A novel highly grafted, functionalized olefin polymer is provided comprising the reaction product of a method comprising reacting an acylating agent with a mixture comprising an olefin polymer having a number average molecular weight of between about 5,000 to about 100,000 and a diluent in the presence of a free radical initiator to provide an acylated olefin polymer which is further reacted with a polyamine to provide the grafted functionalized olefin polymer dispersant. Lubricating oil concentrates and compositions containing the highly grafted, functionalized olefin polymer and uses thereof also are provided.

The art contains many disclosures on the use of polymer additives in lubricating oil compositions. Ethylene-propylene copolymers and ethylene-alpha olefin nonconjugated diene terpolymers which have been further derivatized to provide bifunctional properties in lubricating oil compositions illustrate this type of oil additive.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,794 discloses ethylene copolymers derived from ethylene and one or more C3 to C28 alpha-olefin solution grafted with an ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid material followed by a reaction with a polyfunctional material reactive with carboxyl groups, such as a polyamine, a polyol, or a hydroxyamine which reaction product is useful as a sludge and varnish control additive in lubricating oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,185 discloses a stabilized imide graft of an ethylene copolymer additive for lubricants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,489 discloses a graft copolymer where the backbone polymer is an oil-soluble ethylene propylene copolymer or an ethylene-propylene-diene modified terpolymer with a graph monomer of C-vinyl-pyridine or N-vinylpyrrolidone to provide a dispersant VI improver for lubricating oils.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,019 discloses a multipurpose lubricating additive prepared by the reaction of an interpolymer of ethylene and a C3-C8 alpha-monoolefin with an olefinic carboxylic acid acylating agent to form an acylating reaction intermediate which is then reacted with an amine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,689 discloses a process for grafting a functional organic group onto an ethylene copolymer or an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,250 discloses a reaction product of a copolymer and an olefin carboxylic acid via the "ene" reaction followed by a reaction with a monoaminepolyamine mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,007 discloses a dispersant-VI improver prepared by reacting a polyamine-derived dispersant with an oxidized ethylene-propylene polymer or an ethylene-propylene diene terpolymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,181 discloses polymer additives for fuels and lubricants comprising a grafted ethylene copolymer reacted with a polyamine, polyol or hydroxyamine and finally reacted with an alkaryl sulfonic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,525 teaches multi-grade lubricating oils comprising a low saturate base stock, less than three mass percent of an ashless dispersant and a viscosity modifier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,702 discloses mixed ethylene alpha olefin copolymer multifunctional viscosity modifiers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,623 teaches multifunctional olefin copolymer VI improvers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,383 discloses a process for preparing a dispersant and antioxidant olefin copolymer additives, wherein free radical grafting is accompanied by the molecular weight reduction of the copolymers due to mechanically shearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,923 discloses oil solutions of adducted derivatized EPR or EPDM.
Grafted, functionalized olefin polymers would be desirable in the lubrication field which can be synthesized in a more convenient and/or efficient manner while providing comparable or even superior performance to current commercial grafted olefin copolymers.

Graft functionalized olefin polymer dispersant and uses thereof


A variable resistance memory cell is read by a sense amplifier but without rewriting the contents of the memory cell. If the memory cell has an access transistor, the access transistor is switched off to decouple the cell from the bit line after a predetermined amount of time. The predetermined amount of time is sufficiently long enough to permit the logical state of the cell to be transferred to the bit line and also sufficiently short to isolate the cell from the bit line before the sense amplifier operates. For memory cells which do not utilize an access transistor, an isolation transistor may be placed in the bit line located between and serially connection the portion of the bit line from the sense amplifier to the isolation transistor and the portion of the bit line from the isolation transistor to the memory cell. The isolation transistor, normally conducting, is switched off after the predetermined time past the time the bit line begins to discharge through the memory cell, thereby isolating the memory cell from the sense amplifier before a sensing operation begins.

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) integrated circuit arrays have existed for more than thirty years and their dramatic increase in storage capacity has been achieved through advances in semiconductor fabrication technology and circuit design technology. The tremendous advances in these two technologies have also achieved higher levels of integration that permit dramatic reductions in memory array size and cost, as well as increased process yield.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a DRAM memory cell 100 comprising an access transistor 101 and a capacitor 102. The capacitor 102, which is coupled to a Vcc/2 potential source and the transistor 101, stores one bit of data in the form of a charge. Typically, a charge of one polarity (e.g., a charge corresponding to a potential difference across the capacitor 102 of +Vcc/2) is stored in the capacitor 102 to represent a binary "1" while a charge of the opposite polarity (e.g., a charge corresponding to a potential difference across the capacitor 102 of −Vcc/2) represents a binary "0." The gate of the transistor 101 is coupled to a word line 103, thereby permitting the word line 103 to control whether the capacitor 102 is conductively coupled via the transistor 101 to a bit line 104. The default state of each word line 103 is at ground potential, which causes the transistor 101 to be switched off, thereby electrically isolating capacitor 102.
One of the drawbacks associated with DRAM cells 100 is that the charge on the capacitor 102 may naturally decay over time, even if the capacitor 102 remains electrically isolated. Thus, DRAM cells 100 require periodic refreshing. Additionally, as discussed below, refreshing is also required after a memory cell 100 has been accessed, for example, as part of a read operation.
FIG. 2 illustrates a memory device 200 comprising a plurality of memory arrays 150a, 150b. (Generally, in the drawings, elements having the same numerical value are of the same type. For example, sense amplifiers 300a and 300b in FIG. 2 have identical circuitry to sense amplifier 300 of FIG. 3. A lower case alphabetic suffix is generally used to discriminate between different units of the same type. However, upper case prefixes, such as "N" and "P" may denote different circuitry associated with negative or positive typed variants.) Each memory array 150a, 150b includes a plurality of memory cells 100a–100d, 100e–100h arranged by tiling a plurality of memory cells 100 together so that the memory cells 100 along any given bit line 104a, 104a′, 104b, 104b′ do not share a common word line 103a–103d. Conversely, the memory cells 100 along any word line 103 do not share a common bit line 104a, 104a′, 104b, 104b′. Each memory array has its own set of bit lines. For example, memory array 150a includes bit lines 104a, 104b, while memory array 150b includes bit lines 104a′, 104b′. The bit lines from each adjacent pair of memory arrays 150a, 150b are coupled to a common sense amplifier 300a, 300b. For example, bit lines 104a, 104a′ are coupled to sense amplifier 300a, while bit lines 104b, 104b′ are coupled to sense amplifier 300b. As explained below, the sense amplifiers 300a, 300b are used to conduct the sense/refresh portion when a memory cell 100a–100h is read.
Reading a DRAM memory cell comprises the operations of accessing and sensing/refreshing.
The purpose of the access operation is to transfer charge stored on the capacitor 102 to the bit line 104 associated with the memory cell 100. The access operation begins by precharging each bit line 104a, 104a′, 104b, 104b′ to a predetermined potential (e.g., Vcc/2) by coupling each bit line 104a, 104b to a potential source (not illustrated). Each bit line 104a, 104b is then electrically disconnected. The bit lines 104a, 104a′, 104b, 104b′ will float at the predetermined potential due to the inherent capacitance of the bit lines 104a, 104a′, 104b, 104b′. Subsequently, the word line (e.g., 103a) associated with a memory cell being read (e.g., 100a) is activated by raising its potential to a level which causes each transistor 101a, 101e coupled to the word line 103a to gate. It should be noted that due to inherent parasitic capacitance between bit lines 104 and word lines 103, activation of a word line 103 will cause the potential at each associated bit line 104 to increase slightly. However, in typical DRAM systems, the magnitude of this potential change is insignificant in comparison to the magnitude of the potential change on the bit lines due to charge sharing. Therefore, with respect to DRAM systems only, further discussion regarding the effect of parasitic capacitance is omitted.
Activation of the word line 103a causes each capacitor 102a, 102e of each memory cell 100a, 100e coupled to that word line 103a to share its charge with its associated bit line 104a, 104b. The bit lines 104a′, 104b′ in the other array 150b remain at the pre-charge potential. The charge sharing causes the bit line 104a, 104b potential to either increase or decrease, depending upon the charge stored in the capacitors 102a, 102e. Since only the bit lines 104a, 104b of one memory array has its potential altered, at each sense amplifier 300a, 300b, a differential potential develops between the bit lines 104a, 104b associated with the activated word line 103a and the other bit lines 104a′, 104b′ associated with the same sense amplifier 300a, 300b. Thus, the access operation causes the bit lines 104a, 104b associated with the cell 100a being read to have a potential which is either greater than or less than the pre-charged voltage. However, the change in potential is small and requires amplification before it can be used.
The sense/refresh operation serves two purposes. First, the sense/refresh operation amplifies the small change in potential to the bit line coupled to the cell which was accessed. If the bit line has a potential which is lower than the pre-charge potential, the bit line will be driven to ground during sensing. Alternatively, if the bit line has a potential which is higher than the pre-charge potential, the bit line will be driven to Vcc during sensing. The second purpose of the sense/refresh operation is to restore the state of the charge in the capacitor of the accessed cell to the state it had prior to the access operation. This step is required since the access operation diluted the charge stored on the capacitor by sharing it with the bit line.
FIG. 3 is a detailed illustration of a sense amplifier 300, which comprises a N-sense amp 310N and a P-sense amp portion 310P. The N-sense amp 310N and the P-sense amp 310P include nodes NLAT* and ACT, respectively. These nodes are coupled to controllable potential sources (not illustrated). Node NLAT* is initially biased to the pre-charge potential of the bit lines 104 (e.g., Vcc/2) while node ACT is initially biased to ground. In this initial state, the transistors 301–304 of the N- and P-sense amps 310N, 310P are switched off. The sense/refresh operation is a two phased operation in which the N-sense amp 310N is triggered before the P-sense amp 310P.
The N-sense amp 310N is triggered by bringing the potential at node NLAT* from the pre-charge potential (e.g., Vcc/2) towards ground potential. As the potential difference between node NLAT* and the bit lines 104a, 104a′, 104b, 104b′ approach the threshold potential of NMOS transistors 301, 302, the transistor with the gate coupled to the higher voltage bit line begins to conduct. This causes the lower voltage bit line to discharge towards the voltage of the NLAT* node. Thus, when node NLAT* reaches ground potential, the lower voltage bit line will also reach ground potential. The other NMOS transistor never conducts since its gate is coupled to the low voltage digit line being discharged towards ground.
The P-sense amp 310P is triggered (after the N-sense amp 310N has been triggered) by bringing the potential at node ACT from ground towards Vcc. As the potential of the lower voltage bit line approaches ground (caused by the earlier triggering of the N-sense amp 310N), the PMOS transistor with its gate coupled to the lower potential bit line will begin to conduct. This causes the initially higher potential bit line to be charged to a potential of Vcc. After both the N- and P-sense amps 310N, 310P have been triggered, the higher voltage bit line has its potential elevated to Vcc while the lower potential bit line has it potential reduced to ground. Thus, the process of triggering both sense amps 310N, 310P amplifies the potential difference created by the access operation to a level suitable for use in digital circuits. In particular, the bit line 104a associated with the memory cell 100a being read is driven from the pre-charge potential of Vcc/2 to ground if the memory cell 100a stored a charge corresponding to a binary 0, or to Vcc if the memory cell 100a stored a charge corresponding to a binary 1, thereby permitting a comparator (or differential amplifier) 350a coupled to bit lines 104a, 104a′ to output a binary 0 or 1 consistent with the data stored in the cell 100a on signal line 351. Additionally, the charge initially stored on the capacitor 102a of the accessed cell is restored to its pre-access state.
Efforts continue to identify other forms of memory elements for use in memory cells. Recent studies have focused on resistive materials that can be programmed to exhibit either high or low stable ohmic states. A programmable resistance element of such material could be programmed (set) to a high resistive state to store, for example, a binary "1" data bit or programmed to a low resistive state to store a binary "0" data bit. The stored data bit could then be retrieved by detecting the magnitude of a readout current switched through the resistive memory element by an access device, thus indicating the stable resistance state it had previously been programmed to.
Recently chalcogenide glasses fabricated with solid electrolyte such as a metal doped chalcogenide have been investigated as data storage memory cells for use in memory devices, such as DRAM memory devices. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,761,115, 5,896,312, 5,914,893, and 6,084,796 all describe this technology and are incorporated herein by reference. The storage cells are called programmable conductor cells (alternatively, they are also known as programmable metallization cells). One characteristic of such a cell is that it typically includes solid metal electrolyte such as a metal doped chalcogenide and a cathode and anode spaced apart on a surface of the fast ion conductor. Application of a voltage across the cathode and anode causes growth of a metal dendrite which changes the resistance and capacitance of the cell which can then be used to store data.
One particularly promising programmable, bi-stable resistive material is an alloy system including Ge:Se:Ag. A memory element comprised of a chalcogenide material has a natural stable high resistive state but can be programmed to a low resistance state by passing a current pulse from a voltage of suitable polarity through the cell. This causes a programmable conductor, also known as a dendrite, to grow between the anode and cathode which lowers the cell resistance. A chalcogenide memory element is simply written over by the appropriate current pulse and voltage polarity (reverse of that which writes the cell to a low resistance state) to reprogram it, and thus does not need to be erased. Moreover, a memory element of chalcogenide material is nearly nonvolatile, in that it need only be rarely (e.g., once per week) connected to a power supply or refreshed, in order to retain its programmed low resistance state. Such memory cells, unlike DRAM cells, can be accessed without requiring a refresh.
While conventional sense amp circuitry, such as those associated with DRAM cells, are capable of sensing programmable conductor random access memory (PCRAM) cells, the natural refresh operation associated with these sense amplifiers are not required in a PCRAM context. Indeed, frequent rewriting of PCRAM cells is not desirable because it can cause the PCRAM cell to become resistant to rewriting. Accordingly, there is a need and desire for a circuit and method for reading PCRAM cells without refreshing them.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rewrite prevention in a variable resistance memory


An electric rotary shaver including: a locking member (50) having a plurality of arms (54) outwardly extending from the center, a cutter retaining plate (38) that engages with outer circumferential rims of outer cutters (24) and rotatably holds inner cutters (32), guide pins (56) provided on the tip ends of the arms (54) and slidably pass through the cutter retaining plate (38), permanent magnets (62) fastened to the cutter frame (20) and attach the guide pins (56) by magnetic attraction in a detachable manner, compression coil springs (64) mounted on the guide pins (56) and provided in a compressed state between the arms (54) and the cutter retaining plate (38), and anchoring elements (66, 68) which prevents a locking member (50) from being separated from the cutter retaining plate (38) by more than a predetermined gap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric rotary shaver which causes inner cutters to rotate while contacting substantially disk-form outer cutters, and uses the inner cutters to cut whiskers that are introduced into slits formed in the outer cutters.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electric shavers of this type, shavers that have a plurality of outer cutters are universally known. For example, such shavers include shavers in which two outer cutters are installed side by side in close proximity to each other, and shavers in which three outer cutters are disposed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle. In this structure, in order to improve the shaving characteristics, it is necessary to arrange the outer cutters so that these cutters are depressable and tiltable, thus causing the outer cutters to incline in conformity to the curvature of the shaving surface.
In the shaver disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2853812, shaving units in which inner cutters are provided in outer cutters are mounted on a retaining plate, and this retaining plate is fastened to the inside wall of a cutter frame (holder). The retaining plate comprises a plurality of bayonet form arms that make an advancing and retracting motion from the center toward the outside. The tip ends of these arms are engaged with and disengaged from the inside wall surface of the cutter frame. Furthermore, the shaving units are mounted on the retaining plate from the side and are elastically held in a mounted state by elastic arms that are integrally formed on the retaining plate, so that the shaving units move slightly upward and downward.
Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H2-14748 discloses a shaver in which the outer circumferential edges of outer cutters are pressed by retaining body (20) that holds inner cutters, and this retaining body (20) is pressed against a cutter frame via a spring. More specifically, a locking body (50) is detachably mounted on the cutter frame, and this locking body (50) has a plurality of anchoring rods that protrude in the radial direction; and these anchoring rods are engaged with or disengaged from the cutter frame by turning the locking body (50). Furthermore, the retaining body is pressed by a single spring (57) mounted in the center of the locking body (50).
FIG. 8 is a top view showing the internal structure of another conventional example of a cutter frame, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9—9 in FIG. 8.
In this conventional example, three outer cutters 1 are disposed in a common outer cutter holder 2 so that these outer cutters are positioned at the vertices of an equilateral triangle, and the respective outer cutters 1 are anchored to the outer cutter holder 2 so as to be depressable and tiltable. Three inner cutters 4 are held in a holder 3 so that these inner cutters are rotated in a depressable and tiltable manner. Two projections 5 protrude from this inner cutter holder 3 for each outer cutter 1, with these projections being separated in the circumferential direction of the outer cutters 1 so that the projections do not interfere with the outer cutter holder 2.
The center of the inner cutter holder 3 is elastically supported on the cutter frame 7 by a locking bolt 6. More specifically, a nut 8 is inserted into the center of the cutter frame 7, and the inner cutter holder 3 and compression coil spring 11 are disposed between a knob 10 and a retaining ring 9 anchored to the locking bolt 6. Here, the inner cutter holder 3 is pressed against the retaining ring 9 (i.e., toward the tip end of the locking bolt 6) by the coil spring 11. Accordingly, if the tip end of the locking bolt 6 is screwed into the nut 8, the inner cutter holder 3 presses against the outer cutters 1 in an elastic manner by means of the coil spring 11. In other words, the circumferential edges of the outer cutters 1 are pressed by the coil spring 11 via the inner cutter holder 3 that is integrated with the projections 5.
When the cutter frame 7 is mounted on the shaver main body (not shown in FIGS. 8 and 9), the inner cutters 4 engage with the drive shafts (not shown in 8 and 9) of the shaver main body and are rotationally driven. These drive shafts advance and retract in the axial direction with a return habit in the direction of protrusion and elastically press the inner cutters 4 against the inside surfaces of the outer cutters 1. Furthermore, three supporting protrusions 12 (only one is shown in FIG. 9) that support the outer cutter holder 2 in the vicinity of the vertices of the triangular shape are provided to protrude from the shaver main body.
In the shaver described in Japanese Patent No. 2853812, the movable range (range of vertical movement and tilting range) of the shaving units comprising outer cutters and inner cutters is limited to the movable range of the elastic arms that are integrated with the retaining plate and is therefore unavoidably extremely small. Accordingly, the outer cutters cannot sufficiently conform to indentations and projections or variations in the inclination of the shaving surface (skin), and the shaving characteristics are therefore poor. Furthermore, when shaving debris is cleaned away, the arms that protrude outward from the center (toward the inside wall of the cutter frame) are pressed toward the center with the fingertips, so that the tip ends of the arms are disengaged from the inside wall of the cutter frame; accordingly, a fine operation using the fingertips is required, and the operating characteristics are poor.
In the shaver described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H2-14748, the retaining plate (20) that holds the inner cutters is elastically pressed toward the outer cutters. Accordingly, vertical movement of the outer cutters can be accomplished by vertical displacement of this retaining plate. However, in order to remove the retaining plate for the purpose of cleaning away shaving debris, it is necessary to turn the locking body (50) with the fingertips, thus making the operating characteristics poor.
In the conventional example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a nut 8 into which the tip end of the locking bolt 6 is screwed is inserted into the cutter frame 7, and this part is surrounded by the outer cutter holder 2. Accordingly, it becomes necessary to broaden the spacing of the outer cutters in the vicinity of this nut 8; and in cases where three outer cutters are used, it is necessary to broaden the spacing of the respective outer cutters or to increase the diameter of the respective outer cutters. As a result, the size of the cutter frame tends to increase. Likewise, in cases where two outer cutters are used, it is necessary to broaden the spacing of the outer cutters, and this has been a serious problem. Furthermore, when shaving debris is cleaned away, the locking bolt 6 must be rotated with the fingertips. The operating characteristics are thus poor.
Furthermore, in the shavers disclosed in FIGS. 8 and 9 and in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H2-14748, the retaining body (20) or inner cutter holder (3) is pressed by a single coil spring (57, 11) in the center. More specifically, the retaining body (20) or inner cutter holder (3) is elastically pressed by a coil spring (57, 11) mounted on the locking body (50) or locking bolt (6) fastened to the center of the cutter frame.
However, in a shaver in which the retaining body (20) or inner cutter holder (3) is thus pressed by a single coil spring (57, 11) in the center, the retaining body (20) or inner cutter holder (3) tends to move in the radial direction when the outer cutters are pressed downward. In the case of the shaver described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H2-14748, the locking body (50) is firmly fastened to the cutter frame by means of a plurality of anchoring rods (52) that protrude in the radial direction. Accordingly, the retaining body (20) is aligned with the central shaft (protruding pin 15) which is fastened at both ends to the cutter frame and the locking body (50), and the movement of this retaining body (20) in the radial direction is restricted.
Meanwhile, in the shaver shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the tip end of the locking bolt 6 is screwed into a nut 8 that is embedded in the cutter frame, so that a so-called cantilever support is constructed. Accordingly, the locking bolt 6 tends to be unstable, and the inner cutter holder 3 that is held here is also unstable. Accordingly, two pins 13 (see FIG. 8) protrude from the cutter frame 7, and these pins 13 are passed through the inner cutter holder 3.
In such cases, however, since there is only a single coil spring, it is necessary to use a coil spring with a strong spring force. Consequently, the detachment operating characteristics of the locking body (50) or locking bolt (6) when shaving debris is cleaned away are poor. Furthermore, the structure used to position the retaining body (20) or inner cutter holder (3) in the radial direction becomes complicated.


A laser thickness gauge has three laser displacement sensors each transmitting a laser beam onto a target web. Two sensors are spaced along the web and face one surface of the web and the third sensor faces the opposite surface. The thickness of a web that is positioned along a passline plane between the sensor is measured even when the passline plane is not perpendicular to the beams of the sensors. A data processor computes the passline angle from the distance measurements communicated from the three sensors. During setup and calibration, data representing physical characteristics of the gauge are measured and stored and during operation are processed with currently measured data to generate correction factors that are used to correct thickness measurements determined from the three laser sensors.

In many industrial manufacturing processes it is desirable to measure the thickness of a web in the form of plate, sheet, strip or coil of material. Although the web may be stationary at the time of measurement, it is common to measure a web as it travels by a conveyer in a longitudinal direction in a path along or through some type of machinery. For example, in the rolling of steel to reduce the thickness of the steel to a nominal thickness, the web of steel is measured to assure that it is meeting particular thickness specifications.
Devices for making such measurements have been developed in the prior art using nuclear radiation as well as beams of light, including laser beams. Most of these measuring devices assume that the web is aligned along an assumed passline that is perpendicular to the light beam or other radiation. Consequently, any angular deviation of the actual passline of the web from the assumed passline results in an error in the measured thickness. There are prior art devices that are designed to stabilize and maintain the assumed passline angle. There are other devices that sense the passline angle of the web and correct the measurement for the detected passline angle by projecting a geometric image on the web and analyzing the shape and relative dimensions of the image to determine a passline angle. Other devices scan a line across the web and use timing to detect locations. Still others use light of differing wavelengths. Some devices require a complex arrays of light beams and, like those that project an image, require an equally complex algorithm for extracting the passline angle data. The more complicated that the hardware arrangements, the light arrays and the detection algorithms are, the more opportunities that exist for introducing errors into the measurements.
There is, therefore, a need for a thickness gauge that measures the actual passline angle of the web and uses that measurement to make measurement correction but that is not so complex as the prior art so that it is not only less costly but also eliminates many opportunities for errors.
There is also a need for such a thickness gauge that can make additional corrections for laser beam misalignment, temperature variations and for unknown errors that are an inherent part of any measurement apparatus.

Laser thickness gauge and method including passline angle correction


In a method of forming a matrix addressable display comprising a group of switchable cells, such as liquid crystal cells, having electrodes on each of two parallel plates and thin-film drive transistors disposed on one of the plates, gate resistors are provided by elongate doped polysilicon regions connecting the gate electrodes to address lines. The gate resistors prevent short-circuiting of the address lines in the event of a gate short-circuit occurring in any of the transistors.

This invention relates to matrix addressable displays. Matrix addressable displays comprising a two dimensional array of switchable cells are known, in which each cell has two electrodes each carried on a surface of a respective one of two plates. Each cell is switchable by means of electric signals applied to a respective pair of address lines connected to the cell. Each of the address lines of a pair is connected to a different plurality of cells within the array.
To overcome the problems of multiplexing the address lines in such a display, i.e. in order to identify uniquely the cell to be switched at any one time and to prevent partial switching of other cells connected to one of the pair of address lines, it is known to connect each cell to its respective pair of address lines via a respective transistor, for example a thin film transistor, i.e. the so-called `active matrix addressing` approach.
FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of part of such a known display.
Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated part of the display comprises an array of liquid crystal cells C11 to C22, each cell being represented in the figure as a capacitor. One electrode 3 of each cell is carried on the inner surface of a transparent first insulating plate, the electrode 3 being the size of a pixel of the display, and being made of a transparent conductor such as indium tin oxide. The other electrode 5 of each cell is defined on the opposing surface of a second insulating plate, this surface carrying a series of parallel conductive column tracks 7, 9, 11. All components carried on this second plate are shown dotted in the figure.
In respect of each cell, there is provided a respective thin film field effect transistor T11 to T22 carried on the first plate. One main electrode of each transistor, hereinafter referred to as a drain for convenience, is connected to the electrode 3 of each cell, whilst the gate of each transistor is connected to a selected gate address line 13, 15, 17 within a series of parallel conductive row tracks on the first plate. The second main electrode of the transistor, hereinafter referred to as the source for convenience, is connected to a reference line which is one of a group of conductive row tracks 19, 21 extending across the first plate parallel to the gate address lines 13, 15, 17. The reference lines may be earthed.
There has been a proposal to combine adjacent reference and gate lines, such as the lines 19 and 15, into a single line, thereby simplifying the manufacturing processes.
In the use of the display, appropriate synchronised gate and source voltage pulses are applied to a selected pair of gate and column address lines. This then selectively addresses the one transistor which is connected to both the selected address lines. The capacitor constituted by the cell connected to the selected transistor is then able to charge up to the voltage required to give a response in the liquid crystal cell. The capacitor is then isolated when the transistor is subsequently switched off, and the charge held on the capacitor is effective to switch the cell in the sense of changing the transmittance of the liquid crystal and thus producing the required pixel image.
However, such a display suffers from the disadvantage that a single-short circuit in a transistor gate results in the failure of the entire row of the display to which the shorted transistor belongs. Even a single row failure is totally unacceptable in a display. Such row failures could be turned into single pixel failures by identifying and disconnecting faulty transistors, single pixel failures being much less noticeable and therefore being tolerable in some applications. This process is, however, time-consuming and expensive, particularly for large numbers of pixels.
In order to overcome this problem, it has been proposed to insert a high-value resistance element in the connection between each transistor and the respective row track, such as indicated by a resistor 23 shown in dotted outline in FIG. 1. However, no indication has previously been given as to how such a resistor is to be formed in a practicable manufacturing process.


Aspects of the disclosure relate to an automated monitoring of proximate devices. A computing platform may cause a reporting device to detect a target device in a local network, retrieve network data associated with the target device, and send, to an intermediate server, the network data. The computing platform may send, to the intermediate server, a query. The intermediate server may send the network data in response to the query. Based on the network data, the computing platform may determine an amount of time that has elapsed since network activity was previously detected for the target device, and based on a determination that the amount of time exceeds a predetermined time threshold, the computing platform may generate an alert notification indicating that the target device may need to be traced. Subsequently, the alert notification may be sent to the reporting device.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to deploying digital data processing systems to create and/or manage enterprise devices. In particular, one or more aspects of the disclosure relate to an automated monitoring of proximate devices.
Enterprise organizations may utilize various computing infrastructure to manage and/or store data and information related to a business of the enterprise organization. For example, one or more enterprise devices may be utilized by employees of the enterprise organization. Such enterprise devices may need to be monitored for security compliance, and an inability to effectively locate an enterprise device may impact compliance with a security profile of the enterprise organization. Ensuring that such enterprise devices are regularly located in a timely and searchable manner, and changes, updates, and/or monitoring activities are performed seamlessly, may be highly advantageous to providing an efficient and effective platform to users of the enterprise organization.

Automated monitoring of proximate devices


In a radio telephone system using a digital circuit, a transmission-line state of a radio telephone digital circuit is detected by a detector. In response to the transmission-line state detected by the a detector, a multiplexing rate for transmission or reception in the radio telephone digital circuit is changed.

Various systems for communication via a base station have been developed as a communication system for a radio communication. Specifically, in the case of a communication system which has already been put into practice as a radio telephone, for example, a telephone circuit for a radio communication is set between a base station connected through a wire telephone circuit to a telephone exchange side and a radio telephone apparatus (a mobile station) which is a terminal side telephone, thereby a call service being carried out between a called telephone connected through the telephone exchange and the radio telephone apparatus.
Such radio telephone apparatus as a terminal side apparatus includes a miniaturized portable radio telephone and a land mobile radio telephone mounted on an automobile, etc.
In a communication system employing such radio telephone apparatus, communication between the base station and the terminal side telephone apparatus has been carried out by a radio transmission of an analog signal. On the other hand, in order to efficiently use a transmission band, a communication system for carrying out communication between the base station and the terminal side by a radio transmission of a digital data is developed.
In this digital communication system, transmission and reception of the digital data between the base station and the mobile station are carried out in accordance with an efficient transmission system such as a TDM system (time division multiplex system), a TDMA system (time division multiple access system) and so on, and an audio signal is subjected to a high-efficiency coding and decoding. Therefore, as compared with an analog communication system, it is possible to use a transmission line very efficiently for thereby setting more transmission channels and so on and to realize transmission of a call sound having less noise.
Another communication system to which the digital communication system is applied includes a CDMA system (code division multiple access system), an FDMA system (frequency division multiple access system) and so on. In these systems, the transmission or the like is more efficient as compared with communication carried out by analog transmission.
An example of a TDMA system communication system which is proposed at present will be described. Frequency bands of 800 MHz and 1.5 GHz are used for communication, and in each of the frequency bands, a channel interval is set to 25 kHz. Transmission in a down circuit from the base station to the mobile station is carried out by the TDM system, and transmission in an up circuit from the mobile station to the base station is carried out by the TDMA system. A phase modulation such as a .pi./4 shift DQPSK modulation, for example, is employed as a transmission data modulation system.
In the transmission of the TDM system and the TDMA system, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, assuming that one frame is formed of six time slots of time slots 0 to 5 and a sub frame is formed of a half of one frame, transmission in the down circuit from the base station to the mobile station, for example, is carried out at timings of the time slots 1 and 4 of the sub frame period, and transmission in the up circuit from the mobile station to the base station is carried out during predetermined periods immediately before the time slots for transmission in the down circuit. In this case, the same frequency is used for transmission in each time slot.
A signal transmitted from the base station has a synchronizing word whose bit number is about 20 bits and which is located at a substantial center thereof. The synchronizing word is previously determined depending on systems, and hence the same synchronizing word is used in each of the base stations of the same radio telephone system.
The mobile station side receives the synchronizing word transmitted from the base station and carries out a synchronizing processing for communication with the base station with reference to a timing at which it receives the synchronizing word.
Each of the base stations transmits a broadcasting information on a predetermined frequency channel and time slot. When each of the mobile stations carries out an initial reception (i.e., when it initially searches for a base station with which it can communicate), it carries out the reception processing with respect to all the channels and time slots on which the broadcasting information may be transmitted. It measures a received electric field intensity (RSSI) and so on with respect to the respective channels and time slots to determine that a signal on a channel on which the broadcasting information can precisely be received with a high received electric field intensity is a signal from the closest base station. Then, each of the mobile stations synchronizes its reception frequency with that of the signal on the determined channel.
After commencing communication with a certain base station as described above, each of the mobile stations receives a signal on a channel of a cell adjacent to the base station during an idle slot (i.e., a period during which it does not communicate with the base station) based on information of a frequency channel of the adjacent cell which is transmitted from the base station in the broadcasting information, measuring its received electric field intensity. When the received electric field intensity of the adjacent cell becomes more higher as compared with the received electric field intensity of the cell in which it is communicating with the base unit, the mobile station carries out a hand-off processing for switching communication to communication with a base station of the adjacent cell.
Each of the base stations has a defined synchronizing burst. When the hand-off processing is carried out, the synchronizing burst is transmitted and received between the base station and the mobile station, thereby the mobile station obtaining synchronization with the base station.
In the case of the digital radio telephone system in which the transmission is carried out in accordance with such TDMA system, while multiple access on one channel is made possible by independently using time slots prepared in one frame and the transmission channel can be used efficiently, a ratio in time used for communication with each mobile station is fixed regardless of a communication state. Specifically, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 1, for example, since two time slots of six time slots prepared in one frame are used for communication, the time ratio is fixed to 1/3. When the time ratio is thus fixed, it is easy to control communication, while it is sometimes possible to carry out communication with less time ratio depending upon a state of communication between the base station and the mobile station, and when the communication state is not satisfactory, communication with longer time ratio is sometimes requested. However, the conventional communication system of this kind has a fixed time ratio regardless of the communication state, and hence the circuit is not always used efficiently.
Since transmission of the TDMA system has been described above, the time ratio is fixed. In the case of the CDMA system, the communication is carried out with a fixed use ratio of codes. In the case of the FDMA system, the communication is carried out with a fixed use ratio of a frequency.
One frequency is allocated to one circuit. When the mobile station is in such a slow fading state that it is comparatively slowly moving due to a user's walking or the like, once the mobile station is brought in a bottom of a fading state where a reception state is unsatisfactory, it takes long time for the mobile station to be brought out of the bottom of the fading state. Therefore, an unsatisfactory communication state is continued comparatively long and hence a speech quality is deteriorated temporarily.
The synchronizing word allocated to each time slot is highly likely to be erroneously detected because of mutual interference with another data in the same time slot. Therefore, it is necessary to take some countermeasure for preventing an erroneous synchronization.
Since the synchronizing word is formed of a comparatively small number of bits, about 20 bits, it is difficult to estimate a state of a transmission line based on a reception state of the synchronizing word.
When each of the mobile stations carries out the initial reception, it is necessary for it to carry out a processing for searching a channel on which a signal can satisfactorily be detected, by receiving signals on all the channels and time slots on which the broadcasting information may be transmitted. Therefore, there is then the disadvantage that it takes long time for the mobile station to detect the channel on which communication can be carried out.
When the mobile station carries out the hand-off processing for switching the communication to the communication with the adjacent cell, it is necessary for it to receive information of the channel frequency of the adjacent base station from the base station. Therefore, each of the base stations is required to store information of allocated frequencies of all the stations adjacent thereto and so on. Moreover, each of the mobile stations needs to receive control signals from the adjacent base stations to measure their electric field intensities during a period of the idle time slot on which the communication with the base station is not carried out. Therefore, since it is required to carry out reception which does not relates directly to communication for telephone call, a reception time required at the mobile station is increased to that extent. A power required for the communication is increased to that extent and an arrangement for control thereof is required, which complicates an arrangement of an apparatus of the mobile station.
When the mobile station carries out the hand-off processing, it is necessary to receive the synchronizing burst of a station to which the base station is switched for obtaining the synchronization. Upon the hand-off processing, sometimes there may temporarily be a time during which the mobile station cannot communicate with the station to which the base station is switched until the synchronization with the station is obtained. Once this accident happens, the call sound is temporarily interrupted upon the hand-off processing.

Communication system, base station, mobile station, and radio communication system


A solid image pickup apparatus includes: a pixel string in which a plurality of photoelectric converting sections corresponding to pixels are arranged in one string; a CCD register, adjacently arranged to the pixel string, for successively transferring in a predetermined direction, signal charges photoelectrically converted in the respective photoelectric converting sections; a transfer electrode for supplying a voltage for transferring to the CCD register; n pieces of wiring layers formed in lamellar shape above the transfer electrode and its periphery via an insulating layer; and a contact having a longest length along an electric charge transfer direction of the CCD register to at least one location between the transfer electrode and the wiring layer and between two wiring layers vertically adjacent to each other via the insulating layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid image pickup apparatus having a pixel string in which photoelectric converting sections such as photo diodes are linearly arranged, and more particularly, it relates to the layout configuration of the solid image pickup apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
A CCD linear image sensor for use in an image reader such as a scanner is provided with photoelectric converting sections consisted of photo diodes and the like arranged in strings, and a CCD register. A signal charge photoelectrically converted by each photoelectric converting section is successively transferred to an output section through the CCD register.
Moreover, a color CCD linear image sensor in which three linear sensors are arranged in parallel and reads out different color images, respectively is broadly used in a color reader such as a color scanner.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional CCD color linear image sensor, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the constitution in the periphery of the end of a pixel string 1b disposed in the middle of FIG. 1. The image sensor of FIG. 1 is provided with pixel strings 1a, 1b, 1c in which a plurality of photosensitive pixels are arranged in three strings, and color filters (not shown) of red, green, blue and the like are formed on each of the pixel strings 1a, 1b, 1c. The signal charges photoelectrically converted in the respective pixel strings are transferred to CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c via shift electrodes 2a, 2b, 2c, and they successively move in the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c along the arrow directions of FIG. 1. The electric charges reaching the ends of the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c are transferred to output circuits 4a, 4b, 4c. The output circuits 4a, 4b, 4c are disposed corresponding to the respective pixel strings 1a, 1b, 1c, and for example, color image signals for RGB are outputted from the output circuits 4a, 4b, 4c.
In the conventional image sensor shown in FIG. 1, the narrower the distance between the pixel strings becomes, the more the unevenness of resolution is reduced, so that it is possible to simplify the configuration of an optical system for focusing an object light on the light receiving surface of the photo diodes constituting the pixel strings, and the structure of a scanning mechanism system for allowing the image sensor to scan. Therefore, in recent years, the image sensor in which the distance between the pixel strings is narrowed has been vigorously developed.
However, when the distance between the pixel strings is narrowed, the distances between the pixel strings 1a, 1b, 1c and the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c are narrowed, so that the amount of a light which leaks from the light receiving surfaces of the respective pixel strings 1a, 1b, 1c to the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c increases. Accordingly, there is a problem that owing to the leaked light, excessive electric charges are generated in the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line A—A of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a polysilicon layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate via an insulating film 5, and the polysilicon layer is used to form the shift electrodes 2a, 2b, 2c and transfer electrodes 31 to 34 of the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c.
A wiring layer 6 formed of a conductive material such as aluminum is connected to the shift electrodes 2a, 2b, 2c via a contact 7, and voltages for transferring the signal charges are supplied to the shift electrodes 2a, 2b, 2c via the wiring layer 6.
Wiring layers 8, 80 formed of a conductive material such as aluminum are connected to the transfer electrodes 31 to 34 of the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c via a contact 9, and voltages for the transfer of the signal charge are supplied from the wiring layers 8, 80 to the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c.
Furthermore, a wiring layer 10 of aluminum is disposed on each of the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c, so that no external light enters through the gaps of the wiring layers 6, 8, 80.
The signal charges generated in the pixel strings 1a, 1b, 1c are transferred to the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c via the shift electrodes 2a, 2b, 2c, and then, they is transferred in the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c along the arrow directions of FIG. 2.
However, in the conventional image sensor, the external light passes through paths shown by the dotted arrows of FIG. 3 and enters a channel area 11 under the shift electrodes 2a, 2b, 2c and an electric charge transfer area 12 of the CCD registers 3a, 3b, 3c, and there is a fear that an S/N ratio is deteriorated.


There is provided a combined step and proportional integral flow control valve system having a fluid control valve for controlling flow of fluid into a water stream, a valve motor in operative engagement with the valve for setting the value, a motor control unit having an output connected to the valve motor, and an input responsive to at least one of a first or a second input signal, and wherein the second input signal is a step signal, and the first input signal is a proportional integral control signal. The water stream is a composite of at least one feed stream, a pump is driving the feed stream wherein the water pump includes apparatus for generating the step signal, indicative of the pump being in one of an on or off state. The control valve system includes a flow meter in the water or waste water stream for generating the proportional integral signal as being proportional with the water flow or volume in the water stream.

In water treatment systems it is well known to inject de-contaminating agents such as for example gaseous chlorine into the water in order to meet certain standards for the purity of the water.
From the prior art it is known to provide automatic flow control for fluids for example by means of a fluid control proportional valve as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,345. This valve, however, lacks several features required for a water and waste water chlorinating system as disclosed in more detail in the present application.

Fluid control valve system with combined step and proportional-integral control


A bidirectional AC-DC converter is presented with reduced passive component size and common mode electro-magnetic interference. The converter includes an improved input stage formed by two coupled differential inductors, two coupled common and differential inductors, one differential capacitor and two common mode capacitors. With this input structure, the volume, weight and cost of the input stage can be reduced greatly. Additionally, the input current ripple and common mode electro-magnetic interference can be greatly attenuated, so lower switching frequency can be adopted to achieve higher efficiency.

Vehicle to grid (V2G) technology is expected to be commercialized in the near future. V2G uses the battery in vehicles as energy storage units for power system. It can help balance loads by valley filling and peak shaving. As an energy buffer stage, it will be very helpful for renewable power source, such as wind and solar power, by storing the excess energy during high power output period and providing it back at high load period. To realize the V2G function, a bi-directional on-board charger which can exchange energy between the power grid and a battery is needed. As the on-board charger transfers energy from the alternating current (AC) power system to direct current (DC), a low power factor charger will draw larger current from the power grid than a high power factor one for the same amount of real power consumed. The extra current means energy circulating which brings extra loss as well as the need of larger system capacity. Thus, a power factor correction (PFC) converter is a necessary front stage in medium to high power applications for the on-board charger. The above two reasons require a bi-directional AC-DC converter with PFC function for the on-board charger.
For an electric vehicle charger in SAE AC level 2, the input single phase AC power can be up to 19.2 kW. At this power level, the traditional topology with one inductor at the input stage will be bulky and expensive. However, if a smaller inductor is chosen, the input current harmonics will increase which needs a bigger EMI filter to meet the regulations. If higher switching frequency is adopted to reduce the input current ripple, it means more switching loss and lower efficiency.
For the on-board charger, size and weight is an important factor because the vehicle will always carry the charger. Efficiency is also very important because the energy will be transferred from power source to battery first and then from battery to load again. Every transfer wastes some energy. Low efficiency means huge energy waste. To achieve compact and efficient, there is a need to reduce the passive component size without increasing the switching frequency (the efficiency usually decrease when switching frequency increases).
In this disclosure, a high order input filter for the AC-DC converter is proposed, such that the passive component size can be reduced. The filter integrates both the differential and common mode function and the common mode EMI problem is solved easily. To control a converter with the proposed input filter topology, a model based method with reduced calculation and measurement is also developed, which makes fast and robust performance and low control cost at the same time.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Single phase bi-directional AC-DC converter with reduced passive components size and common mode electro-magnetic interference

The Regents of the University of Michigan


A Faraday Cup charged-particle detector for use in an isotopic ratio mass spectrometer is provided with a charged-particle collector substrate being at least partially composed of carbon produced by burning wood or other grained or cellular organic material so that the substrate surface has an open cellular structure and wherein the cells are of elongated tubular form. The detector is economic to manufacture, reliable and has an increased lifetime.

The Invention relates to a charged-particle detectors and to mass spectrometers employing one or more of the said detectors. More specifically, the invention relates to charged-particle detectors having an improved lifetime compared to known charged-particle detectors, to charged-particle collector substrates for such detectors, and to mass spectrometers employing one or more of the said detectors.

Charged-particle detectors and mass spectrometers employing the same


Disclosed are systems, methods and computer readable mediums for intelligent and directed dynamic application security testing. The systems, methods and computer-readable mediums can be configured to receive an attack location and an attack type for a web-application, transmit the attack location and attack type to a ID-DAST platform, receive from the ID-DAST platform a payload, attack the web-application using the payload, and receive results of the attack.

Traditional DAST technology is a process for web-application security analysis that utilizes crawling results to perform test attacks on a given web-application (that is running), analyzing the web-application's reactions to those attacks, and reporting detected web-application vulnerabilities that can potentially be exploited by actual attacks executed by hackers.
Traditional DAST is a process that gathers information and attacks the web-application based on the gathered information. The source of intelligence for traditional DAST technology is crawling. That is, DAST technology crawls a web-application, for example, page-by-page, form-by-form, and/or link-by-link. The results of the crawl are used to discover potentially vulnerable locations which should be attacked (e.g., during testing) in order to validate whether the locations are vulnerable to the actual attacks by hackers. The results of the crawl can also be used to determine the type of the test attacks and the payload (e.g. format and parameters) for the test attacks.
The major challenge of crawling is its time-consuming nature and lack of insight into the web-application that is being tested. In order to discover a potential attack location and type, DAST crawls the web-application (e.g., page-by-page, form-by form, link-by-link) which is an extremely time-consuming process. This time-consuming nature of traditional DAST is exacerbated by the lack of insight into the application. To compensate for that lack of insight, DAST launches an excessive number of time-consuming attacks with the expectation that at least one or a few of them will find exploits. The time-consuming nature of this process and lack of application insight prohibits traditional DAST from being effectively utilized while applications are actively being developed. This process therefore prohibits traditional DAST from being effectively employed during the application development process.
Static Application Security Testing (SAST) technology scans and analyzes the source code, bytecode or binary code to find vulnerabilities inside of the code. SAST is also a time-consuming process because the entire code is scanned and analyzed to determine potential vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the vulnerabilities reported by SAST require further research to determine if they are indeed exploitable at runtime.
Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) technology utilizes an agent to provide security analysis on an application. IAST combines features of SAST and DAST technologies to determine vulnerabilities in an application. IAST technology has several challenges, including: IAST agent's instrumentation into the application runtime environment (e.g., into Java Virtual Machine (JVM)) concerns application users/enterprises, as it can negatively impact application stability, including a collapse of the application; IAST is language-dependent (e.g., IAST requires a separate agent for each programming language's analysis); and IAST is processor-consuming (e.g., IAST uses the same processor that runs the application), which can impact application behavior.

Systems and methods of intelligent and directed dynamic application security testing


A parallelism adjusting mechanism of a probe card is provided. The parallelism adjusting mechanism can bring probes held by a probe card into uniform contact with a wafer even if a parallelism between a mounting reference surface for the probe card and the wafer as a test object is lost. To achieve this purpose, specifically, to adjust a parallelism of a probe card (101) that holds a plurality of probes (1) for electrically connecting a wafer (31) as a test object and a circuitry for generating a signal for a test with respect to the wafer (31), adjusting screws (22) as at least part of an inclination changing unit are provided. The inclination changing unit changes a degree of inclination of the probe card (101) with respect to a mounting reference surface (S1) of a prober (202) for mounting the probe card (101) thereon.

In a semiconductor manufacturing process, an electric characteristic test such as a conductivity test is performed to detect a defective product by bringing probes having conductivity (conductive probes) into contact with a wafer before dicing (WLT: Wafer Level Test). When this WLT is performed, to transfer a signal for a test to the wafer, a probe card including a large number of probes is used. In the WLT, the probes are individually brought into contact with each of dies on the wafer while the dies are scanned by the probe card. However, because several hundreds to several ten thousands dies are formed on the wafer, it takes considerable time to test one wafer. Thus, an increase in the number of dies causes higher cost.
To solve the problems of the WLT, recently, a method called FWLT (Full Wafer Level Test) is also used in which several hundreds to several ten thousands probes are collectively brought into contact with all or at least a quarter to a half of dies on a wafer (for example, see Patent document 1). To accurately bring the probes into contact with electrode pads on the wafer, this method requires technologies for maintaining positional accuracy of tips of probes by accurately keeping the parallelism or the flatness of a probe card with respect to a surface of the wafer and for highly accurately aligning a wafer.
Patent document 1: Japanese translation No. 2001-524258 of PCT international application

Parallelism adjusting mechanism of probe card


A user input is communicated to an application resident on a data processing system according to a code set which is adaptively selected in response to the application, the selected code set mapping to a respective set of corresponding user inputs, the selected code set optimizing a performance parameter for communicating between a user input device and the application. The selected code set may be selected from a stored plurality of code sets. Preferably, the selected code set minimizes energy expended in communicating codes from the user input device to the data processing system. According to one aspect, the application may first be identified, and then the selected code set may be selected according to the identified application. According to another aspect, a plurality of user inputs to the application may be accepted at the user input device and recorded, and the selected code set may be selected based on the recorded plurality of user inputs.

Typically, a keyboard used as a user input device for an application resident on a data processing system, e.g., a program running on a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA) or the like, includes electronic circuits which scan a matrix of switches actuated by the keys to determine the row and column of the depressed key. The row and column values then are mapped to a corresponding binary keycode which may then be transmitted to the data processing system. The keycode may be communicated from the user input device to the data processing system via wires, radio signals, infrared signals and other communication techniques. Keycodes may be standardized, such as the standard codes used to communicate between keyboards and PCs to ensure compatibility.
Although keyboard data entry is commonly used in data processing systems such as desktop and portable PCs, it may also be desirable for smaller portable devices such as PDAs and portable intelligent communicators (PICs). Both wired and wireless interfaces may be employed between a user input device and the data processing system. In portable devices such as PDAs and PICs, and in wireless keyboard applications for desktop or portable systems, power consumption may be a critical issue, as portable systems and wireless user input devices typically are battery-powered to increase their portability. Accordingly, these devices tend to be limited by the energy storage capability of the batteries used in the devices.
A typical keyboard entry application such as a word processor can involve processing of a large number of keystrokes in a short period of time. Accordingly, a large number of keycodes may need to be transmitted in a short time, which can lead to significant energy consumption in communicating between the keyboard and the application. For example, a wireless infrared keyboard typically transmits keycodes by modulating an infrared transmitter which is powered by a battery or similar power source included in the keyboard. The infrared transmitter typically consumes significant power when it is illuminated or "on." If the transmitter is frequently on, a greater amount of battery power may be consumed. In addition, high frequency switching of components which drive the transmitter may increase energy consumption by the keyboard. Accordingly, generation of a stream of keycodes which requires the infrared transmitter to be on for significant periods of time and which requires frequent switching of the transmitter can quickly exhaust the power source of the keyboard. Accordingly, there is a need for more energy efficient systems and methods for communicating user inputs from portable input devices such as wireless keyboards.

Systems and methods for communicating between a user input device and an application using adaptively selected code sets


The present invention relates to a system and a method for evaluating real estate financial structures. Specifically, the present invention provides a method for determining an optimal financial structure for controlling real estate assets. A user enters information into the system that relates to one or a plurality of real estate assets. The system analyzes the inputted information and rates various financing structures that may be used for the control of the real estate assets, including, for example, whether an individual or entity should own, lease, or control the asset via another financing structure.

It is, of course, known that real estate assets may be owned or otherwise controlled in a variety of ways. Generally, a piece of real estate, or other type of real estate asset, may be leased or owned by an entity, such as a corporate or governmental entity. The particular financing structure used by the entity depends on a plurality of factors, including, for example, the entity's particular financial situation and how the real estate asset is to be utilized by the individual or entity. For example, an individual may decide that a real estate asset should be leased rather than owned after examining the costs and the benefits of leasing the property as compared to owning it.
The decision of how to control a real estate asset may get much more difficult and complicated when many of the various financing structures are analyzed and compared for a particular real estate asset at the same time. For example, there are a variety of ways that a real estate asset may be owned by an individual or an entity. An entity may, for example, own a real estate asset using corporate funds, may own with debt, may own via a real estate investment trust (REIT), or may own the property with a partnership or a joint venture with another individual or entity. Likewise, there are a variety of ways that an individual or an entity may lease a real estate asset. For example, an individual or entity may utilize a short-term lease, a long-term lease, a credit sale and leaseback, a tax motivated leveraged lease or a synthetic lease. Each financing structure may have a plurality of costs and benefits that may be difficult to analyze. Further, a determination of which financing structure is best for an entity may not be readily apparent unless and until the financing structures are compared against each other.
Of course, real estate assets are major balance sheet assets for entities, in the sense that large amounts of capital are typically devoted to the ownership or control of the real estate asset. Each particular financing structure that may be used to control a real estate asset has a variety of costs and benefits associated therewith, making financing structures particularly difficult to analyze and evaluate and the optimal control structure difficult to determine.
However, despite how relatively important real estate assets are to an entity, the decision as to the financing structure that is best suited for the particular entity has traditionally been an independent event, driven more by market factors than by a true and detailed analysis of how the real estate asset may benefit or otherwise impact the entity. And even market factors are typically analyzed improperly or unrealistically.
The decision of how to structure a procurement of a real estate asset has been approached inconsistently by entities. In fact, many companies do not have a systematic, consistent and disciplined approach to making financing decisions related to the control of real estate assets. For example, within a particular company, discounting methods vary within the company and costs of debt assumptions are inconsistent. In addition, there typically is no standard timeframe for evaluating a project; various individuals may use 5-, 10- or 15-year timeframes. Still further, foreign exchange rate assumptions typically vary as well.
Companies further make unrealistic residual or market value assumptions. For example, assumptions for determining future residual values can be unrealistic or unsupported. In addition, sensitivity analysis of key financial drivers typically is not considered. Further, current market valuations for sale/leaseback analyses can often be overly optimistic and can sometimes hide funding in the evaluation of the purchase price.
In addition, many important criteria are often ignored when procuring real estate assets, such as, for example, occupancy requirements, flexibility, and broader corporate metrics. For example, EPS, ROA, and other key corporate ratios are often ignored. In addition, there may typically be a short-term focus on profitability at the expense of long-term strategic planning. Still further, there may be little understanding of, or sensitivity to, potential balance sheet implications of procuring a real estate asset.
Further, many non-financial elements are typically not considered or are severely under-weighted by individuals or entities. For example, corporate entities may enter into long-term leases without having exit strategies, which affects the value of the real estate asset to the corporate entity. Although a long-term lease can lower short-term impact on the operating budget, there may be long-term negative effects that are not considered. Further, there may be no common definition within a corporate entity of "core" versus "non-core" assets.
Still further, many entities are composed of a plurality of individuals or sub-entities that may have conflicting agendas about the particular real estate asset. For example, an entity, such as a corporation, may have a plurality of management teams that may have to submit approval to an individual or group chosen or assigned to procure the real estate asset. There may be a real estate management team, a treasury team and/or a senior management team, for example, that all may have conflicting needs or desires. Moreover, there may be external groups outside that may have to be reconciled such as, for example, shareholders, stock analysts and credit rating agencies.
In addition, many companies may be in a reactive mode, especially when the economy is in a down-cycle, and consequently do not have the time nor the internal resources or procedures to analyze and evaluate the various financing structures for procuring a real estate asset.
Further, there is generally a lack of understanding among entities as to what the various financing structures for controlling a real estate asset are and how the various structures for the procurement of a real estate asset can be used to influence various performance metrics that may be tracked in a corporation or other type of entity. In addition, new financing methodologies appear frequently, but are typically not well understood by pertinent decision-makers. For example, tax incentives that may be associated with the sale or leaseback of a real estate asset are often ignored. Moreover, individuals typically focus on local tax issues without considering, or understanding, how global tax issues may be influenced. Moreover, there may be inadequate training of key personnel that may contribute to a lack of understanding of the various financing structures.
In addition, many real estate assets are typically procured without any real global ownership of the analytical process. Decisions are often driven by local considerations and evaluation criteria, instead of recognizing the global and expansive nature of a large corporation. Typically, analysis is done by an individual or a small group of individuals instead of by various individuals in a corporation that may represent many differing points of view. Therefore, many individuals within a corporation do not feel as if they are part of the decision-making process.
Given the relative importance of real estate assets to an entity's bottom line, a system and a method are needed that will overcome the deficiencies as noted above. More specifically, a system and a method are needed that will provide a strategic and consistent approach to real estate asset procurement. Moreover, a system and a method are needed that will integrate real estate financing decision-making with non-financial criteria.

System and method for evaluating real estate financing structures


A storage battery system includes a battery module A with a first nonaqueous electrolyte battery including a negative-electrode material which has an average grain size of 2 μm or more and is used to occlude and discharge lithium ions, a battery module B with a second nonaqueous electrolyte battery set at a lithium-ion-occluding potential of 0.4V (vs.Li/Li) or more, and including a negative-electrode material which has an average grain size of primary particles of 1 μm or less and is used to occlude lithium ions, and a controller configured to intermittently connect the module A to the module B to intermittently supply power from the module A to the module B to set a charge state and a discharge depth of the second nonaqueous electrolyte battery within a range of 10 to 90%, when no power is supplied to the module B at least from an outside.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage battery system suitable for, for example, vehicles, bicycles, trams, elevators, aerogenerators and emergency power supplies, etc., which aim to enhance energy efficiency, and also relates to an on-vehicle power supply system and vehicle provided with such a storage battery system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, hybrid vehicles, bicycles, trams, elevators and aerogenerators, etc., which are provided with a battery, have been proposed, and some of them have been put into practice, to effectively use energy, in particular, regenerative energy as environmental measures. Secondary batteries, which have been proposed as backup power supplies for an emergency, such as a blackout, and have been put to into practice and installed in vehicles so far, include, for example, lead storage batteries and nickel hydride batteries.
However, nickel hydride batteries installed in hybrid vehicles, for example, have the problem that they suddenly generate heat during high-power outputting or fast charging (regenerative charging), and their thermal degradation is very conspicuous. Furthermore, lead storage batteries used as emergency power supplies have a low weight energy density and hence heavy weight, therefore, involve constraints on their installation place.
Hybrid vehicles using a large-capacity capacitor have now been developed. Compared to secondary batteries, capacitors can accumulate high power instantly, but have a very small electric capacity and hence cannot be made compact.
To solve the above problems, JPA KOKAI No. 2003-134689, for example, has proposed a high-power lithium ion battery. While lithium ion batteries can generate high voltage and be made light, and hence have a high energy density, they use a carbon material as the material of their negative electrodes. Accordingly, their cycle lives will degrade if fast charging, such as energy regeneration, is performed. This being so, when low power is input to the batteries, they cannot efficiently accumulate regenerative energy. Further, if lithium ion batteries are made into high-power ones, their inherent high energy density is significantly reduced to thereby reduce their discharge capacity. Accordingly, the travel distance of, for example, electric vehicles is inevitably shortened. Furthermore, for hybrid vehicles, there is a demand for enhancing the energy regenerative performance during braking and the acceleration performance, and also a demand for increasing the travel distance during motor driving (EV driving). However, it is difficult to satisfy both the enhancement of energy regenerative performance and acceleration performance, and the traveling performance during motor driving (EV driving).
JP-A 2004-289892(Kokai) has proposed a hybrid vehicle with a storage battery system as an on-vehicle power supply. The storage battery system includes main and sub battery modules. The sub battery module accumulates regenerative current supplied by a motor or dynamo, and the main battery module is charged with the power accumulated by the sub battery module. However, in this storage battery system, the active material of the negative electrode is low in the rate of occluding and discharging ions, and hence efficient charging cannot be achieved during fast charging, such as regenerative charging.

Storage battery system, on-vehicle power supply system, vehicle and method for charging storage battery system


A production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. The production line comprises: (i) a first and a second building platform for carrying a tangible product; (ii) a deposition head for providing a layer of construction material onto the building platforms; (iii) a conveyor for conveying the building platforms in a conveying plane towards and away from the deposition head repeatedly; and (iv) height adjustment means to adjust the distance between the deposition head and the building platforms by displacing the building platforms relative to the conveyor in a direction perpendicular to the conveying plane. The production line may further comprise a picking unit for picking a product from the building platforms.

Layerwise manufacturing is a manufacturing method wherein tangible three-dimensional products are made by successive addition of layers on top of each other, which layers correspond to the cross sections at different levels of the tangible product. Layered products can be made by providing a uniform layer of liquid or powder, which liquid or powder is solidified in a predefined two dimensional pattern corresponding to the cross section of the product to be manufactured. The remaining, not solidified material is removed afterwards. The layers can also be directly deposited in the required two dimensional pattern, for example by printing. In such a method, the pattern is already determined during deposition of the material, not by the solidification. The material can be an ink or powder, which ink or powder is cured, sintered, or otherwise solidified to obtain a coherent product.
The products are often made on top of a building platform that can be displaced in a vertical direction. However, there are also layered manufacturing systems in which the product is hanging below the building platform. An example of such a system is disclosed in German patent application DE 10256672. Typically, such a system comprises a dish with liquid that can be solidified, for example by ultraviolet (UV) light. The building platform that is positioned above the bottom of the dish, moves upwards to allow the formation of a thin liquid film between platform (or previous solidified layer) and the bottom of the dish. The film is solidified in the predefined pattern and after this solidification, the platform is move further upward. These steps are repeated until the product is finished. Finally, the finished product is removed from the platform and this platform can be used for making another product.
In another known method for layerwise manufacturing of a tangible three-dimensional product, a powder is used as a starting material, which powder is solidified by for example sintering. Such a method is disclosed in United States patent application US2009/0291308. According to this known method, a thin layer of powder is provided to an area that is delimited by a vertical wall and, at the bottom side, by a building platform. The layer is solidified by sintering into a coherent solid layer with a predefined shape, being a cross section of the product. Subsequently, the platform supporting the solidified layer moves downwards and a new powder layer is applied. The steps are repeated until the product is finished. Subsequently, the part of the powder that is not solidified and the finished product are removed before making another product.
The afore-mentioned systems have in common that they have one platform that is movable in the vertical direction. Such systems are in particular suitable for making products out of one type of material. It is possible to make several products having different shapes on such a platform, simultaneously. An example of such a method is disclosed in international patent application WO2004/014637. This known method is limited to products made out of one type of material. In principle, however, also powder-based systems are suitable for making products in which individual layers are made out of different materials. Such a system is for example disclosed in United States patent application US2002/0145213. International patent application WO 2012/076205 discloses an apparatus that allows making different product quasi simultaneously. This apparatus comprises different building platforms, which provides more flexibility than systems with only one building platform.
Still another way of making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing is three-dimensional printing. In three-dimensional printing an ink is applied either as a continuous layer or in a predefined pattern corresponding to a cross section of the product. Three-dimensional printing is in certain aspects more flexible than the methods mentioned above, in particular when the ink is applied by printing heads. Different printing heads can be used to apply different materials for manufacturing composite products comprising several materials. Further, the printing heads can be switched on and off easily for better control of the manufacturing process. An example of a production line for layerwise manufacturing using print heads is disclosed in United States patent application US2009/0076643. This known production line can be used for making several tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. The production line comprises several printing heads for depositing material onto carriers, which printing heads are positioned above a conveyor that passes the carriers from one printing head to another printing head. The printing heads are positioned in line of each other in the conveying direction. Further, the height of each printing head can be adjusted with respect to the conveyor for example to compensate for increasing height of the product during the different stages of its manufacture, viz. the number of layers already deposited. This production line allows manufacturing of several products with different geometrical shape and different material composition. Each layer of the product is created by one or even more printing heads, resulting in a huge number of printing heads for manufacturing a product of substantial size.
Also, international application WO2004/108398 discloses the use of one or more build stations for depositing material layerwise on a building platform. While the machine produces multiple products, it lacks potential for scaling up to industrial volumes.

Production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing


Systems and processes that limit distortion of inserts (e.g., previously formed parts) in insert molding and overmolding processes. Initially, a mold may be closed (e.g., clamped) about an insert with the mold at a first temperature. After closing the mold about the insert, the mold is heated up to a second temperature (e.g., a temperature suitable for injection of the molding material) and filled with the molding material to contact (e.g., encapsulate) the insert. After the mold has been cooled, the mold may be opened and the finished part (including the insert and the solidified molding material) removed (e.g., ejected). The process may be repeated for additional finished parts. Closing the mold about the insert before heating the mold to the injection temperature advantageously limits distortion of the insert that would otherwise occur by placing the insert into the mold with the mold already at the injection temperature.

In the manufacturing industry, injection molding is a common process for producing parts. Conventional injection molding often requires the use of a constant-temperature mold, an injection molding machine, and raw molding material or resin (e.g., molten plastic). The mold includes a first mold plate or member and a second mold plate or member that together, define the shape of a part or multiple parts being molded. The injection molding machine is responsible for heating the raw plastic material until liquefied and then injecting the molten plastic into the mold.
The conventional injection molding process generally includes a clamping stage, an injection stage, a cooling stage, and a removal stage. In the clamping stage, the core side and cavity side are clamped shut while the raw plastic is being melted within the injection mold machine. Then, in the injection stage, the molten plastic is injected and packed into the cavity of the mold. In the cooling stage, the mold remains clamped while the molten plastic cools and solidifies into the final or finished part. Finally, in the removal stage, the mold is unclamped and the newly formed part is removed via, for example, one or more ejector pins. After the part is ejected, the cycle is typically repeated.
In some situations, composite parts are formed by molding features into direct contact with previously formed parts. For instance, "insert molding" (e.g., metal insert molding, nanomolding, in-mold metal plastic bonding, etc.) and "overmolding" generally involve placing at least one insert (i.e., the previously formed part) into the mold cavity, clamping the first and second mold members about the insert, injecting a molding material (e.g., high temperature plastics such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphthalamide (PPA), and/or the like) into the mold cavity, allowing the mold to cool, and then ejecting the finished part which includes the insert in contact with (e.g., encapsulated by, adjacent to, integrated with, etc.) the solidified plastic material. Currently, overmolding and metal insert molding processes run at constant mold temperatures. When molding plastics such as PPS and PPA, for instance, the constant mold temperature has to be very high in order to yield an acceptable finished product.

Temperature controlled molding of composite components


A polarizer/modulator assembly (10) including a polarizing unit (12) and a modulator unit (14) that are selectively and independently positionable within a resonator cavity of a solid state diode slab laser. The polarizing unit (12) includes a pair of polarizing elements (32, 34) positioned in a "V-shaped" configuration so that both elements (32, 34) are positioned at Brewster's angle with respect to the beam path to combine to polarize the light in the same direction. The combination of the polarizing elements (32, 34) eliminates beam deflection when the polarizer unit (12) is inserted into the beam path. The polarizing elements (32, 34) are mounted in a metal housing (30) that captures rejected light from the polarizing elements (32, 34). The housing (30) includes a cooling tube (52) to control temperature of the housing (30) during temperature build-up caused by the rejected light.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a polarizer/modulator assembly for a laser and, more particularly, to a polarizer/modulator assembly for a solid state diode laser, including an independently removable polarizer unit and modulator unit, where the polarizer unit corrects for beam polarization when the polarizer unit is moved into the beam path and absorbs the light that is reflected from the polarizer and removes the resultant heat.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
High-power, solid state lasers, such as diode pumped slab lasers, that are used for many purposes, such as cutting, drilling and welding of various materials, electronics manufacture, medical treatment, nuclear fusion, laser weapons, etc., are known in the art. A solid state slab laser will include one or more gain modules having a solid state laser gain medium, such as a crystal of neodymium yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG), Yb:YAG, Ti:Sapphire or neodymium glass (Nd: Glass), and an optical pumping source to produce a population inversion in the gain medium. The gain medium typically has a slab configuration with a rectangular cross-section and optically polished major side and end faces. The optical pumping source generally is an array of diodes positioned adjacent to the side faces of the slab. The laser gain medium absorbs radiation from the diodes to create a population inversion within the medium to produce a laser output. The end faces of the slab are preferably formed at a non-perpendicular angle to the side faces so that light travels longitudinally in a zig-zag pattern through the laser gain medium as it is reflected off of the side faces. The diodes are switched on and off in a controlled manner to generate a square-wave pulsed laser beam emitted from the gain medium. The light output of the diode arrays can be accurately tuned to the absorption line of the active material of the laser gain medium to achieve a high pumping efficiency. A high power solid state slab laser of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,254 issued to Injeyan et al., Sep. 10, 1996 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/683,585, filed Jul. 15, 1996, titled Diode Laser Pumped Solid State Laser Gain Module, and assigned to the assignee of the instant invention.
The laser beam generated by the gain module discussed above typically is elliptically polarized when it is emitted from the gain module because of the configuration of the slab. Because the beam is elliptically polarized, it sometimes needs to be linearly polarized depending on the particular use or application of the beam. For example, if the laser is to be used for a cutting or drilling process, then an elliptically polarized beam is undesirable because the beam will not provide the best available laser/material interaction for these applications. To improve the interaction, the beam is first linearly polarized, and is then optically rotated to provide a circularly polarized beam suitable for these applications. If the laser is being used for a welding process, non-coherent or elliptically polarized light is suitable, and thus the beam is generally not polarized so as to eliminate loss of beam intensity by the polarization process. Different laser designs and different applications have different polarization requirements.
Additionally, it is sometimes desirable to modulate the beam to provide high peak power for cutting and drilling applications. It is necessary that the laser beam be polarized before it is modulated. The modulator modulates the relatively long, square-wave beam pulses to provide short duration beam pulses (such as on the order of 100 nanoseconds) having a relatively high peak power, for example on the order of 500 kilowatts, that provides greater precision and control for certain applications. In one example, the laser beam pulses generated by the high power solid state laser gain module are modulated by an acousto-optical modulator that provides the modulation wave for modulating the beam pulses from the gain module. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/593,961, filed Jan. 30, 1996, titled Laser Pulse Profile Control By Modulating Relaxation Oscillations, assigned to the assignee of this application, and herein incorporated by reference, provides a more detailed discussion of a modulator for a diode-pumped solid state diode slab laser.
To provide for selective polarization of the light beam for various applications, the laser must be designed to allow the operator to selectively insert and remove the polarizing unit into and out of the beam path in a convenient manner. When the polarizer is inserted into the beam path to polarize the light, refraction of the light by the polarizing element causes the beam to deflect from the desired beam path. Therefore, the beam has to be returned or realigned to the output coupler, mirrors and other optical components in the laser each time the polarizer is put into or taken out of the beam path so that the beam is appropriately aligned with these optical components. Additionally, the polarizing element causes birefringence of the light beam that disperses or reflects a portion of the laser beam off of the polarizing element and out of the beam path. The dispersed portion of the light beam may impinge critical structural and optical components of the laser causing an undesirable heat build-up in the components. The heat build-up may cause dimensional changes of the components that may in turn produce beam distortion, unwanted beam steering and damage to the components. Further, the polarizer and/or modulator must be compact in design to accommodate the space constraints of the laser resonator cavity and laser packaging.
What is needed is a polarizer/modulator assembly that is compact in design, is readily connected to a solid state laser, provides for beam correction and tuning, and absorbs reflected light from the polarizing element and removes resulting heat. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such a polarizer/modulator assembly.