In general, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for pre-provisioning cloud computing resources such as virtual machines (VMs) in order to achieve faster and more consistent provisioning times. Embodiments of the present invention describe an approach to generate a pre-provisioned pool of virtual machines that are utilized when one or more consumers start to initiate a large volume of requests (e.g., instantiate/populate multiple e-commerce ‘shopping carts’). In a typical embodiment, a selection of an operating system to be associated with a VM is received in a computer data structure. A provisioning of the VM will then be initiated based on the selection of the operating system. Thereafter, at least one selection of at least one software program to be associated with the VM will be received in the computer data structure. The provisioning of the VM can then be completed based on the at least one selection of the at least one software program in response to a provisioning request received in the computer data structure.

The networked computing environment (e.g., cloud computing environment) is an enhancement to the predecessor grid environment, whereby multiple grids and other computation resources may be further enhanced by one or more additional abstraction layers (e.g., a cloud layer), thus making disparate devices appear to an end-consumer as a single pool of seamless resources. These resources may include such things as physical or logical computing engines, servers and devices, device memory, storage devices, among others.
Presently, cloud computing service providers may require highly variable periods of time (e.g. ranging from several minutes to several hours) to provision resources requested by consumers. Differences in provisioning speed are generally a function of different variables, e.g. the type and sophistication of infrastructure utilized in a storage architecture; the architecture of a cloud management platform; and methods used to provision resources. As such, challenges can exist in obtaining predictable and consistent provisioning times for cloud computing resources such as VMs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pre-provisioning virtual machines in a networked computing environment

International Business Machines Corporation


A process for preparation of 1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide, comprising oxidation of 1-isobutyl-1H-imidazoquinoline with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid.

Imiquimod, 4-Amino-1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline (VIII) is an immune response modifier, useful for treating viral infections such as genital warts. Imiquimod is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,689,338 and 5,238,944 and has the structure (VIII).

Several methods are known in the prior art for making Imiquimod (VIII).
The process of converting 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline (II) to 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide (III) has been disclosed in WO 2004/0011462 A1, WO 2004/009593 A1 using peracetic acid in toluene as a solvent. This conversion is also reported in WO 92/15581, WO 9206093 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,296 using a combination of formic acid and peracetic acid. However, since the yields are poor and reaction being incomplete there is a need to develop an oxidation process with milder conditions.
Reported prior arts describe various methods for the preparation of 4-Amino-1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinoline (VIII) i.e. Imiquimod wherein the Introduction of amino function in the 4-position is described in three ways. Nucleophilic substitution of a leaving group e.g. Cl or triflate with ammonia, dibenzylamine or an azido group is the first method. The second, is by reacting 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide (III) with ammonium hydroxide or its salts in presence of tosylchloride at 0-5° C. The third reported method is by reacting 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide with benzoyl isocyanate.
Patents WO 2004/009593, WO 92/06093 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,395,937; 5,756,747; 4,988,815; 5,602,256; 5,578,727; 4,698,348; 4,689,388 as well as European patents EP 145340, EP 0385630, EP 310950 and JP 04193866 and examples therein, describe nucleophilic substitution reactions.
In WO 97/48704 the amino group is introduced by reaction of a 4-Chloro derivative with Sodium azide to obtain a tetrazole moiety. Treatment of the tetrazole moiety with triphenyl phosphine gives the 4-amino derivative.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,937 a 4-triflate derivative reacts with dibenzylamine to give 4-dibenzylamino derivative. Subsequent catalytic reduction gives the desired amino function in 4-position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,747 discloses the nucleophilic substitution with ammonia on the corresponding 4-chloro derivative, which is prepared by isomerization of 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide (III) via the 4-hydroxy derivative followed by reaction with POCl3. Several patents disclose nucleophilic substitution of 4-Chloro-1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline (V) with ammonia at high temperature and high pressure. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,815; U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,256; U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,727; U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,348; U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,388; EP 145340; EP 0385630; EP 310950 and JP 04193866.
The patents WO 2004/009593, US2004138459, disclose a process for the preparation of 4-Amino-1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline (VIII) (i.e. Imiquimod) by introducing an amino group in the 4-position via 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-4-phthalimide intermediate (i.e. phthalimido protecting group).
WO 92/06093 discloses reaction of 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide (III) with ammonium hydroxide or ammonium salts in the presence of tosyl chloride at 0 to 5° C. to give Imiquimod.
WO 92/15581 relates to reaction of 1-Isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline-5-N-oxide (III) with benzoyl isocyanate which on subsequent hydrolysis yields Imiquimod (VIII).
Purification of Imiquimod has been described via formation of pharmaceutical salts in WO 2004/009593, U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,338 i.e. using HCl, H2SO4, H3PO4, HNO3 and Methane sulfonic acid. There is still a need for preparation of 4-Amino-1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo-[4,5-c]-quinoline (VIII) namely Imiquimod in high yield and purity.

Process for preparation of 4-amino-1-isobutyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-C]-quinoline (Imiquimod)


When contacting a bit line and a charge storage electrode to a source/drain of the MOS transistor during a manufacturing process of a highly integrated semiconductor device, a contact pad is formed by filling up polysilicon into a contact hole that had been made using a self-align method in order not to damage the word line or the bit line as a result of a small processing margin during a contact hole forming process. Also, the occurrence of a topological difference during a semiconductor manufacturing process is minimized by forming an oxide layer such as SOG, BPSG, TEOS, and PECVD oxide over the top of the field oxide for a flattening effect.

This invention relates to manufacturing processes of a highly integrated semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing a contact of a highly integrated semiconductor device using a self-aligned contact structure which is a relatively simple process.
The area occupied by a unit cell decreases as integration of the semiconductor device increases. Accordingly, in order to reduce the area occupied by a cell, width of a word line and a bit line and space between lines must be reduced further. However, in the highly integrated devices such as 64M DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) which has design rule of 0.4 .mu.m or less, maximum permissible line space is very small and, thus, the formation of a bit line contact or a contact for the storage node using conventional direct contact methods is not as easy as it appears.
That is why most manufacturers use a self-aligned contact method. However, even if this method is used, an etching process becomes very difficult because an aspect ratio increases drastically during a contact etching process as integration of the device increases. Also, problems such as short between the word line and bit line or between the bit line and the charge storage node as well as breaking of the wiring metal line occur. Furthermore, the resistance increases at this time.

Method of manufacturing a contact of a highly integrated semiconductor device

Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.


A rollable sports ballast base for supporting a sports apparatus support member comprising a base member which has a first edge and a second edge, a top surface and a bottom surface. The bottom surface is adapted to contact a support surface such as a driveway or other playing surface. There is at least one wheel assembly for contacting the support surface. One of the wheel assemblies is retractable from a lowered position to a raised position such that when in the raised position, the bottom surface of the base member substantially contacts the support surface. In the lowered position, both wheel assemblies contact the support surface thereby separating or elevating the base member from the support surface. In another embodiment, the invention consists of a similar rollable sports base for supporting a sports apparatus support member wherein one wheel assembly is retractable and comprises a pivoting connector coupled to the base member and a wheel bracket coupled to the pivoting connector. The wheel bracket is adapted to receive an axle and at least one wheel, and is further provided with a handle extending outwardly from the wheel bracket. The handle is used to pivotally rotate the wheel assembly about a transverse axis such that when the handle is rotated away from the base member, the wheel contacts the support surface and the bottom surface of the base member is separated or elevated from the support surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to sports assemblies and more particularly to portable sports assemblies that are rollable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of sports assemblies, and in particular, basketball goal support assemblies, volleyball net support assemblies and the like, have been proposed and used in the past. Such proposals have recognized that stability and portability are desirable if perhaps competing characteristics. In the past, providing both stability and portability in a particular construction has come at the price of requiring a more complex structural arrangement and, in many instances, the use of additional equipment to serve as a way of either transporting or stabilizing the assembly.
While there are patents which disclose the use of wheels or casters rigidly mounted to the base of a sports assembly, one must typically tilt the entire assembly for the wheels to engage the support surface. In the tilted position, the mover bears a significant portion of the assembly weight and stability. In several basketball sports assemblies, the basketball backboard is oversized and extremely heavy. The average person is not able to readily tilt the entire assembly. In the event that one is able to tilt or overturn the assembly, they would still have to bear a significant portion of the weight of the assembly during transportation.
Moreover, there are patents which disclose apparatuses having retractable wheels that can be deployed to engage the ground. However, in some of these apparatuses, one is still required to substantially tilt the apparatus in order to transport it. Other apparatuses which disclose deployable wheels typically utilize such wheels for added support or stability and do not disclose deployable wheels which are the primary means of transporting the particular apparatus.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a rollable sports base which is securely in contact with the ground during operation and is easily transported without having to substantially tilt the assembly.


A method for prioritizing comments is disclosed. Some embodiments quantify comments by allowing other respondents to agree and identify priorities among comments left by others. In some embodiments, the method for prioritizing comments includes steps for selecting a set of comments, presenting the set of comments, and receiving one or more respondent-initiated responses to the set of comments. In some embodiments, the method further includes entering a starting set of comments into the pool of all comments prior to select the comments. In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving an input to add a comment and incorporating the new comments into the pool of all comments.

Embodiments of the invention described in this specification relate generally to methods for prioritizing, and more particularly, to prioritizing digital comments.
Prioritizing comments is a time-consuming and expensive process. In particular, when Internet users provide digital comments at web sites, prioritizing those comments typically requires that one or more persons access web sites on which comments are posted or published, and then tediously determine the priority of each comment in light of the priority of each other comment. There are a number of problems with this manner of prioritizing comments. Specifically, individually accessing and prioritizing each comment is expensive (in some cases, prohibitively expensive), and the process for determining the priority to set for a comment is fraught with risk of prioritization errors. For instance, using existing ways to prioritize comments may lead to undervalued or entirely missed important comments.
Also, prior methods for prioritizing comments have generally relied on saved responses that were previously saved after being scored by previous respondents. Moreover, prior methods have typically needed a set of comments to start the process for prioritizing comments.
Therefore, what is needed is a way to quantify comments by allowing other respondents to agree and identify priorities among comments left by others, without requiring a set of comments to start the process, and without storing responses in computer memory and without using scores submitted by previous respondents to determine which ideas to sample.


In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a payload control system for a machine having traction devices. The payload control system may have a force sensor configured to measure a force transmitted through the traction devices. The payload control system may also have a speed sensor configured to measure a speed of the machine. The payload control system may further have a controller in communication with the force sensor and the speed sensor. The controller may be configured to modify a weight limit of the machine based on the measured force and the measured speed.

A number of industries, such as the mining industry, rely on large mobile machines (e.g., off-road haul trucks and wheel loaders) to transport cargo loads. The loads can be very large, and the machines are often operated around the clock. As the mobile machine travels, tires of the mobile machine generate heat due to friction with the road surface.
One way to quantify the heat generation of a tire is by calculating the tire's ton-miles-per-hour (TMPH). A tire's TMPH (or ton-kilometers-per-hour, TKPH) may be proportional to the product of, for example, a payload of the mobile machine and a speed of the mobile machine. High TMPH values can indicate excessive amounts of heat generation, and excessive heat generation can lead to accelerated wear and failure of the mobile machine's tires. Due to the large cost of replacing tires, it is desirable to keep the tire's TMPH generally below a predetermined value.
One approach to limiting heat generation in mobile machine tires is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,842,680 (the '680 patent) issued to Doddek et al. on Jan. 11, 2005. The '680 patent discloses an apparatus for controlling the speed of a machine based on the ton-miles-per-hour of the machine. The apparatus includes a payload monitor adapted to generate a signal related to the weight of the machine and a speed monitor adapted to generate a signal related to the speed of the machine. Additionally the '680 patent discloses a vehicle information system having a processor and a database for transmitting and receiving a plurality of signals. The vehicle information system monitors the machine speed and compares an actual ton-miles-per-hour value to a percentage of a predetermined ton-miles-per-hour value (i.e., a ton-miles-per-hour limit). If the actual ton-miles-per-hour value exceeds the ton-miles-per-hour limit, the apparatus reduces the machine speed.
Although the apparatus of the '680 patent may use TMPH calculations to reduce machine speed and thus improve tire wear, it may still be improved. For example, in cases where the mobile machine is utilized in an operation involving multiple machines, limiting the speed of one machine can diminish the productivity of other machines by creating a bottleneck (e.g., when a second machine depends on the limiting machine, and a third machine depends on the second machine, etc.).
The disclosed machine system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

Payload control system based on force and speed


A motion detecting section detects a change in relative position relation between a subject and an image capturing section performing a rolling shutter operation. A thinning-out setting section sets a thinning-out amount of a line thinning-out operation of the image capturing section according to the detection result obtained by the motion detecting section. A recognition processing section performs subject recognition in an image obtained by the image capturing section, by using a recognizer corresponding to the thinning-out amount set by the thinning-out setting section. The change in relative position relation is detected based on motion of a moving body on which the image capturing section is mounted, an image capturing scene, an image obtained by the image capturing section, and the like. Line thinning-out is performed during the rolling shutter operation, and the thinning-out amount is set according to the detection result obtained by the motion detecting section.

Conventionally, when an image of a moving object is captured, a frame rate is increased to improve the visibility. For example, in PTL 1, an image capturing region is sectioned into a target region and a normal region other than the target region, the frame rate of the target region is set to be higher than that of the normal region, and the thinning-out rate of the target region is set to be lower than that of the normal region, so that the visibility of the target region is improved.

Information processing device, information processing method, and program


A system and method for recording a reflection Bragg Grating in a photosensitive target. A photosensitive target is located between transmissive members on three sides. Beams incident on one of the transmissive members pass through the other two members before creating an interference within the photosensitive target. Either two transmissive members are used and the second member limits angular mobility of the first, or three members are used and the third member limits angular mobility of the other two. The target is coupled to the transmissive members through a transmissive liquid that has a refractive index similar to the refractive index of the target. Accordingly, angular deviations in the location of the target from the intended location or in the shape of the target only negligibly impact the interference pattern of the beams in the photosensitive target.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to optical filters developed through writing volume holographic gratings in photorefractive material and more particularly to recordation of reflection Bragg Gratings used as optical filters.
2. Description of Related Art
Reflection Bragg Gratings are volume gratings that are written by recording volume holograms created by the interference between two optical beams. Writing the volume holograms may be performed through transmission geometry or reflection geometry setups.
FIG. 1A shows a conventional reflection Bragg Grating recording system in transmission geometry and FIG. 1B shows a conventional reflection Bragg Grating recording system in reflection geometry. In transmission geometry, beams of light 1, 2 are incident on one side of a target 3 and the interference pattern of the two beams within the target 3 is recorded. In reflection geometry, beams of light 10, 20 are incident upon opposite sides of a target 30 and their interference pattern is recorded.
As shown in FIG. 1B, when recording the reflection Bragg Grating in reflection geometry, two optical beams 10, 20 are transmitted through opposite faces of a recording medium 30. The recording medium 30 may also be referred to as a target or a sample and it may be made from a material such as lithium niobate or photothermorefractive glass. The interference pattern caused by the two beams 10, 20 intersecting at the center of the recording medium 30 is recorded. Each beam 10, 20 enters the recording medium 30 at the same angle of incidence, interferes with the other beam 20, 10, and continues through the medium 30 to exit from the opposite face. The interference patterns are used to record the volume holograms within the medium 30.
Typical systems for recording Bragg Gratings, in either reflection or transmission geometries, include wavefront-splitting interferometers, phase-masks, or amplitude-splitting interferometers. The wavefront-splitting interferometer systems carve out two interfering beams from different areas of the wavefront of a spatially coherent beam. Such splitting, however, results in diffraction at the boundary of the cut, causing parasitic interference fringes. Further, additional beam expansion is necessary if large-sized gratings are to be recorded.
In phase-mask systems, a phase mask is illuminated by a single laser beam, creating interfering beams on a closely positioned target. Large-sized or thick gratings cannot be recorded with these systems.
In amplitude-splitting interferometer systems, which are the most common, two interfering beams are created by splitting a parent beam in two, and combining the two beams on a target in reflection or transmission geometry. When recording a Bragg Grating in reflection geometry with two counter propagating beams, the grating may only be reconstructed at a wavelength shorter than the wavelength used for recording. However, the spectral region of photosensitivity for holographic material is often smaller than the needed region of grating operation, making recording in reflection geometry difficult. For example, an spectral region of interest for laser and communication applications is 1000-2000 nm, and the photosensitivity regions of materials that are suitable for recording Bragg Gratings, such as lithium niobate and photothermorefractive glass, are 370-700 nm and 280-370 nm, respectively.
When the wavelengths corresponding to the photosensitive regions of the recording material are many times smaller than the wavelengths of interest for the Bragg Grating, the angles of incidence become too small to be practicable for use in reflection geometry. The relationship between the photosensitive wavelengths of the recording media, the wavelengths of interest and the angles of incidence is explained in an example below.
When a reflection Bragg Grating is recorded at a wavelength λIR inside a material that at the wavelength λIR has a refractive index nIR, the period of the grating is equal to λIR/(2nIR). To record such a grating with beams having a short wavelength λUV, the beams must propagate at an angle 2θ with respect to each other in the media with a refractive index nUV. As explained in H. Kogelnik, "Coupled wave theory for thick hologram gratings," The Bell System Technical Journal, v. 48, pp. 2909-2945, 1969, that is incorporated herein by reference, the angle θ can be found through the following relationship: sin θ=(nIRλUV)/(nUVλIR). If the wavelengths λUV and λIR differ by a factor of 2 to 5, such that λIR is between twice to five times λUV, the angle between the beams 2θ will be less than 60°. This is too small of an angle for irradiation of the target from the lateral sides because under such an angle, the beams traveling in air cannot penetrate into the standard media with refractive indices of about 1.5. Using the spectral region of wavelengths in the range of 1000-2000 nm, and recording material of wavelengths in the range of 280-700 nm, the ratio of λUV/λIR falls in the range 1.4 to 7 that yields angles between the incident beams that are too small to penetrate the recording medium from air.
When reflection Bragg Gratings for longer wavelengths such as those actually used in communication applications are required, using reflection geometry for the recording process becomes impracticable. As a result, these Bragg Gratings are written in transmission geometry while they are read in reflection geometry. However, the technique of writing a Bragg Grating in transmission geometry and reading it in reflection geometry has drawbacks of its own. Accordingly, recording in transmission geometry and reading in reflection geometry is not desirable.
One method for recording in reflection geometry despite the large difference between the wavelengths of the target medium and the desired wavelengths of the transmission medium is use of prisms as shown in FIG. 2A. The recording method shown in FIG. 2A counters the above problems by positioning a recording media, i.e. a target 30, between two prisms 40, 50, that are made of low-absorbing material such as fused silica, and connecting the target 30 to the prisms with a liquid with an index of refraction, or refractive index, similar to the index of refraction of the target. The beams 10, 20 propagate through the prisms 40, 50 without high absorption and reach the target 30 without unnecessary losses. This allows the recording of Bragg Gratings without the need for high quality polishing, and may sufficiently deflect the beams transmitted in the prisms 40, 50 and the target 30 such that the angle 2θ between the beams 10, 20 in the target 30 is equal to the required angle while the beams are still capable of penetrating the target.
Usually, the accuracy of wavelength positioning needed for communication and laser techniques is about 0.1 nm. To achieve this level of accuracy in the wavelength, the angle between the incident beams 10, 20 must be accurately repeatable. The relationship between the accuracy of the wavelength and the accuracy of the angle 2θ between the incident beams is explored below. If, for example, a reflection Bragg Grating is to be recorded at 1550 nm in photothermorefractive glass with a beam at 325 nm, the angle between the recording beams is found from sin θ=(nIRλUV)/(nUVλIR) to be 2θ=0.42 radians, or approximately 24°. In this calculation nIR˜nUV, and the small difference in refractive indices at different wavelengths is neglected. Differentiating this equation, one can find Δθ=−tan θ·(ΔλIR/λIR). Using this equation, if at λIR=1550 nm the accuracy in the wavelength is ΔλIR=0.1 nm, then ΔλIR/λIR=0.1/1550 which yields a Δθ˜1.4×10−5 radians. This means that the angle 2θ between the angles between the beams should be repeatable with an accuracy of Δθ˜1.4×10−5 radians or approximately 3″ (seconds).
FIG. 2B shows the conventional reflection Bragg Grating recording system of FIG. 2A when there is an error in the position of the prisms. Any small error in the position of one or both of the prisms 40, 50 can change the beam directions and lower the reproducibility of the grating spatial frequency. For example, instead of having its intended rectangular cross section with perfectly parallel sides, the plate of the photorefractive glass that is used as the target 30 may have only substantially parallel sides with a deviation from the ideal or intended shape in the form of a wedge of approximately Δα. This is equivalent to having a change of approximately Δα in the angular location of the prism 40 as shown in the dashed line of FIG. 2B. Therefore, the angle α1 of incidence of the beam on the surface of the prism 40, the angle 2θ between the beams 10, 20, and the Bragg Grating frequency will also be changed.
The resultant change in the angle 2θ between the beams can be determined through Snell's Law that applies to a beam propagating from a first medium with a refractive index n1 into a second medium with a refractive index n2. If the angle of incidence of the beam at the boundary between the first and second mediums from a normal to the boundary is α1 then, the angle α2 between the refracted beam in the second medium and normal is calculated from the relationship: n1 sin α1=n2 sin α2. The amount by which the beam is deflected from its original path in the second medium is α1−α2. When the prism constituting the second medium is moved from its original position by an angle Δα, then the angles α1 and α2 will change by Δα1 and Δα2, respectively. The angles may change to α1−Δα1 and α2−Δα2 or to α1+Δα1 and α2+Δα2, but Snell's Law is preserved such that, for example, n1 sin(α1−Δα1)=n2 sin(α2−Δα2). Differentiation of Snell's Law results in the following relationship:Δα1−Δα2=Δα1[1−[(n1 cos α1)/(n2 cos α2)]]  (equation 1)
This equation expresses the relationship of the difference Δα1−Δα2 between the change Δα1, Δα2 in each of the angles of incidence and refraction from the normal at the prism boundary and the original value of the angles α1, α2. After crossing the boundary into the medium with the refractive index n2, the angle of deviation of the beam from its original path in the medium with the refractive index n1 is equal to α1−α2. The change in the angle of incidence Δα1 results in a deviation of the refracted beam Δα2 and in a change of the total beam deviation Δα1−Δα2.
As discussed above, to achieve a reproducibility of 0.1 nm, the change in the angle between the two beams is Δθ˜1.4××10−5 radians. The amount Δθ is equal to Δα1−Δα2. Assuming n1=1 (air), n2=1.5 (glass), α1≈α2≈0, Δα1=Δα, and Δα1−Δα2=1.4×10−5 radians, then it may be calculated from equation 1 that Δα≈4×10−5 radians. The wedge tolerance Δα must therefore be less than 4×10−5 radians or 8″ (seconds) to provide above-mentioned reproducibility of Bragg Grating parameters. This would require special high quality preparation of the target 30 for Bragg Grating recording.

System and method for recording reflection Bragg Gratings


The present invention provides, as a material superior in heat resistance in a hot environment where the maximum temperature of the exhaust gas becomes 750 to 900° C., ferritic stainless steel sheet superior in heat resistance in a broad temperature region of 750 to 900° C. with long term stability by a smaller amount of addition of Mo than SUS444 containing about 2% of expensive Mo, that is, ferritic stainless steel sheet superior in heat resistance characterized by containing, by mass %, C: 0.01% or less, N: 0.02% or less, Si: 0.05 to 1%, Mn: 0.1 to 2%, Cr: 10 to 30%, Mo: 0.1 to 1%, Cu: 1 to 2%, Nb: 0.2 to 0.7%, Ti: 0.01 to 0.3%, and B: 0.0002 to 0.0050%, having a balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and having a 0.2% yield strength at 750° C. of 70 MPa or more.

An exhaust manifold, front pipe, and center pipe, or other exhaust system member of an automobile carries high temperature exhaust gas exhausted from an engine, so the material forming the exhaust member is required to have oxidation resistance, high temperature strength, heat fatigue characteristics, and various other properties.
In the past, the general practice was to use cast iron for the automobile exhaust members, but from the viewpoint of toughening of exhaust-gas regulations, improvement of engine performance, lightening of the weight of the chassis, etc., stainless steel exhaust manifolds have come into use. The exhaust gas temperature differs depending on the car model, but in recent years, the temperature has mostly been 750 to 900° C. A material having excellent high temperature strength and oxidation resistance in an environment where the material is used for a long time in this temperature region has been demanded.
Among stainless steels, austenitic stainless steel is superior in heat resistance and workability, but has a large coefficient of heat expansion, so is susceptible to heat fatigue breakage when used for a member such as an exhaust manifold which is repeatedly heated and cooled.
On the other hand, ferritic stainless steel has a smaller coefficient of heat expansion compared with austenitic stainless steel, so is superior in heat fatigue characteristics and scale peeling resistance. Further, compared with austenitic stainless steel, it does not contain Ni, so the cost of the material is low and it is in general use. However, ferritic stainless steel is lower than austenitic stainless steel in high temperature strength, so technology has been developed for improving the high temperature strength. For example, there are SUS430J1 (Nb steel), Nb—Si steel, and SUS444 (Nb—Mo steel). These improve the high temperature strength by basically addition of Nb and by addition of Si and Mo. Among these, SUS444 has about 2% of Mo added to it, so is highest in strength, but has the problems that it is inferior in workability and contains a large amount of expensive Mo, so is high in cost.
Various additive elements are being studied in addition to the above alloys. Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2006-37176, International Publication WO2003/004714, Japanese Patent No. 3468156, and Japanese Patent No. 3397167 disclose the technology of addition of Cu or Cu—V. Regarding the addition of Cu in Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2006-37176, addition of 0.5% or less is being studied for improvement of the low temperature toughness. It is not addition from the viewpoint of the heat resistance. International Publication WO2003/004714, Japanese Patent No. 3468156, and Japanese Patent No. 3397167 disclose the technology of utilizing precipitation hardening by Cu precipitates to improve the high temperature strength in the 600° C. or 700 to 800° C. temperature region. Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2006-37176, International Publication WO2003/004714, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 9-279312, Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2000-169943, and Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 10-204590 disclose steel containing B as ferritic stainless steel superior in high temperature characteristics. The prior art for improvement of the high temperature strength using the addition of Cu utilizes Cu precipitates, but when Cu precipitates are exposed to a high temperature over a long time, coarsening rapidly occurs due to agglomeration and merger of precipitates, so there is the problem that the precipitation strengthening ability ends up remarkably falling. When undergoing the heat cycle accompanying the starting and stopping of the engine like an exhaust manifold, the danger arises that the high temperature strength will remarkably fall at the stage of long term use and heat fatigue breakage will occur.
Further, depending on the engine structure, sometimes the temperature of the exhaust gas will rise up to about 900° C. As described in International Publication WO2003/004714, with the addition of Cu or the composite addition of Cu—V, the yield strength at 900° C. does not reach the SUS444 level, so sufficient reliability is not obtained as an exhaust part. In past discoveries, B was added to improve the workability and improved the grain boundary strength due to grain boundary segregation so as to improve the secondary workability. The effect on the high temperature characteristics was not clear.

Ferritic stainless steel sheet superior in heat resistance

Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel Corporation


The separator for a battery according to the present invention is a separator for a battery including an insulator layer containing a fibrous material having a heat resistant temperature of equal to or higher than 150° C., insulating inorganic fine particles and a binder, or a separator for a battery including a porous layer formed of a thermal melting resin and an insulator layer containing insulating inorganic fine particles and a binder, wherein water content per unit volume is equal to or smaller than 1 mg/cm3 when the separator is held for 24 hours in an atmosphere with a relative humidity of 60% at 20° C. The use of the separator for a battery according to the present invention makes it possible to provide a lithium secondary battery that has favorable reliability and safety and is excellent in storage characteristics and charge-discharge cycle characteristics.

A lithium ion battery, which is a kind of nonaqueous battery, has been used widely as a power source of portable equipment such as a mobile phone and a notebook-sized personal computer, because of its high energy-density characteristic. With improvement in the performance of portable equipment, the capacity of the lithium ion battery tends to increase further, and thus securing safety has become important.
In a conventional lithium ion battery, a polyolefin-based porous film having a thickness of about 20 to 30 μm, for example, is used as a separator to be interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode. As the material for the separator, polyethylene having a low melting point sometimes is used for securing a so-called shutdown effect, namely, melting a resin forming the separator at or below a thermal runaway temperature of the battery so as to close the pores, thereby increasing the internal resistance of the battery and improving the safety of the battery at the time of short circuit or the like.
As the above-described separator, for example, a uniaxially-stretched or biaxially-stretched film is used in order to increase porosity and improve strength. Since such a separator is provided as a stand-alone film, a certain strength is required for the separator in view of workability or the like and secured by the above-mentioned stretching. However, since the crystallinity of the stretched film has increased, and the shutdown temperature has been raised to temperatures close to the thermal runaway temperature of the battery, the margin for securing the safety of the battery cannot be provided sufficiently.
Moreover, there occurs distortion in the film due to the stretching. Thus, when the film is exposed to high temperatures, shrinkage will occur due to residual stress. The shrinking temperature is very close to the melting point, that is, the shutdown temperature. As a result, in the case of using a polyolefin-based porous film separator, when the temperature of the battery reaches the shutdown temperature during anomalies in charging or the like, the electric current must be decreased immediately for preventing increase of the battery temperature. If the pores of the separator are not closed sufficiently and the electric current cannot be decreased immediately, the battery temperature will rise easily to the shrinking temperature of the separator, causing a risk of heat generation due to internal short circuit.
In order to prevent such a short circuit caused by the thermal shrinkage, a microporous film using a heat-resistant resin or a nonwoven fabric as a separator have been proposed. For example, Patent document 1 discloses a separator using a microporous film of wholly aromatic polyamide, and Patent document 2 discloses a separator using a polyimide porous film. Further, Patent document 3 discloses a separator using a polyamide nonwoven fabric, Patent document 4 discloses a separator including a base of a nonwoven fabric using aramid fibers, Patent document 5 discloses a separator using a polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabric, and Patent document 6 discloses a technology regarding a separator using a polyester nonwoven fabric.
However, although the microporous films using the heat-resistant resins such as polyamide and polyimide have an excellent dimensional stability at high temperatures and can be made thinner, they are expensive. Also, the nonwoven fabrics using the heat-resistant fibers such as polyamide fibers and aramid fibers have an excellent dimensional stability but are expensive. The nonwoven fabrics using PP fibers or polyester fibers are inexpensive and excellent in dimensional stability at high temperatures. However, since the pore diameter is too large in the state of a nonwoven fabric, these nonwoven fabrics having a thickness of equal to or smaller than 30 μm, for example, cannot prevent the short circuit due to contact between the positive and negative electrodes or the short circuit due to the generation of lithium dendrites in a sufficient manner.
Furthermore, a technology has been proposed in which a nonwoven fabric or the like made of a low-cost material is used as a separator by various processings. For example, Patent document 7 discloses a separator obtained by filling a heat-resistant polybutylene terephthalate nonwoven fabric with polyethylene particles, alumina particles, etc., and Patent document 8 discloses a separator obtained by layering a heat-resistant separator layer formed principally of inorganic particles and a thermal-melting separator layer formed principally of organic particles such as polyethylene particles.
Patent document 1: JP 5(1993)-335005 A
Patent document 2: JP 2000-306568 A
Patent document 3: JP 9(1997)-259856 A
Patent document 4: JP 11(1999)-40130 A
Patent document 5: JP 2001-291503 A
Patent document 6: JP 2003-123728 A
Patent document 7: WO 2006/62153 A
Patent document 8: WO 2007/66768 A
Now, lithium reacts vigorously with water. Therefore, in order to secure excellent properties and reliability of the lithium secondary battery, it is important to remove water from the battery as much as possible. Also, in the lithium secondary battery, when a slight amount of water is mixed inevitably in an organic electrolyte solution or water is adsorbed in other electrode materials, the reaction represented by the formula below occurs, thus generating a halogen acid such as hydrogen fluoride (HF).2LiPF6+12H2O→12HF+2LiP(OH)6
The hydrogen fluoride generated in the above reaction causes a problem of deteriorating materials constituting the battery such as a current collector and a positive active material and further degrading the battery performance. In such a battery whose constituent materials have been deteriorated, the internal resistance increases. Additionally, an aluminum foil is generally used as a positive current collector. When the positive current collector is corroded by hydrogen fluoride, eluted metal ions are deposited on the negative electrode, thus causing the deterioration of self-discharge characteristics. Moreover, water entrained into the battery sometimes generates not only the halogen acid such as hydrogen fluoride but also hydrogen. The hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen may cause battery swelling or a decrease in the charge-discharge cycle characteristics of the battery when the battery is stored in a high-temperature environment.
In the field of lithium secondary batteries, the recent dehydration technology is improved to achieve about 20 ppm or lower water content of an organic solvent. Further, the amounts of water contained in the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator also can be reduced by a decompression treatment down to 200 ppm or lower in terms of water content of the organic electrolyte solution when it is assumed that the water has moved into the organic electrolyte solution in the battery. For example, in a polyolefin-based porous film, which is a conventionally known separator, it is possible to remove water relatively easily by a decompression heat treatment at 100° C. or lower, thereby achieving the above-noted water content.
However, in the above-described conventional separator containing the inorganic particles and the organic particles, there has been a possibility of entraining unnecessary water in the battery unless the amount of water in the separator including the water contents of particles to be used and a binder used for adhesion is controlled strictly.

Separator for battery, method for manufacturing the same, and lithium secondary battery


Various embodiments include a conversation engine for facilitating a conversation between member accounts (e.g., personal accounts) and social network entities (e.g., corporate accounts) in a social networking system. The conversation engine can enable interactions between a member account and a social network entity via a messaging application when an end-user device associated with the member account is in proximity to a physical establishment associated with the social network entity. The end-user device can scan for available access points and determine its location based on the wireless source identifier(s) of the available access points. The end-user device and/or the social networking system can compare the wireless source identifier(s) to a set of known wireless source identifiers to determine the end-user device's location. Messages can be generated by the conversation engine that include content that is generated based at least in part on the location of the end-user device.

A social networking system typically provides mechanisms for members to communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another using end-user devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, personal computers). End-user devices utilize these mechanisms by accessing the social network system via native applications or web browsers. Oftentimes, these mechanisms utilize location data provided by an information service to determine the location of the end-user device, which can then be used control certain features supported by the social networking system. For example, the location can be used by the social networking system for a "check in" feature that enables the end user associated with the end-user device to specify a current location.
Location data can be retrieved from numerous sources. For example, the location of an end-user device can be determined based on a city identified in the end user's profile, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates included in the location information, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the end-user device, aggregated information about the location of the end user's friends (in the social networking sense), data from the end-user device if location services are enabled, etc. But these techniques typically require that the end user either enable sharing of the location data with the social networking system, or that the native application be actively executed by the operating system by the end-user device (also known as being "executed in the foreground").
The figures depict various embodiments of this disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the embodiments described herein.

Location-based conversation engine for entities in a social networking system


An arrangement in the illumination beam path of a laser scanning microscope, comprising a mirror which can be introduced into the beam path for coupling in at least one additional wavelength, and a method for the operation of a laser scanning microscope with a mirror which can be swiveled in rapidly for coupling at least one additional wavelength into the illumination beam path, wherein the swiveling process is synchronized with the illumination control by a control unit in such a way that at least one additional wavelength is coupled into the illumination beam path when the mirror is swiveled out.

a) Field of the Invention
Excitation wavelengths are offered which can be realized by means of a suitable mechanical integration of corresponding standard laser beam sources in a laser module. Apart from these standard lasers, however, customers often desire to use other wavelengths or higher-output laser beam sources for special excitation processes in the LSM. However, mechanical integration into the existing construction would require extensive special modifications that entail high costs and long delivery times. Therefore, there is a need for an economical arrangement allowing laser radiation whose output and wavelength can be optionally selected within a wide range to be coupled into the excitation beam path of a LSM.
b) Description of the Related Art
It is known from the "Handbook of Biological Confocal Microscopy", Mar. 02, 1995, page 151 (E. H. K. Stelzer) to couple a plurality of lasers into the laser scanning microscope by means of a light-conductive fiber.

Arrangement in the illumination beam path of a laser scanning microscope


A binder resin for toner which is excellent in low-temperature fixing property and offset resistance as well as smear resistance, while responding to the demand of the market from the perspectives of environmental protection, such as being free from a bisphenol A structure and tin, and a toner using the same. The binder resin for toner can be obtained using a catalyst containing titanium or germanium, preferably comprises the structure derived from branched or alicyclic alcohols, and comprises the structure derived from terephthalic acid as the acid component, which represents greater than or equal to 60 mol % with respect to the number of moles of all acid components, and a toner using the same.

Recently, the performance required from copier machines or printers using electrophotography has highly increased. In general, electrophotography for copiers or printers involves a method in which a latent electrostatic image is formed on a photoconductor, subsequently the latent image is developed using the toner, the toner image is transferred onto a sheet to be fixed, for example, paper, and then the sheet is hot-pressed by means of a heat roller (heat roller fixing method). In this heat roller fixing method, improved economic situation such as in electricity consumption, increased copying speed and the like have led to a demand for a toner with good fixing property to fix the image at lower temperatures. On the other hand, in the heat roller fixing method, there is a problem of so-called the offset phenomenon in which since the surface of the heat roller is brought into contact with the toner in a molten state, the toner adheres and is transferred to the surface of the heat roller, and this adhered toner is re-transferred to a subsequent sheet to be fixed, making the sheet contaminated. The feature of not causing this offset phenomenon is one of demands for the important toner performance. Moreover, copiers and printers with higher speeds increasingly require better performance in the charging area. Thus, a toner needs much higher durability, and therefore long-term stability in plate wear is required.
Generally, there is an attempt to lower the fixing temperature by lowering the molecular weight of binding resins (binder resins), in order to make the fixing property better. However, although lowering of the molecular weight decreases the resin viscosity, it also decreases the resin strength and the cohesive power of resin at the same time, resulting in problems such as decreased toner durability and the offset phenomenon occurring about the fixing roller. In addition, there have been attempts to use as such a binding resin, a mixture of a high molecular weight resin and a low molecular weight resin, such that the mixture has a broad molecular weight distribution, or to use a binder resin with the high molecular weight portion further crosslinked. However, in these methods, the viscosity of the resin is increased, and to the contrary to the above case, it is difficult to satisfy the fixing quality.
A variety of toners have been suggested which use, instead of those styrene-acrylic resins that have been predominantly used hitherto as such binding resins required of contradictory functions, polyester resins that are rather of higher density as binder resins, (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 61-284771 and 62-291668, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication Nos. 7-101318, 8-3663, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,057); however, presently it cannot be stated that they sufficiently satisfy, in particular, the recent increasing demands of the market. Moreover, as it is being considered proper in the market to use double-sided printing and double-sided copying in view of saving resources and protecting the environment, from this point of view there is a demand on an improvement in smear resistance, in addition to the fixing property and the offset resistance.
In addition, there have been conventionally used, bisphenol A derivatives as a raw material of a toner using a polyester resin, or tin-based catalysts as the catalyst for preparation of polyester. Meanwhile, there is a recent demand in the market from the perspective of environmental protection, on products that do not contain bisphenol A, tin or the like, as there is an opinion that these substances may have adverse effects on the environment in various ways.
Furthermore, from another perspective of saving resources, owing to the exhaustion of resources associated with recent increase in population and extension in energy consumption, saving of resources and energy as well as recycling of resources are highly desired. PET bottles, inter alia, that are collected from local communities are increasingly used in textiles or containers, and there is also a demand for further development of new applications.


Disclosed is a semiconductor device for outputting an output signal with a given phase held relative to an external clock despite a difference in characteristic, a change in temperature, and a fluctuation in supply voltage. The semiconductor device comprises an input circuit for inputting the external clock and outputting a reference signal, an output circuit for receiving an output timing signal and outputting an output signal according to the timing of the output timing signal, and an output timing control circuit for controlling the output timing so that the output signal exhibits a given phase relative to the external clock. The output timing control circuit includes a delay circuit for delaying the reference signal by a specified magnitude and generating an output timing signal, a phase comparison circuit for comparing the phase of the output timing signal with the phase of the reference signal, and a delay control circuit for specifying the magnitude of a delay to be produced by the delay circuit according to the result of comparison performed by the phase comparison circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device for outputting a signal with a given accurate phase held relative to an externally-input signal, a semiconductor system composed of such semiconductor devices, and a digital delay circuit employed in the semiconductor system. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a synchronous semiconductor memory from which a signal is output with a given phase held relative to an external clock despite a change in ambient temperature or a fluctuation in supply voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Normally, a semiconductor integrated circuit (including a large scale integration (LSI)) accepts an external signal, and outputs an output signal after carrying out processing according to the input signal. Timing relative to an external input signal according to which an output signal is provided is therefore important. In a general-purpose LSI, the timing is usually determined as one of the specifications for the LSI. Taking a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) for instance, a maximum frequency of an address signal as well as the timing of outputting data relative to a transition edge of the address signal and a data setup time required for writing data are stipulated.
In recent years, it has been earnestly requested to increase the operating speed of an interface in line with an increase in frequency of a clock used in a CPU within a computer system or with increases in processing speeds of other various electronic circuits. For example, a CPU using a clock with a frequency of 100 MHz or higher has made its debut. However, the access rate and data transfer rate of a Dram widely adopted as a main memory are lower than the frequency of the clock by one decade. Various novel DRAM architectures such as a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) permitting a data transfer rate of 100 MHz or higher have been proposed to date.
The SDRAM inputs or outputs data synchronously with a high-frequency clock that is input externally, and includes a plurality of units capable of inputting or outputting a plurality of bits of data in parallel. A method of interfacing an external unit at a high speed falls into a method of converting a plurality of bits of data into serial data and a method of pipelining internal operations and carrying out the operations of pipes in parallel. The description will proceed by taking a DRAM having a pipelined architecture as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this kind of DRAM.
In the SDRAM, internal operations and input or output of signals are carried out synchronously with a clock supplied externally. When this SDRAM is employed in a high-speed memory system, if the SDRAM is accessed continuously, a clock access time tAC that is a time interval between the leading edge of a clock and the output of data, and an output data retention time tOH that is a time interval starting with the leading edge of the clock, during which data is retained, are significant. The times tAC and tOH are determined in relation with the same path. When consideration is taken into a difference in characteristic of one SDRAM from another, and the temperature dependency and supply voltage-dependency of the SDRAM, the times tAC and tOH do not coincide with each other but differ from each other to some extent. The time comparable to the difference is the time during which data is uncertain, the time during which it is uncertain what kind of data is output, the time is unusable by a memory system, or is a so-called dead band. It is important to make the uncertain data time as short as possible.
To shorten the uncertain data time, it should be guaranteed that despite a difference in characteristic, a change in temperature, or a fluctuation in supply voltage, data is always output with a given phase held relative to an external clock, or in other words, the clock access time tAC is constant all the time. For example, if it is preferable that output of data is carried out synchronously with the rise of an external clock CLK, the clock access time tAC should be zero all the time.
The necessity of providing an output signal synchronously with an externally-input signal has been described by taking a synchronous DRAM as an example. This is not limited to the synchronous DRAM but is true among many semiconductor devices. As far as the interior of a semiconductor device is concerned, various measures can be taken to enable the semiconductor device to carry out desired operations. For outputting the result of processing performed internally by a semiconductor device, the relationships of the semiconductor device with other semiconductor devices must be defined. It is important to stabilize the timing of the output. The present invention relates to an art for stabilizing the timing of output relative to an external clock in a semiconductor device.
An object of the present invention is to realize a semiconductor device capable of outputting data with a given phase held relative to an external clock CLK despite a difference in characteristic, a change in temperature, or a fluctuation in supply voltage.
A semiconductor device in accordance with the present invention comprises an input circuit for inputting an external input signal and outputting a reference signal, an output circuit for receiving an output timing signal and outputting an output signal according to the timing of the output timing signal, and an output timing control circuit for controlling the output timing of an output signal sent from the output circuit so that the output signal exhibits a given phase relative to the external input signal. The output timing control circuit includes a delay circuit for which a magnitude of a delay can be specified, and which delays a reference signal by the specified magnitude, and applies the resultant reference signal as an output timing signal to the output circuit, a phase comparison circuit for comparing the phase of the output timing signal with the phase of the reference signal, and a delay control circuit for specifying the magnitude of a delay to be produced by the delay circuit according to the result of the comparison performed by the phase comparison circuit.
In the semiconductor device of the present invention, the magnitude of a delay needed for adjusting timing by the output timing control circuit is not fixed. For adjusting the magnitude of a delay so that a signal output from an actual circuit has a given phase relationship relative to an external clock (corresponding to the reference signal) output from the input circuit, the phase relationship of the output signal relative to the external clock can be retained accurately at a given value despite a difference in characteristic of one semiconductor device from another, a change in temperature, or a fluctuation in supply voltage.
What is compared with the external clock must be a signal delayed by the same magnitude as the magnitude of a delay produced by the actual circuit. From this viewpoint, a dummy input circuit for producing the same magnitude of a delay as the input circuit and a dummy output circuit for producing the same delay as the output circuit are included. For comparing phases, it is essential that an output signal of the output circuit makes a state transition. During normal operation, the output circuit provides output data. The output data is a varying signal that may be at a high level or at low level. For comparing the phase of an output signal of the output circuit with the phase of the external clock during a normal operation, the phase comparison circuit 22 judges whether or not the output signal has made a state transition. Only when the output signal has made a state transition, are phases compared. If the output signal makes no state transition, the delay control circuit gives control so that the ongoing magnitude of a delay can be retained. Thus, if the output signal makes no state transition, the output signal is fed back so that control is given until the output signal is in phase with the external clock.
In another configuration, initialization is carried out before a normal operation starts. During the initialization, dummy data that makes a state transition at intervals of a given cycle is output. The phase of the dummy data is compared with that of the external clock. The dummy data is fed back so that control is given until the dummy data is in phase with the external clock. After the dummy data is in phase with the external clock, an adjusted magnitude of a delay is retained. The dummy data makes a state transition at intervals of a given cycle without fail. The phase comparison circuit can compare phases merely by judging in which direction the dummy data makes a state transition.
Using the dummy output circuit, a signal suitable for judging a phase which is independent of an output signal of the output circuit can be output all the time. This means that dummy data can always be output for feedback control. Moreover, if the dummy data is a signal that makes a state transition by taking time longer than the cycle of the clock, the power consumption of the circuit can be minimized.
Furthermore, a second output timing control circuit to be associated with the dummy output circuit is included separately from the first output timing control circuit associated with the output circuit. During initialization, an output signal and dummy output signal are synchronized with the external clock. This means that the output signal and the dummy output signal become synchronous with each other. Thereafter, the dummy output signal is fed back to the first output timing control circuit for the purpose of giving control. Owing to this configuration, the dummy output circuit can be used to achieve adjustment even under the effect of a load connected to the actual output circuit.


An embodiment of the invention is directed to a network peripheral device. The network peripheral device includes a plurality of antennas, network communications electronics operable with the antennas, a plurality of electronically controllable visual indicators, and circuitry that activates the selected indicators. The network peripheral device may also include networking electronics, router functionality, a modem, a base band processor, a firewall, and/or a media access control (MAC) processor. The visual indicators may comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs). The visual indicators may correspond to a particular antenna. The visual indicators may also be arranged in a pattern corresponding to an arrangement of antennas in the plurality of antennas, or in a substantially circular pattern. Other embodiments of the invention are directed to various methods and devices.

As information processing, distribution and sharing through computers evolves, there is an increasing demand for networks and other forms of interconnectivity between computers. Users turn to solutions, such as network connections, wired and wireless, in order to provide increasing communication and availability of information. Some forms of networks, which may include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), or a LAN/WAN and its internet service provider's network, may have network peripheral components that help to interconnect, or act as nodes for, or access points for, the computers or other devices to the applicable network. Such network peripheral components may comprise routers, modems, firewalls, or other components. A router is a device that forwards data along networks. A modem enables a computer to transmit data over, for example, telephone or cable lines. A firewall provides for some security, as they are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets, and can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both.
As the use of network peripheral components proliferates, more users will be called upon to install, maintain, and support such components. These users may encounter problems in understanding and operating such components.

Peripheral device with visual indicators


An observation optical system has an entrance surface, a reflecting surface, and an exit surface. At least one of these surfaces is configured as a free-formed surface, to which a volume holographic optical element (HOE) is closely adhered. The observation optical system satisfies the following conditions:−0.20<φx/Px<0.30−0.20<φy/Py<0.20where φx is the power of only the HOE in an x direction at the point of intersection of an axial principal ray with the surface of the HOE, φy is the power of only the HOE in a y direction (parallel to the direction of decentration) at the point of intersection of the axial principal ray with the surface of the HOE, Px is the power of the whole of the observation optical system in the x direction, and Py is the power of the whole of the observation optical system in the y direction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an observation optical system, and in particular, to an observation optical system for an image display apparatus that can be mounted on a viewer's head or face and can be incorporated in a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, for the purpose that each individual person enjoys an image displayed on a large screen, the development of an image display apparatus has taken place. In particular, image display apparatuses of the type mounted on the head or face have been conspicuously developed. The recent widespread use of mobile phones and personal digital assistants has increased the need that data of images and letters of the mobile phones and personal digital assistants should be viewed through large screens. Conventional optical systems used in the image display apparatuses are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Kokai Nos. 2001-264682, 2002-107658, and Hei 11-326824. Each of such optical systems has the structure that a holographic optical element (which is hereinafter abbreviated to HOE) is cemented to a reflecting surface, and the surface of this optical element is decentered and placed. Thus, in each of these prior art publications, a small-sized optical system is proposed.


A charged particle beam exposure method includes the steps of (a) selectively irradiating a charged particle beam on at least one selected opening forming a selected pattern of a mask which includes a plurality of openings related to a plurality of kinds of patterns so as to shape a cross section of the charged particle beam which is transmitted through the selected opening, where the area of the mask is divided into a plurality of blocks each including at least one opening which is related to one pattern, and (b) irradiating the charged particle beam which is transmitted through the selected opening of the mask onto an object surface so as to expose a desired pattern corresponding to at least a part of the pattern of the selected opening on the object surface, where the step (a) carries out first and second deflections independently of each other with respect to the charged particle beam. The first deflection deflects the charged particle beam within a first deflection range which corresponds to the size of one block and the second deflection deflects the charged particle beam within a second irradiating range which covers a plurality of blocks of the mask, so that the second deflection deflects the charged particle beam to irradiate the selected opening out of the plurality of openings of the mask and the first deflection sets the first deflection range of the charged particle beam with respect to the selected opening.

The present invention generally relates to charged particle beam exposure methods and apparatuses, and more particularly to a charged particle beam exposure method which exposes a basic pattern on an object by a single shot of a charged particle beam using a mask which is provided with an opening of the basic pattern which forms a unit of a repeating pattern and to a charged particle beam exposure apparatus which uses such a method.
Recently, due to the further increase in the integration density of large scale integrated circuits (LSIs), a new exposure apparatus which uses a charged particle beam such as an electron beam has been proposed to replace the photolithography technique which was popularly used over the years to expose fine patterns. The charged particle beam exposure apparatus scans the object by deflecting a charged particle beam which has a rectangular cross section which is variable, and draws a desired pattern on the object. The charged particle beam exposure apparatus is provided with a pattern generation function for forming a pattern from a pattern data. However, because the charged particle beam exposure apparatus draws the pattern by connecting rectangular shots of the charged particle beam, there was a problem in that the number of exposure shots per unit area generally increases as the pattern size becomes smaller, thereby reducing the throughput.
On the other hand, a semiconductor device which requires extremely fine patterns such as a 64-Mbit dynamic random access memory (DRAM) has extremely fine patterns but a majority of the area to be exposed include a repetition of basic patterns. For this reason, if the basic pattern which forms a unit of the repeating pattern can be generated by a single shot regardless of the complexity thereof, it becomes possible to carry out the exposure with a constant throughput independently of the fineness of the patterns.
Accordingly, in order to overcome the above described problem and realize a satisfactory throughput even when exposing the extremely fine patterns, the so-called block exposure method has been proposed. The block exposure method irradiates a transmission mask which includes the basic pattern by the charged particle beam so that the basic pattern is exposed in a single shot, and the exposed basic patterns are connected to form the repeating pattern. The transmission mask is also referred to as a block mask or a stencil mask.
In the charged particle beam exposure apparatus employing the block exposure method, a plurality of kinds of basic patterns are normally formed in the transmission mask in order to efficiently carry out the exposure. However, it is desirable that the number of kinds of patterns which can be exposed by use of the transmission mask is greater than the number of kinds of basic patterns formed in the transmission mask.
FIG. 1 generally shows an example of a conventional charged particle beam exposure apparatus which employs the block exposure method. This example uses an electron beam as the charged particle beam. For example, this conventional electron beam exposure apparatus is proposed in Hans C. Pfeiffer, "Recent Advances in Electron-Beam Lithography for the High-Volume Production of VLSI Devices", IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol.ED-26, No. 4, April 1979.
In FIG. 1, an electron beam emitted from an electron gun 51 passes through a rectangular opening of a shaping plate 52 and the cross sectional shape of the electron beam is shaped into a rectangular shape. Further, the electron beam is converged by an electron lens 53 and is deflected by a deflector 54a which is used to select a pattern, so that the electron beam passes through a desired pattern part of a stencil mask 55.
On the other hand, a central processing unit (CPU) 62 reads out a pattern data which is stored in a memory unit 66 and inputs the pattern data to an exposure controller 64 via a bus 63. The exposure controller 64 supplies to an amplifier and converter (AMP/DAC) 65 a block deflection data which is dependent on a basic pattern which is to be exposed from the pattern data. The AMP/DAC 65 is made up of an amplifier (AMP) and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The AMP/DAC 65 amplifies and converts the block deflection data into an analog deflection control signal which is supplied to the deflector 54a. Hence, the electron beam is deflected by the deflector 54a so as to irradiate the selected basic pattern. In addition, the deflection control signal also drives a deflector 54b which is used to select a pattern.
As a result, the cross sectional shape of the electron beam is shaped into the pattern of the stencil mask 55 and is returned to the same optical axis as the electron beam emitted from the electron lens 53 by the converging function of an electron lens 56 and the deflection function of the deflector 54b. The cross section of the electron beam is thereafter reduced by a reduction lens 57.
The electron beam transmitted through the reduction lens 57 reaches an electron lens 59 via a circular opening of a plate 58. The circular opening limits the electron beam so as to determine the optical axis. The electron lens 59 converges the electron beam and a projection lens 60 exposes the electron beam at a predetermined position on an object surface 61. A deflector (not shown) provided at the projection lens 60 deflects the electron beam so as to scan the exposure position on the object surface 61.
FIGS. 2A and 2B respectively show a plan view and a cross sectional view of the stencil mask 55. The stencil mask 55 is made up of plate made of a semiconductor such as silicon (Si), a metal or the like. The thickness of the stencil mask 55 is approximately 20 .mu.m at a pattern forming part 71.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the pattern forming part 71 of the stencil mask 55 includes basic patterns 72, 73 and 74 which form units of the repeating patterns. The basic pattern 72 is made up of two openings 72a and 72b having the shape shown, and a blocking part 72c. The basic pattern 73 is made up of two openings 73a and 73b having the shape shown, and a blocking part 73c. In addition, the basic pattern 74 is made up of two openings 74a and 74b having the shape shown, and a blocking part 74c.
The stencil mask 55 further includes a rectangular opening 75 which is used to form a non-repeating pattern, as shown in FIG. 2A. This rectangular opening 75 is used to carry out the exposure by varying the irradiating position of the electron beam relative to the rectangular opening 75 to vary the cross sectional area of the shaped electron beam.
The basic patterns 72, 73 and 74 and the rectangular opening 75 are provided within a pattern forming region II which is smaller than a electron beam deflecting region I. The electron beam deflection region I is the region in which the electron beam can be deflected, and the pattern forming region II is the region in which a pattern can be exposed. At the time of the exposure, the electron beam is deflected to irradiate a selected pattern depending on the exposure pattern data, and the selected pattern is exposed on the object surface 61.
Actually, a plurality of pattern groups are provided within the electron beam deflecting region I of the stencil mask 55, where each pattern group is a collection of patterns such as the basic patterns 72 through 74 and the rectangular opening 75. For this reason, when selectively irradiating a single pattern within a different pattern group, the stencil mask 55 is moved so that this different pattern group falls within the electron beam deflecting region I.
Hence, although not shown in FIG. 1, the stencil mask 55 is placed on a movable stage and is moved in a vicinity of the optical axis of the electron optical system. In addition, the electron optical system from the electron gun 51 to the object surface 61 are provided within a vacuum column body, and in order to load the stencil mask 55 onto the stage without disturbing the vacuum state, a sub chamber (not shown) for use in mask loading is provided so that the column body and the sub chamber can be disengaged at a gate valve (not shown).
In the conventional electron beam exposure apparatus, one basic pattern made up of the openings 73a and 73b as shown in FIG. 3A is selected from the plurality of basic patterns of the stencil mask 55 and the electron beam irradiates an irradiating range 81 of the stencil mask 55 so as to expose this selected basic pattern. As a result, the basic pattern including patterns 82a and 82b shown in FIG. 3B is exposed on the object surface 61 by a single shot of the electron beam. It is thus possible to expose a repeating pattern which is made up of the basic patterns at a high speed by connecting such basic patterns.
Therefore, according to the conventional electron beam exposure apparatus, the variable rectangular pattern made by the rectangular opening 75 or any of the basic patterns provided in the stencil mask 55 may be generated by a single shot of the electron beam.
However, a part of the basic pattern may appear in a portion of the repeating pattern, particularly at an end portion of the repeating pattern. For this reason, it is desirable that parts 84a and 84b of the basic pattern can be exposed on the object surface 61 as shown in FIG. 4B by setting an irradiating range 83 at a position shifted relative to the stencil mask 55 which is provided with the openings 73a and 73b of the basic pattern as shown in FIG. 4A.
If the part of the basic pattern is frequently used, the pattern of this part itself may be provided as an independent basic pattern. However, if the part of the basic pattern is not used frequently, it is desirable not to provide this part itself as an independent basic pattern because the number of kinds of basic patterns to be provided in the stencil mask 55 would increase although the area of the stencil mask 55 is limited.
On the other hand, it is possible to expose only a part of the basic pattern by the variable rectangular pattern. But in this case, the number of shots would increase considerably and the exposure time would become extremely long.
Accordingly, when selectively carrying out the total exposure of the basic pattern as shown in FIG. 3A or the partial exposure of the basic pattern as shown in FIG. 4A in the conventional electron beam exposure apparatus, it is necessary to supply a first mask deflection data for selecting a certain basic pattern and a second mask deflection data for varying the irradiating range on the selected basic pattern to the same deflectors 54a and 54b. Basically, the first mask deflection data are discrete data. But while the first mask deflection data may vary in a large deflection range of 5 to 6 mm square by varying the least significant bit (LSB), the second mask deflection data needs to vary in a small deflection range of approximately 500 .mu.m square, for example. For this reason, if the first and second mask deflection data are added to form a single deflection data, an unnecessarily complex digital operation must be carried out in the AMP/DAC 65. In addition, it is difficult to determine the deflection efficiency of the first and second mask deflection data with the same accuracy in relation to the ratio with respect to the total amount of deflection, because the first mask deflection data basically varies in the large range in large steps while the second mask deflection data basically varies in the small range in small steps.

Charged particle beam exposure method and apparatus


The present invention is directed to monohydrate and anhydrate crystal forms of 2-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-vinyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol, an estrogenic receptor modulator useful in the treatment of, for example, diseases related to abnormal levels of estrogen.

The pleiotropic effects of estrogens in mammalian tissues have been well documented, and it is now appreciated that estrogens affect many organ systems. Estrogens can exert effects on tissues in several ways, and the most well characterized mechanism of action is their interaction with estrogen receptors leading to alterations in gene transcription. Estrogen receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors and belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Other members of this family include the progesterone, androgen, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors. Upon binding ligand, these receptors dimerize and can activate gene transcription either by directly binding to specific sequences on DNA (known as response elements) or by interacting with other transcription factors (such as AP1), which in turn bind directly to specific DNA sequences. A class of "coregulatory" proteins can also interact with the ligand-bound receptor and further modulate its transcriptional activity. It has also been shown that estrogen receptors can suppress NF.kappa.B-mediated transcription in both a ligand-dependent and independent manner.
Accordingly, compounds which are estrogen receptor modulators are useful in the treatment or inhibition of conditions, disorders, or disease states that are at least partially mediated by an estrogen deficiency or excess, or which may be treated or inhibited through the use of an estrogenic agent. Such compounds can be particularly useful in treating a peri-menopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal patient in which the levels of endogenous estrogens produced are greatly diminished. For example, estrogenic compounds are also useful in inhibiting or treating hot flushes, vaginal or vulvar atrophy, atrophic vaginitis, vaginal dryness, pruritus, dyspareunia, dysuria, frequent urination, urinary incontinence, and urinary tract infections. Other reproductive tract uses include the treatment or inhibition of dysfunctional uterine bleeding and endometriosis.
Certain substituted benzoxazole compounds have been found to be effective estrogenic receptor modulators. An example benzoxazole is 2-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-vinyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol, shown below in Formula I. The effectiveness of this compound as an estrogenic modulator, as well as its preparation, are reported in U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,403, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The crystalline form of a particular drug (e.g., hydrate, solvate, polymorph, etc) is often an important determinant of the drug's ease of preparation, stability, solubility, storage stability, ease of formulation and in vivo pharmacology. Different crystalline forms occur when a compound crystallizes in different lattice arrangements or where solvent molecules (including water molecules) are incorporated into the crystalline lattice, resulting in solids with different thermodynamic properties and stabilities specific to the particular form. It is entirely possible that one crystal form is preferable over another where certain aspects such as ease of preparation, stability, etc. are deemed to be critical. Similarly, greater solubility and/or superior pharmacokinetics may be the desired characteristics.
Because improved drug formulations showing, for example, better bioavailability or better stability are consistently sought, there is an ongoing need for new or purer crystal forms of existing drug molecules. The crystal forms of 2-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-vinyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol described herein are directed toward this end.

Crystal forms of 2-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-vinyl-1,3-benzoxazol-5-ol


In various embodiments, a system and method for manufacturing and using an optical enhancement assembly in combination with an image-capturing device are presented. In example embodiments, the optical enhancement assembly is affixed over an aperture on the image-capturing device using a securing agent. Light is allowed to travel through the optical enhancement assembly and into the aperture of the image-capturing device such that the light can be recorded as a still image or video. The optical enhancement assembly includes at least a unique fractalized diffraction pattern that impacts light traveling into the aperture and causes a unique diffraction effect on the image or video recorded by the image-capturing device.

In recent years, the field of recreational photography has experienced various advancements, incorporating new software and new photography apparatuses. Some of these software programs and apparatuses are intended to give an image or video a specific effect that would normally be absent. Recently, much of the practice of recreational photography has shifted from photographers using specialized image-capturing devices, such as traditional cameras, to image-capturing devices incorporated in mobile devices. Additionally, some image-capturing devices are intended for a specific setting, such as ones intended to be attached to a helmet when a user is unable to otherwise hold it.

Removable diffraction assembly for electronic device


Various embodiments may include a method for checking the plausibility of the functionality of a crankcase ventilation system of an internal combustion engine, wherein crankcase ventilation system has a crankcase, an intake tract equipped with an intake manifold, and a connecting line arranged between the crankcase and the intake manifold, the method comprising: detecting an occurrence of a negative load change; in response, comparing a measured intake manifold pressure with a modelled intake manifold pressure using acquired operating variables of the internal combustion engine and of a crankcase model; and determining on the basis of the comparison result whether the connecting line arranged between the crankcase and the intake manifold becomes blocked or drops out.

Without ventilating measures during the operation of an internal combustion engine, a pressure which is increased in comparison with the atmosphere would build up in the crankcase of the internal combustion engine, which increased pressure is mainly caused by the blow-by of combustion gases from the respective combustion chamber and by the formation of oil mist. In order to avoid these high pressures in the crankcase it is already known to connect the crankcase to the air system via an oil separation apparatus using one or more ventilating lines, so that the gas mixture is fed to the cylinders for combustion via the intake air system and cannot pass into the surroundings.
The specified ventilating lines generally open both into a region of the air system upstream of a throttle valve and into the intake manifold downstream of the throttle valve. Faults can occur when the engine system is assembled or during repair processes. For example, the ventilating line between the oil separation apparatus and the air system can be disconnected. This can be caused by dropping out of the respective connecting line owing to vibrations occurring during operation or else it being forgotten to plug in the ventilating line again after repair works. This brings about leakage in the air system and causes emissions to escape from the crankcase into the environment.
It is already known to diagnose leakage in the air system. However, in this context it is not possible to determine whether this leakage of the air system has been caused by dropping out or absence of the ventilating line or by something else. A further fault source is blockage of the ventilating line, such as can be caused, for example, by freezing or by deposits in the ventilating line. When such blockage of the ventilating line occurs, for example, between the oil separation apparatus and the air system, it can result in a rise in pressure in the crankcase, which can, under certain circumstances, give rise to a leak which can be caused by the oil measuring rod being forced out. As result, hydrocarbons can pass from the crankcase into the environment.
DE 10 2007 046 489 B3 describes a method for operating an internal combustion engine with the ventilating of a crankcase into an intake tract. With this method, operating parameters of the internal combustion engine are acquired and a fuel mass flow from the crankcase into the intake tract is determined as a function of the acquired operating parameters. The internal combustion engine is controlled or monitored as a function of the fuel mass flow from the crankcase into the intake tract. Within the scope of this known method, the determined fuel mass flow from the crankcase into the intake tract is checked for plausibility. Outgassing fuel from an engine oil of a spark ignition engine is typically found to occur only starting from a temperature of 65° C. or 70° C., but with the constant rotational speed and with the constant load it is only slowly variable. Furthermore, it is taken into account here that the concentration of the fuel evaporating from the lubricant in the overall mass flow only has a weak dependence on the rotational speed and the load, and varies only slowly as a function of time.
DE 10 2008 002 721 A1 describes a method and an apparatus for diagnosing a crankcase ventilation system in internal combustion engines. Within the scope of the checking of the functionality of the crankcase ventilation system, a ventilating line between the crankcase and the air system of the internal combustion engine is disconnected during a checking time period, the change in an operating parameter of the internal combustion engine during the checking time period is determined, and a fault in the crankcase ventilation system is detected on the basis of the determined change in the operating parameter, which operating parameter is the lambda value of the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine.
EP 2 616 655 B1 describes a method and an apparatus for diagnosing a crankcase ventilation system of internal combustion engines in which the crankcase is connected to an air feed system of the internal combustion engine via a ventilating apparatus. In this method, a pressure difference between an ambient pressure and a pressure in the crankcase is determined, and a fault in the ventilating apparatus is detected as a function of the pressure difference if a release condition is satisfied. The release condition is satisfied if an air mass flow which is filtered by a low-pass filter exceeds a first threshold value in absolute terms. The low-pass filtering of the air mass flow is carried out with a time constant which is predefined in such a way that it is equal to or greater than a time constant which results from a delayed response of the crankcase pressure when the air mass flow changes.
DE 10 2012 209 107 B4 describes a method and an apparatus for operating an internal combustion engine in which a crankcase, an intake tract with a throttle valve and a crankcase ventilation system with a switchable shut-off valve are provided. In addition, a plurality of sensors which acquire different operating variables of the internal combustion engine are provided. At least one of the sensors generates a measurement signal which is reflective of a load variable of the internal combustion engine. Depending on the acquired operating variables, at least one estimated load variable is determined by means of a dynamic model, and a correction value of a characteristic value is determined as a function of a deviation of the estimated load variable. The correction value and the characteristic value are used within the scope of the dynamic model. In order to carry out a diagnosis, one or more diagnostic switching cycles are controlled, during which the shut-off valve is placed in a closed position for a predefined first time period, and the shut-off valve is placed in an open switched position for a predefined second time period. Depending on a change in the correction value in response to the one or more diagnostics switching cycles, a diagnostic value is determined which is representative of a satisfactory or non-satisfactory state of the shut-off valve.
DE 10 2013 224 030 B4 describes a method and an apparatus for checking the functionality of a crankcase ventilation apparatus of an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine has a crankcase, a crankcase ventilation apparatus and an intake tract. In this known method, a diagnostic value is determined using a dynamic model, which diagnostic value is representative of the leak-tightness or lack of leak-tightness of at least one of the components of the crankcase ventilation apparatus to which the line section of a first duct downstream of the shut-off valve, the crankcase, a second duct and a pressure-regulating valve belong.

Method and apparatus for checking the plausibility of the functionality of a crankcase ventilation system


A pyrotechnic drive, in particular a linear drive for vehicle occupant restraint systems comprises a cylinder having a cylinder wall and a working space, a piston which together with the cylinder wall delimits the working space, and several pyrotechnic propellant charges producing gas. The gas reaches the working space and thereby sets the piston in motion relative to the cylinder. The propellant charges are ignited staggered in time relative to each other and comprise a first propellant charge integrated in the piston and a second propellant charge connected with the cylinder wall.

In pyrotechnic drives, in particular linear drives, which form part of a belt tensioner system, the problem exists that a higher drive power can not be achieved simply by more powerful propellant charges. This lies on the one hand in the limited mechanical loading capacity of all parts of the drive, for example of seals or of a piston rod. On the other hand, as was discovered, with too high an energy suddenly becoming free, a majority of this energy remains unused through deformation of parts of the drive.
From DE 44 15 373.2 it is known to provide two propellant charges which are separated from each other by a bursting membrane, the propellants of which have different deflagration rates and are ignited successively. Thereby, the peak loads to which the parts of the drive are exposed can be reduced and a smaller initial pressure rise can be achieved. In the known drive, the problem exists that owing to the encapsulating of the propellant charges one inside the other, owing to the principle only. a relatively small staggering in time is possible between the igniting and the burning up of the propellant charges. A portion of the gas which is produced on deflagration of the propellant associated with the first propellant charge, arrives into the space taken up by the second propellant charge and thereby relatively late at the outflow opening. In addition, the space taken up by the known drive is relatively large.

Pyrotechnic drive, in particular for vehicle occupant restraint systems


A vibrating trench compactor apparatus including a first frame, a second frame, and a compactor wheel. The first frame has an adapter plate connectable to a vehicle and a first arm and second arm extending from the adapter plate. A plurality of vibration dampening members are disposed through each arm. The second frame has a motor mounting plate and a first leg and a second leg extending from the motor mounting plate where the first and second leg are interconnected to the vibration dampening members. The compactor wheel is rotatably connected to the first leg and the second leg and a vibration motor is mounted to the motor mounting plate of the second frame for imparting vibrational movement to the compactor wheel via the second frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for compacting materials, such as soil, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a vibrating trench compacting apparatus.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
In the prior art there have been various trench compaction devices using vibratory wheels for compacting material into trenches. These trench compacting devices have also even been equipped with isolation mounts and mounted onto vehicles, such as skid steers.
The previous trench compaction devices have come equipped with a frame that mounts to the skid steer loader and another frame having a vibration transmitting means mounted thereon and a wheel connected thereto. The compacting devices also have a vibration dampening system separating the frame mounted to the skid steer loader and the frame having the vibration transmitting means mounted thereon. The previous dampening systems are provided with a plurality of dampening members. The dampening members are mounted between the two frames whereby an excessive amount of shear force is applied to the dampening members causing them to breakdown and wear out rather quickly.