Disclosed herein are intravascular systems and methods for modulating the activation of neural activity using shock wave devices. In one embodiment, the system is used to treat the nerves in the renal plexus. In a second embodiment, the system is used to treat the baroreceptors in the carotid sinus. In a preferred embodiment, the shock wave generator is in the form of electrodes mounted within an inflatable balloon.

Chronic hypertension may be the cause of various disease states, including heart failure and stroke. Elevated blood pressure may be controlled using pharmacological agents, such as diuretics, beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and the like. However, the efficacy of such pharmacological interventions may vary greatly, and for some patients, may be insufficient to reduce their blood pressure to a normal range.
Non-pharmacological treatment options may include modulating the activity of neurons that play a role in regulating blood pressure. For example, modulating the neural activity of the renal plexus may help to reduce blood pressure where pharmacological agents are ineffective and/or insufficient. Devices for renal denervation may include devices that ablate (either by heating or freezing) the renal plexus. Additionally or alternatively, baroreceptors (e.g., the baroreceptors in the carotid sinus) may be activated to help reduce blood pressure. Additional devices and methods for modulating these neural structures may be desirable as part of a treatment plan for chronic hypertension.

Shockwave nerve therapy system and method


A ceiling fan or similar air-moving device can include a motor for rotating one or more blades to drive a volume of air about a space. The blade can include a body having an outer surface with a flat top surface and a flat bottom surface, and a side edge. A curved transition can extend between one of the flat top surface or the flat bottom surface, and the side edge. The curved transition can include an elliptical curvature.

Ceiling fans are machines typically suspended from a structure for moving a volume of air about an area. The ceiling fan includes a motor, with a rotor and stator, suspended from and electrically coupled to the structure. A set of blades mount to the rotor such that the blades are rotatably driven by the rotor, and can be provided at an angled orientation to move volume of air about the area. As the cost of energy becomes increasingly important, there is a need to improve the efficiency at which the ceiling fans operate.


A client executes processing for data encryption by adding an error vector to plaintext, the error vector being not larger than a predetermined criterion and processing for sending limitation information to a server, the limitation information being formed from a sublattice basis of a lattice generated by a secret key. The server executes processing for receiving the limitation information and storing it in a storage device and in the homomorphic computation processing on the encrypted data received from the client, processing for, when a bit length of ciphertext which is a result of the homomorphic computation processing is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, reducing the bit length of the ciphertext to a value not larger than a predetermined threshold by translating a vector of the ciphertext to an inside of a region formed from the sublattice basis corresponding to the stored limitation information.

In recent years, an operational management form of an information system called cloud computing has come under the spotlight. In the cloud computing, for the purposes of efficient development of the information system, cost reduction in operational management thereof, and the like, users outsource an information system to an outside contractor instead of owning computation resources themselves. The cloud computing enables efficiency improvement and cost reduction, but on the other hand, since there are two different parties, an administrative service provider offering an information system implementing the cloud computing and a user of the information system, the user tends to feel insecure about outsourcing confidential information to the administrative service provider which is an outside contractor. For this reason, confidentiality of outsourced data needs to be ensured in advance by using an encryption technology in order to prevent misappropriation of the outsourced data.
However, in a simple encryption method, basic computations on encrypted data such as addition and multiplication, or statistical processing, computation of function values, or the like combining those basic computations can be executed only by a party capable of decrypting the data. Thus, the outside administrator of the information system, which is a party to which data is outsourced, cannot perform the various kinds of computation processing on the encrypted data. To overcome such a situation, various measures such as assigning a dedicated staff to the outsourcing contractor need to be taken, but such measures work against the cost reduction purpose, which is the original reason of employing the cloud computing.
As one of techniques for overcoming such a situation, there has been proposed an encryption method allowing a client to perform computation of arbitrary function values on data in a confidential form while outsourcing the data to a server. For example, there has been proposed an encryption method (see PLT 1) allowing Boolean addition and Boolean multiplication to be performed on bit data in a confidential form by utilizing the fact that computation of arbitrary functions executable on a computer can be represented by a combination of Boolean addition and Boolean multiplication.

Confidential computation system, confidential computation method, and confidential computation program


The boundary layer flow along the surface of an aircraft rudder assembly is controlled by suction applied through perforations primarily installed in the leading edge of the rudder assembly. The control is such that a laminar flow is enforced or at least such that any turbulent flow is displaced so that it begins downstream of the rudder assembly leading edge. Suction air chambers are arranged along the leading edge inside a nose box of the rudder assembly and these boxes are connected through air ducts and a valve system to an exhaust fan. The valve system and the exhaust fan are controlled by a central processing unit providing a flow controller for the suction in response to control signals produced from rated values and sensed actual valves to provide a uniform distribution of the suction along the leading edge of the rudder assembly. The suction system may be switched over to a de-icing mode by blowing warm air out through the perforations in a controlled manner.

It is known to maintain a laminar flow along an aircraft surface such as a wing surface by suction through apertures for influencing the boundary layer. The suction may be so-controlled that an artificial laminar flow is enforced and a turbulent flow is substantially avoided or at least delayed. Reference is made in this connection to an article entitled "Second Skin" (Zweite Haut) by H. L. Hillebrand in Flug Revue, December 1985, pages 68 to 70 describing two efforts for controlling boundary layer flow.
The so-called "Lockheed structure" involves a sandwich construction of a wing portion formed of honeycomb sheets covered with a graphite epoxy skin which in turn is covered by a further thin skin provided with longitudinal slots extending cross-wise to the flow direction on the upper and lower side of the wing near the wing leading edge. Suction is produced inside of the wing chambers and air is sucked into the wing through the longitudinal slots. The extent of the suction is controlled by a control unit.
The so-called "Douglas structure" includes a perforated thin sheet metal layer of titanium applied to a fiberglass support structure. The perforations include a multitude of very small apertures which are closely spaced to each other. These apertures are in the wing and suction is applied to remove boundary layer air through these apertures.
It is also known from European Patent Publication EP 0,436,243 A2 (Rudolph et al.), published on Jul. 10, 1991, to use an anti-icing system of an aircraft also for laminar flow control. The aperture through which hot air is blown out can also be used for sucking air through the apertures into the wing for laminar flow control. The flow is reversed in the anti-icing mode or vice versa. Rudolph et al. do not provide an exact control of the air quantity to be sucked off nor of the air quantity to be blown out. Thus, neither the blowing operation nor the sucking operation can be adapted to the instantaneously prevailing flow conditions at the leading edge of the wing. The Rudolph system is not capable of avoiding boundary layer separation altogether because in the suction mode it is possible that air may flow out of the apertures from those chambers in which the suction is not applied and the pressure build up in any chamber may result in a chamber pressure larger than the outside pressure. The prior art does not deal with boundary layer flow control in a rudder assembly.
Reference is also made to Aeronautical Engineering, Jan. 27, 1937, pages 98 to 100 where an article entitled "Sucking off the Boundary Layer" by B. S. Shenstone describes original efforts for boundary layer control. Further reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,182 (Coffinberry), issued Aug. 25, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,597 (Coffinberry), issued Jun. 30, 1992; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,329 (Coffinberry), issued Sep. 1, 1992.
The above prior art leaves room for improvement.

Rudder assembly with a controlled boundary layer control for an aircraft


A fuel cell device is disclosed that is capable of being made compact when being transported and in storage. The fuel cell device includes a fuel cell unit including a number of fuel cells arranged sequentially in a case. The case includes a holder frame for holding the fuel cells, a first hemi-case, and a second hemi-case. The width of the case is adjustable in the direction in which the fuel cells are arranged in a line. When the fuel cell device is being transported or in storage, the first hemi-case and the second hemi-case are pushed to approach each other, making the size of the case small. When the fuel cell device is used to generate electrical power, the first hemi-case and the second hemi-case are pulled apart from each other and, accordingly, the fuel cells are separated from each other by a springy plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel cell device and a case thereof, more specifically, to a fuel cell device for charging the battery of a cellular phone and a case thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel cell device, which generates electrical power by filling liquid fuel, for example, is useful for charging the battery of a cellular phone in case of emergency and commercial batteries are not available. In order for a fuel cell device to yield a sufficiently high output, usually two or three fuel cells are connected in series and are accommodated in a case. Furthermore, in practical use, a person places a number of fuel cell devices into a bag for transportation, so it is desirable that the fuel cell device be compact.
FIG. 1 is a view of a fuel cell device 10 of the related art. The fuel cell device 10 has two fuel cells 12 and 13 accommodated in a case 11. The two fuel cells 12 and 13 are separated at a distance by a spacer 14. In FIG. 1, this distance is indicated by the letter "a", and the reference number 15 represents the space between the fuel cells 12 and 13. There is also space 16 of a width b between the fuel cell 12 and the case 11, and space 17 of a width c between the fuel cell 13 and the case 11. The spaces 15, 16, and 17 are necessary for feeding air into the fuel cells 12 and 13 for the fuel cells 12 and 13 to generate electrical power. In FIG. 1, the reference numbers 18 and 19 represent a fuel feeding port and a pipe, respectively.
For the fuel cells 12 and 13 to generate electrical power, a liquid fuel, such as methanol, is filled into the fuel cells 12 and 13 through the fuel feeding port 18 and the pipe 19. Then the fuel cells 12 and 13 start to generate electrical power with the liquid fuel.
In the above configuration, however, because of the existence of the spaces 15, 16, and 17 inside the case 11, the width of the fuel cell device 10 is large, and it is not easy to make the case 11 compact.


A measurement apparatus for the detection of the feed movement of a workpiece to be processed, which has a belt or chain, which is guided on a carrier via deflection disks, a pressure device, which is moved along in its movement direction with the belt or the chain for the pressing of the belt or the chain against the workpiece, and a sensor for the detection of the movement of the belt or the chain. An accurate measurement can be attained in that the carrier on a holder can be rotated around a swivel axis, which is at a right angle to the direction of movement of the belt or the chain.

Such a measurement apparatus is known from DE 20 2011 105 077 U1. There, the feed movement of a workpiece by a belt arrangement with a belt that is conducted over deflection rollers and pressed against the workpiece is detected. To this end, the belt is pressed by the pressure elements that are also moved with it, for example, against the underside of a workpiece that is moved on a workpiece support in the longitudinal direction. By means of the pressure elements moved along with the belt, the belt can be pressed against the workpiece to attain a slip-free connection with the workpiece, without a sliding friction appearing between the pressure element and the belt. On at least one of the deflection disks of the belt, a sensor or another suitable device for the detection of its rotating movement can be located. By detecting the rotating movement of the deflection disk that is driven by the workpiece via the belt, it is thus possible to detect the movement of the workpiece and to measure it slip-free. However, the belt arrangement in this known measurement apparatus has only limited movement possibilities, which, in particular with irregularly shaped workpieces, can lead to measurement inaccuracies.

Measurement apparatus and wood processing system with such a measurement apparatus


The invention relates to the hardening of the surface layer of parts of machines, plants and apparatuses and also tools. Objects for which the application is possible and advantageous are components which are subjected to severe fatigue or wear stresses and are composed of hardenable steels and have a complicated shape and whose surface has to be hardened selectively on the functional surfaces or whose functional surface has a multidimensional shape. The process for hardening the surface layer of components having a complicated shape is carried out by means of a plurality of energy input zones. According to the invention, it is characterized in that the energy input zones are conducted on different curved parts separately in space and time and by means of cooperatively working transport systems so that superposition of the individual temperature fields forms a uniform temperature field which completely covers the functional surface of the component and within which each surface element of the later hardening zone of the component attains the selected austenite formation temperature interval ΔTa at least once and the time interval Δt between the maximum temperatures Tmaxn of the individual temperature fields is from 3.1 to 3.n smaller than the time ΔtmS which is required to go below the martensite start temperature MS during the cooling phase. The apparatus by means of which the process of the invention can be carried out is, according to the invention, characterized in that the energy configuring units are connected to one or more energy sources for optical or electromagnetic radiation and are each fixed to separate but cooperatively operating transport systems.

The invention pertains to boundary hardening of machine, equipment and apparatus parts, as well as tools. Objects in which its application is possible and expedient are components made of hardenable steels that are exposed to severe fatigue or wear, have a complicated shape, and whose surface must be selectively hardened on the functional surfaces, or in which the functional surface has a multidimensional shape. The invention is particularly advantageous for use in those components, in which the geometry of the functional surface changes three-dimensionally along the component. Such components include large dies, cutting and trimming tools, as well as compression molds for auto body production, turbine blades for the low-pressure part of steam turbines, cam disks, machine beds of tools, etc. Other applications are local heat treatments, like boundary solution annealing, boundary tempering or quenching of geometrically complicated components.

Process and apparatus for hardening the surface layer of components having a complicated shape

FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.


The access of private memory of nodes in a multi-node system is disclosed. A base node of such a coalesced system instructs at least one other node of the system to start a process related to private memory. Each of the other nodes starts the process, where the process access private memory of the node. When the process is finished on a node, the node reports back results of the process to the base node.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a computing system in which there are multiple nodes, and more particularly to such a system in which each node has private memory generally accessible only by the node itself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As computer systems, such as server systems, become more complex, they have been divided into different nodes that operate as separate units. Each node may have its own processors, memory, and input/output (I/O) modules. Functionality performed by a system may be divided among its various nodes, such that each node is responsible for one or more different functions. There is usually a base node, including a keyboard and display, through which a user interacts with the system itself, including the other nodes. Such systems are considered coalesced systems in that the nodes are coalesced to function as a single system. This coalescing is usually transparent to the user. The user typically requests that functionality be performed by the system as a whole, instead of by individual nodes of the system, for instance.
The memory of a node is generally divided into two different types: shared memory, and private memory. Shared memory, as its name implies, is shared among all the nodes. That is, the shared memory of one node is accessible by the other nodes of the system. Private memory of a node, conversely, is accessible only by the node itself. Generally no node, not even the base node, is able to access the private memory of another node. The private memory of a node can include flash memory, expansion read-only memory (ROM), and the memory where error logs and other node-specific information is stored. Firmware for a node is also usually stored in the private memory of the node.
Retrieving diagnostic information from a node, which involves retrieving the errors logs of a node, and updating the firmware of a node, thus must be performed on a per-node basis, instead of on a system-wide basis. Whereas other functionality may be performed for all the nodes of a system through a base node, because the base node does not have access to the private memory of the other nodes, it is unable to retrieve the diagnostic information of another node, nor update another node's firmware. Performing diagnostic and update-oriented functionality therefore must be accomplished on a per-node basis. Where there are a large number of nodes in a given system, this can be very inconvenient and time-consuming for the system administrator.
A limited solution to this problem is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,356, which provides a mechanism by which a node's private resources are accessible to other nodes for pre-boot activities only. One node indicates the type of pre-boot activity to be performed on another node. This latter node is then rebooted, and during the boot process performs the pre-boot activity, accessing its private memory on behest of the former node.
However, this approach is indirect, and requires the rebooting of a node. Therefore, performing diagnostic and update-oriented functionality can still be inconvenient and time-consuming for the system administrator. Furthermore, the system of nodes is still not managed as a whole, but rather as individual nodes on a per-node basis, albeit through the base node, which is also inconvenient for the system administrator. For these described reasons, as well as other reasons, there is a need for the present invention.

Private memory access in multi-node system

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for replacing a software component among a plurality of software components of a runtime system, in particular a runtime system of an industrial control environment, comprises the steps of determining a first software component to be replaced among the plurality of software components, determining a second software component for replacing the first software component in the runtime system; initializing the second software component in the runtime system; routing a plurality of calls directed to the first software component centrally through a wrapper component; and switching the calls directed to the first software component to the second software component by means of a wrapper component.

Industrial control environments are ubiquitous in many areas of industry and manufacturing, and may comprise a plurality of industrial controller units, wherein each of the controller units stores and runs a designated control software program adapted to control associated machinery or a group of machinery.
Modern industrial equipment and control environments provide numerous options or interfaces for communicating, via a network, with external components, such as for communicating with a programming environment and/or an industrial control network of machinery and equipment. For instance, it is desirable that industrial control environments provide a secure and authorized access to data of the industrial control.er unit, such as for local or remote maintenance applications, management and control.
The possibility of accessing a system via a network enhances the user comfort, but may pose security risks. In order to keep the security settings up to date, it may sometimes be required to update or replace parts of the software or firmware of the industrial controller unit, such as the software or firmware of a communication stack, user management or other security-relevant components of the firmware. Such firmware updates may also be required in case of malfunctions, or as part of a routine updating process.
It is desirable that any such updating interferes only minimally with the running industrial control process on the industrial controller unit, and should hence preferably be implemented "online", i.e., in real time during operation of the industrial controller unit and without interrupting the running industrial control process.
In terms of the update of the industrial controller unit, one should distinguish between its control application and its runtime system. The control application generally denotes software that controls the industrial process, whereas the runtime system may comprise software responsible for system tasks, such as task scheduling for the control application, communication with the external programming environment and industrial equipment, or connection to a database.
Typically, the control application can be updated or replaced without major difficulties even while the industrial control process is running. However, this is much more challenging for the runtime system.
Sometimes, this problem is addressed by means of redundant control systems. For instance, two or more identical controller units may be assigned to control the same process. One of the controller units is active, whereas another industrial controller unit may run the same control application in the background, but without engaging actively with the control process. If the primary controller unit fails, the redundant controller unit may take over, without significant delay. The redundant controller unit may also take over the control process while the primary controller unit is updated with new firmware or software, and vice-versa.
However, redundant controller units are expensive and increase the complexity of the industrial control environment.
What is needed is an improved and more efficient method and system for replacing the software component of a runtime system of an industrial control environment.

Method and system for replacing a software component of a runtime system


A time to digital converter (TDC) with high resolution is provided. The TDC includes a counter, a reference value generator and a comparator. The counter samples an input signal according to a clock signal to calculate a pulse width of the input signal. The reference value generator samples a ruler signal according to the clock signal to generate a reference value. Herein, a frequency of the clock signal is greater than a frequency of the ruler signal, and the frequency of the ruler signal is greater than a frequency of the input signal. The comparator is coupled to the counter and the reference value generator, and compares the pulse width of the input signal and the reference value to generate a count result.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a time to digital converter, and particularly relates to a time to digital converter capable of mitigating environmental interference and with a full-digital application.
Description of Related Art
Along with development of integrated circuit, a more extensive use can be achieved by converting sensing information obtained by a sensor into digital codes. Regarding a time measurement system, a time to digital converter may adopt a time width to represent the sensing information, and counts the time width through an oscillator, so as to convert the sensing information into a digital output.
In the existing techniques, the time to digital converter generally filters a noise part of a time sensing signal by only configuring a comparator at a front stage. However, environmental variations related to manufacturing process, voltage, temperature, etc., probably cause an interference in a counting process. Moreover, demands on high energy conversion efficiency and high precision are gradually increased. Therefore, to effectively resolve the above problem has become a key technique of the time to digital converter.

Time to digital converter with high resolution


The method for fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. A doped semiconductor layer is formed over the substrate. The doped semiconductor layer is patterned to form a plurality of doped semiconductor patterns. An implantation process is performed to implant a dopant into the doped semiconductor patterns. A process temperature of the implantation process is no more than about −50° C. The dopants of the implantation process and the doped semiconductor patterns have the same conductivity type.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, and in particular, to a method for fabricating a non-volatile memory.
2. Description of Related Art
A non-volatile memory is able to retain the stored data even when the electrical power is off. As a result, many electronic products have such memories to provide normal operations when booted. In particular, a flash memory allows multiple data writing, reading, and erasing operations. With these advantages, the flash memory has become one of the most widely adopted memory devices in personal computers and electronic equipments.
The floating gate of the flash memory is usually formed of a polysilicon layer by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with in situ doping. However, the dopant loss of the floating gate occurs during the high-temperature subsequent processes. As a result, the conductivity of the floating gate is reduced and thus leading depletion issue, reliability issue, programming/erase distribution issue, or endurance issue.

Methods for fabricating semiconductor device


There are provided with a source part made of a ferromagnetic material magnetized in a first direction, a drain part made of a ferromagnetic material magnetized in the first direction, and separated from and arranged in parallel to the source part, a channel part arranged between the source part and the drain part, and bonded with the source part and the drain part directly or through a tunnel layer, and a circularly polarized light irradiation part that irradiates the channel part with circularly polarized light for controlling a direction of spin of the channel part.

Conventionally, as a spin polarization transistor element, a spin polarization transistor element that includes a source and a drain made of a ferromagnetic material, a channel layer made of a non-magnetic material and bonded with the source and the drain directly or through a tunnel insulation layer, and a gate electrode provided on the channel layer directly or through a gate insulator layer, and which controls a potential of the channel layer is known (for example, see Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 1). Transistors described in Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 1 apply an electric field to the channel layer using the gate electrode, and controls rotation of electron spin in the channel layer, thereby to control ON/OFF of a current between the source and the drain.


A cartridge filter includes a folded package including filter material and a frame holding the folded package. The frame includes a plurality of profiled strips having identical profiles, and each having two ends. The frame also includes a plurality of corner joints, each disposed at an end of a respective profiled strip. Each corner joint includes an end cap for engaging pair wise with an end cap of an adjacent one of the plurality of corner pieces.

Plants which have pure air spaces make high demands on the purity of the interior air. Air cleaned of dust and microorganisms is necessary in the plants in order to maintain the desired air purity. In addition to filter pads and pocket filters, cartridge filters are a common component in air filters. Cartridge filters have a folded package which is aligned perpendicularly to the flow direction and an outer frame. The folded package and the frame are sealed against one another using a sealing material. The folded packages are formed using fanfolded filter paper. In air filters for suspended matter, synthetic materials which can be processed in liquid form are exclusively used as sealing material. A nonwoven filter may also be placed into fine filters as sealing material.
The outer frame lends the filter the necessary mechanical stability, protects the filter package from damage, and allows for tightly fitting the filter element into a receptacle. Wood, sheet metal, or extruded aluminum sections are used as frame material. In framing of cartridge filters using a seal made of synthetic material processed in liquid form, the four frame parts are simultaneously joined perpendicularly to one another and bonded with the folded package. The advantage of this technique is in the fact that no additional casting molds or a specific configuration of the frame parts are necessary. However, the disadvantage is that the synthetic material used for the seal is not completely liquid so that the folded package occasionally does not penetrate the synthetic material at all points, thus creating leaks.
A different possibility for manufacturing the cartridge filter includes pouring a liquid casting compound into a prepared casting mold which represents one side of the frame and subsequently setting the folded package into the liquid. After curing of the casting compound, the step is repeated for the other sides of the folded package. Using this technique, the folded package always penetrates the liquid synthetic material completely, so that leaks are prevented. Since a liquid synthetic material is cast, the frame part itself must be formed as a casting mold, or additional auxiliary devices are necessary to prevent the sealing means from running. During joining, for example, additional bars are attached to the frame part as casting edges which prevent the casting compound from running. After curing of the casting compound, these auxiliary devices are again removed. Since the marketplace demands cartridge filters in almost any dimension, separate equipment is required for the production of each frame. By using wood frames or even deep-drawn or cast frame parts, the variety of models can only be satisfied very expensively since each dimension requires a separate deep-draw tool, for example.


The collet, which can be made in a single piece and at the same time as the balance-spring, is formed by a plate (1) which includes an aperture (3) for attachment to a balance staff (5) and has an asymmetrical contour (9) which follows at a substantially constant distance d the contour of the first coil (11) of the inner terminal curve. The plate can further include recesses (13) for repositioning the centre of gravity g on the balance staff (5).

In a mechanical timepiece movement, the sprung balance regulating system forms one of the most fragile parts of the mechanism, particularly in the event of shocks that can break the pivot-shanks of the balance staff, or even break the balance-spring at the collet-balance-spring join. In order to avoid this risk to the balance staff, the solution that has been proposed for a long time consists in providing shock absorber bearings, such as the "Incabloc" bearing. Such shock absorber bearings also contribute to protecting the balance-spring, but are insufficient when a shock causes a large travel or deflection of the balance-spring and creates tension at the collet-curve join inside the balance-spring. The risk of breakage at this join is greater when the inner terminal curve is of the Grossmann type with a collet of circular contour, i.e. when the first coil of the inner terminal curve has a larger pitch than that of the following coils, meaning that the space between the first coil and the collet is relatively large. The risk of breakage is further increased when the balance-spring is made of a brittle material, such as silicon, monocrystalline quartz or glass, and/or it is made in a single piece at the same time as the collet by micro-machining techniques or photolithography and galvanic growth, as disclosed in EP Patent No. 1 445 670.

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd


A solar battery module is constructed in such a way that a photovoltaic element is fixed on a reinforcing sheet, a plurality of junction boxes for drawing power out of the photovoltaic element to the outside are provided on an anti-light-receiving-surface side of the reinforcing sheet, first spacer members having a height higher than a height of the junction boxes are placed along two opposite sides of the reinforcing sheet, and a second spacer member is placed between the plurality of junction boxes. When it is applied to a roof, the first spacer members are fixed on a roof substrate material, a space defined between the roofing material and the roof substrate material is open to the outside air, and the space is in communication with the inside of a house at the ridge. The above structure simplifies works for securing combination solar battery and roofing materials with forming a draft layer onto the roof. In addition, when stress is exerted on the central portion of panel, the above structure prevents the panel from being deformed and prevents the junction boxes from being broken.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solar battery module and more particularly, to a solar battery roof and a mounting method thereof realizing simplification of installing and securing methods.
2. Related Background Art
Solar batteries have popularly been used heretofore as clean and non-exhaustive energy supply sources and various research and development has been conducted on the solar cells or batteries themselves. Further, development is active on solar battery modules well suited to installation at a variety of places, for example, on the ground and on the roof.
Especially, in terms of installation on the roof, development of combination roofing material and solar battery module, which can also function as a roofing material, is useful also in respect of reduction of cost for spread of solar battery in the future.
An example of the solar battery module suited to the existing roof construction methods is the solar battery module shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, which is described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 7-211932. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view obtained when the central part of the solar battery module is cut vertically in the direction from the ridge to the eaves and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view obtained when an edge part of the solar battery module is cut laterally in the direction perpendicular to the foregoing direction. This example is characterized in that air flow path 8 is formed between sheathing roof board 7 and solar battery module 13 and in that heat of the solar battery module heated to high temperatures is conducted to the air flowing in this flow path 8 to heat it up and it is utilized for heating of building.
In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, junction boxes 10 are provided on the opposite surface (which will be referred to as a back surface) to the light receiving surface of the solar battery module 13, electric output line 11 is drawn out of each junction box 10, and connector 12 is attached to the end thereof to be electrically connected to an adjacent solar battery module.
An example of the solar battery module 13 is fabricated in such a way that an amorphous silicon solar battery is formed on a stainless steel substrate, a translucent resin film is put on the light receiving surface side, a metal reinforcing sheet is put on the back surface side, and the laminate is resin-sealed with a translucent resin. This solar battery module 13 is bent by folding together with the translucent resin film, translucent resin, and metal reinforcing sheet, thereby being formed in a shape suitable for the batten-seam roof structure as shown in FIG. 9, which is one of the conventional roof construction methods.
The installation and securing sequence is as follows. For forming the space 8 between the sheathing roof board 7 and the solar battery module 13, spacer members 14a, 14b are fixed by unillustrated nails to the sheathing roof board 7, then the solar battery module 13 is mounted thereon, and retaining clip 15 is fixed by drill screw 16, thereby installing and securing the solar battery module 13. At this time, the distance between the spacer members 14a is 455 mm in the case of the conventional shaku (unit of length) construction method or 500 mm in the case of the meter construction method. Reference numeral 17 designates the batten, which functions as a flashing.
When exposed to the sunlight, the solar battery module 13 is heated to high temperatures, approximately 80xc2x0 C. The air flows in the flow path of the space 8 on the back surface side of the solar battery module 13 and the air rises up to the ridge as being heated by heat conduction from the solar battery module 13 and is taken into the room to be used for heating.
In the above conventional technology, the spacer members 14a and 14b must be installed and fixed at accurate positions relative to the solar battery module 13. Namely, as shown in FIG. 9, the spacer members must be installed and fixed so as to accurately support the both edge portions of the solar battery module 13 having the width of about 455 mm to 500 mm. It is, however, very troublesome to carry out the installing and fixing works of the spacer members 14a and 14b at the accurate positions in the working site on the roof of poor foothold.
Means for solving the above problem is achieved by a solar battery module wherein a photovoltaic element is fixed on a reinforcing sheet, a plurality of junction boxes are provided for drawing power out of the photovoltaic element to the outside, first spacer members higher than the junction boxes are placed along two opposite sides of the reinforcing sheet, and a second spacer member is placed between the plurality of junction boxes.
When the solar battery module is applied to the roof, the roof is so constructed that the first spacer members are fixed on a roof substrate material, the space defined between the roofing material and the roof substrate material is open to the outside air at the eaves, and the space is in communication with the inside of house at the ridge.

Solar battery module and roofing material incorporating it


A drive apparatus for a zoom lens barrel, in which at least two movable zooming lens groups are moved upon zooming, includes lens frames which respectively hold the two movable zooming lens groups, two parallel drive plates which are provided with cam grooves and which are pivoted to a common shaft to move the two movable zooming lens groups, a pair of drive gears which are in mesh with corresponding sector gears of the drive plates, and two drive mechanisms which individually drive the drive gears upon zooming.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive apparatus for a zoom lens barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A zoom lens includes at least two movable zooming lens groups which are moved in predetermined directions upon zooming. In a first type of conventional or classical drive mechanism of the zoom lens, which has been used particularly for a single lens reflex camera, in which a focal-shift during zooming is not permitted, the movable zooming lens groups are moved along tracks defined by cam grooves formed on a cam ring so as not to cause a focal-shift. In a second type of known drive mechanism of a zoom lens for compact cameras or digital cameras, in which correct focusing on an object is requested only at the time of shutter releasing while the shift of focus during zooming is accepted, the movable zooming lens groups are moved upon zooming while permitting a focal-shift, and thereafter the movable lens groups are moved to an in-focus position in accordance with set focal length data and set object distance data upon the shutter releasing. In the second type drive mechanism, separate drivers for the two movable lens groups are provided, so that the positions of the lens groups are detected as digital data and controlled thereby. The "zooming" or "zooming operation" refers to both the first type drive mechanism in which the zoom lens groups are moved so as not to cause a focal-shift and the second type drive mechanism in which the zoom lens groups are moved while permitting the shift of focus. It goes without saying that in the type of drive mechanism in which the separate drivers for the two zoom lens groups are provided and the positions of the lens groups are detected as digital values, it is possible to move the zoom lens groups without causing a focal-shift.
The second type drive mechanism for a zoom lens barrel, in which the drivers for the two zoom lens groups are provided, is larger in size and more complicated in construction than the first type drive mechanism in which the zoom lens barrels are moved by the single cam ring.


A mobile computing device is described that includes multiple device components, a power supply and a power line connected to each device component. The power supply is operative to provide power signals to the device components over the power lines. The mobile computing device also includes a processor operative to generate a control signal for one or more device components. A power line communications control module is connected to the power supply and the processor, the power line communications control module is operative to receive a power signal and a control signal for a device component, combine the power signal and control data from the control signal to form a power data signal, and send the power data signal to the device component over a corresponding power line. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Mobile computing devices, such as smart phones, may provide a wide array of processing capabilities such as digital assistant (PDA) features, including word processing, spreadsheets, synchronization of information (e.g., e-mail) with a desktop computer, and so forth. In addition, such devices may have wireless communications capabilities to provide features, such as mobile telephony, mobile e-mail access, web browsing, and content (e.g., video and radio) reception. Exemplary wireless communications technologies include cellular, satellite, and mobile data networking technologies.
Providing such an array of functionality in a single device involves a multitude of control and power lines. As mobile computing devices continue to decrease in size and the amount of power required to provide the ever increasing array of capabilities continues to increase, conservation of space within mobile computing devices becomes an important consideration. As a result, it is desirable to consolidate signals and signal lines when possible. For example, it may be advantageous to combine power signals and control data on power lines. Consequently, there exists a substantial need for techniques to improve the management of signals within a mobile computing device.

Method and apparatus to combine power and control signals in a mobile computing device

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A multi-vortex flowmeter includes a vortex type detection device including a measurement tube provided in a flow channel to allow a fluid to be measured to pass, a vortex generator provided in the measurement tube to face a flow of the fluid to be measured, and a vortex detector for detecting a change based on a Karman vortex generated by the vortex generator. The flowmeter also includes a thermal type detection device including a temperature sensor and a heating temperature sensor, each protruding into the flow channel, and a flow rate converter, in which a pressure gauge for measuring a pressure in a pipe wired together with the vortex detector and the thermal detection device is provided integrally with the flow rate converter.

In order to measure a flow rate of a fluid to be measured flowing through a flow tube, a vortex flowmeter and a thermal flowmeter are used.
As is generally known, the vortex flowmeter makes use of the fact that the number of Karman vortexes (vortex frequency) generated by a vortex generator in a unit time is proportional to a flow rate within a predetermined Reynolds number range regardless of whether the vortex generator is a gas or a liquid when the vortex generator is placed in a fluid flow. The constant of proportionality is referred to as the Strouhal number. As vortex detectors, a thermal sensor, a strain sensor, an optical sensor, a pressure sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and the like are given. The above vortex detectors can detect a thermal change, a change in lift or the like caused by the vortexes. The vortex flowmeter is a simple flowmeter capable of measuring a flow rate without being affected by physical properties of the fluid to be measured, and is widely used for flow rate measurement of gases or fluids (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 2869054).
The thermal flowmeter includes a temperature sensor (fluid temperature detecting sensor) and a heating temperature sensor (heating-side temperature sensor). A temperature of the heating temperature sensor (flow velocity sensor (heater)) having a function of a temperature sensor and a function of a heating sensor is controlled to have a constant difference in temperature with respect to a temperature measured by the temperature sensor. This is because a heat quantity, which is removed from a heater when the fluid to be measured is caused to flow, is correlated with a mass flow rate. The mass flow rate is calculated from electric power for heating the heater (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-12220).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-29966 discloses a technology of a multi-vortex flowmeter including both the function of the vortex flowmeter and the function of the thermal flowmeter. The multi-vortex flowmeter is capable of measuring a flow rate ranging from an extremely low flow rate to a high flow rate with good accuracy, and is particularly superior to the other flowmeters in this point.
The multi-vortex flowmeter can selectively use the function of the vortex flowmeter and that of the thermal flowmeter according to the condition of a flow of the fluid to be measured flowing through a flow channel of a flow tube. Specifically, the function of the thermal flowmeter is used to perform a measurement in an extremely low flow rate region and a low flow rate region, whereas the function of the vortex flowmeter is used to perform a measurement in a high flow rate region.
Since a sensitivity of the vortex detector is insufficient in the vortex flowmeter when the flow rate is lowered to reduce a vortex differential pressure, control is performed to switch the function to that of the thermal flowmeter at a predetermined lower limit flow rate in the multi-vortex flowmeter.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multi-vortex flowmeter integrating pressure gauge


A thermal flow detecting apparatus detects fluid flow in a main flow passage. A bypass passage portion is provided through which some fluid bypasses the main flow passage. A detecting element is provided in the bypass passage portion and arranged at a location eccentrically displaced from the center of a cross section of the bypass passage portion. A throttle portion is provided upstream of the eccentric detecting element in the bypass passage portion for throttling the cross section partially on a side of the detecting element.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,594 B1 (JP-A-11-118559) discloses a thermal flow detecting apparatus for detecting airflow in an airflow passage. The flow detecting apparatus is a thermal flow meter for detecting airflow using a thermal resistive element as a hot wire.
As shown in FIG. 5, a conventional flow meter has an inner wall defining a bypass passage portion 917 being rectangular in cross section. The inner wall of the flow meter is provided partially with throttle portions 920 on both sides of the bypass passage portion 917. Each of the throttle portions 920 extends from an inlet end 925 toward an outlet end 926 with respect to the flow direction of the air. The outlet end 926 defines a throttle outlet cavity 921. Support members 927, 929 are provided in the throttle outlet cavity 921. Each of the support members 927, 929 is behind the corresponding throttle portion 920 defining a throttle surface in a convex surface when being viewed from an inlet of the throttle portions 920. A thermal resistive element 931 and a temperature sensing element 932 are provided in the bypass passage portion 917. The thermal resistive element 931 and the temperature sensing element 932 are supported using the support members 927, 929.
In this structure, the throttle portions 920 are capable of deflecting air, which passes through the bypass passage portion 917, from the support members 927, 929. The airflow can be smoothly rectified, so that the flow meter is capable of steadily detecting the airflow thereby outputting a stable detection signal. The flow meter has a thermal sensing element including the thermal resistive element 931 and the temperature sensing element 932 to measure the rectified airflow throughout a wide range between a small flow rate and a large flow rate, thereby transmitting the output signal indicating the airflow. In this structure, fluctuation in the output signal of the thermal sensing element can be reduced by rectifying the airflow.
The bypass passage portion 917 of the flow meter is inserted into the airflow passage to detect the airflow through the airflow passage. When the diameter of the bypass passage portion 917 is large, the bypass passage portion 917 causes large pressure drop in the airflow passage. Therefore, the diameter of the bypass passage portion 917 is preferably reduced to decrease pressure drop in the airflow passage. However, when the bypass passage portion 917 is reduced in inner diameter, a space for accommodating the thermal sensing element including the thermal resistive element 931 and the temperature sensing element 932 becomes small. The bypass passage portion 917 has therein a center portion where speed of airflow is substantially stable. In a structure in which the bypass passage portion 917 is reduced in inner diameter, the thermal sensing elements are hard to be arranged in the center of the bypass passage portion 917. Consequently, detection property of the flow meter may change when dispersion occurs in the position of the thermal sensing elements.
The airflow in the bypass passage portion 917 forms a flow distribution perpendicularly to the direction of the airflow. The flow speed of air is high in the vicinity of the center of the bypass passage portion 917 in the flow distribution. The flow speed of air is substantially constant, i.e., flat in the vicinity of the center of the bypass passage portion 917 in the flow distribution. Therefore, the flow speed of air does not greatly change around the center of the bypass passage portion 917 in the flow distribution.
In this structure, the thermal sensing element including the thermal resistive element 931 and the temperature sensing element 932 are preferably arranged in the vicinity of the center of the bypass passage portion 917 for detecting the flow rate of air. When the thermal sensing element is arranged in the vicinity of the bypass passage portion 917, the detection signal of the thermal sensing element does not greatly disperse, even when the position of the thermal sensing element slightly deviates from specific positions. However, when the diameter of the bypass passage portion 917 is reduced, the thermal sensing element may be originally arranged respectively in designated positions eccentrically displaced from the center of the bypass passage portion 917. In this structure, for example, when the thermal sensing element is slightly misaligned from the designated positions during assembly, dispersion in the detection signals becomes large compared with the structure in which the thermal sensing element is arranged in the center of the bypass passage portion 917. Accordingly, small misalignments of the thermal sensing element cause large dispersion in the detection property of the flow meter.

Thermal flow detecting apparatus and method for detecting flow using the same


Scoped applications are configured as self-contained units that do not require external configuration of messaging or database access settings. The applications can be deployed to multiple and disparate environments and utilized without the need for additional server configuration by an administrator. The applications include metadata indicating information specific to a particular server that can be provided at deployment.

Since its inception in 1995, the Java programming language has become increasingly popular. Java, which is an interpreted language, enabled the creation of applications which could be run on a wide variety of platforms. This ability to function across a variety of different client platforms and Java's relatively easy implementation of network applications has resulted in its use in endeavors as basic as personal webpages to endeavors as complex as large business-to-business enterprise systems.
As Java has become more commonplace, a wide variety of tools and development platforms have been created to assist developers in the creation and implementation of Java applications. These development platforms have usually been built around an application server program which provides a common interface for accessing internal data and resources.
However, as these servers and their associated applications have become more complex and developed there has been a corresponding need to properly configure resources so that they can be accessed by the applications. Often, features such as Java Database Binding Connectivity (JDBC), which governs application access to internal data sources and Java Messaging System (JMS), which controls messaging among and between applications must be separately configured on the server before the application can be deployed. This greatly complicates the process of deploying applications on new servers.
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an application environment as practiced in the prior art. A server 120 supports multiple java applications 105, 110, and coordinates access to an internal database 145. The server 120 performs platform functions such as resource management, messaging, load balancing, and access to data sources. The server includes a deployment mechanism that deploys the applications 105, 110 from stored archive files.
The internal databases 145 are information sources that are accessed and utilized by the server 120. In one embodiment, the internal databases 145 are Structured Query Language (SQL) compliant databases. The server 120 receives requests for data from the applications 105, 110, translates the data requests to SQL requests, and then passes the requested data back to the applications.
The applications 105, 110 are groups of modules that have been assembled into application units for use on the server 120. The applications are configured to provide interaction with remote entities and to provide a mechanism by which the server interacts with clients and other servers.
The server 120 includes JMS configuration 130. The JMS configuration sets the parameters through which messaging is performed between and among the different applications 105, 110. The JMS configuration 130 includes information such as a store indicating where persistent JMS data is stored, a paging store indicating where non-persistent JMS data is stored, a template for any queues or topics for the server, and any other configuration information that is necessary to implement messaging operations within and among the applications 105, 110. In one embodiment, the JMS configuration 130 is set by a system administrator and must be properly configured before the applications 105, 110 can utilize messaging.
The server 120 also includes JDBC 140 configuration. The JDBC configuration includes connection pool characteristics, driver information, tracking information, and information about the types and sources of data, such as the internal databases 145, that are accessed. In one embodiment, the JDBC configuration 140 is set by a system administrator and must be properly configured before the applications 105, 110 can access the internal databases 145. This process can be especially time consuming and difficult, significantly adding to the cost of deploying applications.
What is needed is a method of creating applications that can utilize messaging and database functions without the need for additional server configuration.


A semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided in which an interlayer insulation film deposited on a semiconductor chip includes a boron-containing silicon oxide film and a second film deposited on the boron-containing silicon oxide film. A guard ring is disposed adjacent to the periphery of the semiconductor chip, and a slit is disposed between the guard ring and the periphery of the chip. The depth of the slit is selected such that cracks formed on the boundary between the BPSG film and the second film are inhibited by the slit from intruding further along the boundary to the inside of the chip, thereby preventing moisture or obstacles from reaching the inside of the chip through the cracks.

The present invention concerns a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a manufacturing technique thereof and, more particularly, it relates to a technique which is effective when applied to a device using BPSG (Boron-Doped Phospho Silicate Glass) film for a portion of an interlayer insulation film.
Along with reduction of the size and increase in the integration degree of LSI devices, an undesirable side-effect has been an increase in the size of wiring steps of such semiconductor devices. For instance, large capacity DRAMs (Dynamic Random Access Memory) in recent years have used a stack capacitor structure for compensating the reduction of a storage charge amount (Cs) of an information storage capacitance device which typically takes place with size reduction of a memory cell. In such a stack capacitor structure, the information storage capacitance device is disposed above a memory cell selecting MISFET. As a result, a step corresponding substantially to the height of the information storage capacitance device is formed between a memory array and a peripheral circuit. Further, such a step is formed also in a region of the memory array and the region of the peripheral circuit.
If wirings are formed on such a step, defocusing of exposure light is caused upon photolithography or an etching residue is formed at the step, so that wirings cannot be formed with high accuracy. This can cause failures such as short-circuiting or disconnection.
For overcoming the foregoing problems, it is essential to provide a technique capable of flattening an interlayer insulation film that insulates wirings in a lower layer and wirings in an upper layer. For the flattening of the interlayer insulation film, various methods have been developed. Examples of such techniques include a method of using a BPSG film or a spin on glass film having high reflowing property, a bias ECR plasma CVD method of simultaneously conducting film formation and sputter etching, or a chemical mechanical polishing method.
For instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-122654 provides a DRAM designed for reduction of steps by the combination of flattening by a BPSG film by reflowing and flattening using a spin-on-glass film. The BPSG film comprises boron (B) containing silicon oxide and phosphorus (P) each by several mol %. The surface the film after formation by a CVD method is flattened by annealing reflow. In a case of using the spin-on-glass film, a silicon oxide film is at first deposited by a plasma CVD method, then a spin-on-glass film is deposited thereon by a rotary coating method. Subsequently, the spin-on-glass film is baked to densify the film, then the surface of the film is flattened by etching back and, further, a silicon oxide film is deposited on the surface by a plasma CVD method to form a flat interlayer insulation film.
In a production process for such an LSI, a semiconductor wafer having LSI formed thereon is subjected to dicing, and is divided into semiconductor chips. These chips are attached one by one to a lead frame (pellet attaching), subjected to wire bonding and then encapsulated with a molding resin.
Since the dicing for the semiconductor wafer is mechanically applied by using, for example, a diamond blade, fine cracks are formed at side walls of the semiconductor chip along which moisture or obstacles may intrude to the inside of the chip to bring about corrosion of the wirings. In order to prevent this, a guard ring is usually provided around the periphery of the semiconductor chip. The guard ring is formed by burying a wiring material for the circuit (aluminum alloy or tungsten) along the inside of a groove formed along the periphery of the semiconductor chip, whereby moisture or obstacles intruding from the side wall of the chip are interrupted from further invasion into the chip by the wiring material.
In a case of using a BPSG film for a portion of the interlayer insulation film, it has been found by the study of the present inventors that if the concentration of boron (B) in the film is higher than a certain level, cracks generated at the end of the chip reach the inside of the chip penetrating the guard ring and, as a result, moisture or the like intrudes through the cracks into the chip to bring about corrosion of wirings. As the result of these studies, it has been found that the relationship between the boron concentration in the BPSG film and the cracks formed at the end of the chip is substantially as discussed below.
FIG. 12(a) is a graph showing the result of the study for a relationship between the boron concentration in the BPSG film (unit: mol %) and reflow angle (.theta.) on the side wall of the wiring in a case such as shown in FIG. 12(b) of depositing a BPSG film by a CVD method on a substrate having wirings formed thereon and applying reflow. The thickness of the wiring is 0.6 .mu.m and reflow conditions are 850.degree. C. for a period of 20 minutes. Further, since the concentration of phosphorus in the BPSG film has less effect on the reflow angle as compared with the boron concentration, it is set to 6 mol %. As shown in the graph, the reflow angle (.theta.) is increased and the film flatness is improved as the boron concentration in the BPSG film becomes higher.
It can be seen from the result described above that, since the wiring step undesirably is increased with reduction of the size and increase of the integration degree of an LSI device, the boron concentration in the film has to be made higher for ensuring the flatness of the BPSG film. Further, for reducing the size and increasing the integration degree of such an LSI device, the depth of the pn junction such as in source and drain regions of MISFETs of the device has to be decreased, and annealing for the BPSG film has to be conducted at a lower temperature for attaining a shallow junction. However, the film reflowing property is deteriorated as the annealing temperature is lowered. Accordingly, the concentration of boron in the film has to be increased for ensuring satisfactory reflowing properties at the lower temperature.
For instance, in a 4 Mbit DRAM manufactured using a 0.8 .mu.m design rule, a BPSG film of 7 to 8 mol % of boron concentration is annealed at a temperature of about 950.degree. C. In a case of a 16 Mbit DRAM manufactured using about a 0.5 .mu.m design rule, since an equivalent or higher reflowing property has to be ensured, it is required to apply annealing at a temperature of about 850.degree. C. in view of the improvement for the performance of transistors. For this purpose, it is necessary to use a BPSG film having a boron concentration higher than 10 mol %, and it is preferable to use a BPSG film containing boron at about 13 mol % taking into account variations of the boron concentration.
Unfortunately, notwithstanding the above-discussed advantages, it has been found that the following problems are brought about as the boron concentration in the BPSG film is made higher. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the result of a relationship between the boron concentration (unit: mol %) in a BPSG film and wiring failure rate caused by occurrence of cracks at the end of the chip. As shown in the graph, if the boron concentration in the BPSG film exceeds about 15 mol %, the failure rate increases abruptly.
As a reason for this drawback, it may be considered that when the boron concentration in the BPSG film is higher, the hygroscopic property of the film is increased. Therefore, if an insulation film (for example, a silicon oxide film deposited by a plasma CVD method) is deposited on the moisture absorbing film, since adhesion with the insulation film is lowered, minute cracks generated at the chip end during dicing grow along the boundary of the film to the inside of the chip. This can occur, for example, during high temperature high humidity testing of packages (a standing test under a circumstance, for example, at a temperature of 85.degree. C. and humidity of 85%).
It may be also considered that a dense and hard insulation film such as a silicon nitride film deposited by a plasma CVD method is used as the material of a passivation film covering the surface of a semiconductor chip in order to protect the inside of the chip. However, the passivation film constituted with such a material has a high film rigidity which creates a large stress on the underlying interlayer integration film. This accelerates the growth of any cracks that may have been created.
Namely, it is assumed that if the boron concentration in the BPSG film is increased to about 15 mol %, the film absorbs moisture when connection holes are formed in a state where the surface of the film is exposed or when wirings are formed by patterning a metal film deposited on the film. If the insulation film is deposited on the moisture absorbing BPSG film, the adhesion at the boundary of the film is lowered, and minute cracks generated at the end of the chip grow along the boundary. Then, growth of the cracks is further accelerated by stresses from the highly rigid passivation film. These cracks cut the guard ring and can reach as far as the inside of the chip, so that the water proofing function of the guard ring is lost, resulting in corrosion of wirings.
This problem is shown in FIG. 16, for example, which also shows the phenomenon of peeling.
Specifically, FIG. 16 shows an arrangement wherein a BPSG silicon oxide film 20 having a high boron concentration is formed on a semiconductor substrate 1. An additional insulating film (not containing boron), such as a TEOS film 23, is formed on the BPSG film 20, and a hard passivation film, such as P-SiN film 26 is formed over the insulating film 23. As discussed above, the high concentration of boron in the BPSG film 20 causes poor adhesion between the film 20 and the overlaying insulator 23. This leads to separation cracks between the two layers in the area between the guard ring and the edge of the chip. Due to the extreme hardness of the overlying P-SiN layer 26, the separation cracks between the layers 20 and 23 tend to extend inside the area of the guard ring, thereby permitting moisture to undesirably reach inside of the device.
As described above, in a case of the 16 Mbit DRAM manufactured using about a 0.5 .mu.m design rule, it is required to use a BPSG film containing about 13 mol % of boron. Therefore, the boron concentration in the film is increased to a concentration which can bring about deterioration of the film adhesion (about 15 mol %) depending on the condition of forming the BPSG film. Accordingly, there is a possibility of causing wiring corrosion due to cracks.
From the foregoing discussion, in a case of using a BPSG film containing boron at high concentration for a portion of the interlayer insulation film material in a device manufactured using a 0.5 .mu.m or finer design rule, a countermeasure is indispensable for preventing wiring corrosion caused by cracks along the boundary of the film described above.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device including boron-doped phospho silicate glass layer and manufacturing method thereof


A tape printer includes a keyboard (4) that inputs character strings to be printed on each printed block that is defined in a label tape or a label tube and inputs control commands by which an output format of the character strings is controlled; a display portion (10) that displays the character strings and the control commands that have been input, a memory portion (8) that stores the character strings and the control commands that have been input; a thermal head (13) for printing the character strings stored in the memory portion on each block of the label tape or the label tube on the basis of the control commands stored in the memory portion; a memory (58) that registers printing data that is displayed on the display portion in correspondence with a specific key; and a CPU (7) that causes the printing data registered by the memory to be displayed following an end of the character strings displayed on the display portion and, at the same time, storing the printing data in the memory portion by operating the specific key.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tape printer which prints characters or the like on a label tape or a label tube.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A tape printer is known in which, for example, the terminal numbers of electric utility equipment are printed on a label tape. There is a case in which character strings, such as "COM1", "COM2", . . . , "COM5", "XY01", "COM6", "COM7", . . . , "COM10", "XY02", "XY03", . . . , "XY07", . . . , are printed on predetermined blocks (i.e., predetermined printing spaces) of a label tape, respectively, by the use of the tape printer.
In this case, if the letters and numbers "C", "O", "M", "X", "Y", "0", "1", . . . "10", . . . are input by key operations one by one, the key operations must be carried out many times troublesomely. As a solution to this problem, the tape printer is provided with a consecutive-number function which allows the numbers "01", "02", . . . "05", . . . to be input by operating a single key if the numbers are arranged consecutively.
However, disadvantageously, the letters "C", "O", "MH", "X", and "Y" must be input one by one with respect to each block to which the letters belong even if the same character string, such as "COM" or "XY", repeatedly appears on the tape. This operation for inputting them involves a great difficulty.
Further, disadvantageously, a screen on which characters input by the key operations are displayed is confined within very narrow limits as a result of making the tape printer small-sized and light-weight, and accordingly the number of characters which the screen can display is eight or so. This makes it difficult to determine the ordinal position of a block of the tape to which a character being currently input belongs. Further, disadvantageously, much time is taken when character strings which have been input are corrected in such a way that a cursor is moved to a character string to be corrected and thereafter the character string is displayed on the screen, because a moving range within which the cursor can move at a time is only one character space.


A CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof can enhance the quality of the image sensor by preventing unnecessary diffused reflection of light by providing an opaque filter layer next to a microlens. The CMOS image sensor includes a photodiode, an insulating interlayer, a metal line, a device protecting layer, a microlens on the device protecting layer and overlapped with the photodiode, and an opaque layer pattern on the device protecting layer next to the microlens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a CMOS image sensor and a fabricating method thereof. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for preventing diffused reflection that occurs due to the presence of metal lines by providing an opaque layer on a device isolation layer between microlenses.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, an image sensor is a semiconductor device that converts an optic image to an electric signal. In a CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor, a plurality of MOS (metal-oxide-metal) capacitors are arranged close to one another to transfer and store electric charge carriers. In a CMOS (complementary MOS) image sensor, a plurality of MOS transistors corresponding to the number of pixels are fabricated by the CMOS technology using a control circuit and a signal processing circuit as peripheral circuits. Also, a switching system of sequentially detecting outputs using the MOS transistors is adopted.
The CMOS image sensor converts image information of a subject to an electric signal by using signal processing chips including photodiodes. Since an amplifier, an analog/digital (A/D) converter, an internal voltage generator, a timing generator, a digital logic, etc. can be integrated on each of the chips, the CMOS image sensor is advantageous in saving space, power and cost. Moreover, mass production of CMOS image sensors is enabled through a silicon wafer etching process that is cheaper than the fabricating process for CCDs, which includes a more complex process.
Thus, the CMOS image sensor has expanded into application fields such as digital cameras, smart phones, PDAs, notebook computers, security cameras, barcode detectors, toys, etc.
To increase the photosensitivity of the CMOS image sensor, many efforts have been made to increase the fill factor, which indicates a rate of number of pixels of a pixel area within a chip. However, a logic circuit part for signal processing takes up space and therefore limits the fill factor. Hence, a microlens forming technology has been introduced to increase the photosensitivity. A microlens condenses light by diverting a path of the light incident on an area that does not include a photosensing device, such as a photodiode.
An image of a subject may be transferred to the photodiode via the microlens. If a metal line within a device is in the way of a light path, diffused reflection occurs, which degrades image quality.
A method of fabricating a CMOS image sensor according to the related art is explained with reference to the attached drawing as follows.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a CMOS image sensor according to a related art. Referring to FIG. 1, a first epitaxial layer (not shown) is grown on a semiconductor substrate 10. A red photodiode 11 is formed on the first epitaxial layer. A second epitaxial layer (not shown) is grown on the first epitaxial layer including the red photodiode 11. A green photodiode 13 is formed on the second epitaxial layer. A third epitaxial layer (not shown) is grown on the second epitaxial layer including the green photodiode 13. A blue photodiode 15 is formed on the third epitaxial layer. A trench for field isolation is formed on the third epitaxial layer. An STI (shallow trench isolation) layer 16 is then formed by filling the trench with insulator.
An insulating interlayer 17 is formed on the third epitaxial layer. A first metal layer (not shown) is formed on the insulating interlayer 17, and metal lines 23 are then formed by patterning the first metal layer. The process of forming the insulating interlayer 17 and the metal lines 23 is repeated several times to stack necessary metal lines 23. A device protecting layer 20, which may be made of nitride, is formed on the stacked insulating interlayer 17 to protect a device from moisture or physical shock. A microlens 22 is then formed on the device protecting layer 20.
In fabricating the CMOS image sensor according to the related art, if the metal line lies on a path of light having passed through the microlens 22, diffused reflection is caused and degrades image quality.
The related art method has the following problem. Since the device isolation layer, which may be nitride, is formed between the microlenses and is transparent, the diffused reflection degrades the image quality when the metal line lies in a path of the incident light via the device isolation layer.


A PCB comprising a substrate, at least one circuit layer and at least one insulating layer, characterized in that the PCB further comprises at least one embedded functional material such as a PTC, and NTC and ZTC material. If the PTC material is applied in the present invention, a normal resistance of the present invention will be substantially smaller than that of the conventional PTC protection apparatus since the area of the PTC material of the present invention is larger than that of the conventional PTC protection apparatus. Moreover, through an electrically conductive hole, an upper electrode and a lower electrode respectively lying on top and bottom surfaces of the functional material are respectively connected with an apparatus mounted on a surface of the PCB to form a conductive circuit. Thus, at least one over-current protection apparatus which is usually mounted on the surface of the PCB is eliminated, and the surface utilization rate of the PCB is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printed circuit board (PCB), and more particularly, to a printed circuit board comprising an embedded internal functional element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the portable electronic products (such as cellular phone, notebook computer, hand-held camera and personal digital assistant, etc.) are getting more and more popular nowadays, over-current protection apparatuses for avoiding the occurrence of over-current or the over-temperature of the portable electric products are increasingly important.
In the protection apparatuses, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) over-current protection apparatus is used extensively because of its characteristics of being resettable, sensitive to temperature and stable in reliability. Thus, the PTC over-current protection apparatus has been widely applied to protect batteries, especially second batteries, such as the nickel-hydrogen battery or the lithium battery, etc.
A PTC conductive composition material (PTC material) is utilized as a current sensitive element of the PTC over-current protection apparatus, because the resistance of the PTC material is very sensitive to temperature variation. Because the resistance of the PTC material is very low at its normal temperature, the circuit can operate normally. However, if the over-current or over-temperature of the battery occurs because of improper usage, the resistance of the PTC material will increase immediately for at least ten thousand times (such as 104 ohm) so that the PTC material will be at a high-resistance state. Therefore, the over current will be counterchecked and thereby the object of protecting circuit elements of the battery is achieved.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing connection of a conventional PTC over-current protection apparatus. One terminal of the PTC over-current protection apparatus 12, mounted on the surface of a printed circuit board 10, is connected to a power supply 11 and the other terminal is connected to a first integrated circuit 13. Generally, the normal value of the electrical resistance of the PTC over-current protection apparatus 12 is obtained according to the conventional formula:       R    =                  ρ        xc3x97        l            A        ,
in which R is the resistance in ohms, xcfx81 is the resistivity in ohms-cm of the PTC material, l is the length between two electrodes and A is the effective area of the protection apparatus 12. Since the size of the printed circuit board of the portable electronic product becomes smaller and smaller, the footprint of the PTC over-current protection apparatus 12 mounted on the printed circuit board also needs to be decreased comparatively. According to the above formula, as the normal resistance of the PTC over-current protection apparatus 12 is increased, the power consumption will increase such that the working voltage of the first integrated circuit 13 connected with the protection apparatus will be dropped.
Furthermore, the printed circuit board has the trend of small size and high density at the present day. Therefore, the number of internal layers of the PCB has increased to be even more than 12, especially in small, thin and light products, such as cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) and digital camera, etc. Generally, a main process of processes for manufacturing the multi-layer printed circuit board is a so-called build-up process. The build-up process forms the printed circuit board by stacking a circuit layer and an insulation layer one by one, such that a multi-layer PCB having vias and high density is formed.
FIGS. 2(a) to 2(e) depicts a conventional build-up process. In FIG. 2(a), a substrate 20 is provided, which is composed of a glass fiber and a resin. A first conductive layer 21, such as a copper foil, is applied to the surface of the substrate 20. In FIG. 2(b), the first conductive layer 21 is etched by a chemical method for forming an isolating area 22. In FIG. 2(c), an insulating layer 23 is applied to the surface of the first conductive layer 21. In FIG. 2(d), the insulating layer 23 is etched by a laser or chemical method for forming a conductive via 24. In FIG. 2(e), a second conductive layer 25 is applied to the insulating layer 23 by a method of plating or electroless plating. In the above-mentioned plating process, the conductive via 24 will be filled with a conductive material to conduct the first conductive layer with the second conductive layer. Therefore, the conductive layer and the insulating layer can be stacked one by one if the above steps are repeated over and over, and thus a multi-layer printed circuit board is formed. Moreover, any two conductive layers of the printed circuit board can also be connected by a electrically conductive hole. The electrically conductive hole is formed by mechanical drilling and plating the hole, electrolessly plating the hole or filling the hole with a conductive paste so as to connect two conductive layers together. FIG. 3 depicts a diagram of the electrically conductive hole; wherein a first conductive layer 31 is connected to a second conductive layer 32 and a second terminal point 36 through a first conductive hole 33. However, if the first conductive layer 31 needs to be connected to a first terminal point 35 without being connected to a second conductive layer 32, an etched area 37 is formed around a second conductive hole 34 in the second conductive layer 32, and thus the second conductive hole 34 and the second conductive layer 32 are isolated.
Since the size of the printed circuit board 10 is decreased, the area for mounting the electrical apparatus is limited. Therefore, how to increase the utilization area of the printed circuit board is a critical problem to be tackled with. For this purpose, the present invention discloses a printed circuit board having an embedded internal over-current protection apparatus to increase the utilization area of the PCB and decrease the normal resistance. Moreover, the surface of the PCB can accommodate more devices, since the over-current protection apparatus mounted on the PCB surface is not necessary. On the other hand, an external damage to the surface mount over-current protection apparatus will be avoided.
A major object of the present invention is to provide a printed circuit board (PCB) with an increased area of an embedded internal functional element for the benefit of decreasing the normal resistance. Thus, the power consumption of this invention is much lower than an over-current protection apparatus being surface mounted on the PCB surface and the dropping of the working voltage will also be significantly reduced.
A second object of the present invention is to make the embedded functional element constituted by one or more than one internal layers of the printed circuit board. Since this embedded functional element design utilizes more effective area of over-current protection apparatus without utilizing any area of PCB surface, the resulted electrical rating of embedded functional element in the printed circuit board such as maximum working current is higher.
A third object of the present invention is to make the functional element to constitute a resistive or sensing element, and thus the number of the apparatuses mounted on the surface of the PCB is decreased and the utilization rate of the PCB is improved.
In order to achieve the above objects and to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art, the present invention discloses a PCB, characterized in that besides the conductive layer and the insulating layer, the PCB further comprises at least one functional element either current-sensitive or temperature-sensitive layer, such as the positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element,negative temperature coefficient (NTC) element, or zero temperature coefficient (ZTC) element. The functional element comprises a functional material, an upper electrode and a lower electrode, and the functional material is selected from the group consisting of PTC material, ZTC material and NTC material. If the PTC element is applied in the present invention, the normal resistance of the present invention will be smaller than that of conventional PTC protection apparatus since the area of the PTC element of the present invention is larger than that of conventional PTC protection apparatus. Moreover, through an electrically conductive hole, an upper electrode and a lower electrode respectively lying on the top and bottom surfaces of the functional PTC element are respectively connected with an apparatus mounted on the surface of the PCB to form a connecting circuit. Thus, the PTC overcurrent protection apparatus which is usually mounted on the surface of the PCB is eliminated, and the surface utilization rate of the PCB will be improved while the over-current protection mechanism through the entire circuitry is still maintained.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention and the manner in which the same are accomplished will be clearly shown based on the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Printed circuit board comprising an embedded functional element therein


In a pivoting mounting for an optical element of a motor vehicle headlamp, of the kind comprising a seating in which a ball head at the end of a retaining and/or adjusting bar or screw for the headlamp is received, the seating is defined by two cup elements shaped as half shells and together defining a substantially spherical cavity. This cavity is open to the outside through a flared aperture in the front face of the cup elements. The two cup elements are hinged together so as to open and close the cavity, and are provided with a snap-fitting device comprising, on one of the cup elements, a projecting tab having a finger pad and a locking shoulder for cooperation with a further locking shoulder formed on the other cup element. The rear of one of the cup elements is joined to a base member having a rear face from which snap-fitting means, in the form of mutually overlying pairs of snap catches, are carried. These catches engage in snap-fitting relationship against retaining shoulders formed around a mounting hole in a headlamp element, against which the rear face of the base member abuts when fitted.

In order to facilitate fitting of the ball head in its seating, it has previously been proposed to form the latter in two removable parts. That is for example so in the arrangements disclosed in the specifications of French published patent applications Nos. FR 1 595 740A and FR 2 606 341A. In accordance with the first mentioned of these two specifications, the ball head seating comprises two half shell elements which are separate and which are arranged to receive and then, after being fitted together, to hold a ball head in position, the whole being locked by means of an external gripping ring which surrounds the two half shell elements.
The arrangement described in FR 2 606 341A is of substantially the same type, except that the two half shells form an external screw with which a nut is arranged to cooperate, so as to hold it in position and also for unlocking purposes.

Pivoting mounting for an optical element of a motor vehicle headlamp


A rotary valve unit is provided for blending fluid sources to regulate a temperature of fluid flowing to a heat exchange device in an extracorporeal blood perfusion circuit. A valve body includes a valve chamber having a first inlet port, a second inlet port, a first outlet port, and a second outlet port. A wedged-shaped rotary valve is disposed within the valve chamber and is rotatable within the valve chamber for controlling a blending of the cold fluid entering the fluid chamber from the first inlet port and the return fluid entering the fluid chamber from the second inlet port to regulate the desired temperature of fluid provided to the heat exchanger. The wedge-shaped rotary valve is positionable to provide either only cold fluid to the first outlet port, only return fluid to the first outlet port, or blending of the cold fluid and return fluid to the first outlet port.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to cardiac surgery, and, more specifically, to the heating and cooling of blood or other fluids delivered to a patient during cardiac bypass surgery.
2. Background of Related Art
Heating and cooling devices are an important part of blood perfusion systems used during cardiac surgery. During surgery, blood is cooled in a bypass circuit to induce hypothermia to protect the organs. When the surgery has been completed, the blood is re-warmed prior to the patient waking from anesthesia. A "cooler heater" unit device in the bypass circuit is used to cool and heat the cardiac fluid.
A heat transfer fluid such as purified water circulates through a pump in a first circuit and is selectably heated or cooled before being sent to a heat exchange unit. A second circuit carries cardiac fluid to the heat exchange unit. The heat exchange unit includes two chambers. The chambers are separated by a thermally conductive barrier. The warm/cold water (or other heat exchange fluid) in the first circuit is circulated through a first chamber of the heat exchange unit. The cardiac fluid from the patient is circulated through a second chamber of the heat exchange unit. The warm/cold water and the cardiac fluid are each contained in their respective closed circuits, and as a result, are not allowed to mix. The warm or cold water circulated to the first chamber of the heat exchange unit either adds or removes heat as necessary from the cardiac fluid circulated through the second chamber.
The system for providing the temperature controlled water to the heat exchange unit typically includes a cold storage tank, a manifold (i.e., heater and temperature sensing unit), a pump, valves, and water ports. The cold storage tank allows for a volume of water to fill the first circuit, the water side of the heat exchanger, and the portion of the tank contacting the cooling media (e.g., ice). The manifold typically contains a heating element and temperature sensing devices for determining the current temperature of the water flowing to the heat exchange unit. The valves include a set of isolation valves which are actuated between an open or closed position to determine whether water is circulated to the cold storage tank. An electronic controller controls the valve positions and selectably activates a heating device when heating is required. The combined actuation of the valves in cooperation with the heating element regulates the temperature of the water provided to the heat exchange device.
After a temperature setting is input to the controller, the controller measures the temperature of the water flowing to the heat exchange unit and determines whether the temperature needs to be increased, maintained or decreased. If the temperature needs to be increased, then a solenoid valve supplying the cold water from the tank is closed and the heater is turned on. If the temperature needs to be decreased, then the heater is turned off and the solenoid valve to the cold water supply is opened and a portion of the cold water from the tank is supplied to the heat exchange unit. A disadvantage of the above described system is that there are multiple internally piloted solenoid valves which require couplings between fluid conduits and valves which are potential for leaks. In addition, the solenoid valves are continuously actuated and are noisy. Such noise is undesirable during surgery. Moreover, such prior art systems are susceptible to malfunctions due to foreign particulates in the water, and the temperature control of such prior art systems are susceptible to thermal spikes and thermal overshoots.

Terumo Cardiovascular Systems, Corporation


A data recovery unit includes a phase locked loop configured to receive data samples and generate an output; a first sample selector coupled to the phase locked loop; and an eye scanner coupled to the phase locked loop. The first sample selector is configured to receive the data samples and the output of the phase locked loop. The eye scanner comprises a second sample selector coupled to the phase locked loop via a first horizontal shift module.

Digital data recovery units (DRUs), also known as clock and data recovery units (CDRs), are used in many applications, such as serializer/deserializer (SerDes) applications, for recovering data from noisy or high-jitter environments. To perform data recovery, the data may be oversampled (e.g., using a SerDes) and sent to the DRU over multiple parallel input wires. The DRU then selects and outputs the best sample for each data bit, by detecting transitions in the oversampled data. In particular, when a DRU operates on oversampled data, there may be more samples per unit interval (UI) and the samples may be taken asynchronously with respect to the incoming bit stream. In some cases, only one sample per bit may be the one closest to the middle of an eye, and the DRU may select that sample as the best sample.
In some cases, the samples of parallel input data transmitted to a DRU may be superimposed to form an eye, with the transitions in the incoming data representing edges of the eye. In order to select the best sample and avoid bit errors, the DRU may oversample the data, and select the sample that is located the closest to the center of the eye. In order to qualify the incoming data, it may be desirable to determine the width of the eye. However, the width of the eye typically cannot be measured during operation of the DRUs without affecting data traffic being processed by the DRUs.

Non-disruptive eye scan for data recovery units based on oversampling