A near-infrared laser focusing lens and a laser printing device are provided. The lens comprises a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens and a fifth lens (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) which are coaxially arranged along a transmission direction of incident light rays, wherein the first lens (L1) is a negative plane-concave lens; the second lens and the third lens (L2, L3) are positive biconvex lenses; and the fourth lens and the fifth lens (L4, L5) are positive meniscus lenses; and a concave surface (S2) of the first lens (L1) is opposite to the second lens (L2), and the middle parts of the fourth lens and the fifth lens (L4, L5) both reversely protrude towards the transmission direction of light beams. After the shapes and the relative locations of the lenses are designed, the near infrared light can be clearly imaged, and the geometrical aberration of the lens can be effectively corrected, so as to obtain a clear flat field. In addition, because of having a large relative aperture and visual field and a long working distance, the lens is a microscope objective simultaneously having a large visual field, a large relative aperture, a long working distance and a flat field, and is capable of improving printing precision and clarity, so that the color rendition is truer and the operation is more convenient.

As the development of the laser processing technology, the laser printing technology is extensively applied to the fields of electronic composition, laser plate making and so on, greatly simplifying the printing technology. The digitization of the laser printing technology can realize a remote plate making and printing, thereby speeding up the press and publication, and also economizing the cost and human input on a large scale. The laser applied to the field of printing enables a rapid development of the printing industry.
The realizing of the laser printing technology not only depends upon a widespread use of the fiber laser, but also profits from the continuously upgrading of parameters of the optical focusing system. The laser printing device generally has a focusing lens, and the focusing lens is desired to have a large relative aperture and a large visual field angle, and is expected to have a longer working distance. Existing focusing lens applied to laser printing generally adopts microscope, and focuses the ultraviolent laser. Though the microscope has a large relative aperture, but the visual field angle is small, the working distance is short, and the operation is inconvenient, thus affecting the focusing effect, and further affecting the printing quality. The printing precision and clarity are not ideal and the color rendition is not true. Therefore, it is desired to provide a new focusing lens applied to laser printing.

Near-infrared laser focusing lens and laser printing device

HAN'S LASER TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY GROUP CO., LTD

HAN'S CNC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD


A transition forming unit for a tube mill is provided for forming a strip into a generally annular shaped cross-sectional configuration. The forming process is performed by a plurality of roll assemblies mounted on at least a pair of spaced longitudinally extending beams, one disposed on each side of the longitudinal axis of the forming unit. The beams are mounted to rotate about their longitudinal axis and are horizontally and vertically adjustable.

This invention generally relates to tube forming mills and, more particularly, to an intermediate transition beam section for forming a strip of metal having a U-shaped cross-sectional configuration into a tube typically having an annular cross-sectional configuration.
In the manufacture of welded metal tubing formed from a flat strip of material, the use of materials having high yield strength has created problems in the forming operation. More specifically, the high yield strength of the metal strip tends to cause the section being formed to "spring back" thereby causing an undesired cross-sectional configuration presenting alignment of the material being formed prior to its entry into the succeeding forming roll sections, such as passing from the transition section to the fin roll section of the mill.
A production of heavy gauge, large diameter tubing initially requires passing stock to be formed through a number of driven rollers to effect the break down or transformation of the flat strip into a strip of generally U-shaped cross-section. Thence, the U-shaped strip is transformed into a generally annular shaped cross-section by causing the strip to pass through a cluster or transition roll section prior to its entry into a fin roll assembly to assure proper alignment of the abutting edges of the formed strip preparatory to a seam welding operation. In such operations, the mill may be operated at speeds of typically of 80 feet per minute, for example. Accordingly, in the event of a "spring back" of the leading edge of the formed strip prior to entry into the fin roll assembly, the leading edge will strike the rolls causing damage to the leading edge of the strip being formed, the roll surfaces, and the supporting bearings necessitating repair and replacement and costly shutdown time.
These problems are compounded when heavy gauge strip stock is fed into the forming mill in discrete lengths rather than in continuous lengths requiring constant attention to the proper alignment of each length throughout the mill prior to entry into the fin pass rolls to assure to the proper alignment of the abutting edges preparatory to seam welding operations.

Transition beam forming section for tube mill


When power is turned on and in a state in which a power supply voltage is not supplied from the switching power supply to the second clock generating section, the first clock generating section generates a first clock signal with a frequency that is preset in the first clock generating section, without using a third clock signal from the frequency dividing section, to cause the first switching section to operate. By the first switching section operating, a power supply voltage is supplied from the switching power supply to the second clock generating section. After the second clock generating section has started to operate, a third clock signal (a clock signal obtained by dividing the frequency of a second clock signal generated by the second clock generating section) is supplied from the frequency dividing section to the first clock generating section. The first clock generating section generates a first clock signal with a frequency that is synchronized with the frequency of the third clock signal, to cause the first switching section to operate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio apparatus that includes a switching amplifier and a switching power supply and controls the frequency of a clock signal that drives the switching power supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, an audio apparatus including a switching amplifier and a switching power supply is available. When combining a switching amplifier and a switching power supply, since clock signals that drive the two have different frequencies (also called carrier frequencies), interference (beat) occurs between the frequencies and falls down in an audible band, causing a big problem.
To suppress this, generation of clock signals of the switching amplifier and the switching power supply from the same source is considered. However, in the switching amplifier, in view of an influence on the audible band and an improvement in performance, the frequency of a clock signal is often set to a relatively high frequency (several hundred kHz or higher); on the other hand, in the switching power supply, in order to prevent an increase in switching loss, the frequency of a clock signal is set to a relatively low frequency. Thus, it is not realistic to set the same frequency for them.
To solve this problem, there is proposed a technique for suppressing occurrence of a beat by dividing the frequency of a clock signal that drives a switching amplifier at an arbitrary frequency division ratio and using a resultant frequency as the frequency of a clock signal that drives a switching power supply. With this technique, however, when power to an audio apparatus is turned on and in a state in which a power supply voltage from the switching power supply is not supplied to a clock generation circuit that generates a clock signal of the switching amplifier, a clock signal used to operate the switching amplifier cannot be generated. Thus, it is not also possible to generate a clock signal of the switching power supply by frequency-dividing a clock signal of the switching amplifier. Hence, there is a need to separately provide another power supply circuit (other than the switching power supply) for supplying, when power is turned on, a power supply voltage to a clock generation circuit for generating a clock signal of the switching amplifier, and cause the clock generation circuit to operate by a power supply voltage from another power supply circuit to generate a clock signal of the switching amplifier.

Audio apparatus, switching power supply, and switching control method


Implementations are described for selectively publishing an event responsive to an operation on a database in a transaction. Publishing the event is delayed or not delayed respectively, responsive to determining that a value of an attribute for the event indicates that publishing the event is to be delayed, or not to be delayed, until the transaction is rolled back or committed. If publishing the event is delayed, the event is published if the transaction is committed and discarded if the transaction is rolled back. If publishing the event is not delayed, the event is published. Optionally, if the event is published, the event is published in a database or a datastore respectively, responsive to determining whether another value of another attribute for the event indicates that the event is to be published in a database or a datastore.

A transaction is a unit of work performed on a database. For example, a transaction may include one or more insertions, updates, and/or deletions of one or more records in a database. A transaction can be rolled back or committed. Rolling back a transaction on a database means returning the database to its state before the transaction was started; e.g., when a transaction includes inserting a record in a database, rolling back the transaction includes removing the record, if inserted, from the database. In contrast, committing a transaction means completing the unit of work on the database; e.g., when a transaction includes inserting, updating, and/or deleting one more records in a database, committing the transaction includes performing the inserting, updating, and/or deleting the records.
An event is an identifiable unit of data that conveys information about an occurrence or lack of occurrence in a computing system. Events can relate to operations that occur in a database system. For example, an event may convey that a record of a database has been updated, deleted, or inserted. Typically, an event includes one or more attributes. In some tools, an event is associated with a topic to which one or more consumers are subscribed; e.g., in a publish-subscribe messaging system.
Some tools can publish an event responsive to an operation on a database in a transaction. Publishing an event makes the event available to one or more potential consumers. An event can be made available to the consumers by adding the event to a source of events; e.g., a datastore or database. A datastore is typically intended to store data (which may be voluminous) for possible consumption by multiple clients. Datastores include those which typically persist data (e.g., an on-disk database) and those which typically do not persist data (e.g., an in-memory database, a streaming platform, a key-value datastore, a document store, etc.). In existing systems, when an event is published responsive to an operation on a database in a transaction, the event is made available to the consumers regardless of whether the transaction is committed or rolled back. Thus, when the transaction is rolled back, the published event reflects an operation on the database that was not performed.

Selectively publishing an event responsive to an operation on a database in a transaction which is rolled back or committed


A control circuit 10 inputs a maximum value, which is read out of a resistor 22, to one of the input terminals of a comparator 14 by providing the maximum value to a D/A convertor 18 through a latch 16. The electric potential V, which is an object to be tested, is input to another input terminal of the comparator 14 through a hold circuit 12. The comparator 14 judges the magnitude of the value of the electric potential V by referring to the maximum value and outputs to the control circuit 10. The same operation is also performed for the minimum value. The pass/fail judgement is performed for judging whether the value of the electric potential V is within an allowable range by the comparison with the maximum value and the minimum value. Furthermore, the control circuit 10 performs an A/D conversion of the electric potential V by reading out data D1-Dn from the resistor 20 one after another to gradually change the reference of a comparison. The same comparator 14 performs the pass/fail judgement and the A/D conversion, and thus the inconsistency does not occur.

This patent application claims priority based on Japanese patent application, 2000-1998 filed on Jan. 7th, 2000.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an electric potential detector, a device tester, and a method of detecting electric potential.
2. Description of Related Art
A device tester has to accurately measure a voltage output from a device to secure a reliability of the testing. Moreover, an electric current that flows into the device and the electric current that flows out of the device also have to be measured accurately.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional electric potential detector. The electric potential V that is input from an input terminal 30 is input to both an A/D convertor 810 and analog comparators 820 and 830. Each of the A/D convertor 810 and the comparators 820 and 830 are comprised for performing a determination of the digital value of the electric potential V and a judgement (pass/fail judgement) of whether the electric potential V exists within an allowable range. The pass/fail judgement can be known by comparing the maximum and minimum value of the allowable range and the value of the electric potential V.
Details of the pass/fail judgement will be explained. A maximum value of an allowable range of an electric potential is provided to the plus side of an input terminal of the comparator 820 from the D/A convertor 840, and a comparison is performed between the maximum value and an analog value of the electric potential V, which is input to a minus side of an input terminal. When the analog value of the electric potential V is larger than the maximum value, the comparator 820 sets the logic of the HFAIL signal as L level and informs that the electric potential V is xe2x80x9cHIGH FAILxe2x80x9d. On the other hand, when the analog value of the electric potential V is smaller than the maximum value, the comparator 820 outputs a signal of H level as an HFAIL signal and informs that the electric potential V is xe2x80x9cHIGH PASSxe2x80x9d.
Similarly, a minimum value is input to a minus side of an input terminal of the comparator 830 from a D/A convertor 850, and the electric potential V is input to a plus side of an input terminal. The comparator 830 sets the logic of the LFAIL signal to be L level (LOW FAIL) or H level (LOW PASS) according to the comparison result.
In the configuration of FIG. 1, the determination of the digital value (A/D conversion) is performed at the A/D convertor 810, and the pass/fail judgement is performed at the comparator 820 and 830, independently. It cannot be avoided that a few differences arise among the characteristics of the A/D convertor 810 and the comparator 820 and 830 during the manufacturing process. Therefore, there is a problem that inconsistency of the result arises such that the judgement is a fail although the digital value is within the allowable range. To solve the above mentioned problems, an electric potential detector shown in FIG. 2 was used.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram that shows another configuration of the conventional electric potential detector. First, the analog electric potential V input from the input terminal 30 is converted to digital by the A/D convertor 810. The digital value of the electric potential V output from the A/D convertor 810 is then input to both of the digital comparator 920 and 930. Each of the maximum value and the minimum value are further input to the comparator 920 and 930, respectively, from the limit resistor 940 and 950, and the pass/fail judgement is performed as in the same way as in the configuration of FIG. 1.
As is clear from the above explanation, the pass/fail judgement is performed for the output of the A/D convertor 810 in the configuration of FIG. 2. Thus, the inconsistency of the result as in the case of FIG. 1 does not arise. However, the electric potential V has to be A/D converted even when it is sufficient to perform only the pass/fail judgement so that it takes a long time for a judgement.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electric potential detector, device tester, and a method of detecting electric potential that has a configuration of performing a judgement at high speed without causing an inconsistency of testing results in view of the above issues. This object is achieved by combinations of characteristics described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous and exemplary combinations of the present invention.
To solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present embodiment is characterized in that the first embodiment comprises a comparator that compares an input electric potential, which is an object to be detected, with a referential value and outputs a comparison result; and a control circuit that has: a judgement means for performing a judgement of pass/fail of the input electric potential based on the comparison result obtained by providing an allowable limit value, which is a value indicating an allowable limit of an input electric potential, as the referential value; and a value determination means for finding a value of the input electric potential based on the comparison result obtained by providing the referential value to the comparator by varying the referential value.
The second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the control circuit provides the comparator with a maximum value and a minimum value of an allowable range of the input electric potential, which is the allowable limit value, as the referential value and judges that the input electric potential is a failure when the input electric potential is judged as higher than the maximum value or judged as lower than the minimum value by the comparator.
The third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the value determination means detects a transition point of the comparison result by selecting a value from a plurality of candidate values one after another arbitrarily as the referential value and determines a value of the input electric potential based on a candidate value that corresponds to the transition point.
The fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the comparator includes a first and a second comparator to which the maximum value and the minimum value are input respectively; and the control circuit judges whether the input electric potential is allowable at a high potential side based on a comparison result of the first comparator and judges whether the input electric potential is allowable at a low potential side based on a comparison result of the second comparator.
The fifth aspect of the present invention characterized in that the input electric potential is analog; and the judging means provides the maximum value and the minimum value to the comparator at different timings; and the electric potential detector further comprises: a retaining means that retains the input electric potential while the maximum value and the minimum value are provided to the comparator.
The sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the electric potential detector further comprises: an input electric potential retaining means for retaining the input electric potential during selection of a value from the plurality of candidate values one after another arbitrarily as the referential value.
The seventh aspect of the present invention is a device tester that comprises: a test pattern generator that generates an input test pattern, which is to be input to a device under test (DUT), and an expectation pattern, which is to be output from the DUT into which the input test pattern is input; a device testing comparator for judging a propriety of the DUT according to whether an output pattern, which is output from the DUT according to the input test pattern that is input to the DUT, and the expectation pattern matches; a power supply for supplying electric power to the DUT; and a terminal potential detecting circuit for detecting an electric potential of a terminal potential of the DUT; characterized in that: the terminal potential detecting circuit has: a sample potential comparator for outputting a comparison result by comparing a sample electric potential, which is input for observing the electric potential of the terminal, with a referential electric potential; a judging means for judging a pass/fail of the sample electric potential based on the comparison result obtained by providing an allowable limit potential, which is an electric potential that indicates an allowable limit of the sample electric potential, as the referential electric potential; and a control unit that includes a value determination means for finding a value of the sample electric potential based on the comparison result obtained by providing the referential electric potential to the sample potential comparator by varying the referential electric potential.
The eighth aspect of the present invention characterized in that the method comprises: a judging step for judging whether an input electric potential, which is an object to be tested, is within an allowable range and judging as xe2x80x9cfailurexe2x80x9d when an input electric potential is not within an allowable range; and a retrieving step for retrieving a detailed value of the input electric potential corresponding to a judgement, which is given as the xe2x80x9cfailurexe2x80x9d in the judging step.
The ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the judging step judges whether the input electric potential is within the allowable range by comparing a maximum and minimum of the allowable range and the input electric potential.
The tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the retrieving step is the step that detects a transition point of a comparison result by comparing a value, which is selected from a plurality of candidate values as a reference, with the input electric potential one after another and determines the detailed value according to a candidate value corresponding to the transition point.
This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features so that the invention may also be a sub-combination of these described features.

Electric potential detector, device tester and method of detecting electric potential


The combination of a shot sleeve and a shot cup base form a universal shot wad that precisely fixes an adjustable volume for the shot column of a wide range of shot shell loads. The shot sleeve is a generally tubular member with an open end and a closed end. The inside of the shot sleeve is substantially smooth adjacent to both the open end and the closed end and has a plurality of substantially parallel, inwardly projecting, first ribs circumscribing the inside between the smooth portions.. The shot cup base is a second tubular member and also has an open end and a closed end. A plurality of substantially parallel, outwardly protruding, second ribs circumscribe an outside of the shot cup base. The volume of a shot receiving portion is controlled by inserting the shot cup base a desired distance into the shot sleeve such that the two sets of ribs interengage. Apertures formed through the shot cup base cause the sidewall portions of the shot cup base to segment and open outward on expulsion from the muzzle of a shotgun increasing aerodynamic resistance. The increased aerodynamic resistance causes the shot cup base to separate from the shot string minimizing interference of the shot flight pattern by the shot cup base.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a universal shot wad that provides precise control of an adjustable volume available for the shot columns of a wide range of shot shell loads. More particularly, the combination of an adjustable shot cup base interengaged with a shot sleeve provides the desired volume. Apertures extending through the sides of the shot cup base cause sidewall portions to flare outwardly when expelled from a shotgun muzzle. The flared sidewall portions increase aerodynamic resistance of the shot cup base causing the shot cup base to rapidly separate from the shot string thereby minimizing disruption of the shot flight pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
Shot shells containing shot to be expelled from a shotgun have a hollow cylindrical, typically plastic, husk sealed by a base cap at one end and a crimp at the other end. Contained within the shot shell are a powder charge adjacent to the base cap, a plurality of shot adjacent to the crimp, and a shot wad separating the shot from the powder charge. Conventional shot wads consist of three parts: a powder cup, a shot cup and a compressible section between the powder and shot cups.
The powder cup retains the powder charge confined within the shot shell load and seals the gasses generated on powder ignition. Efficient gas sealing is important to achieve consistent load velocity and pressure performance. The shot cup encapsulates the shot column to protect the gun barrel as the shot column travels down the bore. The compressible section of the shot wad provides an element of adjustibility in the wad to accominodate variations in shot size, powder charge weights and/or density and to provide a snug load fit. On firing, the compressible section collapses to increase the available volume for expanding gases. This reduces the peak pressure required to achieve a specified velocity.
A shot receiving portion volume is usually sized to a specific shot weight for a limited range of shot sizes. Multiple shot wads of different sizes are required for the wide range of commercial loads and shot weights. While this approach is effective, it is also expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,144,232, that is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses annular grooves on an inside wall of the husk at the open end, opposite the base cap. After shot are loaded, a closure disk engages one of the annular grooves retaining the shot.
Another approach, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,095 to Lage, that is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses a shot cup having deformable legs that contact an over powder cup. When shot are loaded into the shot receiving portion, the open end of the husk is crimped to form a seal over the shot. The legs of the shot cup deform as necessary to provide a snug fit for the shot.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,224, that is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein, discloses a multiple piece adjustable wad system having a powder cup with a collapsible post and a series of shot cups with fixed volumes. This adjustable wad system provides a means to compensate for the variability of powder density, powder charge weight and shot weight. The system has the disadvantage of requiring a large number of components for a wide range of loads. For example, in 12 gauge 23/4 inch loads, this wad system would require six different shot cups, in addition to the powder cup, to accommodate a shot weight range of from 7/8 ounce--15/8 ounces. As described below, the present invention accommodates the same weight range with a two piece system.
In another approach, a shot sleeve is slit in four locations to form flexible sidewall portions and then inserted into the shot shell. The length of the slits is to the desired location of the bottom of the inserted shot cup base. The shot sleeve is a tubular member having an open end adjacent to the open end of the shot shell and a closed end forming the powder cup. The inside wall of the shot sleeve is substantially smooth adjacent to both the open end and the closed end and contains a plurality of substantially parallel, inwardly projecting, first ribs circumscribing the inside wall between the two smooth portions. A cylindrical shot cup base having a ribbed outer surface that interengages the ribs of the shot sleeve is then inserted to a desired depth to form a shot receiving portion shot cup of the appropriate volume.
This "universal" shot wad provides a very effective fit for a wide range of loads. On firing, the shot cup sleeve and shot cup base are expelled from the shotgun muzzle with the shot. The slit shot sleeve petals open increasing the aerodynamic resistance causing the shot sleeve to rapidly drop away from the shot string.
The cylindrical shot cup base, having less aerodynamic drag than the sleeve, travels with the shot string for a longer distance and tends to interfere with shot flight pattern. In lower shot weight loads, such from 7/8 ounce to 11/8 ounces, the volume of the shot column captured within the shot cup base is a relatively large proportion of the total shot column. Therefore, any adverse influence by the shot cup base on the shot string is more pronounced in these light weights.
While it is known to form longitudinally running slits in shot cups to cause sidewall portions to petal open when the shot cup is expelled from the muzzle of a shotgun increasing aerodynamic resistance and causing the shot cup to lag behind the shot string, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,700 to Carbone, presently utilized longitudinal slits are suitable for the shot sleeve, but not for the shot cup base. In the universal shot wad, the shot cup base is inserted with considerable force into the shot sleeve to interengage with the ribs of the shot sleeve. Longitudinal slits, as presently known in the art, significantly weaken the strength of the shot cup base sidewalls causing them to be prone to distortion when inserted into the shot sleeve and interfering with proper interengagement between the shot sleeve and the shot cup base. Also, longitudinal slits do not provide sufficient flexibility for the short sidewalls of the shot cup base.
There remains, therefore, a need for a shot cup base suitable for use with a ribbed shot sleeve that provides sufficient aerodynamic resistance so as not to interfere with the shot string that, further, is sufficiently robust to withstand handling and engagement with a ribbed shot sleeve.


Hydrogen in a fuel cell is vented and purged with a fail-closed valve using stored energy (e.g. from a capacitor) when a diagnostic parameter is outside of an acceptable operating range. The valve closes after the stored energy has depleted. A safety switch in the relay circuit of the solenoid switch (or solenoid valve) is also grounded in computer-implemented shutdowns. Benefits from the invention include use of air-compatible catalysts, minimized parasitic losses to power output, minimized contamination of fuel cell internal surfaces after venting, minimized risk of explosive mixture buildup, and efficient operation.

Fuel cell power systems convert a fuel and an oxidant to electricity. One fuel cell power system type of keen interest employs use of a proton exchange membrane (hereinafter "PEM") to catalytically facilitate reaction of fuels (such as hydrogen) and oxidants (such as air/oxygen) into electricity. The PEM is a solid polymer electrolyte that facilitates transfer of protons from the anode to the cathode in each individual fuel cell of the stack of fuel cells normally deployed in a fuel cell power system.
In a typical fuel cell assembly (fuel cell stack) within a fuel cell power system, individual fuel cells have flow fields with inlets to fluid manifolds; these collectively provide channels for the various reactant and cooling fluids reacted in the fuel cell stack to flow into each cell. Gas diffusion assemblies then provide a final fluid distribution to further disperse reactant fluids from the flow field space to the reactive anode and cathode.
Coordinated shutdown is one factor in effective operation of a fuel cell stack or set of fuel cell stacks. In this regard, hydrogen is a substantive component of the fuel fed to the reactive anodes of the fuel cell stack, and, upon shutdown, a working inventory of hydrogen-containing fuel is present in the fuel reactant channels of the fuel cell stack. While not inherently flammable as relatively high concentration hydrogen, the residual fuel in the stack is subject to potential mixing with oxygen in air, especially if the fuel cell is inoperable for a period of time. Such mixing of oxygen has the potential to create a potentially flammable mixture within the fuel cell stack at a certain threshold composition.
Two general shutdown strategies or modes represent the scope of shutdown approaches of a fuel cell system: a "normal" shutdown mode and a "rapid" shutdown mode. "Normal" shutdown proceeds through a process of (a) disconnecting the load, (b) consuming excess hydrogen, and (c) cooling the system in a manner to minimize internal stresses induced from thermal change. With a "rapid" shutdown, conditions are present such as a malfunction or error detection which require the fuel cell to be shut down in a manner which does not enable the time needed for consuming excess hydrogen. When a "rapid" shutdown is implemented, the residual fuel is handled by venting reformate or hydrogen to the atmosphere.
There are typically two venting solenoid valves for fuel reactant in a conventional fuel cell stack of a fuel cell power system: a first valve at the outlet of the fuel processor generating the fuel and a second valve at the outlet of the anode manifolds of the stack. During normal operation, these venting valves are closed to prevent hydrogen leakage and/or discharge to the atmosphere. Conventional fuel cell power systems not having a fuel processor typically use at least one vent valve on the stack anode. During a "rapid" shutdown, each venting valve opens to vent hydrogen to the atmosphere. This approach rapidly removes potential and thermal energy from the system and vents residual hydrogen within the fuel cell.
These vent valves have traditionally been provided as normally-open valves in which the valve is biased open via spring returns. As should be apparent, in the powered-down state, these valves are open and therefore allow fluid flow into and out of the anode manifolds. The fail-open valve is deployed so that the system vents fuel out the combustible vent even during a full loss of system power (usually the most dramatic "rapid" shutdown situation). As should also be apparent, a normally-open vent valve remains open after the system has shutdown in the continued absence of any electrical power. Such as when the system is turned off.
One disadvantage, however, in using normally-open vent valves is that, in some particular shutdown instances where the vent valves remain open, some residual hydrogen remains in the fuel cell manifolds. When a long downtime ensues, it is possible for air to flow through the vent over time until a combustible mixture occurs in some part of the system. It is also possible for a combustible mixture to evolve when power failure occurs after a "normal" shutdown executed without a purge (e.g., a "normal shutdown" initiated under controlled conditions which deteriorates into a "rapid" shutdown due to power loss).
Another disadvantage in using normally-open vent valves is that catalyst deactivation may ensue after shutdown of the fuel cell and loss of power. In this regard, a number of catalysts deactivate in the presence of air, especially immediately after shutdown when the catalyst is still thermally "hot". One approach to handling this concern is to use an air tolerant catalyst; but this approach severely hampers the choice of possible catalysts. Another approach is to provide a purge mechanism whereby hydrogen is purged from the system with an inert gas such as nitrogen to provide a nitrogen blanket over the active catalyst elements. Such alternatives define a more expensive design than is achievable with a catalyst not as air tolerant.
A further disadvantage in using normally-open vent valves is that, in powered-down mode, a path to the fuel processor and/or stack manifolds is available for dust and other potentially harmful elements to contaminate the internal channels and surfaces of the fuel cell. Such contamination shortens fuel cell life and also may diminish fuel cell performance in comparison to a fuel cell which is not contaminated.
An additional disadvantage in using normally-open vent valves derives from controller lockup where the control computer for the fuel cell system establishes fail-last control element positioning. In this context, the normally-open vent valves may be inappropriately sustained in a closed position.
Yet another disadvantage in using normally-open vent valves derives from the fact that all normally-open valves must be energized to remain shut—the primary operating state of vent valves. As such, these normally-open vent valves constitute a parasitic power burden on the fuel cell power system in normal real-time operation, inherently lowering overall operating system efficiency.
What is needed is a holistic approach to fuel cell venting and purging which provides coordinated shutdown of the fuel cell at low cost, protection of the catalyst after a power failure in the fuel cell power system, a basis for appropriate shutdown of the fuel cell stack and/or fuel cell stack set when conditions collectively indicate the need for such an operational event, and optimal efficiency in fuel cell power system operation. The present invention is directed to fulfilling this need.

Method and apparatus for venting and purging of a fuel cell


Embodiments relate to systems and methods for enabling stations to connect to wireless hotspots using non-Unicode service set identification information. A WiFi™ wireless router or other access point can broadcast beacon information to smart phones or other stations within wireless range of that device. In existing access point implementations, the character set in which the access point broadcasts this information, including a service set identification indicating the connection services available from the access point, are assumed to be encoded in Unicode format, specifically, UTF-8 format. While English-language options are properly displayed, character sets and/or languages which are not encoded in Unicode (UTF-8) format are translated into unintelligible characters using this approach. According to embodiments, access point hardware can be configured to broadcast the type of character set encoding in the beacon information itself, for instance, in existing SSID information elements, vendor-specific information elements, and/or other locations in the beacon data.

The reason for this difficulty is that existing smart phones or other devices will display unintelligible or junk characters in place of the intended Chinese characters indicating SSID information in that language. To make matters worse, even if the user guesses and selects one of the access points to connect to, the smart phone is typically not able to establish a connection with the selected router or hot spot. Some smart phones are not even capable or recognizing or scanning an access point when the SSID is configured in Chinese, Indian, Spanish, etc. This is a significant limitation of smart phones from the perspective of many users, because a smart phone which is expected to connect with any WiFi™ hot spot in the world can actually paralyze the complete WLAN feature of the smart phone when the phone's user tries to connect to those hot spots which are configured with non-English SSID's, as mentioned above.
In terms of smart phones based on the Android™ operating system, the reason that Android™ phones display "junk" characters for Chinese or other languages is not because the Android™ graphical user interface (GUI), which is powered or supported by the Java™ framework, does not support Chinese characters. Instead, a significant part of the difficulty lies in the way processing of SSID information is handled in the existing Android™ operating system and related logic. More particularly, the Android™ framework, including the supplicant module used to establish connections to hotspots, is completely unaware of the encoding format in which the SSID name is encoded in beacon frames broadcast by the access point. Instead, smart phones based on the existing Android™ operating system merely and always assume that SSID information passed to them is in Unicode (UTF-8 code) format. This default processing of character sets results in anomalous behavior if the SSID is encoded in a coding format other than Unicode. As noted, wireless routers or other access point devices may be encoded in non-Unicode formats in many regions of the world, including as noted China, as well as other locations.
To consider the existing SSID format used by smart phones connecting to WiFi™ access points, the SSID information is presented in an SSID Information Element identified by Element Id: 0, in a structure which is illustrated in FIG. 1. The SSID IE shown is mandated by industry standards published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or "IEEE.". As per this SSID IE which is defined by the IEEE standards, the only significant information conveyed is the SSID name and the length of the SSID. There is no additional information that is available to assist in identifying the character set, associated language, or other extended characteristics of a WiFi™ access point.
A scenario can likewise be considered in which there are two access points transmitting and announcing their SSID's, which might be in English and Chinese, respectively, within a local broadcast range. As expected the SSID IE's broadcast the SSID's, but the English SSID is encoded according to ASCII code set, whereas the Chinese SSID might be encoded according to the official Guo Biou (GB) code set promulgated for Chinese character processing.
The smart phone supplicant module, which interfaces between the Java™ framework and the underlying WLAN driver and other transceiver logic, receives these two SSID IE's from the WLAN interface. The supplicant module passes both of them on to the Android™ graphical user interface (GUI) framework. That GUI framework handles the responsibility of appropriately decoding the SSID name and displaying it in the smart phone's WiFi™ scan window or other display. But the Chinese SSID which is encoded in the separate GB code is assumed to be represented UTF-8 compatible code, causing it to be decoded incorrectly by the Android™ Java™ framework, since that framework attempts to decode the GB code assuming the character set information is available in UTF-8 format.
This incompatibility leads to unintelligible or "junk" characters being displayed in the device's scan window. In contrast, since the UTF-8 values for ASCII-based characters are identical, the scan window shows the English SSID correctly on the smart phone.
If an attempt were made to manage the issue for Chinese or other non-English SSIDs outside conventional ASCII set, that approach would cause the supplicant module and Java™ framework module installed on the smart phone to require very complex and possibly unreliable decoding logic to identify whether the SSID name is encoded in ASCII, GB code, or any other encoding scheme that the access point might use. It may be remembered that there is no guideline mandated by the IEEE for access point manufacturers to encode the SSID in any particular coding format. That lack of standardization makes the possible decoding of the access point character set by the smart phone itself that much more difficult at the supplicant/framework level.
It may be desirable to provide systems and methods for enabling stations to connect to wireless hotspots using non-Unicode service set identification information, in which the access point can systematically share which coding scheme is used for the character set used for the SSID broadcast by that device. This information can be passed to the Android™ operating system, Java™ framework, and/or other logic which can then accurately and reliably parse the SSID based on a variety of different character coding schemes, providing visibility into WiFi™ networks by users of a variety of languages.

Systems and methods for enabling stations to connect to wireless hotspots using non-unicode service set identification information


There is provided a multilayer ceramic electronic component including a ceramic body including dielectric layers, and first and second internal electrodes formed within the ceramic body and disposed to face each other having the respective dielectric layers interposed therebetween, wherein in a cross-section of the ceramic body in a length-thickness (L-T) direction, when an area of non-electrode regions in cover part internal electrodes among the first and second internal electrodes is defined as Acover and an area of non-electrode regions in center part internal electrodes among the first and second internal electrodes is defined as Acenter, a ratio of Acenter to Acover satisfies 0.33≦Acenter/Acover≦0.95.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer ceramic electronic component and a mounting board therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, electronic components using a ceramic material, such as a capacitor, an inductor, a piezoelectric element, a varistor, a thermistor, or the like, include a ceramic body made of a ceramic material, internal electrodes formed within the ceramic body, and external electrodes mounted on external surfaces of the ceramic body so as to be connected to the internal electrodes.
Among ceramic electronic components, a multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a plurality of stacked dielectric layers, internal electrodes disposed to face each other, having the dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and external electrodes electrically connected to the internal electrodes.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors have been widely used as components in mobile communications devices such as laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, and the like, due to advantages thereof such as a small size, high capacitance, ease of mounting, or the like.
In accordance with the recent trend toward electronic devices having high performance as well as compact, slim form factors, demands have been made for electronic components having a small size, high performance, and high capacitance. In particular, as CPUs are increasingly being provided with higher speeds, the slimness, lightweightness, digitalization, and multifunctionalization of devices have increased, research into technology for implementing multilayer ceramic capacitor characteristics such as miniaturization, thinness, high capacitance, low impedance in a high frequency region, and the like, have been actively ongoing.
In addition, a multilayer ceramic capacitor has been usefully used as a bypass capacitor disposed in a power supply circuit in a large scale integration (LSI) scheme. The multilayer ceramic capacitor serving as the bypass capacitor needs to effectively remove high frequency noise. This demand is further increasing in accordance with the trend in which electronic devices increasingly operate in a high frequency band. The multilayer ceramic capacitor used as the bypass capacitor may be electrically connected to a mounting pad on a circuit board through soldering, and the mounting pad may be connected to other external circuits through wiring patterns or conductive vias in the circuit board.

Multilayer ceramic electronic component and mounting board therefor


A communication device simplified in circuit configuration and capable of shortening the time required to copy packets for broadcasting or multicasting. A packet separator separates an incoming packet into a data part and a header part, and a memory stores the data part. An internal packet generator attaches, to the header part, an internal header of a fixed length including the address of the stored data part, to generate an internal packet. A route searcher searches for a route for the internal packet based on the header part. Queues are associated with packet input/output ports, respectively, for temporarily storing the internal packet routed by the route searcher. A reader reads out the data part from the memory in accordance with the address included in the internal header of the internal packet. A packet generator generates an output packet from the data part and the header part of the internal packet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication devices, and more particularly, to a communication device for routing packets.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Layer 2 switch forwards packets at the Data-link layer (Layer 2) of the OSI reference model. Ethernet® is a typical connection scheme for LANs (Local Area Networks) and concerned with the Layer 2 of the OSI reference model.
FIG. 13 illustrates routing control of a Layer 2 switch. In the figure, reference numerals 131a, 131b, . . . , 131n denote packets input from n input ports, not shown. The input packets 131a, 131b, . . . , 131n are routed in accordance with their header information and written in corresponding queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n associated with n output ports, not shown. The packets 131a, 131b, . . . , 131n stored in the queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n are output thereafter from the corresponding output ports. The packets are routed on a packet-by-packet basis (Ethernet frame header+data).
The packets 131a, 131b, . . . , 131n in the queues 132a, 132b, . . . 132n are read out and stored in read buffers 133a, 133b, . . . , 133n. The packets 131a, 131b, . . . , 131n stored in the read buffers 133a, 133b, . . . , 133n are then read out by a read controller 134 and sent to the output ports, not shown. In FIG. 13, reference numerals 135a, 135b, . . . , 135n represent packets being output to the output ports.
A Layer 2 switch not only forwards one input packet to a single route but copies an input packet to be output to multiple routes, as in broadcasting or multicasting. In the case of broadcasting or multicasting a packet, the packet is copied and the copies are stored in the corresponding queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n. In the illustrated example, the packets 131n, namely, packets P5 and P6 are broadcast or multicast. In this case, the packets P5 and P6 (131n) are copied to all queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n and are output from all output ports, as indicated by the packets 135a, 135b, . . . , 135n.
FIG. 14 illustrates packet copying control. As shown in the figure, a packet 141 input from an input port is copied to make n copies, which are written in the respective queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n. The packets 141 stored in the queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n are then output from the respective output ports. In FIG. 14, the read buffers 133a, 133b, . . . , 133n and the read controller 134 appearing in FIG. 13 are omitted.
Meanwhile, packets have variable lengths, and therefore, when reading packets from the queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n, the lengths of packets to be read out must be taken into account. Also, the time required to copy a packet to the queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n is proportional to (packet length)×(number of copies), and thus varies depending on the packet length.
FIG. 15 illustrates difference in copying control according to packet lengths. Suppose the case where m shortest packets 151 or a single longest packet 152 is input, as illustrated. The total data amount of the m packets 151 is equal to the data amount of the single longest packet 152.
When copying the packet 152, the packet has only to be copied n times (n: number of output ports). On the other hand, in the case of copying the packets 151, copying operation must be performed n×m times. Thus, the short packets require more copying operations than the long packet, even though the data amounts are the same, lowering transfer efficiency. Also, where packets have different lengths such as the packets 151 and 152, the circuit for reading the packets from the queues 132a, 132b, . . . , 132n is required to read the packets taking account of their packet lengths.
As conventional techniques, a network adapter has been proposed in which copying between memories of a host computer is abolished to thereby improve the memory use efficiency (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-84002).
Since packets have variable lengths, the packet lengths need to be taken into account when reading packets from queues, giving rise to the problem that the configuration of the circuit for reading out packets becomes complicated.
Also, when packets are copied to queues for the purpose of broadcasting or multicasting, a long copying time is required if the packets to be copied are short in length.


A fuel nature measuring device for measuring the nature of fuel stored in a fuel tank includes a measurement passage, a gas flow generator, a pressure detector, an concentration operator, a temperature detector, and a volatility calculator. The measurement passage has an orifice. The gas flow generator generates gas flow in the measurement passage. The pressure detector detects a differential pressure between opposite ends of the orifice. The concentration operator determines a concentration of evaporated fuel in the fuel tank based on the differential pressure detected when the opposite ends of the measurement passage communicate with the fuel tank and the fuel flows in the measurement passage. The temperature detector determines a temperature of the fuel in the fuel tank. The volatility calculator calculates a volatility of the fuel in the fuel tank based on the concentration of the evaporated fuel and the temperature of the fuel in the tank.

A gasoline engine in an automobile generally has a fuel injection valve provided at an intake pipe, and fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is supplied to an intake port. However, during cold starting with no sufficient warm-up, part of the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve tends to stick to the inner wall surface of the intake port or the surface of the intake valve and fails to enter the combustion chamber. This substantially reduces the injection amount. In order to secure an air-fuel ratio equivalent to that in a sufficiently warmed-up state, the injection amount is often corrected by adding fuel in such a case.
The amount of fuel thus sticking, for example, to the inner wall surface of the intake port, without contributing to combustion varies depending on the nature of the fuel, especially the level of its volatility. Fuel nature varies among the manufacturers, the seasons, and the distribution areas even if the fuel is of the same kind. Therefore, fuel nature must be measured highly precisely in order to accurately correct the injection amount.
A known technique for measuring fuel nature takes advantage of the characteristic that the dielectric constant of fuel changes depending on the fuel nature. According to this technique, a capacitor-type detector is provided and determines whether the fuel is light gasoline or heavy gasoline based on a capacitance of the detector corresponding to the dielectric constant of the fuel (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 4-8956). According to this technique, an oscillation circuit that generates a signal at a frequency corresponding to capacitance is provided to obtain the capacitance. Another known technique takes advantage of the characteristic that the refractive index, boiling point, and molecular heat of a fuel changes depending on the fuel nature (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 4-1438). According to the disclosure of Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 4-1438, an optical fiber is immersed in the fuel, and the quantity of light passed through the optical fiber is anazlyzed to obtain the refractive index.
In order to obtain the volatility of fuel based on the dielectric constant and the refractive index, a relation between the dielectric constant and refractive index of the fuel and the volatility of the fuel must be previously known. However, the relationship varies among the manufacturers of the fuel, the seasons, and the distribution areas and it is not necessarily easy to acquire accurate information between them.

Fuel nature measuring device of internal combustion engine and internal combustion engine having the same


A display apparatus in which one of periods of time of a plurality of subfields is sequentially designated within a display period of time of one field, one line is sequentially designated for the purpose of sequentially scanning all lines within the period of time of each subfield, data of one designated line in pixel data of one field stored in a field memory is read, the pixel data of each pixel of one line is individually converted into bit train data showing light emission or non-light emission of each of the plurality of subfields, each bit corresponding to the period of time of the designated subfield in the bit train data of each pixel of one line is generated in parallel, and a display panel is driven in accordance with the parallel output bits, the designated period of time of one subfield, and one designated line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus having a display panel such as a plasma display panel (hereinafter, referred to as a PDP) of a matrix display system.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In recent years, in association with enlargement of a display apparatus, a thin-type display apparatus has been required and various thin-type display apparatuses have been put into practical use. As one of the thin-type display apparatuses, attention is paid to a display apparatus using an AC (alternating discharge) type PDP.
The PDP has: a plurality of column electrodes (address electrodes); and a plurality of row electrode pairs arranged so as to cross those column electrodes. Each of the row electrode pairs and the column electrodes is coated with a dielectric layer for a discharge space and they have a structure such that a discharge cell corresponding to one pixel is formed at a cross point of the row electrode pair and the column electrode. Since the PDP performs a light emission display by using a discharge phenomenon, each of the discharge cells has only two states, that is, a light emitting state and a non-light emitting state. A subfield method, therefore, is used in order to realize a halftone luminance display corresponding to an input video signal by the PDP. According to the subfield method, a display period of time of one field is divided into a plurality of subfields and the input video signal is converted into pixel data of the number of bits as many as the number of subfields every field. Each bit of the pixel data indicates the light emission or the non-light emission of a period of time of one of the plurality of subfields. The converted pixel data is once stored into a field memory every field. The corresponding bit of the pixel data is read from the field memory every subfield at the timing responsive to a sync signal of the input video signal. In the case of the bit to be light-emitted, the number of light emitting times corresponding to a weight of the subfield is allocated thereto, and the bit is light-emission driven (for example, refer to the Official Gazette of Japanese Patent Kokai No. 2000-259122).
In the display apparatus using the subfield method, in order to improve image quality of the halftone luminance display, there is a method whereby the number of subfields is increased. Since the number of bits of the pixel data which is stored into the field memory, however, also increases in accordance with the increase in the number of subfields, there is a problem such that a capacity of the field memory also increases.


A robot control device according to an embodiment includes: an observer receiving the angular velocity of the motor and the current command value, and estimating an angular acceleration of the link, and angular velocities of the link and the motor from a simulation model of an angular velocity control system of the motor; a first feedback unit calculating an axis torsion angular velocity from a difference between the angular velocities of the link and the motor estimated by the observer, and giving feedback to the angular velocity control system; a second feedback unit feeding back the angular acceleration of the link estimated by the observer to the angular velocity control system; and a first feedback constant calculating unit compensating an end effector load mass and increases inertia at the second feedback unit when an end effector load in the nonlinear dynamic model has low inertia.

To suppress vibration of the distal end of a mufti-link robot, an axis torsion angular velocity (the difference between a link angular velocity and a motor angular velocity) needs to be estimated from a motor angular velocity measured by an encoder installed in a motor that drives respective axes, and be fed back to a motor angular velocity control system. In the estimation, it is required that a nonlinear observer based on a nonlinear dynamic model takes into account elastic joints, and the nonlinear interference forces acting between the links.
To realize such a mufti-input/output nonlinear observer, an accurate dynamic model needs to be built, and robustness to variations in payload and friction-torque is required. Conventionally, an approximative observer based on a one-input/output linear model that performs "disturbance estimation from another link and compensation in the elastic joint model at each one link" is normally used so as to reduce the amount of calculation in control operations.
As CPUs and memories have improved in performance in recent years, a robot control device can now have the benefit of increased computing power and large memory capacities.
However, since such an observer is based on approximation, the vibration suppression effect is not robust, and on top of that, the engineering costs required for implementing control laws and adjusting control gains are enormous.
Also, as angular velocity sensors can be readily obtained these days, it is possible to suppress vibration by mounting an angular velocity sensor on each of the links of a robot arm, directly measuring axis torsion angular velocities, and performing feedback. However, this technique requires a larger number of wirings, resulting in a problem such as a high cost in some cases.
Furthermore, in a vibration suppression control system that performs feedback of axis torsion angular velocities, there is a problem of a decrease in the damping effect of the vibration suppression control when the end effector load is small or has low inertia, regardless of whether the axis torsion angular velocities are estimated by a state observer or are directly measured.


Systems and methods for atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a flexible substrate involve guiding the substrate back and forth between spaced-apart first and second precursor zones, so that the substrate transits through each of the precursor zones multiple times. Systems may include a series of turning guides, such as rollers, spaced apart along the precursor zones for supporting the substrate along an undulating transport path. As the substrate traverses back and forth between precursor zones, it passes through a series of flow-restricting passageways of an isolation zone into which an inert gas is injected to inhibit migration of precursor gases out of the precursor zones. Also disclosed are systems and methods for utilizing more than two precursor chemicals and for recycling precursor gases exhausted from the precursor zones.

The field of this disclosure relates to thin film deposition systems and methods for coating flexible substrates.
Atomic layer deposition ("ALD"), formerly known as atomic layer epitaxy ("ALE"), is a thin film deposition process that is known for use in manufacturing electroluminescent (EL) display panels, in semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing, and for other purposes. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,430 of Suntola et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 20040208994 A1 of Härkönen et al., US 20040124131 A1 of Aitchison et al., and US 20050011555 A1 of Maula et al., the specifications of which are all incorporated herein by reference. ALD offers several benefits over other thin film deposition methods, such as physical vapor deposition ("PVD") (e.g., evaporation or sputtering) and chemical vapor deposition ("CVD"), as described in Atomic Layer Epitaxy (T. Suntola and M. Simpson, eds., Blackie and Son Ltd., Glasgow, 1990), incorporated herein by reference.
In contrast to CVD, in which the flows of precursors are static (i.e., flow rates are steady during processing) and the substrate is exposed to multiple precursors simultaneously present in the reaction chamber, the precursor flows in ALD processing are dynamic and sequential, so that the substrate is exposed to only one precursor at a time. Successful ALD growth has conventionally required the sequential introduction of two or more different precursor vapors into a reaction space around a substrate. ALD is usually performed at elevated temperatures and low pressures. For example, the reaction space may be heated to between 200° C. and 600° C. and operated at a pressure of between 0.1 mbar and 50 mbar. In a typical ALD reactor, the reaction space is bounded by a reaction chamber sized to accommodate one or more substrates. One or more precursor material delivery systems (also known as "precursor sources") are typically provided for feeding precursor materials into the reaction chamber.
After the substrates are loaded into the reaction chamber and heated to a desired processing temperature, a first precursor vapor is directed over the substrates. Some of the precursor vapor chemisorbs or adsorbs on the surface of the substrates to make a monolayer film. In pure ALD, the molecules of precursor vapor will not attach to other like molecules and the process is therefore self-limiting. Next, the reaction space is purged to remove excess of the first vapor and any volatile reaction products. Purging is typically accomplished by flushing the reaction space with an inert purge gas that is non-reactive with the first precursor. After purging, a second precursor vapor is introduced. Molecules of the second precursor vapor chemisorb or otherwise react with the chemisorbed or adsorbed first precursor molecules to form a thin film product of the first and second precursors. To complete the ALD cycle, the reaction space is again purged with an inert purge gas to remove any excess of the second vapor as well as any volatile reaction products. The steps of first precursor pulse, purge, second precursor pulse, and purge are typically repeated hundreds or thousands of times until the desired thickness of the film is achieved.
The required temperatures, pressures, and reaction chamber conditions have conventionally limited the ALD technique to deposition on substrates of relatively small size. For example, known uses of ALD include EL display panels and semiconductor wafers.

Atomic layer deposition method for coating flexible substrates


Disclosed is a portable communication apparatus with a data-inputting expansion comprising a main housing having a display device; a rotatable housing having first and second data-inputting devices on its upper and lower surfaces, respectively, the rotatable housing rotatably connected to the main housing while facing the main housing; a connecting portion with a contact surface exposed on one side of the front surface of the main housing; a first terminal with a contact surface exposed on one side of the rear surface of the rotatable housing, the first terminal being connected to the first data-inputting device; and a second terminal with a contact surface exposed on the other side of the rear surface of the rotatable housing, the second terminal being connected to the second data-inputting device, wherein connection is made between the connecting portion and one of the first or second terminals, as chosen by the rotation of the rotatable housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable communication apparatus including a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a HHP (Hand-Held PC), a cellular telephone, etc., and more specifically to a portable communication apparatus with a data-inputting expansion for convenient data-inputting operation, and in particular, to a PDA with a data-inputting expansion.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, "a portable communication apparatus" means an apparatus carried by a user and used for performing wireless communication with another person. Such portable communication apparatuses are classified into various types by appearance: for example, into bar-type apparatuses, flip-type apparatuses and folder-type apparatuses. The bar-type apparatus has a single bar-type housing; the flip-type apparatus comprises a bar-type housing and a flip or a cover connected to the housing rotatably by a hinge mechanism; and the folder-type apparatus comprises a single housing and a folder capable of being folded through a rotatable connection to the housing by a hinge mechanism.
In addition, portable communication apparatuses can also be classified into neck wearable-type apparatuses and wrist wearable-type apparatuses in view of their positions worn on human body or the way they are worn. The neck wearable-type apparatus is carried by wearing the terminal around a user's neck using a cord, and the wrist wearable-type apparatus is carried on a user's wrist.
Furthermore, conventional portable communication apparatuses may also be classified into rotation-type apparatuses and sliding-type apparatuses according to the way they are opened and closed. The rotation-type apparatus is opened and closed by the rotation of its two housings facing each other and connected together, and the sliding-type apparatus is opened and closed when one of its two housings slides in a longitudinal direction while facing the other. The above-mentioned portable communication apparatuses, classified by a variety of standards, will be easily understood by those skilled in the art.
Meanwhile, the conventional portable communication apparatuses described above comprise antenna devices for transmitting/receiving signals, data-inputting/outputting devices, and optional data transmitting/receiving devices. Of course, keypads consisting of a number of keys, for data-inputting mainly through a finger press operation, are well-known and widely used as data-inputting devices. Touch pads and touch screens are also available. In addition, LCDs are generally used as data outputting devices.
Keypads, commonly used for data-inputting, are composed of an array of a number of keys. The keys reveal their upper surfaces in a way that allows users to input data through a finger press operation as desired. Furthermore, conventional portable communication apparatuses may comprise a camera lens as a photographing means which enables users to perform visual communication with another person or to photograph desired subjects.
However, the desire for information is on an increasing trend, and as a matter of fact, it is particularly inconvenient to communicate with conventional portable terminals in an internet environment or multimedia environment. Specifically, in the case of PDAs used for personal data management, the actual number of keys mounted as a data-inputting means is limited, since the minimization of the size of the body of the terminal is an important issue. Therefore, conventional portable communication apparatuses have an economic disadvantage in that additional data-inputting devices must be used by mounting them to the body of the apparatus through interfacing connectors.

Portable communication apparatus with data-inputting expansion


Drive voltages corresponding to forward voltages for colors R, G, and B are supplied to display pixels for colors R, G, and B arranged on a display panel to correct disruption of a color balance due to aging and temperature dependence of EL elements. The maximum voltage among the drive voltages is detected, and a predetermined voltage is added to the maximum voltage by a charge pump or the like, so that an operation voltage of a level shifter in a gate driver is obtained. An operation signal having a level equal to that of the operation voltage is supplied to a gate of a transistor arranged in each pixel. Therefore, regardless of aging or the like, the control transistor accurately executes an ON operation at a timing for scanning to make it possible to prevent an image display from being defective.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for driving an active matrix light-emitting display panel which selectively luminescently drive a large number of light-emitting elements which exhibit different emission colors by using, e.g., TFTs (Thin Film Transistors).
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the popularization of a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and the like, a demand for a display panel which has a high-definition image display function and can realize a small thickness and a low power consumption increases. As a display panel which satisfies the demand, liquid crystal panels are conventionally applied to a large number of products. On the other hand, in recent years, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) element which takes advantage of characteristics of a self-emitting display element is practically used. The display panel draws attention as a next-generation display panel which is replaced with a conventional liquid crystal display panel. This is caused by a background in which an organic compound which can expect preferable light-emitting characteristics is used in a light-emitting function layer of an element to achieve practical high efficiency and practical long life.
The organic EL element, for example, is basically formed such that a transparent electrode consisting of, e.g., ITO, a light-emitting function layer consisting of an organic material, and a metal electrode are sequentially stacked on a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate. The light-emitting function layer may be a single layer consisting of an organic light-emitting layer, a two-layer structure consisting of an organic hole transportation layer and an organic light-emitting layer, a three-layer structure consisting of an organic hole transportation layer, an organic light-emitting layer, and an organic electron transportation layer, or a multi-layer structure obtained by inserting an electron or hole-implanted layer between these appropriate layers.
The organic EL element can be electrically expressed by an equivalent circuit as shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, the organic EL element can be electrically replaced with a configuration constituted by a diode component E serving as a light-emitting element and a parasitic capacitive component Cp coupled in parallel to the diode component E. The organic EL element is considered as a capacitive light-emitting element.
When a light-emitting drive voltage is applied to the organic EL element, first, electric charges corresponding to the electric capacitance of the element flow into the electrode as a displacement current and are accumulated in the electrode. Subsequently, when the voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage (light-emitting threshold voltage=Vth) inherent in the element, a current begins to flow from one electrode (anode side of the diode component E) to the organic layer constituting the light-emitting layer. It can be understood that light emission occurs with an intensity which is in proportion to the current.
FIGS. 2A to 2D show light-emitting static characteristics of such an organic EL element. According to this, the organic EL element, as shown in FIG. 2A, emission occurs with a luminance L which is appropriately proportional to a drive current I. As indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2B, a drive voltage V is equal to or higher than an emission threshold voltage Vth, the current I rapidly flows to emit light.
In other words, when the drive voltage is equal to or lower than the emission threshold voltage Vth, a current rarely flows in the EL element, and the EL element does not emit light. Therefore, the EL element has the following luminance characteristic. That is, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2C, in an emittable region in which the drive voltage is larger than the threshold voltage Vth, as the voltage V applied to the EL element increases, an emission luminance L increases.
On the other hand, it is known that the organic EL element has physical properties which change in long-term use to increase a forward voltage Vf. For this reason, In the EL element, as shown in FIG. 2B, a V-I (L) characteristic changes in a direction indicated by an arrow (characteristic indicated by a broken line) depending on actual operating time. Therefore, the luminance characteristic also decreases.
Furthermore, it is known that the luminance characteristic generally changes as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2C depending on a temperature. More specifically, the EL element has the following characteristics. That is, in an emittable region in which the drive voltage is larger than the emission threshold voltage, as the voltage V applied to the EL element increases, the emission luminance L of the EL element increases. However, the temperature increases, the emission threshold voltage decreases. Therefore, a minimum applied voltage with which the EL element is set in an emittable state decreases as the temperature increases. Even though a predetermined emittable applied voltage is given, the EL element is bright at a high temperature and dark at a low temperature. That is, the luminance is dependent on temperature.
In addition, the EL elements disadvantageously have luminous efficiencies to a drive voltage which change depending on emission colors. As the luminous efficiencies of EL elements which can be practically used and emit R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) lights, in an early stage, as generally shown in FIG. 2D, the emission efficiency of G is high, and the emission efficiency of B is the lowest. Each of the EL elements which emit R, G, and B lights has an aging characteristic and a temperature dependence as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C.
Therefore, when EL elements which emit R, G, and B lights are arranged as sub-pixels to try to perform, e.g., full-color display, a color balance is disrupted due to a change in environment temperature or aging, and display quality cannot be easily held at a predetermined level. In particular, in a device for driving an active matrix display panel having a configuration in which EL elements are driven at a constant voltage by switching operations of TFTs, as indicated by V-I (L) characteristics shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D, an emission luminance largely varies with a variation of the forward voltage Vf of each element to pose a problem of considerable deterioration of display quality.
For this reason, in order to solve the above problem, monitor elements which monitor the forward voltages Vf of the EL elements which emit R, G, and B lights are prepared. A device for driving a light-emitting display panel in which drive voltages applied to the EL elements which emits the color lights are independently controlled based on the forward voltages Vf obtained by the monitor elements is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-162255.
As described above, when the drive voltages applied to sub-pixels which emit R, G, and B lights are independently controlled in accordance with the aging or the like, the drive circuit constituted by TFTs which luminescently drive EL elements constituting the R, G, and B light-emitting elements are inhibited from being normally driven.
FIG. 3 is to explain the problem. FIG. 3 shows a most basic pixel configuration called a conductance control scheme which is preferably employed when EL elements are used as light-emitting elements. More specifically, the gate of a control transistor Tr1 constituted by an n-channel TFT is connected to a gate driver (not shown) through a scan selecting line A1, and the source is connected to a data driver (not shown) through a data line B1. The drain of the control transistor Tr1 is connected to the gate of a light-emitting drive transistor Tr2 constituted by a p-channel TFT, and one terminal of a charge storing capacitor Cs.
The source of the light-emitting drive transistor Tr2 is connected to the other terminal of the charge storing capacitor Cs and connected to a power supply line P1. An anode of an EL element E1 serving as a light-emitting element is connected to the drain of the light-emitting drive transistor, and the cathode of the EL element E1 is connected to a cathode-side power supply line. The sub-pixels having the above configuration constitute color pixels including the R, G, and B elements as combinations. The large number of color pixels in the form of a matrix in the horizontal and vertical directions on the display panel.
In the above pixel configuration, when an ON voltage is supplied to the gate of the control transistor Tr1 by a gate driver through the scan selecting line A1, the control transistor Tr1 causes a current corresponding to a data voltage from the data line B1 supplied to the source to flow from the source to the drain. Therefore, in the period in which the gate of the control transistor Tr1 has an ON voltage, the charge storing capacitor Cs is electrically charged, and the voltage is supplied to the gate of the light-emitting drive transistor Tr2.
therefore, the light-emitting drive transistor Tr2 is turned on based on a voltage between the gate and the source, and a drive voltage supplied through the power supply line P1, e.g., VHR is applied to the EL element E1 to luminescently drive the EL element.
On the other hand, when the gate of the control transistor Tr1 has an OFF voltage, the transistor is set in a cut-off state, and the drain of the control transistor Tr1 is set in an open state. The gate voltage of the light-emitting drive transistor Tr2 is held by electric charges accumulated in the charge storing capacitor Cs, a state in which the drive voltage VHR is applied to the EL element E1 is continued until the next scanning. In this manner, the emission of light from the EL element E1 is kept.
In the pixel configuration shown in FIG. 3, drive voltages (VHR, VHG, and VHB) having different values are applied through the power supply line P1 depending on the colors R, G, and B, respectively. As additionally described as an example in FIG. 3, reference symbol VHR denotes a drive voltage supplied to the sub-pixel for R. For example, the drive voltage is set at 7.0 V. Reference symbol VHG denotes a drive voltage supplied to the sub-pixel for G. For example, the drive voltage is set at 5.5 V. Reference symbol VHB denotes a drive voltage supplied to the sub-pixel for B. For example, the drive voltage is set at 6.0 V.
On the other hand, in the above configuration, voltages the levels of which are equal to those of the voltages VHR, VHG, and VHB are supplied to the sub-pixels for R, G, and B as a source supply voltage VHso supplied from the data driver to the source of the control transistor Tr1 through the data line B1. Therefore, when the control transistor Tr1 is turned on the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the device operates to turnoff the light-emitting drive transistor Tr2. In order to control the device to turn on the light-emitting drive transistor Tr2, as additionally described in FIG. 3, the device is designed to apply −2.0 V as a source supply voltage VLso.
In the above conditions, in order to set the control transistor Tr1 in a scan selecting state, the device must be designed such that a gate control voltage VHga (=9.0 V) having a value obtained by adding a threshold voltage of about 2.0 V at which the control transistor Tr1 can be turned on to the voltage VHR (7.0 V) which is the highest voltage in the voltages VHR, VHG, and VHB can be applied. On the other hand, in order to set the control transistor Tr1 in a non-scanning state, the device must be designed such that a gate control voltage VLga (=−4.0 V) lower than the source supply voltage VLso can be applied.
The light-emitting drive operation is continued based on the above voltage settings, forward voltages corresponding to R, G, and B gradually increase by aging. Accordingly, it is assumed that the voltages VHR, VHG, and VHB increase to 7.5 V, 6.0 V, and 8.0 V, respectively as additionally described as an example. In this case, when the gate control voltage VHga (=9.0 V) is set with respect to the maximum value (=8.0 v) of the source supply voltage VHso applied to the source of the control transistor Tr1, it is impossible to sufficiently turn on the control transistor Tr1. Therefore, an image is defectively displayed on the display panel.
In order to avoid the defect on the display panel, as a gate control voltage applied to the control transistor Tr1, a power supply voltage obtained by adding a threshold voltage at which the control transistor Tr1 can be turned on to the maximum accomplishment value of the voltages VHR, VHG, and VHB may be prepared from the beginning. However, continuous generation of the high voltage disadvantageously causes waste of a battery when use of a mobile device is supposed.

Device for driving active matrix light-emitting display panel by controlling drive voltage