The object of the invention is to obtain a high contrast ratio and a better aperture ratio. The invention relates to a reflective liquid crystal display device comprises: a liquid crystal layer (3); a front base layer (5) and a rear base layer (1) which are located on both main surface sides of the liquid crystal layer; a transparent common electrode (4) supported by the front base layer (5); and a composite layer (2) supported by the rear base layer (1), which has a function of reflecting external light from a side of the front base layer (5) and a function of driving pixels, the composite layer (2) including electrically conductive bus-lines (22′) which are arranged in matrix and are able to apply voltages for driving the pixels. The device is characterized in that the bus-lines (22′) are formed from a material having a substantially low optical reflectivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and especially relates a reflective liquid crystal display device having at least a function of modulating and reflecting the external light in accordance with the image to be displayed so as to make image-displaying.
2. Description of Related Art
There is disclosed a technology to provide a transmissive liquid crystal display device with the so-called black matrix for covering unnecessary display portions other than the pixels in a publication of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10548/98 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,103) and the like. In the publication, a light-shielding black matrix is provided to cover the unnecessary display portions, including two series of bus-lines (data signal lines and gate lines) disposed orthogonally to each other and a thin film transistor portion, so as to shield the light transmission in the area excluding pixel electrodes to hide the unnecessary display other than display in pixels. Accordingly, those unnecessary display portions have no influence on the image to be displayed. For example, even if the unnecessary portion behaves bad effect e.g. as if it is in a bright state while the image caused by the pixel (electrode) itself is in an extremely dark state (black displaying state), the bright state will not be engaged in display so as to contribute to increase of the contrast ratio.
However, when such a black matrix is disposed on a front side substrate of the concerned display panel, a region of the black matrix is intended to be arranged to be slightly wider so that the black matrix is prevented from going out of the light-shielded area in aligning the front side substrate with the rear side substrate. Therefore, such the region of the black matrix has a shape of overlapping with the border portions of the pixel electrodes in its plan view, which may deteriorate an aperture ratio of the display panel by the overlapping area.
Even in the case where the black matrix is disposed on the rear side substrate of the concerned display panel, the areas of the pixel electrodes are forcedly invaded more or less so as to be light-shielded reliably by the black matrix. Thus, the aperture ratio will be reduced.
Such a black matrix technology may be also applied to a reflective type liquid crystal display device. However, since the reflective type liquid crystal display device basically does not have a backlight system, the function of the black matrix for the reflective type is not so important as in the case of the transmissive type. As far as the reflective liquid crystal display device concerns, it may be more advantageous not to have a penalty of the aperture ratio by a scheme not to have a black matrix that may invade pixel electrodes. This is because the reflective type display device is to display the image by means of reflecting the external light, so the maximized reflection of the light certainly conveying the image is inherently important, and accordingly it is a fundamental mission for the reflective type display device to make effective use of the externally incident light for bright display.
However, in order to provide the better reflective type of liquid crystal display devices, the aforementioned influence of the unnecessary display portions can not be ignored. For the reflective liquid crystal display device, in the unnecessary display portions, particularly the above-mentioned portion of the two series of bus-lines, an electric potential difference caused between the buss-line and the opposing (common) electrode may undesirably drive a liquid crystal portion existing there between. As a result, the contrast ratio may be reduced, for example, the undesirably driven liquid crystal portion may leak the light during the black displaying so that images which should have been darkly displayed are made brightened.

Reflective liquid crystal display device


An SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate is provided with: a support substrate (201); a single crystal silicon layer (202) disposed above one surface of the support substrate; an insulation portion (205) disposed between the support substrate and the single crystal silicon layer, the insulation portion comprising a single layer of an insulation film or a lamination structure of a plurality of insulation films, and including a silicon nitride film or a silicon nitride oxide film (204).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate having a single crystal silicon layer on one surface of a support substrate, an element substrate having the SOI substrate, a semiconductor device having the SOI substrate, an electro-optical apparatus having the element substrate, an electronic equipment, a method of manufacturing the SOI substrate, a method of manufacturing the element substrate, and a method of manufacturing the electro-optical apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
At first, a semiconductor technique for forming a single crystal silicon thin film on an insulation substrate and, by using the single crystal silicon thin film, forming a semiconductor device is referred to as an "SOI technique". This technique is widely used since it has the merits of a higher speed of an element, a lower consumptive electric power, a higher integration and the like.
As one of the SOI techniques, there is a technique for manufacturing the SOI substrate by laminating the single crystal silicon substrate. The method of manufacturing the SOI substrate and the structure thereof are briefly explained here with reference to FIG. 28(a) and FIG. 28(b).
At first, as shown in FIG. 28(a), a single crystal silicon substrate 1003, whose surface is oxidized to be a silicon oxide film 1002 at a lamination side thereof, is laminated on a surface of a support substrate 1001 by using a hydrogen coupling force. Then, their lamination strength is increased by a heat treatment. After that, as shown in FIG. 28(b), the thickness of the single crystal silicon substrate 1003 is reduced by grinding, polishing, etching or the like to thereby form a single crystal silicon layer 1004. Accordingly, the SOI substrate is manufactured in which the silicon oxide film 1002 and the single crystal silicon thin film 1004 are laminated in this order on the surface of the support substrate 1001.
According to the above-mentioned method of manufacturing the SOI substrate, the single crystal silicon thin film 1004 that is excellent in the crystal property can be formed as the thickness of the single crystal silicon substrate 1003 is reduced. Thus, it is possible to produce a device having a high performance.
The SOI substrate manufactured by such a laminating method is used to produce various devices, similarly to a bulk semiconductor substrate (i.e., a semiconductor integrated circuit). However, as the feature different from the bulk substrate, the SOI substrate has a feature that the substrate made of various materials can be used as the support substrate.
That is, the typical silicon substrate can be naturally used as the support substrate. Moreover, it is possible to use a transparent quartz substrate (having an optically transparent property), a glass substrate or the like. For this reason, for example, by forming the single crystal silicon thin film on the substrate having the optically transparent property, a transistor element, such as MOSFET or the like for driving a liquid crystal of a high performance can be formed by using the single crystal silicon thin film which is excellent in the crystal property, even in an apparatus requiring the optically transparent property, for example, a transparent type of a liquid crystal display device.
However, if the SOI substrate is manufactured by using the quartz substrate or the glass substrate as the support substrate, and the transistor element is formed on the surface thereof, impurities contained in the support substrate may be permeated through the silicon oxide film and diffused into the side of the transistor element. This results in the fear of the deterioration in the element property.
Also, there may be a case that the impurities such as Na+, K+, Cl− and the like are absorbed from the atmosphere onto the lamination plane, when the support substrate and the single crystal silicon substrate are laminated together in the process for manufacturing the SOI substrate, irrespectively of the kind of the support substrate. In this case, in the manufactured SOI substrate, the above-mentioned impurities are sandwiched between the support substrate and the silicon oxide film.
If the SOI substrate having the above-mentioned structure is used to form the transistor element on the surface, the impurities sandwiched between the support substrate and the silicon oxide film are permeated through the silicon oxide film and diffused into the transistor element side. This results in the fear of the deterioration in the element property.
When the support substrate and the single crystal silicon substrate are laminated together, a dust-proof filter or the like may be used in order to prevent the atmospheric impurities from being absorbed onto the support substrate. Actually, even if the dust-proof filter is used, it is difficult or impossible to perfectly prevent the atmospheric impurities from being absorbed onto the lamination surface.
Secondly, for example, in a case of an electro-optical apparatus of a TFT active matrix driving type, if an input light is irradiated onto a channel region of a thin film transistor (hereafter, which is referred to as a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as the occasion demands) for a pixel switching operation, which is disposed at each pixel, an optical excitation causes an optical leak current to be generated, which changes the TFT property. In particular, in a case of an electro-optical apparatus for a light valve in a projector, since the strength of the input light is high, it is important to perform a light shield for the input light with respect to the channel region of the TFT as well as the peripheral region thereof. So, the light shield is performed with respect to the channel region as well as the peripheral region thereof by using a light shield film, which is originally designed to define an open region of each pixel and is disposed on an opposite substrate, and/or by using a data line, which is passed over the TFT on the TFT array substrate and is made of a metallic film such as Al (Aluminum) or the like.
In particular, there may be a case that the light shield film made of, for example, metal of high melting point is disposed even at a lower side of the TFT on the TFT array substrate. By disposing the light shield film at the lower side of the TFT in this manner, it is possible to prevent (i) a rear reflection light from the side of the TFT array substrate and (ii) a return light, such as a projection light which has passed through a prism or the like from another electro-optical apparatus in case of combining a plurality of electro-optical apparatuses through prisms and the like to thereby configure one optical system, from being inputted to the TFT of the electro-optical apparatus.
However, according to the research of the inventor of this application, the light shield film, which is formed at the lower side of the TFT and is made of the metal of the high melting point and the like, exhibits the tendency of the increase in aging oxidation during the manufacture of a product or the usage after the completion of the product. Then, if such oxidation is increased in the light shield film, it is confirmed that a light transmission rate is increased depending on the degree of the oxidation. This results in a problem that the increase in the oxidation causes the original function of the light shield film to be not sufficiently provided. For example, if a normal pressure oxidation at an oxygen content of 15% and a water content of 85% is performed with respect to the TFT array substrate in which the light shield film made of such high melting point metal is formed at the lower side of the TFT, the example is confirmed in which the light shield film having a film thickness of about 200 nm is perfectly oxidized even if it is covered by the protective insulation film made of silicon oxide film having a film thickness of about 800 nm.
Moreover, according to the research of the inventor of this application, the above-mentioned arrangement of the light shield film made of the high melting point metal and the like at the lower side of the channel region of the semiconductor layer constituting the TFT results in a problem of the contamination caused by the light shield film in this semiconductor layer (e.g., the contamination caused by the diffusion of the impurities and the like). That is, as compared with the case in which such a light shield film is not disposed, the example of the increase in the impurities permeated into the semiconductor layer is also confirmed, which results in a problem of the deterioration in the transistor property of the TFT.

SOI substrate, element substrate, semiconductor device, electro-optical apparatus, electronic equipment, method of manufacturing the SOI substrate, method of manufacturing the element substrate, and method of manufacturing the electro-optical apparatus


In a process for determining the opening time of an injection valve of a common-rail injection system, an injection duration is derived from a characteristic diagram based on the fuel quantity to be injected and the static pressure in the common rail. For reading in the characteristic diagram, the value of the static pressure in the common rail is corrected by an amount obtained from the compressional vibration of the fuel as a function of its compressibility, the injected fuel quantity during at least one preceding injection operation, and the time between the at least one preceding injection operation and the current injection operation.

The present invention relates to a process for determining the opening time of an injection valve of a common-rail injection system of the generic type in which the injection duration is determined from a characteristic diagram based on the fuel quantity to be injected and the static pressure in the common rail.
Common-rail injection systems of this type are generally known. European Patent Document EP 0 570 986 A2 discloses a system in which the injection operation is divided into two parts, so-called "pilot" and "main" injections. The opening time of the injection valve determined for conveying a defined quantity of fuel is distributed between the pilot injection and to the main injection. Control of the injection valve in the main injection period takes into account the fact that a remaining magnetic field from the pilot injection period still exists in the electromagnetic injection valve so that the controlling duration of the injection valve must be reduced correspondingly to convey the fuel quantity in the main injection period. The degree of such reduction is directly proportional to the duration of the pilot injection period and inversely proportional to the time interval of the pilot injection period and the main injection period. According to the statements in this published patent application, this approach also eliminates undesirable effects of compressional vibrations.
In the fuel injection process according to the invention, for the purpose of, reading values from a characteristic diagram, the value of the static pressure in the common rail is corrected by an amount which is determined from the vibration behavior of the fuel as a function of its compressibility, the quantity f fuel removed or the controlling duration of the injection valve during at least one preceding injection operation, and the time between at least one preceding injection operation and the actual injection operation.
The invention is advantageous with respect to the known state of the art in that the opening duration of the injection valve is better adapted to the variable pressure. That is, due to pressure fluctuations, the pressure will first fall and then rise, fluctuating beyond the value of the static pressure in the common-rail system. Thus, in order to be able to decide appropriately whether the opening time of the injection valve must be shortened or extended relative to the opening time which is appropriate in the case of static pressure in the common-rail system, the momentary time value of the pressure must be determined taking into account the compressional fluctuations. In this case, the time variation of the compressional vibrations shows in particular that, because of the reduction of the fuel quantity in the common rail system, there is first a lowering of the pressure. Thus, if the next injection operation follows so soon after the preceding injection that the pressure has not yet risen to exceed the static pressure value in the common rail, the opening time of the injection valve must be extended. In this manner, control of the injected fuel quantity relative to the demanded fuel quantity can be improved and the combustion operation optimized particularly with respect to fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.
In another embodiment of the invention the time variation of a compressional vibration is determined by at least a value which represents the compressibility of the fuel. In an idealized model, the compressional vibration can be represented as a vibration with a single frequency. However, in practice, it has been found that the vibration represents the superimposition of several vibrations of different frequencies.
The time variation of the vibration is therefore stored in a characteristic diagram, as a function of the fuel compressibility.
Thus, differences in the course of the pressure can advantageously be taken into account as a function of certain parameters, such as the fuel temperature. The compressibility of the fuel decisively determines the time variation of the compressional vibration.
In another embodiment of the invention, the at least one value which represents the compressibility is the speed of sound of the fuel, the modulus of elasticity of the fuel and/or the density of the fuel. Advantageously, it has been found that the compressibility of the fuel can easily be determined by means of comparatively easily accessible parameters.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the at least one value is determined by means of the static rail pressure and/or of the fuel temperature. As the result, the most important influences of the compressibility of the fuel can easily be taken into account.
In yet another embodiment, the phase position or a standardized value of the pressure deviation at the start of an injection operation is determined from the time period between at least one preceding injection operation and current injection which is to be carried out. In this case, it has been found that, with a separation of the two parameters describing the vibrations (amplitude--that is, maximal deflection--on the one hand, and the frequency or superimposition of several frequencies which determine the time variation of the compressional vibration on the other hand), the vibration can be stored in characteristic diagrams at acceptable expenditures. As a result, it is possible to represent numerically the compressional vibration, particularly with respect to the relevant values in real time. That is, the amplitude of the compressional vibrations on the one hand, and the vibration duration or a corresponding value from the superimposition of several vibration durations, are determined.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the amplitude of the compressional vibration, or a factor by which the standardized value of the pressure deviation is multiplied, is derived from the injected fuel quantity during at least one preceding injection operation. It has been found that, as a result, the amplitude or the factor can easily be determined by way of a corresponding characteristic curve.
In a further embodiment, the fuel quantity injected during at least one preceding injection operation is determined from the controlling duration of the valve during the at least one preceding injection operation. In this manner, the fuel quantity can easily be determined from available data.
In still another embodiment, either the amplitude or the factor is determined by means of at least one value which represents compressibility of the fuel. As a result, different environmental conditions and their influence on the compressional vibrations can be taken into account.
According to another feature of the invention, the at least one value is the speed of sound in the fuel or the modulus of elasticity or density of the fuel. These values are easily available, so that the compressibility is easy to determine.
Finally, in yet another embodiment, the value of the pressure is determined from the amplitude and phase position or the standardized value of the pressure deviation and the factor. This value of the pressure is added to the rail pressure to form a summation pressure, and the opening time of the injection valve is determined from the characteristic diagram. This summation pressure (as the common-rail pressure) and the demanded fuel quantity form the input quantities. In this manner, it has been found that compressional vibrations can be taken into account by means of previous injection operations at comparatively low expenditures.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Process for determining the opening time of an injection valve of a common-rail injection system


A powered garage door opener is provided for operating a garage door between an open and closed position. The powered garage door opener comprises a main housing mounted adjacent the garage door. An electric motor and gear train assembly is mounted within the main housing and coupled to the garage door to drive the garage door between the open and closed positions. A power supply is mounted within the main housing and electrically connected to the electric motor and gear train assembly. A control module is mounted within the main housing and electrically connected to the power supply and the electric motor and gear train assembly for controlling selective actuation of the electric motor and gear train assembly. The electric motor and gear train assembly includes a secondary housing, an electric motor sealed within the secondary housing, a worm gear coupled to and driven by the electric motor, a spur gear in meshed engagement with the worm gear, and a driven shaft mounted to the spur gear and coupled to garage door. The electric motor provides electrical power to drive the worm and spur gears, rotating the driven shaft, to provide power actuation of the garage door and the gear relationship between the worm gear and spur gear allows the spur gear to back drive the worm gear and provide manual actuation of the garage door.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a powered garage door opener for powering a garage door between an open and closed position. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electric powered garage door opener having a back drivable electric motor and gear train assembly to provide both powered and manual operation of the garage door between the open and closed positions.
2. Description of Related Art
Garage door openers of the type mounted overhead along the ceiling of a garage are commonly known. These overhead type garage door openers are typically electrically powered and include a screw, belt or chain drive attached directly to the top garage door panel for driving the garage door between an open and closed position. However, overhead type garage door openers are relatively large in size, consume a significant amount of ceiling space within the garage and are difficult to install.
More recently, side mounted or torsion bar mounted garage door openers have become known which mount to the wall adjacent the garage door and couple directly to the rotating torsion bar or shaft supporting the garage door. These side mounted openers are directly coupled to the shaft and rotate the shaft in opposing directions to drive the garage door between the open and closed positions. However, current side mounted garage door openers include complex gear train assemblies driven by large motors to provide sufficient AC powered torque to rotate the shaft and operate the garage door between the open and closed positions.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide an electrically powered garage door opener having a sealed housing and including an electric DC motor and gear train assembly which can power the garage door between the open and closed position and also be back driven to allow manual operation of the door.


A carrier and a semiconductor chip are provided. A connection layer is applied to a first main face of the semiconductor chip. The connection layer includes a plurality of depressions. A filler is applied to the connection layer or to the carrier. The semiconductor chip is attached to the carrier so that the connection layer is disposed between the semiconductor chip and the carrier. The semiconductor chip is affixed to the carrier.

In many electronic components a semiconductor chip has to be mounted onto a carrier, in particular an electrically conductive carrier like, for example, a leadframe. It is important that the connection between the semiconductor chip and the carrier is of high reliability and exhibits high electrical and thermal conductivity. During and after the mounting process of the semiconductor chip onto the carrier, however, problems may occur depending on the applied fixation technology. The problems may arise, for example, from different thermal expansion coefficients of the semiconductor material and the carrier material which may lead to thermal mechanical stress. In case of thinned semiconductor chips these stress reactions may even lead to microscopic damage of the semiconductor chip like the formation of cracks. In other cases the stress may lead to a strong deformation of the semiconductor substrate so that the following process steps are no long possible like, for example, laser drilling, lamination, wire bonding, etc. In general the stress generated in the semiconductor chip severely affects the reliability of the following process steps. Therefore, there is a need for an interconnection technology which is able to provide a stable and permanently reliable connection between a semiconductor chip and a carrier with high electrical and thermal conductivity.

Method for fabricating an electronic component


The present invention discloses a process for preparing a compound having the formula

Surgical removal of malignant disease constitutes one of the most common and effective therapeutic for primary treatment for cancer. Surgery is one of the best therapies for all the solid tumors, such prostate, ovarian, lung, breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer. While surgery cures 50% of patients with solid tumors in the US, chemo- and radiotherapy cure less than 5% of all cancer patients.
Over 700,000 patients undergo cancer surgery every year in the US and 40% of surgical patients have a recurrence of locoregional disease within 5 years. Despite of major advances in the oncology field over the last decade, hurdles to overcome in the field are complete resection of the primary tumor with negative margins, removal of the lymph nodes harboring metastatic cancer cells and identification of satellite disease. Achieving these three goals not only improves disease clearance but also guides decisions regarding postoperative chemotherapy and radiation.
While non-targeted fluorescent dyes have been shown to passively accumulate in some tumors, the resulting tumor-to-background ratios are often poor and the boundaries between malignant and healthy tissues can be difficult to define. Although ligand targeted fluorescence dyes (e.g., EC17: Folate-EDA-FITC) have been used for imaging a tissue, those dyes have been ineffective as they would not penetrate deep tissue and hence only identified the specific cells on the surface of a tissue rather than deeper within the tissue sample. In addition, it has been shown that the excitation and emission spectra of these previous fluorescence dyes was such that it produced significant background noise such that the targeted tissue was not easily detected. In addition, as discussed in the background above, fluorescein-based dyes have the disadvantages that of low shelf-life stability. EC17 easily decomposes as a result of the instability of the thiourea bridge in that compound. In addition, as EC17 uses fluorescein which has the drawback of a relatively high level of nonspecific background noise from collagen in the tissues surrounding the imaging site. Moreover, the absorption of visible light by biological chromophores, in particular hemoglobin, further limits the usefulness of dyes that incorporate fluorescein. This means that conventional dyes cannot readily detect tumors that may be buried deeper than a few millimeters in the tissue. Furthermore, fluorescence from fluorescein is quenched at low pH (below pH 5).
In order for a dye material to be useful in detecting and guiding surgery or providing other tissue imaging, it would be beneficial to overcome these drawbacks.
Not surprisingly, surgical methods for achieving more quantitative cytoreduction are now receiving greater scrutiny.
Resection of all detectable malignant lesions results in no detectable return of the disease in approximately 50% of all cancer patients and may extend life expectancy or reduce morbidity for patients in whom recurrence of the cancer is seen. Given the importance of total resection of the malignant lesions, it is beneficial to ensure that the malignant lesions are accurately and completely identified. Identification of malignant tissue during surgery is currently accomplished by three methods. First, many tumor masses and nodules can be visually detected based on abnormal color, texture, and/or morphology. Thus, a tumor mass may exhibit variegated color, appear asymmetric with an irregular border, or protrude from the contours of the healthy organ. A malignant mass may also be recognized tactilely due to differences in plasticity, elasticity or solidity from adjacent healthy tissues. Finally, a few cancer foci can be located intraoperatively using fluorescent dyes that flow passively from the primary tumor into draining lymph nodes. In this latter methodology, fluorescent (sentinel) lymph nodes can be visually identified, resected and examined to determine whether cancer cells have metastasized to these lymph nodes.
Despite the recognition of the importance of removal of tumor and the availability of certain identification techniques for visualizing tumor mass, many malignant nodules still escape detection, leading to disease recurrence and often death. Thus, there is a need for improved tumor identification. This motivation has led to introduction of two new approaches for intraoperative visualization of malignant disease. In the first, a quenched fluorescent dye is injected systemically into the tumor-bearing animal, and release of the quenching moiety by a tumor-specific enzyme, pH change, or change in redox potential is exploited to selectively activate fluorescence within the malignant mass. In the second approach, a fluorescent dye is conjugated to a tumor-specific targeting ligand that causes the attached dye to accumulate in cancers that overexpress the ligand's receptor. Examples of tumor targeting ligands used for this latter purpose include folic acid, which exhibits specificity for folate receptor (FR) positive cancers of the ovary, kidney, lung, endometrium, breast, and colon, and DUPA, which can deliver attached fluorescent dyes selectively to cells expressing prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), i.e. prostate cancers and the neovasculature of other solid tumors. Beneficially, one folate-targeted fluorescent dye (folate-fluorescein or EC17) has been recently tested intra-operatively in human ovarian cancer patients. In this study, ˜5× more malignant lesions were removed with the aid of the tumor-targeted fluorescent dye than without it, and all resected fluorescent lesions were confirmed by pathology to be malignant.
Conventional fluorescent techniques use probes in the visible light spectrum (.about.400-600 nm), which is not optimal for intra-operative image-guided surgery as it is associated with a relatively high level of nonspecific background light due to collagen in the tissues. Hence the signal to noise ratio from these conventional compounds is low. Moreover, the absorption of visible light by biological chromophores, in particular hemoglobin, limits the penetration depth to a few millimeters. Thus tumors that are buried deeper than a few millimeters in the tissue may remain undetected. Moreover ionization equilibrium of fluorescein (pKa=6.4) leads to pH-dependent absorption and emission over the range of 5 to 9. Therefore, the fluorescence of fluorescein-based dyes is quenched at low pH (below pH 5).
For example, the potential use of EC17 dye for a more widespread use in optical imaging for the characterization and measurement diseased tissue in a clinical setting has been hampered by the major drawback of that the attached dye (fluorescein) emits fluorescence in the visible range. This makes EC17 and related dyes poor for in vivo use in tissues because tissues typically autofluoresce strongly in the visible range, and light penetrates tissue poorly. Moreover, EC17 (folate-ethelenediamine-fluorescein isothiocyanate) includes a thiourea linker. It is well known that thiourea compounds have low shelf life due to the instability of the thiourea linkage. Thus, a compound such as EC17 is not optimal for use in optical imaging because of this instability and the related decomposition of thiourea bridge.
The combination of light absorption by hemoglobin in the visible light spectrum (<600 nm) and water and lipids in the IR range (>900 nm), offers an optical imaging window from approximately 650-900 nm in which the absorption coefficient of tissue is at a minimum. A suitable alternative to dyes that emit light in the visible range would be to develop dyes that can be used in the near infra red (NIR) range because light in the near infrared region induces very little autofluorescence and permeates tissue much more efficiently. Another benefit to near-IR fluorescent technology is that the background from the scattered light from the excitation source is greatly reduced since the scattering intensity is proportional to the inverse fourth power of the wavelength. Low background fluorescence is necessary for highly sensitive detection. Furthermore, the optically transparent window in the near-IR region (650 nm to 900 nm) in biological tissue makes NIR fluorescence a valuable technology for in vivo imaging and subcellular detection applications that require the transmission of light through biological components.
While the use of light in the NIR range for deeper tissue imaging is preferable to light in the visible spectrum, the NIR imaging dyes currently used in the art suffer from a number of challenges and disadvantages such as a susceptibility to photobleach, poor chemical stability, absorbance and emission spectra that fall within the same range as many physiological molecules (resulting in high background signal and autofluorescence). Moreover, most of the NIR dyes are not stable during the synthesis, especially conjugating to a ligand with an amine linker, leading to multiple unwanted side products. Therefore, taking ligand-targeted NIR imaging agent for clinic can be expensive. Thus, current imaging methods that utilize NIR fluorescent probes are not effective in deep tissue imaging (>5 mm from the surface), in quantifying fluorescence signal in mammalian tissues, or in production cost that increase preclinical-to-clinical translational time.
Two promising approaches to fluorescence-guided surgery are currently under intense investigation for use in the clinic. In one method, an activatable NIR fluorescent probe, which is minimally fluorescent in the steady state due to its proximity to an attached quencher, becomes highly fluorescent upon release of the quencher in malignant tissue. One of the most commonly used release mechanisms involves incorporation of a peptide sequence between the dye and the quencher that can be specifically cleaved by a tumor-enriched protease (i.e. cathepsins, caspases and matrix metalloproteinases). A major advantage of this strategy lies in the absence of fluorescence in tissues that lack the activating enzyme, allowing tissues along the excretion pathway (e.g. kidneys, bladder, liver) to remain nonfluorescent unless they fortuitously express the cleaving enzyme. Such tumor-activated NIR dyes can also generate substantial fluorescence in the tumor mass as long as the malignant lesion is enriched in the cleaving protease and the released dye is retained in the tumor. The major disadvantage of this methodology arises from the poor tumor specificities of many of the relevant hydrolases (most of which are also expressed in healthy tissues undergoing natural remodeling or experiencing inflammation). Moreover, the abundance of the desired proteases may vary among tumor masses, leading to slow or no activation of fluorescence in some malignant lesions and rapid development of fluorescence in others.
Thus, there remains a need for the synthesis and purification of a dye substance that can be used to specifically target diseased tissue and has increased stability and brightness for use in vivo for tissue imaging.

Methods of manufacture of pteroyl-amino acid-fluorescent dyes

Abstract: Including Reacting a compound of the formula 1:

Abstract: with a compound of the formula:

Abstract: in the presence of a polar solvent and trifluoroacetic acid to provide a compound of the formula:

Abstract: or a racemic mixture thereof; and further reacting the compound of the formula:

Abstract: or a racemic mixture thereof; with sodium hydroxide and a compound of the formula:

Abstract: whereinR1 and R2 are as defined above.


A method of access control for emergency responders according to one embodiment includes transmitting, by an access control server, an access credential to an emergency responder server over a first network, transmitting, by the emergency responder server, the access credential to an emergency responder mobile device over a second network different from the first network, wherein the second network includes a dedicated emergency responder network, and transmitting the access credential by the emergency responder mobile device to an access control device.

Emergency responders such as firemen, police officers, and emergency medical services respond to incidents every day in which they must gain access to a building to manage an emergency situation. In doing so, emergency personnel routinely encounter common problems. For example, emergency responders may arrive with nobody available to grant access to the building. Additionally, time may be lost searching for a Knox Box, time may be lost using mechanical keys to access a Knox Box and/or main entrance, and/or time may be lost navigating through the building to reach an area under duress (i.e., rather than gaining access through the door nearest the emergency situation).


A voltage-controlled oscillator includes a voltage-current converter, a first ring oscillator and a second ring oscillator. The voltage-current converter includes a first transistor for receiving a first control voltage at its gate terminal, a second transistor for receiving a second control voltage at its gate terminal, a third transistor connected to the first transistor in series and has a gate terminal connected to a drain terminal of the first transistor, a fourth transistor connected to the second transistor in series and has a gate terminal connected to a drain terminal of the second transistor, a resistor connected to a source terminal of the first transistor and a source terminal of the second transistor, a fifth transistor having a gate terminal connected to the drain terminal of the first transistor, and a sixth transistor having a gate terminal connected to the drain terminal of the second transistor.

A conventional voltage-controlled oscillator includes a constant current control circuit and a ring oscillator as disclosed exemplarily in JP H06-21776 A. In this voltage-controlled oscillator, the constant current control circuit receives a control voltage and outputs a current proportional to the control voltage to the ring oscillator.
The constant current control circuit includes an operational amplifier. The control voltage is applied to a non-inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier. An output terminal of the operational amplifier is connected to a gate terminal of an N-channel transistor. A resistor is provided between the N-channel transistor and the ground. A voltage between the N-channel transistor and the resistor is applied to an inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier.
According to this configuration, a current flowing in the resistor is determined by dividing a control voltage value by a resistance value of the resistor. The constant current control circuit thus outputs the current to the ring oscillator in proportion to the control voltage.
A conventional analog-digital converter exemplarily disclosed in JP H05-259907 A (U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,247) includes a circulation circuit, which is formed of plural delay elements connected in a ring form, and outputs as analog-digital conversion data a numeric value, which indicates a number of circulations of a signal through the circulation circuit and a position of circulation of the signal in the circulation circuit.
Since the constant current control circuit disclosed in JP H06-21776 A includes the operational amplifier, the output current tends to lose proportionality to the control voltage when the control voltage becomes a high frequency signal. When the output current of the constant current control circuit loses proportionality to the control voltage, an oscillation signal generated by the voltage-controlled oscillator also loses proportionality to the control voltage.
It is possible to produce the output current in proportion to the control voltage by driving transistors of the operational amplifier at high speeds, even when the control voltage is the high frequency signal. The transistors of the operational amplifier however consume more power when driven at high speeds.
The constant current control circuit is a single-end input type. Two current control circuits are needed to process a differential signal. The above-described circuit, which receives the control voltage and outputs the current proportional to the control voltage, is referred to as a voltage-current converter.

Voltage-controlled oscillator and analog-digital converter


A system for time delay estimation in a discrete time processing system includes a cross correlator that performs cross correlation on a first signal and a second signal, and provides a cross correlated output signals indicative thereof. A lag smoother receives the cross correlated output signals, and provides lag smoothed output signals indicative thereof. A select logic module selects a pre-defined number of signal values from a respective set indicative of the lag smoothed output signals to compute the time delay estimation associated with the first and second signals.

The invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular to the field of digital communications and computing/estimating the time delay of a signal transmitted over a communication channel.
As known, bothersome echoes occur in communication systems, such as telephone systems, that operate over long distances or in systems that employ long processing delays, such as digital cellular systems. The echoes are the result of electric leakage in the four-to-two/two-to-four wire hybrid circuit, due to an impedance mismatch in the hybrid circuit between the local loop wire and the balance network. To reduce the echoes, communication systems typically include one or more echo cancellers.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustration of a communication system 10 that connects at least two subscribers 12, 14. The first subscriber 12 is typically connected to the communication system 10 via a two-wire line 16 and a hybrid circuit 18. The hybrid circuit 18 connects the two-wire line 16 to the four-wire lines 20, 22. The first four-wire line 20 provides a signal to the second subscriber via a second hybrid circuit 24 and a two-wire line 26. Similarly, signals from the second subscriber 14 are routed to the first subscriber 12 over the two-wire line 26, the second hybrid circuit 24 and the four-wire line 20, 22. In one application, the hybrid circuits may be located in the telephone company central offices. To reduce the echo signals coupled by the hybrid circuit due to impedance mismatches, echo cancellers 30, 32 are included to attenuate the undesirable echoes.
Echo cancellers typically include an adaptive filter that generates an estimate of the echo and subtracts the estimate from the return signal. Like any adaptive discrete time filter, the tap weights of the filter are adjusted based upon the difference between the estimate of the echo signal and the return signal. The adaptive filter employs an adaptive control algorithm to adjust the tap weights in order to drive the value of the difference signal to zero or a minimum value.
A problem with prior art echo cancellers is that they are required to handle echo tail lengths of up to 128 milliseconds. However, in order to meet this requirement the adaptive filter would have to have 1024 taps. Of course providing such a filter having such a large numbers of taps leads to processing complexity. Specifically, if the adaptive filter is implemented in a processor, implementing a filter having 1024 taps requires a lot of processing. Similarly, if the adaptive filter is implemented in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), implementing a filter having 1024 taps requires a lot of gates.
There is a need for a time delay estimator that maybe used by an echo canceller that includes a computationally efficient adaptive filter, including a time delay estimator.


The invention relates to a process for increasing the melt flow index of a propylene polymer, the process comprising melt mixing the propylene polymer in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide.

Propylene polymers are used widely throughout the world in a diverse range of applications such as agriculture, construction, fibre technology, health and hygiene, and packaging. Common propylene polymers include polypropylene and random and heterophasic polypropylene copolymer which can incorporate ethylene and possibly other comonomers.
Propylene polymers such as polypropylene are generally manufactured in large scale reactors. Depending upon their intended application, a given propylene polymer may be manufactured in different grades such that it exhibits a variety of processing properties. For example, polypropylene may be manufactured with a relatively low MFI (typically characterised by a high average molecular weight and a broad molecular weight distribution) for use in blow-moulding applications, or with a relatively high MFI (typically characterised by a lower average molecular weight and a narrower molecular weight distribution) for use in injection moulding applications.
However, there is generally insufficient flexibility in large scale manufacturing operations to prepare the numerous grades of propylene polymers required by downstream converters. Some grades of propylene polymers are therefore produced by tailored post-reactor modification processes using a base resin that is produced on mass. For example, propylene polymers such as polypropylene may be reacted with organic peroxides in a post-reactor modification melt mixing process to prepare grades of polypropylene having a higher MFI and lower polydispersity than the base resin.
The use of organic peroxides is invariably complicated by the formation of peroxide-derived by-products which can present problems due odour or toxicity and can limit the use of the product particularly in food contact applications.
While other processes have been developed for producing post-reactor modified propylene polymers, an opportunity remains to address or ameliorate one or more disadvantages or shortcomings associated with existing processes, or to at least provide a useful alternative process.


Subject electronic ballast draws power from the power line with a power factor higher than 90%. The ballast consists of a power-factor-correcting rectifier circuit and an inverter circuit that provides a high-frequency squarewave voltage across a series-resonant L-C circuit to which a fluorescent lamp is connected. The rectifier circuit consists of a full-bridge rectifier connected with its AC input terminals to the power line and with its positive/negative output terminals across: i) the inverter circuit; ii) a series-combination of a first rectifier and a first electrolytic capacitor, the first rectifier being connected with its cathode to the positive output terminal and with its anode to a first junction, the first capacitor being connected between this first junction and the negative output terminal; and iii) a series-combination of a second rectifier and a second electrolytic capacitor, the second rectifier being connected with its anode to the negative output terminal and with its cathode to a second junction, the second capacitor being connected between this second junction and the positive output terminal. A separate rectifier means is connected between the two junctions in such manner as to permit current to flow freely from the second junction to the first junction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic means for improving the power factor of power-line-operated inverter-type ballasts for fluorescent lamps.
2. Description of Prior Art
In connection with power-line-operated inverter-type ballasts for fluorescent lamps, it is often important that the power drawn from the power line be drawn with a higher power factor than that naturally resulting with such power supplies.
For instance, without any power factor correction means, the power factor associated with ordinary power-line-operated inverter-type fluorescent lamp ballasts will be on the order of 60% or less. On the other hand, in the most common of all applications of such ballasts, it is important that the power be at least 90%.
The conventional way of improving or correcting the power factor of an inverter-type power supply involves the use of an energy-storing inductor means placed on the power-input-side of the inverter-type power supply, either just in front of or just behind the line voltage rectifier means.
One particular power factor correction circuit based on this principle is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,476 entitled Sinusoidal Wave Oscillator Ballast Circuit; another one is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,726 entitled Solid-State Ballast for Rapid-Start Type Fluorescent Lamps.
However, there are significant penalties in cost, weight, size and/or efficiency associated with the use of this method of power factor correction.
The present invention involves the use of electronic means for effecting the desired power factor correction, thereby obviating the need for said energy-storing inductor means and thereby greatly minimizing said penalties of cost, weight, size and efficiency.


The application provides an antenna element comprising a circuit board with a transmission line, the transmission line comprising at least a first conductor and a second conductor, a separate 3-dimensional, metallic or metallized ring-shaped structure mounted on a surface of the circuit board, a first galvanic contact between the first conductor and a first part of the separate 3-dimensional, metallic ring-shaped structure, and a second galvanic contact between the second conductor and a second part of the separate 3-dimensional, metallic ring-shaped structure, wherein at least one of the first galvanic contact and the second galvanic contact comprises at least two substantially L-shaped sections and an antenna array comprising several such antenna elements.

Wireless communication using radio waves as well as remote sensing using radio waves use electromagnetic waves of a dedicated frequency spectrum. For applications such as high data-rate communication or high-resolution remote sensing, electromagnetic waves of the so-called millimeter-wave frequency spectrum can be used advantageously. Whereas the term millimeter waves typically refers to frequencies in the range between 30 GHz and 300 GHz, in the context of this document the term is used for frequencies above 6 GHz, as it is sometimes done in the context of 5G, the fifth generation of mobile communication, in contrast to the classical mobile communication frequencies in the microwave range between 0.4 and 6 GHz.
Depending on assignments of regulatory bodies and technological constraints, frequencies in the so-called 60 GHz band, covering 57 GHz to 64 GHz approximately, are widely used for wireless communication with high data rate within the so-called "WiGig" standard (also known as "802.11ad" standard).
Other frequency bands and standards exist, and more are expected in the future.
Wireless communication systems, as well as many remote sensing systems, need both a transmitter and a receiver for electromagnetic waves. Both transmitter and receiver contain, at the interface between electronic circuitry and free space, an antenna in order to convert propagating electromagnetic waves from free space into guided waves—or voltages and currents—in the electronic circuitry, and vice versa. Thus, an antenna is characterized by an interface towards free space and an interface for a transmission line.
The antenna as a passive converter between the propagating electromagnetic waves from free space and the guided wave is electrically characterized by its dissipative properties (as in any passive device, some electromagnetic energy is converted to heat by conductive loss and dielectric loss) and by its behavior in the electric network. The dissipative properties are described by the term efficiency, relating the power lost to heat to the power passing through the antenna. Its frequency-dependent complex impedance describes the behavior of the antenna in the electric network best. Often relating this impedance to a typical feed transmission line characteristic impedance (of, for example, 50 Ohms), a voltage wave reflection coefficient can be defined. A small reflection coefficient means most power passes through the antenna. Thus, in a practical application, at all frequencies of operation the antenna needs to offer a small reflection coefficient to the feed power. This defines the antenna impedance bandwidth.
Other requirements for the antenna can be defined and depend on the respective application. For example, mobile user equipment for wireless communication needs antennas which are physically small, compact and of low weight. These antennas need to integrate smoothly into the wireless device. The antenna frequency bandwidth must match the application and efficiency must be high. As always, the possibility of cost effective manufacture and efficient system integration is required.
In previously disclosed literature, several circuit-board integrated antennas were proposed. Specifically, a stacked patch antenna was proposed in S. Brebels, K. Khalaf, G. Mangraviti, K. Vaesen, M. Libois, B. Parvais, V. Vidojkovic, V. Szortyka, A. Bourdoux, P. Wambacq, C. Soens, W. van Thillo, in "60-GHz CMOS TX/RX Chipset on Organic Packages with Integrated Phased-Array Antennas," European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), Davos, Switzerland, April 2016; a mesh-grid patch antenna was proposed in W. Hong, K. Baek, Y. G. Kim, Y. Lee, B. Kim, "mm Wave Phased-Array with Hemispheric Coverage for 5th Generation Cellular Handsets," European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), The Hague, Netherlands, April 2014; and variants of a Yagi-Uda antenna were proposed in W. Hong, S.-T. Ko, Y. Lee, K.-H. Baek, "Compact 28 GHz Antenna Array with Full Polarization Flexibility under Yaw, Pitch, Roll Motions," European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), Lisbon, Portugal, April 2015.
All these antennas suffer from low efficiency (typically, roughly 50% of power passing through the antenna is converted to heat) and high cost (relatively thick circuit board material needed for the stacked patch is expensive as it is based on PTFE-based plastic, multi-layer circuit boards are expensive to manufacture, sophisticated metallic connections through the circuit board are expensive to manufacture).
The present disclosure provides an antenna element combining characteristics such as large frequency bandwidth, high efficiency, compactness, ease of integration with conventional electronic circuit and packaging technologies, and possibly low cost, for applications at millimeter-wave frequency.


An image forming apparatus including an image bearing member which bears developing-agent images; a first removing member which removes a developing agent from the image bearing member, wherein the first removing member is contacted with the image bearing member while a bias is applied to the first removing member; a second removing member which removes the developing agent from the image bearing member, wherein the second removing member is contacted with a region of the image bearing member from which the developing agent has been removed by the first removing member; and a member which releases the second removing member from the image bearing member in such a manner as to prevent the region of the image bearing member which is contacted with the first removing member at the time of interruption of the application of the bias to the first removing member from coming into contact with the second removing member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer and, more particularly, to removing members for removing developing agents on an image bearing member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in view of improvement of the quality of printed images, there has been a need for stabilization of the ability of cleaning members to remove developing agents from image bearing members.
Therefore, there have been used electrostatic cleaning members which capture and remove developing agents by being biased, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-207403. Such electrostatic cleaning members are less prone to degrade their removing abilities due to wear of the cleaning members themselves and thus have stable removing abilities. In this case, some developing agents on the image bearing member bear smaller amount of electrical charges. Such developing agents are difficult to sufficiently remove with electrostatic cleaning members. Therefore, in order to compensate the removing ability of such electrostatic cleaning members, a contact-type cleaning member for removing developing agents from the image bearing member by contacting therewith is provided downstream side of the electrostatic cleaning members in the direction of the rotation of the image bearing member.
However, if the biases applied to the electrostatic cleaning members are interrupted, the developing agents captured by the electrostatic cleaning members will lose the constraint forces. Consequently, the developing agents captured by the electrostatic cleaning members will be adhered to the image bearing member, again. The developing agents moved from the electrostatic cleaning members to the image bearing member will be captured by the contact-type cleaning means and, at this time, the amount of the developing agents will be excessive for the contact-type cleaning member. This will cause the contact-type cleaning member to rub the developing agents on the image bearing member, contrary to the inherent effect of the contact-type cleaning member. It is difficult to properly form images on the regions having developing agents rubbed thereon, which may cause image failures.

Image forming apparatus featuring first and second developer agent removing members


A high-speed envelope transport and packing system includes a conveyor for conveying an open envelope having a flap, a packing station for inserting an object into a conveyed open envelope, and a bending member disposed upstream of the packing station. The bending member is configured to impart a bend in a conveyed open envelope by displacing a center portion of the envelope relative to widthwise distal end portions of the envelope and to maintain a bend in the envelope until the open envelope is gripped by a gripping device in such a manner as to provide access to an interior of the open envelope or until an object is at least partially inserted into an interior of the open envelope.

As schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, in conventional envelope transport and packing system 40, an envelope 4 is transported from a feeder apparatus 42 by an intermediate conveyor 50 to an envelope packing assembly 44. The envelope 4 is then packed with an insert 46 at the envelope packing assembly 44 and exited to an exiting conveyor 48. The exiting conveyor 48 then seals the flap 8 of the packed envelope 4 and transports the envelope 4 out of the system 40.
A typical envelope 4 of the type used in an envelope packing system is illustrated in FIG. 2. The envelope 4 comprises an envelope body 6 and a flap 8. The flap 8 is connected to the envelope body 6 at a connecting edge 10, and the connecting edge 10 of the envelope body 6 defines a crease formed by folding the envelope flap 8 over the envelope body 6. The envelope body 6 comprises an envelope front wall 12 and an envelope back wall 14. The envelope front wall 12 and back wall 14 are connected at three sides but left unconnected at a side adjacent the connecting edge 10 to form an envelope opening 16. The connected side opposite the envelope opening 16 is an envelope bottom 18, and the two other connected sides are envelope sides 20.
As used herein, a flap-closed configuration occurs when the flap 8 of the envelope 4 is folded along the connecting edge 10 and resting over the envelope body 6. In a flap-open configuration, the flap 8 of the envelope 4 is rotated away from the envelope body 6. Because envelopes are typically sold in a flap-closed configuration for packaging and shipping efficiency, many conventional envelope packing systems are configured to accept envelopes in the flap-closed configuration. As part of the packing process, a flap opening means rotates the flap 8 of the envelope 4 from the flap-closed configuration to the flap-open configuration.
One type of flap opening means uses a jet of air directed towards the flap 8 to rotate the flap into the flap-open configuration. The envelope flap 8, although held in the flap-open configuration by the flap opening means, retains a bias to return to the flap-closed configuration due the crease in the envelope running along the connecting edge 10 of the envelope body 6. However, when the envelope is introduced into a conveyor for subsequent processing and after the connecting edge 10 of the envelope body 6 passes between various feeding mechanisms, such as rollers, the crease in the envelope 4 is substantially flattened, which tends to bias the envelope flap 8 towards the flap-open configuration.
Once the envelope 4 has been conveyed to the packing phase of the envelope packing system, controlling the location of the envelope flap 8 is important to prevent the flap from interfering with the packing of the insert into the envelope body. For example, if the insert contacts the envelope flap during packing, the insert may catch on the flap and cause fouling of the system. Current envelope packing systems control the flap by covering the flap with a flap control feature, such as a plate, finger, or guide, during the packing phase. However, mechanical hold-downs interfere with smooth transition of the insert material into the envelope. In addition, the varying nature of envelope styles and sizes results in limited success when applying a mechanical hold-down mechanism.
A problem associated with these types of flap control features, however, is these conventional flap control features can interfere with other portions of the envelope packing system. For example, in a continuous envelope packing system in which the envelope remains moving during the packing phase, conventional flap control features cannot cover the flap at all times for all types of envelope sizes and construction types without interfering with other portions of the envelope packing system. Furthermore, although the crease in the envelope has been substantially flattened, the envelope may still retain a bias to return to the flap-closed configuration, and if this occurs, the flap may prevent a pusher mechanism from packing the insert into the envelope body. Accordingly, a needs exists for a device and method for improved control of a flap on an envelope that minimizes interference with other portions of the envelope packing system.

Method and device for controlling envelope flap during insertion


Provided are a protective layer made of magnesium oxide containing at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of the rare earth elements, in which the content of the at least one rare earth element is from about 5.0×10−5 to about 6.0×10−4 per 1 part by weight of the magnesium oxide, a composite for forming the protective layer, a method of forming the protective layer, and a plasma display panel including the protective layer. The protective layer can reduce a discharge delay time and the temperature dependency of the discharge delay time, and thus, is suitable for single scan and an increase in Xe content.

1. Field of the Invention
The present embodiments relate to a protective layer, a composite for forming the protective layer, a method of forming the protective layer, and a plasma display panel including the protective layer. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to a protective layer made of magnesium oxide containing a predetermined amount of a rare earth element which has a short discharge delay time with little temperature dependency, a composite for forming the protective layer, a method of forming the protective layer, and a plasma display panel including the protective layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display panels (PDPs) are self-emission devices that can be easily manufactured as large displays, and have good display quality and rapid response speed. In particular, because of their thinness, PDPs have received much interest as wall-hanging displays, like liquid crystal displays (LCDs).
FIG. 1 illustrates a PDP pixel. Referring to FIG. 1, sustain electrodes, each including a transparent electrode 15a and a bus electrode 15b made of a metal, are formed on a lower surface of a front substrate 14. The sustain electrodes are covered with a dielectric layer 16. The dielectric layer 16 is covered with a protective layer 17 to prevent a reduction in discharge and lifetime characteristics due to direct exposure of the dielectric layer 16 to a discharge space.
Meanwhile, an address electrode 11 is formed on an upper surface of a rear substrate 10 and is covered with a dielectric layer 12. The front substrate 14 and the rear substrate 10 are separated from each other by a predetermined gap. A space defined between the front substrate 14 and the rear substrate 10 is filled with an ultraviolet (UV)-emitting Ne+Xe mixed gas or He+Ne+Xe mixed gas under a predetermined pressure, for example 450 Torr. The Xe gas serves to emit vacuum UV (VUV) (Xe ions emit resonance radiation at 147 nm and Xe2 emits resonance radiation at 173 nm).
Generally, a protective layer of a PDP performs the following three functions.
First, a protective layer protects an electrode and a dielectric layer. Discharging can occur even when only an electrode or only an electrode and a dielectric layer are used. However, when only an electrode is used, it may be difficult to control a discharge current. On the other hand, when only an electrode and a dielectric layer are used, damage to the dielectric layer by sputtering may occur. Thus, the dielectric layer must be coated with a protective layer resistant to plasma ions.
Second, a protective layer lowers a discharge initiation voltage. A discharge initiation voltage is directly correlated with the coefficient of secondary electron emission from a material constituting the protective layer by plasma ions. As the amount of secondary electrons emitted from the protective layer increases, the discharge initiation voltage decreases. In this regard, it is preferable to form a protective layer using a material with a high secondary electron emission coefficient.
Finally, a protective layer reduces a discharge delay time. The discharge delay time refers to the physical amount describing the phenomenon in which discharging occurs at a predetermined time after a voltage is applied and can be represented by the sum of two components: formation delay time (Tf) and statistical delay time (Ts). The formation delay time is the time between when a voltage is applied and when a discharge current is induced, and the statistical delay time is a statistical dispersion of the formation delay time. The lower the discharge delay time, the faster addressing can be done for single scan. Further, a lower discharge delay time can reduce scan drive costs, increase the number of sub-fields, and improve brightness and image quality.
Various requirements that must be satisfied for a protective layer for PDP have been studied. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei. 10-167807 discloses MgO composite ceramics in which 1-20 wt % of Sc, Y, or La microparticles are dispersed in an MgO matrix, and a preparation method thereof. The MgO composite ceramics have been developed considering that MgO has good heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and insulating property but cannot be used as a structural material since it has poor strength, fracture toughness, and thermal shock resistance. That is, the patent publication provides MgO composite ceramics in which the microparticles are combined with a MgO matrix, which are improved in mechanical characteristics such as fracture toughness and thermal shock resistance, and a preparation method thereof. Table 1 of the patent publication presents evaluation results for relative densities and elastic strengths of MgO sintered bodies described therein.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei. 10-231168 discloses a Sc—MgO composite ceramic sintered body in which Sc particles are dispersed in an amount of 1-20% by volume based on the sintered body. According to the patent publication, the ceramic sintered body has high strength and high fracture toughness and undergoes a decrease in strength reduction at high temperature.
Studies on the above-mentioned sintered bodies for protective layers have been focused on improvements in mechanical characteristics of the sintered bodies or protective layers formed using the same. However, since protective layers for PDPs may significantly affect the discharge characteristics of the PDPs, in particular, a discharge delay time and the temperature dependency of the discharge delay time, developments of new protective layers considering the discharge characteristics are needed.

Protective layer, composite for forming the protective layer, method of forming the protective layer, and plasma display panel including the protective layer


A waste disposal apparatus in which a container main body includes an introduction opening at a top wall portion of the container main body and a discharge opening at a bottom wall portion of the container main body. A cylindrical body having an exit portion is disposed within the container main body and is formed of an elastic material. An exit portion opening/closing device selectively holds the exit portion between a closed state, in which an exit portion of the cylindrical body is pressed and sealed, and an opened state, in which the exit portion of the cylindrical body is opened and the waste accumulated within the cylindrical body is discharged. The exit portion opening/closing device includes exit portion protruding device which, at the time of dumping of the waste, protrudes the exit portion of the cylindrical body to below the bottom wall portion of the container main body and through the discharge opening thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waste disposal apparatus in which waste is accumulated within a cylindrical body provided within a container main body, and thereafter, the waste is dumped into another container, facility, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are various types of waste disposal apparatuses in accordance with their uses. Among them, a description will be given hereinafter of an example of a simple toilet which is used in a place where there is no sewer system (such as a construction site or a camping area).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 49-102167 discloses an example of this type of simple toilet. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the simple toilet 150 includes a casing 152 and a cover 154. A seat 156 and a seat cover 157 are disposed at the center of the cover 154. Further, a funnel 158 is disposed below the seat 156, and the lower end portion of the funnel 158 is disposed so as to face an opening 162 of a midway partitioning material 160 provided within the casing 152.
Moreover, at a bottom wall portion 152A of the casing 152, a square opening 164 is formed at the position opposing the opening 162 of the midway partitioning material 160, and a feeding device 166 is provided directly above the opening 164. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the feeding device 166 includes a housing 168 which is formed substantially in the H shape, when viewed from back. Two pairs of feeding disks 170, 172, which oppose to each other, are axially supported at the inner sides of the side portions (i.e., the portions perpendicular to the directions of arrow W and parallel to each other) of the housing 168. Further, a pair of weld jaws 174, 176 whose cross-sectional configurations are substantially U-shaped are mounted to the outer sides of the side portions of the housing 168. The weld jaws 174, 176 are structured so as to be able to swing around the lower end portions thereof in the directions of separating from each other. In a state in which the weld jaws 174, 176 are closed, the lower end portion of the funnel 158 is closed by the top portions 174A, 176A of the weld jaws 174, 176 (see FIG. 9A). Further, the weld jaws 174, 176 are energized so as to melt-adhere and thus seal a tubular sleeve 178 which is formed of a resin material such as a plastic film and is disposed between the weld jaws 174, 176. The sleeve 178 is formed as a portion of a sleeve cassette 180 (see FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C) which is disposed in a superposed state in the periphery of the funnel 158 on the midway partitioning material 160. The sleeve 178 is inserted into the funnel 158 when in use.
In accordance with the above structure, as shown in FIG. 9A, in a state in which the top portions 174A, 176A of the pair of weld jaws 174, 176 are closed, a content 182 is temporarily accumulated within the funnel 158. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the pair of weld jaws 174, 176 are swung in the directions of separating from each other and the respective feeding disks 170, 172 are driven to rotate. In this way, the sleeve 178 is extruded downwardly from the opening 164 at the bottom wall portion 152A of the casing 152. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, the pair of weld jaws 174, 176 are closed again, and the sleeve 178 is sealed by melt-adhering upon heating at a predetermined position. As a result, the content 182 is packed within the sleeve 178.
However, in case of the above structure, because the continuous sleeve 178 is extruded downwardly by the feeding disks 170, 172, the conveying speed of the sleeve 178 (the rotational speed of the feeding disks 170, 172) is limited by itself for securing the desirable operation thereof. In other words, the speed of discharging the sleeve 178 which accommodates the content 182 becomes slow. As a result, the time for discharging the sleeve 178 takes long and the content 182 may not be smoothly accumulated at the bottom portion of the sleeve 178 due to the lack of dumping force. Consequently, there is a drawback in that, in case of the aforementioned conventional structure, a good performance of discharging the waste such as the content 182 or the like cannot be expected.
In the above structure, because it is assumed that the content 182 is sealed in the sleeve 178 so as to be discharged, it is less likely that the above-described drawback becomes apparent. However, in a case in which the waste such as the content 182 or the like is accumulated within the cylindrical body such as the sleeve 178 or the like, and thereafter, only the waste is directly discharged to the other facility, the above-described drawback becomes a problem to be solved.
Further, with regard to the conventional art of the present invention, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 6-30857 discloses a waste sealing apparatus for sealing waste in a tube, the apparatus including a hollow mandrel and a supply of a package tube stored at the outer side of the mandrel. Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (JP-U) No. 7-23704 discloses a sealing apparatus which has a structure in which a tubular sleeve disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 49-102167 can be used even if the sleeve is one bag.


A composition for decontaminating a highly toxic material, wherein the composition includes a modified reactive sorbent comprising a reactive sorbent in combination with a sufficient amount of an organic solvent to saturate the pores of the reactive sorbent to yield a non-slurry, free flowing mixture. The present invention is further directed to a method for making such compositions and method for decontaminating surfaces using such compositions.

Exposure to highly toxic materials, and especially chemical warfare agents, is a potential hazard to both the armed forces and civilian populations. Such chemical warfare agents possess toxic properties capable of killing, injuring or incapacitating people. It has been estimated that about 25 to 27 nations currently possess chemical weapons, often referred to as the "poor man's nuclear weapon." The manufacture of chemical warfare agents in small quantities by terrorists is an ongoing threat, and the manufacture and use of military quantities of chemical warfare agents for delivery against U.S. troops is always a real potential.
Some commonly known chemical warfare agents are bis-(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (HD or mustard gas), pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate (GD) and O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylamino)ethyl methylphosphonothioate (VX), as well as analogs and derivatives of these agents. These chemical warfare agents are generally delivered as fine aerosol mists which, aside from presenting an inhalation threat, will deposit on surfaces of military equipment and hardware, including uniforms, weapons, vehicles, vans and shelters. Once such equipment and hardware is contaminated with one of the previously mentioned highly toxic materials, the agent must be removed in order to minimize contact hazards.
For this reason, there is a crucial need to develop and improve technology for decontamination of highly toxic materials. This is especially true for the class of toxic agents known as nerve agents or nerve gases which are produced and stockpiled for both industrial use and as chemical warfare agents. Simply by way of example, one class of nerve agents with a high level of potential lethality is the class that includes organophosphorus-based ("OP") compounds, such as Sarin, Soman, and VX. Such agents can be absorbed through inhalation and/or through the skin of an animal or person. The organophosphorus-type ("OP") CW materials typically manifest their lethal effects against animals and people by inhibiting acetylcholine esterase ("AChE") enzyme at neuromuscular junctions between nerve endings and muscle tissue to produce an excessive buildup of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, in an animal or person. This can result in paralysis and death in a short time.
In addition to the concerns about chemical warfare agents, there is also a growing need in industry for decontamination of industrial chemicals and/or insecticides, for example, ACHE-inhibiting pesticides such as parathion, paraoxon and malathion, among others. Thus, it is very important to be able to effectively detoxify a broad spectrum of toxic agents, including, but not limited to, organophosphorus-type compounds, from contaminated surfaces and sensitive equipment.
Chemical warfare agents and related toxins are so hazardous that simulants have been developed for purposes of screening decontamination and control methods.
These simulants are 2-chloroethylphenyl sulfide (CEPS), an HD simulant, dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), a G-agent simulant, and O,S-diethylphenylphosphonothioate (DPPT), a VX simulant.
The U.S. Army uses a decontamination material called XE555 resin (Ambergard™ Rohm & Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pa.). XE555 is presently being used by the military for immediate decontamination applications. The objective of immediate decontamination operations is to remove toxic agents from the contaminated surface as rapidly as possible. However, XE555 has several disadvantages. Although effective at removing chemical agents, XE555 does not possesses sufficient reactive properties to neutralize the toxic agent(s) picked up by this resin. Thus, after use for decontamination purposes, XE555 itself presents an ongoing threat from off-gassing toxins and/or vapors mixed with the resin. In addition, XE555 is relatively expensive in the quantities required for decontamination purposes.
Recently, reactive sorbents have been developed and used to both absorb and react with highly toxic materials to yield less toxic products. For example, the U.S. Army uses M100 sorbent decontamination system (SDS) for decontamination of highly toxic materials. The M100 SDS utilizes an alumina-based reactive sorbent called A-200-SiC-1005S, which is in the form of a powder. The reactive sorbent powder acts as an inexpensive, non-corrosive, non-harmful absorber designed to be rubbed onto a contaminated surface and does not require water rinse or special disposal. The reactive sorbent is structured to flow readily across a contaminated surface, and is highly porous, allowing it to absorb the highly toxic material quickly. The absorbed highly toxic material is strongly retained within the pores of the sorbent, which reacts to form less toxic products, thereby minimizing off-gassing and contact hazards.
Bartram and Wagner (U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,038, incorporated by reference herein) report the use of an aluminum oxide and a mixture of aluminum oxide and magnesium monoperoxyphthalate (MMPP) as reactive sorbents to decontaminate surfaces contacted with droplets of chemical warfare agents. It has been reported that both materials were able to effectively remove such toxic agents from a surface to the same extent as XE555. In addition, both materials represented improvements in chemical warfare agent degrading reactivity and in reducing off-gassing of toxins relative to XE555. The reported sorbents were based on pre-existing, commercially available materials, such as Selexsorb CD™, a product of the Alcoa Company. Essentially, Bartram and Wagner reported that their aluminum oxide is modified by size reduction, grinding or milling.
Bartram and Wagner (U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,382, incorporated by reference herein) report the use of two types of reactive sorbents. One comprises metal exchanged zeolites such as silver-exchanged zeolite, and the other comprises sodium zeolites. The reactive sorbents are disclosed to remove chemical agents from the surface being decontaminated, and then begin decomposing the absorbed chemical agents. Similar in all reactive sorbents, this dual action provides the advantage of reducing the risks associated with potential outgassing from the sorbent, and reducing the toxicity of the sorbent for disposal purposes.
Although, current forms of reactive sorbents as solid—phase decontaminants are capable of absorbing and removing highly toxic materials including chemical warfare agents from surfaces, their capacity to react with the highly toxic materials is limited and prolonged as compared to liquid-phase decontaminants. Thus, for a time after application, the contaminated reactive sorbents present a persistent hazard as the highly toxic materials slowly react and decompose in the sorbents.
Applicant has theorized that the primary reason why reactive sorbents react slowly with highly toxic materials including chemical warfare agents is the slow diffusion of the materials once they are absorbed. The absorbed materials in the form of droplets are concentrated within the pores of the reactive sorbent, and depending on volatility, typically spread across the surface at a slow rate. It is therefore believed that the slow diffusion of the highly toxic materials within the reactive sorbent results in low reactivity. To enhance diffusion, solvents may be employed to spread and more uniformly distribute the highly toxic materials across the surface of the reactive sorbent. This results in a slurry mixture that exhibits enhanced reaction rates relative to the dry powder reactive sorbent. However, the production and handling of a slurry mixture on-site greatly complicates the decontamination process and hinders clean up afterward.
Thus, there remains a need in the art for even more effective, chemically modified forms of reactive sorbents, and for still further compositions and methods, optimized to allow for the rapid and effective removal and/or decontamination of chemical warfare agents and related highly toxic materials in an environmentally acceptable and cost-effective process.

Modified reactive sorbents exhibiting enhanced decontamination of chemical warfare agents

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


During image display, pixel current measurement for brightness irregularity correction is carried out. Display is carried out by sequentially writing pixel data in a horizontal direction to pixel sections that are arranged in a matrix shape. Horizontal power supply lines PVDD are arranged for each horizontal line, and power is supplied from these power supply lines to corresponding pixel sections. When carrying out measurement of pixel current by lighting pixel sections one at a time, a horizontal power supply line PVDD of a horizontal line to which the lit pixel belongs is connected to a power supply PVDDb by a switch, and other horizontal power supply lines PVDD are connected to PVDDa.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of a circuit for one pixel section (pixel circuit) of a basic active organic EL display device, and FIG. 2 shows the structure, and input signals of, a display panel.
A data signal is written to a storage capacitor C by setting a gate line (Gate) that extends in the horizontal direction to a high level to turn an n-channel selection TFT 2 on, and in this state placing a data signal (image data) having a voltage corresponding to a display brightness on a data line (Data) that extends in the vertical direction. In this way, a gate of a p-channel drive TFT 1 is set to a voltage corresponding to the data signal, drive current corresponding to the data signal is supplied to the organic EL element 3, and the organic EL element 3 emits light.
Pixel data, a horizontal sync signal (HD), a pixel clock and other drive signals are supplied to a source driver 10. The pixel data signal is sent to the source driver 10 in synchronism with the pixel clock, held in an internal latch circuit once a single horizontal line of pixels have been acquired, and subjected to D/A conversion all at once to supply to a data line (Data) of a corresponding column. Also, the horizontal sync signal (HD), other drive signals and a vertical sync signal (VD) are supplied to a gate driver 12. The gate driver 12 performs control to sequentially turn on gate lines (Gate) arranged horizontally along each line, so that image data is supplied to pixels of the corresponding line. The pixel circuit of FIG. 1 is provided in the pixel sections 14 that are arranged in a matrix shape. Also, a power supply line PVDD is arranged in the vertical direction along a pixel row, and CV is connected to a power supply CV with anodes of the organic EL element provided common to all pixels.
As a result of this type of structure, data are sequentially written to each pixel in horizontal line units, and display is carried out at each pixel in accordance with the written data, to perform image display as a panel.
Here the amount of light emission and current of the organic EL element 3 are in a substantially proportional relationship. Normally, a voltage (Vth) is supplied across the gate of the drive TFT 1 and PVdd such that a drain current approaching that for a black level of the pixel starts to flow. Also, the amplitude of the image signal is an amplitude so as to give a prescribed brightness close to a white level.
FIG. 3 shows a relationship for current "CV current "(corresponding to brightness) flowing in the organic EL element with respect to input signal voltage (voltage of the data line Data) of the drive TFT 1. It is possible to carry out appropriate gradation control for the organic EL element by determining the data signal so that Vb is supplied as the black level voltage and Vw is supplied as the white level voltage.
Specifically, the brightness when the pixel is driven at a particular voltage differs depending on the threshold voltage (Vth) of the drive TFT, and an input voltage close to PVdd (power supply voltage)−Vth (threshold voltage) corresponds to a signal voltage when displaying black. Also, the slope (μ) of the V-I curve of a TFT varies in a similar manner, and in this case, as shown in FIG. 4, an input amplitude (Vp−p) for outputting the same brightness is also different.
If there are variations in Vth and μ of the TFT inside the panel, there will usually be inconsistencies in brightness. With the objective of correcting these brightness inconsistencies, panel current flowing when lighting up each pixel at a number of signal levels is measured, to obtain a V-I curve for individual TFTs.
The related art suffers from the following problems.
1) According to the prior art, image current is measured in real time during image display. In order to suppress effects of aging of the drive TFTs and organic EL elements, it is necessary to measure the current of each particular specified pixel independently. However, during image display, current corresponding to a display image constantly flows in from a power supply, which shows that it is difficult to measure current of a particular specified pixel by measuring power supply current of the panel.
2) FIG. 1 is one example of a pixel circuit, but in actual fact, as shown in FIG. 5, there are distributed constant circuits on each power supply line and signal line due to wiring resistance and stray capacitance etc. Specifically, there are RC distributed constant circuits in the data lines Data between the source driver 10 and the drain of the select TFT 2, in the gate lines Gate between the gate driver 12 and the gate of the select TFT 2, in the power supply lines between the power supply PVDD and the source of the drive TFT 1, and between the cathodes of the organic EL element 3 and the power supply CV.
Therefore, in the event that a voltage is supplied from outside in order to measure PVDD or CV current, the measurement current gradually increases. Accordingly, it is necessary to perform measurement of current with current at a sufficient level of stability, but the fastest measurement time is determined by this, and a comparatively long time is taken to measure one pixel current. A relationship between current Id flowing in the organic EL element and the current Ipvdd flowing from the power supply PVDD to the drive TFT is shown in FIG. 7. In this way it takes a longer time for current Ipvdd to become stable compared to Id. CV current is also subject to the effects of the distributed constant circuits and can be considered to vary similarly to Ipvdd.
3) Only a single pixel is lit at the time of current measurement, but a very small leakage current also flows in pixels that are not lit. Leakage current is generally extremely small, but since leakage currents for a number of pixels (the number of panel pixels−1) are summed, it becomes a value that cannot be ignored. In particular, in the event that leakage current varies over time, it constitutes a noise component, which shows that measurement accuracy will be affected.

Measurement of pixel current in display device