includes receiving a training metric, the training metric indicating a parameter to be optimized by content recommendations. A machine learning algorithm maybe used to determine a plurality of different combinations of the recommendation algorithms in the experiment, and each of one or more of the plurality of combinations may be used to generate a content recommendation for one or more visitors. The statistical performance of each of the one or more combinations in optimizing the parameter (based on the content recommendations generated by those combinations) may be monitored and a higher percentage of visitors may be allocated to a combination that generates content recommendations that are the most effective at optimizing the parameter.

Content providers may run content experiments to answer specific questions about their content such as which variation of a web page or digital product (including various features of, or other content items in such pages or products) are more successful. Such experiments may be based on visitor behavior, and thus may track actions that a visitor takes, such as clicks, page views, form submissions, and purchases, for example. One example of such an experiment is a recommendation engine. Recommendation engines are useful for showing visitors content or products they may be interested in, based on their browsing behaviors and/or other factors. For example, a recommendation engine may monitor certain behaviors of a visitor on a retail website (e.g., page views, purchases) and based on the information gathered, may display recommended products on a home page of the website and/or display alternative items that are related to the product a visitor is currently browsing.
The figures depict an embodiment for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.

Recommendation engine based on optimized combination of recommendation algorithms


Batteries for an athletic activity monitoring device may be managed in both charged and discharged state to provide more accurate state information and/or expected charge times. Additionally or alternatively, various power management processes may be executed to maximize an amount of battery charge remaining.

Exercise and fitness have become increasingly popular and the benefits from such activities are well known. Various types of technology have been incorporated into fitness and other athletic activities. For example, a wide variety of portable electronic devices are available for use in fitness activity such as MP3 or other audio players, radios, portable televisions, DVD players, or other video playing devices, watches, GPS systems, pedometers, mobile telephones, pagers, beepers, etc. Many fitness enthusiasts or athletes use one or more of these devices when exercising or training to keep them entertained, record and provide performance data or to keep them in contact with others, etc.
Advances in technology have also provided more sophisticated athletic performance monitoring systems. Athletic performance monitoring systems enable easy and convenient monitoring of many physical or physiological characteristics associated with exercise and fitness activity, or other athletic performances including, for example, speed and distance data, altitude data, GPS data, heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure data, body temperature, steps taken etc.
A discussion of features and advantages is referred to in the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Power management in an activity monitoring device


The apparatus is a pawl clamping rachet device used with pipe or hose clamps when working in a tight space limiting access to advancing a slotted band needed for tightening the hose clamp. The apparatus having upstanding planar guide walls which guide a slotted band as the band is advanced through a gap with the band restrained in moving backwards by a pawl tooth having a spring function.

Pipe and hose clamps may involve the passage of a slotted band into a gap of a worm gear. There is difficulty in advancing a slotted band to encompass a hose or pipe or pipe flange when the hose or pipe or flange to be clamped is in a tight location. This Clamp Pawl Device provides a structure allowing hand forces to advanced and tighten a slotted band to a position where a screwdriver or wrench can continue tightening to the desired degree.
The patents and publications referred to herein including U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,524 to Kreft, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,255 to Brant, Jr., et al., 2006 are deemed to not be prior art.


A weldment includes metal materials that are welded to each other. At least one of the metal materials includes pure copper including an inevitable impurity, more than 2 mass ppm of oxygen, and an additive element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Zr, Nb, Fe, Si, Al, Ca, V, Ni, Mn, Ti and Cr. A method of manufacturing a weldment includes melting a dilute copper alloy material by SCR continuous casting and rolling at a molten copper temperature of not less than 1100° C. and not more than 1320° C. to make a molten metal, forming a cast bar from the molten metal, forming a dilute copper alloy member by hot-rolling the cast bar, and welding the dilute copper alloy member to a metal material. The dilute copper alloy material includes the pure copper, more than 2 mass ppm of oxygen, and the additive element,?

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a weldment (or welded assembly) and a method of manufacturing the weldment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In industrial products such as electronic devices and vehicles, a copper wire is sometimes used under a harsh condition. In order to provide a copper wire endurable under the harsh condition, a dilute copper alloy material which can be manufactured by a continuous casting and rolling method, etc., and has an improved strength greater than that of pure copper while maintaining conductivity and elongation characteristics to a pure copper level has been being developed.
A dilute copper alloy material is demanded to be a soft conductor having a conductivity of not less than 98%, preferably not less than 102% as a general purpose soft copper wire or a soft copper material to which the softness is required. The intended purpose of such a soft conductor includes a cabling material for commercial solar cell, an enameled wire conductor for motor, a high-temperature application soft copper material used at from 200 to 700° C., a molten solder plating material not requiring annealing, a copper material excellent in thermal conductivity and a material alternative to high purity copper.
A raw material as the dilute copper alloy material is manufactured by basically using a technique of controlling oxygen in copper to not more than 10 mass ppm. It is expected to obtain a dilute copper alloy material having high productivity and excellent in conductivity, softening temperature and surface quality by adding a small amount of metal such as Ti into the base raw material so as to form a solid solution.
Regarding conventional softening, the result has been obtained in which the softening of a sample in which 4 to 28 mol ppm of Ti is added to electrolyte copper (not less than 99.996 mass %) occurs earlier than a sample without addition thereof (see, e.g., "Iron and Copper" by Hisashi Suzuki and Mikihiro Sugano (1984), No. 15, 1977-1983). According to "Iron and Copper", a decrease of sulfur incorporated into a solid solution due to formation of Ti sulfide causes softening to occur in early stage.
Meanwhile, it has been proposed to continuously cast in a continuous casting apparatus using a dilute alloy in which a small amount of Ti is added to oxygen-free copper (see, e.g., JP patent Nos. 3050554, 2737954 and 2737965). Furthermore, a method of reducing oxygen concentration by a continuous casting and rolling method has been also proposed (see, e.g., JP patent Nos. 3552043 and 3651386). In addition, it has been proposed that, when a copper material is manufactured directly from molten metal of copper by the continuous casting and rolling method, the softening temperature is lowered by adding a small amount of metal such as Ti, Zr or V (0.0007 to 0.005 mass %) to the molten metal of copper with an oxygen amount of not more than 0.005 mass % (see, e.g., JP-A-2006-274384). In this regard, however, the conductivity is not examined in JP-A-2006-274384 and the manufacturing conditions for achieving both of the conductivity and the softening temperature are unknown.
On the other hand, a method of manufacturing an oxygen-free copper material having a low softening temperature and high conductivity has been proposed. That is, a method has been proposed in which a copper material is manufactured by a drawing-up continuous casting apparatus using molten metal of copper in which a small amount of metal such as Ti, Zr or V (0.0007 to 0.005 mass %) is added to the oxygen-free copper with an oxygen amount of 0.0001 mass % (see, e.g., JP-A-2008-255417).
Meanwhile, TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding is a technique for fusion-welding a copper material. Only high purity copper and oxygen-free copper with a low oxygen concentration of less than 2 mass ppm are the materials which allow this welding method to be used.


A venous reservoir in an extracorporeal blood circuit, comprising a rigid outer enclosure for a filtering mass in the form of a hollow cylinder, provided with an upper lid which comprises couplings for the inflow of blood with the portion of space delimited by the filtering mass and with a connector at the bottom, the reservoir further comprising a diaphragm which is arranged below the upper lid and is adapted to receive the blood that enters through the couplings provided in the peripheral region of the lid, at the axis of a central hole of the diaphragm there is a column with longitudinal vanes which protrude upwardly until they skim the rim of the hole and are adapted to follow the blood in its flow by gravity toward the collection region at the base of the enclosure.

It is known that one of the devices present in extracorporeal blood circuits established during certain surgical procedures is a container provided with a rigid enclosure which is designed to receive blood at couplings provided on the upper lid and connected to several lines that arrive for example from a drain of the arterial filter or a sampling tap, or also from a cannula known as "intracavitary" cannula, which is connected directly to the heart of the patient, and further, at a connector at the bottom which comprises two couplings which are connected to blood intake lines, which arrive respectively from a vein of the patient and from a vessel known as cardiotomy reservoir, which receives and filters the blood collected in the operating field.
Such container is indeed known as "venous reservoir".

Venous reservoir in an extracorporeal blood circuit


The present invention provides a mobile power pack with fragrance feature is disclosed. An outer surface of the housing is formed with an accommodating space, and a power module is installed in the housing. A heating element is disposed in the housing and corresponding to the accommodating space, and the heating element is electrically connected with the power module. A fragrant shim is disposed in the accommodating space, and the fragrant shim is heated by the heating element for producing aromas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mobile power pack and, in particular to a mobile power pack with fragrance feature.
2. Description of Prior Art
With the popularity of wireless communications and wireless networks, the frequency of using smart mobile devices is increased in daily life, but the consumption of electric power will be increased also. For this reason, most people will carry a mobile power pack for charging mobile device at anytime, in anywhere. A mobile power pack is a kind of portable charger of power supply and charging. Generally speaking, a mobile power pack has a lithium battery core as a power storage unit because it has characteristics of high capacity, multi-purpose, small size, long life, safe and reliability.
Furthermore, using aromatherapy is a common natural therapy for modern people lived in a stressful life. The aromatherapy is helpful for stress relieving and healthy improvement. However, aromatic devices usually need containers for holding essential oils, and a heating component for heating essential oils is also required. The fragrances of the essential oils can become small aromatic molecules and emit to the air after heating. Although the aromatherapy has been shown to prevent mental diseases and has effectiveness of health care, aromatic devices which have to be used in a fixed location that will cause great inconvenience for users. Thus how to facilitate aromatherapy and implement it in a mobile power pack is a motive of the present invention.
In view of the above drawbacks, the Inventor proposes the present invention based on his expert knowledge and elaborate researches in order to solve the problems of prior art.

Mobile power pack with fragrance feature

POWERGENE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., TAIWAN BRANCH


The invention relates to a circuit arrangement of a converter (1) for the electrical supply of a multi-phase electric motor (2). The arrangement comprises multiple DC-voltage-supplied (+DC, −DC) phase intermediate circuits (13) and multiple inverter circuits (5) that are electrically connected to each phase intermediate circuit (13), wherein a respective phase intermediate circuit (13) and inverter circuit (5) are provided for each phase, together forming a commutation cell (14). The invention also relates to an aircraft having a circuit arrangement of this type, and an operating method with a circuit arrangement of this type.

A power converter that uses an AC voltage or DC voltage to produce an AC voltage, the frequency and amplitude of which are varied, is referred to as a converter (e.g., an inverter). Converters are often in the form of AC/DC-DC/AC converters or DC/AC converters, where an output AC voltage is produced from an input AC voltage or an input DC voltage via a DC voltage link circuit and clocked semiconductors.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary AC/DC-DC/AC converter 1, in which a three-phase input voltage U1 is formed into a three-phase output voltage U2 in order to drive an electric motor 2. The converter 1 has a rectifier circuit 3, a link circuit 4, and an inverter circuit 5. The rectifier circuit 3, the link circuit 4, and the inverter circuit 5 are controlled by a control circuit unit 6. The published patent application DE 10 2015 206 627 A1 discloses such a converter 1.
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a conventional DC/AC converter 1 having a casing 7 or a structural frame in which the components are accommodated. The important structural power-electronic components include the power semiconductor switches 8, the link circuit 4, and the control logic circuit 9. The power semiconductor switches 8 have a low inductance and are therefore connected spatially very close to the link circuit 4. There is one link circuit 4 for each converter 1, and the link circuit may include a plurality of connected capacitors in order to meet all voltage and current-carrying requirements that cannot be met by individual capacitors.
The individual components of converters 1 are generally inside a casing 7 that hermetically delimits the environment. Applications in electrically driven aircraft demand a high degree of failure safety of the converters 1.

Circuit arrangement for a converter, method for operating a converter and aircraft having a circuit arrangement of this type


A method, algorithm, architecture, circuits, and/or systems for using a delay-locked loop (DLL) for phase adjustment in a direct conversion radio receiver are disclosed. The DLL is configured to avoid a perceived phase shift when the control voltage to a delay line is reset upon reaching a predetermined amount. Embodiments disclosed include a DLL, a radio receiver using the DLL, a circuit for resetting the DLL, a method for recovering a modulated radio signal, and a method of synchronizing a reference clock to a radio signal. The approach can allow for improved synchronization of the reference clock to a received radio signal during baseband frequency recovery.

A radio receiver may be used to recover a "baseband" signal (e.g., a radio signal having a first frequency) from transmitted data (e.g., typically having a second frequency different from, and oftentimes higher than, the first frequency). For example, a transmitted signal may have an AM sinusoidal waveform (e.g., generally having the form A(t)cos(ωct), where A(t) can be any time-varying signal representing the transmitted data; and cos(ωct) is the baseband signal, where ω=2πf, and "f" is the frequency of the sinusoidal waveform, and "t" represents time). In some cases, the baseband signal may include frequencies near 0 Hz (e.g., 1 Hz). In some wireless communication signal systems, transmitted signals can include original low frequency radio signal portions that are modulated to the higher transmitted carrier frequencies (e.g., in a radio-frequency [RF] signal) for transmission. Such original low frequency components (i.e., the baseband radio signal) can then be converted or recovered from the relatively high frequency components by using a radio receiver.
In a typical conversion to baseband signal frequencies, one or two mixers or multiplier circuits can be used for a "direct down" conversion approach where incoming data (e.g., a radio signal) is directly converted from the transmission frequency or broadcast channel (e.g., typically from about 40 to about 60 kHz) to the baseband frequency (e.g., about 1 Hz) in a receiver. However, one drawback of this approach is a potential mismatch between the transmission frequency and a reference frequency of the receiver. If those frequencies are not identical, a "delta" frequency or frequency difference will be converted into a signal portion or component in a receiver output waveform for the recovered radio signal.
Several different architectures have been used to solve the problem of mismatch between the transmission frequency and the reference frequency of the receiver. One such architecture, shown in FIG. 1, employs delay-locked loop 120 in a receiver indicated by the general reference character 100. The delay element 108 is used to take a signal from a reference source, in this instance the voltage-controlled oscillator 110 coupled to a phase-locked loop 112 that receives a reference clock signal from the reference clock generator 114, and provide a delayed (or phase-shifted) signal as a reference oscillator with the delay being variable corresponding to its gain and the value applied to its control input. The output from the delay element (or reference oscillator) is used in the I-channel in processing the transmitted radio signal to obtain a recovered radio signal (transmitted data).
The signal from reference oscillator is also used in a feedback loop to set the level of control signal, x, for the delay element. The signal is phase shifted in a 90° phase shifter 106. The resulting signal is combined with the radio signal in the Q-channel mixer. The output of the Q-channel mixer is then processed by a low pass filter 104-Q and the resulting signal is used as the control signal for the delay element.
From an analysis of the circuit, it is observed that the controlling input to the delay element is negatively proportional to the delta of time. This implies that after a long period of time, the control voltage of the delay element would also become increasingly large in magnitude. This may not be practical for a system with limited control or power supply voltage. To overcome this issue, two potential solutions have been identified.
One method involves repeatedly resetting the DLL at a fixed rate. FIG. 2 illustrates a reset circuit for resetting a DLL 200 at a fixed rate. In the DLL 200, mixer 202 (which corresponds to mixer 102-Q in FIG. 1) provides an output to low-pass filter 210 (which corresponds to filter 104-Q in FIG. 1) formed by resistor R1, capacitor C1, and operational amplifier 204 (which receives both the RC-filtered output of mixer 202 and a reference voltage). A delay control signal output (x) from low-pass filter 210 is input into delay line 206 (which corresponds to delay line 108 in FIG. 1), which also receives a reference clock via reference path 208. Switch S1 resets the low-pass filter by discharging capacitor C1. During a reset operation, switch S1 is closed (e.g., in response to an active reset signal) for a length of time sufficient to discharge substantially all of the charge on capacitor C1. To reset the DLL at a fixed rate, the reset switch is periodically pulsed.
At large phase errors, the control voltage should return to its correct delay value after being reset. This will take a certain amount of time, depending upon the loop response time. During this reset time, the loop will generally be in error and may cause the output of the I-channel to decrease in value. With a large enough signal bandwidth-to-reset period ratio, this can be filtered out with a low pass filter. However, if the bandwidth of the data is near the reset frequency, a ripple in the output may occur. This ripple can become significant enough to cause errors, especially in the presence of noise.
The second method entails two replica delay lines of the same length of the main delay line that provide a 0 and 2π reference control voltage. The control voltage of the main delay line is then reset when it reaches either reference value.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, this method employs a DLL reset circuit having replica circuit portions, utilizing sine/cosine function repeatability. The DLL reset circuit is indicated by the general reference character 300. As shown in FIG. 3A, replica circuit portions, such as delay lines 304 and 306, are used in detecting the 2π threshold. The outputs of replica delay lines 308 can be monitored until the output of delay line 304 (controlled by xa) equals cos(0) and the output of delay line 306 (controlled by xb) equals cos(2π). Thus, xa and xb may have fixed or predetermined values such that xa is substantially equal to a predetermined minimum value for x, and xb is substantially equal to a predetermined maximum value for x. Referring now to FIG. 3B, comparator circuit 312 can then be used to detect when delay control signal x gets as large as xb so that a pulse can be provided to close switch S1 in low-pass filter 310 (which corresponds to filter 104-Q in FIG. 1) formed by resistor R1, capacitor C1, and operational amplifier 314. When S1 is closed, operational amplifier 314 can produce a unity gain feedback for input xa such that delay control signal x can be reset to the value of input xa. Of course, the xa and xb inputs may be switched in the scheme of FIG. 3B for a negative-ramping x.
This second method consumes extra power (e.g., by the delay lines 304, 306) to provide the reference control voltage. Also, the output of delay lines 304, 306 can vary significantly as a function of process parameters. This means that the reference voltages may have to move significantly to compensate for this source of error.


Artificial heart valve structures and methods of their fabrication are disclosed. The heart valve structures may be fabricated from a biocompatible polymer and include one or more heart valve leaflet structures incorporated within a conduit. The valve structures may incorporate one or more conduit sinuses, as well as a gap between the lower margin of the valve leaflets and the interior of the conduit. In addition, the valve structures may include one or more valve sinuses created in a space between the valve leaflets and the conduit inner surface. Computational fluid dynamics and mechanical modeling may be used to design the valve leaflets with optimal characteristics. A heart valve structure may also incorporate a biodegradable component to which cells may adhere The incorporated cells may arise from patient cells migrating to the biodegradable component, or the component may be pre-seeded with cells prior to implantation in a patient.

The selection of a heart valve structure for right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction may present a major challenge in the treatment of many congenital heart diseases including, without limitation, tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, truncus arteriosus, transposition of great arteries with pulmonary stenosis, and congenital aortic stenosis/insufficiency.
Heart valve structures that may be used for RVOT reconstruction in pediatric patients may consist of homografts, which may not be readily available in many cases, and xenografts, which may be expensive (frequently around $4,000-$5,000). After the invention of the cryopreservation process in early 1980s, and especially with the increased availability of a wide range of sizes, the homograft has frequently become the heart surgeon's heart valve structure of choice for the RVOT reconstruction. However, longitudinal studies have demonstrated that homografts may also necessitate heart valve structure replacement due to stenosis and insufficiency. Such complications may be caused by shrinkage and calcification, and may be especially problematic for younger patients.
Recently, new xenograft designs have been evaluated for RVOT reconstruction including a glutaraldehyde-fixed porcine aortic valve and root, and a glutaraldehyde-fixed segment of a bovine jugular vein with venous valve. Although the anatomical shape of the porcine prosthesis may fit well to the RVOT, stenosis and calcification issues may still persist when the prosthesis is implanted in children. Similarly, recent reports on the bovine heart valve structures suggest a significant early fibrotic ring formation at the distal anastomosis. Additionally, dramatic dilation of and regurgitation through a heart valve structure may occur in the setting of pulmonary hypertension or distal anastomotic ring. The most successful heart valve structures for RVOT reconstruction, the homograft and the bovine jugular vein, both have shown re-operation rates of around 10-20% after about only two years. Re-operation and re-intervention rates, especially for the bovine xenograft, appear to increase significantly with increasing time and decreasing conduit diameter.
Both homografts and xenografts may suffer from calcification, which may result in stenosis and insufficiency, leading to the need for re-operation and replacement of the heart valve structure. Additionally, studies suggest that bioprosthetic heart valve structures available for RVOT reconstruction i.e. both allografts and xenografts, may be ineffective due to poor hemodynamic performance and long-term complications, especially in very young patients. Even after bioprosthetic valve replacement is performed, frequent surgeries for RVOT reconstruction may be required until the individual reaches adulthood. The additional surgeries may be required due to recurrent stenosis/insufficiency caused by calcification or degenerative processes, as well as the relative stenosis due to somatic growth.
Artificial heart valve structures may be considered as an alternative to both homografts and xenografts. However, artificial mechanical valves may not generally be available for RVOT reconstruction for pediatric patients. One factor that may affect availability of such heart valve structures may include the difficulty of designing a valve structure which can deal with the very low pressures (which may be less than 20 mmHg in many cases) found in the pediatric RVOT. Additional design challenges may also include small conduit diameter, a high degree of curvature along the conduit path, and the need for conduit flexibility as the patient grows. Intensive bioengineering studies may be required to produce effective designs customized for the pediatric/neonatal population. In use, mechanical valves may have higher longevity when implanted in the pulmonary position compared to implantation in the aortic position, but may require aggressive anticoagulant therapy due to a higher risk of thrombosis.
In addition to those conditions disclosed above for which RVOT is indicated, other disorders may also benefit from implanted artificial heart valve structures. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a rare and complex congenital heart disorder which may be extremely difficult to treat successfully. HLHS may be characterized by a hypoplastic left ventricle that is unable to maintain systemic circulation, a hypoplastic aortic arch and ascending aorta that require reconstruction, and a patent ductus arteriosus that may maintain systemic circulation of the lower body. In order to treat HLHS, three separate procedures may be required: a Norwood operation, a bidirectional Glenn procedure, and a Fontan procedure.
The Norwood operation typically involves connecting the base of the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch in order to re-direct blood flow to the systemic tract. In order to continue to provide circulation to the pulmonary tract, a shunt or conduit may be placed following the Norwood operation to provide blood flow to the pulmonary artery. At present, there are two typical options for such a shunt: a Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt that may connect the aorta to the base of the pulmonary artery, and a Sano shunt (RV-PA conduit) that may be placed between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.
The placement of the BT shunt may result in blood flow from the aorta to the pulmonary artery during both systolic and diastolic phases. This constant flow due to the BT shunt may cause low systemic diastolic pressure that can potentially lead to early mortality. The RV-PA conduit may avoid the issue of the pulmonary tract constantly leaching blood flow from the systemic tract by connecting the pulmonary artery directly to the right ventricle, rather than the aorta. In this manner the RV-PA shunt can maintain higher systemic diastolic pressure than the BT shunt. However present RV-PA shunts contain no valves, so backflow may occur into the right ventricle. As a result of the backflow, right ventricular enlargement may occur leading eventually to the need for partial or total heart replacement.
Shunts used for the treatment of HLHS can be very small, normally having a diameter of around 4 mm. This can make extremely difficult the design and manufacturing of any heart valve structure containing such a conduit. Past attempts at using a simple valved conduit have been unsuccessful, as the placement and geometry of the valve have resulted in the valve sticking to the conduit. Valve sticking may result in thrombus formation and flow impedance, which often results in early patient mortality.
Therefore, there appears to be a significant need for a heart valve structure, encompassing a conduit and a heart valve leaflet structure, with long durability for use with neonatal and pediatric patients.

Artificial valved conduits for cardiac reconstructive procedures and methods for their production

University of Pittsburgh-Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education


Described herein are techniques for artificially enhancing spaciousness in a hearing aid to improve the music listening experience. Such spatial enhancement is produced by doing signal processing in the hearing aid that mimics the acoustic effects of well-designed concert halls. The same techniques can also be applied to improving the experience of listening to recorded music reproduced and amplified over a speaker system, or to music streamed to the direct-audio input of a hearing aid.

Hearing aids are electronic instruments worn in or around the ear that compensate for hearing losses by amplifying and processing sound so as to help people with hearing loss hear better in both quiet and noisy situations. Hearing aid wearers often complain of a diminished ability to perceive and appreciate the richness of live music. Their diminished experience is due (at least in part) to the inability to perceive the binaural cues that convey the spatial aspects of the live music experience to listeners with normal hearing. It has also long been recognized that listeners prefer music that appears to emanate from a broad spatial extent over that emanating from a narrow point source. Stereo and surround sound consumer audio formats recognize this preference, and correspondingly generate spacious audio experiences for listeners. Concert hall architects also recognize this preference and design halls to enhance the spaciousness of a musical performance. Listeners with hearing loss, especially those whose impairment is moderate-severe to severe, have deficits in the perception of the binaural cues that convey spaciousness. Indeed, even listeners with milder hearing losses can have such deficits.

Spatial enhancement mode for hearing aids


A membrane electrode assembly manufacturing device includes a loading apparatus for supplying an MEA roll on which a membrane electrode assembly is arranged by a predetermined pitch, a hot press apparatus for pressing a surface corresponding to the membrane electrode assembly of the MEA roll at a set temperature, a buffer apparatus to which the MEA roll is supplied to one side and exhausted at the other side, and for performing a buffer function of absorbing a difference between supply and exhaustion, and a cutting apparatus for cutting a portion of the membrane electrode assembly arranged at the MEA roll.

As conventional energy resources such as petroleum and coal may soon run out, interest regarding energy sources which may substitute for them has increased. For an example, a fuel cell is particularly being researched because of merits of high efficiency and an absence of exhaust pollution materials such as NOx and SOx, and a usable fuel therein is abundant.
The fuel cell is an electric generator system that converts chemical reactive energy of a fuel and an oxidizing agent to electrical energy. Typically, hydrogen or methanol is used as the fuel, and oxygen is used as the oxidizing agent.
In the fuel cell, the most basic unit generating electricity is a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), and this consists of electrolyte film, and an anode and a cathode formed at respective surfaces of the electrolyte film. Referring to FIG. 1 and Reaction Formula 1 (a reaction formula of a fuel cell when hydrogen is used as a fuel) indicating an electrical generation principle, an oxidation reaction of the fuel and oxygen (oxidizing agent) occurs at the anode electrode to generate a hydrogen ion and an electron, the hydrogen ion moves to the cathode electrode through the electrolyte film, the hydrogen ion is transferred through the electrolyte membrane, and the electron reacts at the cathode electrode to generate water. By this reaction, the electron moves to an external circuit.anode electrode: H2→2H++2e cathode electrode: 1/2O2+2H++2e−→H2Owhole reaction formula: H2+1/2O2→H2O  Reaction Formula 1
In a manufacturing process of the membrane-electrode assembly, the membrane-electrode assembly has been produced by attaching a protection membrane to both surfaces of the electrolyte membrane, and hot compressing the anode electrode (fuel pole) to which a catalytic layer is applied and the cathode electrode (air pole). This process has a discontinuity property because respective components are manufactured by respective steps and by manual labor. Also, it is difficult to standardize performance because of operation errors occurring due to the manual labor inputs. Thereby, the discontinuous manufacturing process has a low production speed, and it is too difficult to control factors determining performance.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Membrane electrode assembly manufacturing device and manufacturing method thereof


A storage cabinet comprises: a container having a floor, upright side walls and a rear wall attached to and extending upwardly from the floor, and a ceiling attached to the side walls and rear wall, the floor, side walls, rear wall, and ceiling defining a storage cavity; a vertical support member extending upwardly from the floor; at least one door pivotally attached to one of the side walls and movable between an open position, in which the cavity is accessible from a position forward thereof, and a closed position, in which the door contacts the support member and prevents access to the cavity from a position forward thereof; and a latching mechanism attached to the support member. The latching mechanism includes two release members protruding forwardly from the support member, wherein an upper one of the release members is positioned above a lower one of the release members. The release members are movable in unison from a latched position, in which the latching mechanism latches the door in the closed position, and an unlatched position, in which the latching mechanism allows the door to move to the open position. In this configuration, an operator carrying a load with both hands can choose to unlatch the door by hand or by foot, depending on which method is more convenient.

Large storage cabinets used in the construction industry are often formed of steel sheet. Such cabinets typically include opposed side walls, a rear wall, a floor, a ceiling, and one or two doors that are pivotally mounted on the front edges of the side walls to provide access to the cabinet from the front. The floor, walls and ceiling of the cabinet can be formed either from a single sheet of steel that is bent at intersecting edges of these surfaces or from multiple pieces of sheet steel that are welded together. Often, such a cabinet will also include one or more shelves which facilitate the storage of tools and other items. Also, many cabinets have bolsters underlying the floor, and some will include casters beneath the bolsters. The doors of the cabinet are typically formed of a single sheet of steel and, with the exception of narrow finishing flanges around the edges, they are relatively flat. Typical sizes for such a cabinet can range from 40 ft3 to 60 ft3 or even larger. Exemplary storage cabinets include those sold under the name JOBOX® by Delta Consolidated Industries, Jonesboro, Ark. and those sold under the name JOBMASTER® by Knaack Manufacturing, Crystal Lake, Ill.
As noted above, many storage cabinets of the type described above have doors pivotally attached to the front edges of the side walls to alternatively allow and prevent access to the cavity of the cabinet from the front. Generally such cabinets have a vertical support member that is mounted to and extends from the floor to the ceiling. The support member is positioned such that it spans the gap between the free edges of the doors when they are closed. Each door will typically have an engaging member of a latch (such as a hook) attached near its free edge that interacts with a latching mechanism attached to the support member. As an example, one latching mechanism includes horizontally-disposed pins that engage with hooks on the doors and thereby latch the doors in place. The pins are mounted on a vertical rod that is slidably mounted to the rear surface of the support member. The pins can be raised to unlatch the doors via a lever or knob that extends forwardly from the vertical rod through a vertical slot in the support member.
Many cabinets will also include a locking system that enables the doors to be locked in the latched position. One such locking system (illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,290,281 and 5,076,078 to Weger, Jr.) includes a "pocket" located in the vertical support member that houses a padlock. The padlock is disposed horizontally within the pocket, with the "key insertion end" of the padlock body being exposed for forward access through the pocket, and the shackle of the padlock extending toward the cavity of the storage cabinet and being restrained by a bracket within the pocket. The body and shackle surround an upright notched member that is attached to and moves vertically with the latching mechanism. When the padlock is locked, the body engages the notch of the notched member, so vertical movement of the latching mechanism is prevented (i.e., the doors of the cabinet are locked and remain locked). When the padlock is unlocked, horizontal movement of the body away from the shackle creates sufficient space for the notched member to become disengaged from the body, and the latching mechanism is free to move vertically to unlatch the doors of the cabinet. This type of locking configuration is particularly desirable for storage cabinets used and left overnight at construction sites, as the pocket protects the lock from being destroyed by someone severing the shackle with a bolt cutter or a similar tool.
One difficulty with the latching and locking mechanisms of current storage cabinets is the inconvenience of opening the cabinet when an operator's hands are full. Even if the cabinet is unlocked and the latching mechanism is free to move, the operator is forced to reach with his hand to grasp and pull the latching lever. If many items are being carried, or if an item being carried is particularly heavy or bulky, the operator may be forced either to set down some or all of his load or to balance the load with one hand and arm in order to unlatch the doors of the cabinet.
Another performance issue of current latching systems presents itself when the operator wishes to close the doors. With the system described above, often the latching mechanism will remain in the unlatched position after unlatching, either simply by friction or through a subassembly designed for this purpose. An operator opens the doors by moving release lever to the unlatched position, at which time both doors would have the opportunity to open. Often, both doors tend to open; this is particularly true if the cabinet is positioned on uneven ground, with the front of the cabinet being lower than the rear of the cabinet. If the operator reaches in to gather items from within the cabinet and has his hands full, closing and latching the doors is difficult, because the latch remains in the unlatched position until actively moved back by the operator. A related problem occurs when the operator wishes to open only one door; with the latching mechanism in the unlatched position, the door that he wishes to remain closed will have a tendency to open unless he actively moves the release lever back to the locking position after opening the door he wishes to open.
Another shortening of the current cabinets is the tendency of the bolsters to fracture when casters are mounted thereunder. The bolsters are typically formed of a single sheet of steel bent into the shape of an open rectangular box. The cabinets are often loaded sufficiently that bolsters of this structure may have inadequate strength to support the load; as a result, the bolsters fail at the mounting locations of the casters.

Storage cabinet with locking system having dual release members


A bump is formed on each element electrode of a semiconductor device, and a thermoplastic resin sheet is aligned in position with the semiconductor device. The sheet and the semiconductor device are subjected to hot pressing to melt the sheet, forming a thermoplastic resin portion that covers a portion other than the end surface of each bump of the semiconductor device. The thermoplastic resin portion obtained after the hot pressing is cut.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device package manufacturing method capable of mounting a semiconductor device with high density, a small thickness, high productivity, and high reliability, an electronic component module manufacturing method, a noncontact IC card manufacturing method, utilizing the method, a semiconductor device package manufactured by the semiconductor device package manufacturing method, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device-mounted component such as a semiconductor device package and an electronic component module, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device-mounted finished-product utilizing the semiconductor device-mounted component manufacturing method and a semiconductor device-mounted finished-product manufactured by the semiconductor device-mounted finished-product manufacturing method.
2. Description of Related Art
The conventional semiconductor device package will be described with reference to FIG. 18 through FIG. 21.
FIG. 20A, FIG. 20B, FIG. 20C, FIG. 20D and FIG. 21 show the manufacturing method process by process. FIG. 19 shows a process chart.
First of all, in step S101 of FIG. 19, dicing of a wafer is performed, and thereafter, a bump 104 is formed by the wire bonding method on each element electrode 105 of a semiconductor device 103 in step S102 as shown in FIG. 20A. The reference numeral 106 denotes a passivation film for protecting the active surface of the semiconductor device 103.
Next, in step S103, as shown in FIG. 20B, a conductive adhesive 116 is formed on the bump 104 by a transfer method. For the conductive adhesive 116, an epoxy-based adhesive, which include particles of Ag, Cu, or the like as a filler, is principally employed.
Next, in step S104, as shown in FIG. 20C, the semiconductor device 103 is mounted so that the bumps 104 of the semiconductor device 103 are electrically connected to the electrodes 117 of a circuit board 115 formed of ceramic, glass epoxy, or the like, and the conductive adhesive 116 is thermally hardened in step S105. The standard hardening conditions of the conductive adhesive 116 are 140° C. for 20 minutes.
Next, in step S106, as shown in FIG. 20D, a space between the semiconductor device 103 and the circuit board 115 is filled with an encapsulant 121 for securing reliability by a dispenser 122, and thermosetting is performed in step S107. The average conditions of the thermosetting are 140° C. for four hours.
Next, in step S108, as shown in FIG. 21, a solder paste 120 is printed on electrodes 118 formed on the side that belongs to the circuit board 115 and are opposite from the mounting surface of the semiconductor device 103, and thereafter, metallic particles 119 of Au, Cu, Ag, or the like are mounted in step S109 and made to pass through a reflow furnace in step S110, obtaining a semiconductor device package as shown in FIG. 18.
The semiconductor device package shown in FIG. 18 is thus completed through the processes of step S101 to step S110.
However, according to the above-mentioned conventional semiconductor device package manufacturing method and structure, there has been the issue that the productivity is low because many processes are needed and much time is necessary for the hardening of the conductive adhesive 116 and the encapsulant 121. Moreover, the circuit board 115 has a thickness of about 0.5 mm, and a total thickness of the semiconductor package becomes about 1 mm including the thickness of the semiconductor device 103. This structure has had difficulties in being reduced in thickness and the issue that the package cannot be applied to a commodity, which is restricted to a thickness of not greater than 0.76 mm as in, for example, a noncontact IC card.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned issues and provide a thin type semiconductor device package manufacturing method with high quality and high productivity, an electronic component module manufacturing method, a noncontact IC card manufacturing method, utilizing the semiconductor device package manufacturing method, a semiconductor device package manufactured by the semiconductor device package manufacturing method, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device-mounted component such as a semiconductor device package and an electronic component module, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device-mounted finished-product utilizing the semiconductor device-mounted component manufacturing method and a semiconductor device-mounted finished-product manufactured by the semiconductor device-mounted finished-product manufacturing method.

Semiconductor device package manufacturing method and semiconductor device package manufactured by the method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Surfactant-containing compositions are described which include a protein component that has the effect of improving the surface-active properties of the surfactants contained in the compositions. The surfactant-containing compositions having the protein component demonstrate significantly lower critical micelle concentrations (CMC) than do comparable compositions having no protein component. In addition, the surfactant-containing compositions having the protein component have the effect of converting greasy waste contaminants to surface active materials.

Surfactants (also called surface active agents or wetting agents) are organic chemicals that reduce surface tension in water and other liquids. There are hundreds of compounds that can be used as surfactants. These compounds are usually classified by their ionic behavior in solutions: anionic, cationic, non-ionic or amphoteric (zwitterionic). Each surfactant class has its own specific physical, chemical, and performance properties.
Surfactants are compounds composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic or lipophobic groups. In view of their dual hydrophilic and hydrophobic nature, surfactants tend to concentrate at the interfaces of aqueous mixtures; the hydrophilic part of the surfactant orients itself towards the aqueous phase and the hydrophobic parts orients itself away from the aqueous phase into the second phase.
The hydrophobic part of a surfactant molecule is generally derived from a hydrocarbon containing 8 to 20 carbon atoms (e.g. fatty acids, paraffins, olefins, alkylbenzenes). The hydrophilic portion may either ionize in aqueous solutions (cationic, anionic) or remain un-ionized (non-ionic). Surfactants and surfactant mixtures may also be amphoteric or zwitterionic.
Surfactants are known for their use in personal care products (e.g., soaps, specialty soaps, liquid hand soaps, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels, dermatology and acne care products), household products (e.g., dry and liquid laundry detergents, dish soaps, dishwasher detergents, toilet bowl cleaners, upholstery cleaners, fabric softeners), hard surface cleaners (floor cleaners, metal cleaners, automobile and other vehicle cleaners), pet care products (e.g., shampoos), and cleaning products in general. Other uses are in industrial applications in lubricants, emulsion polymerisation, textile processing, mining flocculates, petroleum recovery, wastewater treatment and many other products and processes. Surfactants are also used as dispersants after oil spills.

Increasing surface-active properties of surfactants


An anti-refill product including a container having a neck integral with a body and shoulder of the container. The neck has a neck finish terminating in a lip, a valve seat axially between the shoulder and the lip and including a single, a circumferentially continuous, internal valve sealing surface extending completely around the neck, and a valve retainer axially between the valve seat and the lip, and including a radially inwardly extending projection that includes at least one internal valve retaining surface. A check element is separate from the container and carried in the container neck between the valve seat and the valve retainer.

A container for carrying a liquid product can include a fitment that renders the container non-refillable so as to impede or prevent efforts to refill the container with inferior products. U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,811 illustrates a container of this type.
A general object of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, is to provide a product including a container and a non-refillable fitment that is non-removably secured to the container, and that indicates opening of the container and/or evidences efforts to tamper with the package via breakage of the container and/or the fitment.
The present disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
An anti-refill product in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure includes a container including a body, a shoulder integral with and extending from the body, and a neck integral with and extending from the shoulder. The neck includes a neck finish terminating in a lip, a valve seat axially between the shoulder and the lip, and including a single, circumferentially continuous, internal valve sealing surface extending completely around the neck, and a valve retainer axially between the valve seat and the lip, and including at least one radially inwardly extending projection that includes at least one internal valve retaining surface. The product also includes a check element separate from the container and carried in the container neck between the valve seat and the valve retainer.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of producing a product that includes forming a glass container including a body, a shoulder integral with and extending from the body, and a neck integral with and extending from the shoulder and including a valve retainer, and a valve seat integral with the neck and located axially between the shoulder and the valve retainer. The method also includes assembling a check element into the neck so that the check element seats against the valve seat.
In accordance with a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a package that includes a container having a neck, an anti-refill valve in the neck including a check element, and a closure removably secured to the neck to close the package. The package is characterized in that the anti-refill check element is coupled to the closure such that removal of the closure from the neck separates the valve ball from the closure so that the check element functions both as a valve element of the anti-refill valve and as means for indicating that the package has been opened.


Micrometric separator (1) for biomasses (100) in particles, of the type including a first crushing stage (2) wherein particles are introduced dispersed in a conveying fluid bed, and a first conveyor for conveying the particles in the fluid bed. The first crushing stage (2) has a first crushing chamber (5) for reciprocal collisions of particles, that has a first revolving disc (7) provided with first members (9) for generating a turbulent flow in the fluid bed, and a first contrast body (8), in front of the first revolving disc (7), as well as one or more outlets (22) of the fluid bed, the first contrast body (8) being provided with an inlet (6) having an inflow section with the axis substantially incident to the first revolving disc (7).

It is known art to realize separators of the afore mentioned type wherein a specific mechanical device acts, because of compressing actions, or because of friction, or more because of collision, in such a way that the interaction between conveniently shaped parts of such a device and the biomasses in process would allow the mechanical crushing of said biomasses introduced inside the device. Further separating devices, for example of the cyclonic type, are then placed downstream to allow the selection of the previously crushed particles.
For example, the European Application EP-A-1712286 in the name of MANOLA teaches about the use of shaped rollers rotatable around their own axis and around a central cylinder that during the rotation, because of collision and eventually compression, would crush the biomasses, particularly composed of organic dry materials, thanks to the interaction of the biomasses themselves with the shaped revolving rollers and the central cylinder.
Such a device, particularly effective in extracting organic matrixes from the dry biomasses (for example hazelnut shells, or woody fibers), however exhibits the disadvantage that, in case wherein matrixes with protein content are destined to be extracted from the organic material easily to degrade, the contact of the biomasses with the crushing surfaces of rollers and the cylinder may cause the modification of the active ingredients of the organic matrixes that are intended to be extracted.
It is further known, for example in the US Application US-A-2002/0117564 in the name of HANH et al., how to realize micrometric separators wherein the material to be crushed, not necessarily composed of biomasses, is conveyed in a fluid bed that is alternatively subjected, inside a proper chamber, to high increases and decreases of pressure, for example obtained by servo-controlled rotors being able to generate pressure waves, so to cause the crush of the material conveyed by the fluid because of resonance.
These equipments, although efficient for crushing hard materials, are difficult to regulate for crushing biomasses to the end of obtaining selected matrixes containing convenient active ingredients, and they are further technically complex and expensive.
According to another technique, for example known from the International Patent Application WO 2008/053475, the biomass crushing for extracting organic matrixes containing active ingredients is carried out by an apparatus that is able to generate vortex motions inside an air flow wherein the biomasses are dispersed in particles. Such vortex motions may be generated in a cylindrical chamber, introducing tangential fluidic flows with high pressures and predefined flow rates. Such an apparatus does not prevent particles of the introduced biomasses from colliding against the walls of the cylindrical receptacle, or even from remaining in contact with such walls, during their processing, with a possible consequent modification of the active ingredients contained in the organic matrixes to be extracted.
It is an object of the present invention to realize an apparatus for micrometric separation of biomasses in particles not presenting the drawbacks of the known art before complained.
It is then an object of the present invention to provide a micrometric separator for biomasses allowing an efficient crushing of biomasses, and a corresponding subsequent selection, being able to provide organic matrixes containing active ingredients, for example proteins, extremely pure.
Another object of the present invention is to realize a micrometric separator for biomasses allowing to obtain extremely high yields.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a micrometric separator for biomasses being compact and technically easy to produce.


The first external electrode has a main body portion a part of which is buried in a side wall of a case and joining portions protruding from an end of the main body portion toward the inside of the case. Each joining portion of the first external electrode is formed to have a thickness smaller than that of the main body portion, and an end portion of each joining portion is directly joined onto a wiring pattern of the insulating substrate through ultrasonic joining. Therefore, a load and ultrasonic vibration necessary for joining the joining portion onto the wiring pattern can be suppressed, which makes it possible to directly join the first external electrode onto the wiring pattern of the insulating substrate without damaging an insulating member of the insulating substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor element is disposed on an insulating substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a semiconductor device is known in which a semiconductor element is disposed on an insulating substrate. The insulating substrate has a planar insulating member made of ceramics or the like and a wiring pattern formed on an upper surface of the insulating member and made of copper or the like. A back electrode of the semiconductor element is joined onto the wiring pattern by soldering.
For example, by connecting an external electrode disposed independently of the insulating substrate with the wiring pattern of the insulating substrate through wire bonding in such a semiconductor device, the back electrode of the semiconductor element can be taken out to the outside of the device through the external electrode.
However, when the wiring pattern of the insulating substrate and the external electrode are connected through wire bonding as described above, in order to prevent a bonding tool from interfering with parts inside the semiconductor device, it is necessary to provide a clearance in the vicinity of bonding portions, which makes the semiconductor device larger.
Further, because wire used for the wire bonding has a small cross-sectional area through which current passes, the electrical resistance is large. And, the inductance of the wire is also large. Thus, there is a problem that the electrical energy loss is large.
Herein, it can be considered that, by directly joining the external electrode onto the wiring pattern of the insulating substrate through ultrasonic joining, the back electrode of the semiconductor element is taken out to the outside of the device through the external electrode.
However, because an insulating member located under the wiring pattern in the insulating substrate is made of ceramics or the like and is brittle compared with copper or the like forming the wiring pattern, when the external electrode is ultrasonically joined onto the wiring pattern of the insulating substrate, there is a fear that the insulating member of the insulating substrate is damaged such as being cracked or broken due to stress of ultrasonic vibration or due to a load during the joining.
For example, in a semiconductor device disclosed in JP 11-145188 A, a metal bump for absorbing the load during the joining and the ultrasonic vibration is formed on an electrode pad provided on an upper surface of a semiconductor chip. By joining a lead frame onto the metal bump, ultrasonic joining can be performed while the semiconductor chip is prevented from being damaged.
However, when the joining method disclosed in JP 11-145188 A is applied to joining of an external electrode onto a wiring pattern of an insulating substrate, it is necessary to provide a metal bump on the wiring pattern of the insulating substrate, which makes the structure complicated. Further, because the number of process steps as a whole is increased in order to form the metal bump, additional effort has to be taken in the manufacture. Those situations are problematic.

Semiconductor device having semiconductor element with back electrode on insulating substrate


A method of authenticating a password and a portable device thereof are provided. The method includes: displaying an input keyboard on which a plurality of objects are arranged; changing an object arranged on the input keyboard according to a manipulation of a user; and if an object pattern arranged in a designated position of the input keyboard corresponds to a preset password pattern, authenticating the user. Therefore, it is difficult to use artifacts on the display screen to trace a password after entry, and thus security is improved. As a result, a protection of personal information of a user is strengthened.

1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a method of authenticating a password and a portable device thereof, and more particularly, to a method of authenticating a password of a portable device including a screen which may be a touch screen and the portable device thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of personal portable devices that are capable of participating in e-commerce, and of implementing the full range of financial transactions, has brought with it a heightened level of concern for the protection of the user's personal information accessible on and via such devices. One main approach to realizing protection for personal portable devices has been the setting and authentication of a password.
More specifically, known approaches to authenticating a user include inputting preset numbers, or drawing a figure in a preset pattern. However, these known approaches, i.e., the use of an ordered sequence of numbers or the use of an input pattern, are susceptible to compromise by malefactors who may, unbeknownst to the user, covertly observe how the user inputs the password; that is, by "shoulder-surfing", another might view the pattern entered by the user, or the position of the user's fingers when completing authentication, even without necessarily being able to observe the user's display. This is because, on a typical display, button arrangements are fixed, and so another person can estimate and often reproduce the manner in which the user entered an authentication sequence or pattern. This fact may result in exposure or compromise of the user's authentication sequence or pattern, thereby jeopardizing the safety of the user's personal information.
Touch screens, which are especially prolific in modern personal portable devices, also offer the risk that oils or other matter may be left behind when a user enters an authentication sequence or pattern. In other words, touch screens are susceptible to compromise through traces left behind from the user's fingertips. Such trace information may enable another person to estimate or reproduce the user's authentication sequence or pattern.
Accordingly, a more powerful, secure method of authenticating a password, and thus authenticating a user is needed.

Method of authenticating password and portable device thereof