An apparatus, method, and system for distributing gas and/or liquid phase substance from an inlet to multiple outlets with reduced variations and distribution. The apparatus includes a body having an inlet and a plurality of outlets. In one aspect, a rotatable impeller is positioned between inlet and plurality of outlets. The impeller includes a spiral fluid pathway relative to direction of substance through the inlet so that the substance passes through the impeller and is distributed to the outlets through a spinning impeller.

Application or injection of chemicals, such as fertilizers, on or into the soil, is commonly used to enhance growth and yield for agricultural plants. In come cases, such substances are in fluid-form (liquid or gaseous phase, as opposed to solid phase). Apparatus is required to convey the substance from a bulk storage container to the ground.
One example is the injection of anhydrous ammonia (NH3) (a gas at ambient temperatures and pressures) into the ground. Normally, the substance is kept under pressure in liquid phase in a large bulk holding container or tank. What are called knives have discharge ends that are dragged through the ground. A valving and distribution system can be selectively operated to convey anhydrous ammonia from the tank to the knives as the knives are dragged through the ground to emplace the fertilizer in the ground. Nitrogen fertilizer is a major input in terms of cost and energy in production of major crops (e.g. corn, wheat, cotton, rice). Anhydrous ammonia is the most popular form of nitrogen fertilizer application.
Physical properties of anhydrous ammonia can cause it to convert from a high pressure liquid to a mixture of liquid and gas as it travels through application equipment. The mixture is very difficult to evenly distribute to individual application knives across the swath width of the applicator. These distribution problems may be the cause of over-application. Because liquid ammonia is much more dense than gaseous form, openings that receive greater proportions of liquid ammonia will distribute more nitrogen to their knives than openings that receive greater proportions of gaseous ammonia. This results in often highly variable application across the applicator swath.
Normally some type of manifold is used to distribute anhydrous ammonia from the tank to a plurality of knives, so that in one pass, a plurality of rows can be fertilized. During the past 10 years, new low pressure anhydrous ammonia manifolds have been developed. Each manifold has some potential to improve upon the widely varying distribution of the 40-year-old "conventional" radial outlet manifold.
The present inventors conducted studies of several types of commercially available distribution manifolds. Eight manifolds were evaluated during field application at application rates of 84 kg N/ha (75 lb N/ac) and 168 kg N/ha (150 lb N/ac). The actual ammonia stream from each outlet of the manifold was collected and weighed after each run to determine mean, % difference from mean, highest outlet to lowest outlet weight ratio, and the coefficient of variation ("CV") for each run with 11 knife outlets. Results showed that the use of the older "conventional" manifold can result in coefficient of variation or CV values in excess of 30%. Some studies indicate as much as a four-to-one shank-to-shank output variation across an applicator. In general, all the newer manifold designs tested reduced this value, some achieving CV values in the 5% range. But some still have on the order of two-to-one variation between shanks. During application the operator cannot tell if there is over- or under-application. The term CV or coefficient of variation, as used herein, is in percentage as a statistical indicator of variation in output of each manifold. The lower, the better. The coefficient of variation is a well-known indicator. (See, e.g., Steel, R. G., J. H. Torrie, and D. A. Dickey. Principles and Procedures of Statistics: A Biometrical Approach. 3 ed. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. New York. 1997 Pg. 26-27; and ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers) S386.2 DEC98 Calibration and Distribution Pattern Testing of Agricultural Aerial Application Equipment, ASAE—The Society for engineering and agricultural, food, and biological systems, 2950 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, Mich. 49085-9659; and ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers) S341.3 FEB99 Procedure for Measuring Distribution Uniformity and Calibrating Granular Broadcast Spreaders, ASAE—The Society for engineering and agricultural, food, and biological systems, 2950 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, Mich. 49085-9659).
The above-mentioned testing of existing distribution manifolds show there is room for improvement in distribution from the holding container to the application knives. Even a reduction of a few percent of anhydrous ammonia use by improved application equipment and methods could materially decrease the amount of nitrogen release (including into surface and ground water resources) as well as cost to the producers. Some of the existing distribution systems tested (on a three-point DMI model 3250 anhydrous ammonia applicator) include:
Rotaflow™ from H. I. Fraser Pty LTD (Sydney, Australia)—top feed rotary with flow of material though impeller, not outside it.
Equaflow™ from PGI Intl.—Rotary outlets with internal cavity size manually controlled by user.
Vertical Dam designs (small and large, cotton or corn rings) from Continental NH3 Products—ammonia enters from side and swirls into radial outlets.
Conventional manifolds (Model 3497) from Continental NH3 Products (one with mixer; one with nipple; one with street elbow). Also, a COLD-FLO® System 16 (#20340 canister and separate 16 outlet distribution manifolds.) Also, side entry linear and tee entry linear manifold designs and a FD-1200 (CDS John Blue Co.) were tested.
There is a need for optimization of distribution. Development of such a manifold is vital to the future use of this fertilizer form in precision agriculture applications including variable rate application and late spring side dressing of ammonia. Existing manifold designs exhibit noticeable variation as they distribute anhydrous ammonia fertilizer to each of the injection knives on the toolbar applicator. This can lead in the field to nitrogen deficiencies, adversely affecting yield or excesses, adversely affecting environmental quality.
Four measures of variability among outlet distribution were computed. Average outlet difference is the average absolute difference in kg(lb)NH3 of all outlets from the mean output of all outlets for a particular test plot. The average percentage outlet difference is the average of absolute outlet difference from the mean outlet output expresses a percentage of a mean outlet output. This percentage measures use to indicate the average percentage each outlet is from the mean application rate and to normalize variability based on the ammonia collected during each plot run. High/low ratio is the ratio of the ammonia weight from the outlet with the greatest output to the outlet with the least output for a specific application. Coefficient of variation (CV) among the outlets was also included.
Variability among entry methods for the conventional manifolds was different for the lower application rate but at the higher rate, all conventional manifolds had equal variability. The COLD-FLO® manifold had greater variability than all other manifolds tested. The lowest variability across the outlets was measured with the Rotaflow™ and small-housing vertical-dam manifolds at both application rates. Although the small-housing vertical-dam had low variability, it also had a lower flow rate through the manifold and subsequent lower application rate for the same regulator setting. A general trend of decreasing variability with increasing manifold pressure was seen.
Further discussion of problems with present distribution manifolds is set forth at "Rate Variability of Anhydrous Ammonia Applicator Equipment", ISU Extension publication PM-1747, and "Improving the Uniformity of Anhydrous Ammonia Application", Iowa State University, University Extension publication PM 1875 (June 2001), both incorporated by reference herein.
Vertical dam manifolds and the COLD-FLO® system try to solve the gas/liquid mixture problem by separating gas and liquid phases and metering equal portions of each to each knife.

Apparatus and method for reducing anhydrous ammonia application by optimizing distribution

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


A substrate and a method for manufacturing the same, and a probe card employing the substrate as a space transformer. The substrate includes: a substrate body; a key forming groove formed in one surface of the substrate body; and an alignment key formed on the key forming groove. The recognition rate of the alignment key formed on the substrate can be increased, resulting in improved accuracy in a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) process for forming micro probes on the substrate, thereby improving productivity and reliability of the substrate and the probe card including the same.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a substrate and a method for manufacturing the same, and a probe card including the substrate, and more particularly to a substrate and a method for manufacturing the same, and a probe card including the substrate, capable of increasing the recognition rate of alignment keys formed on a substrate to improve accuracy in a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) process of forming a micro probe on the substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a semiconductor device is manufactured by a fabrication process of forming, on a wafer, circuit patterns and connection pads for testing and an assembly process of assembling the wafer on which the circuit patterns and the connection pads are formed into respective semiconductor chips.
A test process of testing electric properties of the wafer by applying an electric signal to the connection pads formed on the wafer is performed between the fabrication process and the assembly process.
The test process is performed in order to remove a part of the wafer at which defects occur at the time of the assembly process.
A so-called tester applying an electric signal to the wafer and a so-called probe card functioning as an interface between the wafer and the tester are mainly used in the test process.
Between them, the probe card includes a printed circuit board receiving the electric signal applied from the tester, and a plurality of probes contacted with connection pads formed on the wafer.
In recent, a circuit pattern formed on the wafer by the fabrication process is highly integrated due to the increased demand for highly integrated semiconductor chips, and as a result, a distance between adjacent connection pads, that is, a pitch becomes very narrow.
In order to test fine-pitch connection pads, the probes of the probe card are also finely formed.
Hereinafter, a general probe card will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to 7B, as follows.
As shown in FIG. 1, a general probe card 10 includes: a printed circuit board 1 to which an electric signal is applied from the outside; a space transformer (STF) 3 having a plurality of micro probes 2 contacted with connection pads of a test object (not shown) such as a semiconductor chip; and an interface member 4 electrically connecting the printed circuit board 1 and the space transformer 3.
Here, the space transformer 3 is an electronic circuit board electrically connecting the printed circuit board 1 and the plurality of micro probes 2 having a size of several tens of micrometers in the middle portion thereof. Several tens of thousands of highly integrated micro probes may be formed by using a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) process and a semiconductor process.
In other words, referring to FIG. 2, the space transformer 3 made of a ceramic substrate is prepared, and a conductive material 31 is provided on an upper surface of the space transformer 3. Then, a photosensitive film (dry film resist (DFR)) 32 is attached onto the conductive material 31.
Then, the photosensitive film 32 is patterned by performing an exposure process using a mask 33 and a development process on the photosensitive film 32.
Then, an etching process is performed thereon, to remove a part of the conductive material 31 on which the photosensitive film is not patterned, and then, the patterned photosensitive film 32 is stripped off, thereby forming a land pattern on the space transformer 3. A plurality of micro probes are embodied on the land pattern, and thus a plurality of micro probes 2 can be formed on the space transformer 3.
Here, in order to perform an electric test process by forming several tens of thousands of highly integrated micro probes 2 on the space transformer 3 and contacting the micro probes 2 with fine-pitch connection pads of a semiconductor chip, the micro probes 2 need to be formed at accurate positions of the space transformer 3.
To achieve this, as shown in FIG. 3, an alignment key 3a may be formed on the space transformer 3. The alignment key 3a is recognized in the MEMS process for forming the micro probes, so that positions at which the micro probes are to be formed on the space transformer 3 can be accurately caught.
More specifically, referring to FIG. 4, a process of manufacturing the alignment key and the micro probes on the space transformer will be described as follows.
First, a space transformer (STF) is prepared, and then a laser process is performed on the space transformer to form an alignment key at an outer perimeter region of the space transformer.
In addition, in order to perform an MEMS process well or the like on the space transformer, a surface of the space transformer is polished and then the alignment key is recognized, so that positions at which the micro probes are to be formed on the space transformer 3 can be accurately caught.
Then, the above-described MEMS process is performed to form micro probes at the micro probe formation positions caught on the space transformer.
Here, a surface of the spacer transformer is polished by about 30 to 40 μm, in order to remove foreign particles on the surface of the space transformer and smoothly perform the MEMS process. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the alignment key 3a is polished together with the spacer transformer 3, with the result that, after the polishing process of the space transformer 3, the alignment key 3 is removed or a shape thereof is changed.
In other words, the alignment key 3a is clearly recognizable before the polishing process of the space transformer 3, as shown in FIG. 5A, but the alignment key 3a may be damaged and unrecognizable after the polishing process of the space transformer 3, as shown in FIG. 5B. As such, since the alignment key 3a is difficult to recognize when the MEMS process is performed on the space transformer 3, it is difficult to catch the positions at which the micro probes are to be formed on the space transformer 3.
For solving this, as shown in FIG. 6, the alignment key 3a is formed more deeply at the time of processing of the alignment key 3a in the space transformer 3, considering the polishing process depth.
In other words, in a case where the polishing process depth of the space transformer 3 is about 30 μm, the alignment key 3a is processed to have a depth of about 50 μm.
However, in the case where the alignment key 3a is deeply processed, the working force of laser becomes strengthened and the number of processes becomes increased, and thus, the alignment key 3a becomes partially melted and collapses due to the heat of the laser, as shown in FIG. 7A. As a result, the recognition rate for the alignment key is decreased, and thus, it is difficult to precisely and accurately form the micro probes on the space transformer 3.
Furthermore, when the polishing process is performed on the space transformer 3 while the alignment key 3a is partially melted and collapses, foreign particles, that is, ceramic pieces or the like, which are generated when the space transformer 3 is polished, are put in a groove of the alignment key 3a, as shown in FIG. 7B. As a result, the recognition rate for the alignment key is decreased, and thus, it is difficult to precisely and accurately form the micro probes on the space transformer 3.

Substrate and method for manufacturing the same, and probe card


A loudspeaker cone assembly having a generally conical cone body and an annular flexible suspension rim. In making the cone assembly, a cone body having an outer free edge is placed within a female mold having an annular channel configured to form the suspension rim with the free outer edge of the cone exposed to the channel. A predetermined quantity of liquid plastic foam is deposited into the channel which is then substantially closed by a male die so as to seal off the cone body adjacent its outer free edge. The foam is then expanded and cured so that the resulting annular rim is integrally impregnated into the free outer edge of the cone body and forms high density closed-cell outer skin surfaces on opposite sides of a low density closed-cell inner core to provide a suspension rim having improved flexibility, strength and durability. A color coating may be applied to selective exposed surface areas of the suspension rim.

The present invention relates generally to loudspeaker cones, and more particularly to a novel loudspeaker cone assembly and method for making same.
Loudspeaker cones, alternatively termed loudspeaker diaphragms, are well known which employ a fibrous or felted paper-type cone or diaphragm adapted to be supported on a support frame through an annular suspension member or rim secured to the outer marginal edge of the cone and having predetermined elastic or flexibility properties. The suspension member or rim may be formed as an integral generally radially directed extension of the periphery of the cone or diaphragm, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,872,583, 2,302,178 and 4,646,874, or may be formed as a separate annular supporting flange or rim affixed to an outer peripheral edge of the cone, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,840,177 and 3,684,052. Alternatively, the loudspeaker cone or diaphragm may be formed of plastic material such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,680.
With the advent of relatively sophisticated sound reproduction systems, such as in stereophonic sound systems, the dynamic or moving coil-type loudspeaker cones used for the mid and low frequency ranges are subjected to relatively high amplitude vibrations in the axial direction of the cone. In the past, many manufacturers of larger size loudspeaker cones have made the suspension rims from rubber in order to achieve desired flexibility and durability. A drawback to the use of rubber suspension rims is their relative high cost.
To overcome the higher cost of rubber speaker cone suspension rims, attempts have been made to manufacture the suspension rims from plastic foam material. One method for making plastic foam-type suspension rims entails cutting a bulk block of raw foam material into slices or sheets of predetermined thickness. A foam sheet is then placed between heated dies which form an annular rim after which the rim is affixed to the outer edge of a cone, generally by means of an adhesive or sewing. This technique has not been totally successful because the rims generally have insufficient strength integrity to support larger diameter speaker cones. A suspension rim made from a double layer of such foam sheets in a laminated construction by a similar heated die process was found to provide improved suspension rims.
A drawback to all known prior methods or techniques for making loudspeaker cone suspension rims is that they do not facilitate economical manufacture of rims in small lots of different colors, as may be desired for various applications.
Thus, a need exists for a loudspeaker cone assembly having a suspension rim which exhibits desired strength, flexibility and durability and which is economical to manufacture. Further, a relatively low cost suspension rim which has high strength adhesion to the rim of the speaker cone and which can be economically manufactured with various surface colors would find wide acceptance.

Loudspeaker cone and method for making same


According to one embodiment of the invention, a network user authentication method includes receiving a network identification and a password associated with a user, validating the network identification and the password, generating a passkey for the user, and sending the passkey to the user for temporary storage in a computer of the user.

Because of an increasing use of computer networks, corporations, especially large corporations, have a myriad of information in electronic form. This electronic information is typically stored on multiple servers that are distributed globally. Much of this stored information is sensitive or confidential. Therefore, corporations take computer security very seriously. This is why most corporate information is transmitted over secure telecommunication channels.
The use of secure channels to transmit information from a server to an employee's computer often uses processor-intensive encryption. This approach is costly and unnecessary since the majority of company information is not sensitive. The extra processor cycles required for encryption may cripple a server under heavy user load.
As another measure of security, most corporations require that employees be authenticated when accessing a particular server. Typically, this authentication requires the user to enter a network identification and password so that they may access the desired information on that server. However, if the employee desires information that is stored on another server, the employee will have to re-enter his or her network identification and password to access that information on that server. This re-entering of the network identification and password each time a different server is accessed is burdensome and oftentimes very frustrating to an employee.

Network user authentication system and method


During the recording of packetized data streams with a low bit rate, the packets are stored in data blocks having a constant size. Time stamps are used for the addressing of the data blocks, which time stamps describe the time duration which, in the case of the bit rate respectively present, is necessary for complete filling of a data block. A maximum time duration is prescribed, which corresponds to complete filling of a data block in the case of a predetermined minimum value of the bit rate. In the case of the minimum value of the bit rate being undershot, the last packet, in the time window of the maximum time duration of a data block, is not stored in this data block but rather in the subsequent data block.

As in the case of CD, in the case of DVD, too, there is a demand for recording apparatuses to satisfy domestic demand. Drives in accordance with different standards, such as DVD-RAM and DVD-RW, are currently in the introduction phase. Furthermore, at the present time work is under way on a so-called DVD-Streamer, abbreviated to DVD-SR. DVD-SR is intended to allow the recording and reproduction of packetized data streams, in particular also in real time.
In packetized data streams, the data are not present as a continuous stream, but rather are subdivided piece by piece into packets. Packets are formed differently in this case, depending on the area of application. Thus, two different variants are provided by the MPEG-2 Systems Standard defined in ISO/IEC 13818-1, with the program stream and the transport stream. The program stream is provided for use in applications with a low error rate and is therefore usually used for storing data streams.
Recording of packetized data streams is described in WO 00/14743 which was not published before the priority date. In this case, the packets of the incoming data stream are recorded in the form of Video Object Units (VOBU) of fixed size, a time duration which is reproduced by 12 bits being assigned to each VOBU for addressing purposes.
In order, despite the limited resolution of the time durations, to enable recording even at very low data rates, it is proposed, in the European patent application which bears the application No. 00100836 and was likewise not published before the priority date, to carry out so-called time stuffing. For this purpose, stuffing packets are provided at the end of a VOBU, which stuffing packets merely contain filling data, in particular zeros, in addition to a time stamp. Equally, VOBUs may also contain, in addition to a time stamp, exclusively filling data and no data packets whatsoever. This so-called stuffing method has the disadvantage, however, that an unnecessarily large amount of storage space is taken up.

Method for recording data streams with a low bit rate


A computer system includes a motherboard to which a selected one of various processor boards can be coupled via an adaptor. The boards include a CPU and a heat transfer member. The adaptor includes core logic such as a Northbridge module and power control circuitry. The adaptor is pin connectable to the motherboard and the various processor boards are each pin connectable to the adaptor. Alternatively, the adaptor and processor boards can be replaced with a processor module including features of the processor boards and the adaptor. The processor module is also pin connectable to the motherboard at the same connection used by the adaptor.

The disclosures herein relate generally to portable computers and more particularly to an adaptor for interconnecting a processor board to a motherboard.
In the manufacture of portable computers, certain processing capabilities are provided. These capabilities change periodically with updates providing different and/or expanded capabilities such as a different speed or an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP). The AGP is a high performance, component level interconnect intended to enhance graphics performance and three dimensional (3D) graphics applications in particular.
Initially, manufacturers purchased a chip on a tape carrier to connect to the motherboard. The trend then turned to a "daughterboard" configuration called a processor module, pin connected directly to the motherboard and including a processor, associated circuitry, a heat transfer plate to remove heat from the processor, part of the chip set known as a Northbridge module, and connectors. The Northbridge module controls the main memory, secondary cache, peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, a central processing unit (CPU) and an AGP.
New features or capabilities are sometimes offered in modules smaller than the processor module configuration which can be referred to as processor boards. These smaller modules typically include a CPU and an adjacent heat transfer plate and are pin connected to the motherboard. Other circuit features, usually provided on the processor module, are located elsewhere in the system. Showers,technologies may skip from processor modules to processor boards and vice versa. This requires a new motherboard configuration for each update of these modules. Also, manufacturers who have system designs structured around utilizing processor modules which include Northbridge modules, will not be able to provide AGP capable systems without significant delay. Also, some manufacturers prefer processor boards over the daughterboards including the Northbridge modules.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and a method of connecting the changing updated versions of the processor board to the motherboard without having to change the motherboard to accommodate each updated version, or alternatively, connecting a processor module directly to the same motherboard, and accomplishing both without compromising the geometry and location of the heat transfer plate.

Adaptor board interconnection for a processor board and motherboard


A cutter unit of a rotary shaver including: a cutter receiving stage 90 held by an outer cutter housing 18 and coaxially penetrated by a drive shaft 26, a pivot case holder 50 held by the cutter receiving stage to be movable upward and downward and having a case supporting portion 58 below an outer cutter 14, a bowl-shaped pivot case 48 held by the pivot case holder 50 to make sliding contact with the case supporting portion 58 of the pivot case holder, the pivot case 48 being pivotable in any direction and surrounding the lower portion of an inner cutter 40, an outer cutter ring 76 provided on the pivot case 48 and in which the flange of the outer cutter is secured, and a return spring 70 for returning the pivot case 48 to be coaxial with the drive shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary electric shaver that rotates an inner cutter while making sliding contact with a substantially disk-shaped outer cutter, thus cutting hair (whiskers, etc.) that enters slits in the outer cutter by the rotating inner cutter.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electric rotary shavers having a single or a plurality outer cutters, it is well known that the shaving feeling improves if the outer cutter(s) is designed to be movable upward and downward (or to be floatable) in an axial direction thereof. In addition, by way of designing the outer cutter to not only be movable upward and downward but also be tiltable in an arbitrary direction so that the outer cutter tilts to follow the curvature of the shaving surface, the closeness between the outer cutter and the shaving surface increases, and the shaving feeling improves even more.
Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. H09-503424 that corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,950 discloses an outer cutter(s) that is movable upward and downward and is tiltable in an arbitrary direction. In this prior art, a skin supporting rim (outer cutter ring) that surrounds the outer periphery of the outer cutter is provided, a projecting part that projects outwardly from the outer cutter is also provided in this skin supporting rim, and this projecting part turnably engages the engagement surface of the outer cutter holder (outer cutter housing). In other words, the skin supporting rim (outer cutter ring) that surrounds the outer cutter is provided so that it pivots with respect to both the outer cutter holder and the outer cutter. This skin supporting rim functions so that when the outer cutter is strongly pressed against the skin, it prevents the outer peripheral edge of the outer cutter from sinking deeply into the skin and shaving too deeply and damaging the skin.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H02-213378 discloses an integrated cutter head and motor, and the cutter head and motor are provided so as to be pivotable in an arbitrary direction with respect to the shaver main body. The cutter head housing and the shaver main body are respectively formed as a spherical shell and a spherical cap type bearing shell, and both of these shells are provided so as to be slidable with respect to one another.
In Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) H06-31660, as in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H02-213378, an integrated cutter head and a motor which pivots with respect to the shaver main body is disclosed. However, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) H06-31660 differs from Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H02-213378 in that the head is joined to the shaver main body by four link elements, and the motor is pressed in the outer cutter direction by a conical coil.
In the shaver of Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. H09-503424 (or the U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,950), the outer circumference of the skin supporting rim that surrounds the outer periphery of the outer cutter turnably engages the outer cutter holder. As a result, it is unavoidable that the distance between the outer cutter and the outer cutter holder that surrounds the outer cutter becomes larger in the diameter direction. Therefore, the cutter unit comprising a single outer cutter and inner cutter and their ancillary components and the cutter head become large in size. Also, in a shaver that has a plurality of cutter units, there is a problem that the spacing between each cutter unit widens, and the feeling of use becomes poor.
Also, in the shaver of Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. H09-503424 (or the U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,950), the inner cutter(s) rotates about an axis (indicated by K, A, A1, A2) that is parallel to the top surface of the outer cutter and are passing through the center of the outer cutter(s). Therefore, particularly if the shaver is designed so that the inner cutter is supported so as to be rotated only about one axis, when the skin pressure is applied to this rotating axis, the skin supporting rim cannot turn, causing the problem that the shaving operation cannot be done smoothly. In addition, since the entire skin supporting rim does not move upward and downward (or is not sinkable), the improvement of the feeling of shaving is limited.
In the shavers of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H02-213378 and Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (Kokai) H06-31660, the cutter head and motor are integrated, and the entirety of these pivots with respect to the shaver main body. As a result, the pivoting portion is large in size, and the shaver head is also large in size. In addition, the outer cutters in these prior art have no play in the vertical direction (rotational axis direction of the inner cutter); as a result, when the outer cutter presses the skin firmly, the outer cutter sinks deeply inside the skin and cuts deeply, and there is danger of skin damage. In particular, unlike Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. H09-503424 (or the U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,950), since a skin supporting rim is not provided, deep shaving can easily occur.


A twin-clutch transmission has first and second transmission input shafts and a transmission output shaft, each input shaft having an associated friction clutch. In the initial state, the first clutch transmits engine torque in a state of static friction and the second clutch is open. In a shifting operation the second transmission input shaft is brought to a synchronous speed, thus permitting the engagement of a selected gear. In order to prevent a condition in which both clutches are in static friction engagement, which would result in locking up of the transmission, the speed of at least one clutch is maintained in the range of sliding friction to a value in the vicinity of the synchronization speed until the torque to be transmitted has been transferred steadily from the first clutch to the second clutch. A synchronizer is used when shifting up in the overrun condition.

This invention relates to methods for shifting twin-clutch transmissions having two transmission input shafts and a transmission output shaft, each input shaft having a friction clutch in which initially one of the two clutches transmits an engine torque in a state of static friction and the other clutch is open.
The invention also relates to a twin-clutch transmission having two transmission input shafts and a transmission output shaft for operation in accordance with a gear-shifting method according to the invention.
Manual transmissions used in motor vehicles are simple and robust but have the disadvantage that there is an interruption in the drive connection during gear shifting. In passenger vehicles, conventional manual transmissions are generally provided with single-cone synchronizers of the Borg-Warner type.
Although conventional automatic transmissions avoid an interruption in the drive connection during gear shifting, their efficiency is poor, among other reasons because of the need for a hydrodynamic converter for starting. Furthermore they are very heavy.
Attempts have therefore been made to shift conventional transmissions automatically and, in particular, under load.
Among the power-shift transmissions are twin-clutch transmissions of the PDK type i.e., the Porsche Twin-Clutch Transmission. This is a transmission with two transmission input shafts which act on a common transmission output shaft, and, as a rule, the two transmission input shafts are arranged coaxially with respect to each other. The gear wheels for the even-numbered transmission gears are generally located on one transmission input shaft and the gear wheels for the odd-numbered transmission gears are generally located on the other transmission input shaft. Each of the two transmission input shafts can be connected to the internal combustion engine with either sliding friction or static friction by a dedicated independent clutch.
In this way, it is possible to perform gear changes without an interruption in the drive connection. Theoretically, this makes it possible to provide automatic transmissions which have a high level of efficiency. However, this requires the use of conventional synchronizer rings.
In the design of automatically actuated twin-clutch transmissions it has been found that controlling and regulating such transmissions is complicated and that the expected vehicle occupant comfort cannot be achieved. Experience shows that gear shifting transmissions in which gear shifting is automated using the conventional locking-type synchronizer rings are associated with considerable unexpected problems. In particular, the forces and speeds of the hydraulic shifting can lead to failure of the synchronizer.
Efforts have therefore been made to operate hydraulic actuating systems with modulated pressures. The expenditure required for this purpose results in excessive costs which are unacceptable for the mass production of motor vehicles.
Other power-shift transmissions having a single start-up clutch employ an auxiliary clutch which must be provided in the highest transmission gear to enable a filler torque to be produced when changing up. This filler torque helps to minimize the interruption in the drive connection during a gear change.
Finally, there have been central synchronizers for the entire transmission for the purpose of avoiding the problems mentioned above when using the conventional locking-type synchronizer rings with hydraulic actuation. With central synchronization, a central synchronizing unit is arranged in such a way that a transmission output shaft, for example, can be braked or driven. For this purpose, additional mechanical, hydraulic or electric drives are necessary and this leads to excessive costs and weight in normal passenger vehicle construction.
Finally, engine control concepts have been developed in which control of the speed of the transmission input shaft has been carried out by appropriate control of the operation of the internal combustion engine. Because of the high masses involved and the resulting high inertias, such a method is not advantageous. Furthermore, the driver may have a subjective impression of helplessness. The increase in engine speed which naturally occurs when shifting down-on a downhill slope, for example, may frighten the inexperienced driver.
A further negative effect of conventional synchronizing operations is that torques are required for accelerating or braking the transmission input shaft, and these act on the transmission output shaft and hence on the vehicle. If the synchronizing operation is to be performed rapidly, as required for passenger vehicles, for example in less than one half-second, very strong vehicle reactions can occur since, when synchronization is achieved, the synchronizing torques collapse abruptly and the resulting large change in torque is experienced by the vehicle occupants as a powerful jerk. In order to avoid such discomfort, the modulated pressures mentioned above have been employed on automated manual transmissions having hydraulic actuating elements.
In conventional automatic transmissions, electronically synchronized transmissions, or power-shift transmissions, the disengagement of gears during shifting is frequently effected by a spring mechanism. The gears are normally held in their engaged position by an undercut in the respective dog toothing. If the torque transmitted in the transmission gear falls below a selected value, the spring force can push the shift dog out, disengaging the gear. The disadvantage with this method is that the torque at which the gear disengages is not zero, i.e. there is a torque jump, producing the above-described discomfort. It is also possible in some cases for the transmission mechanism to be distorted. Moreover, shifting up in overrun is fundamentally impossible for the power-shift transmissions mentioned above without performing an engine management operation, i.e. the negative engine torque must be increased to at least zero. This results in problems for the driver which are mentioned above since the driver may not understand various reactions of the engine and, in cases of doubt, may have a growing subjective sense of danger.

Method for shifting a twin-clutch transmission and twin-clutch transmission arrangement


A storage device, an electronic device, and a corresponding method for programming a memory are provided. The memory includes a plurality of cells. Each of the cells stores a plurality of bits. The bits of the memory are arranged into a plurality of pages of the memory. The method includes the following steps: receiving a host command for programming data into a first page of the memory; and performing 2Plane programming to program the data into the first page and backups the data into a second page of the memory when the first page does not consist of the most significant bits (MSBs) of the cells. The first page and the second page are located in different planes of the memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory. More particularly, the present invention relates to a storage device, an electronic device, and a method for programming a memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern mobile electronic devices, such as smart phones, use embedded multimedia cards (eMMCs) as storage devices for mass data storage. The eMMC is based on NAND (negated AND) flash technology. Users often power on or shut down smart phones during operation. Sometimes this kind of behavior causes sudden power-off for the eMMC storage of a smart phone. Due to characteristics of NAND flash memories, some data in the eMMC storage may be corrupted under this situation.
There are three types of NAND flash memories, namely, single-level cell (SLC), multi-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC). An SLC flash memory stores 1 bit per cell. An MLC flash memory stores 2 bits per cell. A TLC flash memory stores 3 bits per cell. From this architectural difference, MLC and TLC have higher data capacity and cheaper price but shorter lifespan compared to SLC.
The pages of an MLC flash memory may be classified into two groups, namely, group A and group B. The pages in group A consist of the least significant bits (LSBs) of the cells, while the pages in group B consist of the most significant bits (MSBs) of the cells. The pages in groups A and B are associated in pairs. In other words, each pair consists of a page in group A and a page in group B. The following table 1 is an example of page pairs of an MLC flash memory. Each row in table 1 is a page pair. For example, page 9 in group A and page 12 in group B are associated as a pair. Page 9 consists of the LSBs of some cells of the MLC flash memory, while page 12 consists of the MSBs of the same cells of the MLC flash memory.
TABLE 1Group AGroup B0214364871091211 1413 16. . .. . .
The pages in a pair share common word lines. Due to characteristics of NAND flash memories, for each pair, the page in group A has to be programmed before the page in group B. When sudden power failure occurs during programming the page in group A, page corruption appears only in the page in group A. However, when sudden power failure occurs during programming the page in group B, page corruption can appear not only in the page in group B but also in the associated page in group A that was already programmed. Sometimes the corruption in the page in group A is unexpected for the operating system (OS) of the smart phone, which may lead to booting deadlock due to page corruption. For the sake of reliability, the page in group A should be backed up before programming the page in group B.
This backup operation can produce additional busy time of the flash memory; therefore it can affect the performance of the flash memory. Conventionally it is very difficult to keep data reliability as well as maintain better performance of eMMC storage.
The discussions above can be extended to MLC flash memories. The pages of a TLC flash memory may be classified into three groups, namely, group A, group B and group C. The pages in group A consist of the LSBs of the cells. The pages in group B consist of the middle bits of the cells. The pages in group C consist of the MSBs of the cells. The pages in groups A, B and C are associated in sets. In other words, each set consists of a page in group A, a page in group B and a page in group C. When sudden power failure occurs during programming a page in group A, page corruption appears only in the page in group A. When sudden power failure occurs during programming the associated page in group B, page corruption can appear in the page in group A and the page in group B. When sudden power failure occurs during programming the associated page in group C, page corruption can appear in the page in group A, the page in group B and the page in group C. Therefore, data backup for the pages in group A and group B is necessary.

Storage device, electronic device, and method for programming memory


A method of producing polybutylene terephthalate resin shaped moldings includes supplying a 3D printer with a polybutylene terephthalate resin powder mixture that contains 100 parts by weight of a polybutylene terephthalate resin powder material having a mean diameter of more than 1 μm and 100 μm or less, a uniformity coefficient of 4 or less, and a terminal carboxyl group quantity of 35 eq/t or more and 50 eq/t or less, and 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of inorganic particles having a mean diameter of 20 to 500 nm.

For production of three dimensional moldings, a technique called rapid prototyping (RP) is known. In that technique, data describing the surface of a three dimensional shape as a set of triangles (such data are described in standard triangulated language (STL) format) are used to calculate the cross-sectional shapes sliced in the stacking direction, and layers are formed according to the shapes to produce a three dimensional object. Powder bed fusion, in particular, is a method that includes a thin layer formation step of expanding powder into a thin layer and a cross-sectional shape formation step of exposing the resulting thin layer to laser light in a shape that corresponds to the cross section of an intended object to fuse the powder, which are repeated in this order to produce the object. The method, compared to other shaping methods, is suitable for fine shaping and advantageous in that it requires no support members. The technique is favorable as a process to produce a complicated shape that is difficult to produce by conventional molding methods such as injection molding and extrusion molding.
Polyesters such as polybutylene terephthalate (hereinafter occasionally abbreviated as PBT) have properties suitable as engineering plastics including excellent heat resistance, barrier property, chemical resistance, electrical insulation, and moist heat resistance, and have been used in various electric/electronic parts, machine parts, automobile parts, films, fibers, and the like that are produced mainly by injection molding or extrusion molding.
Having such excellent properties, polyester resin particulate products are much in demand as materials for various moldings, printer toners, coatings, heat resistant additives and the like, and some techniques such as described below, have been proposed to produce polyester resin particulate products.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. SHO 63-248875 describes a method in which saturated polyester resin pellets are heated and dissolved in dimethyl acetamide or dimethyl formamide and gradually cooled to obtain powder material.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2012-197461 discloses a method in which an emulsion consisting mainly of two separated phases that contain different polymers as main components is formed and then a poor solvent for either of the polymers is brought into contact with the emulsion to precipitate that polymer, thereby providing fine polymer particles.
To improve the fluidity of resin powder material, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2013-166667 proposes a method in which inorganic particles are added to increase the distances among particle to relax the interaction among the particles.
However, when a polyester resin powder material produced by the method described in JP '875 or JP '461 is used for molding, its excellent electrical insulating properties will lead to a low flowability as a result of its coagulation which will be easily caused by static electricity, resulting in frequent troubles in supply and discharge in silos during the production process. In addition, polyester resin powder materials are high in compressability and suffer from an increase in bulkiness and a further decrease in flowability at the bottoms of the silo, hopper or the like, as a result of compression caused by powder pressure.
It could therefore be helpful to provide for efficient production of a polybutylene terephthalate resin powder material that is small in mean diameter, high in powder flowability, low in compressability, resistant to viscosity increase during supply to and shaping by a 3D printer, and useful to form high strength moldings.

Polybutylene terephthalate resin powder mixture


A refrigerant recovery system that includes a compressor having an inlet and an outlet, and an oil separator connected to the compressor inlet for separating oil from refrigerant recovered from equipment under service. A check valve is connected between a vapor outlet port on the oil separator and the inlet of the compressor for feeding refrigerant directly to the compressor inlet. A pressure sensor is connected to the oil separator for indicating refrigerant vapor pressure within the separator, and a valve is automatically responsive to such refrigerant vapor pressure for connecting a vacuum pump between the oil separator vapor port and the compressor inlet in parallel with the check valve when refrigerant vapor pressure at the oil separator falls below a predetermined value.

It is conventional practice in systems for recovering refrigerant from equipment under service to employ a refrigerant compressor both for pumping the refrigerant from the equipment and drawing a vacuum at the equipment preparatory to recharging the equipment with fresh refrigerant. Such a system is shown, for example, in FIG. 5 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,416 assigned to the assignee hereof. Typically, refrigerant compressors are designed for air conditioning and refrigeration applications with specified design criteria for the compression ratio and pressure differential across the compressor. However, U.S. EPA regulations and guidelines regarding the final recovery vacuum obtainable by refrigerant recovery systems to prevent refrigerant mixing exceeds the design parameters of typical refrigerant compressors. Various techniques have been proposed for reducing the recovery system compression ratio or cooling the compressor, or for providing compressors of special design. However, such proposals are expensive and provide less than satisfactory results. It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a refrigerant handling system and method, and more specifically a refrigerant recovery system and method, that obtains improved recovery vacuum in the equipment under service while employing conventional components of proven capability and standard cost.
A refrigerant handling system in accordance with presently preferred embodiments of the invention includes a compressor having an inlet for connection to a source of refrigerant to be pumped. Such source may comprise refrigeration equipment from which refrigerant is to be recovered, or a refrigerant storage container from which refrigerant is to be pumped either to another container or to recharge evacuated refrigeration equipment. A vacuum pump is selectively connectable in series with the compressor during a latter portion of the pumping cycle to assist the compressor in removing all refrigerant from the refrigerant source while at the same time drawing a deeper vacuum at the source than would otherwise be obtainable using the compressor alone. In the preferred embodiments, a sensor or gauge is connected at the refrigerant inlet for indicating refrigerant pressure, and a valve is either automatically or manually responsive to inlet refrigerant pressure for connecting the vacuum pump to the refrigerant compressor when inlet refrigerant pressure falls below a selected level. Thus, for example, the refrigerant compressor may be employed alone for drawing refrigerant down to a pressure of one atmosphere (zero psig, 29.9 inches of mercury), and the vacuum pump then operatively connected in series with the compressor to assist the compressor in drawing a deeper inlet vacuum in the range of zero to twenty inches of mercury.
A refrigerant recovery system in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention includes a compressor having an inlet and an outlet, and an oil separator connected to the compressor inlet for separating oil from refrigerant recovered from equipment under service. A check valve is connected between a vapor outlet port on the oil separator and the inlet of the compressor for feeding refrigerant directly to the compressor inlet. A pressure sensor or gauge is connected to the oil separator for indicating refrigerant vapor pressure within the separator, and a valve is automatically or manually responsive to such refrigerant vapor pressure for connecting a vacuum pump between the oil separator vapor port and the compressor inlet in parallel with the check valve when refrigerant vapor pressure at the oil separator falls below a predetermined value.

Refrigerant handling system and method with enhanced recovery vacuum capability


A display includes a camera under panel, a display panel, a frame rate controller, and a switching circuit. The display panel includes an under-panel camera region corresponding to the camera under-panel. A first pixel set, positioned in the under-panel camera region, driven by a first scan line, a second scan line, a first data line, a second data line, a third data line, and a fourth data line. The first pixel set includes a first pixel electrically connected to the first scan line and the third data line, a second pixel electrically connected to the second scan line and the third data line, a third pixel electrically connected to the first scan line and the first data line, a fourth pixel electrically connected to the second scan line and the second data line, and a fifth pixel electrically connected to the second scan line and the fourth data line.

As the development trend of the full screen, the screen-to-body ratio of a cell phone becomes an important indicator. The camera under panel (CUP) is to put the camera under the panel. In this way, the panel region above the camera could still normally display and thus the full screen is accomplished. In order to raise the photographing effect of the camera, the pixel per inch (PPI) of the panel region above the camera is reduced to allow more light to pass through the panel to the sensor of the camera. However, this makes the luminance of this region lower than adjacent regions. In order to compensate the luminance, a lower data voltage is applied to the pixels in this region to get a higher driving voltage. But the high driving voltage will reduce the lifetime of the pixels in this region.

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


A method and apparatus for selecting one of a plurality of delivery mechanisms for sending a message are disclosed. The illustrative embodiment enables the advantageous selection of the delivery mechanism for sending a message from a first telecommunications terminal to a second telecommunications terminal based on at least one of: (i) the location of the first terminal, (ii) the location of the second terminal, (iii) the time and date (i.e., the calendrical time) at the first terminal, (iv) the calendrical time at the second terminal, and (v) one or more properties of the message (e.g., the sending user, the receiving user, a message priority, the contents of the message, etc.). A delivery mechanism for sending a message comprises at least one of: a physical medium, a physical layer protocol, a medium access control, and a network for transport.

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of wireless local-area network 100 in the prior art, which comprises: stations 101-1 through 101-N, wherein N is a positive integer, and access point 102, interconnected as shown. Each station 101-i, wherein i is a positive integer in the set {1, . . . N}, communicates wirelessly with other stations in local-area network 100 via access point 102. Station 101-i must be located within a particular distance from access point 102 in order to communicate with access point 102 and other stations in wireless local-area network 100. A popular standard for wireless local-area networks is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification.
FIG. 2 depicts a schematic diagram of two cellular handsets 201-1 and 201-2 that transmit and receive signals via cellular wireless network 200. As shown in FIG. 2, wireless network 200 comprises M wireless switching centers 210-1 through 210-M, where M is a positive integer, and wireless switching center 210-3 communicates with K base stations 220-3-1 through 220-3-K, where K is a positive integer. Each wireless switching center 210-i in wireless network 200 typically is connected to a plurality of base stations; however, for the purpose of clarity, base stations are shown only for wireless switching center 210-3 in FIG. 2.
A hybrid 802.11/cellular telecommunications terminal is a terminal that has both an IEEE 802.11 radio and a cellular radio (e.g., a Code Division Multiple Access radio, etc.), and therefore can send and receive signals either via an IEEE 802.11 local-area network or a cellular network.

Intelligent selection of message delivery mechanism


A method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor is disclosed, by which image sensor characteristics are enhanced. In one aspect, the method includes forming a plurality of photodiodes in the photodiode region of a semiconductor substrate; stacking a first insulating layer over the semiconductor substrate including the photodiodes; forming a metal pad on the insulating layer in the pad region of the substrate; forming a second insulating layer over the semiconductor substrate including the metal pad; selectively etching exposed portions of the second insulating layer, using a mask, to form simultaneously a pad opening in the pad region and a trench in the photodiode region; selectively etching portions of the second insulating layer and the first insulating layer under the trench; and forming a slope on lateral sides of at least the second insulating layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensor, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for enhancing image sensor characteristics.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
An image sensor is a semiconductor device that converts an optical image into an electrical signal. A complementary MOS (CMOS) image sensor includes a photosensing device, such as a photodiode, and a CMOS logic circuit including a plurality of MOS transistors corresponding to the number of pixels. The CMOS image sensor is generally fabricated using CMOS technology. To enhance photosensitivity of the image sensor, its fill factor may be improved, but since the logic circuit (or other peripheral structures) consumes some area, there are limits to improving the fill factor. Alternatively, microlenses may be used to direct incident light onto the photosensing areas only. Another approach to photosensitivity enhancement is to shorten the traveling distance of a light signal passing through a microlens layer to be transmitted to an underlying photodiode.
To provide an image sensor with color separation capability, a color filter array including a plurality of color filters is arranged, together with the microlenses, over the respective photosensing devices. The color filter array and microlenses are disposed in a photodiode region, separate from and adjacent to a pad region for forming a plurality of wiring layer interconnections of the CMOS logic circuit, which may be configured for a three-transistor (3T) or for a four-transistor (4T) CMOS image sensor. A 3T CMOS image sensor consists of one photodiode and three transistors per pixel, and a 4T CMOS image sensor consists of one photodiode and four transistors per pixel.
Referring to FIG. 1, a unit pixel of a general 3T-type CMOS image sensor consists of one photodiode PD and three NMOS transistors Rx, Dx, and Sx. The cathode of the photodiode PD is connected to the drain of the first NMOS transistor Rx and the gate of the second NMOS transistor Dx. The sources of the first and second NMOS transistors Rx and Dx are connected to a power line supplying a reference voltage VR, and a gate of the first NMOS transistor Rx is connected to a reset line supplying a reset signal. The source of the third NMOS transistor Sx is connected to the drain of the second NMOS transistor Dx. The drain of the third NMOS transistor Sx is connected to a read circuit (not shown). The gate of the third NMOS transistor Sx is connected to a row select line supplying a select signal, which generally enables reading and/or sensing a signal generated by the photodiode and at least the second NMOS transistor Dx.
Referring to FIG. 2, an active region 10 is defined in a unit pixel of the general 3T-type CMOS image sensor. A photodiode 20 is formed on a relatively large and/or wide portion of the active region 10, and other parts of the active region are overlapped by three gate electrodes 120, 130, and 140, to configure a reset transistor Rx, a drive transistor Dx, and a select transistor Sx, respectively. The exposed portions of the active region 10 of each transistor are doped with impurity ions to become corresponding source/drain regions. A power voltage Vdd is applied to the source/drain regions between the reset and drive transistors Rx and Dx. A plurality of signal lines (not shown) are respectively connected to the gate electrodes and connect the source/drain region of the select transistor Sx a read circuit (not shown). A pad is provided to each of the signal lines to connect to an external drive circuit.
FIGS. 3A-3D respectively illustrate sequential process steps of a method of fabricating a contemporary CMOS image sensor.
Referring to FIG. 3A, a semiconductor substrate (not shown) is divided into a photodiode region and a pad region, and a plurality of photodiodes 20 for generating charges according to intensity of incident light are formed in the photodiode region. A first insulating interlayer 100 is formed over the substrate including the photodiodes 20. A tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate oxide layer 101 is formed on the first insulating interlayer 100. A metal pad 102 for each signal line is formed on the oxide layer 101. In doing so, the metal pad 102, which generally comprises aluminum, may be formed from the same metal layer as the gate electrodes 120, 130, and 140 (see FIG. 2) using the same material. A second insulating interlayer 103 is formed over the substrate including the metal pad 102.
Referring to FIG. 3B, the second insulating interlayer 103 is coated with a first layer of photoresist, which is patterned by exposure and development steps to form a photoresist pattern 104 for exposing a portion of the second insulating interlayer 103 over the metal pad 102. The exposed portion of the second insulating interlayer 103 is selectively etched using the first photoresist pattern 104 as an etch mask to form a pad opening 105 on the metal pad 102.
Referring to FIG. 3C, the first photoresist pattern 104 is removed. The semiconductor substrate including the pad opening 105 is coated with a second layer of photoresist, which is selectively patterned by exposure and development to form a second photoresist pattern 106 for exposing the photodiode region. The second insulating interlayer 103 and the oxide layer 101 are selectively etched in the photodiode region, using the second photoresist pattern 106 as a mask. This etching is to reduce a distance between the photodiodes 20 and a microlens to be formed later.
Referring to FIG. 3D, the second photoresist pattern 106 is removed. A plurality of hemispherical microlenses 107 are formed on the first insulating interlayer 100 in the photodiode area, each microlens 107 corresponding to a unique photodiode 20, by coating the substrate with a microlens material layer, patterning the microlens material layer, and reflowing the patterned microlens material.
Since the microlens and a color filter layer are formed after completion of the pad opening, a vertical slope may be formed on an edge of the photodiode region. Hence, striation occurs, which may degrade the uniformity of the microlens thickness. Moreover, photolithography and etching processes, for reducing the distance between the microlens and the photodiode, are separately and/or additionally carried out, thereby increasing the number of process steps.


This invention relates to Pade approximation convert circuit of the direct digital frequency synthesizer in which a multiplier receives and multiplies a first input signal and a variable signal so as to produce a multiplication signal; a divider receives and divides a second input signal and a variable signal so as to produce a division signal; an adder receives and adds the multiplication signal and the division signal so as to generate an output signal, that is then returned back to the divider. A quarter period of a sinusoidal wave signal is completed by the proceeding of direct calculation two times such that the time for the calculation of a complete sinusoidal wave can be saved and the area of the calculation circuit can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a phase-to-sinusoid amplitude convert (PSAC) of the direct digital frequency synthesizer, particularly to a convert circuit of the direct digital frequency synthesizer using Pade approximation algorithm for converting phase into a quarter period of sinusoidal wave signal.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a phase accumulator 10′ and a phase-to-sinusoid amplitude converter 20′ are used in the so-called direct digital frequency synthesis (hereinafter expressed as DDFS) to generate required digitized signal, and then a digital to analog converter (DAC) is used to convert the digitized signal into analog waveform. In FIG. 1, a conventional direct digital frequency synthesizer is shown, which includes a phase accumulator 10′, a phase-to-sinusoid amplitude converter 20′ and a DAC 30′. The phase accumulator 10′ of the direct digital frequency synthesizer receives a digital signal and outputs it to the phase-to-sinusoid amplitude converter 20′. Thus an corresponding output signal is generated. The digital signal is converted into analog signal by the DAC 30′. The analog signal served as the output of the DAC 30′ can be smoothed by a low pass filter (not shown) so as to generate a periodic signal such as a sinusoidal wave.
Inasmuch as the DDFS has the advantages of high resolution, speedy frequency switching, continuous linear variation of phase, low cost and simple structure, DDFS has been widespread utilized in digital communication system. So far, Taylor polynomial and CORDIC algorithm are used as the direct calculation algorithm of the DDFS. It is relatively easy to realize the DDFS by sinusoidal approximation calculation with direct expanding of Taylor polynomial. The phase input is operated by continuous multiplication calculation and sinusoidal wave symmetry property configuration to generate a complete sinusoidal wave signal. Further, CORDIC algorithm is a method to calculate the sine and cosine values corresponding to the input phase by the trigonometric function property, in which the sine and cosine values corresponding to all rotation phases after addition and subtraction are calculated by multiplication, addition and shift. In addition, using the property of fixing the rotation angle at arctan(2−r) all the time, a multiplier is replaced by a shifter. Thus a complete sinusoidal wave signal is generated by the sinusoidal wave symmetry property.
However, in the sinusoidal wave approximation calculation by direct expanding of Taylor polynomial, realization of a quarter period of a sine wave from the phase input has to calculate eight-time continuous multiplication. Thus, the calculation is relatively time-consuming and the circuit area required for this calculation is large. Furthermore, the frequency of rotation iterative calculation is influenced by the selection of initial angle and rotation angle in CORDIC algorithm, thus the calculation of corresponding amplitude according to the input angle is relatively time-consuming and the frequency of rotation iterative calculation is too high. Therefore, the realization of a complete sinusoidal wave is relatively time-consuming.
Thus, if a new direct digital frequency synthesizer is proposed to cope with the above problems, not only the time for the calculation of a complete sinusoidal wave can be saved, but also the circuit area can be reduced so as to save the cost. Accordingly, the above problems can be solved.

Pade approximation convert circuit of direct digital frequency synthesizer

Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Armaments Bureau, M.N.D.


Disclosed herein are a radar apparatus and a method of operating the same. The radar apparatus includes a clutter analysis unit, a screen change detection unit, a representative value acquisition unit, and a target detection unit. The clutter analysis unit analyzes the clutter value of a signal that is received by a reception unit. The screen change detection unit calculates the screen change time up to the time at which a screen has been changed from an image captured by an imaging apparatus. The representative value acquisition unit acquires a representative value based on a plurality of clutter values analyzed for the screen change time by the clutter analysis unit. The target detection unit determines the signal to be a target signal if the size of the signal is larger than both the clutter value and representative value of the signal.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a radar apparatus and a method of operating the radar apparatus and, more particularly, to a radar apparatus and a method of operating the radar apparatus that are capable of improving the accuracy of detection of a target using an image change detector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a detection method using a radar, when a target is detected, the sizes of noise called "clutter" and reflected waves are important factors. That is, when a target is detected, there are cases where if the size of the clutter is larger than the size of a signal reflected from the target, it is difficult to detect a target because the signal from the target is mixed with clutter. For example, when a specific automobile on a road is set as a target, it is not easy to only detect a signal reflected from the specific automobile among various objects, for example, buildings and other automobiles.
Furthermore, in the case of an automobile radar, a road environment considerably varies over time. For example, there is a case where an automobile that has just entered a road in which buildings are densely located and there are a small number of traffic lanes. The road in which buildings are densely located and there are a small number of traffic lanes may exhibit significantly different clutter characteristics compared to an expressway in which buildings are sparsely located and there are a large number of traffic lanes. In this situation, the characteristics of the clutter component collection information of the radar should be completely changed.
Accordingly, if it is possible to determine the period for which clutter characteristics have been kept similar and to evaluate clutter values for a long period, the accuracy of detection of a target can be increased.
In connection with this, there is Korean Patent No. 1035304 entitled "Vehicle Radar Apparatus using Elevation Angle Direction Detection Array Antenna and Detection Method using Vehicle Radar Apparatus."

Radar apparatus using image change detector and method of operating the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


According to one aspect, a request is received at a services application programming interface (API) of a support center from a user for support services of a product provided by a client of the support center. In response to the request, one or more articles associated with the product are identified that have been published in an online publication forum, where the articles have been extracted from a knowledgebase (KB) based on a support history of the product maintained by the support center. A list of support options is presented to the user, including a first one-touch button to contact an agent of the support center and a link to the one or more articles of the publication forum to allow the user to attempt finding a solution to the product without having to contact the agent of the support center.

Prior to the advent and prolific use of distributed network environments such as the Internet, customer service sessions typically occurred over a teleconference between a customer service agent and a customer. These teleconferences, which incidentally are still very popular today, are initiated by a customer placing a phone call to a customer service agent. The customer service agent's phone receives the call through a public-switched telephone network (PTSN). Many call centers handle a large volume of inquiries, usually by phone, for sales, information, customer support and other services. Typical call centers provide the ability to route multiple incoming, customer-initiated calls to agents which provide sales, information, or support on behalf of an entity interested in establishing or maintaining a relationship with the customer.
Modern call center systems selectively route incoming calls based on a number of factors such as the number called or dialed, the originating number, the queued sequence of the caller, the geographic location of the caller, accumulated caller history, and other relevant criteria. Once the system has evaluated the inbound caller's information, if any, the system searches for an available agent to service the call. Availability of agents may be dependent on any number of factors such as a skill level or a schedule of the agent. The number of agents within the contact center and available to the system may often be limited by the physical space available for the agents to operate. Contact centers have to deal with a limited number of agents to handle a large number of incoming customer calls.
As the Internet is getting more popular, customer service providers now provide for computer-based customer service interaction by way of the World Wide Web. Instead of initiating a customer service session by using the phone, customers may access a website and engage in a web-based customer service session to make inquiries (e.g., technical support) and/or perform tasks (e.g., paying bills). Web-based customer service sessions offer numerous advantages over teleconference-based sessions. For example, the graphical user interface of web-based customer service applications permit customers to view illustrations or written explanations and thus ameliorate the miscommunications which may arise with oral conversations between a customer service agent and a customer.
Further, web-based customer service sessions enable a customer to directly target his/her needs on the website and thus reduce the time expended both in navigating through a series of vocal menu choices inapplicable to the consumer's particular needs and in waiting to speak to a service agent. Significantly, web-based customer service sessions are particularly cost-effective for the customer service provider given that fewer agents are required to communicate with customers. Indeed, customers are provided functionality for finding answers to their questions or performing tasks without any help from a live agent. These customer service sessions may be entirely computer-based or, alternatively, involve interaction with a customer service agent.
While there are advantages to performing customer service sessions over the web or other distributed network environments, there has been a lack of efficient platforms to take full advantage of today's technologies, particularly, the mobile technologies. In order to obtain customer support from a support center, the customer is still required to take many steps of manual processes such as a complicated process for registering a product. While there are many ways (e.g., email, chat, voice) to communicate between a customer and an agent, there has been a lack of an efficient mechanism to provide the customer the best available and cost effective communication channels to an agent.
In addition, the availability of information of a knowledgebase (KB) associated with a product of a vendor is limited to an agent who specifically handles that product for the vendor. Often a support issue of a product may involve multiple components from multiple vendors. There has been a lack of an efficient way to share certain knowledge across multiple vendors without jeopardizing the safety of confidential information of the vendors. Furthermore, a customer typically has to initiate a support call to the support center and the support center provides support services to the customer by responding to the support call. There has been a lack of an efficient way to provide proactive support services to a customer.

Methods for providing self-support services using information from a viral source


An amplifier and a method for detecting the presence of a load (3) in a bridge-type amplifier configuration, in which the amplifier includes two amplifying circuits (1, 2). A load detection sequence is combined with an activation sequence of the amplifier by providing, during activation of the first amplifying circuit (1), a low impedance (4) at the output (203) of the second amplifying circuit (2), and determining whether a current flows through the low impedance (4) or one of the outputs (103, 203) of the amplifying circuits (1, 2) during the activation of the first amplifying circuit (1).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an amplifier comprising first amplifying means and second amplifying means for supplying an amplified input signal to a load connected between outputs of the first and second amplifying means.
The invention further relates to a method for detecting the presence of a load coupled between an output of a first amplifying means and an output of a second amplifying means.
1. Description of the Related Arts
Such an amplifier is known from European Patent Application EP-A 446945. The known amplifier comprises means for effectuating a separate load detection sequence, during which sequence both amplifying means are disabled. These means further comprise a constant current source for providing a bias for the load detection and further control circuitry for performing the load detection. This renders the amplifier rather complex.

Amplifier and a method for detecting the presence of a load


A high-contrast room-light-handleable black-and-white silver halide photographic element that is especially useful in the field of graphic arts is comprised of a support, an imaging layer containing doped silver halide grains with a mean grain size of less than 0.12 micrometers, and a print-out layer containing doped silver halide grains with a mean grain size in the range of from 0.14 to 0.4 micrometers. The element utilizes very slow speed emulsions which render it capable of being handled in room light and is able to print-out a visible image on normal exposure and develop to full density upon being processed in conventional developing solutions.

High-contrast room-light-handleable black-and-white silver halide photographic elements are well known and widely used in graphic arts applications. The term "room-light-handleable" is intended to denote that the material can be exposed to a light level of 200 lux for several minutes without a significant loss in performance.
The silver halide emulsions utilized in high-contrast room-light-handleable photographic elements are slow speed emulsions, with the desired slow speed typically being achieved by the use of small grain sizes and by the doping of the silver halide grains with appropriate doping agents that control photographic speed. The incorporation of filter dyes in an overcoat layer of the photographic element to absorb unwanted light and decrease photographic speed is also a commonly employed technique.
The high-contrast room-light-handleable photographic elements that are in widespread use typically employ silver halide grains that are of small size; the term "small size" being used herein to mean a mean grain size in the range of from 0.14 to 0.4 micrometers. Certain advantages can be obtained by using silver halide grains of very small size; the term "very small size" being used herein to mean a mean grain size of less than 0.12 micrometers. Thus, for example, the use of very small size silver halide grains provides an improvement in safelight handling characteristics, permits the use of less silver and reduces the need to use filter dyes.
While high-contrast room-light-handleable photographic elements utilizing very small size silver halide grains have many advantages, as indicated above, they are lacking in certain desirable features, for example, they do not exhibit an adequate degree of print-out image upon exposure. To facilitate handling, it is advantageous that the photographic element print out an image, even though it is only faintly visible, upon normal exposure. Such a print-out image is readily obtained with silver halide grains of small size but not with silver halide grains of very small size, as those terms are used herein. Thus, for example, utilizing a silver halide emulsion layer with grains having a mean grain size of 0.16 micrometers will give a print-out image with an acceptable degree of visibility upon normal exposure but utilizing a silver halide emulsion layer with grains of the same halide content and content of doping agent but a mean grain size of 0.08 micrometers will not.
High-contrast room-light-handleable black-and-white photographic elements known heretofore have been lacking in one or more desirable features and this has hindered their commercial utilization. In particular, they have typically required a relatively high silver coverage and the use of expensive filter dyes and both of these features have added significantly to the cost of these products. Examples of patents describing such photographic elements include Takahashi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,659, issued Apr. 4, 1989; Miyata et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,180, issued Jul. 11, 1989; Gingello et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,595, issued Oct. 29, 1991; Kameoka et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,970, issued Feb. 4, 1992; and Gingello et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,073, issued Dec. 29, 1992.
It is toward the objective of providing an improved high-contrast room-light-handleable black-and-white silver halide element that is able to print-out a visible image on normal exposure and is capable of being developed to full density that the present invention is directed.

High-contrast photographic elements with improved print-out capability


Antigen-specific T cells, including nave T cells, and including rare precursor cells are enriched and expanded in culture. Enrichment and expansion provides a platform for more effective immunotherapy by adoptive transfer, as well as platforms for personalizing immunotherapy by determining T cell reactivity with a library of candidate peptide antigens.

Expansion of antigen-specific T cells is complicated by the rarity of antigen-specific naive precursors, which can be as few as one per million. To generate the large numbers of tumor-specific T cells (for example) required for adoptive therapy, lymphocytes are conventionally stimulated with antigen over many weeks, often followed by T cell selection and sub-cloning in a labor intensive process.
There is a need for technologies that can quickly generate large numbers and high frequencies of antigen-specific T cells from naive precursors, or quickly identify T cell responses to candidate peptide antigens, for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Reagents and methods for identifying, enriching, and/or expanding antigen-specific T cells


This invention relates to dust-proof, moisture-proof structures of the image pickup devices mounted in small-size thin types of electronic apparatus. More specifically, an image pickup device of this invention includes an image pickup element, a mounting base having a formed leg section which abuts on the image pickup element, an image pickup optical system that guides photographic object light to the imaging region of the image pickup element, and an outer frame member that contains the image pickup element, the mounting base, and the image pickup optical system. The space formed at the photoelectric conversion plane side of the image pickup element is sealed by using the mounting base or by using the mounting base and a part of the outer frame member.

Compact and thin types of image pickup devices are traditionally coming to be mounted in compact and thin types of electronic apparatus such as hand-held telephones and personal computers, and in PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and the like, to thereby enable transmission not only of voice information, but also of image information, to and from remote places.
The image pickup devices mounted in these hand-held terminals are very short in the focal length of an image pickup optical system and have aperture F-numbers as small as about 2 to 4. For these reasons, the focal depth at the image side is very small and stringent accuracy is required for positioning in the optical-axis direction of the image pickup optical system with respect to an image pickup plane. In addition, light-receiving sections for photoelectric conversion are arranged at pitches of several micrometers, and so if any dust particles blocking the flux of light incident on the object to be photographed are present on the microlens disposed on a light-receiving element, trouble will occur in object image data.
Solid-state image pickup elements such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) type image sensor or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor are used as the image pickup elements for the image pickup devices described above.
Position-setting methods and dust-proofing methods for the image pickup optical systems of the image pickup devices are proposed in connection with the above. Patent Reference 1, for instance, discloses information on a structure intended to obviate the necessity for focus adjustment during the manufacture of the image pickup device. This structure provided with dust-proofing and moisture-proofing is also adapted to position an image pickup device element and an optical member in the direction of an optical axis by abutting the legs formed integrally with the optical member, on the image pickup device element, and energize this optical member in the direction of the image pickup device.
Image pickup devices capable not only of pan-focus photographing that uses a great depth-of-field with an image pickup optical system fixed, but also of macro-photographing with the image pickup optical system moved, in order to achieve more strengthened functionality, have become available on the market in recent years.
For example, Patent Reference 2 discloses, as an example of an image pickup device capable of macro-photographing, a device that has protrusions and inclined cam grooves formed at alternate positions on an image pickup lens and a tubular holder, moves the image pickup lens in an optical-axis direction by pivoting the image pickup lens, adjusts focus during assembly, and thus enables close-up photographing that uses the inclined grooves.
However, since the above-mentioned solid-state image pickup elements, when used intact, have a spectral sensitivity ranging up to an infrared light region, the infrared light region is cut off before photographic object light reaches the image pickup element.
In connection with the cutoff of the infrared light, some image pickup elements have an infrared light cutoff filter in front of an image pickup lens, as described in Patent Reference 3, for example.
[Patent Reference 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2003-37758
[Patent Reference 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-82271
[Patent Reference 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-341218
A first problem that the present invention is to solve includes the following.
That is to say, the image pickup devices mounted in the foregoing hand-held terminals are also required to provide higher image quality in response to an increase in the proliferation ratio of these devices, and there are requests for image pickup devices having an image pickup element larger in the number of pixels.
Increasing the number of pixels in image pickup devices intended to obtain higher image quality, however, reduces pixel pitches and correspondingly lessens the maximum permissible size of the dust sticking to the photoelectric conversion plane of the image pickup device. Therefore, current situations are already posing the problem that even if there is any sticking dust that is too small to be visible with naked eyes, image data cannot be obtained since a photographic object light flux is blocked.
In this respect, using the image pickup device described in above Patent Reference 1 is a simple and convenient method not requiring an adjustment process for positioning the image pickup element and the optical member in the direction of the optical axis, and is also a method effective for preventing entry of dust from outside. In this method, however, if microvibration or the like is applied to the device interior for a long time, dust arises from wear due to contact between the legs of the optical member and the isolation wall of a mirror housing/frame or from wear from the abutting sections between the legs and the image pickup element. If the dust sticks to the upper face of the image pickup element, the drawback may occur that since a photographic object light flux is blocked, object image data is affected.
Also, during the zooming or close-up photographing that involves moving an image pickup optical system, mechanical linking to the operating member and driving member for moving the image pickup optical system is required, which permits outside dust to enter from the linking sections and causes a drawback similar to the above.
A second problem that the present invention is to solve includes the following.
That is, image pickup devices for mounting in hand-held terminals are required to be as thick as possible in response to reduction in the thickness of the apparatus in which the image pickup device is to be mounted, and this requirement is difficult to meet by using a conventional ceramic package or resin-molded package. Accordingly, dimensional reduction that includes thinning-down is generally accomplished by, after a semiconductor image sensor chip in which is formed a microlens array functioning as an image pickup element has been mounted intact on the printed circuit board forming the image pickup device, assembling optical system constituent elements and the like and integrating these constituent elements into a single unit.
In addition, these hand-held terminals are carried by users and used under various environmental conditions. In particular, if the image pickup element is exposed to a high-humidity atmosphere for a long time, reliability will decrease since the surface of the image pickup element will corrode or the microlens will be adversely affected.
The image pickup device described in Patent Reference 2, however, has protrusions on the surface of an image pickup lens, and inclined dam grooves in a tubular holder, and pivots the image pickup lens by pivoting the aperture-stop-fitted retainer disposed at the front edge of the image pickup device, and moves the lens in its optical-axis direction along the inclined grooves. Using this construction permits moisture to readily enter from the clearances between protrusion-free sections on the circumference of the image pickup lens and the inside of the tubular holder, thus adversely affecting the image pickup element.
There is also the problem that when the cam grooves or the cam surface is used to move the image pickup optical system along the cam, foreign matter sticking to the cam surface causes trouble with the operation of the image pickup optical system and/or tilts the optical axis of the image pickup optical system.
In addition, these image pickup devices for mounting in hand-held terminals are required to be as thick as possible in response to reduction in the thickness of the apparatus in which the image pickup device is to be mounted.
In terms of this tendency, for the image pickup device described in Patent Reference 2, information on a method of cutting off infrared light is not disclosed and it is unclear how the infrared light is cut off.
For the image pickup device described in Patent Reference 3, because of an infrared light cutoff filter being disposed in front of the image pickup lens, there is the problem that since not only the thickness of the image pickup lens but also that of the infrared light cutoff filter is added as the overall length of the image pickup device, this device increases in overall length, that is, in thickness.
Furthermore, such an image pickup device is very small (1 cm3 or less in volume), requires very delicate handling during manual assembly by an operator, and has been high in assembly cost. Manual assembly also makes it difficult to rapidly respond to a change in demand. For these reasons, it is considered necessary to automate assembly for a reduced cost and for flexible response to the change in demand.
For the image pickup device described in Patent Reference 2, however, there is a need to form protrusions and inclined grooves at alternate positions on the image pickup lens and the tubular holder, match these protrusions and inclined grooves during assembly, and after that, rotate the image pickup lens to prevent it from coming off. Therefore, this device has the problem that it is not of a structure suitable for the automation of assembly.

Imaging device, portable terminal using the same, and image device producing method


Methods for automatically generating help desk tickets in response to detecting performance and/or availability issues that occur throughout multiple layers of a networked computing environment are described. In some embodiments, in response to detecting an alert corresponding with a performance issue affecting the networked computing environment, a root cause identification tool may aggregate a plurality of alarms from a plurality of performance management tools monitoring the networked computing environment, generate a failure graph associated with the performance issue, identify a first leaf node of the failure graph, determine a first remedy associated with the first leaf node, and automatically generate a help desk ticket corresponding with the first leaf node and the first remedy. The automatically generated help desk ticket may specify the failure associated with the first leaf node, the first remedy, a location associated with the first remedy, and an estimated time to fix the failure.

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for monitoring a networked computing environment and for identifying and reporting root causes of performance and availability issues that occur throughout multiple layers of the networked computing environment.
Information technology management software may refer to software tools for monitoring the performance and availability of resources and services across a networked computing environment, such as a data center environment or a cloud computing environment. The multiple layers of a networked computing environment may be monitored and managed using various software tools, such as application performance management tools, network performance management tools, and system performance management tools. Application performance management tools may monitor and manage the performance and availability of software applications. For example, an application performance management tool may monitor the volume of transactions processed by a particular application over time (e.g., the number of transactions per second), the response times of the particular application over various load conditions (e.g., average response times under a peak load), and the computing and storage resources consumed by the particular application over time (e.g., the memory footprint). Network performance management tools may monitor the performance of network resources and components, such as network routers and switches. For example, a network performance management tool may identify devices located on a network, monitor response times and availability of devices connected to the network, and track bandwidth utilization and latency across the various components of the network. System performance management tools may monitor the performance of computing devices and/or storage devices. For example, a system performance management tool may monitor CPU, memory, or disk usage over time.

Help desk ticket tracking integration with root cause analysis