A litter box has two unit assemblies and a waste receptacle. The first unit assembly has an unenclosed litter compartment; a compartment to temporarily hold filtered litter; and a pivotally mounted screen that filters out waste material from the litter. The second unit assembly is a support base having a motor mounted thereto that manipulates the first unit assembly, and contains a motion sensor and controller. The first unit assembly is partially rotated by the motor which causes litter and waste to move away from the litter compartment towards the temporary compartment. The screen filters litter and waste only allowing filtered litter to enter the temporary receptacle, forcing waste solids to pass by the temporary compartment into the waste receptacle. The motor reverses, and the filtered litter in the temporary receptacle is communicated back into the litter compartment by passing through and under or back through the screen.

Many advances in technology related to automatic litter boxes have arisen to help improve the cleanliness of the litter box. One of the most significant advances is the use of what's called the "sifting method" of filtering litter. The sifting method has been employed by such devices as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,104; 4,120,264; 5,507,252 and 5,662,066 (see also U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,881). The sifting method is significantly more effective than the so-called "raking method" (or "combing method") as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,065. The sifting method of cleaning litter has two major advantages over the raking method in that it is far more resistant to clogging, and generally does a much better job of cleaning the litter. Gravity is used to separate the litter from waste material instead of forcing a rake through the litter to remove solid waste material. The major flaw with the raking method is that a motor forces not only the rake through litter, but also the solid waste material though the litter as well. Although the rake can be made in such a way to travel relatively easily through litter, the unpredictable shapes and generally large surface area of solid waste makes it difficult to force waste clumps through such a dense and heavy material such as clay litter. The typical behavior of cats to bury their clumps makes this process even more difficult.
There are often many undesirable effects with using such a raking method. One such effect is that clumps and other solid material can be wedged between the rack and the bottom of the litter pan, which can cause a smearing effect. The gradual build-up of such debris makes subsequent raking phases more and more difficult. Another such effect is that the mass of the litter itself helps to force litter clumps and other solid material in between the tines of the rake. In this scenario, gravity is actually hindering the filtering process. Because gravity is forcing the litter into the pan, the litter wants to stay where it is situated. As the rake and solid debris travel from one end of the litter pan to the other, the litter has to move out of the way of the debris, or be force to move in front of the debris itself and end up in the waste receptacle. The only way for the litter to get out of the way is to go above the debris, below the debris, or around the debris to either side. Gravity is always forcing the litter into the pan, and the litter that is forced to move out of the way of the debris is compressed against other litter within the litter pan. When the debris is close to the side of the litter pan, resistance is even greater. The options for which direction the litter can move are reduced, and further smearing can occur, and the increased force on the debris can further force the debris into the tines of the rake, clogging the rake. To compound the problem, it's common for cats to bury their waste into a corner, making a significant portion of the litter end up on one side of the litter pan. This makes it extremely difficult for the rake to filter the unevenly covered litter pan.
Because of these problems, there is usually a narrow range at which the litter must be maintained. Too little litter, and the clumps will stick to the bottom of the litter pan. To high a level, and the force required to push the rake and the debris through the litter is too great for the device to handle. Aside from a clogged rake making the litter box ineffective, it also increases stress on the mechanical parts, motor, and power consumption. It is also extremely difficult to unclog the rake, as well as being an extremely undesirable task to take on. U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,386 tries to address this problem by introducing a rake that is less susceptible to clogging; however the raking method itself cannot change the force of gravity working against the debris or the mass of the clay. Although significantly less clogging is achieved by this new rake design, the effect is that instead of clogging, the rake actually breaks up the clumps and/or other solid material into smaller pieces, traveling through the rake instead of into the waste receptacle where it is intended to be communicated. This results in an incomplete cleaning process. Clogging can also be reduced by increasing the angle on the tines of the rake to reduce the negative impact gravity has on the filtering process; although this improves the process, it does so only to a certain degree. Although the raking method has numerous disadvantages, it has the significant advantage in that an open litter box design is easily achievable. The importance of this feature will be described later.
The sifting method uses gravity to its advantage instead of to its disadvantage. Instead of moving relatively large masses of solid debris through dense clay litter, the sifting method uses gravity to make the litter move around the solid waste debris. The forces in effect are always relatively close to 1G, and no greater force than this is required to separate the solid material from the litter. The screen used to filter litter from solid waste material is therefore not subjected to the forces required by the raking method, and clogging is avoided. This method draws a parallel to the frequently demonstrated science experiment where a jar, a collection of small particles (e.g. sand), and a collection of larger particles (e.g. marbles) are provided. The sum volume of the small and large particles is such to approximate the volume of the jar. If the small particles are placed in the jar first, and then an attempt is made to place the larger particles in the jar, the effect of gravity on the small particles in the jar prevents them from moving out of the way to make room for the larger particles; however, by placing the larger objects in the jar first, and pouring the smaller particles in the jar second, the smaller particles will easily move around the larger objects, filling the jar with ease. This is another example of how gravity is used to help solve the problem, rather than hindering it from being solved. This principle is applied when the sifting method is employed, and provides a predictable, clog-free method of separating litter from solid waste material.
Many products today employ the sifting method. One of the more advanced products is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,881, where a globe-like structure is used to house filtered litter, a sifting mechanism, and to provide a certain amount of room for an animal, as well as a hole through which the animal can ingress/egress the globe. This product is far superior in filtering litter than a product that utilizes the raking method, but is an enclosed unit which as certain disadvantages. Being an enclosed litter box, this product does have the advantage of making it far more difficult for the cat to throw litter outside of the litter box; however there are also significant disadvantages as well. The first and most important of which is that many cats simply will not use enclosed litter boxes. Secondly, this product must have ports in the globe that open to let waste exit the globe and fall into the waste receptacle. These ports limit the size of the clumps that can fit through these the ports, preventing the use of the device for cats that create large clumps; this particularly true for cats with diabetes, as the clumps will not fit through the ports. Thirdly, it is relatively difficult to introduce fresh litter into the globe as well as clean the globe (which is recommended to be done periodically). Furthermore, there are weight restrictions for cats that must be within a 5-15 lbs. range. A cat less than 5 lbs. will not weigh enough to trigger the sensor, and cats over 15 lbs. will have trouble fitting into the globe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,204 attempts to use a rake-like structure, but through manual manipulation effectively employs a sifting mechanism. This has the significant advantage of using the sifting method while still providing a traditional open litter box that's attractive to the largest population of cats; however this mechanism has multiple disadvantages, the first of which is that the device would have to be very large in order to create a litter area large enough for a typical feline to use effectively. The second disadvantage is that the mechanism is not automated, and would be difficult to automate. The third disadvantage is that it is would be very difficult to level the litter without picking up the entire litter box and shaking it around.
The raking method does have a significant advantage in that the process itself is conducive to the traditional open litter box design. Although it's possible to place an enclosure around such a litter box to help contain litter, an enclosure is not required in order to make the litter box operate. A litter box is only effective if the cat will use the device, and because many cats will simply not uses enclosed litter boxes, a perfectly designed enclosed system will not do the job if the cat does not elect to use it. For those cats that will not use an enclosed device, the alternative is that the cat will either use an unenclosed litter box if available, or an undesirable location if not available. Even cats that will use an enclosed litter box will often prefer an unenclosed litter box if given the choice. This makes it even more difficult to get the value out of a potentially expensive enclosed litter box device if a pet owner has multiple cats. Even if only one cat within a multi-cat household will not use an enclosed litter box, it is often the expectation of the pet owner to reap the benefits of the enclosed device with the cats that will use the enclosed device, while for the cat or cats that will not use the enclosed device, deal with the added labor involved in maintaining the unenclosed device for those stubborn cats only. However, because many cats that would otherwise use the enclosed device if that were their only option will often use the unenclosed device when given the choice, the effectiveness of the enclosed device is further reduced, as it gets used even less frequently than expected by the cat owner.
The challenge is thus to create an automated litter box that has superior filtering capabilities by utilizing the sifting method, and yet has an open design to encourage use by as many household pets as possible. It is against this background and the need to solve these problems not addressed by prior art that the present invention was developed.


An engine bank-to-bank airflow balancing technique includes calculating current and offset volumetric efficiencies of the engine and calculating a slope representing (i) a difference between the offset and current volumetric efficiencies and (ii) a difference between offset and current intake camshaft positions. Based on the respective exhaust gas oxygen concentrations, the technique involves calculating a volumetric efficiency correction corresponding to each cylinder bank and based on the slope and the volumetric efficiency corrections, calculating target intake camshaft position shifts. The technique further involves controlling offsets of the intake camshafts based on the target intake camshaft position shifts. After a predetermined number of target intake camshaft position shifts are determined and stored with respect to various combinations of engine speed and a ratio of intake manifold pressure to barometric pressure, final intake camshaft position shifts may be determined and utilized when determining the intake camshaft positions.

Internal combustion engines for vehicles include a plurality of cylinders. For V-type engines, the cylinders are divided into two banks of cylinders that are arranged at an angle with respect to each other. Some examples of V-type engines are V6 engines (two banks of 3 cylinders each), V8 engines (two banks of 4 cylinders each), and V10 engines (two banks of 5 cylinders each). In order to improve performance, fuel economy, and/or emissions, V-type engines could incorporate variable valve lift (VVL) systems. VVL systems enables engines to alter their peak valve lift and opening duration depending on operating conditions. In overhead camshaft V-type engines, two different intake camshafts are utilized for the two cylinder banks. Each intake camshaft actuates a separate set of rockers arms, which in turn actuate a separate set of intake valves for a respective cylinder bank.
In one implementation, a two-step VVL system utilizes specifically configured rocker arms and tri-lobe intake camshafts to provide for valve lift and opening duration to be toggled between two modes: a default or low lift mode and a high lift mode. In the low lift mode, the two outer cam lobes engage the rocker arm, which actuates the intake valves. If the high lift mode is desired, an oil pressure regulating solenoid or valve supplies oil to the rocker arm assembly, which pushes a pin under the rocker arm to allow the middle lobe of the tri-lobe camshaft to engage the rocker arm and actuate the intake valve. This VVL system allows the V-type engine to effectively have both a performance mode (the high lift mode) and an efficiency mode (the low lift mode). Low valve lift provides for fuel economy increases by reducing V-type engine pumping work, while high lift enables or provides for increased performance (e.g., increased power).
During operation of a V-type engine with this two-step VVL system in the low lift mode, there could be a greater sensitivity to any cylinder bank to cylinder bank airflow imbalance. For example, when in low lift mode, the intake valves are open for a reduced period of time with a reduced peak valve lift. As a result, if there is any difference in the opening point of the intake valves on one cylinder bank compared to the other cylinder bank, there could be a significant difference in the total amount of air inducted into each cylinder bank, and thus the torque produced by each cylinder bank. If there is a significant difference in the torque produced by each cylinder bank, then V-type engine stability could decrease, which may compromise fuel economy, performance, emissions, and/or NVH. Accordingly, there is a need for improvement in the relevant art.

Engine cylinder bank-to-bank torque imbalance correction


A multi-processor computer system includes a plurality of computing cells, each of which include a processor, a memory and an interface unit. An interconnect device connects the computing cells. Each of the computing cells are provided with a network driver for the interconnect device so that the computing cells can communicate with each other by using a network protocol.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of multiprocessor systems, and more particularly to a multiprocessor system in which the processors communicate with each other through an internal bus or another interconnect device by using a network protocol.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a network computing environment, user application programs communicate by using a network application layer protocol. For example, an electronic mail(e-mail) program on a desktop system (a client machine) communicates with a mail server program on server computers by using a mail transfer protocol such as the Post Office Protocol(POP) or the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol(SMTP). In another example of a networked application system, a web browser communicates with web servers by using the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
The application programs communicate with the network through certain Application Program Interfaces (APIs), such as, the Sockets API to the TCP/IP system, or the NetBIOS and the TLI (Transport Layer Interface) APIs. Under an API, there are layers of various protocol stacks which ensure that data between programs are transferred in order, without loss of data or other errors. Examples of such protocol stacks are TCP/IP, SPX/IPX and NetBEUI. These protocols are respectively implemented by a collection of programs called network drivers.
Under the network drivers, there are the hardware drivers which actually control the appropriate hardware to transfer data from one networked location to another. These hardware drivers, and the corresponding hardware, are implemented using standard specifications such as the Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Token Ring (IEEE 802.5), and other Wide Area Networking (WAN) standards such as the Integrated Subscriber Digital Network (ISDN), X.25, Frame relay, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL) and the like. Finally, computers re physically connected by cables which generally conform with at least one of these standards.
Network interface hardware is generally provided inside a computer. For example, there may be an ethernet hardware component, such as an ethernet card, which is attached to an I/O(Input/Output) bus of the computer. Such an ethernet card may be made by a vendor such as Intel Corporation. In another example, a computer may have two ethernet cards attached to an I/O bus, where one of the cards is made by Intel and the other card is made by another vendor, such as Compaq Corporation. In the latter situation, the lowest layer of the network driver discriminates which hardware card can be used by referring to the computer""s configuration and the request made by the application program.
FIGS. 1a and 1b provide examples of networking layers in a distributed application system. FIG. 1a shows application programs 10 invoking the services of a transport independent API 11, such as the Sockets, TLI, CPI/C or the Named Pipes API. These API""s provide access to the implementations of the various networking transport protocols 12 such as the TCP/IP, SNA, IPX/SPX, or NetBIOS. Layered beneath the implementations of the transport protocols 12 are the logical network drivers 13 which are accessible by standard interfaces such as the NDIS or the ODI interfaces. The logical network drivers interact with the hardware 14 that are implemented using standard specifications such as the Token Ring, Ethernet or the ISDN specifications.
FIG. 1b shows how the layers of the commonly used networking software map to the seven logical layers of the OSI reference model which has the application layer 15 at the top providing the interface for the application programs. The physical layer 21 at the bottom defines the specifications for the networking hardware and media. The intermediate layers of the OSI model include the presentation layer 16, the session layer 17, the transport layer 18, the network layer 19 and the logical link layer 20.
An example that discusses the layers underlying the communication of an internet web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) with an internet web server is illustrative. As shown in FIG. 2, an internet web browser 22 communicates with an internet web server by using the HTTP application layer protocol. To communicate by HTTP, a browser must use a lower level protocol, such as the TCP/IP protocol, to ensure that all the data transmitted is delivered in order, without errors or loss of data.
A TCP/IP implementation provides an API (Application Program Interface) 23, called Sockets API, for invoking the services of the TCP/IP software. Therefore, the API is a way for the application programs to invoke the services of the network drivers 24. Network driver software 24 must also be provided to implement the TCP/IP protocol. These network drivers 24 in turn invoke hardware drivers 25, by calling library routines such as read, write, and ioctl to transfer, receive, or control information from a network. Network drivers 24 are provided configuration information of the networking hardware 26 by the operating system, such as whether an ethernet adapter or an ATM adapter is provided in the computer.
Therefore, transferring data between one machine and another primarily includes the basic (or primitive) xe2x80x9csendxe2x80x9d operation. Accordingly, a primitive operation of the hardware driver to invoke this functionality is a SEND command (or function call) which is provided by the hardware driver to cause the networking hardware to send the provided data across the network. Likewise, the primitive operation of READ causes the hardware driver to read data from the network.
Examples of a conventional multiprocessor system is described in a text titled xe2x80x9cComputer Architecture: A Quantitative approach,xe2x80x9d John Hennessy and David Patterson, 2nd edition, Morgan Kaufman, 1996. A first example described in the text is illustrated with reference to FIG. 3, which shows a generic interconnection network 30 connecting the nodes 31 of a parallel processing computer system. For example, a Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) can interconnect thousands of nodes 31 with a very short maximum distance, often less than 25 meters.
With reference to FIG. 4, which discusses a second example from the text, a distributed memory machine is shown. The distributed memory machine consists of individual nodes 33 containing a processor, some memory 34 and typically some I/O 35, and an interface to an interconnect device 32.
In contrast, in conventional computer networks which connect together several computer systems, a network protocol is used by the computer systems to communicate with a network through the network hardware, such as a Network Interface Card (NIC) and the network software which includes a network driver. Typically, a network operating system (NOS) is provided to coordinate the communications between the nodes of the computer network.
However, none of these prior art systems disclose that an internal or CPU bus, or a similar interconnect device, is addressed as a separate networking device so that the different processors in a multi-processor system communicate with each other using a network protocol. That is, none of the prior art discussed above, disclose the use of a network protocol to communicate between the processors of a multi-processor system in which the processors are connected to each other by a suitable interconnect device, such as a shared bus. Accordingly, none of the prior art discussed above suggests providing a network driver for the interconnect device so that the processors of a multi-processor system can communicate with each other through the interconnect device by using a standard network protocol.
Therefore, it is a general object of the invention to alleviate the problems and shortcomings identified above.
One of the objects of the invention is to provide a multi-processor computer system in which the processors communicate with each other through an interconnect device by using a network protocol.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-processor computer system in which the processors communicate with each other through a shared bus by using a network protocol.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-processor communication system in which the processors communicate with each other through a shared PCI bus by using the TCP/IP protocol.
A further object of the invention is to provide a multi-processor computer system in which the processors communicate with each other through a switched interconnect device by using a network protocol.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-processor computer system in which the processors communicate with each other through a switched interconnect device by using the TCP/IP protocol.
Another one of the objects of the invention is provide a method of communicating between the processors of a multi-processor system in which the processors communicate through an interconnect device by using a network protocol.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of communicating between the processors of a multi-processor system in which the processors communicate through a shared bus by using a network protocol.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of communicating between the processors of a multi-processor system in which the processors communicate through a switched interconnect device by using a network protocol.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of communicating between the processors of a multi-processor system in which the processors communicate through an interconnect device by using the TCP/IP network protocol.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a multi-processor computer system which includes a plurality of computing cells, each of which comprises a processor, a memory and a network interface unit. The computing cells are connected together through an interconnect device. Each of the computing cells is provided with a network driver for the interconnect device so that the computing cells can communicate with each other through the interconnect device by using a network protocol, such as the TCP/IP network protocol.
Also provided is a method for communicating between the processors of a multiprocessor system which includes providing a plurality of computing cells, each containing a processor, a memory and a network interface unit; connecting the computing cells by using an interconnect device; and providing each computing cell with a network driver for the interconnect device so that the computing cells communicate with each other through the interconnect device by using a network protocol, such as the TCP/IP network protocol.

Multiprocessor system that communicates through an internal bus using a network protocol


A nitride semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a substrate; a first nitride semiconductor layer supported by the substrate; a second nitride semiconductor layer disposed on the first nitride semiconductor layer; a source-side nitride semiconductor regrowth layer which is located on a source-side recess region; a drain-side nitride semiconductor regrowth layer which is located on a drain-side recess region located apart from the source-side recess region; a first diffusion layer which is disposed in the first nitride semiconductor layer and contains Ge diffused from the source-side nitride semiconductor regrowth layer; and a second diffusion layer which is disposed in the first nitride semiconductor layer and contains Ge diffused from the drain-side nitride semiconductor regrowth layer.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a nitride semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nitride semiconductors have a high dielectric breakdown voltage, a high carrier mobility, and the like as compared to those of silicon semiconductors forming semiconductor devices which have been currently used in various fields. Accordingly, it is attempted to realize a switching element, such as a converter, using a nitride semiconductor. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004-273486 and 2009-076845, a hetero-junction field effect transistor (HFET) using a nitride semiconductor has been disclosed as one example of a switching element.

Nitride semiconductor device comprising nitride semiconductor regrowth layer

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A pyrolyzed MOF catalyst for in the carbon dioxide reduction reaction and methods of making the catalyst. The catalysts are composed of highly porous transition metal organic frameworks exhibiting large pores with regular distribution of transition metals within the structure.

Carbon dioxide emissions have been nearly continuously increasing since the dawn of the industrial revolution, causing pollution and being associated with issues such as global warming via greenhouse effect. To chemically or electrochemically convert carbon dioxide to chemicals and fuels such as hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide represent very attractive ways to address CO2 emission, particularly when low-cost renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are available.
Conversional methods of converting CO2 to fuels typically apply heterogeneous catalysis in gas phase at elevated temperature. For example, CO2 can be catalytically converted to CO in the presence of hydrogen and a catalyst through the reverse water-gas shift reaction at the temperature above 200° C. CO2 can also be catalyzed to methanol over Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 in the presence of hydrogen under very high pressure (50-100 bar). High temperature and high pressure add complexity and cost to the conversion system and manufacturing process. Ideally carbon dioxide reduction catalysts should operate under low temperatures and low pressure to yield high amounts of product. Current catalysts are best used at high temperatures, creating a safety risk.
Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2, however, offers the benefit of converting carbon dioxide to fuels at ambient temperature and pressure in the aqueous phase, rendering it a desirable process of choice. Such conversion, in general, can only occur in the presence of electro-catalysts. Typically, the electro-catalyst is composed of catalytic active sites supported over conductive substrate such as carbon. Such electro-catalyst can operate in both aqueous and organic solvents. The catalytic reactions generally take place on the surface and inside of the pores of the catalyst material. Highly porous catalysts, however, offer more catalytic surface area, therefore more overall catalytic activity. The microporosity of the catalyst will also elongate the carbon dioxide retention time inside of the pore, which could potentially alter the reaction paths and products.
A limited number of metal organic framework (MOF) materials have previously been studied as the electro-catalysts for carbon dioxide reduction reactions (CRR). These MOFs are used directly in pristine form after synthesis without any thermal treatment. The metals are in positively charged ionic state and ligands are in the organic forms. Examples include iron and zinc based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) which are stable in the acidic and alkaline aqueous electrolyte environments. However, due to poor electrical conductivity through the organic ligand in the framework of the MOF, such catalysts rely solely on surface bound sites for electrocatalytic activity, negating active sites inside of the MOF's pores, rendering the catalysts less active. Furthermore, lack of conductivity requires such catalysts working in aqueous environment under high polarization voltage or high temperatures, which puts high strain on electrocatalytic materials. Furthermore, high polarization potential means more energy is needed for the conversion, reducing the energy efficiency for carbon dioxide conversion.
There are other types of CRR catalysts that are not derived from MOFs, either in pristine or thermal activated version. These catalysts are often synthesized from plasma coating, laser desorption as well as high temperature/high pressure synthesis. Furthermore, some of the metals used in these catalysts as active centers are very expensive. For example, the most popular metal centers used are Ru, Pt and Au, which are costly with very low natural reserves. The key shortcoming of such CRR catalysts is the lack of the scalability due to prohibitively expensive techniques or materials used for synthesis, therefore these catalysts cannot be cost effectively scaled to mass production as viable commercial products.
Another limitation of the current electro-catalyst technology is low selectivity, low efficiency as well as low stability. For electro-catalytic conversion of CO2 to fuel or chemicals, it is preferred that the conversion can be highly selective under a controlled conditions, such as voltage, so that no additional product separation is needed. The prior art catalysts do not have near to 100% selectivity toward one single product. The efficiency, or Faradaic efficiency, is equally important since it represents how effectively the electric charge is used to convert CO2 to product instead of generating waste. The prior art catalysts do not have Faradaic efficiency near to 100%. The stability represents another important criteria for CRR electro-catalyst. Many of prior art electro-catalysts lack of stability due to dissolution of metals into the aqueous media. All of these intrinsic failings of prior art catalysts still need to be overcome.
Thus, there remains an unmet need for carbon dioxide reduction reactions (CRR), and towards the formation of carbon monoxide, formic acid and higher order hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide reduction electro catalysts prepared for metal organic frameworks

Board or Trustees of Northern Illinois University


Locks which protect data structures used within atomic sections of concurrent programs are inferred from atomic sections and acquired in a manner to avoid deadlock. Locks may be inferred by expression correspondence using a backward inter-procedural analysis of an atomic section. Locks may be sorted according to a total order and acquired early in an atomic section to prevent deadlock. Multiple granularity of locks are determined and employed. Fine grained locks may be inferred and acquired to reduce contention. Coarse grained locks may be determined and substituted for fine grained locks when necessary for unbounded locations or to reduce the number of finer grained locks.

Computer programs and software are ubiquitous and are used not just to direct the functionality of conventional computers but also to control and enhance the functionality of myriad modern products and appliances. For instance, televisions, household appliances, cellular phones, automobiles, medical devices, and so forth, may incorporate computer programs which direct and enhance their functionality.
Increasingly, computers and computer processors are no longer simple single processors executing software in an instruction-by-instruction sequential fashion. The availability of multi-core processors and multiple-processor computing systems is increasing and the demand for concurrent (or parallel) software to take advantage of multi-processor computers and processors is also increasing. Computers and processors are increasingly multiple processors which can concurrently, or in parallel, execute multiple instructions and procedure threads simultaneously. Such concurrent processing (also referred to as "parallelism") can greatly increase both the speed and processing power of computer systems when correctly exploited.
This increasing availability of multi-core and parallel computer processors is rapidly increasing the availability of parallelism in computing hardware and is greatly increasing the demand on developers to develop and redesign software to exploit the available parallelism. The use of parallelism and concurrency in programming is becoming increasingly more useful, important, and ubiquitous. However, in order to fully exploit the available parallelism, concurrent programs are typically fashioned, implemented, and executed in a way that protects data that might be accessed or modified by multiple concurrent threads of a concurrent process. Synchronization between different threads that may execute simultaneously in a concurrent program is an important component of developing and deploying correct concurrent software.
Software developers have used explicit lock-based synchronization to protect shared data during concurrent processing. However, explicit lock-based synchronization, specified by the software developer, may not be modular, may be error prone, and may not be easily maintained, extended, or modified.
Another solution to the synchronization problem is transactional memory where concurrent threads execute optimistically, assuming a conflict will not occur. In transactional memory, when a conflict does occur, conflicts may be detected after the fact and execution is then rolled back and repeated to alleviate the conflict. In cases of high contention, those cases where multiple conflicting concurrent threads are highly likely to run simultaneously, transactional memory can be very inefficient. Additionally, implementation of transactional memory often requires special hardware support. Transactional memory has also been implemented using software (i.e., software transactional memory). However, software transactional memory has other limitations, too. It is not well suited when programs have externally visible effects (for example if the program shows a message on a screen or writes a file to a disk), these actions are hard to—and sometimes cannot be—rolled back.
Better and more easily written concurrent programs would help to enable the exploitation of multi-core processors and parallel computing systems. Either locks or transactional memory may be employed for protection of shared data which may possibly be utilized by multiple threads during execution of concurrent threads in a concurrent process. Transactional memory will continue to be problematic in systems having high contention. Manually determining and hand coding locks can be both very tedious and time consuming for a software developer and can be prone to error. Further, it may be difficult for a software developer to know or keep track of each piece of data that is shared by multiple threads in a concurrent program or may become shared during subsequent modification or enhancement of the software. Consequently, manually determined locks are not easily extensible when concurrent software is modified or updated and may continue to be a significant source of error.
Using locks that are inferred at execution time may also prove problematic. Locks that are inferred at execution time may cause deadlocks or other bad behavior. Using locks of fine granularity may reduce contention, allowing more exploitation of parallelism, but fine grained locks may also be more difficult to determine and more prone to deadlock. Coarser grained locks might be easier to determine and may be less prone to deadlock but may also be likely to lead to higher contention, causing less exploitation of parallelism and less efficient runtime behavior of concurrent systems.

System using backward inter-procedural analysis for determining alternative coarser grained lock when finer grained locks exceeding threshold


A loading dock having a truck leveler for allowing the truck to be positioned at different heights. The loading dock includes a dock surface, a driveway extending from the dock surface and positioned at a level below the dock surface, and a ramp movably interconnected with the driveway. The driveway defines a tire path along which a truck tire will travel when a truck is backed toward the dock surface. The ramp is movable from an active position aligned with the tire path to an inactive position out of the tire path. The ramp can be pivotally interconnected with the driveway. Alternatively, the ramp can be linearly slidably interconnected with the driveway. In either embodiment, a power actuator (e.g., a hydraulic cylinder) can be operatively connected with the ramp and positioned to pivot the ramp between the active and inactive positions.

Loading docks are commonly used to facilitate loading and unloading of trucks that are positioned on a driveway. Loading docks typically include a dock surface that is raised a certain distance above the driveway. The dock surface is designed to be approximately level with the truck bed so that vehicles (e.g., forklifts) can drive from the loading dock to the truck bed to load and unload cargo.
The height of truck beds (i.e., above the driveway) can vary considerably from truck to truck. In order to accommodate these differences, many loading docks include dock levelers that provide a ramped surface between the dock surface and the truck bed. The ramped surface is provided by a pivotable platform, as is generally known in the art.
Dock levelers are designed to handle a certain range of truck bed heights. However, certain trucks have a truck bed that is either too low or too high for some dock levelers to handle. In this situation, a truck leveling device can be used to raise or lower the back end of the truck to thereby adjust the height of the truck bed. Truck leveling devices commonly include a platform that is positioned over a pit in the driveway. The front edge of the platform is pivotally mounted to the driveway, and hydraulic cylinders are used to pivot the platform. When a truck is backed into the loading dock, the rear wheel of the truck or trailer will be positioned on the platform. The platform can be lowered or raised to position the truck bed at an appropriate height. Truck levelers are commonly used in conjunction with dock levelers. A truck leveler is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,792.
While truck levelers are an effective way to allow loading docks to handle a variety of truck bed heights, they tend to be quite expensive due to the size of the platform. Furthermore, since the platform can be required to support a loaded truck, the hydraulic cylinders required lift the truck can be large and expensive. In addition, such truck levelers require significant labor to install due to the provision of a pit in the driveway.


A film bulk acoustic wave filter assembly includes a film bulk acoustic filter and an RF circuit. The film bulk acoustic filter unit cell includes a plurality of film bulk acoustic wave resonators. The number, area and arrangement of the resonators depend on the characteristics of the filter. In the film bulk acoustic wave filter, a metal layer made by CMOS processes is used as a lower electrode area of the film bulk acoustic wave filter or a suspended chamber. The film bulk acoustic filter can be integrated with the RF circuit using processes such as the CMOS process. It facilitates the integration of active devices, streamlining of system design and simplification of test processes, and has a great influence on the application of RF communication devices and integration of system-system-chip (SOC).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a film bulk acoustic wave filter assembly, and more particularly to a film bulk acoustic wave filter assembly that can be applied in the integration of high-frequency circuit design and SOC.
2. Related Art
RF micro devices are key aspects of the development of wireless communication. Communication passive devices such as duplexers, filters and power amplifiers need to be combined with an RF circuit individually. The wiring parts of the connection between the passive devices and the RF circuit generate parasitic effects due to RF signals, thereby increasing complexity in system integration. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,866 published on Sep. 4, 2001, discloses high-frequency passive devices and other active/passive devices that are integrated on a single chip to streamline system design and simplify test processes. According to the disclosure a thin or thick piezoelectric crystal wafer is bonded on a silicon substrate. Specifically, a silicon chip having active devices thereon is bonded to a piezoelectric chip. However, in the invention, a film bulk acoustic wave resonator is integrated with a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) in a compatible semiconductor process.

Method of forming film bulk acoustic wave filter assembly

Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology


A spacer band for maintaining uniform spacing between adjacent compressor liner segments comprising two segments having a plurality of locking fingers extending from the band for engaging the casing at both ends of the liner segments and in the middle of the segments. The spacer band is located in a vertical channel located along an edge of each liner segment. The vertical channel is defined by a plurality of vertical flanges and a horizontal flange located on the edge of each liner segment. The horizontal flange has notches for receiving said locking fingers.

The present invention generally relates to gas turbine engines and more particularly, to the maintenance of compressor liner segment spacing.
A typical aircraft gas turbine engine includes a compressor for pressurizing air which subsequently is mixed with fuel and ignited in the combuster section with the resulting combustion gases powering the turbine. The compressor and turbine are surrounded by casings or liners through which air is either extracted or distributed.
In a typical compressor, an inner casing or liner is concentric with an outer casing and mounts stator or variable vanes. The inner liner also surrounds the rotor blades of the compressor.
The inner compressor liner is formed in segments around the circumference of the compressor. Because the liner is segmented, it allows recirculation leakage in between the segments which in turn reduces compressor performance. In order to reduce this leakage, spline seals are added between the liner segments.
Gaps between the liner segments wherein the spline seals are located are determined by the thermal expansion of the liner segments, and can be as large as approximately 0.05 inches. Because the gaps between the liner segments are required to be large to compensate for thermal closedown of the liner segments, keeping the spline seals engaged between the liner segments and functioning properly has become problematic. In order to solve the problem of maintaining the spline seals in between the liner segments, radial bolts have previously been used to fasten the liner segments to the outer casing to maintain uniform spacing between the liners. However, radial bolts require reinforcement on the outer casing and also on the liners to maintain the structural integrity of the compressor. This additional reinforcement adds weight and complexity to the design, as well as making it more difficult for assembly and disassembly. Therefore, a need exists for an improved method of maintaining uniform spacing between compressor liner segments that eliminates the problems associated with radial bolts, that is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install.


A secondary battery is disclosed. In one aspect, the battery includes a bare cell having a substantially prismatic shape, a first terminal located in a first region of a first surface of the bare cell and a second terminal located in a second region of the first surface of the bare cell. The battery also includes a first insulation tape located between the bare cell and the first terminal, wherein the first insulation tape covers the first surface of the bare cell, and second and third surfaces of the bare cell extending in a direction that crosses the first surface of the bare cell. The battery also includes a second insulation tape located between the first insulation tape and the first terminal.

1. Field
The described technology generally relates to a secondary battery.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Along with the development of wireless Internet and communication technology, the use of electronic devices such as cellular phones or portable computers equipped with batteries has become widespread. Electronic devices each equipped with one or more secondary (rechargeable) batteries may be used anywhere without being limited to places where power outlets are available.


A signal processing circuit that achieves functionality similar to that of a switched capacitor circuit without the necessity a clock. The circuit compensates for finite open loop gain and for offset voltages in the components, allowing the circuit to “calculate” the result of a problem represented by the circuit essentially immediately upon the presentation of a new input or set of inputs. After the circuit is initialized to remove gain, an input is applied to the circuit, and propagates through the network and affects the state of amplifier outputs; the propagation from the input through capacitors to the ultimate output(s) of the circuit is the analog calculation taking place. The calculation is not mediated by a clock, but rather the calculation corresponds to the circuit's one-time response to the application of the inputs. Using these techniques complex signal processing circuits and even analog neural networks may be constructed.

Switched capacitor circuits are well known in the art. The principle of a switched capacitor circuit is that charge is processed as an analog quantity representative of a signal. A charge is manipulated by controlling the corresponding voltage that appears across a capacitor holding the given charge. Operational amplifiers located at certain signal processing nodes in the network inspect the voltage on the capacitors without disturbing the charge present on them. Switches connect or disconnect additional capacitors, usually of differing values, and charge flows between the capacitors as required to solve the second of Kirchhoff's laws, i.e., that the sum of the voltages around any closed loop must be zero. By these means analog computers may be constructed to solve a wide range of problems, including amplification to filtering, as well as data conversion from analog to digital and vice-versa.
One limitation of switched capacitor circuits is that they use a clock. The clock synchronizes the operation of the circuit, in effect a charge-processing state machine, created using the switched capacitor methodology. Switched capacitor circuits thus constitute a signal processing technique or methodology. Using this methodology, circuits may be created to solve a range of problems.
Although there may be a nominally infinite set of different charges on the capacitors of a switched capacitor circuit, there is a finite set of states of the circuit corresponding to the positions of the switches within the switched capacitor circuit, and the transitions between these switch positions represent a state machine.
An example of a switched capacitor circuit of the known art is shown in FIG. 1. In circuit 100, the amplifier A is assumed to have a nominally infinite input impedance and so is able to monitor the voltage on the node on the top of capacitor CP without disturbing the charge on it. The switches Φ1 and Φ2 execute a sequence of states, the three Φ1 switches moving together and the two Φ2 switches moving together.
A more complex example is shown in FIG. 2. Switched capacitor circuit 200 in FIG. 2(a) has four categories of switches: Φ1, Φ2, Φ1q, and Φ2q. The four switch categories are controlled by four independent clock signals. Circuit 200 is operated by manipulating the switches with these clocks, such that predictable amounts of charge can be transferred, usually to an operational amplifier ("op-amp") configured as an integrator. In turn, the low impedance output of that op-amp is used to establish a charge on another capacitor.
FIG. 2(b) shows the clock signals used to control the switches in circuit 200. In the prior art, a clock, or sequence of clocks, mediates the flow of charge from place to place and in so doing creates a sampled data system that represents what is often a continuous quantity.
The simplest known switched capacitor circuit is the "switched capacitor resistor" 300 as shown in FIG. 3. The switches S1 and S2 connect the capacitor CS alternately to the input and output of the switched capacitor 300 with a given frequency. Each switching cycle transfers, or propagates, a charge from the input to the output at a certain rate, similar to a resistor. The average charge delivered is proportional to the voltage across the capacitor, again similar to a resistor, and occurs at the switching frequency.
It is the operation of this switched capacitor resistor, and the associated clocks, that enables the switched capacitor methodology. In the switched capacitor circuits of the known art it is believed possible to always identify one or more such switched capacitor circuits.
It would be desirable to be able to obtain a similar functionality to that of switched capacitor circuits without the necessity of a clock or clocks.

Signal processing circuit without clock mediation


The present disclosure relates to a compressor including a branch part for reducing vibration and noise caused by a refrigerant flowing inside a muffler by expanding an enclosed space formed by a compression part and the muffler in the direction of a rotation axis.

Generally, a compressor is an apparatus applied to a refrigeration cycle such as a refrigerator or an air conditioner, which compresses a refrigerant to provide work necessary to generate heat exchange in the refrigeration cycle.
Compressors may be classified into a reciprocating compressor, a rotary compressor, and a scroll compressor depending on refrigerant compression. Among these, the scroll compressor performs an orbiting motion by engaging an orbiting scroll with a fixed scroll fixed in the internal space of a case to define a compression chamber between a fixed wrap of the fixed scroll and an orbiting wrap of the orbiting scroll.
Compared to other compressors, the scroll compressor may obtain a relatively high compression ratio since the refrigerant is continuously compressed through the scrolls engaged with each other. In addition, the scroll compressor may obtain a stable torque since the suction, compression, and discharge of the refrigerant proceed smoothly. For this reason, the scroll compressor is widely used for compressing the refrigerant in the air conditioner and the like.
A conventional scroll compressor includes a case forming the outer shape of the compressor and having an outlet for discharging a refrigerant, a compression part fixed to the case and configured to compress the refrigerant, and a driver fixed to the case and configured to drive the compression part, wherein the compression part and the driver are coupled to a rotation shaft that is coupled to the driver and configured to rotate. In the conventional scroll compressor, the rotation shaft is eccentric in the radius direction, and the orbiting scroll is fixed to the eccentric rotation shaft and rotates around the fixed scroll. Thus, the orbiting scroll compresses the refrigerant while rotating (orbiting) along the fixed wrap of the fixed scroll.
In the conventional scroll compressor, the compression part is generally disposed below the outlet, and the driver is generally disposed below the compression part. One end of the rotation shaft is coupled to the compression part, and the other end thereof extends in a direction away from the outlet and is coupled to the driver. As a result, the conventional scroll compressor has difficulty in supplying oil into the compression part since the compression part is disposed closer to the outlet than the driver (or the compression part is disposed above the driver). In addition, the conventional scroll compressor has a disadvantage of additionally requiring a lower frame to separately support the rotation shaft coupled to the compression part below the driver. Further, the conventional scroll compressor has a problem in that since the point of application of a gas force generated by the refrigerant compression does not match with that of a reaction force supporting the gas force inside the compression part, the orbiting scroll tilts and reduces the reliability thereof.
To solve such problems, a scroll compressor in which the driver is disposed close to the outlet and the compression part is disposed in a direction away from the outlet with respect to the driver has appeared (such a scroll compressor is called a lower scroll compressor).
In the lower scroll compressor, since one end of the rotation shaft farthest away from the outlet is supported to be rotatable at the compressor assembly, no lower frame is required. In addition, since oil stored in a lower portion of the case is directly supported to the compressing assembly without passing through the driver, the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll may be rapidly lubricated. Further, when the rotation shaft penetrates the fixed scroll for coupling, the point of application of the gas force may match with that of the reaction force on the rotation shaft so that the orbiting scroll has no upsetting moments.
In the lower scroll compressor, since the compression part is disposed in the direction away from the outlet with respect to the driver, the orbiting scroll is disposed close to the outlet, and the fixed scroll is disposed farther away from the outlet than the orbiting scroll. Since the refrigerant compressed by the compression part is discharged through the fixed scroll, the refrigerant may be discharged from the compression part in the direction away from the outlet.
Accordingly, the lower scroll compressor further includes a muffler coupled to the fixed scroll in the direction away from the outlet (e.g., toward the bottom) and configured to guide the refrigerant discharged from the fixed scroll to the driver and the outlet. The muffler forms a space in which the refrigerant discharged from the compression part flows and changes its direction.
The muffler may prevent the refrigerant discharged from the compression part from colliding with the oil stored in the case and smoothly guide the high-pressure refrigerant to the outlet.
However, the refrigerant discharged from the muffler may cause a large amount of vibration and noise while the refrigerant flows inside the muffler or collides with the muffler.
To overcome such a problem, a compressor for reducing the noise caused by the refrigerant by modifying the shape and position of a discharge valve that guides the refrigerant compressed by the compression part to the muffler has been disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2018-0124636.
However, considering that the vibration and noise generated in the muffler is an important issue in the lower scroll compressor, a component capable of being installed in a space formed by the muffler and the compression part and reducing the vibration and noise caused by the refrigerant is required.


A recording apparatus performing at least recording with respect to a hologram recording medium is disclosed. The recording medium includes: a light emitting means for emitting light to be radiated with respect to the hologram recording medium set at a prescribed position; a spatial light modulation means configured to be able to generate reference light and signal light to be radiated to the hologram recording medium by performing light intensity modulation to incident light in the unit of pixels; a phase modulation means for performing phase modulation to radiated light from the spatial light modulation means; and an optical system configured to guide light emitted from the light emitting means with respect to the hologram recording medium through the spatial modulation means and the phase modulation means.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a recording apparatus at least capable of recording with respect to a hologram recording medium and a phase modulation device preferable to be used in the recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a hologram recording/playback system, particularly in a hologram recording/playback system in a field of optical storage, a SLM (spatial light modulator) such as a liquid-crystal panel or DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) is used as light intensity modulation is used, in which intensity modulation whereby a pattern arrangement of a bit 1 (for example, light intensity=high) and a bit 0 (for example, light intensity=low) can be obtained is applied to signal light.
At this time, in the SLM, signal light which received the light intensity modulation according to recorded data is formed at the central part and reference light transmitted so as to make a circle around the signal light is formed as shown in FIG. 2. The signal light modulated according to recorded data is radiated to the hologram recording medium with the reference light, accordingly, interference fringes of signal light and reference light are recorded in the hologram recording medium as data.
At the time of playing back data, only the reference light is generated in the SLM and is radiated to the hologram recording medium to obtain diffracted light according to the interference fringes. Images according to the diffracted light are focused on an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Oxide Semiconductor) sensor to perform image detection. Playback data is obtained based on image data detected in this manner.
A hologram recording/playback system in which signal light and reference light are radiated on the same optical axis is known as a coaxial system (or a collinear system).
In related arts, when such coaxial system is applied, a phase modulation by a phase mask is further given to a real-image side thereof to which spatial light modulation is applied in the SLM as described in JP-A-2006-107663(Patent Document 1).
The phase modulation by the phase mask is performed with respect to both signal light and reference light. The reason that the phase modulation is performed to the reference light is for enabling multiple recording in the hologram recording medium as described in Patent Document 1. That is, signal light (data) recorded by using reference light including a certain phase structure can be read out only by radiating reference light having the same phase structure at the time of playback. Therefore, applying the above, data is respectively recorded by using reference lights having different phase structures at the time of recording and the multiple-recorded data can be selectively read out by selectively radiating the reference lights having these phase structures at the time of playback.
In addition, the reason that the phase modulation is given to the signal light is for performing interference control and for suppressing a DC component with respect to the signal light in the hologram recording medium to increase the recording density.
The invention described in Patent Document 1 intends to perform the optimum phase modulation to signal light and reference light respectively by allowing a phase structure given to signal light and a phase structure given to reference light to be different patterns respectively.

Recording apparatus and phase modulation device


The present disclosure provides a system, circuit, and method for correcting clock skew in time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters. At least two clock signals are received along respective channels. A delay of a first channel, carrying a first clock signal, is accounted for by applying one or more first adjustment factors to the channels until an edge of the first clock signal is aligned with a transition point of a reference signal. The first clock signal is swapped to the second channel, and vice-versa. A value of the reference signal as sampled by the first clock signal is compared to values of the reference signal as sampled by the second clock signal to determine a skew of the second channel vis-à-vis the first channel, and one or more second adjustment factors are applied to the second channel based on the determined skew of the second channel.

While events and phenomena in the real world take place in analog spaces, most processing of information regarding the real world is performed using digital information. A variety of methods exist for transforming analog information into digital information, including using transducers with analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The transducer first converts a physical response into an analog electrical signal, and the ADC samples the analog electrical signal to obtain a plurality of values which form a digital representation of the analog electrical signal.
One parameter which governs the operation of an ADC is the sampling rate, namely the rate at which values of the analog electrical signal are acquired by the ADC. For example, the sampling rate of an ADC may be based on a frequency of a digital clock provided to the ADC. In certain situations, multiple ADCs are used to sample a single analog electrical signal. Each ADC is provided a clock which is offset from clocks provided to the other ADCs, such that each ADC samples at a different time. Such a system is referred to as a time-interleaved ADC (TIADC). Clock skew arises when the clocks provided to the ADCs of a TIADC are not correctly offset.
A number of techniques currently exist for correcting clock skew. For example, the skew can be converted to a DC quantity by performing digital-domain mixing, but this method is only applicable to sinusoids, requires full bit-width multipliers, and may require a finite-impulse response filter to properly correct for clock skew. Alternatively, clock skew can be corrected by comparing the average zero-crossing difference between adjacent samples of ADCs, but this technique cannot be used in situations where a reference signal and sampling clocks are synchronous. Alternatively still, the correlation difference between two adjacent samples can be computed: if this average difference is null, there is no skew. However, this procedure requires two full bitwidth multipliers, which have a high gate count, making them difficult to implement in dense, multi-channel transceiver applications. Moreover, this approach can be ineffective when used with full-bandwidth input.
As such, there is a need for improved clock skew correction techniques which can be used in TIADCs.

Skew detection and correction in time-interleaved analog-to-digital converters


An index head assembly for a semiconductor device test handler is provided which allows for precise positioning of a device in a test socket, as well as accurate testing of the device once properly positioned in the test socket. The head portion of the index head assembly includes a holding part which absorbs and holds the device using a vacuum force, a heating part which generates heat to maintain the device at the appropriate temperature, and a compliance part which accurately aligns and positions the index head relative to the test socket so that the device may be properly connected to the test socket. The downward force used to connect the semiconductor device to the test socket is controlled by a force transducer, and the temperature of the semiconductor device is accurately controlled through direct heat transfer from an electric heater provided within the head portion of the index head assembly. A plurality of ball plungers and guide members, as well as the particular installation of various parts of the head portion relative to one another ensure proper alignment of the device within the test socket.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an index head in a semiconductor device test handler, and more particularly, to an index head in a semiconductor device test handler for mounting semiconductor device in a test socket at a test site.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, modular ICs, in which memory, and/or non-memory semiconductor devices are fabricated on one substrate appropriately in circuit basis, are main components that serve important functions in computers or home appliances, which are shipped after various testing. As known, the handler is equipment required for automatic testing of the semiconductor device and modular RAM.
In general, many of the handlers are designed to carry out, not only a general performance tests under a room temperature, but also high temperature tests, and low temperature tests in which the semiconductor devices, the modular ICs, and the like are tested if they are operative normally under an extremely high temperature, or low temperature environment formed by using electric heater or liquefied nitrogen spraying system into a enclosed chamber at the test site.
In the meantime, the index head in the handler serves holding semiconductor devices in the test site under such an extremely high or low temperature, and mounting/dismounting to/from test sockets, as well as pressing down the semiconductor devices in a state the semiconductor devices are mounted in the test sockets for reducing contact resistances between the sockets and leads on the semiconductor devices.
The index head also serves to prevent a temperature drop of the semiconductor devices in the sockets during temperature testing by blowing hot air to the semiconductor devices in a state the index head presses down the semiconductor devices. However, the foregoing related art index head has the following problems.
First, in the hot air blowing for prevention of the temperature drop of the semiconductor devices, an accurate temperature control has been difficult, and even parts that require no heating are heated.
Second, the related art index head is provided with a compliance mechanism (or a floating mechanism) for an exact alignment between the held semiconductor devices and the sockets, which becomes shaky in high speed operation of the index head, that limits an operation speed of the index head.
Third, because a pressing down force of the index head on the semiconductors in the sockets influences a result of the test, it is required to control and monitor the pressing down force. However, the related art index head is not provided with devices for automatic control and monitoring the pressing down force, such that a worker is required to make sure and adjust the force, personally. Accordingly, an accurate control of the force has been difficult, and if the force is excessive, the semiconductor devices are damaged.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Index head in semicondcutor device test handler


A manufacturing system for assembling wireless electronic devices is provided. The manufacturing system may include test stations for testing the radio-frequency performance of components that are to be assembled within the electronic devices. A reference test station may be calibrated using calibration coupons having known radio-frequency characteristics. The calibration coupons may include transmission line structures. The reference test station may measure verification standards to establish baseline measurement data. The verification standards may include circuitry having electrical components with given impedance values. Many verification coupons may be measured to enable testing for a wide range of impedance values. Test stations in the manufacturing system may subsequently measure the verification standards to generate test measurement data. The test measurement data may be compared to the baseline measurement data to characterize the performance of the test stations to ensure consistent test measurements across the test stations.

This relates generally to wireless communications circuitry, and more particularly, to electronic devices having wireless communications circuitry.
Wireless electronic devices such as portable computers and cellular telephones are often provided with wireless communications circuitry that includes a number of electric components. The electric components are assembled in a manufacturing system to produce the wireless communications circuitry. A given electric component is typically tested using a test station in the manufacturing system prior to assembly within an electronic device. To expedite the manufacturing process, many test stations can be used to test the given electric component in parallel (i.e., to determine whether the electric component under test has been manufactured properly or whether the electric component under test satisfies design criteria).
Each test station that is used to test the given component typically experiences measurement variation due to variations between individual test stations. The behavior of each test station is typically unique, as it is challenging to manufacture test stations that are exactly identical to one another. It is challenging to limit variation between test stations within a single manufacturing system as well as across a number of manufacturing systems formed at different locations. Variations between individual test stations make it difficult to provide consistent testing for each component under test.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved test systems for testing wireless electronic devices

Methods for validating radio-frequency test stations


Certain aspects and embodiments of the present invention are directed to a subsurface safety valve that can be disposed in a wellbore that is through a fluid-producing formation. The subsurface safety valve can include a closure mechanism, a sleeve, and a control line. The closure mechanism can be positioned in a passageway defined by a tubing string. The closure mechanism can be configured to prevent a flow of fluid to a portion of the passageway that is closer to a surface of the wellbore than the closure mechanism. The sleeve can be positioned in the passageway adjacent to the closure mechanism. The control line can communicate pressure to a piston from a pressure source within an inner diameter of the tubing string, causing the piston to apply a force to the sleeve. The sleeve can open the closure mechanism in response to the force being applied to the sleeve.

Equipment for operating a well, such as an oil or gas well for extracting fluids that can include petroleum oil hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation, can include various devices for restricting or preventing the flow of fluids from a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation in which the well is located. Pressure from a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation can cause fluids from the formation to move toward the surface in the absence of a pumping system or other artificial lift system.
Closure mechanisms for restricting or preventing the production of fluids from a well, such as a safety valve, can be set to an open position, allowing the flow of production fluids, or a closed position, preventing the flow of production fluids. Current solutions for opening a safety valve can involve equipment having high power requirements or the insertion of additional components in the wellbore in addition to the safety valve. For example, one solution for opening the closure mechanism includes an electrically powered motor applying force to the closure mechanism, causing the closure mechanism to open. Another solution can include using hydraulic pressure to open the closure mechanism by deploying a separate control line from the surface to the closure mechanism in the wellbore. This solution increases the number of components being operated in the wellbore.
Apparatuses and systems are desirable that can reduce the power requirements and the number of components in the wellbore for opening a closure device regulating the flow of fluids in a well.

Integrated opening subsystem for well closure system


The invention is directed to process for performing a chemical reaction in a reaction mixture, which reaction produces water as by-product, wherein the reaction mixture is in contact with a hydroxy sodalite membrane, through which water produced during the reaction is removed from the reaction mixture, to a process for removing water form mixtures thereof.

The present invention is directed to a process for performing a chemical reaction, to a process for separating water from a mixture containing water, to a membrane suitable for such processes and to a process for preparing a membrane.
Modern chemical engineering has a focus on the integration of reaction and separation. In-situ separation of water from the Fischer-Tropsch reaction mixture is an example of such integration. The continuous removal of water, which is produced as a side product, contributes to an improvement of conversion, product selectivity and catalyst life time.
More in general it can be remarked, that the removal of water from mixtures with water is a very important aspects in various areas of chemical engineering and process technology. In reactions where water is a by-product, be it an equilibrium reaction or a non-equilibrium reaction, the continuous removal of water produced, from the reaction mixture helps to improve the reaction efficiency.
Separating of water from mixtures thereof, more in particular with H2, CO, CO2, CH4 and higher alkanes, is also very important, more in particular in case the other component(s) need(s) to be dry, for example for further reaction or use.
Separation can be based on several principles. With a hydrophilic membrane, it is possible to separate water from for example a mixture of water and an organic component. The separation principle is based on the preference of the membrane for adsorbing water. Also separation on size is possible, when the components to be separated are small enough in kinetic diameter to migrate through the zeolite pores and the components from which they have to be separated have a kinetic diameter that is too large.
The kinetic diameter can be understood as the diameter of a pore needed to let that specific molecule pass. Water has a kinetic diameter of 2.65 Å, even smaller than that of hydrogen. Thus separation based on geometry is possible, when one finds a zeolite with a pore size large enough to enable water to pass and to exclude hydrogen and other larger molecules. It was generally assumed that 6-membered rings were unsuitable for this type of separation.
In most chemical reactions with water as by-product, water has the smallest kinetic diameter. For example in a Fischer-Tropsch reaction mixture the kinetic diameters of H2, CO and linear alkanes are respectively 2.89, 3.76 and 4.3 Å.


Disclosed are a reel brake device and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having the same. The reel brake device comprises a tension band mounted on an outer circumference of a reel disc to control tension, the reel disc which is rotatably mounted on the main chassis to drive a tape reel of a tape cassette, and a brake unit fixed on the main chassis to help the tension band be in contact with the outer circumference of the reel disc. This can replace a conventional brake unit having a complicated structure, and therefore, the number of component parts can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a simply-structured reel brake device to brake a reel disc on which a tape cassette is mounted, and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A general magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus comprising a deck mechanism, such as a video cassette recorder (VCR) or a camcorder, records sound and image information using a recording medium, such as a magnetic tape, moving along a predetermined path, and reproduces the recorded information.
The magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus comprises a main chassis having a rotary head drum, a pair of supply reel discs rotatably mounted to the main chassis to drive a tape reel of a tape cassette, a tension unit for generating predetermined tension while the tape cassette is driving and a brake unit for preventing excessive operation of the supply reel disc. The pair of supply reel discs include a supply reel disc for supplying a tape and a take-up reel disc for rewinding the tape being untied from the supply reel disc. Since the take-up reel disc is not an essential element of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be ommitted.
FIG. 1 shows a tension unit 10 mounted to a main chassis (not shown), a supply reel disc 30 rotated by the tension unit 10 and a brake unit 50 rotatably mounted to the main chassis (not shown) to selectively brake the supply reel disc 30.
The tension unit 10 comprises a tension arm 12 pivotably mounted on the main chassis, a tension pole 14 formed at one end of the tension arm 12 to withdraw a magnetic tape 22 from a tape cassette and a tension band 16 mounted to the tension arm 12 to enclose an outer periphery of the supply reel disc 30. The supply reel disc 30 has a reel gear 32, at a lower part thereof, rotated by a power transmitted from a capstan motor (not shown).
The brake unit 50 is pivotably mounted on the main chassis to selectively brake the supply reel disc 30. The brake unit 50 comprises a sub brake 52, a main brake 54, a coil spring 56 and a torsion spring 58. The sub brake 52 is pivotably mounted on the main chassis so that one end thereof selectively biases the tension band 16 to the supply reel disc 30. The main brake 54, which is coaxial with the sub brake 52, is pivotably mounted on the main chassis to selectively lock and release the supply reel disc 30. The coil spring 56 elastically pushes the sub brake 52 in contact with the supply reel disc 30. The torsion spring 58 is disposed between the sub brake 52 and the main brake 54 to elastically push the main brake 54 so that the main brake 54 is contacted with the reel gear 32.
A dotted line in FIG. 1 shows the tension unit 10 in a state that a tape cassette is loaded in a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. When the tape cassette is loaded, the tension arm 12 rotates about an axis 18 in association with a cam gear (not shown) which is driven by a driving motor (not shown) in a direction illustrated by an arrow. Therefore, the tension pole 14 provided at an end of the tension arm 12 and a pole base unit 20 withdraw the magnetic tape 22 from the tape cassette. The magnetic tape 22 being withdrawn rotates the reel (not shown) of the tape cassette, and the reel of the tape cassette rotates the supply reel disc 30. Due to rotation inertia of the supply reel disc 30, the magnetic tape 22 may be excessively withdrawn even after the tape cassette is loaded. To avoid this, the tension band 16 is provided on the outer periphery of the supply reel disc 30. The sub brake 52 pushes the tension band 16, thereby applying a predetermined friction to the supply reel disc 30. By the friction, the supply reel disc 30 is prevented from being rotated after loading the tape cassette. In addition, the main brake 54 is connected and locked to the reel gear 32 mounted at the lower part of the supply reel disc 30 in order to prevent the tape from being withdrawn continuously by the rotation inertia of the supply reel disc 30 when a play mode is converted to a stop mode.
However, as can be appreciated from the above, the brake unit 50 requires a number of parts and has a complicated structure, thereby increasing manufacturing steps. Accordingly, manufacturing cost and a size of the apparatus are also increased. Therefore, research has been directed to minimizing the size of the apparatus and saving manufacturing costs.

Reel brake device having simple structure and a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus having the same


A local deformation which is generated on bonded substrates can be reduced. A bonding apparatus includes a first holding unit configured to attract and hold a first substrate from above; a second holding unit configured to attract and hold a second substrate from below; a striker configured to bring the first substrate into contact with the second substrate by pressing a central portion of the first substrate from above; a moving unit configured to move the second holding unit between a non-facing position where the second holding unit does not face the first holding unit and a facing position where the second holding unit faces the first holding unit; and a temperature control unit disposed to face the second holding unit placed at the non-facing position and configured to locally adjust a temperature of the second substrate attracted to and held by the second holding unit.

Conventionally, as a method of bonding substrates such as semiconductor wafers with each other, there is known a method of bonding two sheets of substrates semi-permanently by using an intermolecular force.
In this method, after the two sheets of substrates are placed to face each other in a vertical direction, a central portion of the substrate at the upper side (upper substrate) is pushed down and brought into contact with a central portion of the substrate at the lower side (lower substrate). Accordingly, the central portions of the upper and lower substrates are first bonded by the intermolecular force, so that a bonding region is formed. Then, as the bonding region is expanded toward peripheral portions of the substrates, the upper substrate and the lower substrate are bonded on the entire surfaces thereof.
Here, since the upper substrate is contacted to the lower substrate in a state that the upper substrate is bent, an unnecessary stress is applied to the upper substrate, and there is a concern that the bonded substrates might be deformed due to this stress.
To solve this problem, it has been suggested to maintain the lower substrate in a bent state as well by allowing a holding surface of a holding unit configured to hold the lower substrate to have a protruding shape (see Patent Document 1). According to this technique, by allowing the lower substrate to be bent as is the upper electrode, the deformation that might be caused to the bonded substrates can be reduced.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2016-039254


Methods, systems, and devices supporting orchestration for automated performance testing are described. A server may orchestrate performance testing for software applications across multiple different test environments. The server may receive a performance test indicating an application to test and a set of test parameters. The server may determine a local or a non-local test environment for running the performance test. The server may deploy the application to the test environment, where the deploying involves deploying a first component of the performance test to a first test artifact in the test environment and deploying a second component of the performance test different from the first component to a second test artifact in the test environment. The server may execute the performance test to obtain a result set, where the executing involves executing multiple performance test components as well as orchestrating results across multiple test artifacts to obtain the result set.

A cloud platform (i.e., a computing platform for cloud computing) may be employed by many users to store, manage, and process data using a shared network of remote servers. Users may develop applications on the cloud platform to handle the storage, management, and processing of data. In some cases, the cloud platform may utilize a multi-tenant database system. Users may access the cloud platform using various user devices (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, or other computing systems, etc.).
In one example, the cloud platform may support customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. This may include support for sales, service, marketing, community, analytics, applications, and the Internet of Things. A user may utilize the cloud platform to help manage contacts of the user. For example, managing contacts of the user may include analyzing data, storing and preparing communications, and tracking opportunities and sales.
Some cloud platforms—or other systems—may use performance testing to support the development and testing of software applications. Performance testing may occur in multiple different environments, and performance tests may be written by a performance team, which may be different from an application development team. In some cases, when a first team (e.g., an application development team) develops the software application and a second team (e.g., a performance team) tests the performance of the application, the second team may spend a significant amount of time determining how to properly test the performance of the application. In some cases, the tested performance of the application may be incorrect or inaccurate based on a disconnect between the performance team and the application development team. Additionally or alternatively, a test environment may be created manually by a user, which may increase the amount of time needed to setup the test environment, increase the number of errors present in the test environment, decrease the accuracy of the performance tests, or result in any combination of these deficiencies.

Orchestration for automated performance testing


A method for performing a cleaning operation with a cleaning device includes: determining whether the cleaning device and a terminal are located in a same general area; acquiring a first geographical location at which the terminal is currently located; and performing the cleaning operation according to the first geographical location and a specified cleaning mode.

To improve comfort and convenience at home and in office spaces, a large number of smart home devices have emerged. One such a type of devices is a smart cleaning device capable of automatically performing indoor cleaning and dust removal. The smart cleaning device may also be referred to as a robot cleaner, an automatic cleaner, a smart dust collector, etc. In general, the smart cleaning device is an automation technology-based movable device, and thus can automatically move about in a room and automatically clean the room. For example, the smart cleaning device can perform cleaning along the edges and automatically turn at corners or encountering obstacles in a room when performing a cleaning. In some other modes of operations, the smart cleaning device can perform random spot cleaning, or take other walk patterns.

Method and apparatus for performing cleaning operation by cleaning device and readable storage medium

Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd.


A method for manufacturing a multilayer FPCB includes the steps of: providing a first substrate, a second substrate and a binder layer; defining an opening on the binder layer; defining a first slit in the dielectric layer of the first substrate; laminating the first substrate, the binder layer and the second substrate; forming a second slit in the conductive layer of the first substrate, the second slit is configured to be aligned with the first slit, cutting the first substrate, the binder layer and the second substrate thereby forming a multilayer flexible printed circuit board having different numbers of layers in different areas.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board, and particularly to a method for manufacturing a multilayer flexible printed circuit board having different thicknesses in different areas.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCB) have been widely used in electronic products such as mobile phones, printing heads and hard disks. In these electronic products, some parts may move relative to a main body. In such condition, FPCBs are applied to provide electrical connections and signal transmissions between such parts and the main body due to their excellent flexibility.
FIG. 34 shows a multilayer FPCB structure, which has different numbers of layers in different areas. In other words, there are thick areas and thin areas within the same FPCB. The thick area can have a higher circuit density, whilst the thin area exhibits higher flexibility.
FIGS. 29-34 show a process for manufacturing such type of FPCB. As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, a first copper clad laminate (CCL) 41, a binder layer 45 and a second CCL 42 are laminated. As is shown in FIG. 31, dry films 412, 422 are respectively applied on the first CCL 41 and the second CCL 42, and then, the dry films 412, 422 are exposed and developed. Because there is a cliff-like thickness difference between the first CCL 41 and the second CCL 42, a gap 46 is formed at 'cliff'.
As shown in FIG. 32, during an etching process, when the first CCL 41 and the second CCL 42 are immerged in an etchant, the etchant can seep into the gap 46 and react with dielectric layers of the first CCL 41 and/or the second CCL 42. As a result, the dielectric layers may peel from the first CCL 41 and/or the second CCL 42.
Referring to FIG. 33, a third CCL 43 and a fourth CCL 44 are respectively laminated with the first CCL 41 and the second CCL 42, to make another multilayer FPCB. Referring to FIG. 34, in order to electrically conduct the copper layers of the third CCL 43, the first CCL 41, the second CCL 42, and the fourth CCL 44, a via hole 47 is defined so as to penetrate the four CCLs. The via hole 47 can be made by drilling or by laser ablation. After the via hole 47 is formed, a conductive layer, e.g., a copper layer, is formed on a sidewall of the via hole 47 by electroless plating or electroplating. In the plating process, the dielectric layer of the second CCL 42 is exposed in a plating solution, thereby forming a number of copper lumps 48 thereon. These copper lumps 48 can pierce dry film that is applied onto the second CCL 42 in the next pattern-forming process, and etchant used for developing the dry film can react with dielectric layer or copper layer of second CCL 42 and cause poor quality products to be formed.
In the aforementioned process for manufacturing multilayer FPCB that has different number of layers in different areas, a fall structure between different CCLs can causes a series of quality problems. Therefore, a new process for manufacturing multilayer FPCB is desired to overcome the aforementioned quality problems.

Method for manufacturing multilayer flexible printed circuit board

FuKui Precision Component (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.


An online concierge system may determine recommended search terms for a user. The online concierge system may receive a request from a user to view a user interface configured to receive a search query. The online concierge system retrieves long-term activity data including previous search terms entered by the user while searching for items to add to an online shopping cart. For each previous search term, the online concierge system retrieves categorical search terms corresponding to one or more categories to which the previous search term was mapped. The online concierge system determines a set of nearby categorical search terms and sends, for display via a client device, the set of nearby categorical search terms as recommended search terms.

This disclosure relates generally to recommending search terms in an online concierge system. More particularly, the disclosure relates to determining recommended search terms based on previous search terms a customer has used.
In current online systems and mobile applications, a customer creates a shopping list of items in an online shopping cart to be purchased from a retailer. To help facilitate the customer's search process as they add items to the shopping list, the online system or mobile application may recommend search terms to the customer based on popular items. However, this does not account for search terms related to the customer's activity on the online system, including what items they have purchased, and the online system may only show search terms that the customer has previously used. For example, even if a customer previously searched tofu, recommending searching tofu again may not be useful to the customer when the customer consistently searches for tofu when they shop. Therefore, a system for recommending search terms that are more relevant or related to the previous search terms used by the customer and items already on the shopping list is necessary to give customers better suggestions of what to search when creating an order.

Method, non-transitory computer-readable medium, and system for determining recommended search terms for a user of an online concierge system


A semiconductor device including field insulating films and having first corner portions, provided on a P-type epitaxial growth layer; an N−-type cathode that is provided in the P-type epitaxial growth layer and is located on the inner sides of the field insulating films; and a P−-type anode that is formed on the cathode so as to be in contact with the cathode and covers the first corner portions provided on the inner sides of the field insulating films, wherein the junction between the cathode and the anode serves as a PN junction of the diode, and the PN junction is spaced apart from the first corner portions.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device including a diode.
2. Related Art
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device according to a related art. A vertical zener diode included in the semiconductor device is disclosed in US 2012/0074522 (FIG. 2).
The semiconductor device shown in FIG. 7 includes a silicon substrate 111, and an N-type buried layer 112 provided on the silicon substrate 111. A P-type epitaxial growth layer 113 is provided on the N-type buried layer 112, and field insulating films 116, 117, 118 and 119 made of LOCOS oxide films are provided on the P-type epitaxial growth layer 113.
A cathode 114 composed of an N−-type impurity region is provided in the P-type epitaxial growth layer 113 that is on the inner sides of the field insulating films 117 and 118, and the N−-type cathode 114 is electrically connected to the N-type buried layer 112. An anode 121 composed of a P+-type impurity region is provided on the cathode 114 provided in the P-type epitaxial growth layer 113 that is on the inner sides of the field insulating films 117 and 118. A PN junction of the zener diode is provided by the P+-type anode 121 and the cathode 114.
N+-type impurity regions 122 are provided respectively on the P-type epitaxial growth layer 113 at a position that is on the outer side of the field insulating film 117 and is on the inner side of a field insulating film 116, and on the P-type epitaxial growth layer 113 at a position that is on the outer side of the field insulating film 118 and is on the inner side of a field insulating film 119. In the P-type epitaxial growth layer 113, N−-type impurity regions 115 located under the N+-type impurity regions 122 are provided, and the N−-type impurity regions 115 are electrically connected to the N-type buried layer 112. A silicide film 123 is provided on the N+-type impurity regions 122 and the anode 121.
The above-described diode is problematic in that the breakdown voltage fluctuates if the diode is repeatedly used.

Semiconductor device which suppresses fluctuations in breakdown voltage