The present invention provides an integrated virtual voltage circuit for use with a sub-circuit. In one embodiment, the integrated virtual voltage circuit includes a MOS transistor switch coupled to a supply voltage and configured to employ a drain to provide an operating voltage for the sub-circuit during switch activation. Additionally, the integrated virtual voltage circuit also includes a connection unit coupled to the MOS transistor switch and configured to provide a standby voltage for the sub-circuit during deactivation of the MOS transistor switch wherein the standby voltage is based on a static coupling of the drain to a body region of the MOS transistor switch. In an alternative embodiment, the connection unit is further configured to connect a voltage reference between the supply voltage and the drain of the MOS transistor switch to determine the standby voltage.

Integrated circuit systems are rapidly increasing in device count and operating speed. Each of these attributes tends to increase power requirements directly, while both together cause power requirements to increase exponentially. Therefore, dealing with power requirements associated with integrated circuit systems is becoming a much more critical design arena than before. One such management technique involves separating the integrated circuits that require full power all of the time to perform their intended tasks from those that may use reduced power to perform some of their intended tasks at least some of the time.
Supplying and removing electrical current, either partially or completely, from a block of circuitry may be controlled by header or footer transistors. The header transistor forms a controllable switch between a positive power supply and a sub-circuit block. Similarly, the footer transistor forms a controllable switch between a negative power supply and the sub-circuit block. Activation of the header or footer transistor allows a virtual supply to be connected to the sub-circuit block. Often, both header and footer transistors are employed to provide both positive and negative virtual supplies concurrently when the block of sub-circuitry is active. Similarly, header and footer transistors are used to reduce current to blocks of sub-circuitry during their inactive modes of operation.
A conventional approach to providing an operating virtual voltage to the sub-circuit uses the drain of a conducting header or footer MOS transistor wherein its source and body region are connected to a supply voltage. Then, the forward voltage drop of a separate, external junction diode that is parallel-connected to the MOS transistor is used to provide a standby virtual voltage for the sub-circuit when the MOS transistor is not conducting. This approach is bulky, thereby adding to die size and an increased risk of defects, which reduces chip yield.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a more efficient way of providing virtual operating and standby voltages.


A jack connector device for placing a plurality of jack connectors on a printed circuit board is disclosed. The connector device comprises an elongated, insulating housing having individual receptacles for receiving socket sections. The receptacles are located in a single array at predetermined, non-contiguous locations along the length of the housing. The housing includes a first piece defining the receptacles and a second detachable piece that holds the socket sections securely in place along the length of the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a jack connector device and, in particular, to a jack connector device which connects a plurality of jack connectors to a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
A modular jack connector is a printed circuit board mount type connector and is used to connect a cable which is run from outside a communications unit for instance to a printed circuit board present within the communications unit. In recent years, this type of connector has been employed not only for communications units but also for the interface, etc., of an office automation unit and peripheral units.
Such connectors are each employed to receive those modular jacks in a single cable and, in order to correspond to the number of cables to be connected to the printed circuit board, a plurality of connectors are mounted on that printed circuit board.
This type of connector is usually of a compact type and a time consuming operation is required in mounting a larger number of such connectors on the printed circuit board. Readier mounting of the connectors is, therefore, required.
Existing jack connector devices have socket sections, provided for receiving the modular jacks, that are fixed in the device and are not readily removable.
A connector device that provides for easier placement and removal of socket sections is, therefore, required to aid in easier assembly, disassembly, mounting and maintenance.
In addition, existing jack connector devices require relatively complicated manufacturing processes to create the receptacles for the socket sections and/or to secure them in place on the connector device. Connectors without these complex receptacle features, that are relatively simple to manufacture are, therefore, desired.


A valve for a pressurized fluid, including a body housing a fluid circuit including an upstream end configured to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end configured to be placed in communication with a user apparatus, the circuit including a control valve controlling the flow rate in the circuit, the control valve being operated by a mobile actuating member to command the opening or the closing thereof, the valve including a first wireless remote communications electronic member using electromagnetic data waves, wherein the first electronic communication member is secured to a support component mounted to move on the body of the valve between at least a first position and a second position with respect to the body.

The invention relates to a valve for a pressurized fluid and to a fluid supplying device comprising such a valve.
The invention relates more particularly to a valve for a pressurized fluid, with or without in-built pressure regulator, comprising a body housing a fluid circuit having an upstream end intended to be placed in communication with a reserve of pressurized fluid and a downstream end intended to be placed in communication with a user apparatus, the circuit comprising a control valve controlling the flow rate in the circuit, the control valve being operated by a mobile actuating member to command the opening or the closing thereof, the valve comprising a first wireless remote communications electronic member using electromagnetic data waves.
It is known practice to fit pressurized-fluid cylinders with a communication member intended to exchange information with adjacent apparatuses.
Document DE19911032A describes a gas cylinder fitted with a wireless electronic information communication device housed in the base of a cap that protects the valve.
Document FR3022972A1 describes a device comprising two valves that can be mechanically and fluidically coupled to one another and can communicate via wireless communication members.
The integration of such a communication member needs to meet various requirements (available volume, ability to receive or transmit data wirelessly under satisfactory conditions, etc.). This is particularly relevant when such a communication member is intended to communicate with a communication member of another, adjacent, apparatus using short-range communication.

Pressurized fluid device and valve and method of identification

L'Air Liquide, Société Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procédés Georges Claude


The silicon nitride film forming method deposits a silicon nitride film on the substrate surface by maintaining the heating element at a predetermined temperature and by decomposing and/or activating a raw material gas supplied from the gas supply system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silicon nitride film forming apparatus and forming method having excellent reproducibility of film thickness and film quality, and in particular to a silicon nitride film forming apparatus and forming method used for compound semiconductor devices such as HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor), HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor) and the like.
2. Related Art
Chemical vapor deposition methods, such as a thermal CVD method and a plasma CVD method, have been widely used for manufacturing semiconductor devices. However, as the higher integration and function of devices come to be requested, the damage caused by the plasma and processing temperature become serious problems. Under such circumstances, a Catalytic CVD (Cat-CVD) method, which is free of such problems and can form a high quality film, is paid much attention and studied as a practical film forming method for a variety of thin films (JP10-83988A).
This method is carried out using an apparatus in which a substrate holder 3 holding a substrate 7 and a heating element 4 made of refractory metal such as tungsten or the like are disposed facing each other in a vacuum vessel 1 having an exhaust port 2 and a gas introduction means 8, as shown in, for example, FIG. 3. First, the inside of the vacuum vessel is exhausted. The heating element is heated by supplying electric current from an external power source through a connection terminal 5, and maintained at a temperature of from about 1000° C. to 2000° C. Then, a raw material gas is introduced into the vacuum vessel from gas introduction means 8 and decomposed and/or activated on the surface of heating element and/or in the vicinity to begin the deposition of thin film on the substrate.
It was confirmed by applying this method to the formation of the silicon nitride passivation layer of, for example, a GaAs HEMT that the damage on substrate surface is reduced and the device manufactured has excellent dynamic characteristics (R. Hattori et al., Technical Digest of 19th Annual GaAs IC Symp., Anaheim, 1997, p. 78).
However, when the silicon nitride film was repeatedly formed on a number of substrates, the film quality and film thickness were found to vary from substrate to substrate, meaning that the device characteristic was not stably obtained.
Then, in order to clear up the cause, the present inventors have investigated the structure and arrangement of members in the apparatus, the conditions of film formation and pretreatment such as outgas treatment, the cleaning to remove films deposited on the inner surface of vacuum vessel and the like, and, as a result, found that the reproducibility of film quality and film thickness remarkably fluctuates, depending on the temperature and the configuration of a deposition shield plate which was placed to prevent the film deposition on the inner surface of vacuum vessel and make the maintenance easier. The deposition shield plate is generally connected to the vacuum vessel directly or indirectly in such apparatuses, and its temperature changes with the temperature of heating element. That is, the temperature rise and drop of deposition shield plate, together with vacuum vessel, repeatedly take place, corresponding to the start and stop of film formation. Therefore, the relation of the film quality and film thickness with the temperature of deposition shield plate was examined carefully to find that the reproducibility of film quality, film thickness and the like sharply changes with the temperature around the heating element and the substrate.


Detecting a connection between two circuits utilizing a high-speed interface. Interface circuitry internal to a computing device performs an initialization process between two processors automatically to determine the state of the interface connection. Test circuitry retrieves the interface state from the interface circuitry. Neither the configuration process, the interface circuitry or the test circuitry require full functionality of an IC on which they reside in order to operate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to connectivity testing of a high speed interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
An important goal of computing device manufacture testing is determining the cause of a printed circuit board (PCB) malfunction. For example, a PCB may malfunction due to a defective integrated circuit (IC) or defective soldering between the IC and a PCB. This can be a very important distinction when the IC is manufactured by one entity and assembled to a PCB by another. A defective soldering job can fixed relatively quickly at little cost by re-soldering. A PCB with a defective IC can be fixed by replacing the IC. Replacing a defective IC is more costly than re-soldering. A PCB soldering malfunction misdiagnosed as a defective IC will increase the cost of manufacturing. Thus, it is important to distinguish between causes of PCB malfunction during manufacturing testing. In particular, distinguishing between defective ICs and defective soldering allows faster debug and repair rates, provides for removal and damage of fewer good parts, and cheaper manufacturing costs.
PCI-Express is high speed interface for transferring data and information between two or more ICs. PCI-Express utilizes AC-coupling and differential signaling to send and receive information. IEEE 1149.1 describes a common boundary scan technology for performing manufacturing tests on some types of ICs. Boundary scan technology detects and asserts signals and data applied to the extruding pins and/or solder balls an IC. The 1149.1 boundary scan technique is not suitable for testing the AC-coupling and differential signaling utilized in PCI-Express. A new technology, IEEE 1149.6, provides for boundary scan testing of AC-coupled and/or differential buses. Though the IEEE 1149.6 can apply and retrieve signals from IC pins utilizing a high speed interface with AC-coupling and differential signaling, its recent release has resulted in limited utilization.
Due to the lack of PCB manufacturing testing capabilities on high speed serial interfaces such as PCI-Express, the cause of PCB malfunction in computing devices utilizing high speed interfaces cannot be distinguished. It is very important to determine whether a PCB malfunction for a high speed interface is caused by a defective IC or defective soldering between the IC and a PCB.

Design for test for a high speed serial interface


A boost voltage generating circuit and method for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device is disclosed in the present invention. The present invention provides a stable operation when a power source supply voltage region is in a wide power source voltage region, and a layout area for generating a boost voltage is reduced, thereby reducing a chip cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a boost voltage generating circuit for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device and method of generating a boost voltage. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for operating a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device at a low voltage.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory (i.e., a ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM)) has a data processing speed substantially the same as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and is able to retain data even in power off. For this reason, the nonvolatile ferroelectric memory has received much attention as a next generation memory device.
The FRAM and the DRAM are memory devices having similar structures. The FRAM, however, includes a ferroelectric capacitor having a high residual polarization characteristic. The residual polarization characteristic permits data to be maintained even if an electric field is removed.
FIG. 1 shows a hysteresis loop of a typical ferroelectric. As shown in FIG. 1, even if a polarization induced by the electric field has the electric field removed, data is maintained at a certain amount (i.e., xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d states in FIG. 1) due to the presence of the residual polarization (or spontaneous polarization). A nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device utilizes the xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d states corresponding to xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, respectively.
A related art nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device will now be described. FIG. 2 shows a unit cell of a related art nonvolatile ferroelectric memory.
As shown in FIG. 2, the related art nonvolatile ferroelectric memory includes a bitline B/L formed in one direction, a wordline W/L formed to cross the bitline, a plate line P/L spaced apart from the wordline in the same direction as the wordline, a transistor Ti with a gate connected to the wordline and a source connected to the bitline, and a ferroelectric capacitor FC1. A first terminal of the ferroelectric capacitor FC1 is connected to a drain of the transistor T1 and a second terminal is connected to the plate line P/L.
Data input/output operation of the related art nonvolatile ferroelectric memory deviceandwill now be described as follows. FIG. 3A is a timing chart illustrating operation of a write mode of the related art nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device, while FIG. 3B is a timing chart illustrating operation of a read mode thereof.
During the write mode, an externally applied chip enable signal CSBpad is activated from high state to low state. At the same time, if a write enable signal WEBpad is applied from high state to low state, the write mode starts. Subsequently, if an address decoding in the write mode starts, a pulse applied to the corresponding wordline is transited from low state to high state to select a cell.
High and low signals in a certain period are sequentially applied to the corresponding plate line in a period where the wordline is maintained at high state. To write a logic value xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d in the selected cell, a high signal or low signal synchronized with the write enable signal WEBpad is applied to the corresponding bitline.
In other words, if a high signal is applied to the bitline and the low signal is applied to the plate line in a period where the signal applied to the wordline is High, a logic value xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d is written in the ferroelectric capacitor. Conversely, if a low signal is applied to the bitline and the signal applied to the plate line is high, a logic value xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d is written in the ferroelectric capacitor.
Reading operation of data stored in a cell by the above the write mode operation will now be described as follows. If an externally applied chip enable signal CSBpad is activated from high state to low state, all of the bitlines become equipotential to a low voltage by an equalizer signal EQ before the corresponding wordline is selected.
Then, the respective bitline becomes inactive and an address is decoded. The low signal is transited to the high signal in the corresponding wordline according to the decoded address so that the corresponding cell is selected.
The high signal is applied to the plate line of the selected cell to destroy the data corresponding to the logic value xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d stored in the ferroelectric memory. If the logic value xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d is stored in the ferroelectric memory, the corresponding data is not destroyed.
The destroyed data and the undestroyed data are output as different values shown in the ferroelectric hysteresis loop, so that a sensing amplifier senses the logic value xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, respectively. In other words, if the data is destroyed, the xe2x80x9cdxe2x80x9d state is transited to the xe2x80x9cfxe2x80x9d state, as shown in the hysteresis loop of FIG. 1. If the data is not destroyed, the xe2x80x9caxe2x80x9d state is transited to the xe2x80x9cfxe2x80x9d state. Thus, if the sensing amplifier is enabled after a set time has elapsed, the logic value xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d is output in case that the data is destroyed while the logic value xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d is output in case that the data is not destroyed.
As described above, after the sensing amplifier outputs the data to recover the original data, the plate line becomes inactive from high state to low state at the state that the high signal is applied to the corresponding wordline.
When the data reading/writing operation is executed, a boost voltage can be generated in the wordline by using an NMOS capacitor (not shown).
However, the related art nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device has several problems as follows.
Since a boost voltage is not used when the cell is read and written, an error operation may occur in a low voltage region. Also, since an NMOS transistor should be used to generate the boost voltage, more layout areas are required.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a boost voltage generating circuit for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device and method of generating the boost voltage that substantially obviates one or more of problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a boost voltage generating circuit for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device and method of generating a boost voltage in which an operation is stable when a power source supply voltage region is within a wide power source voltage region.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a boost voltage generating circuit for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device and method of generating a boost voltage in which a layout area for generating the boost voltage is reduced, thereby reducing a chip cost.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a boost voltage generating circuit for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device includes a supply voltage sensor receiving a voltage boost control signal and determining whether a power source voltage is less than a threshold voltage, a first operation unit receiving an output signal of the supply voltage sensor and the voltage boost control signal and performing a first logic operation, first and second signal output units receiving an output signal of the first operation unit and delaying start and end edges of the voltage boost control signal, thereby outputting first and second boost control signals, and a voltage generating circuit having a ferroelectric capacitor that receives an active signal of an address decoder and the first and second boost control signals when the power source voltage is less than the threshold voltage, thereby generating a boost voltage higher than the power source voltage.
In another aspect of the present invention, a boost voltage generating method for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the present invention includes outputting a voltage boost control signal when a chip enable signal is activated in a region where a power source voltage is less than a threshold voltage, delaying start and end edges of the voltage boost control signal to output first and second boost control signals, and inputting the first and second boost control signals into a boost voltage generating circuit having a ferroelectric capacitor to generate a boost voltage higher than the power source voltage.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a boost voltage generating method for a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device according to the present invention includes outputting a wordline boost control signal of high level having a first width when a chip enable signal is activated and a power source voltage is less than a threshold voltage, delaying only a start edge of the wordline boost control signal to output a first boost control signal, outputting the first boost control signal and at the same time delaying/extending a width equivalent to an end edge of the boost control signal to output a second boost control signal, and inputting an active signal of an address decoder and the first and second boost control signals in a boost voltage generating circuit having a ferroelectric capacitor to generate a boost voltage higher than the power source voltage.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Boost voltage generating circuit for nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device and method for generating boost voltage


The electronic device according to the Present Disclosure is an electronic device provided with a heat-dissipating portion and an electronic component socket that can accommodate, therein, an installable electronic component, wherein the electronic component socket has a thermal connecting portion for connecting thermally to the electronic component, and, when the electronic component is operating, the electronic component and the heat-dissipating portion are connected thermally through the thermal connecting portion.

The Present Disclosure relates generally to a heat sink, a cooling module and a coolable electronic board that can cool various heat-generating bodies. More particularly, the Present Disclosures relates to a heat sink, a cooling module and a coolable electronic board that, by effectively decreasing the temperature gradient in the base without losing durability or reliability, reduces temperature increases in the heat-generating body (or, more specifically, increases the efficiency of cooling the heat-generating body).
The Present Disclosure relates to an electronic device able to not only attach an electronic component, primarily of a card shape, to the electronic device, but also, through connecting to the electronic component, to concentrate, within a device, and then dissipate effectively to the outside, heat that is generated within the device, through conveying, to a heat-dissipating portion that is provided within the electronic device, heat that is produced. Note that this "card shape" refers to a shape with specific outer dimensions and thickness, and can be installed easily into an electronic device, and includes a variety of shapes commonly understood to be "card-shaped."
A variety of electronic components that engender heat production are used in many electronic devices. In such electronic components, there is a variety of negative effects when the use environment becomes hotter than a specific temperature, such as the instability of normal operations, decreased reliability and the like, resulting in a performance reduction of the electronic device or manufacturing equipment itself. Technologies such as heat sinks and heat pipes have been developed and used long ago in order to suppress, through cooling, the heating from the electronic components. On the other hand, in portable electronic devices, there has been a need for a general specification for installing card-shaped electronic components in order to record video and audio data electronically, and to exchange with other equipment.
In recent years, there has additionally been an increase in the data transfer rate between electronic devices, memory cards and the like, accompanying increases in capacities of memories, improvements in writing and reading performance, improvements in the portable terminal performance and the like. Accordingly, there have been concerns that the amount of heat produced by the electronic components will get even larger, accompanying the increases in the amount of data transferred, resulting in instability in the operations of the devices.
Conventionally, there have been proposals for technologies wherein enclosures provided for card-shaped electronic components are mounted in the electronic devices and provided with heat-dissipating portions, so that when the card-shaped electronic component is inserted into a card case, the electronic component and the heat-dissipating portion make thermal contact, to dissipate, from the heat-dissipating portion, the heat that is produced by the card electronic component. Examples may be found in Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-222437; Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-242946; and Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-116564.
The '437 Application discloses a connector for a PC card wherein a movable frame is actuated when the PC card is inserted into the connector for the PC card, causing the PC card to make contact with the heat-dissipating portion that is provided in the connector for the PC card. The '946 Application discloses a technology wherein the inserted PC card makes contact with a heat-dissipating portion that is provided in the housing of a connector for the PC card. The '564 Application discloses a connector for a card having a structure wherein a heat-dissipating member that can rotate in order to promote the dissipation of heat of the inserted card is provided, where the rotation of the heat-dissipating member causes contact with the card when the card is inserted.
In the disclosures above, the connectors or sockets themselves, into which electronic components are installed, such as connectors for PC cards, are provided with the heat-dissipating portions. PC cards are often used in electronic devices that are used on a desk, such as, computers and the like. Card-shaped electronic components, such as PC cards having a relatively large size, such as PCMCIA-standard components, can be used in such electronic devices.
On the other hand, in conventional portable electronic devices, there are demands for even electronic components to be made smaller and thinner, because of the demands for making the electronic devices themselves smaller and thinner. In addition, due to the demands for higher speeds in exchange of data between electronic devices, and demands for higher capacities, there is a tendency for an increased number of terminals in the electronic devices. Sockets and connectors for the installation of small electronic devices that have a high number of terminals have extreme problems in terms of the provision, thereon, of heat-dissipating members provided with adequate surface area, as in the disclosures above. In addition, it is difficult to secure the space for mounting heat-dissipating members in such electronic devices.
On the other hand, in some electronic devices heat-dissipating members are often provided in advance in order to cool the heat that is produced by the processing device (for example, a central processing device ("CPU")) or the power supply portion that is included internally. For example, heat sinks, heat pipes, cooling fans, graphite sheets and the like are mounted within the electronic components. In such a situation, the heat from the installed electronic component, that has had to be made smaller and thinner, preferably is dissipated through these heat-dissipating members. However, in the conventional technology there has been a problem in that such heat dissipation has not been performed adequately due to the heat-dissipating portion being provided on the connector or socket itself.

Electronic device provided with socket for card-shaped component


A system for dispensing a metered volume of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage dispenser. The system includes a storage tank for containing a supply of unheated water and a dispensing tank. A delivery line communicates with the brew chamber and with the dispensing tank at an intermediate level demarcating the interior of dispensing tank into upper and lower compartment. The volume of the upper compartment is equal to the metered volume. A vent valve communicates via a vent line with the upper compartment. A supply line connects the storage tank to the lower compartment. An air pump is arranged to deliver pressurized air to the upper compartment. A water pump in the supply line is arranged to deliver water from the storage tank to the lower compartment. A heater for heating water received in the dispensing tank. A sensing mechanism for generating control signals indicative of the level and temperature of water in the dispensing tank. A controller enabled by control signals generated by the sensing means and operative in response to a brew signal for operating the air and water pumps in conjunction with the opening and closure of the vent valve to fill the upper compartment with heated water displaced from the lower compartment and to discharge the thus displaced heated water from the upper compartment to the brew chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to beverage brewers of the type having brew chambers configured and dimensioned to accept and pierce disposable single serve beverage cartridges as well as those brewers that accept disposable single serve beverage pods that have soluble beverage materials confined between layers of film media, and is concerned in particular with a system for dispensing metered volumes of heated water to such brew chambers for infusion with the soluble beverage materials contained in such cartridges or pods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hot water dispensing systems of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,063 are in widespread use. While such systems operate reliably with an adequate degree of metering accuracy, certain of their metering components are difficult to manufacture with the precision necessary to achieve a high degree of metering accuracy. Moreover, when processing water having elevated mineral levels, the accuracy and reliability of the metering components can be compromised by mineral deposits.
Although other dispensing systems employ less expensive components that are less likely to be compromised by mineral deposits, any such advantages are more than offset by reduced dispensing accuracy and reliability.
There exists a need, therefore, for an improved hot water dispensing system that not only employs lower cost components that are substantially immune to mineral deposits, but that also is capable of consistently operating with a high degree of dispensing accuracy.

System for dispensing metered volumes of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage brewer


Systems and methods for object detection are provided. The system includes at least a coil, a small signal generator, a small signal receiver, and a processor. The small signal generator includes a digital-to-analog converter circuit with programmable impedance. The small signal generator is configured to select an output impedance for the digital-to-analog circuit for capacitive sensing or radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag detection; generate a small signal according to the output impedance; and provide the small signal to the coil. The small signal receiver receives the small signal and a response signal associated with the small signal and measures the response signal to generate a measured signal. The processor compares the measured signal with one or more reference signals and performs capacitive sensing and/or detect a RFID tag according to the comparison.

Wireless charging system includes a wireless power transmitter unit and one or more wireless power receiver units. When a wireless power receiver unit is close to a wireless power transmitter unit, the wireless transmitter unit determines whether to transmit power to the wireless power receiver unit without user interaction.
Before the power transferring starts, the wireless power transmitter unit discovers the wireless power receiver unit without waking up the wireless power receiver unit or starting digital communications to the wireless power receiver unit. The wireless power transmitter unit uses power inverter circuits to execute a few pings to excite a coil of the wireless charging system and measure a response from the coil and determine if the power receiver unit is present in the field based on the measurement.
Additionally, if foreign objects (e.g., metals, RFID tags) are present in the field, the power transmitter unit can potentially raise the temperature of a foreign object that is placed within the field. The power transmitter unit needs to respond to the detection result (i.e., terminate the power transfer if a foreign object is detected) in order to avoid overheating the foreign objects.
The details of various embodiments of the methods and systems are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.

Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited


The invention is a catalyst injection system and method for injecting catalyst. In one embodiment, a fluid catalytic injection system includes vessel configured to store one or more catalysts, a pressure transmitter, a pressure control valve, a discharge valve, and a controller. The pressure control valve is coupled to the vessel and regulates the gas pressure therein. The discharge valve is coupled to the vessel and controls a discharge of catalyst from the vessel. The pressure transmitter provides a metric of pressure to the controller as an input. The controller contains instructions, that when executed, prevents the simultaneous opening of the pressure control valve and the discharge valve. In another embodiment, a method for injecting catalyst into a fluid catalytic cracking unit is provided. The method includes regulating pressure within a catalyst storage vessel, changing an amount of catalyst in the storage vessel, and preventing a simultaneous occurrence of the regulating and changing steps.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to fluid catalyst injection systems for fluid catalyst cracking units.
2. Background of the Related Art
Fluid catalyst cracking units (FCCU) are commonly used in petroleum refining to break long chain hydrocarbons present in crude oil and to adjust the product mix recovered at the distiller. A main catalyst is generally introduced into the FCCU by a catalyst injection system which periodically meters out catalyst for injection over a predefined period of time. Such injection systems are available from Intercat, Inc., located in Sea Girt, N.J. Other examples of conventional injection systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,236, issued Feb. 14, 1995, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In addition to the main catalyst, it is often beneficial to inject other catalysts into the FCCU to further influence the refining process. For example, some catalyst are formulated to control certain types of emissions, such as the amount of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds present in refinery emissions. Other catalysts may be formulated to influence the product mix recovered in the distiller. For example, catalyst may be formulated to produce more diesel fuel relative to gasoline or to increase the amount of liquid petroleum gas produced, among others. As these injection systems are typically supported on a separate foundation and hard pipe connected to the FCCU, the flexibility of the refiner to rapidly add an additional catalyst injection system is very limited.
For example, the time required to plan and install a new catalyst injection system may prevent the refiner from taking advantage of market conditions favorable to a certain product mix not achievable using the catalyst injection systems currently coupled to the FCCU. The difficulty in providing quick process adjustment through the injection of additional catalyst in a new catalyst injection system also hampers the ability of the refiner to quickly adjust refinery emissions due to changes in regulations, differences in the chemical make-up of crude oil or process equipment failure. Furthermore, as catalyst injection systems are expensive to install, it is undesirable to have unused catalyst injection systems stationed online as a precaution against any unanticipated need for process control.
Additionally, conventional pressure regulation systems utilized to control the pressures with in a catalyst injection system are not stable, causing the total amount of gas within the chamber to fluctuate. This change in mass of gas within the catalyst injection system results in erroneous weight calculations of catalyst dispensed into the FCCU, leading to less than optimum process control.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved catalyst injection system.

Catalyst injection system with pressure control


A lever fixing apparatus of a cassette housing has at least one lever for connecting a cassette holder to a chassis and at least one snap fixing unit for connecting the lever to at least one of the cassette holder and the chassis in a snap manner to hingedly fix the lever thereto. The lever fixing apparatus can fix the lever to the chassis without using additional coupling parts. Accordingly, the number of processes for assembling the cassette holder to the housing bracket can be reduced and the working time is saved, thereby the productivity being increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever fixing apparatus of a cassette housing and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus with the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, such as a camcorder and a videocassette recorder (VCR), has a cassette housing for loading and unloading a cassette to and from a reel table of a deck.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional cassette housing of a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.
A cassette housing includes a chassis 3 having a front plate 1 and side plates 2 and 2′ provided at both sides, X-shaped lever assemblies 7 and 7′ for fixing first and second levers 4, 4′ and 5, 5′, which are connected to each other by respective connecting pins 6 and 6′ (see FIG. 3A), on the side plates 2 and 2′ of the chassis 3, respectively, a cassette holder 8 fixed to upper portion of the X-shaped lever assemblies 7 and 7′, eject springs 9 and 9′ for connecting upper portions of the first and second levers 4, 4′ and 5, 5′, a locking lever 11 having an operating portion 11a provided at a lower portion and rotatably connected to the side plate 2 of the chassis 3 by a shaft pin 10, a hook pin 12 fixed on a sidewall of the cassette holder 8 and selectively hooked on the locking lever 11, a tension spring 13 for biasing the locking lever 11, a damper gear 14 rotatably coupled at a rear side of the wall of the cassette holder 8, and a sector gear 15 formed on an upper portion of the first lever 4 and engaged with the damper gear 14.
The operation of the above-described conventional cassette housing will be briefly described hereinafter.
In the operation of positioning the cassette holder 8 to a seating position, when the cassette holder 8 is gently depressed in a state where it is ejected as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3B, the X-shaped lever assemblies 7 and 7′ are folded up and descended as the ejected springs 9 and 9′ connected between the first and second levers 4, 4′ and 5, 5′, are tensioned. Therefore, the locking lever 11 is hooked on the hook pin 12 of the cassette holder 8, thereby positioning the cassette holder 8 in the seating position as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A.
In the ejecting operation of the cassette holder 8, when the operation portion 11a of the locking lever 11 is pushed by a locking lever operating unit (not shown) in an arrow direction A as shown in FIG. 2B in a state where the cassette holder 8 is loaded in the loading position as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A. The locking lever 11 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft pin 10 against the biasing force of the tension spring 13, thereby making the hook pin 12 of the cassette holder 8 free. As a result, the X-shaped lever assemblies 7 and 7′ are unfolded (widened or opened) by the eject springs 9 and 9′, thereby ejecting the cassette holder 8 as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3B.
In the above-described cassette housing, the cassette holder 8 is fixed on the side plates 2 and 2′ of the chassis 3 by sliding fixing units 16 and 16′ formed on the side plates 2 and 2′ and the first lever 4 and 4′ and by hinge fixing units 19 and 19′ formed on the side plates 2 and 2′ and the second levers 5 and 5′.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3B, after projection pins 17 and 17′ formed on lower portions of the first levers 4 and 4′ are inserted into pin insertion holes 18 and 18′ formed on the side plates 2 and 2′ and the shaft pins 20 and 20′ are inserted into shaft pin holes 21 and 21′ formed on lower portions of the second levers 5 and 5′ and the side plates 2 and 2′, the cassette holder 8 is fixed on the chassis 3 by a suitable fixing means, for example, washers (not shown).
However, since a plurality of additional coupling parts such as the shaft pins 20 and 20′ that will be inserted into the shaft pin holes in the course of a fixing process are required, the fixing process is complicated and the assembly time is increased, thereby diminishing productivity.

Lever fixing apparatus of cassette housing and magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus with the same


Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system for coordinating a radiological imaging subsystem with a component including: a first communication device located on the radiological imaging subsystem; and a second communication device located on the component, wherein the first and second communication devices are capable of communicating to indicate a positional relationship between the radiological imaging subsystem and the component. In an embodiment, the component includes an imaging table. In an embodiment, at least one range of motion of the radiological imaging system is determinable based at least in part on the communicating to indicate a positional relationship. In an embodiment, the at least one range of motion of the radiological imaging system includes at least one range of motion of a gantry.

Embodiments of the present application relate generally to registering two or more data sets, generally for use in clinical applications. Particularly, certain embodiments relate to identifying differences between an output from an imaging subsystem with that of a tracking subsystem automatically.
Mobile C-arms may be common imaging apparatus used today in surgery. Some advantages of mobile C-arms may include versatility, mobility, and economy than as compared to fixed-room x-ray systems. Technology advances in several key areas (e.g. image processing, CPU speeds, digital data storage capacities, miniaturization, motorization) have, in part, fueled the increasing popularity of mobile C-arm systems as compared to the popularity of fixed-room systems.
One advantage of fixed-room systems may be in the area of gantry automation. Since fixed-room systems may typically be structurally integrated into a room, fixed-room systems do not have the same design constraints of a mobile system when it comes to electrical power, size, weight, etc. Thus, structural integration in fixed-room systems to have relatively fast and sophisticated gantry motion features.
Fixed-room imaging systems may also incorporate the patient table into the overall system gantry design. Knowledge of the position and orientation of the table relative to position and orientation of the imaging gantry, enables more advanced positioning and imaging functions, such as collision avoidance and high-speed gantry motion. Mobile systems may be limited in this area because the patient table may not be integrated into the overall system gantry design.
However, even fixed-room imaging systems may not be able to obtain a full range of motion (e.g. motion of the gantry, and motion of the imaging table). Without real-time positional information of the various sub-components, it may not be possible to obtain a full range of synchronized motion from the movable components.
Thus, there is a need for radiological imaging subsystems capable of performing advanced gantry functions and collision avoidance. There is a need for radiological imaging systems to coordinate motion between an imaging table and a radiological imaging subsystem. Additionally, there is a need for radiological imaging methods and systems that can ascertain the position and/or orientation of other components.

Coordination of radiological imaging subsystems and components


A method for controlling a compressor of a motor vehicle air conditioner that is designed for variable power draw and is driveable by the vehicle drive. The power draw of the compressor is subject to an upper limit that is set variably as a function of the difference between the maximum drive torque that the vehicle drive can deliver and the drive torque that is required to drive the vehicle. During a vehicle acceleration maneuver, the air conditioning power of the air conditioner is reduced only to the degree required to reach the desired acceleration.

This application claims the priority of German patent application 196 42 832.7, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a method for controlling a compressor of a motor vehicle air conditioner designed for variable power draw and driveable by the vehicle drive.
A method of this kind is described in German patent document DE 38 43 924 C2. In the air conditioner disclosed in this document, the thermal load on the system is detected and the required compressor intake pressure and the drive torque required to provide it are determined for the compressor. During those time intervals in which the engine provided as a vehicle drive is running at idle, the idle rpm is increased to enable the determined compressor drive torque to be delivered without the engine stalling. If the engine is already running at an increased rpm, the drive torque for the compressor is drawn from the engine drive torque that serves to drive the vehicle.
Furthermore, in motor vehicle air conditioners with compressors driveable by the vehicle drive, it is already known to switch off the compressor temporarily during those vehicle operating phases in which the driver calls for powerful vehicle acceleration, for passing maneuvers for example, in order to have available all of the driving torque generated by the vehicle drive for driving the vehicle. This measure is described for example in European patent document EP 0 288 658 B1.
There is a need for that allows an air conditioner to operate even during powerful acceleration maneuvers without significantly adversely affecting the ability of the vehicle to accelerate.
This and other needs have been met according to the present invention by providing a method for controlling a compressor of a motor vehicle air conditioner, the compressor being designed for variable power draw and driven by the vehicle drive, characterized in that the power draw of compressor is subject to an upper limit that is set as a function of the difference between the maximum drive torque that the vehicle drive can deliver to the drive torque required for driving the vehicle.
This and other needs have also been met according to the present invention by providing a method for controlling a variable-power air conditioner compressor in a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of: determining an engine torque value required to drive the air conditioner compressor to achieve a cooling level requested by a user (T.sub.ACreq) ; determining a maximum available engine torque value (T.sub.max); determining an engine torque value required for vehicle movement; and setting an actual torque fed to the variable-power air conditioner compressor (T.sub.act) to the lesser of: (i) T.sub.ACreq ; and (ii) T.sub.max -T.sub.drive.
According to the present invention, the power draw of the compressor is subject to an upper limit that is set variably as a function of the difference between the maximum drive torque that the vehicle drive can provide and the drive torque required for driving the vehicle. In this manner, during an acceleration or starting maneuver required by the driver, the cooling power of the air conditioner is reduced only to the level required for actually performing the acceleration or starting maneuver with the desired acceleration. For this purpose, the compressor generally does not have to be shut off completely, but continues operating at the reduced power subject to the respective limit. As a result, optimum cooling of the vehicle interior and improved air conditioning comfort is achieved and unnecessary switching processes involving the compressor that compresses the coolant are avoided.

Method for controlling a compressor of a motor vehicle air conditioner


In one embodiment, a source device determines a source route from itself to a destination device in a computer network, and forwards a first packet on the source route with the source route included within the first packet. In addition, the source device generates a second packet with the source route included within the second packet, the second packet also including an indication to cause one or more of a plurality of transit devices to forward the second packet to a reachable 1-hop neighbor of a device in the source route two hops away from the respective transit device. The source device may then forward the second packet itself, as do one the one or more transit devices on a diverse path based on the source route, to a particular reachable 1-hop neighbor of a particular device in the source route two hops away from the source (or transit) device.

Low-power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as smart grid, smart cities, home and building automation, etc. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. Large-scale IP smart object networks pose a number of technical challenges. For instance, the degree of density of such networks (such as Smart Grid networks with a large number of sensors and actuators, smart cities, or advanced metering infrastructure or "AMI" networks) may be extremely high: it is not rare for each node to see several hundreds of neighbors. Also, links are usually shared (e.g., using wireless mesh or powerline communication (PLC) networks) and provide very limited capacity (from a few Kbits/s to a several dozens of KBits/s).
The computation of diverse paths is a well-known technical challenge in networks using distance vector routing protocols, such as many LLN routing protocols. The ability to build diverse paths is important for the Internet of Things (IoT) for a number of critical/real-time applications where "1+1" techniques consisting of duplicating critical packets and sending them along diverse paths is a strong requirement. Indeed, for such packets, links are so lossy that sending a single copy along a path has a high probability of being lost (and being retransmitted, which involves additional delays), especially when the path diameter increases, particularly since the path's Packet Error Rate (PER) increases exponentially with the path length. Note that the computation of diverse paths may also be used to load-balance traffic flows across diverse paths (not just for 1+1).
Because LLNs, as well as other networks, often operate with devices that have strict memory constraints, many networks use source routing to deliver packets to their destination. Source routing allows the network to concentrate routing state at one or a few more capable devices in the network (typically a border router). One method for multi-path forwarding with source routing is to discover and maintain multiple paths towards a destination at the source. Then when sending a packet, each copy of the packet includes a different source route. However, doing so is difficult and costly to do in practice. Distance vector routing protocols typically used with LLNs are not well-suited at building completely diverse paths. Using multi-path forwarding with source routing assumes that the routing protocol is capable of building multiple routes towards a single destination. If the routing protocol is not capable of doing this, then multi-path forwarding cannot be used.

Diverse paths using a single source route in computer networks


A new circuit for the operation of gas discharge lamps via a converter that operates directly off the rectified AC line without reactive filtering and consequently maintains good power factor and low total harmonic distortion while still maintaining an acceptable lamp current crest factor. The converter employs active crest factor correction to control the actual lamp current to a determined peak to RMS value. The design comprises two stages: a first stage with a non-linear input voltage to lamp current transfer function and a second stage having a frequency modulation to lamp current transfer function designed to cancel the first stage's transfer function at a predetermined input voltage and thus maintain constant lamp current during the correction interval.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to converter circuits, and in particular to converter circuits used to drive gas discharge lamps.
2. Background Art
Current gas discharge lamps generally require a high power factor and good (i.e., less than 20%) total harmonic distortion (THD). These requirements coupled with output current crest factors imposed by manufacturers of gas discharge lamps, drive designers to utilize various conditioning circuits in the front end of current ballast designs. One of the primary design requirements is of course cost, and any use of conditioning circuits on the front end adds to the cost of the ballast design.
A ballast which accomplishes good THD and power factor, while also maintaining a crest factor within the requirements of bulb manufacturers' recommendations (1.7) without the need for a front end correction circuit is very desirable for cost and efficiency reasons but has been elusive due to the conflicting requirements listed above.
Additionally, active correction circuits are switching power systems on their own. The resulting efficiency of the total lighting product is the product of the efficiencies of the two converters, the active front end converter and the ballast power transfer converter efficiency. This limits the total system efficiency to the high eighties even when the ballast converter efficiency is very high.

Gas discharge lamp with active crest factor correction


A portable rechargeable lantern capable of use in an explosive environment includes light emitting diode light source, fault tolerant circuitry, a rechargeable battery and a charging circuit that receives power from an external charger via an induction coil. Formed within a sealed housing, the induction coil charging system eliminates external metal contacts, thereby eliminating a potential ignition source during charging operations. Fault tolerant circuitry and a cool-running light emitting diode light source eliminate potential ignition sources due to breakage or fault conditions. Mating surfaces between the lantern and its charger cradle facilitate aligning the charging induction coils.

Several occupations require the use of a portable lantern. However, in a wide variety of hazardous environments conventional lanterns are unusable. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has classified a number of hazardous work environments where special precaution must be taken to provide workers with safe working conditions. The most extreme work environment is classified as Class I, Division 1. A Class I, Division I work environment is a location in which: (a) hazardous concentrations of flammable gases or vapors may exist under normal operating conditions; or (b) hazardous concentrations of such gases or vapors may exist frequently because of repair or maintenance operations or because of leakage; or (c) breakdown or faulty operation of equipment or processes might release hazardous concentrations of flammable gases or vapors, and might also cause simultaneous failure of electric equipment.
Examples of work locations where Class I, Division I classifications are typically assigned include: locations where volatile flammable liquids or liquefied flammable gases are transferred from one container to another; interiors of spray booths and areas in the vicinity of spraying and painting operations where volatile flammable solvents are used; locations containing open tanks or vats of volatile flammable liquids; drying rooms or compartments for the evaporation of flammable solvents; locations containing fat and oil extraction equipment using volatile flammable solvents; portions of cleaning and dyeing plants where flammable liquids are used; gas generator rooms and other portions of gas manufacturing plants where flammable gas may escape; inadequately ventilated pump rooms for flammable gas or for volatile flammable liquids; the interiors of refrigerators and freezers in which volatile flammable materials are stored in open, lightly stoppered, or easily ruptured containers; and all other locations where ignitable concentrations of flammable vapors or gases are likely to occur in the course of normal operations.
Given the high volatility present in these types of working environments, conventional lanterns cannot be safely used since their electrical connections to batteries, hot filaments, exposed metal connections and unsealed switches could cause sparks. Thus, a need exists for a rechargeable portable lantern which can operate in such dangerous environments.


The disclosed computer-implemented method for identifying security threat sources responsible for security events may include (1) identifying security-event data collected from a plurality of security events detected over a network, (2) partitioning the security-event data into a set of single-dimensional security clusters, each grouped by a common feature, (3) determining that a subset of the single-dimensional security clusters exceed a threshold level of similarity relative to one another, (4) grouping the subset of single-dimensional clusters into a multi-dimensional security cluster corresponding to a single threat source in response to determining that the subset of single-dimensional clusters exceed the threshold level of similarity relative to one another, and then (5) determining, based at least in part on grouping the single-dimensional clusters into the multi-dimensional cluster, that the single threat source is likely responsible for some of the security events. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

A comprehensive approach to protecting computer users from security threats may involve not only detecting and circumventing attacks but also identifying the source of the attacks. By applying such an approach, computer security systems may be able to quickly identify future attacks originating from the same source or following the same pattern. In addition, computer security systems may compile security data about certain attacks to identify the source and then share the security data with law enforcement organizations to assist with prosecutions.
The people and organizations behind these attacks typically leave identifiable traces and/or patterns in their work. For example, a phishing attack may include emails that originate from the same or similar email addresses. These emails may include the same addresses and/or phone numbers. Additionally or alternatively, the subject lines and/or bodies of the emails may include similar patterns of words, punctuation, and/or misspellings.
Unfortunately, analyzing security data to identify these patterns may prove to be a daunting task. Security databases may include billions of records of security events, and conventional computer security systems may be unable to identify certain patterns of security threats, much less identify the sources of such threats, by simply searching these records for repeated data. The instant disclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for improved systems and methods for identifying security threat sources responsible for security events.

Systems and methods for identifying security threat sources responsible for security events


A pump plunger for a sucker rod pump includes an elongated plunger body having first and second plunger body ends and a longitudinal plunger body bore extending between the first and second plunger body ends, a first plunger end fitting releasably carried by the first plunger body end of the plunger body, a second plunger end fitting releasably carried by the second plunger body end of the plunger body, a first plunger seal pack sandwiched between the first plunger body end and the first plunger end fitting and a second plunger seal pack sandwiched between the second plunger body end and the second plunger end fitting.

Conventional sucker rod pumps including tubing pumps and insert pumps include a pump plunger which reciprocates inside a pump barrel. The reciprocating pump plunger creates a pressure differential which draws hydrocarbons and other well fluids from a subterranean well to a suitable storage reservoir which may be located at ground level. One of the problems commonly encountered in the operation of conventional sucker rod pumps is that of blowback or slippage of produced fluids and solids down the pump between the reciprocating plunger and the barrel. Various types of seals and O-rings have been used to seal the void between the plunger and barrel and prevent the slippage of fluids and solids. These seals and O-rings, however, have limitations on operating durability, pump speed, depth and temperature, resulting in lost pump efficiency and the need for more frequent pump repairs or replacements.
Accordingly, a pump plunger with enhanced and prolonged sealing characteristics for a sucker rod pump is needed.


A base for a feed lot composed of baled rubber material such as waste tires. The bales are placed beneath the surface of the feed lot and covered with earth. Any gaps between bales are filled with sand to provide for good drainage of the lot.

This invention pertains to feed lots for livestock, especially cattle, and more particularly to a base for the feed lot which is well drained and cushioned so that the livestock will have a firm but cushioned floor on which to walk and therefore can avoid the strain of traversing lots having deep mud for a surface.
At present much livestock--particularly cattle are fed to market weight in confined outdoor feed lots. The lots provide some space for cattle to walk around in, but the feed for those cattle is placed in feed bunks where the amount, and principally the content of the feed can be controlled. Thus, the ration fed to a group of cattle can be set and followed by providing only that ration in the feed bunk and will not be varied by having the cattle feeding in pastures or the like during the period when the cattle are being finally fed.
Such lots are generally bare of vegetation and are subject to becoming very muddy from excess rain or from snow-melt. Such mud can be churned up by cattle hooves so that the animals can move only with considerable effort, and may become seriously bogged down.
In order to prevent such experience, the present invention provides a floor-like structure less expensive and far more comfortable to the animals than the occasionally-used concrete. That floor-like structure may be composed of waste rubber materials such as baled tires properly placed in the feed lot, and covered with a relatively thin layer of earth and sand to provide proper drainage.

Drained and cushioned feed lot for livestock


Apparatus, and an associated method, for selecting operational parameters pursuant to which a radio communication system is operable. The operational parameters form, for instance, adaptive switching thresholds used in an adaptive modulation scheme. Separate learning controllers are configured to operate independently and cooperatively to select the adaptive switching thresholds, or other operational parameters. Iterative operation of the learning controllers causes the values to converge to optimal values.

The use of communication systems through which to communicate data in separate locations is a pervasive adjunct of modem society. Many different types of communication systems have been developed and implemented to be used to effectuate the communication of data between two or more locations.
New types of communication systems have been proposed, developed, and implemented that make use of advancements in communication technologies. Radio communication systems are exemplary of communication systems which have benefited from the advancements in communication technologies. New types of radio communication systems have been proposed, developed, and implemented that take advantage of such advancements in communication technologies. Improvements to existing types of radio communication systems have also been made possible as a result of the advancements in communication technologies.
Increased communication mobility is inherent in a radio communication system. Unlike a conventional, wireline communication system, a wireline connection is not required to be maintained between endpoints, i.e., sending and receiving stations, of the communication system. Radio links, instead, are used upon which to define communication channels upon which to communicate data between the endpoints.
The advancements in communication technologies, include, for instance, advancements in digital communication techniques. The use of digital communication techniques permits the communication capacity of a communication system to be increased, as well as also to improve the quality levels of communications effectuated in the communication system.
Data that is to be communicated in a digital communication system is digitized. Once digitized, the digitized data is formatted, such as into data packets or frames, and converted into a form to permit its communication upon the communication channel. In an ideal communication system, the data packets, subsequent to transmission upon the communication channel and received at a receiving station, are substantially identical in value to the corresponding data packets prior to their communication upon the communication channel. In an actual communication system, however, distortion is introduced upon the data during its communication upon the communication channel such that the values of the data, when received at a receiving station, differ, in part, with corresponding values of the data packets prior to their communication upon the communication channel. If the amount of distortion is significant, the informational content of the data cannot be recovered at the receiving station.
Multi-path transmission, for instance, causes fading of the data. Such fading might alter the values of the symbols of a data packet during its transmission upon the communication channel. If the alteration in the values is not properly corrected, resultant communication quality levels of the communications are, at a minimum, reduced.
Fading of the data upon the communication channel is not necessarily, and, quite likely, is not, constant. That is to say, the fading conditions vary as a function of time. During a single communication session, for instance, the fading conditions upon the communication channel might differ significantly.
Various techniques are utilized to ensure better that the data originated at a sending station is received at a receiving station of signal quality levels that permit the informational content of the data to be recreated. The complexity of the modulation by which the data is modulated at a sending station, prior to its communication upon the communication channel to the receiving station, is selected pursuant to the fading conditions upon the communication channel. If significant levels of fading are exhibited upon the communication channel, a reduced-complexity modulation technique is used to modulate the data. And, when the communication channel exhibits relatively low amounts of fading, an increased-complexity modulation techniques can, instead, be utilized. Adaptive modulation schemes have been proposed by which to adaptively select the modulation complexities by which to modulate the data, responsive to channel conditions of the communication channel. Other operational parameters of communication systems have analogously also been proposed.
Selection of the operational parameters, such as the modulation complexity level, by which data is communicated, is sometimes problematic.
Utilization of conventional information-theory techniques by which to select the operational parameters are sometimes unable to be utilized in a radio communication system. When deterministic analytical techniques are utilized, only basic scenarios are able to be adequately modeled. Fast multi-path fading conditions on the communication channel might well be beyond the capability of control utilizing the deterministic analytical techniques. Heuristic approaches are sometimes unable to be used to select operational parameters in an optimal manner. Existing control schemes are, therefore, sometimes inadequate to select the operational parameters.
An improved manner by which to select the operational parameters, such as the adaptive modulation switching thresholds used in an adaptive modulation scheme, is, therefore, required.
It is in light of this background information related to the selection of operational parameters in a radio communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.

Apparatus, and associated method, for selecting radio communication system parameters utilizing learning controllers


In accordance with the invention there is provided a semiconductor capacitor having a first semiconductor layer which forms a first capacitor electrode and which includes silicon, a second capacitor electrode and a capacitor dielectric including praseodymium oxide between the capacitor electrodes, in which provided between the capacitor dielectric including praseodymium oxide and at least the first semiconductor layer including silicon is a first thin intermediate layer representing a diffusion barrier for oxygen. In particular the thin intermediate layer can include oxynitride.

It is no longer possible to imagine modern semiconductor technology without semiconductor capacitors. Important examples of use of semiconductor capacitors are dynamic random access memories (DRAM) in which the semiconductor capacitors are used as memory cells, and metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) in which the substrate, the gate electrode and the gate oxide between the substrate and the gate electrode form a semiconductor capacitor.
Like all capacitors, it holds good for a semiconductor capacitor that the capacitance of the capacitor is proportional to the dielectric constant of the dielectric between the capacitor electrodes and the area of the capacitor electrodes as well as the reciprocal value of the spacing between the capacitor electrodes, that is to say the thickness of the dielectric. Silicon oxide (SiO2) is frequently used as the dielectric in the semiconductor art.
With the increasing reduction in the component size in the semiconductor art, the dimensions of the capacitor plates of semiconductor capacitors, for example the gate electrodes of MOSFETs, are also progressively decreasing. This means however that the capacitance of the semiconductor capacitor is also reduced unless measures are taken to counteract that.
There are two possible ways of compensating for the reduction in the dimensions of the capacitor electrodes. The first option involves reducing the thickness of the dielectric. For example in MOSFETs in which silicon oxide is typically used as the dielectric, that gives rise to problems, with gate lengths of less than 0.1 μm. The silicon oxide for components with such short gate lengths would then have to be thinner than 1.5 nm. Such a thin silicon oxide however results in an increase in the leakage current of the MOSFET. The leakage current occurs by virtue of electrons which tunnel through the thin gate oxide between the substrate and the gate electrode. The number of tunnelling electrodes and thus the strength of the leakage current increases exponentially with a progressively decreasing silicon oxide layer thickness. It is desirable however to minimise the leakage current of an MOSFET as the aim is to consume as little electrical power as possible for controlling the current between the drain electrode and the source electrode.
The second possible way of compensating for the reduction in the capacitor electrode area involves altering not the thickness of the dielectric but the dielectric constant thereof. If for example praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3) is used as the dielectric instead of silicon oxide, the capacitance of the capacitor can be markedly increased, with the parameters involved being otherwise the same, by virtue of the praseodymium oxide having a higher dielectric constant than silicon oxide. Silicon oxide has a dielectric constant of 3.9 whereas praseodymium oxide has a dielectric constant of 30. This means that, with praseodymium oxide as the dielectric, the gate oxide can be thicker than a dielectric of silicon oxide by the factor of 30 divided by 3.9. Therefore, with praseodymium oxide as the gate dielectric, the leakage current can be drastically reduced in comparison with silicon oxide as the dielectric.
The thickness of a silicon oxide layer which, with a constant area in respect of the capacitor electrodes, affords the same capacitance as the praseodymium oxide layer, is referred to hereinafter as the equivalent oxide layer thickness. With an increasing reduction in component size, that equivalent oxide layer thickness must be reduced in order to compensate for the reduction in the capacitor electrode area. By means of praseodymium oxide as the dielectric, it is possible to increase the actual oxide layer thickness in comparison with the equivalent oxide layer thickness, and thus reduce the tunnelling leakage current.
Praseodymium oxide is typically deposited by vapor deposition of Pr6O11 on silicon. In that case, a mixed oxide of the form (PrO2)x(SiO2)1−x with O<×<1, typically in non-stoichiometric form, is formed between the silicon and the praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3). Thermal process steps following the deposition procedure additionally result in further spreading of the mixed oxide, in particular the SiO2 component.
The mixed oxide has a lower dielectric constant than the pure praseodymium oxide, whereby the equivalent oxide layer thickness of the dielectric is increased in comparison with a pure praseodymium oxide dielectric. The mixed oxide therefore worsens the electrical properties of the dielectric and thus the semiconductor capacitor, more specifically to a greater degree in proportion to an increasing thickness of the mixed oxide.

Semiconductor capacitor with praseodymium oxide as dielectric

IHP GmbH- Innovations for High Performance

Microelectronics/Institute Fur Innovative Mikroelektronik


An apparatus is disclosed for opening and closing a grain or access door on a barge lid or cover, the grain door having a latch connecting the grain door to the barge lid, the apparatus supportable by an overhead lifting system. The apparatus can include a base which is supportable by the overhead lifting system and a mechanical arm assembly connected to the base, the mechanical arm assembly including a first arm rotatably connected to the base, a second arm connected to the first arm, a latch engagement member connected to the second arm; and an actuator connected between the first arm and the second arm, the actuator operable to move the second arm relative to the first arm to disengage the latch on the grain door from the barge lid via the latch engagement member and swing the grain door from a closed position to an open position.

The present invention relates generally to the opening and closing of grain doors or other access doors positioned on barge lids or barge covers.
Conventional barges include multiple barge lids or covers positioned in sequence over a large container of a barge. Barge lids or covers can be equipped with grain or material access openings through which grain or other materials can be loaded into a barge container while the barge lid or covers are secured to the barge container. The barge lids or covers can include grain doors that can be pivotally connected to the barge lid and movable between an open position and closed position over the grain or material access in the barge lid or cover. The grain door can be opened to facilitate loading or filling of the barge container and subsequently closed to protect the loaded materials from the elements or other contamination.
The current practice of loading barges with material include placing the barge lids or covers over the container, and filling the barge container through subsequent grain or material accesses in the barge lids to evenly distribute the load within the barge container. Loading through subsequent grain or material accesses in barge lids or covers requires that personnel be deployed on the barge and on top of the barge lids or covers to manually unlatch and open the grain doors in sequence as the container is being filled, watch the material pile to direct filling, close and latch the grain door, remove dust and debris from the cover and move onto the next grain door.
Having personnel climb on top of a barge lid can be dangerous and poses a safety risk as personnel can be prone to falling or slipping on the barge cover, particularly in wet or icy conditions. In some instances, personnel may fall off the barge cover and into nearby water, which poses a drowning risk. Grain doors can also be heavy and cumbersome to open, and a manual process can be time consuming as personnel may climb off and onto subsequent barge lids or covers repeatedly between opening and closing procedures as to not interfere with movement of a grain or other material pump being moved into position over a barge cover to fill the barge container. Both the safety risk and the inefficiencies associated with a manual opening and closing process are undesirable.
What is needed then are improvements to methods and systems for opening and closing grain or access doors on barge lids or covers.


The invention refers to the chemistry of organic heterocyclic compounds, namely the new quaternary ammonium salt containing a fragment of vitamin B6 derivative of formula I, showing antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral and antiprotozoic properties. Compound can be used in medicine and veterinary medicine.

The prevention and treatment of infectious diseases is currently one of the most important health challenges. Their effective therapy is possible only with the complex use of antibiotics and antiseptic drugs [Morozova N. S. Modern view on the role of antiseptics in the prevention and treatment of purulent and septic complications in patients with surgical profile. The Ukrainian journal of extreme medicine named after G. O. Mozhaeva [Morozova N. S. Sovremennyy vzglyad na rol' antiseptikov v profilaktike i lechenii gnoyno-septicheskikh oslozhneniy u patsiyentov khirurgicheskogo profilya. Ukrainskiy journal ekstremalnoï medicini imeni G. O. Mozhaeva, 2012—Vol. 13, No 2.—P.6-9].
A necessary requirement for antiseptics is the breadth of their spectrum of action: they must have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic activity [Farmakologiya: uchebnik/Pod red. prof R. N. Alyautdina.—4-ye izd., pererab. i dop.—M: GEOTAR-Media, 2010.—832 s.] Pharmacology: textbook/Ed. prof RN. Alyautdina.—4th ed., revised and updated—M.::GEOTAR-Media, 2010.—p. 832]. Due to their wide range of action antiseptics are used for many medical indications.
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are one of the most important classes of antiseptics and have a wide range of applications, particularly in the treatment of local purulent inflammatory processes, treatment of intact skin prior to surgery, preservation of eye drops, injection solutions, toothpastes, cosmetics, disinfection and surface cleaning. Modern QAC are characterized by a wide range of antimicrobial activity in relation to gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms, fungi, viruses and protozoa. The mechanism of antibacterial action of QAC consists in their adsorption and penetration through the cell wall of bacteria with subsequent interaction with phospholipids of the cytoplasmic membrane, which leads to complete structural disruption and subsequent death of a bacterial cell [McDonnell G, Russell A D. Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance. Clinical Microbiology Reviews.—1999—V. 12(1).—P. 147-179].
The disadvantages of the used QAC are inefficiency in relation to spores [Shandala M. G. Perspektivy i problemy sovremennoy dezinfektologii. Zhurn. Dezinfektsionnoye delo.—2002, No 4.—S 13-19. [Shandala M. G. Prospects and problems of modern disinfectology. Journal Disinfection case.—2002, No 4.—P 13-19] and simple viruses [Reinbaben, Friedrich von. Osnovy protivovirusnoy dezinfektsii: perevod s nemetskogo yazyka—Moskva: Samarovo: Letniy sad.—2014.—.S. 525]. Reinbaben, Friedrich von. Fundamentals of antiviral disinfection: translation from German—Moscow: Samarovo: Summer garden.—2014.—P. 525], as well as insufficient activity in relation to gram-negative bacteria, mycobacteria and fungi. There is also a lack of knowledge of the antiseptics used [Federal Register/Vol. 81, No. 126/Thursday, Jun. 30, 2016/Proposed Rules] and their high toxicity [Rasmussen, C. A., Kaufman P. L., Kiland J. A. Benzalkonium Chloride and Glaucoma. Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics.—2014—V. 30.—P. 163-169.].
Among the drugs containing fragments of quaternary ammonium salts, it should be noted:
Miramistin ((benzyldimethyl [3-(myristoylamino) propyl]-ammonium chloride monohydrate) is an antiseptic developed in the USSR that has a wide spectrum of bactericidal action against gram-positive (Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Streptococcus pneumoniae, etc.), gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. etc.), aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, pathogenic fungi and viruses, including clinical strains with polyresistance to antibiotics [Registr lekarstvennyh sredstv Rossii RLS Entsiklopedia lekarstv 20-y yyp.Gl.red. G. L. Vyshkovskiy.—M.:LIBROFARM, 2011.—S. 1368 [The Register of Medicines of Russia RMR Encyclopedia of Drugs.—20th issue chief. ed. D. L. Vyshkovskiy.—M.:LIBROPHARM, 2011. P. 1368]. It is used in prevention of suppurations and treatment of purulent wounds, treatment and prevention of candidiasis of the skin and mucous membranes, complex treatment of acute and chronic otitis, treatment and prevention of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity (stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontitis, parodontitis), individual prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydiosis, genital herpes, etc.) [Blatun L. A. Miramistin v kompleksnoy programme bor'by s gospital'noy infektsiyey v khirurgicheskom statsionare//V sb.: Miramistin: primeneniye v khirurgii, travmatologii i kombustiologii. M—2006.—S. 27-33. Makeyeva I. M Ye. V. Borovskiy, M V. Matavkina, Ye. A. Brovenko. Primeneniye preparata Miramistin v kompleksnom lechenii zabolevaniy slizistoy obolochki rta. Farmateka.—2013.—No 3—S.11 Blatun L. A. Miramistin in the complex program of control of hospital infection in a surgical hospital//In report: Miramistin: application in surgery, traumatology and combustiology. M—2006.—P. 27-33.; Makeeva I. M. E. V. Borovsky, M V. Matavkina, E. A. Brovenko. Application of the drug Miramistin in the complex treatment of diseases of the oral mucosa. Pharmacy.—2013.—No 3—P.1].
Fluomysin (dequalinium chloride) is a broad-spectrum antiseptic, active against most gram-positive bacteria Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp., anaerobs Peptostreptococcus (group D), fungi of the genus Candida (Candida tropicalis, Candida aMXicans, Candida glabrata), gram-negative bacteria Gardnerella vaginalis, Escherichia coli, Serratia spp., Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., and protozoa (Trichomonas vaginalis). It is used in bacterial vaginosis, candidiasis of the skin, nail walls, oral mucosa, inflammatory processes in the oral cavity and pharynx (tonsillitis, stomatitis, including aphthose, glossitis, etc.). pharyngitis) [Spravochnik Vidal' «Lekarstvennyye preparaty v Rossii».Vidal Handbook "Medicines in Russia". https://www.vidal.ru/drugs/fluomisin_22520].
Benzalkonium chloride (alkyldimethyl(phenylmethyl) ammonium chloride) is an antiseptic active against gram-positive (Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Streptococcus pneumoniae, etc.), gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp. etc.) and anaerobic bacteria, fungi and mold. It is used in primary and primary-delayed treatment of wounds, prevention of secondary infection of wounds by hospital strains of microorganisms, bacterial vaginosis, drainage of bone cavities after surgery in osteomyelitis [Spravochnik Vidal' «Lekarstvennyye preparaty v Rossii». Vidal Handbook "Medicines in Russia". https://www.vidal.ru/drugs/dettol_benzalkonium_chloride_30527].
It should be noted that the medicines described above, in the opinion of the applicant, cannot be considered as analogues to the claimed invention due to the fact that they do not coincide with the claimed compound by chemical structure, although they have antibacterial, antimycotic, antiviral and antiprotozoic activity (coincide for purpose) comparable to the declared invention in greater or less degree.

Abstract: The invention can be used in medicine and veterinary medicine.


An amplifying arrangement employs both density and velocity modulation of an electron beam in order to produce amplification of a high frequency signal. In one embodiment, density modulation is produced at the cathode region, a first carrier signal being applied between a cathode and a modulation grid to produce bunching of electrons. The density modulated electron beam is then velocity modulated at a first resonant cavity. It is preferred that the first carrier signal is twice the frequency of the carrier signal producing the velocity modulation. The arrangement may be such that, at the final resonant cavity, adjacent electron bunches produced by density modulation combine, thus giving a high efficiency amplifying arrangement.

Klystrons are a class of amplifier in which a signal to be amplified is coupled into an input resonant cavity and produces an electric field which acts on electrons of the beam to modify their velocity. Some electrons are accelerated whilst others are retarded, producing bunching (that is, density modulation of the beam) at some position further down the tube. Typically, there are several subsequent resonant cavities to increase the amount of bunching and a final resonant cavity at which the amplified signal is extracted.
Another type of amplifying arrangement, known as a klystron-tetrode, also utilises modulation of an electron beam to obtain amplification of an applied signal. In this case, a density modulated beam is produced by applying an input signal to be amplified to a modulation grid positioned near to and in front of an electron gun cathode. Emission of electrons is alternately inhibited and allowed, producing bunching of electrons. The bunched beam is accelerated down the tube to an output resonant cavity at which an amplified signal is extracted.
For both klystrons and klystron-tetrodes the input signal which produces bunching of electron beam is a radio frequency (RF) signal, that is, a signal oscillating in the range 470 to 860 MHz. For television requirements, the input carrier signal is modulated in amplitude and by having a relatively low frequency colour sub-carrier imposed on it, these modulating signals being known as video signals. The colour sub-carrier has a frequency of the order of 4 MHz, the exact value depending on the type of television standard being used.

Amplifying arrangements which modulate an electron beam


Parity updates are performed in an efficient manner after data is modified on removable media in a RAID or RAIL array, within or outside the array, without requiring that all of the data on all of media in a parity group be read. Instead, a list is maintained identifying those blocks of data were which modified on the media. Only the corresponding blocks on the remaining media in the parity group are read to calculate the new parity. Alternatively, a list can be maintained identifying the bits which were changed on the media. Consequently, only the corresponding bits of the parity block(s) need be changed.

Redundant storage arrays (Redundant Arrays of Independent/Inexpensive Devices, or RAID) are now commonly used to provide increased data integrity, ensuring that even if data on one of the devices in the array becomes corrupted or the device fails, the data can be recovered or reconstructed. Details of the various RAID levels are well known and will not be described here. However, the present invention is particularly applicable to RAID level 4 and a brief overview of this level will be provided.
RAID-4 relies upon block-interleaved parity for data integrity. FIG. 1A illustrates a single, logical volume of data having twenty contiguous data units or "blocks" of definite and constant size, including, but not limited to, sectors. In FIG. 1B, an array of six storage devices (such as disk drives), devices 1-6, is represented, each device having recording media onto which the logical volume is mapped and recorded. When blocks of data are recorded, a first block B.sub.1 is recorded on the first device at a first address, a second block B.sub.2 is recorded on the second device at the same address, and the third, fourth and fifth blocks B.sub.3, B.sub.4 and B.sub.5 are recorded on the third, fourth and fifth devices, respectively, at the same address. This is in contrast with RAID-2 and -3 in which each data block is "striped" across several devices. Parity in RAID-4 is calculated bit-by-bit for the five data blocks (such as with an exclusive-OR algorithm) and recorded as a block P.sub.1 on the sixth device at the first address. The blocks B.sub.1 -B.sub.5 and P.sub.1 are collectively known as the first parity group. Subsequent data and parity blocks are recorded in a like manner as parity groups 2-4 at corresponding second, third and fourth addresses on the devices.
If a data block B.sub.i has been corrupted, or if an entire device is faulty, the data can be reconstructed bit-by-bit from the remaining N-1 data blocks in combination with the associated parity block by reversing the parity calculation process.
It is evident that all of the devices in a parity group should be accessible together. Consequently, the use of removable media (such as magnetic disks or tape or optical disks) in the RAID devices presents a significant management burden. Moreover, there may be instances in which it is desirable to remove one of the pieces of media from a device, take the media to a different location (such as to a separate workstation) and modify one or more blocks of data on the media. While the media is away from the rest of the parity group, the host can, if necessary, continue to access the data on the missing media through a RAID controller which reconstructs the missing data from the remaining media and the associated parity. However, in prior art RAID systems, when the removed media is returned to the RAID array, all of the media forming the parity group must be loaded into respective devices, all of the data thereon read and the parity blocks recalculated and re-recorded.

Managing removable media in raid and rail environments

International Business Machines Corporation


An electronic device may have printed circuits to which electrical components are mounted. Plastic may be molded over a printed circuit. Vias may be formed in the printed circuit that connect metal traces on the surface of the molded plastic to metal traces on the printed circuit. The vias may be formed by drilling or by covering the metal traces on the printed circuit with mold pins in a molding tool during plastic molding operations. Plated metal traces or other metal traces may extend onto the interior surface of via holes. Vias may also be filled with conductive material such as solder or conductive adhesive. Metal members that are soldered or otherwise connected to printed circuit traces may be used in coupling surface metal traces to printed circuit traces. Antenna structure, shielding structures, and electrodes for a stylus may be formed using the metal traces on the molded plastic.

This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to interconnecting printed circuits and metal traces to form conductive structures for electronic devices.
Electronic devices include electronic components such as integrated circuits, sensors, and other circuitry. Electronic components may be mounted on printed circuit boards. Printed circuits may also be used to form signal cables. In some scenarios, it may be desirable to form conductive structures using metal traces on printed circuits. For example, electrodes, shields, antennas, and other metal structures may be formed using metal traces. Vias may be used to interconnect traces on different printed circuit board layers.
If care is not taken, the conductive structures will not be well integrated with other device structures, electrical connections will not be reliable, and the shapes and locations of metal traces relative to other conductive structures will be poorly defined.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved techniques for forming conductive structures for electronic devices.

Electronic devices with molded insulator and via structures