A stack cache memory in a microprocessor and apparatus for performing fast speculative pop instructions is disclosed. The stack cache stores cache lines of data implicated by push instructions in a last-in-first-out fashion. An offset is maintained which specifies the location of the newest non-popped push data within the cache line stored in the top entry of the stack cache. The offset is updated when an instruction is encountered that updates the stack pointer register. When a pop instruction requests data, the stack cache speculatively provides data specified by the offset from the top entry to the pop instruction, before determining whether the pop instruction source address matches the address of the data provided. If the source address and the address of the data provided are subsequently determined to mismatch, then an exception is generated to provide the correct data.

A microprocessor is a digital device that executes instructions specified by a computer program. A typical computer system includes a microprocessor coupled to a system memory that stores program instructions and data to be processed by the program instructions. The performance of such a system is hindered by the fact that the time required to read data from the system memory into the microprocessor or to write data from the microprocessor to the system memory is typically much larger than the time required for the microprocessor to execute the instructions that process the data. The time difference is often between one and two orders of magnitude. Thus, the microprocessor may be sitting idle with nothing to do while waiting for the memory to be read or written.
However, processor designers recognized long ago that programs tend to access a relatively small proportion of the data a relatively large proportion of the time, such as frequently accessed program variables. Programs with this characteristic are said to display good temporal locality, and the propensity for this characteristic is referred to as the locality of reference principle. To take advantage of this principle, modern microprocessors typically include one or more cache memories. A cache memory, or cache, is a relatively small memory electrically close to the microprocessor core that temporarily stores a subset of data that normally resides in the larger, more distant memories of the computer system, such as the system memory. Caching data is storing data in a storage element of a cache memory so that the data can be subsequently more quickly provided from the cache memory than from a more distant memory of the system.
When the microprocessor executes a memory read instruction, such as a load or pop instruction, the microprocessor first checks to see if the requested data is present in the cache, i.e., if the memory read address hits in the cache. If not, i.e., if the memory read address misses in the cache, the microprocessor fetches the data into the cache in addition to loading it into the specified register of the microprocessor. Now since the data is present in the cache, the next time a memory read instruction is encountered that requests the same data, the data can be fetched from the cache into the register for processing, rather than from system memory. The memory read instruction can be executed essentially immediately since the data is already present in the cache.
A cache stores data in cache lines, or cache blocks. A cache line is the smallest unit of data than can be transferred between the cache and the system memory. An example of a cache line size is 64 bytes of data. When a memory read instruction causes a cache miss, an entire cache line implicated by the missing address is fetched into the cache, instead of only fetching the data requested by the memory read instruction. Consequently, subsequent memory read instructions that request data in the same cache line may be quickly executed because the data can be supplied from the cache rather than having to access system memory.
In addition, when a memory write instruction is executed, such as a store or push instruction, if the memory write address hits in the cache, the data may be immediately written into the cache line of the cache, thereby allowing the write of the data to system memory to be deferred. Later, the cache will write the cache line to system memory, typically in order to make room for a newer cache line. This operation is commonly referred to as a writeback operation. Still further, some caches also allocate an entry in the cache when a memory write address misses in the cache. That is, the cache performs a writeback operation of an old cache line in an entry of the cache, and reads the new cache line implicated by the write address from system memory into the cache entry formerly occupied by the old cache line. This operation is commonly referred to as a write allocate operation.
As may be observed, an efficiently performing cache may greatly improve the performance of the microprocessor. The two main factors affecting cache efficiency are the cache hit rate and the cache access time. The hit rate of a cache is the ratio of cache hits to the sum of cache hits and misses. The access time is the number of processor core clock cycles required for the specified data to be read from or written to the cache.
The largest factor affecting cache hit rate is the size of the cache, i.e., the number of data bytes that may be stored in the cache. The larger the cache, the larger the subset of system memory data stored in the cache, and hence the more likely the implicated cache line will be present in the cache. For this reason, there exists a motivation to increase the cache size. Historically, the size of the cache was typically limited by the amount of physical space on the microprocessor die that could be devoted to the cache. However, as circuit component geometries steadily decrease, this limitation has also diminished.
But, cache size also affects the access time of a conventional cache. Unfortunately, a larger cache typically has a longer access time than a smaller cache. This is because conventional cache memories are random access memories, i.e., the same amount of time is required to access any cache line in the cache. The greater the number of possible locations in which the data may be stored within the cache, the more complicated the circuitry required to locate the data specified by the memory address. Fortunately, the steady decrease in circuit component geometry sizes also reduces cache access time, and helps offset the negative effect of increased cache size.
However, there is a constant demand for higher microprocessor clock frequencies, which necessarily implies a reduction in clock cycle times, which implies a larger number of clock cycles to access a cache. Consequently, there is a trend toward smaller caches in microprocessors, particularly level-1 (L1) caches. For example, the Pentium4® L1 cache is only 8 KB—a reduction from the 16 KB L1 data cache in the Pentium III®. It is not chip real estate demands that compel the cache size reduction. Rather, it is the shorter processor core clock cycle times that compel cache size reductions, in spite of the accompanying performance reductions that smaller caches induce.
Therefore, what is needed is a way to increase the effective size of the cache or to reduce the cache access time or both.

Microprocessor and apparatus for performing fast speculative pop operation from a stack memory cache


An upshift control system and method of an automatic transmission. The system includes a vehicle speed detector outputting a vehicle speed signal; a transmission control unit for receiving the signal, calculating a target hydraulic pressure based on a change of the vehicle speed, and outputting a control signal corresponding to the target hydraulic pressure; and an actuator for controlling an actual hydraulic pressure of an on-coming element based on the control signal. The method includes determining whether a vehicle speed changes during an upshift; calculating the change of the vehicle speed; calculating a target hydraulic pressure based on the change of the vehicle speed; and controlling an actual hydraulic pressure of an on-coming element based on the target hydraulic pressure. The target hydraulic pressure may be calculated by adding a modified hydraulic pressure, proportional to the rate of change of the vehicle speed, to a constant reference hydraulic pressure.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an upshift control system and method of an automatic transmission that control hydraulic pressure of an on-coming element based on a change of vehicle speed during upshift.
(b) Description of the Related Art
An automatic transmission changes gears based on inputs such as vehicle speed and throttle opening. During shifting, an off-going element is released and an on-coming element is engaged by controlling hydraulic pressure supplied to the elements. The hydraulic pressure is controlled by solenoid valves.
Generally, hydraulic pressure of the off-going element is reduced while hydraulic pressure of the on-coming element is increased enough to endure the new speed ratio. This method uses a one-way clutch. However, since torque generated by change of engine inertia is reduced during shifting, shift shock may occur.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Upshift control system of an automatic transmission and method thereof


The semiconductor memory device comprises a plurality of first wiring lines extending in a first direction, a plurality of second wiring lines extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, and a memory cell array comprising memory cells, the memory cells being connected to the first wiring lines and second wiring lines in the crossing portions of the first and second wiring lines. A plurality of first dummy-wiring-line regions are formed in the peripheral area around the memory cell array. A contact is formed in the peripheral area, the contact extending in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. A plurality of second dummy-wiring-line regions are formed in the periphery of the contact. The mean value of the areas of the second dummy-wiring-line regions is less than the mean value of the areas of the first dummy-wiring-line regions.

As the degree of integration of a semiconductor device has recently been increased, the circuit pattern of the transistors or the like included in the semiconductor device increasingly becomes finer. The finer pattern requests not only a reduced line width, but improved dimensional and positioning accuracies of the pattern. This also holds true for the semiconductor memory devices.
Each of the semiconductor memory devices that have been conventionally known and introduced into the market, such as DRAM, SRAM, and a flash memory, uses a MOSFET in the memory cell. Thus, as the pattern becomes finer, the dimensional accuracy is requested to be improved at a ratio higher than that required in fining the pattern. The lithography technology that forms the patterns thus undergoes a large load, which is a factor of increasing the product cost.
As a successor to the semiconductor memory device using the MOSFET as the memory cell, a resistance random access memory has recently drawn attention. In the resistance random access memory, a cross point type cell structure can be adopted. The cross point type cell structure has memory cells formed in intersections of crossing bit-lines and word-lines. The memory cells can thus be made compact more easily than the conventional memory cells, and be stacked in the vertical direction, thereby providing an advantage in that the degree of integration of the memory cell array can be readily improved.
In the semiconductor memory device of the cross point type cell structure, many contacts are formed. The contacts extend in a direction perpendicular to a semiconductor substrate to connect the memory cell array with the peripheral circuits. The contact formation has raised a problem where an open failure is generated at the contact due to some reasons such as poor deposition characteristics of an interlayer dielectric film or insufficient optimization of the interlayer dielectric film in the high densification process or the thermal process. Therefore, there is a need for a structure to suppress the generation of the open failure.


An electric generator is disclosed, which comprises: at least a magnet, each having more than two poles; and at least a claw-pole set, each being composed of an inner claw-pole and an outer claw-pole; wherein, the inner claw-pole and the outer claw-pole are interlaced arranged and used for guiding magnetic flux; the inner claw-pole is connected to an iron core whose outer diameter is smaller than the magnet and thus the loop of the inner claw-pole and the outer claw-pole is conducted; the core is winded by a solenoid coil; the number of claws of the inner claw-pole is the half of the pole number of the magnet while the outer claw-pole is the same, so that, as the magnet is move relative to the claw-pole set, the magnetic flux passing through the solenoid coil will change continuously and thus an induction electromotive force is generated.

As the call for reducing battery usage is becoming popular, the need for miniaturized high-performance electric generators has emerged. One such device is the hub-type dynamo for bicycles, which is considered to be an artistic electric generator design producing reasonable small resistance. According to specifications relating to bicycle illumination, the dynamo, received in the limited space of a bicycle hub, is required to drive a 12 ohm light bulb to illuminate slightly when the bicycle is cruising at a low speed, i.e. about 5 km/h, and to suppress the raising of voltage outputted when cruising at a higher speed. Thus, when designing a hub-type dynamo, multi-pole structure is most popular.
The common hub-type dynamo is originated from the coaxial multi-pole hub design of Sturmey-Archer bicycle hub. One such design can be seen in both U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,750, entitled "Epicyclic change gear system", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,937, entitled "Epicyclic change speed gear system", respectively claimed priority to GB Pat. No. 9409844 and 9304189. Such coaxial multi-pole hub is characterized in that: a plurality of poles are provided and arranged in an alternating manner while enabling the plural poles to be wrapped by a tube-like magnet, and is vastly implemented by various electric generators. One such application is seen in TW Pat. No. 94109740, entitled "Hub-type dynamo and bicycle", also claimed priority to JP Pat. No. 2004-190663, in which a hub-type dynamo 10 is disclosed, as seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The hub-type dynamo 10 is comprised of: a permanent magnet 14, arranged inside a shell 12 of the dynamo 10; and a spindle 11; wherein the spindle further comprise: a plurality of poles 74, 75, arranged in a manner enabling the polar of each pole to be faced toward that of the permanent magnet 14; two stator pins 16, 17, arranged on the circumference thereof; and a coil 22, arranged between the two stator pins 16, 17. By the use of two positioning components 30, 31, arranged on the spindle 11, to hold and fix the stator pins 16, 17 in respective, the two stator pins 16, 17 are fixed to the spindle 11. Moreover, the fixing of the two stator pins 16, 17 on the spindle 11 is characterized in that: there is a recess hole 15 formed in each stator pin 16, 17 while enabling each recess hole 15 to channel with a hole 13 bored through the spindle 11; and there is an insulator arranged between each stator pin 16, 17 and its corresponding positioning component 30, 31 for preventing the crossing of electricity from an electricity-conducting member, placed next to each positioning component 30, 31, to the stator pins 16, 17. The aforesaid coaxial multi-pole electric generator is further characterized in that: by the forming of such recess hole 15, the generation of eddy current can be prevented and thus the efficiency of the electric generator is improved. However, although the generators with coaxial multi-pole design are popular and vastly adopted, it has shortcomings listed as following:
(1) The magnet is shaped like a tube and is warping around the stator pins that cause the resulting electric generator to be bulky and costly.
(2) The plural poles will guide and cause the corresponding magnetic lines to defect more than twice that cause the magnetic flux passing through the coil to drop.
(3) As each stator pin shall have a specific 3-D shape and each magnetic line is deflected more than twice, and moreover, the magnetic fields between the plural poles are easily to interfere with each other, the overall electric generation efficiency is low.
Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a hub-type dynamo disclosed in TW Pat. No. 92137088. The hub-type dynamo of FIG. 3 is comprised of a hub 2, a coil seat 3, a coil structure 4, an iron core 5, a casting set 6, two magnetic blocks 7 and a bearing axle 8. Moreover, a conventional hub-type dynamo 1 is also disclosed in TW Pat. No. 92137088, as shown in FIG. 4, which is comprised of a hub 11, a coil seat 12, a coil structure 13, an iron core 14, a casting set 15, a magnetic ring 16 and a bearing axle 17. As disclosed in the Taiwan patent, the conventional hub-type dynamo 1 has two shortcomings. One of which is that the size of the conventional hub-type dynamo 1 can not be reduced effectively since the iron core 14, the coil structure 12, the coil seat 13, the casting set 15 and the magnetic ring 16 are being received in the hub 11 from inside out and in a layer-by-layer manner. Another is that, since the iron core 14 is substantially a silicon steel lamination that is formed by stacking a plurality of silicon steel sheets 141 in a one-by-one manner, the formation and installation of the iron core 14 is complicated that it is time-consuming and uneconomical. With reference to the shortcomings of the conventional hub-type dynamo 1, the hub-type dynamo 2 adopted the two magnetic blocks 7, instead of using a conventional tube-like magnet, while enabling the two to be placed along the axial direction X respectively at the two sides of the casting set 6, so that the diameter of the hub 2 and volume thereof can be reduced. It is noted that the reduced diameter should be twice the thickness of the magnet. In addition, comparing the hub-type dynamo of FIG. 3 with that of FIG. 4, not only the magnetic ring 16 is replaced and substituted by the two magnetic blocks 7, but also the appearances of the two casting sets 6, 17 are totally different. Although each component of the casting set 6 of FIG. 3 is constructed with a plurality of radially extended claws, each of the plural claws is not bended. That is, as the two components of the casting set 6 is placed respectively at the two sides of the coil structure 4 along the axial direction, the claws of one component will not interlace with those of another component, which has nothing in common with the conventional casting set 15. For those skilled in the art, the design of the aforesaid casting set 6 is serious defected and is not realistic. It is noted that as the way the claws being arranged, only half the surface area of each magnetic block 7 can be utilized, moreover, there will be circuits happening between the unused magnetic block 7 and the casting set 6, and thus the efficiency of electricity generation is severely reduced. As for the formation and installation of the conventional iron core 14, it is solved in the Taiwan patent by previously using a pin 52 to hold and position the plural steel sheets 51 into an iron core 5 so that the installation of the iron core 5 can be facilitated. However, for those skilled in the art, the aforesaid solution is also not realistic. As seen in FIG. 4, the direction of the stacking of the plural silicon steel sheets 141 to form the conventional iron core 14 is perpendicular to the magnetic lines, i.e. the X direction, by which the iron core 14 can have good permeance and such stacking is common in devices such as transformers and motors, etc. However, the direction of the stacking of the plural silicon steel sheets 51 to form the iron core 5 is parallel to the X direction, by which the hysteresis loss and eddy current loss are increased. Therefore, it is not a good idea to cause a serious efficiency drop just for reducing volume and simplifying assembly, as the hub-type dynamo disclosed in TW Pat. No. 92137088.
Please refer to FIG. 5, which shows a flat rotary electric generator disclosed in U.S. Pub. No. 20040135452. In FIG. 5, as a toroidal coil structure 1 is sandwiched between two matching disc-shaped magnetic pole structures 2 and as the dimension of the winding of the toroidal coil structure 1 is restricted and limited, when multi-pole design is adopted while enabling each pole to be a section of one disc-shaped magnetic pole structures 2 bounded by two radii, the volume enclosed within the two matching sections respectively of the two matching disc-shaped magnetic pole structures 2 is also restricted and must be considered. Therefore, the overall diameter of the flat rotary electric generator can not be reduced effectively. In addition, the overall size is required to be increase when it is intended to have high efficiency. Thus, the aforesaid flat rotary electric generator can not be miniaturized while increasing power density.
From the above description, it is noted that as the hub-type dynamo can be easily integrated with the roller brake that is suitable to be applied in the mass production of bicycle, the improvement of the efficiency of the hub-type dynamo while reducing the cost thereof can be a great boost for bicycle industry, as well as other applications requiring portable power generator. Moreover, as hub-type dynamo is common in the magnetic resistance system of currently available fitness bicycle, it is preferred to have a highly efficient hub-type dynamo in the fitness bicycle since not only the power generating efficiency is improved, but also the cost can be reduced. In addition, a miniature power generator, being the improvement over the hub-type dynamo, is in great need, since it can be received in pocket, shoe sole, glasses, watch, etc., to be used as backup or emergency power for those portable electronic devices, such as RF radio, or cellular phone, and so on. Therefore, it is required to have a cheap, small-sized electric generator capable of generating sufficient power.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A liquid applicator assembly has a housing with a liquid storage and a dispensing roller fed by a continuos belt in housing, so that liquid may be applied evenly to a surface. This applicator assembly is especially useful for applying lotion to the skin of a person without any lotion or with minimal lotion coming into contact with a person's hands.

Many areas require an even and wide film of liquid to be applied to a surface. Typical of such uses are paint to an inanimate surface and lotion to human skin. While the discussion below relates to skin and lotion therefor, simple extrapolation indicates applicability to other liquids and surfaces.
When a person works outdoors or seeks to enjoy the outdoors, exposure to the sun may cause sunburn on the skin of the person. Prolonged exposure to the sun may also cause skin cancer. One method to prevent harmful exposure to the sun is to apply a protective lotion, commonly known as sun screen, to a person's skin.
Individuals with arthritis, such as the elderly, may have difficulty opening and closing containers typically used to contain lotions that are applied to the skin of a person. Medical personnel that care for the sick or elderly may also need to apply lotion to the skin of individuals.
An additional problem occurs when a person is working outdoors or is at the beach and desired to apply a sun screen by hand, and yet sand or dirt is present on the hands of the person. If a person puts a sun screen on an appendage, such as a hand, and sand or dirt is present also, applying the sun screen on that body part will feel rough, scratchy, and uncomfortable. If applying a sun screen to a body feels uncomfortable, a person may be unwilling to apply a sun screen on the skin. This decrease in willingness to apply a sun screen to a body may result in harmful effects to the skin of a person such as the relatively minor sunburn or the more serious skin cancer.
Then there are certain types of tanning lotion, which provide a quick appearance for a tan. Any of this type of a lotion is difficult to use. If any of it is left on any portion of skin, the appearance of a tan results. Such an appearance is not desired in all case, such as on a person's hands.
Also, it is difficult to have a manageable large supply of such viscous lotion available. The container is difficult to handle and the flow of the lotion therefrom is difficult to control. Improved control of a large quantity of lotion is very desirable.
Many times, a lotion can separate into its components. Shaking does not completely solve the problem. It is very desirable to provide some device or method, in order to keep the lotion properly mixed as it is applied.
Another problem occurs when a person desires to apply a sun screen on difficult-to-reach locations on the body. Yet another problem occurs when a person is handling food and does not desire to have the same hands come into contact with sun screen lotion. Both of these problems may also decrease the willingness of a person to apply a sun screen to the skin of a body.
Additionally, another problem occurs when a person having difficulty using the hands attempts to open a container and apply lotion to the body. If opening a container is difficult for an individual, the person may not be willing to apply lotion to skin needing medical attention. If the lotion is not applied to the skin, deterioration or harmful effects to the skin may occur.
And yet another problem occurs when medical personnel wanting to apply lotion to a sick or elderly person do not want a lotion to come into contact with the hands. If such a person uses rubber gloves to isolate the hands from a lotion, time and effort to perform this task increase. As time and effort increases, productivity may decrease. If such a person does not use rubber gloves and applies the lotion to a sick or elderly individual, germs and bacteria may be transferred to the patient.


It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical amplifier using optical amplification mediums each doped with a rare earth element for increasing amplification efficiency of signal light in S-band and the like. To this end, the optical amplifier is constituted such that, when performing optical amplification for S-band and the like in which a center wavelength of a gain peak in the optical amplification medium is located at an outside of a signal band, a gain coefficient of when a pumping condition of the optical amplification medium is maximum is set so that a parameter η obtained by dividing a minimum value of the gain coefficient in the signal band by a maximum value of the gain coefficient outside of the signal band becomes a previously set value or more, wherein, for example, the parameter η can be increased by controlling a temperature of each of a plurality of EDFs between which gain equalizers are disposed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical amplifier using an optical amplification medium doped with a rare earth element, and in particular, to an optical amplifier to improve efficiency of optical amplification for a wavelength band that differs from a typical amplification band.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical amplifier is a device that amplifies input light as it is without converting it into electricity. In an optical amplifier, generally, a wavelength of light to be amplified is limited depending on an applied optical amplification medium. With the increase of the capacity of optical transmission system in recent years, optical wavelength division multiplex transmission, in which signal light of different wavelengths is multiplexed together, has become available. Since the transmission capacity of an optical wavelength division multiplex transmission system depends on the wavelength band in which the optical amplification produces a gain, it is necessary to extend the wavelength band that includes the gain of the optical amplifier. Therefore, it would be desirable to realize an optical amplifier that amplifies a wavelength band that has been considered difficult to amplify previously. As a candidate for a new transmission wavelength band of the optical transmission system, for example, a wavelength band called S-band of from 1480 to 1530 nm is under consideration and the optical amplifier corresponding to S-band is researched actively.
Optical amplifiers for S-band, such as a gain-shifted thulium (Tm)-doped optical fiber amplifiers (GS-TDFA), a-discrete Raman amplifiers and the like are known. GS-TDFA, however, does not have sufficient reliability in fluoride optical fiber, while the Raman amplifier produces a nonlinear effect when high power at the output is suppressed. In such circumstances, one of the promising candidates for technology that enables a practical optical amplifier for S-band is the shift of an amplification band of an erbium doped optical fiber amplifier (EDFA) to S-band.
The EDFA has already been commercially available as an optical amplifier for C-band (1530-1560 nm) and L-band (1570-1610 nm). FIG. 21 exemplarily shows population inversion rate dependence of a relative gain coefficient of a typical erbium doped optical fiber (EDF). Note, the relative gain coefficient in the ordinate is expressed by standardizing a gain per unit length of the EDF. The population inversion rate represents a pumping condition of the EDF, which is a three level system in this case, and can be expressed by a relation shown in the following equation (1).population inversion rate=Er ion density of upper level/total Er ion density  (1)
In FIG. 21, in a typical EDFA, the EDF is pumped at the population inversion rate in which a gain wavelength characteristic of an amplification band is substantially flat. More specifically, the population inversion rate in a conventional C-band EDFA is about 0.7, and on the other hand, the population inversion rate in an L-band EDFA is about 0.4. Focusing attention on the S-band corresponding to an area enclosed by oblique lines in FIG. 21, it can be seen that the relative gain coefficient becomes positive when the population gain coefficient is 0.7 or more.
However, in the case where the EDFA is applied to the amplification of S-band light as described above, as opposed to the conventional operating condition for C-band or L-band, a problem is caused in that: (a) the gain coefficient becomes maximum at a wavelength outside the amplification band (in the vicinity of 1530 nm), and (b) a population inversion rate does not exist in which the gain wavelength characteristic in the amplification band becomes substantially flat. In particular, with regard to problem (a), ASE (amplified spontaneous emission) light generated in the vicinity of 1530 nm in the EDF is increased, which would be a factor to reduce efficiency. Due to these problems described above, it was practically difficult to increase the gain of S-band in the EDFA.
Therefore, as a measure for solving the problems of the S-band EDFA as described above, the applicant of the present invention proposed a constitution in which the ASE light in the vicinity of 1530 nm is suppressed by inserting optical filters between the EDFs that were connected in multi-stages as shown in FIG. 22, for example (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-313433 and Japanese Patent Application 2001-252165).
In the constitutional example in FIG. 22, signal light input from an optical transmission path is input via an optical isolator for preventing reflected light and a WDM coupler to the EDFs and optical filters connected in multi-stages. At this time, pumping light from a pumping light source is supplied via the WDM coupler to the EDF serving as an optical amplification medium. The signal light input to the EDF is amplified due to a stimulated emission phenomenon of by Er ion. The ASE light in the vicinity of 1530 nm generated at this time is suppressed by the optical filter having a transmission wavelength characteristic as shown in FIG. 23. Further, a gain deviation occurring at the time of amplification is flattened by the optical filter described above. The signal light having passed through the EDF and optical filters of each stage is output via a WDM coupler and an optical isolator at an output side to the optical transmission path.
However, in the S-band EDFA as described above, although the amplification and growth of the ASE light of a band other than S-band can be suppressed by inserting the optical filters between the multi-staged EDFs, it is difficult to suppress the growth of the ASE light perfectly. Therefore, there is caused a problem in that efficiency of optical amplification is low in comparison with other EDFAs corresponding to other bands.
Further, in order to improve efficiency of the S-band EDFA while securing a required gain, it can be contemplated to keep the ASE light power input to the EDF at each stage as low as possible by increasing the number of the optical filters inserted between the stages, for example, but in this case, there is also caused a problem in that the constitution would be more complicated than that in the conventional EDFA.


An apparatus and method for measuring the mobility of molecules in a sample are disclosed. Molecules in a sample are tagged with a dye having active and inactive states that are generated by exposing dye to light of an activation wavelength and an inactivation wavelength, respectively, the activation wavelength being different from the inactivation wavelength. The sample is illuminated in a microscope with a light pattern that includes a first region in which the dye is activated and a second adjacent region in which the first dye is inactivated. After the sample is so illuminated, an image of the activated first molecules is recorded when the first molecules are illuminated with light of an excitation wavelength. Molecules having the first dye in the inactive state are distinguishable from molecules having the first dye in the active state in the microscope when illuminated with light of the excitation wavelength.

The interaction of molecules on the surface of living cells is of great interest to biologists. In many cases, the interaction partners are mobile, so their common movement can be used as proxy information on their interaction. The size of intermolecular interaction regions is of the order of 10-100 nm. Hence, an analysis based on imaging the two molecules with a light microscope is of limited value, since the resolution limit of a light microscope is about 300 nm. Since the measurements are to be made on living cells, electron microscopes cannot be utilized. Optical super-resolution techniques can, in principle, provide the required resolution. However, the time required to form a high-resolution image with such techniques is too long to observe the co-localization or co-movement of typically mobile molecules. In particular, the molecules in question travel significant distances during the imaging process, and hence, the resolution is blurred by the molecular motion. It is inherently difficult to reduce this effect by lowering the imaging time, as the molecules show diffusion, where the expected displacement over time increases with the square root of the time. Hence, a four-fold reduction in imaging time will only result in a two-fold reduction of motion blur.
Foerster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) attempts to overcome these problems by labeling the molecules in question with two appropriately chosen different dyes. If the molecules in question approach one another within about 5 nm, a shift in the color of the florescence emission occurs. However, to detect the shift, there must be a significant relative number of molecules within 5 nm of each other. Since molecules do not usually approach one another within this distance for a prolonged time, the fraction of the molecules contributing to the shifted spectrum is often too small to be detected. In addition, molecules can still reliably interact, e.g. through a third intermediary partner, but mostly remain separated more than ˜10 nm, preventing FRET. An example where such a situation is expected to occur is within hypothesized structures called lipid rafts. Here, lipids in the cell membrane form islets which are enriched in certain molecule species. However, the molecules within the rafts are thought to be mobile, and are not expected to be packed tightly enough to result in observable FRET.
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) attempts to overcome the resolution problems by inferring that the molecules move together. Consider the case in which one wishes to determine if a first molecule moves with a second molecule. In FCS, the first molecules are tagged with a first label, and the second molecules are tagged with a second label having a different color. Only a small region of the cell's membrane is illuminated (a spot about 300 nm in diameter). The optical emission from the region is recorded at very high speeds. Since the region is large enough to accommodate many molecules of both species at the same time, there will always be a signal with both colors. That signal will vary over time depending on the molecular movements. If the molecules are mobile and travel together, the changes in signals among the two color channels will be correlated. If the two molecules do not travel together, the channels will be uncorrelated. In practice, the signals are very noisy and require statistical post processing to detect any co-localization.
Another proposed solution is referred to as Thinning Out Clusters While Conserving the Stoichiometry of Labeling (TOCCSL). Here, the target molecules are also labeled with fluorescent dyes. A small region of the cell's membrane is photo-bleached exhaustively using a laser beam to eliminate fluorescence from the target molecules in that region. Subsequently, diffusion of the molecules leads to a gradual exchange of molecules between the bleached region and its surroundings. After a time of typically less than a second, an image of the bleached region is taken with a light microscope. At that time, only a small number of bleached (now invisible) molecules will have been replaced by non-bleached (visible) molecules. Hence, the visible molecules will be, on average, separated by a distance of about 1 micron in the formerly bleached region. At this separation, the unbleached molecules that have moved into the bleached region will appear as individual fluorescent spots. By measuring the brightness of a spot and the number of dye molecules in the spot, the number of molecules of interest in that spot can be determined. If the molecules do not move together, each spot would be expected to have a brightness consistent with that of a single dye molecule. If the molecules move in clusters of N molecules, then the brightness of the spot would be N times greater. If two-color labeling is used for two different species of molecules, the color ratio of the spots provides information on the relative composition of the molecule clusters. Finally, if the time between bleaching and imaging is varied, the temporal stability of the clusters on a time frame of the order of milliseconds to seconds can be determined.
This technique assumes that groups of molecules are either fully bleached or unbleached. The main problem with the TOCCSL technique is that the border of the bleached region is slightly blurred due to the optical resolution limit of the bleaching light beam. In addition, some molecules move back and forth between the bleached region and non-bleached region during the bleaching process. As a result, the groups in this region will not necessarily be completely bleached. These partially bleached groups complicate the interpretation of the data. Accordingly, a method that reduces the number of partially-bleached groups is needed.

Method and apparatus for tracking the motion of molecules in a microscope


A compact, low height, low cost, and high reliability surface acoustic wave device, and its method of manufacture. The surface acoustic wave device consists of a substrate, a comb-electrode disposed on the main surface of the substrate, plural electrode pads disposed around the comb-electrode, protecting means covering the comb-electrode through a closed space produced by combining the comb-electrode and the electrode pads with the substrate by using substantially covalent bonding force acting between conductive bumps formed on the electrode bumps, a conductive adhesive layer disposed at least on the top of the conductive bumps, and a package adhered on the conductive bumps by means of the conductive adhesive, and insulation adhesive filled into the package contacting the conductive adhesive, the conductive bumps, and the protective means.

In accordance with the rapid development of mobile communication systems, a compact, low-height, high performance surface acoustic wave device which is one of the key devices constituting the communication equipment, is highly desired.
Although the wire-bonding method has been widely employed in assembling surface acoustic wave devices, the miniaturization of surface acoustic wave devices is limited because of the requirement for a large wire bonding land area. In addition to this, a short-circuit problem has often occurred which is caused by the introduction of conductive foreign objects such as solder particles on the unprotected comb electrode. Therefore, a new experimental face-down assembly method has been reported in Proceedings of the Japan IEMT Symposium (1993), pp. 109-112.
A structure of a conventional surface acoustic wave device assembled by means of said face-down method is explained by referring to FIG. 7 showing a cross-section of a conventional surface acoustic wave device. In FIG. 7, 201 is a substrate, 202 is a comb-electrode, 203 is an electrode pad, 204 is a conductive bump, 205 is a conductive adhesive, 206 is an insulating adhesive, 207 is a package, 208 is an electrode pattern, 209 is as external electrode, 210 is sealing, and 211 is a cover.
As shown in FIG. 7 for the conventional surface acoustic wave device, conductive bump 204 is disposed on electrode pad 203 which is disposed on substrate 201, conductive adhesive 205 is transfer-coated on conductive bump 204, and the device is assembled on electrode pattern 208 disposed on package 207 made of alumina, alumina-glass ceramics, or other materials by means of the face-down method in order to establish an external electrical connection.
In the structure of this device, since the adhesive strength between substrate 201 and package 207 is established only by conductive bump 204 and conductive adhesive 205, this is considered inadequate, and it is reinforced by providing an insulating adhesive 206.
However, in order to avoid any adverse effects on said surface-wave device, a method of applying a high-viscosity insulating adhesive 206 except in the peripheral region of said comb-electrode 202 has been employed in order to avoid the blocking of surface-wave propagation at the area around the comb-electrode 202.
However, although the assembling of the acoustic surface wave device by said face-down method is definitely advantageous for miniaturization of the device, since no wire bonding lands had to be provided, the exact control of the application of the insulating adhesive has been a difficult problem since there are chances of intrusion of insulating adhesive employed to reinforce the adhesive strength of the comb-electrode of the surface acoustic wave device. That is, since the assembly of a surface acoustic wave device has to be carried out under a strictly controlled environment to protect the comb-electrode against the intrusion of outside foreign objects, the application of conventional assembling technology has been difficult and thus impractical.
Thus, another conventional face-down bonding method used to assemble acoustic surface wave devices has been reported in Proceedings of the 1994 Ultrasonic Symposium (1994), pp. 159-162. That means that, without using the reinforcement of an insulation adhesive, the conductive bumps and the electrode disposed on the package are directly bonded by means of heat and ultrasonic energy thus holding the surface acoustic wave device only by means of conductive bumps. Since this is a method without the use of an insulating adhesive, the problems, including the intrusion of adhesive into said comb-electrode, can be eliminated.
However, another possible problem for the surface acoustic wave device is caused by the difference in the thermal stress produced by the thermal expansion coefficient between the surface acoustic wave device and the package. Therefore, the practical application of these face-down bonding methods having the advantage of achieving compact and low height packaging has been considered very difficult.

Method of manufacture of surface acoustic wave device

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Flame retardant compositions of this invention are produced by incorporating a urea-organic compound condensate into a flammable organic material. The urea-organic compounds condensate are produced by heating urea and organic compounds that will condensate with or react with isocyanic acid and/or cyanic acid or heating urea first then reacting the condensation compounds with other organic compounds. The urea-organic compound condensate may be mixed with or reacted with carbonization auxiliaries, aldehydes and fillers to produce a urea-organic compound condensate composition which is incorporated in more flammable organic compositions such as polyurethanes, polyester resins, epoxy resins, vinyl resins and other resins. The urea-organic compound condensate salts of phosphorus, boron or sulfur containing compounds and the urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resins may also be used as the flame retardant compound in this invention. For example, polyurethane foams can be rendered less flammable with the urea-organic compound condensate or compositions and utilized as insulating materials.

The invention concerns urea being heated with other organic compounds containing an active hydrogen and other active radicals to produce urea-organic compounds condensate. The invention also concerns their preparation and use. The urea-organic compound condensates are useful to produce flame retardant plastics, natural products, resins and compounds. These flame retardant resins and compounds may be reacted with phosphorus and/or boron containing compounds to produce other flame retardant compounds. The urea-organic compound condensate resins and compounds may also be reacted with aldehydes to produce urea-organic compounds condensate-aldehyde resins for use as molding resin or as a flame retardant compound. The urea-organic compound condensates will react with polyisocyanates to produce foams for insulation and other products. The urea-unsaturated polyester condensate will react with unsaturated compounds such as styrene in the presence of a catalyst to produce flame retarded polyester resins.
The heating of urea with other organic compounds to produce flame retardant, urea-organic compounds condensates, is novel. The condensation of isocyanuric acid and/or cyanic acid, (which are produced by heating urea),with other reactive organic compounds to produce flame retardant resins and compounds is novel. The urea-organic compound condensates and their phosphorus and/or boron salts are used as flame retardant compounds in plastics and natural products. Urea and melamine were utilized as a flame retardant compound by Fracalossi, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,131. Melamine was utilized as flame retardant compounds in polyurethanes by Yukuta, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,875 and by Grinbergs et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,133. Amino phosphates was utilized by Blount in U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,113.
What is lacking and what is needed are useful inexpensive nitrogen containing organic resins and compounds with a plurality of nitrogen moieties. The urea-organic compound condensate and/or their salts of this invention are novel flame retardant compounds. What is additionally lacking are compositions having such urea-organic compound condensates and/or their salts employed therein.
In one aspect, the invention comprises urea-organic compounds condensates. Another aspect of the invention is a process to prepare urea-organic compound condensate comprising serially contacting
(A) urea
(B) organic compounds with active hydrogen or radical that will condensate or react with urea;
under conditions sufficient to prepare the urea-organic compound condensate;
(C) water;
the urea and the reactive compound are mixed, heated and reacted. The water may be added to the condensate then heated or may be added with the urea and organic compound before heating or utilized to make emulsions.
In another aspect, the invention comprises urea condensation-organic compound condensate salt of phosphorus and/or boron containing compound and a process to prepare a urea-organic compound condensate salt of a phosphorus and/or boron containing compound employing phosphorus and/or boron containing compound that will react with the urea-organic compound condensate under conditions sufficient to prepare the urea-organic compound condensate salt of a phosphorus and/or boron containing compound, and a process to prepare a urea-organic compound condensate salts of a phosphorus and/or a boron containing compound comprising serially contacting
(A) urea
(B) organic compound that will condensate or react with urea
(D) phosphorus and/or boron containing compound that will react with a urea-organic compound condensate.
An addition aspect of this invention is the production of urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resins and a process to prepare urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resins under conditions sufficient to prepare the urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin comprising serially contacting
(A) urea
(B) organic compound that will condensate or react with urea
(C) water
(E) aldehyde
(J) a basic or acidic catalyst
An additional aspect of the invention is use of the urea-organic compound condensates in the production of urea-organic compound condensate salts of phosphorus and/or boron compounds and in the production of urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resins. The flame retardant use comprises contacting an otherwise more flammable organic material with the urea-organic compound condensate and/or urea-organic compound condensate salts of phosphorus and/or boron containing compounds and/or urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resins and/or urea-organic compound condensate composition thereof under conditions sufficient to lower the combustibility of the flammable organic material, for example plastics, natural products or polyurethanes. Thus, a further aspect of the invention is a flame-retardant composition comprising an otherwise more flammable organic material incorporated therewith a flame retardant amount of a urea-organic compound condensate and/or a urea-organic compound condensate salt of a phosphorus and/or boron containing compound, and/or urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin, carbonization auxiliaries and fillers.
The flame-retardant resins and compounds of this invention are produced by heating urea (Component A) with a reactive organic compound (Component B) to above the melting point of urea to about 140-170 degree C. at ambient or elevated pressure for 1-3 hrs. Upon heating above the melting point urea form a very reactive compound isocyanic acid and/or cyanic acid which will react with itself or other organic or inorganic compounds especially organic compounds which have reactive hydrogens. In order to increase the flame retardant properties and carbonization properties of the urea-organic compound condensate, a carbonization auxiliary, such as, phosphorus acidic compounds, organic phosphorus compounds, boron compounds, etc., that will react with a urea-organic compound condensate, is added to the melted urea-organic compound condensate, mixed and/or reacted. Other carbonization auxiliaries may be mixed with the urea-organic compound condensate to produce the flame retardant urea-organic compound condensate composition. The urea condensation-organic compound condensate may be further reacted with an aldehyde in the presence of a neutral or basic or acidic catalyst by mixing and heating the urea-organic compound condensate with the aldehyde, usually in an aqueous medium, to just below the boiling point of the components at ambient or an elevated pressure thereby producing a urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin. Fillers and carbonization auxiliaries may be added to or reacted with the urea-organic compound condensates or the urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin. The urea-organic compound condensates and urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resins with or without carbonization auxiliaries and fillers may be reacted with or added to or applied to a more flammable organic material.
Urea is utilized as component A and may be in the form of a powder, crystals or a solid. Any suitable urea may be utilized that will react with a reactive organic compound. Urea is utilized in the amount of 50 to 100 parts by weight.
Any suitable reactive organic compound, except amino compounds which must be added with another organic compound, that will react with isocyanic acid and/or cyanic acid may be utilized in this invention. Suitable organic saturated, unsaturated or substituted compounds may be an aliphatic, aromatic, cyclic, aliphatic-aromatic or aliphatic-cyclic compound such as, but not limited to, alcohols, polyalcohols, epoxides, polyepoxides, epihalohydrins, organic acids, polycarboxylic acids and hydrides, thioalcohols, phenols, thiophenols, halogenated alcohols and polyalcohols, halogenated organic compounds, halogenated organic acids and polycarboxylic acids, sulphonic acid chlorides, organic ester, organic ethers, thioethers, ketones, nitriles, sulphonic acids, imides, alkyl carbonates, oils, fats, carbohydrates, cellulose, lignin, wood flour, acrylic acid, alkyl acrylic acids, allyl alcohol, allyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, organic phosphates, phosphites, phosphonates and phosphorus esters, alkyl chlorophosphines, phosgene, ammonium carbonate, alkyl carbamates, alkyl isocyanates, polyisocyanates, sulfamic acid, ammonium sulfamate, amino compounds, amines, polyamines,, thioureas, alkylanolamine, polyamides with free xe2x80x94NH or xe2x80x94COOH radicals, amidines, amides, aldimines, ketimines, polyester with free xe2x80x94OH or COOH radicals and mixtures thereof,
The organic compound may contain one or more of the following radicals:
xe2x80x94Cl, xe2x80x94Br, xe2x80x94F, xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94COOH, xe2x80x94CN, xe2x80x94NO, xe2x80x94COCl, xe2x80x94COBr, xe2x80x94NCO, xe2x80x94Cxe2x95x90Cxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NH,

xe2x80x94SO OH, xe2x80x94SH, xe2x80x94SiCl
and mixtures thereof.
Suitable epoxy compounds include but not limited to alkyl epoxide such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxides, trichlorobutylene oxide, epihalohydrins, 2,3-epoxybutane, 1,2-epoxydecane, 1,2,-epoxyactadecane; unsaturated ether, epoxide such as ally glycedyl ether; dialkylatable epoxides such as tert-butyl glycidyl ether; and other polyepoxides and mixtures thereof. The epihalohydrins are preferred.
Any suitable alcohol or polyalcohols may be chemically reacted, suitable alcohols include, but are not limited to, aliphatic alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, sec-butanol, 1-buten-4-ol and propargyl alcohol and substituted alcohols such as 2-fluoroethanol, 2-chloroethanol, 2-bromoethanol, 2-cyanoethanol; aromatic alcohols such as phenol and benzyl alcohols and mixtures thereof. Alkyl alcohols are preferred.
Suitable polyalcohols include, but are not limited to, diols such as ethylene glycol, propylene, glycol butylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polybutylene glycol, triols such as 1,2,-propanetriol, 1,2,3-butanetriol, 1,2,10-decanetriol, 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1-octanol and 2-methyl-2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-1-1,3-propanediol, sucrose, sucrose amine polyols, polypropylene polyols, polybutylene polyols, phenyl polyols, phenylamine polyols, polyether polyols, polyepichlorohydrin, polyepibromohydrin, sorbitol, pentaerythritol, polythioether polyols, polyacetal polyols, polycarbonate polyols, polyester polyols, polyesteramide, polyamide polyol, modified or unmodified natural polyols, carbohydrates, cellulose and mixtures thereof. The polyols may contain halo, cyano, ether, thioether, sulfoxy and ocyl ester radicals. The carbohydrate polyols are the preferred polyol.
Any suitable isocyanate may be used in this invention, organic polyisocyanates are preferred. The commercial available ones are preferred such as tolylene-2,4-diisocyanate, tolylene-2,6-diisocyanate, polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanate, diphenyt methane 4,4xe2x80x2diisocyanate, 3-methyldiphenyl-methyane-4,4-diisocyanate, m-and-p-phenylenediisocyanate, polyphenylpolymethyleneisocyanates obtained by phosgenation, commercially known as xe2x80x9ccrude MDIxe2x80x9d, modified polyisocyanates and mixtures thereof. Suitable organic polyisocyanates are exemplified by the organic diisocyanates which are compounds of the general formula:
Oxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94Rxe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Cxe2x95x90O
wherein R is a divalent organic radical such as an alkylene, aralkylene or arylene radical. Such radicals contain 2 to 20 carbon atoms. Unsaturated isocyanate compounds may also be used.
Urethane catalyst such as tertiary amines, alkali metal salts of weak acids, inorganic bases, organometallic compounds such as organotin compounds may be used in the invention. Surfactants and foam stabilizers such as a monhydrolyzable silicone glycol copolymer may also be used in this invention. Surfactants may also be used to assist in the dispersion of the powdered urea-organic compound condensate in aqueous solutions or emulsions and in plastics. Any suitable surfactant may be used such as ionic, cationic and non-ionic surfactants. The urethane catalyst and surfactants may be used in the amount of 0.25 to 10 percent by weight, percentage based on the weight of the Urea-organic compound condensate. Any silicone surfactant, polyurethane catalyst and polyisocyanate may be used in this invention.
Any suitable polylurethane blowing agent may be used such as halogenated alkanes, alkanes, compressed air, organic gases, etc. Compounds which decompose at temperatures above room temperature with liberation of gases may also be used as a blowing agent. The blowing agent may be used in the amount of 1 to 20 percent by weight, percentage based on the weight of the urea-organic compound condensate.
Any suitable carbonization auxiliaries may be utilized in this invention. Suitable carbonization auxiliaries are compounds that in the presence of fire assist the formation of a carbonization foam or char, such as, additives that produce acidic components in the pyrolysis mixture, such as phosphorus acids, boric acids or sulfuric acids. These acidic components are compounds such, for example, acids or salts, or their derivatives of sulfur, boron and phosphorus, such as, boron-phosphates, phosphates, and polyphosphates of ammonia, amines, polyamines, amino compounds, thioureas and alkyanolamines, but boric acid and its salts and their derivatives, organic phosphorus compounds and their salts, halogenated organic phosphorus compounds, their salts and their derivatives may also be used for this purpose.
Urea-organic compound condensates will react with a phosphorus containing compound , under conditions sufficient to prepare an urea-organic compound condensate salt of a phosphorus containing compound. Suitable inorganic phosphorus compounds include, but not limited to, phosphoric acid, pyrophosphoric acid, triphosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid, phosphorous acid, hydrophosphorous acid, phosphinic acid, phosphinous acid, phosphine oxide, phosphorus trihalides, phosphorus oxyhalides, phosphorus oxide, mono-metal hydrogen phosphates, ammonia dihydrogen phosphate, bromated phosphates, alkali metal dihydrogen phosphate and halogenated phosphate-phosphite and their halides and acids, organic phosphorus compounds include, but not limited to, alkyl, cyclic, aryl and alkyl-aryl phosphorus compounds, such as, alkylchlorophosphines, alkyl phosphines, alkyl phosphites, dialkyl hydrogen phosphites, dialkyl alkyl phosphonates, trialkyl phosphites, organic acid phosphates, organic diphosphonate esters, aryl phosphites, aryl hydrogen phosphates, halogenated phosphonates esters and mixtures thereof. Urea-organic compound condensate salts of borates may be produced by contacting boric acid and urea-organic compound condensate under conditions sufficient to prepare the urea-organic compound condensate salts of borates which may also be utilized as a flame-retardant compound. Urea-organic compound condensate salt of boron-phosphates may be produced by contacting boron-phosphates and urea-organic compound condensates under conditions sufficient to prepare urea-organic compound condensate salt of boron-phosphate compounds which may also be utilized as a flame-retardant compound. The salt forming phosphorus containing compounds will react with the urea-organic compound condensate to form an urea-organic compound condensate salt of a phosphorus containing compound. Suitable inorganic nitrogen containing compounds and/or organic nitrogen containing compounds such as, but not limited to, ammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, ammonium polyphosphate, ammonia borate, ammonium hydrogen sulfate, quaternary ammonium salts, ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium carbonate, amino compounds, amines, polyamines, amides, polyamides, nitrites, polynitriles, etc. and mixtures thereof may be added with the organic compounds and reacted with the urea or maybe added after the urea and organic compound has reacted then reacted with the urea-organic compound condensates. The urea-organic compound condensate will further react with compounds by the urea-organic compound condensate being heated and losing more ammonia to form reactive radicals.
The nitrogen containing salts of phosphorus acids are the preferred carbonization compounds. The carbonization agents and other flame retardant agents may be used in the amount of 1 to 300 parts by weight.
Any suitable organic material which is more flammable than the urea-organic compound condensates, its salts and urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin may be used in this invention. Any suitable plastic resin composition or mixtures thereof and any suitable natural organic material maybe used in this invention and mixtures thereof. These materials may be in the form of a solid, cellular suspension, emulsion or solution. Suitable plastic resin include, but not limited to, vinyl dienes, vinyl-diene copolymers, polyesters, polyester resins, phenoplasts, aminoplasts, polyepoxy resins, polyurethanes, furans, polyamides, polyimides, polycarbonates, homopolymers of such olefins as ethylene, propylene, and butylene; block copolymers, consisting of optional combination of these olefins; polymers of vinyl compounds such as vinyl chloride, acrylonitrile, methyl acrylates, vinyl acetates and styrene; copolymers of the foregoing olefins with vinyl monomers, copolymers and terpolymers of the foregoing olefins, with diene compounds; polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyester resins; polyamides such as nylon; polycarbonates, polyoxymethylene, silicones, polyethers, thioplasts, polytetrafluoroethylene, polysulfones, vinyldienes, poly(vinyl acetate), aliphatic allyl compounds, polyacrylonitrile, aliphatic dienes, polybutadiene, butadiene-acrylonitrile, butadiene-styrene copolymers, aromatic vinyl compounds, heterocyclic vinyl compounds, cyclic unsaturated compounds, urethane-epoxy resins, polyimides, urethane silicates, cellulose nitrate rayon, regenerated cellulose film cellulose acetate, cellulose esters, cellulose ethers, cyanoethyl cellulose, chlorinated rubber and mixtures thereof.
Suitable natural products include but not limited to wood, cellulose, lignin-cellulose, paper, cotton, wool, linen, dammars, copols, other natural resins, rosins lignin, natural rubber, natural proteins, e.g., soya bean protein, silk, glues, gelatin, etc.; modified cellulose, carbohydrates and mixtures thereof. Natural organic material and plastics may be mixed together. The urea-organic compound condensates, its salts and urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin or urea-organic compound condensate composition maybe utilized in the amount of 10-200 percent, percentage based on the weight of the flammable organic material. The said flame retardant compounds may be mixed in, reacted with or applied on the flammable organic material.
Any suitable basic or acidic catalyst may be used in the reaction of urea-organic compound condensates with aldehydes. Suitable basic compounds include but not limited to, compounds containing alkali metal, alkaline earth metal and ammonia radicals and mixture thereof. Suitable acidic compounds include, but not limited to, halogen acids, acidic phosphorus containing compounds, acidic compounds containing sulfur, sulphonic acid halides, carboxylic acids, polycarboxylic acids, nitric acids and mixtures thereof. In some reactions basic or acidic catalytic are not necessary. The carbonization compounds may be utilized as the catalyst. A catalytic amount is utilized.
Any suitable aldehyde may be reacted with the amino condensation compounds. Suitable aldehydes include, but not limited to, formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, acetoaldehyde, butyraldehyde, chloral, and other alkyl aldehydes, furfural, benzyl aldehyde and other aromatic aldehydes. The aldehydes are utilized in the amount of 20 to 100 parts by weight. Aqueous formaldehyde is the preferred aldehyde.
Any suitable filler may be used in this invention. The fillers that may be utilized in the flame retardant mixture are usually insoluble in the reaction mixtures. They may be inorganic substances, such as, alkali metal silicates, alkaline earth metal silicates, metal silicates, silica, metals, metal oxides, carbonates, sulphates, phosphates and borates, glass beads or hollow glass beads. Hydrated aluminum oxide is preferred. They may be organic substances, such as, amino compounds, such as urea, melamine, dicyandiamide, and other cyanuric derivatives or their formaldehyde resins, aminophosphates, amino salts of organic phosphates, phenol-aldehyde resin powder, powdered coke, graphite, graphite compounds, carbohydrates, cellulose, wood powder and mixtures thereof. The organic halide flame retardant compounds may also be added as fillers. The filler may be used in the amount of 1 to 300 parts by weight.
In general, the urea-organic compound condensates are produced by heating urea with other reactive organic compounds that will condensate or react with urea to produce urea-organic compound condensates. The heated urea first form isocyanic acid and/or cyanic acid which polymerizes with itself to form a mixture of cyanuric acid and cyamelide and/or biuret. The components of this invention may be added and mixed in any suitable order. Usually the urea and organic compound are mixed together and heated first then water maybe added to form an emulsion. The urea may be heated to form a urea condensate then mixed with water then reacted with the organic compound, or the urea and water is heated together to form a partially hydrolyzed urea condensate then it is reacted with the organic compound, or the urea maybe heated to form a urea condensate then further heated with water then reacted with the organic compound, or the urea-organic compound condensate may be heated with water to partially hydrolyzed urea-organic compound condensate
When urea is heated above the melting point of urea with another reactive organic compound under ambient or elevated pressures, such as alcohols, polyalcohols, epoxies, polyepoxies, isocyanates, polyisocyanates, etc. or other reactive organic compounds a different resin or compound is formed. When one or more moles of urea are reacted with one mol of a reactive organic compounds, such as a carbohydrate, new resin or compound are formed.
Any amount of the urea-organic compound condensate or the urea-organic compound condensate composition which includes the urea-organic compound condensate and/or its salts and urea-organic condensate-aldehyde resin may include carbonization auxiliaries and fillers suitable for this invention may be utilized. Preferably, flame retardant amounts of the urea-organic compound condensate and/or its salts and/or the urea-organic compound condensate-aldehyde resin or the urea-organic compound condensate composition are from 10 percent by weight to about 200 percent by weight of the otherwise more flammable organic materials such as polyester resins, polyepoxy resins, polyurethane components, acrylic and acrylate resins, polyacrylonitrile, polystyrene, water based resins, etc.
One method to measure this flame retardant capability is an oxygen index test. By selecting the various combinations of the urea-organic compound condensate composition to incorporate into a more flammable organic material the average limiting oxygen index (LOI) can be raised 10 to 30 percent or more when compared to otherwise comparable samples without the flame retardant urea condensation composition. For example three flexible polyurethane foams with the urea-organic compound condensate composition were raised more than 30 percent to a LOI of 31.7, 30.3 and 30.7.
When the urea-organic compound condensate composition were incorporated into rigid polyurethane foam and tested with a Bunsen burner""s 2xe2x80x3 flame held against the foam for one minute, the flame did not spread, a char was formed, and the flame went out when the flame was removed.
Various urea-organic compound condensates or compositions were incorporated into solid resins, for example, flexible polyepoxy resins, rigid polyepoxy resins, polyester laminating and flexible resin, polystyrene resin, polymethyl methyl acrylate resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, solid polyurethane, polyisoprene, acrylonitrile, etc, then tested with a Bunsen burner having a 2xe2x80x3 flame, and held against the sample for one minute, the flame did not spread, and went out when the flame was removed. The said above material were tested without the urea-organic compound condensate composition and all burned.
Various natural products such as wood shingles, paper, cotton cloth, and cardboard were coated with various urea-organic compound condensate compositions in an aqueous emulsion containing 20% by weight of the powdered urea-organic compound condensate composition then after the product had dried, they were tested by applying a 2xe2x80x3 flame from a Bunsen burner against the products, and the flame did not spread whereas the non-coated products caught on fire and burned.
The ratio of essential reactants and optional reactants which leads to the production of flame retardant compounds and compositions of this invention may vary, broadly speaking, with ranges listed with each component.

Flame retardant compositions utilizing amino condensation compounds


A combustion method and apparatus in which combustible matter, e.g., waste matter, coal, etc., is gasified to produce a combustible gas containing a sufficiently large amount of combustible component to melt ash by its own heat. A fluidized-bed furnace has an approximately circular horizontal cross-sectional configuration. A moving bed, in which a fluidized medium settles and diffuses, is formed in the central portion of the furnace, and a fluidized bed, in which the fluidized medium is actively fluidized, is formed in the peripheral portion in the furnace. The fluidized medium is turned over to the upper part of the moving bed from the upper part of the fluidized bed, thus circulating through the two beds. Combustible matter is cast into the upper part of the moving bed and gasified to form a combustible gas while circulating, together with the fluidized medium. The amount of oxygen supplied to the fluidized-bed furnace is set so as to be not higher than 30% of the theoretical amount of oxygen required for combustion. The temperature of the fluidized bed is maintained at 450.degree. C. to 650.degree. C. so that the combustible gas produced contains a large amount of combustible component. The combustible gas and fine particles produced in the fluidized-bed furnace are supplied to a melt combustion furnace where they are burned at high temperature, and the resulting ash is melted.

(Industrially Applicable Field)
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus in which combustible matter is gasified in a fluidized-bed furnace, and the resulting combustible gas and fine particles are burned at high temperature in a melt combustion furnace, and the resulting ash is melted therein.
In recent years, it has been demanded to reduce the volume of wastes, e.g. municipal refuse, waste plastics, etc., which are generated in large amounts, by incineration, and to effectively use heat recovered from such incineration. Since ash resulting from incineration of waste matter generally contains harmful heavy metals, it is necessary to take some measures, e.g. solidification of the heavy metal component, to dispose of the burned ash by reclaiming. To cope with these problems, JP-B2-62-35004 (Japanese Patent Application Post-Examination Publication, KOKOKU) proposes a method of and apparatus for burning solid matter. In the proposed combustion method, a solid material is thermally decomposed in a fluidized-bed pyrolysis furnace, and pyrolysis products, that is, a combustible gas and particles, are introduced into a cyclone combustion furnace, in which the combustible component is burned at high intensity by pressurized air, and the ash is caused to collide with the wall surface by swirl and thus be melted. The molten ash flows down on the wall surface, and the resulting molten slag drops from a discharge opening into a water chamber where it is solidified.
The method disclosed in JP-B2-62-35004 suffers, however, from the disadvantage that, since the entire fluidized bed is in an actively fluidized state, a large amount of unreacted combustible component is carried to the outside of the furnace on the combustible gas produced in the furnace. Therefore, high gasification efficiency cannot be obtained. Further, gasification materials usable in fluidized-bed furnaces have heretofore been small coal having a particle diameter in the range of from 0.5 mm to 3 mm, and finely-crushed waste matter of several millimeters in size. Gasification material that is larger in size than the above will obstruct fluidization; gasification material that is smaller in size than the above will be carried to the outside of the furnace with the combustible gas as unreacted combustible component without being completely gasified. Accordingly, the conventional fluidized-bed furnaces necessitate previously crushing a gasification material and making the resulting particles uniform in size by using a crusher or the like as a pretreatment which is carried out before the gasification material is cast into the furnace. Thus, gasification materials which do not fall within a predetermined particle diameter range cannot be used, and the yield must be sacrificed to some extent.
To solve the above-described problem, JP-A-2-147692 (Japanese Patent Application Public Disclosure, KOKAI) proposes a fluidized-bed gasification method and fluidized-bed gasification furnace. In the fluidized-bed gasification method disclosed in this publication, the furnace has a rectangular horizontal cross-sectional configuration, and the mass velocity of a fluidizing gas jetted out upwardly into the furnace from the central portion of the furnace bottom is set lower than the mass velocity of a fluidizing gas supplied from two side edge portions of the furnace bottom. The upward stream of the fluidizing gas is turned over to the central portion of the furnace at a position above each side edge portion of the furnace bottom. Thus, a moving bed in which a fluidized medium settles is formed in the central portion of the furnace, and a fluidized bed in which the fluidized medium is actively fluidized is formed in each side edge portion of the furnace. Combustible matter is supplied to the moving bed. The fluidizing gas is either a mixture of air and steam, or a mixture of oxygen and steam, and the fluidized medium is siliceous sand.
However, the method of JP-A-2-147692 has the following disadvantages:
(1) A gasification endothermic reaction and a combustion reaction simultaneously take place in all the moving and fluidized beds. Accordingly, a volatile component, which is readily gasified, is burned at the same time as it is gasified, whereas, fixed carbon (char) and tar, which are difficult to gasify, are carried, as unreacted matter, to the outside of the furnace with the combustible gas produced in the furnace. Thus, high gasification efficiency cannot be obtained. PA1 (2) In a case where the combustible gas produced in the furnace is burned for use in a steam and gas turbine combined-cycle power generation plant, the fluidized-bed furnace must be of the pressurized type. In this case, however, since the furnace has a rectangular horizontal cross-sectional configuration, it is difficult to construct the furnace in the form of a pressurized furnace. Preferable gasification furnace pressure is determined by the application of the combustible gas produced. In a case where the gas is used as an ordinary gas for combustion, the furnace pressure may be of the order of several thousands of mmAq. However, in a case where the combustible gas produced is used as a fuel for a gas turbine, the furnace pressure must be as high as several kgf/cm.sup.2. When the gas is used as a fuel for high-efficiency gasification combined-cycle power generation, a furnace pressure higher than ten-odd kgf/cm.sup.2 is suitably used. PA1 1 The power generation efficiency cannot be increased because of the problem of corrosion by HCl. PA1 2 Environmental pollution prevention equipment.for controlling HCl, NO.sub.x, SO.sub.x, mercury, dioxins, etc. has become complicated, resulting in increased cost and space requirements. PA1 3 There is an increasing tendency to install burned ash melting equipment on account of tightening of regulations, difficulty in ensuring a site for final disposal, and so forth. For this purpose, however, additional equipment must be constructed, and a great deal of electric power is consumed. PA1 4 Costly equipment is needed to remove dioxins. PA1 5 It is difficult to recover valuable metals.
In treatment of wastes such as municipal refuse, volumetric reduction by burning combustible refuse still plays an important role. In relation to incineration, there has recently been an increasing demand for environmental protection-type refuse treatment techniques, e.g. dioxin-control measures, techniques for making smoke dust harmless, improvements in energy recovery efficiency, etc. The rate of incineration of municipal refuse in Japan is about 100,000 tons/day, and energy recovered from such municipal refuse is equivalent to about 4% of the electric energy consumed in Japan. At present, the municipal refuse energy utilization factor is as low as about 10%. However, if the energy utilization factor can be increased, the rate of consumption of fossil fuel decreases correspondingly, so that it is possible to contribute to the prevention of global warming.
However, the existing incineration system involves the following problems:

Method of and apparatus for fluidized-bed gasification and melt combustion


An interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) or semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) comprises a first phase which is continuous and comprises a flexible polymer and a second phase which is a fluorescent or nonfluorescent durable dispersed or continuous phase and comprises a dye and a polymer, wherein the polymer enhances durability of the dye. Such networks are particularly useful in fluorescent traffic signs or safety devices or in pavement marking tape or paint.

Articles containing colorants are known to lose their color when exposed to solar radiation for extended times. In particular, fluorescent colorants degrade more quickly than conventional colorants, often turning colorless on exposure to daily solar radiation in a matter of days or months. Even though they are less durable, fluorescent dyes are commonly used for increased visibility of an article due to the visual contrast between a dyed article and its surroundings. Increased visibility is particularly important, for instance, in the traffic sign industry. Fluorescent colored signs have been shown to increase motorist and pedestrian safety, but their use remains limited due to their poor color stability and the need to frequently replace them in order to maintain effective performance.
Attempts to maintain color of fluorescent articles have included adding ultraviolet (UV) overlay screens which effectively filter radiation below 380 nm. Such protective overlays add cost and complexity to otherwise low-maintenance articles. Hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) have been added to polycarbonate matrixes to enhance the durability of fluorescent dyes contained therein.
Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs), systems comprising two independent crosslinked polymer networks, have been described. See, for example, Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering Vol. 8; John Wiley & Sons, New York (1987) p. 279 and L. H. Sperling, Introduction to Physical Polymer Science, John Wiley & Sons (1986) pp. 46-47. In particular, IPNs comprising acrylate and urethane networks have been prepared by either sequential or simultaneous (but independent) polymerization of free-radically polymerizable ethylenically-unsaturated acrylate-type monomers and urethane precursors (i.e., polyisocyanate and polyhydroxy coreactants). See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,128,600, 4,342,793, 4,921,759, 4,950,696, 4,985,340, 5,147,900, 5,256,170, 5,326,621, 5,360,462, and 5,376,428.
Single phase polymers comprising pigments or dyes have been disclosed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,253,146, 5,605,761, and 5,672,643.

Dye enhanced durability through controlled dye environment


An intake manifold (18) of an engine (10) includes a Roots-type supercharger (26) having rotors (28,29) driven by timing gears (72,74) disposed in a gear chamber (62) having a self contained oil supply and vent 98. The vent is formed in an input drive shaft (52) of the supercharger. The vent embodiments of FIGS. 2-4 include a radially extending passage opening into gear chamber (62) and effective to sling oil mist back into the gear chamber.

Rotary blowers having rotors driven by timing gears disposed in a gear chamber partially filled with lubricating oil are well known in the art as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,924,839 and 4,714,418. These patents are incorporated herein by reference. The gear chamber in U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,839 has a self contained oil supply for lubricating the timing gears and bearings open to the chamber in response to rotation of the gears. The timing gears, which are partially submerged in the oil, sling the oil about the chamber to effect the lubrication. Such slinging causes a rather fine air oil mist in the chamber. Attempts to employ conventional vents for the chamber to relieve pressure buildup in the chamber, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,418, have caused loss of oil due to the fine oil mist flowing through the vent.


Nested articulated split rings move relatively to each other to enlarge their outer dimension for a grip on a surrounding tubular or the wellbore. The rings can be articulated to enlarge their outside dimension with relative movement that can be initiated by dimensional expansion from within the tubular or manipulation of the tubular that creates the desired relative movement. The relative movement can be locked in after it is made to secure the grip. Different shape profiles that magnify the radial outer dimension in excess of the percentage dimensional change in the underlying tubular are contemplated.

There are limits to the amount of expansion a tubular can withstand and still remain structurally sound. Some applications require more significant expansions for example where a hanger or a packer has to go through tubing and be expanded into larger casing below.
Rather than accepting limitations on the percentage expansion that a tubular can tolerate, the present invention seeks a way to affix a tubular to a surrounding tubular using an articulated device on the exterior of the tubular to enhance its reach to a surrounding tubular without exceeding its reasonable expansion capabilities. In some embodiments the extension into a supportive or sealing relation with a surrounding tubular can be accomplished even without internal expansion of the tubular itself and exclusively with an exterior articulated device that can be actuated by manipulation of the tubular within.
Of marginal relevance to the present invention are split washers that can be closed over a bolt or shaft without having to remove it. These designs are generally two pieces that snap over a shaft and some that lock upon being snapped. Examples of such designs are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,558,364; 1,777,614; 2,358,606 and 6,488,461. However, none of these designs accommodate expansion of the structure within or a supporting or sealing engagement about their exterior. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the various aspects of the invention from the description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings while recognizing that the full scope of the invention is given by the associated claims.


A connector protective cover is provided which has a pair of cover members (2 and 3) to be joined together and which, using the pair of cover members (2 and 3), protects a latch lever that is operated to retain a pair of connectors (10 and 20) in engagement with each other, wherein the latch lever has an operating portion and an engagement effecting portion, and when the operating portion is operated, the engagement effecting portion is moved between an engaging position where the pair of connectors are retained in engagement with each other and a disengaging position where the pair of connectors are released from the engagement, and wherein the pair of cover members (2 and 3) joined together in an inseparable manner covers the operating portion and is fixed to the operating portion of the latch lever.

Generally, when connecting electrical wires together or when connecting an electrical wire to a circuit board, a pair of connectors having structures detachable from each other is used. A latch mechanism for fastening such a pair of connectors includes, for example, a latch lever on one connector that hooks onto a wall portion of the other connector for engagement or an engaging pawl integrally formed with the wall of one connector that engages with an engaging groove formed in the wall of the other connector. For disengagement, the latch lever is moved by a finger in a disengaging direction, or the wall portions of the connectors are elastically bent to disengage one from the other. By allowing the pair of connectors thus connected to be disconnected in this manner, not only can the connectors be prevented from becoming accidentally disconnected, but the efficiency of making electrical connection can be improved, while the ability to maintain the connection of the devices connected via the pair of connectors is also enhanced.
However, in the field of amusement industry where game balls, game tokens, etc. won from game machines can be exchanged for prizes, illegal tampering of game machines has been a problem, the tampering being often done by connecting a special component similar to the legal electric or electronic component to the game machine via a connector and controlling the game machine in an illegal way. Such illegal components are skillfully made and resemble the legal ones so close that externally they are often not easily distinguishable, making it difficult to discover the illegal tampering.
In view of the above situation, various strategies have been employed in the amusement industry related field to prevent illegal tampering of game machines. In one method, a pair of connectors is made inseparable by gluing them together with an adhesive or the like, thus rendering the connection of an illegal component itself impossible. This method, however, has the problem that if any component connected via such connectors to the game machine becomes defective and has to be replaced with a new component, the pair of connectors has to be destroyed.
In another example, a structure that can make a pair of connectors not easily separable without gluing them together is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-34784. This reference discloses a connector cover that covers a board connector and a cable connector in such a manner that the mated connectors are not visible from the outside. The interior side of the connector cover has a large number of engaging protrusions that engage with engaging portions formed on the walls, etc. of the pair of connectors. With the engaging protrusions of the connector cover engaging with the engaging portions formed on the walls of the connectors, the connector cover is fixed, e.g., coupled or attached, onto the pair of connectors.
The connector cover cannot be removed from the connectors without destroying the cover itself. When, for example, the game machine has failed, the failed electronic component is replaced by destroying only the cover but not destroying the pair of connectors, so that the pair of connectors can be connected once again. If the game machine has been tampered with, the tampering can be discovered visually, as the connector cover is destroyed.
Because this connector cover is formed in a box-like shape to cover the entire structure of the paired connectors, an additional space for mounting the connector cover has to be provided around the connectors. This has led to the problem that the connector cover cannot be mounted to the connectors if there is no mounting space around the connectors in the game machine.
Further, depending on the mounting conditions of the connectors and the connector cover, a gap may be formed between the connectors and the connector cover, resulting in insufficient engagement between the engaging portions of the connectors and the engaging protrusions of the connector cover, or deformation of the connector cover due to application of an external force, the connector cover thus tending to easily disengage.
In view of the above problems, it is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to provide a connector protective cover that can prevent illegal removal of connectors, and that has a compact structure not requiring an extra mounting space.