A method and system is provided for processing queries. Specifically, techniques are provided for handling a query that does not reference a particular materialized view, where the query requires access to values from a particular column not contained in the materialized view. A technique is also provided for processing a query that does not reference a particular materialized aggregate view, where the materialized aggregate view specifies an outer join between a child table and a parent table and the query specifies a particular type of join between the child table and the parent table, where the particular type of join is one of an inner join, an anti-join and a semi-join. The query is rewritten to produce a rewritten query that accesses the materialized aggregate view to produce data required by the query. A technique is also provided for processing a query that does not reference a particular materialized view and that specifies that results are to be grouped by a first set of one or more columns, where the materialized view reflects data that is grouped by a second set of one or more columns. If each column in the first set of columns either exactly matches a column in the second set of columns, is functionally dependent on another column in the first set of columns, or is functionally dependent on a column in the second set of columns, then the query is rewritten to produce a rewritten query that references the materialized view.

The present invention relates to database systems, and in particular, to rewriting queries to access data sources that are not specifically referenced in the queries.
In a database management system (DBMS), data is stored in one or more data containers, each container contains records, and the data within each record is organized into one or more fields. In relational database systems, the data containers are referred to as tables, the records are referred to as rows, and the fields are referred to as columns. In object oriented databases, the data containers are referred to as object classes, the records are referred to as objects, and the fields are referred to as attributes. Other database architectures may use other terminology.
The present invention is not limited to any particular type of data container or database architecture. However, for the purpose of explanation, the examples and the terminology used herein shall be that typically associated with relational databases. Thus, the terms xe2x80x9ctablexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9crowxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ccolumnxe2x80x9d shall be used herein to refer respectively to the data container, record, and field.
For various reasons, it may not be desirable for certain users to have access to all of the columns of a table. For example, one column of an employee table may hold the salaries for the employees. Under these circumstances, it may be desirable to limit access to the salary column to management, and allow all employees to have access to the other columns. To address this situation, the employees may be restricted from directly accessing the table. Instead, they may be allowed to indirectly access the appropriate columns in the table through a xe2x80x9cviewxe2x80x9d.
A view is a logical table. As logical tables, views may be queried by users as if they were a table. However, views actually present data that is extracted or derived from existing tables. Thus, the problem described above may be solved by (1) creating a view that extracts data from all columns of the employee table except the salary column, and (2) allowing all employees to access the view.
A view is defined by metadata referred to as a view definition. The view definition contains mappings to one or more columns in the one or more tables containing the data. Typically, the view definition is in the form of a database query. Columns and tables that are mapped to a view are referred to herein as base columns and base tables of the view, respectively. The data maintained in the base columns is referred to herein as base data.
The data presented by conventional views is gathered and derived on-the-fly from the base tables in response to queries that access the views. That data gathered for the view is not persistently stored after the query accessing the view has been processed. Because the data provided by conventional views is gathered from the base tables at the time the views are accessed, the data from the views will reflect the current state of the base tables. However, the overhead associated with gathering the data from the base tables for a view every time the view is accessed may be prohibitive.
A materialized view, on the other hand, is a view for which a copy of the view data is stored separate from the base tables from which the data was originally gathered and derived. The data contained in a materialized view is referred to herein as (xe2x80x9cmaterialized dataxe2x80x9d). Materialized views eliminate the overhead associated with gathering and deriving the view data every time a query accesses the view. As new data is periodically added to the base tables, the materialized view needs to be updated (i.e., refreshed) to reflect the new base data.
Materialized views that are derived from more than one base table are created by performing a join between the base tables. A join is a query that combines rows from two or more tables, views, or materialized views. A join is performed whenever multiple tables appear in a query""s FROM clause. The query""s select list can select any columns from any of the base tables listed in the FROM clause.
Most join queries contain WHERE clause conditions that compare two columns, each from a different table. Such a condition is called a join condition. To execute a join, the DBMS combines pairs of rows for which the join condition evaluates to TRUE, where each pair contains one row from each table.
To execute a join of three or more tables, the DBMS first joins two of the tables based on the join conditions comparing their columns and then joins the result to another table based on join conditions containing columns of the joined tables and the new table. The DBMS continues this process until all tables are joined into the result.
In addition to join conditions, the WHERE clause of a join query can also contain other conditions that refer to columns of only one table. These conditions can further restrict the rows returned by the join query.
An equijoin is a join with a join condition containing an equality operator. An equijoin combines rows that have equivalent values for the specified columns. Query1 is an equijoin that combines the rows of tables R and S where the value in column r.a is the same as the value in column s.a:
SELECT *
FROM R, S
WHERE r.a=s.a;
In this example, table R is the xe2x80x9cleftxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cchildxe2x80x9d side table of the join, and table S is the xe2x80x9crightxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cparentxe2x80x9d table of the join. The join illustrated by Query1 is a xe2x80x9csimplexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cinnerxe2x80x9d join. With an inner join, rows from the child table that do not satisfy the join condition are not reflected in the join result. In contrast, an outer join returns all child rows that satisfy the join condition and those rows from the child table for which no rows from the parent satisfy the join condition.
Computer database systems that are used for data warehousing frequently maintain materialized views that contain pre-computed summary information in order to speed up query processing. Such summary information is created by applying an aggregate function, such as SUM, COUNT, or AVERAGE, to values contained in the base tables. Materialized views that contain pre-computed summary information are referred to herein as xe2x80x9csummary tablesxe2x80x9d or more simply, xe2x80x9csummariesxe2x80x9d.
Summary tables typically store aggregated information, such as xe2x80x9csum of PRODUCT_SALES, by region, by month.xe2x80x9d Other examples of aggregated information include counts of tally totals, minimum values, maximum values, and average calculations. Summary tables are used to reduce the overhead associated with processing queries that request summary information. Because the summary information is already pre-computed, it need not be re-computed during the execution of each query that requests summary information. Instead, the pre-computed summary values can be directly retrieved from the summary columns of the summary table.
When a database user knows that a particular materialized view contains the data desired by the user, the user can formulate a query that extracts the desired data directly from that materialized view. However, there are numerous circumstances in which a user will design a query that does not reference a materialized view to retrieve a set of data that can be most efficiently retrieved by accessing the materialized view. For example, the user may not be aware of all of the materialized views available in the database, or may not be sure how a particular materialized view could be used to retrieve the desired information.
Even when the user is aware that materialized views are available that have data desired by the user, the user may prefer to have the server transparently rewrite the query in terms of the materialized views, rather than writing the query to directly reference the materialized views. By allowing the server to rewrite the query, the database administrator may easily add and drop materialized views without affecting the application code that imbeds the user query. For example, if a user query is rewritten by the server to use a particular materialized view MV1, then the application will not break if the database administrator decides to drop MV1. In contrast, if the user query directly references MV1 in the application code, then dropping MV1 will break the application.
In light of the foregoing, some database servers include mechanisms for rewriting queries that do not reference materialized views in a way that causes them to reference materialized views. The execution of the rewritten query is often considerably improved relative to the original query because the relational objects accessed by the rewritten query are (e.g. the materialized views) much smaller than the objects referenced in the original query (e.g. the base tables), and/or the number of objects used by the rewritten query is less than the number of objects referenced in the original query.
For example, a summary can correspond to a query which joins two tables and performs data aggregation to compute sum-of-sales by city, and stores the materialized result in a table. If a user issues a query Q which requests sum-of-sales by city, then Q can be transparently rewritten to access pre-computed data stored in the summary table. Because of the rewrite, the result for Q can be quickly produced by simply scanning the summary table instead of joining two tables and then aggregating the data.
Currently, database systems that include query rewrite mechanisms perform a series of tests on an incoming query to determine whether the query can be rewritten to access a particular materialized view. The tests include tests for (1) join compatibility and (2) data sufficiency. For summary tables, the tests additionally include tests for (3) grouping compatibility and (4) aggregate computability.
With respect to join compatibility, the test is passed if all joins in a materialized view match exactly with joins in a query, with possibly zero or more additional joins in the query. For example, if a materialized view joins tables A and B, and the query requires a join of A, B and C, then the join compatibility test is passed. However, if the materialized view joins tables A, B and D, and the query requires a join of A, B and C, then the join compatibility test fails.
With respect to data sufficiency, the test is passed if all necessary columns of a query can be obtained using the data stored in the materialized view. If values from a column necessary for the processing of a query are not contained in the materialized view, then the data sufficiency test fails.
With respect to grouping compatibility, the test is passed if the aggregates in a summary are at the same or lower level than the level of aggregates in a query. For example, a sum of sales by month is at a lower level than a sum of sales by year. Therefore, the grouping compatibility is passed if the summary has sum of sales by month and the query asks for sum of sales by year, but is failed if the summary has sum of sales by year and the query asks for sum of sales by month.
With respect to aggregate computability, the test is passed if each aggregate required by the query is computable from one or more aggregates in the summary. For example, the aggregate computability test is passed if the summary contains sum and count values, and the query requires an average. The aggregate computability test fails if the summary only contains sum, and the query requires an average.
If all of these tests are passed, then the rewrite mechanism determines that the received query can be rewritten to reference the materialized view in question.
Unfortunately, as these tests are currently applied, database servers often conclude that materialized views cannot be used to process a query when in fact they could be. In fact, database servers may conclude that a query cannot be rewritten to access a materialized view when use of the materialized view would actually be the most efficient way to process the query.
Based on the foregoing, it is clearly desirable to provide a query rewrite mechanism that is capable of rewriting queries to access materialized views that would otherwise have been considered ineligible by conventional rewrite mechanisms.
A method and system is provided for processing queries. According to one aspect of the invention, techniques are provided for handling a query that does not reference a particular materialized view, where the query requires access to values from a particular column not contained in the materialized view. Under these conditions, it is determined whether the particular materialized view satisfies each condition in a set of conditions, the set of conditions at least including a condition that the particular column is functionally dependent on a column that does belong to the materialized view; and if the materialized view satisfies each condition in the set of conditions, then the query is rewritten to produce a rewritten query that references the materialized view and joins the materialized view back to a join-back table that contains the particular column.
According to another aspect of the invention, a technique is provided for processing a query that does not reference a particular materialized aggregate view, where the materialized aggregate view specifies an outer join between a child table and a parent table and the query specifies a particular type of join between the child table and the parent table, where the particular type of join is one of an inner join, an anti-join and a semi-join. The query is rewritten to produce a rewritten query that accesses the materialized aggregate view to produce data required by the query.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a technique is provided for processing a query that does not reference a particular materialized view and that specifies that results are to be grouped by a first set of one or more columns, where the materialized view reflects data that is grouped by a second set of one or more columns. Under these conditions, it is determined whether each column in the first set of columns either
a) exactly matches a column in the second set of columns,
b) is functionally dependent on another column in the first set of columns, or
c) is functionally dependent on a column in the second set of columns.
If each column in the first set of columns either exactly matches a column in the second set of columns, is functionally dependent on another column in the first set of columns, or is functionally dependent on a column in the second set of columns, then the query is rewritten to produce a rewritten query that references the materialized view.
By using the techniques described herein, more queries can take advantage of the set of materialized views that exist in the database, thus resulting in improved query execution speeds. Conversely, the number of materialized views that a database must contain in order to efficiently process a particular set of queries is reduced, thus reducing the size of the database and eliminating the overhead associated with maintaining the materialized views that are no longer necessary.

Rewriting a query in terms of a summary based on functional dependencies and join backs, and based on join derivability


Impact tools (e.g., riveters) are provided with anti-vibration protection by a cushion pad and an elastomeric sheath. The cushion pad may be formed of a shape-conformable elastomeric material which is adapted to being conformably placed onto a rear surface of the impact tool handle, while the elastomeric sheath is preferably sized and configured so as to removeably envelop the impact tool handle and the cushion pad. The cushion pad may have a widthwise dimension such that lateral edge regions of the cushion pad are adapted to being at least partly folded over and onto respective side surface portions of the impact tool handle. In some implementations, the cushion pad has a lengthwise dimension such that the cushion pad is adapted to being positioned adjacent to a rear end of the impact tool housing and extends therefrom to a position adjacent a lower surface of the impact tool handle. According to some implementations, the cushion pad may include an adhesive on at least a front surface thereof so as to be capable of being adhesively affixed to the rear surface of the impact tool handle. A releasable front sheet may be provided so as to cover the adhesive on the front surface thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the cushion pad may include an adhesive on a rear surface thereof and a releasable rear sheet covering the adhesive on the rear surface. The cushion pad may also have a patterned or unpatterned rear surface. The cushion pad may be formed of low density polyurethane foam, while the sheath may be formed of EPDM rubber.

A variety of hand-held impact tools are generally known. By way of example, hand-held pneumatic riveters are known and used conventionally by workers in the aircraft industry to assemble aircraft components. It of course can be readily understood that continual prolonged use of hand-held impact tools, such as pneumatic riveters, creates repetitive vibrations in the metacarpal region of a worker's hand thereby possibly resulting in discomfort. In order to alleviate such discomfort therefore some anti-vibration protection for the worker would be desirable. It is towards fulfilling such a need that the present invention is directed.
In some preferred implementations, an anti-vibration kit is provided so as to permit retrofitting of existing impact tools as well as permitting original equipment manufactures with an assembly by which anti-vibration properties may be provided to factory new tools. Preferably, the anti-vibration kit includes a cushion pad and an elastomeric sheath. The cushion pad may be formed of a shape-conformable elastomeric material which is adapted to being conformably placed onto a rear surface of the impact tool handle.
The elastomeric sheath is preferably sized and configured so as to removeably envelop the impact tool handle and the cushion pad. Thus, the elastomeric sheath serves as a cover member which may be removed so as to uncover the underlying cushion pad. The cushion pad may thus be replaced as needed in order to maintain its anti-vibration cushioning function.
The kit may advantageously be implemented in a form wherein the cushion pad has a widthwise dimension such that lateral edge regions of the cushion pad are adapted to being at least partly folded over and onto respective side surface portions of the impact tool handle. In some implementations, the cushion pad has a lengthwise dimension such that the cushion pad is adapted to being positioned adjacent to a rear end of the impact tool housing and extends therefrom to a position adjacent a lower surface of the impact tool handle.
According to some implementations, the cushion pad may include an adhesive on at least a front surface thereof so as to be capable of being adhesively affixed to the rear surface of the impact tool handle. A releasable front sheet may be provided so as to cover the adhesive on the front surface thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the cushion pad may include an adhesive on a rear surface thereof and a releasable rear sheet covering the adhesive on the rear surface. The cushion pad may also have a patterned or unpatterned rear surface.
The cushion pad may be formed of virtually any cushioning material. In some implementations, the cushion pad is formed of a low density polyurethane foam. The sheath may be formed of virtually any elastomeric material. In some implementations, the sheath is formed of EPDM rubber.
The sheath may include a tubular lower handle region for enveloping the impact tool handle. In order to assist in the positional maintenance of the lower handle region, the sheath may include an upper hood region joined to the lower handle region and adapted to covering a rear end of the impact tool housing. The hood region may have a forward facing opening sized and configured so as to accept therein the rear end of the impact tool housing, which opening may slat generally rearwardly relative to the impact tool.
An especially useful implementation of the herein disclosed subject matter is to provide a riveter (e.g., such as those conventionally employed in the aircraft industry to produce aircraft structural components) with anti-vibration properties by application of the anti-vibration kit.
One manner in which anti-vibration properties may be provided to an impact tool having a housing and a handle attached to the housing, comprises conformably positioning a cushion pad formed of a shape-conformable cushion material relative to a rear surface of the impact tool handle, and thereafter enveloping the cushion pad and the impact tool handle with an elastomeric sheath. The lateral edge regions of the cushion pad may at least partly folded over and onto respective side surface portions of the impact tool handle.
The cushion pad may be positioned adjacent to a rear end of the impact tool housing and adjacent the rear surface of the handle so that the cushion pad extends from the rear end of the impact tool housing to a position adjacent a lower surface of the impact tool handle.
The cushion pad include an adhesive on at least a front surface thereof so as to be capable of being adhesively affixed to the rear surface of the impact tool handle, and a releasable front sheet covering the adhesive on the front surface thereof. Thus, the method may comprise removing the front sheet so as to expose the adhesive on the front surface of the cushion pad and thereafter adhesively affixing the cushion pad to the rear surface of the impact tool handle so that the cushion pad conforms to the impact tool handle.
Alternatively or additionally, the cushion pad may include an adhesive on a rear surface thereof and a releasable rear sheet covering the adhesive on the rear surface. Thus, the method may comprise removing the rear sheet so as to expose the adhesive on the rear surface of the cushion pad and thereafter pulling the sheath over the cushion pad and impact tool handle so as to adhesively affix the sheath to the rear surface of the cushion pad. If present, the rear sheet is most preferably removed after the front surface of the cushion pad has been adhesively affixed to the rear surface of the impact tool handle prior to being enveloped by the sheath.
The sheath may be positionally maintained by pulling an upper hood portion of the sheath over a rear end of the impact tool housing.
These and other features and advantages will be better and more completely understood by referring to the following detailed description of exemplary non-limiting illustrative implementations in conjunction with the drawings.

Hand-held impact tools having anti-vibration protection

Embraer—Empresa Brasileira De Aeronautica S.A.


The preparation of carbonaceous dry aggregates for the production of electrodes requires, for electrode plants, extensive and expensive silo installations in order for dry substances to be processed and stored in a discrete manner until they are mixed. For that purpose, in relation to known preparation processes it is difficult to maintain given granulometry lines. The invention proposes a preparation process which requires a small number of small silos and involves mixing and grading procedures with which granulometries are simple to adjust and can be kept within narrow tolerance ranges.

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of a dry aggregate for the production of electrodes.
Electrodes, for example anodes, for aluminum electrolysis, are produced from various solid and liquid carbonaceous starting materials by mixing, shaping and baking. The solid starting materials used are petroleum coke, baked and green and scrap electrode residues.
Baked electrode residues are anode residues which are recycled from the aluminum electrolysis operation and scrap from baked anodes, while green scrap occurs as waste after an electrode shaping operation and prior to the calcination or baking operation. The solid starting materials are processed in anode plants by crushing, screening or sieving and mixing to provide a granular dry substance which is subjected to further processing in mixing equipment, therein mixed with liquid binder material, generally pitch, to provide what is known as green anode material. Anodes for example are formed from the green anode material and then calcinated or baked.
In a known process for the production of a granular dry substance, crushed, baked anode residues are sieved out and stored as coarse grain in silo batteries. Petroleum coke is sieved out together with the undersize grain of the baked residues, and stored as middle grain in silos. The oversize grain which is produced in that sieving operation is crushed up and recycled while the undersize grain and the overflow material is processed in a mill to produce dust and is stored as such in a silo battery.
Coarse grain, middle grain and dust are individually withdrawn from the silos of the silo batteries by means of discharge equipment, mixed and fed to metering silos. From there the discharge is metered by way of a weighing apparatus together with granular green scrap, and mixed with pitch in kneading equipment.
In another known process, petroleum coke, baked and green anode scrap are accommodated separately in storage silos. Petroleum coke and pre-broken, baked scrap, downstream of intermediate silos, are mixed, broken and divided up by means of sieving machines into coarse, medium and fine fractions, and introduced into corresponding fraction silos. Coarse and fine mills crush the overflow material from the fraction silos for the coarse and medium grain. Undersize grain and possibly also overflow material from the fraction silos for medium and fine grain are processed in a mill to produce dust which is also passed into silos. Downstream of the fraction silos, by way of weighing equipment, the dry substance fractions, petroleum coke, baked scrap and dust are passed by way of a preheating screw and are then fed with green residues and liquid pitch pursuant to recipe provisions directly into kneading equipment.
What is common to both processes is a componentization operation, that is to say, the separate storage of the starting materials in storage silos and the dry substance components, which are made from the starting materials, in fraction silos, and gravimetric measurement of the proportions of dry substance which are intended for the mixing procedure. That componentization operation requires expensive large-scale silo equipment, both on the starting material side and on the fraction side, as well as expensive weighing equipment for each fraction.
Particular requirements in respect of quality of materials are mandatory for anodes for the aluminum electrolysis, and such requirements can be met only if the starting materials already correspond to those requirements. In the known processes, the effects of fluctuations in the levels of quality of the starting materials can only be compensated in that, in the first known process, additional silos are to be provided in the batteries of fraction silos while in the latter process, further storage silos are to be provided for starting materials of different qualities, in which case starting materials of constant average quality can be produced from the contents of the further storage silos by mixing thereof by means of additional mixing equipment.
The proportions of the starting materials for green paste are set in accordance with given compositions, which include material and geometry, that is to say grain sizes and grain size components of the starting materials. Maintaining the appropriate composition by means of the known processes is an expensive method, because of the separate preparation of the constituents of the dry material, silo storage thereof with segregation phenomena which occur as a result, and by virtue of the fraction of the green residues being brought together with the other materials, upstream of the mixing equipment, together with the gravimetric measuring operation. It has also been found that the granulometry fluctuates within wide limits around a predetermined target line.

Process for the preparation of a dry aggregate for the production of electrodes


The present invention relates to a light emitting medium which includes a container and a liquid core. In accordance with an important aspect of the invention, the liquid core includes an aqueous solution or mixture of a water-soluble polymer. The refractive indices of the liquid core and that of the container may be different. However, the aqueous solution or mixture may have a lower or higher refractive index than that of the container. The mixture may be completely transparent or translucent and have a color other than clear. The container may be of any material that is translucent or transparent and be of any color.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light emitting medium and an illumination system for transmitting light at one or more wavelengths. The light emitting medium is formed from a translucent or transparent container and a core formed from a mixture which includes an aqueous solution of a water soluble polymer. The illumination system includes an illumination assembly which includes, for example, a light source, such as, one or more light emitting devices (LEDs), a power source, such as a battery, and a switching device, forming a self contained illumination system assembled to a light guide as discussed above. The illumination system may optionally be configured to simulate motion by forming or printing images on the container and selectively switching LEDs of different wavelengths.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various lighting systems are known using light emitting diodes (LEDs). These lighting systems include LED arrays, clusters, traffic lights and automotive tail lights. LEDs have been the center of focus because of aesthetic, design flexibility, color changing, long life, small physical dimensions and other attributes that together advantageously serve the intended markets. LEDs as a source of light offer many advantages; however, their usefulness is enhanced by the use of optical elements, such as light guides, lenses, refractors, reflectors to disperse, reflect and refract light. As such, LEDs have been combined with various light conduits, such as so called "optical fibers", "fiber optics", "light pipes" and "light guides", collectively categorized as light guides. Lenses, refractors and reflectors among other optical elements are also used to create lighting systems have also been combined with LEDs. These lighting systems find use in markets, such as sign, displays, architectural and transportation.
Light guides are normally made out of polymers, glass, metals or liquids, which require costly raw materials and/or processes. In particular, light guides, such as the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,778 and 4,957,347, assigned to Lumenyte International Corporation, Irvine, Calif.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,827, assigned to Bridgestone Corporation, Tokyo, Japan; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,406,641 and 5,485,541, assigned to Rohm and Haas Company, Philadelphia, Pa.; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,898,810 and 6,535,667, assigned to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn. and others, are formed from an outer sheath or cladding and a core. A polymer of a higher refractive index material is used for the "core" and a relatively lower refractive index material is used for the "cladding". Essentially, the cores of such light guides are formed by polymerizing precursor monomers into solid polymers capable of transmitting light efficiently. In many instances, the core is a cross-linked polymer. The cladding is also a polymer of lower refractive index. In general, known light guides all require relatively costly raw materials. Additionally, the apparatus and methods used to manufacture these light guides are cumbersome, capital intensive, and require skilled labor and in some instances are not environmentally sound.
Another class of light guides, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,261,936 and 5,111,526, assigned to Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, are formed with substantially smaller diameters and are produced differently than the light guides discussed above. In particular, to achieve lighting effects, a bundle of such light guides are encased in a plastic sheeting. Unfortunately, these light guides suffer from the same shortcomings as discussed above.
Another type of light guide in the same category, manufactured by the Bridgestone Corporation, Tokyo, Japan and disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,397, discloses a light guide with a strip of reflective material placed at the core-clad interface to disperse the light. In such a light guide, the light dispersion is directional, and the material is very rigid and difficult to work with.
In yet another class of light guides, liquid light guides are disclosed. These light guides are normally formed from a thermoplastic cladding and a liquid core. Such liquid light guides fall in two main categories. The first category, used in the medical industry, is intended to transmit light from one point (input end) to the end point (distal end), for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,395, 6,418,257 and 6,507,688. The manufacturing processes for the production of this class of light guides is rather specialized and cost prohibitive for many applications. Normally, a very concentrated salt solution is used for the liquid core. In the second category, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,799,124 and 5,896,483, illuminating systems for decorative applications are presented. In the latter category, the use of liquids is limited to non-aqueous liquids.
In general, the above light guides are used to create an effect. For example, an LED light is used to introduce light into the light guide, such as the polymer light guides disclosed above, to create a "neon effect". Neon, a commonly known lighting medium, glows from the sides when activated. This effect is known as neon effect. The light guides disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,778, 4,957,347, 6,278,827, 5,406,641 and 5,485,541, 5,799,124, 5,898,810 and 6,535,667 in part, disclose such light guides.
In traditional neon illumination systems, a powerful and prohibitively costly halogen, high intensity discharge or xenon lamp is used as a source light. These highly inefficient lamps, along with other related components are normally housed in an enclosure, known as an "illuminator". These illuminators are notoriously known to be energy-hungry, expensive, bulky, noisy, inefficient, fragile and have a short lamp life requiring costly maintenance. Additionally, the light coupling into the optics was known to be very inefficient and not user friendly. As a result of these deficiencies the growth of the industry has been rather limited.
The light guides discussed above in combination with on or more LEDs have been used to create illumination systems to solve the problems associated with traditional neon light systems. However, the light guides discussed above, due to the relatively high cost of raw materials, are relatively expensive to manufacture and thus are relatively limited in their applications. Thus, there is a need for light guide which can be formed from relatively less expensive raw materials and can be used in a wider range of applications than known light guides.

Light emitting medium and illumination system

Abstract: The raw materials for the light emitting medium in accordance with the present invention are less costly than known light guides and offer numerous advantages when compared to other illumination light guides. Water advantageously is a major raw material of the present invention. The water-soluble polymer component may be used in relatively minute amounts. For example, a liquid core in accordance with the present invention can be formed from up to 99.9% water and 0.01% water-soluble polymers, although higher amounts of water-soluble polymer may result in better characteristics. The container material may be formed from typically available polymers, such as polyvinyl chloride, acrylics and methacrylics or polyolefins and be formed by commonly known processes, such as extrusion, blow-molding and injection molding.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the invention, the light emitting medium in accordance with the present invention is combined with at least one light emitting diode (LED), a power source and a switching device to form a self contained illumination device. In another embodiment of the invention, images are formed on the container in different colors. Multiple LEDs of various wavelengths are selectively illuminated to simulate motion of the images.


A combinatorial test device is configurable to contemporaneously test one or more sensors of output devices free from user intervention. A device under test such as a user device is placed in a test fixture of the combinatorial test device. Under the control and monitoring of a test controller testing takes place. The testing may be performed for quality assurance after assembly or repair, or to determine the reliability of the device such as by testing the device until a particular life cycle value is reached or a component in the device fails.

Large numbers of user devices, such as electronic book ("e-Book") reader devices, desktop computers, portable computers, smartphones, tablet computers, and so forth, are manufactured or repaired every year. These user devices may incorporate a variety of input devices, output devices, or both input and output devices. Traditional test methods and devices have required significant manual intervention. For example, accelerometers in a user device may be tested after assembly by a human operator manually rotating the device. As a result, traditional testing introduces significant costs to manufacturing, increases production time, and may result in inadequate or insufficient testing.
Certain implementations will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various implementations and/or aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.


An image input apparatus for sequentially obtaining a plurality of partial images which are portions of an image of an object, by relatively moving the object and a sensor having a plurality of pixel circuit units, including a drive circuit which effects control so as to store photoelectric charge en bloc at photoelectric conversion units respectively included in the plurality of pixel circuit units, then blanket-transfer optical signals of the photoelectric conversion units respectively included in the plurality of pixels to memory units included in the corresponding pixel circuit units, and then read the photoelectric signals, and noise signals generated in the pixel circuit units in this order from the pixel circuit units.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image input apparatus and a fingerprint recognition apparatus for recognizing characters or images of originals, barcodes, fingerprints etc.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, as an image input apparatus for recognizing characters or images of originals, barcodes etc., there is an apparatus of a constitution for reading images by moving a hand scanner or the like on an original or the like. This constitution enables the apparatus to be miniaturized and made portable. However, a hand-feeding speed of the hand scanner may be changed to distort images.
Additionally, there is an image input apparatus for authenticating a fingerprint by bringing a finger into direct contact with a two-dimensional semiconductor sensor (electrostatic type, optical reading type or the like) to read a fingerprint. Recently, such a fingerprint sensor has attracted attention in terms of an increase of security for corporations or individuals. Moreover, in E commerce or the like utilizing cell phones or portable devices, great market expansion can be expected if the fingerprint sensor is miniaturized and reduced in weight and cost. In the case of the current fingerprint sensor, however, a sensor size is inevitably increased because the sensor is constituted in size equal to a size of a finger.
Since a price of a semiconductor is uniquely determined by a wafer yield, a large size leads to a high price, and there is a cost problem if it is mounted on the cell phone. Besides, a large fingerprint sensor is not suitable for a compact portable device. Accordingly, it is advantageous in cost and shape if the sensor is miniaturized. As a solution, if the optical reading type is employed and an optical sensor is constituted of a line sensor, the sensor can be miniaturized. In this case, however, since it is necessary to relatively move the line sensor and the finger to read the fingerprint, as in the case of the image reading by the hand scanner, a read fingerprint image is distorted to greatly reduce authentication accuracy.
Thus, there is Japanese Patent No. 3,198,810 as an example of a well-known conventional technique to improve the aforementioned drawback. According to this Patent, a hand feeding speed during character reading of an original is discriminated, and a result of the discrimination is fed back to timing generation means, whereby image distortion is corrected.
The technology disclosed in the Patent No. 3198810 may enable authentication of an image at low resolution if the original or the hand is fed carefully or slowly in original reading. However, the technology cannot be used for the fingerprint sensor or the like which needs high resolution and high authentication accuracy.

Image synthesizing apparatus which switches between a first and second mode of reading different number of pixels


This invention relates to a multi-lumen flushable catheter device and a kit including this device. The multi-lumen catheter is made of a single lumen catheter in fluid connection with a multi-lumen catheter. The multi-lumen catheter includes a fluid lumen and a backflow connection lumen; wherein the fluid lumen and a backflow connection lumen are in fluid communication; a pressure control lumen made of a proximal port to receive a fluid such as air or a liquid and a distal balloon, the distal balloon is configured to block the single lumen catheter to prevent fluid flow into the single lumen catheter, wherein the pressure control lumen is not in fluid connection with the central lumen of the multi-lumen catheter. This device allows cleaning of in dwelling catheter in situ.

In currently available techniques, a catheter is one of the most widely used medical devices. For patients needing fluid daily, an easy way is to implant the catheter in a patient's body, and the implanted catheter can be used for fluid of medicine, nutrients, or blood and can also be used to draw test blood. After these usages, the implanted catheter needs to be cleaned to prevent contamination and infection. Currently, heparin, the widely used anticoagulant, is used to clean the catheter, followed by saline flushing. Both the clean heparin and flushing saline are infused into the blood stream after cleaning. The disadvantage of this cleaning method is included but not limited to: (1) a large amount of heparin is infused into body, which increases the bleeding risk for many patients; and (2) the cleaning effect can be compromised because the clean solution is infused into blood stream. Using a flushable catheter with a microfluidic valve has been used to control the cleaning and the followed backflow of washing solution. However, this device requires a high accuracy and precision in production which results in a higher cost, making it undesirable for disposable device application.

Flushable multi-lumen catheter device and method of use


A multiple-file facsimile feature for a fax printer driver allows combination of multiple files into a single facsimile transmission via the computer application programs in which the files were created, without the need to later identify and select the files a second time in order to create the multiple-file fax. The feature is advantageously implemented on a LAN-based computer, such as by a C-language program. When fax transmission of a file is requested, a dialog box containing dedicated buttons for the various functions involved in multiple-file fax creation is displayed by the fax printer driver, with a list containing the names of the files that have been added to the multiple-file fax displayed in a subwindow. The Add-to-List function converts each selected file to a faxable file that is saved in the temporary directory, adds the file name to the multiple-file fax list, and transfers the user back to the calling application program. This function is repeated until all desired files have been added to the multiple-file fax list. The Send function creates an envelope for the files, sends the files in the envelope to the fax modem or apparatus interface, performs a file clean-up function, and then transfers the user back to the application program. A Cancel function allows either the current print to be canceled or the composition of the current multiple-file fax to be canceled. A Remove function allows files to be removed from the fax list either temporarily, in order that another fax may be sent, or permanently from the compound fax currently being composed.

Facsimile (FAX or fax) transmission has become an increasingly popular and important communication method. While conventional fax transmission uses paper documents as the input to a specialized fax machine, direct facsimile transmission of electronic documents via a desktop-type computer is becoming very common. This has particularly occurred because direct fax transmission of electronic documents eliminates several steps, and hence several opportunities for the introduction of errors, in the transmission process. If desired, documents created on a computer can now, through electronic fax transmission, be transmitted, received, and reviewed without generation of paper copies of the documents.
Fax transmission software for electronic documents may be "personal," installed directly on a personal computer attached to a fax modem or apparatus, or may be accessible by several users via a Local Area Network (LAN) while actually being physically installed on a central server that is coupled to the fax modem or apparatus. In either environment, the fax transmission software must interact with both a computer operating system and the fax modem or apparatus, as well as be accessible to the user in a convenient and simple manner. To that end, it is particularly valuable if the fax transmission software can interact with, and be accessed through, the various document-generating application programs being employed by the user, such as, for example, word processing software, graphics generation systems, and spreadsheet applications.
Utilizing present fax transmission software, a user can generally fax a file created by a computer application program by "printing" it using a fax printer driver. The file is then faxed at the conclusion of the print process. Because the file is always faxed immediately, it is not possible to combine multiple files, particularly files created by different application programs, and have them transmitted in a single, compound fax. One solution utilized for this problem has been to have the application files automatically translated to image format, either at the user workstation or as a back-end server process. The translated files can then be combined manually into a single file for fax transmission. This solution has several major limitations, however, among them being the facts that not all application files can be successfully translated into image format, that the translation process tends generally to be very slow, and that the manual combination of files is time- and effort-consuming for the user, as well as being error-prone.
One alternate solution is to treat multiple files as multiple attachments to a single fax, with all files being sent in a single transmission at the final iteration of the attachment process. This type of feature is found in at least one personal fax product, Delrina WinFax Pro 4.0. When using the WinFax Pro product to create a multiple-file fax, it is generally necessary that the files intended for the fax transmission first be saved from the individual application programs into an attachment folder. See Delrina Win Fax Pro 4.0 User's Guide, March 1994, p. 3-27!. The files to be combined into the single facsimile transmission must then be manually "selected" a second time, this time from the attachment folder, in order to create an attachment list that is subsequently used by the fax driver to build the multiple-file fax. Files saved into the attachment folder remain saved and listed there until, and unless, they are manually removed. This means that this second, manual selection of the specific files to be sent in a particular fax must be made each and every time a compound fax is created.
Although retention of files on the attachment list can have certain useful applications, for example when the same file must be used in building a number of different fax transmissions, there are also several aspects of the procedure that may constitute a drawback to the user. Users may find it inconvenient to have to select all the files intended for the multiple-file fax a second time when they have already selected them via the application program. In addition, because the user must select the files a second time, there is a significant likelihood of either a file being omitted from the fax or an extra, undesired file being added to the fax, as well as a chance that the files will be combined into the fax transmission in an order different from the order desired by the user. The latter could cause considerable confusion, for example, in a situation where a text document or spreadsheet is stored electronically in several different files and those files are then combined in an incorrect order into the fax transmission.
A further complication is created by the fact that many computers allow files to have names consisting of only a very limited total number of characters, e.g. 8 characters before a period followed by only 3 more characters. This means that computer file names are often not particularly descriptive, and users frequently find themselves running the application in which a file was created in order to determine the file's contents. The products for creating multiple-file faxes that currently exist essentially require that the user remember the name of each file that is targeted for the compound fax, as this is the only way that the file can later be selected a second time to actually create the fax. Particularly if some files have not been stored in image format, the user may even have to resort to running the application program a second time merely to identify the files contained in the attachment folder in order that the correct ones can be combined into the fax.
The WinFax Pro product has, in fact, recognized this persistent problem by requiring that the user interact with an extra dialog box each time that a file is selected for faxing through an application program. This dialog box gives the user an opportunity to rename the file and to include descriptive information about its contents, so that the file can later be identified during the second selection process that is required in order to actually create and send the multiple-file fax. While solving the initial problem, this method creates extra work for the user, particularly in comparison to, for example, creating and sending the multiple-file fax directly from the various application programs in which the file contents can be simultaneously viewed. What has been needed, therefore, is a way to create and send a multiple-file fax directly from one or more application programs, without the need for either a second selection process or special file identification procedures.

Multiple-file feature for a fax printer driver


A system for monitoring a state of a reactor core in a nuclear reactor may include an internal monitoring device located inside the reactor core, the internal monitoring device including one or more internal sensor arrays configured to take measurements of conditions of the reactor core at different vertical regions within the reactor core to generate internal measurement data; an external monitoring device located in the reactor structure outside the reactor core, the external monitoring device including one or more external sensor arrays configured to take measurements of conditions of the reactor core at positions outside the reactor core corresponding the plurality of different vertical regions within the reactor core to generate external measurement data, and a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the external measurement data; and a receiver station configured to determine a state of the reactor core based on the external and internal measurement data.

1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to monitoring conditions in and around nuclear reactors during normal and off-normal operating conditions.
2. Description of Related Art
During a severe accident a nuclear reactor, for example a boiling water reactor (BWR), may experience significant fuel damage. The fuel damage may occur as a result of a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). The damage sustained by the reactor may impede attempts to monitor environmental conditions in and around the reactor even after water is applied to cool the reactor. Presently, methods for determining conditions in and around reactors which have experienced an accident include the use of robots. It is important to receive information regarding the state of a reactor even after a severe accident has occurred.

In-situ and external nuclear reactor severe accident temperature and water level probes


This invention relates to the post-extrusion processing of extruded profiles in an economic manner. The first process step involves heating at least a portion of the extruded profile in a preheated profile heating means to a first temperature at which the essentially linear profile becomes formable or pliable or bendable, yet which still has at least some degree of structural integrity at this point which permits it to be physically manipulated without compressing the profile by the application of external pressure or by the weight of gravity itself. This first temperature is less than a subsequent second temperature, at which the profile becomes melt processable effecting radial expansion under pressure or melt fusion under pressure. At least one end of the profile remains unheated, and preferably, two ends remain unheated. The profile is then transferred into a heated die having a cavity therein, the cavity having at least one region where an internal cross-sectional dimension of the cavity is larger than an external cross-sectional dimension of said profile. The cavity temperature of the die is sufficient to heat the profile from the first temperature to the second temperature. At least one end of the profile is sealed and a pressurized medium is injected into an opposed end of the profile to conform the formable portions of the profile with the internal diameter of the cavity, thereby creating the profile. The first temperature is greater than or equal to approximately 40xc2x0 C., preferably 65xc2x0 C. which is less than or equal to approximately 95% of said second temperature. Alternatively, a temperature difference between the first and second temperatures is between approximately 5 and 30% inclusive when compared to the second temperature. More preferably, this difference will be between approximately 8 and 15% inclusive.

The invention relates to the post-extrusion processing of extruded profiles, such processing including blow molding the profile to a larger internal diameter while correspondingly imparting at least one bend into the expanded profile as well as optionally compression molding ends onto the profile, blow molding a second region of the profile into another shape, e.g., bellows or in-line check valve, and injection overmolding. In one embodiment, the process will include the bending of at least two angles into the profile, the angles being non-planar with respect to each other. The process involves heating at least a portion of the essentially linear extruded profile in a profile heating means to a first temperature at which the profile becomes formable or pliable or bendable, yet which still has at least some degree of structural integrity at this point which permits it to be physically manipulated without compressing the profile by the application of external pressure or by the weight of gravity itself. This preheating step is followed by additional heating to a second higher temperature at which the profile becomes melt processable and permitting radial expansion under pressure or melt fusion under pressure.
There are various primary polymer processing technologies which are applicable in the manufacture of parts of various designs and shapes. Each technology as discussed below, has design constraints which limit its implementation in the fabrication of variously configured components.
Blow molding is a process typically used for the production of hollow thermoplastic components. The most widely known blow molded objects are bottles, jars, cans, and containers of all kinds for the food, beverage, cosmetic, medical, pharmaceutical and home products industries. Larger blown containers are often used for the packaging of chemicals, lubricants, and bulk materials. Among other blow molded items are balls, bellows, and toys. For the automotive industry, fuel tanks, car bumpers, seat banks, center consoles, and armrest and headrest skins are blow molded.
The most prevalent blow molding grade plastic raw material is high-density polyethylene. Most of the milk jugs are made from this polymer. Other polyolefins, e.g., low density polyethylene, polypropylene, are also widely processed by blow molding. Depending on the application, styrenes, vinyls, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, polycarbonates, and other thermoplastics are blow molded.
More than half of all blow molded parts are made by extrusion blow molding. The extrusion process is defined as making a product (extrudate) by forcing material through an orifice or die. The extrusion blow molding process consists of five steps: (1) extrusion of a plastic parison (hollow plastic tube); (2) closing of two mold halves on the parison, clamping the mold and cutting the parison; (3) blowing the parison against the cooled walls of the mold cavity, calibrating the opening, and holding it under air pressure during the cooling time; (4) opening the mold and removing the blown part; and (5) finishing the part by trimming off the flash.
A basic blow molding machine comprises an extruder, an extrusion head, a press section containing the mold, a calibration, a parison separation device, and an electrical control station. This fundamental unit is called a xe2x80x9cblow-and-dropxe2x80x9d machine. Plastic pellets are fed into the hopper mounted to the extruder. A motor-driven rotatable screw moves the material toward the blow molding or extrusion head and through the die.
Most extruders used in the blow molding are single-screw, either smooth-barrel or grooved barrel. Extruder output is determined by the geometry of the water-cooled feed zone and the feed capacity of the screw per revolution. With continued extrusion, a symmetrical or asymmetrical tube (parison) is formed by the die and pin in the extrusion head. An asymmetrical parison is developed by shaping or ovalizing the tooling in the head. Die and pin often move relative to each other during the extrusion process. This is caused by parison programming. Continuous extrusion is used with shuttle-type and wheel-type machines. Since the parison is extruded continuously, an open mold is positioned periodically around the parison. With the parison at its proper length, the mold is closed and clamped, and the parison is cut. Thereafter, the mold moves back under the calibration station, where the parison is blown into the shape dictated by the mold cavity. The neck of the bottle or container is calibrated simultaneously, in most cases by top blowing. Objects without openings are often needle-blown. Single-station shuttle machines have the mold positioned at the left or the right of the extrusion head while double-station machines have molds to the right and left of the head.
A blow molding machine""s productivity is governed by its cycle time, 80% of which is cooling time. This long period of time is required for cooling the hot plastic material prior to demolding, to prevent post-warpage and dimensional distortion of the finished part. Modern molding machines are built-in stations for post-mold cooling. Articles are transferred out of the mold into post-cooling devices that basically consist of a cooling mold, i.e., mold without pinch-offs. Cooling is accomplished via liquid cooling in the shell of the mold, and CO2, refrigerated air, or nitrogen cooling inside the container. Advantages are seen in shorter cycle times and control of the part distortion inherent in parts with asymmetric configuration and thick walls.
After leaving the cooling stations, containers are accepted by trim or punching devices for flash removal. Wall thickness control and minimal generation of flash avoid the problems associated with flash removal, e.g., the need to regrind and reprocess the flash and the possibility that its removal may expose seams, which in turn can contribute to container cracking and splitting on impact. Continuous blow molding machines can cost between $250,000 to $1.5 million and are typically run at parison extrusion rates of ten feet per minute using pressures of from between 80-125 psi. This process has significant inherent rate limitations.
The other type of blow molding is injection blow molding which is a two stage process for producing completely finished plastic containers. In the first stage, the plastic is injection molded into a preform cavity where the parison is formed. The neck finish of the container is molded, as well as the shape of the parison, as the plastic is injected around the core pin and into the preform. Temperature and conditioning of the parison takes place at this stage. The parison then is transferred via the core pin to the blow mold, and air is introduced through the core pin to blow the parison to the shape of the blow mold. The completed container is then transferred to the ejection station.
Injection blow molding offers a number of advantages: (1) it produces scrap-free, close tolerance, completely finished bottles that do not require any secondary operations; (2) it offers positive weight control in the finished container; (3) neck shapes and finishes, internally and externally can be molded with accuracy; (4) repeatable weight and bottle dimensions are possible with the process; (5) improved clarity and strength due to the effect of some amount of biaxial orientation; (6) bottles are controlled and oriented at the ejection station; and (7) there is a minimum of operator supervision required. There are however, limitations to this process, relating primarily to the sizes and shapes of bottles that can be produced profitably on existing injection-blow molding machines.
Compression molding has been used for such thermosetting compounds are urea, phenolic, epoxy, melamines and rubber. The most apparent advantage of compression molding of thermosets is the simple system involved. The material is placed in a heated cavity and is pressurized for the required cure time. Tooling costs are inexpensive because of the simplicity. Material is not wasted because of the absence of sprues and runners. Consistency of the part size is good and the absence of gate and flow marks reduce finishing costs. Depending on the part and material, positive, semipositive and closed molds are used.
The compression molding press two platens that close together, applying heat and pressure to mold material into the wanted shape. Most compression presses are hydraulically operated. Heating of the molds can be done for shallow parts by using cartridge or strip heaters in the platen. Deeper parts need electrical cartridge-type heaters in the platen or require steam or hot-oil systems.
Plastics extrusion processing is defined as converting plastic powder or granules into a continuous uniform melt and forcing this melt through a die which yields a desired shape. This melted material must then be cooled back to its solid state as it is held in the desired shape, so an end product can be realized.
Single screw extruders are the most common in use today. Extruders diameters range from xc2xdxe2x80x3 to 12xe2x80x3 in a barrel inner diameter. The hopper of an extruder accepts granules or powder which pass through a vertical opening in the feed section where they are introduced to a rotating screw with spiral flights. The material is conveyed along the screw and heated inside the barrel, with the goal being to reach the die system in a totally melt phase at an acceptable and homogeneous temperature, and being pumped at a consistent output rate.
The barrel is heated and cooled by heater/cooler jackets surrounding its outer wall to aid in the melting of the material on the screw. Heater/coolers are electrically heated through heating elements cast into aluminum, with either cooling tubes also cast into the aluminum or deep fins cast on the outer surfaces of the heaters/coolers to allow air cooling of the barrel via blowers. Temperature of the various barrel zones are set according to the material, screw design, and processing goals. These barrel zone temperature settings vary widely, depending on the material used or the product being made while the control of the temperature at the deep barrel thermocouple position for a given situation is typically maintained within a close tolerance range to minimize variations of material exiting the die system. The screw is the heart of the extrusion process and designs for which have varied with time as understanding of the melting process of the plastic material moving along the screw has increased. Since some materials tend to trap air as they start to melt, or contain moisture or volatiles, that will create porosity in the final product, a vent is typically positioned at a point in the barrel to remove the porosity by allowing the escape of gases.
The melt must be shaped and cooled by product sizing and cooling equipment to its solid phase while forming a product that falls within given size tolerances. The dies to create the end products from a melt are varied depending on the shapes involved. Pipe and tubing are cooled through simple, open water troughs, or pulled through vacuum sizing tanks, where the melt is held in a sizing sleeve of a short time in a water filled vacuum chamber. Custom profiles come in various shapes and are commonly made of materials that have high melt viscosity, so they are easy to hold shape while they cool. These products can be cooled by forced air, water troughs, or water spray methods. The methods of getting the many shapes include various sizing fixtures to hold the extrudate as it is pulled through the system and cooled. The material can also be coextruded, i.e., made with more than one material. Coextrusion typically requires a dual-extrusion head and multiple extruders using a specialized die system to bring these layers together with a common sizing and shaping system. Extruders can cost from $20,000 to $300,000 depending on size and options and the process is generally not rate limited as is the case with blow molding. Rates of 100 feet per minute are routinely achieved.
Injection molding of thermoplastics is a process by which plastic is melted and injected into a mold cavity void, defined in this instance as the void volume between the mold core body and the mold cavity. Once the melted plastic is in the mold, it cools to a shape that reflects the form of the cavity. The resulting part is a finished part needing no other work before assembly into or use as a finished part. The injection molding machine has two basic components: an injection unit to melt and transfer the plastic into the mold; and a clamp to hold the mold shut against injection pressures and for parts removal. The injection unit melts the plastic before it is injected into the mold, then injects the melt with controlled pressure and rate into the mold. After the injection cycle, the clamp gently opens the mold halves.
Important factors in the processing of plastic include temperature, consistency, color dispersion and density of the melt. Conductive heat supplied by barrel temperature and mechanical heat generated by screw rotation both contribute to the processing of good quality melt. Often, most of the energy available for melting the plastic is supplied by screw rotation. Mixing happens between screw flights and the screw rotates, smearing the melted surface from the plastic pellet. This mixing/shearing action is repeated as the material moves along the screw until the plastic is completely melted.
If the polymer is a thermoset, injection molding uses a screw or a plunger to feed the polymer through a heated barrel to decrease its viscosity, followed by injection into a heated mold. Once the material fills the mold, it is held under pressure while chemical crosslinking occurs to make the polymer hard. The cured part is then ejected from the mold while at the elevated temperature and cannot be reformed or remelted.
When thermoplastics are heated in an injection press, they soften and as pressure is applied, flow from the nozzle of the press into an injection mold. The mold has cavities that, when filled with the thermoplastic or thermoformable material, define the molded part. The material enters these cavities through passages cut into the mold, called runners. The mold also has passages in it to circulate a coolant, usually water, through strategic areas to chill the hot plastic. As it cools, the thermoplastic material hardens. When cooled enough, the mold opens and the part is removed.
This means that during an overmolding process, the polymeric material used must be sufficiently formable, by melting, such that it may be forced to flow into and around the other preformed element(s)(e.g., a core insert, often polymeric in nature and/or polymer tube(s)). During this thermomelting process, heat and pressure are often applied.
To date, there has been no technology described which combines the features of extrusion, blow molding, compression molding and injection molding. The Prior Art has typically taught the need to pick and choose between various technologies. The invention described and discussed herein teaches a method of manufacturing a blow molded part using a predefined length of extruded profile as the raw material. The value of this approach is that the inherent rate limitations of blow molding are overcome as well as the size and shape restrictions on the part that can be manufactured. One of the unique aspects of the technology is the ability to take a part that is too long or too complex to blow mold and to add this to an extruded profile in a specific area. This approach is not limited to extruded profiles which are tubular in nature, but rather works with any hollow portion of the extruded profile. By using non-uniform heating, it is possible to expand or contract the profile in a given area, thereby creating additional novel features in the extruded profile, not possible using either extrusion or blow molding technologies in isolation. Additionally, by varying the extrusion rate of the profile, thicker and thinner profile regions can be created, these regions being targeted for subsequent post-processing.
In this invention, aspects of compression molding and blow molding are combined in a manner which is not achievable by using either technique alone. By starting with an extruded part, cut to a predefined length, it is possible to utilize post-extrusion processing encompassing blow molding and/or compression molding, and/or overmolding techniques on the extruded profile, imparting at least one non-coaxial bend into the extruded profile, and optionally at least two bends, with each bend being out-of-plane with respect to the other.
It is an object of this invention to fabricate an extruded profile using post-processing which includes blow molding at least one region of the profile and bending of the profile in the blow molded region.


An electrical an (10) for the icing-susceptible stator vane stage (16) located in an air inlet section (12) of a turbomachine (not shown). A plurality of stator vanes (20) which are electrically isolated from a plurality of structural shrouds (30, 32) are grouped in one continuous, or a plurality of contiguous arcs about a fanshaft which is generally coincidental with the turbomachine's longitudinal axis (X--X). Low voltage alternating current is provided by an alternator (not shown). This current is directed through a plurality of electrical conductors (26) and is further distributed through each stator vane (20) which is either electrically conductive or employs an electrically conductive medium disposed proximate to an icing susceptible surface of an airfoil contour (21). The electrical current flow, which is generally directed in a radial orientation through each stator vane (20) causes a direct electrically-resistive heating effect to the airfoil contour surfaces (21) of the stator vanes (20).

Turbomachines, such as those used in numerous aircraft applications, require a continuous flow of air through the machine to meet combustion process and cooling requirements.
Some turbomachines have an air inlet section in the form of a stator vane stage located in a forward area of the turbomachine. The vanes of this stage are positioned around the inlet area of the turbomachine like the spokes of a wheel. Each vane, which may have an airfoil cross-section, directs incoming air to a forward compressor section of the turbomachine.
The ambient air introduced to the turbomachine through its air inlet section may be characterized in terms of temperature, moisture content, and density. Icing of an air inlet structure may occur when the ambient temperature of in-flowing air is near freezing, or even a few degrees above freezing, in combination with a sufficient moisture content. A stator vane stage located in the air inlet section is one such icing-susceptible structure.
Icing may occur through a full range of aircraft and engine operating regimes, including operation in known icing conditions, as well as during periods of low power machine operation which may include an idle setting. For example, ice formation may occur during a descent maneuver when the engine is operating at idle, given the necessary conditions, absent an effective anti-icing system. In some turbomachines, throttling back to idle speed results in a reduction of temperature raise created by the rotors, with a correlating reduction in the pressure ratio of the air inlet section. Consequently, the surface temperature of stator blading suffers a correlated drop in temperature. The moisture contained in the impinging ambient air flow will freeze on the stator blades if the stator surface is not kept sufficient warm. While it is well know for icing to occur during engine idle operation, it is also know to occur at other power settings depending on ambient temperatures, flight speed, and moisture content of the inlet air. It is also well know for icing to occur in other flight regimes, such as takeoff or cruise, or even during apparently clear air low-humidity atmospheric conditions.
One anti-icing technique is to duct high temperature high pressure bleed air from a downstream machine section to the air inlet section. One problem with this technique is the consequential reduction of motive thrust by the turbomachine. Another problem with this technique is a correlated increase in the specific fuel consumption of the turbomachine during system operation due to the sacrificial airbleeding to the air inlet region. Yet another problem is the losses to the turbomachine due to the aerodynamically-comprising oversizing of the prior art stator vanes, whereby the oversizing was necessary to conduct and contain a sufficient volume of anti-icing bleed air.
A further problem with the prior practice is the need for a separate icing-condition sensor and related circuitry necessary to either alert the aircraft's crew to activate an anti-icing system or to automatically cycle the system as required.


A process for preparing a semiconductor device substrate comprises a step of making at least one surface of a first substrate composed of Si material porous, a step of oxidizing inside walls of pores in the resulting porous Si surface layer, a step of forming a monocrystalline Si layer on the porous Si surface layer, a step of bonding the monocrystalline Si layer to one surface of a second substrate through an insulating layer therebetween, a first etching step of removing the first substrate by selective etching except for the porous Si layer, and a second etching step of impregnating the porous Si layer exposed by the removal of the first substrate with hydrofluoric acid or a first liquid mixture of hydrofluoric acid and at least one of an alcohol and a hydrogen peroxide solution, or by buffered hydrofluoric acid or a second liquid mixture of bufffered hydrofluoric acid and at least one of an alcohol and an hydrogen peroxide solution, thereby selectively removing the porous Si layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device substrate and a process for preparing the same, and more particularly to a semiconductor device substrate suitable for an electronic device dielectrically isolated or formed on a monocrystalline semiconductor layer on an insulator and an integrated circuit, and a process for preparing the same.
2. Related Background Art
Formation of a monocrystalline Si semiconductor layer on an insulator is widely known as a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technique and has been extensively studied because devices based on utilization of the SOI technique have many advantages that have not be obtained in case of bulk Si substrates for preparing ordinary Si integrated circuits. That is, the following advantages can be obtained by utilizing the SOI technique:
1. Easy dielectric isolation with a possibility of higher level integration,
2. Distinguished resistance to radiation,
3. Reduced floating capacity with a possibility of higher speed,
4. Omission of well formation step
5. Prevention of latch-up,
6. Possibility to form a fully depleted, field effect transistor by thin film formation, etc.
To obtain the above-mentioned many advantages of device characteristics, processes for forming the SOI structure have been studied for several ten years. The results are summarized for example, in the following literature: Special Issue: "Single-crystal silicon on non-single-crystal insulators", edited by G. W. Cullen, Journal of Crystal Growth, Volume 63, No. 3, pp 429-590 (1983).
In the past, SOS (silicon-on-sapphire) formed by heteroepitaxial growth of Si on a monocrystalline sapphire substrate by CVD (chemical vapor deposition) was disclosed as a successful result of most matured SOI technique, but its wide application was interrupted by the occurrence of many crystal defects due to lattice mismatching at the interface between the Si layer and the underlayer sapphire substrate, by diffusion of aluminum into the Si layer from the sapphire substrate, and largely by a high cost of the substrate and delay in formation of larger area.
Recently, some attempts have been made to form an SOI structure without using the sapphire substrate. The attempts can be classified into the following two major groups.
1. After the surface oxidation of a Si monocrystalline substrate, windows are made to partially expose the Si substrate, and a Si monocrystalline layer is formed on the SiO.sub.2 by epitaxial growth of Si in the lateral direction, while utilizing the exposed portion of the Si substrate as seeds. (In this case, deposition of the Si layer on the SiO.sub.2 is made.)
2. A Si monocrystalline substrate itself is utilized as an active layer and SiO.sub.2 is formed as its underlayer. (In this case, no Si layer is deposited.)
The following means are known to realize the above group 1: a process for direct epitaxial growth of a monocrystalline Si layer in the lateral direction by CVD; a process for deposition of amorphous Si and successive epitaxial growth in the lateral direction in the solid phase by heat treatment; a process for irradiation of an amorphous or polycrystalline Si layer with a converged energy beam such as an electron ray, a laser beam, etc. to made a monocrystalline layer grow on SiO.sub.2 through melting and recrystallization; and a process for scanning a melt zone by a rod heater bandwise (Zone Melting Recrystallization). These processes have advantages and disadvantages together, and still have problems in the controllability productivity, uniformity and quality, and thus have not be commercially used. For example, the CVD process requires sacrificial oxidation to form a flat thin film, whereas the solid phase growth process suffers from poor crystallinity. The beam anneal has problems in the treating time by the converged beam, the state of overlapped beams, focus adjustment, etc. Among them, the zone melting recrystallization process in a most matured process, by which relative large integrated circuits have been made on trail, but there remain still many crystal defects such as quasigrain boundaries, etc. and thus minority carrier devices have not yet been made.
The process without using the Si substrate as a seed for epitaxial growth as the above-mentioned group 2 includes the following 4 procedures.
1. An oxide film is formed on the surface of a Si monocrystalline substrate, the surface having anisotropically etched V-shaped grooves; a polycrystalline Si layer is deposited on the oxide film to the same thickness as that of the Si substrate; and then the back side of the Si substrate is polished to form dielectrically isolated Si monocrystalline regions, which are surrounded by the V-shaped grooves on the thick polycrystalline Si layer. This procedure gives a good crystallinity, but still has problems of controllability and productivity in the step of depositing the polycrystalline Si layer to a thickness of several hundred microns and the step of polishing the back side of the monocrystalline Si substrate to leave only dielectrically separated Si active layer.
2. A SiO.sub.2 layer in formed by implanting oxygen ions into a Si monocrystalline substrate called "SIMOX (separation by ion-implanted oxygen)". This procedure is now the most matured one because of a good matching with Si process. However, in order to form the SiO.sub.2 layer, oxygen ions must be implanted at least at 10.sup.18 ions/cm.sup.2, and the implantation time is very long and the productivity is not so high. The wafer cost is also high. Furthermore, there remain many crystal defects. That is, no commercially satisfactory quality for making minority carrier devices can be obtained.
3. Procedure for making an SOI structure by dielectric isolation on the basis of oxidation of porous Si. The procedure comprises forming an n-type Si layer of island shape on the surface of a p-type Si monocrystalline substrate by proton ion implantation (Imai et al: J. Crystal Growth, Vol. 63,547 (1983)) or by epitaxial growth and patterning, then making only the p-type Si substrate porous by anodization in a HF solution so as to surround the Si island from the surface, and then dielectrically isolating the n-type Si island by accelerated oxidation. This procedure has such a problem that the isolated Si region is predetermined before the device step and the degree of freedom of device design is limited in some cases.
4. Independently from the above-mentioned conventional procedure for forming an SOI structure, a procedure for forming an SOI structure by bonding a Si monocrystalline substrate to another thermally oxidized Si monocrystalline substrate by heat treatment or an adhesive has recently attracted attention. According to this procedure it is necessary to make the active layer for the device into a uniform thin film. That is, a Si monocrystalline substrate having a thickness of several hundred microns must be made into a thin film having a thickness of micron order or less. To make such a thin film, the following two procedures are available.
(1) Thin film formation by polishing.
(2) Thin film formation by selective etching.
According to the procedure by polishing (1), it is difficult to obtain a uniform thin film. Particularly in case of thin films having a thickness of submicron order, fluctuation of thickness amounts to several tens %. That is, the poor uniformity is a problem. With increasing wafer diameter the difficulty is much pronounced.
The procedure by selective etching (2) is effective for obtaining a uniform thin film, but still has the following problems:
(i) selectivity is about 10.sup.2 at highest and thus is not satisfactory,
(ii) surface condition is not good after the etching, and
(iii) crystallinity of SOI layer is poor dur to epitaxial growth or heteroepitaxial growth on the ion-implanted, highly concentrated B-doped Si layer (C. Harendt, et. al., J. Elect. Mater. Vol. 20, 267(1991), H. Baumgart, et al., Extended Abstract of ECS 1st International Symposium of Wafer Bonding, pp-733(1991), C. E. Hunt, Extended Abstract of ECS 1st International Symposium of Wafer Bonding, pp-696(1991)).
A procedure for providing an etch-stop layer makes it possible to conduct selective etching, and includes, for example, a procedure for providing a p.sup.+ layer as an etch-stop layer (C. E. Hunt, et al., ECS 1st International Symposium on Semiconductor Wafer Bonding Science, Technology, and Applications, Abstract, p 696 (1991)). According to this procedure a p.sup.+ layer having a concentration of about 1.times.20.sup.20 cm.sup.-2 is used, and the p.sup.+ layer can be formed mainly by epitaxial growth or by ion implanting.
Epitaxial growth has such a problem that Si of good crystallinity cannot be formed on the p.sup.+ layer by eiptaxial growth, whereas ion implanting has such a problem that high energy-high dose ion implanting is required for forming a low concentration layer on the surface, resulting in a higher cost and failure to make the SOI layer into a thin film.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,681 discloses a process comprising forming a mixed crystal (etch-stop layer) of Si and other group IV semiconductor on an Si substrate, then forming an Si layer thereon, bonding the Si substrate to a supporting substrate, then removing the Si substrate while using the mixed crystal as an etch-stop layer, and then removing the etch-stop layer so that the Si layer may not be etched. Specifically, selective etching of Si and SiC, Si and SiGe, or Si and SiSn, etc. are carried out. According to the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,681, it is necessary to make an Si layer, which constitutes the SOI structure, to epitaxially grow on the mixed crystal of Si-Group IV semiconductor and it is very hard to prevent the crystallinity of the Si layer from deterioration. Furthermore, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,681, the crystallinity of the Si layer is considerably deteriorated, because the step of heteroepitaxial growth must be twice carried out, i.e. heteroepitaxial growth of mixed crystal of Si-Group IV semiconductor on the Si substrate and further heteroepitaxial growth of Si on the mixed crystal of Si-Group IV semiconductor. Furthermore, the selective etching must be carried out twice, where etching solutions having a reverse selectivity to each other must be used. For example, in case of an etch-stop layer of SiGe, the first stage selective etching requires an etching solution having a higher etching rate on Si than that on SiGe, whereas the second stage requires an etching solution having a higher etching rate on SiGe than that on Si to the contrary. The second stage etching solution must have such a considerably higher selectivity as not to etch the Si layer, and furthermore the etch-stop layer is formed from the mixed crystal of Si-Group IV semiconductor, and thus cannot have a large thickness due to the productivity, crystallinity, etc. That is, the first stage selective etching must have a higher selectivity.
The selectivity of etching depends on differences in the structure, composition, etc., and when the mixed crystal of Si-Group IV semiconductor of the etch-stop layer is rich in Si, the crystallinity of the Si layer laid thereon will be improved, but will have a poor etching selectivity. To obtain a good selectivity on the other hand, the crystalline of the Si layer will be deteriorated.
Likewise, the second stage etching (to remove SiGe) can have a selectivity of only about 13:1, and it is difficult to conduct uniform etching on a wafer scale, and such a second etching is not commercially applicable from the viewpoints of controllability, productivity and cost. Furthermore, it is difficult to detect the end point of etching, because the materials are similar to each other.
In case of a substrate of light-transmissive material, typical of which is glass, a Si thin film deposited thereon is amorphous or polycrystalline at best due to the disorder of the substrate crystal structure, and no devices of high quality can be made. This is due to the amorphous structure of the substrate, and no monocrystalline layer of good quality can be obtained merely by depositing a Si layer thereon.
The light-transmissive substrate is important when it constitutes a contact sensor as a photo receptor device, or a projection-type liquid crystal image display unit. In order to make the sensor or image element (picture element) of the display unit more dense, more resolvable or finer, a more efficient driving device is required. As a result the device provided on the light-transmissive substrate must be made from a monocrystalline layer of good crystallinity. Thus, in case of amorphous or polycrystalline Si it is difficult to make a driving device of good quality required now or in future due to the crystal structure having many defects.

Semiconductor device substrate and process for preparing the same


A thermal transfer recording material is provided which comprises a foundation and, provided thereon, a heat-meltable ink layer comprising a coloring agent, a heat-meltable binder material and a particulate wax, the heat-meltable binder material comprising 30 to 90% by weight of an epoxy resin and 10 to 70% by weight of a copolymer resin comprising vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, the particulate wax having an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 15 .mu.m.

The present invention relates to thermal transfer recording materials for providing printed images having excellent fastness on diverse receptors.
Conventional thermal transfer recording materials, in general, include those comprising a foundation and, applied onto the foundation, a heat-meltable ink containing a vehicle composed mainly of a wax or another type of heat-meltable ink containing a vehicle composed mainly of a resin for ensuring printed images of good quality even on paper sheets having relatively poor surface smoothness or printed images of high scratch resistance.
Recently, bar code printers and label printers using thermal transfer recording materials have been used to print bar codes or like codes for management of parts or products in production processes of manufacturing factories, merchandise management in the distribution field, management of articles at using sites, and the like. When used in, for example, the distribution field, bar codes are frequently scratched or rubbed. Therefore, such bar codes are required to have particularly high scratch resistance.
As well as for the printing of bar codes, thermal transfer printers have been used in the production of diversified products in small quantities, including outdoor advertising materials, election posters, common posters, standing signboards, stickers, catalogs, pamphlets, calenders and the like in the commercial printing field; bags for light packaging, labels of containers for foods, drinks, medicines, paints and the like, and binding tapes in the packaging field; and labels for indicating quality characteristics, labels for process control, labels for product management and the like in the apparel field. These articles are also required to exhibit scratch resistance.
With respect to the receptors on which bar codes are formed by the thermal transfer method, specialized receptors such as polyethylene terephthalate film subjected to a special surface treatment were used. Recently, plastic films subjected to no surface treatment such as typical polyethylene terephthalate film and vinyl chloride resin film have also been used, which leads to diversification of receptors. More recently, cutting plotters begin to spread and printed films wherein printed images are formed on vinyl chloride resin films by the thermal transfer method are frequently used therefor.
With the conventional thermal transfer recording materials using the heat-meltable ink containing a vehicle composed mainly of a wax, however, resulting printed images exhibit poor scratch resistance though the ink enjoys satisfactory transferability (separability of the ink layer). On the other hand, with the conventional thermal transfer recording materials using the heat-meltable ink containing a vehicle composed mainly of a resin such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, the transferability of the ink is inferior to the former ink due to its relatively high melt viscosity though resulting printed images enjoy relatively high scratch resistance. Moreover, both of the thermal transfer recording materials provide printed images having poor adhesion to common plastic films, especially vinyl chloride resin films, resulting in poor scratch resistance.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer recording material which is capable of exhibiting satisfactory transferability (separability of the ink layer) while at the same time forming printed images having excellent adhesion to diverse plastic films and excellent scratch resistance.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.


An optical lens for a light source has an incidence surface receiving light rays emitted from a light source and an aspherical emitting surface optically coupled with the incidence surface for receiving light rays from the incidence surface and emitting light rays received from the incidence surface. The incidence surface defines a cavity for receiving the light source. An opaque or semi-opaque bottom surface adjoins the incidence surface and emitting surface. A lighting device has a substrate, a lighting source located on the substrate, and the optical lens located with the substrate and enclosing the lighting device. A strip light has an elongate substrate having light sources and respective lenses distributed longitudinally along the substrate. Such a strip light using the lens is suitable for lighting the interior of a commercial or domestic refrigerator, chillier cabinet, or other enclosure.

Light sources such as filament or fluorescent lamps are commonly used in enclosures such as refrigerators. These lamps have many shortcomings. For example they are quite bulky, have high energy consumption, low brightness, non-uniform light distribution including having shadow areas and generate heat. The use of LEDs ameliorates some of these problems. Although LEDs solve heating problems, they still have disadvantages such as brightness on the front, side light-leaking, structural complexity and cost.