A vehicular heating control system, method, and program acquire an operation value that is a setting by an occupant and, when there is no manual operation, acquire a fuel consumption reduction amount and a fuel consumption amount and, when the fuel consumption reduction amount exceeds the fuel consumption amount and an improvement in fuel economy is expected, execute seat heater control, that is, heating by an electrothermal heater, decrease the wind force of a blower fan, and lower an engine startup threshold value. Heating by an air conditioning system and heating by the electrothermal heater are combined, so a heating effect is obtained while reducing the fuel consumption amount.

Vehicles that improve fuel economy by performing idling stop control that improves fuel economy by stopping idling when the vehicle stops traveling at an intersection and so forth and so forth have conventionally been proposed. Further, vehicles in which an engine and a motor are installed as drive sources improve fuel economy by shutting down the engine when the vehicle has stopped traveling.
There are many vehicular heating systems resulting from vehicular air conditioning systems. Heating by a vehicular air conditioning system uses the heat of engine cooling water as a heat source, so in a case where the temperature of the cooling water is low, a desired heating effect cannot be obtained. That is, in vehicles that perform idling stop control such as described above and hybrid automobiles that have a mode in which they shut down the engine and travel by motor during travel, if the temperature of the cooling water ends up dropping, a heating effect ends up becoming unobtainable.
Therefore, hybrid automobiles and so forth are configured in such a way that, on the basis of a threshold value of the temperature of the engine cooling water predetermined in accordance with a target temperature at outlet (TAO) of the vehicular air conditioning system, engine shutdown and engine startup are performed, a drop in the temperature of the cooling water is suppressed, and a heating effect is obtained.
Further, there are vehicle which, in addition to the heating effect resulting from the vehicular air conditioning system, are further equipped with a seat heater separately and obtain a heating effect. In vehicles equipped with such a seat heater, heating by the vehicular air conditioning system and the seat heater is performed in an operating mode (a so-called energy-saving mode) that improves fuel economy by shutting down the engine when the vehicle has stopped traveling. In order to improve fuel economy in an operating mode resulting from this energy-saving mode, in the technology described in JP-A No. 2006-151039, allowing an air conditioner and a seat heater to operate while keeping them below their normal working power when performing heating in the energy-saving mode is proposed. By keeping the air conditioner and the seat heater below their normal working power, they can be allowed to operate while keeping their outputs down in the energy-saving mode than in a normal operating mode, and fuel economy can be improved.

Vehicular heating control system, method, and computer-readable storage medium


A dual contact thermostat includes a bimetallic strip that partially controls two sets of contact points. An adjustable temperature actuator engages the contact points whereby the activation temperature of each set of points when the points are first closed is determined by the bimetallic strip in combination with the adjustable temperature actuator.

It is know, particularly in electrical heaters, to have a system provided with two electrical heating elements and a thermostatic control for each of the heating elements. Many of these heating systems include a switch arrangement for switching between a first heating element for producing a reduced level of heat and a second heating element or combination of heating elements for producing a higher level of heat. Typically, a rocker type switch is used to switch from the low heat output to the high heat output. For example, this type of arrangement is used in a 1500 watt heater having a 1000 watt output setting and a 1500 watt output setting.
In our prior patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,624,397 and 6,940,051 a heating element arrangement is shown where a fan motor is associated with the heating element and the speed of the fan motor automatically adjusts to operate at a low speed under low heat output conditions and to operate at a higher speed under high heat output conditions.
In an earlier portable 1500 watt heater, two separate thermostats are mechanically connected by a gear train such that a single control knob is used to control each of the two separate thermostats. In this way the thermostats are moved in synchronization with each other and are designed to be activated at slightly different temperatures. With this arrangement, a first set of contact points make an electrical connection at a first temperature and activate a low output heating element. If this heating element is sufficient to bring the room temperature up to a particular level then this first thermostat will cut out. If the temperature continues to drop in the area being heated the second thermostat will be activated providing power to an additional heating element. With this arrangement, a user adjusts a single control knob and the two thermostats are maintained in synchronization due to the mechanical gearing of the rotary temperature actuators of each thermostat. Each thermostat is separate and distinct. This portable heater also uses the variable fan speed disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,624,397 and 6,940,051.
Therefore this prior art heater allows operation at a lower heat output initially and automatic operation at a higher output if the temperature continues to fall. A problem with this arrangement is the time required to set up and calibrate the two thermostats. An intermediary gear can be provided between gears of each temperature actuator to allow synchronization adjustment between the thermostats. Each individual thermostat is typically calibrated when it is manufactured however the gear train accommodates synchronization between the two thermostats.
For example one of these thermostats may make contact if the room temperature is 4° F. below a particular set temperature level whereas the second thermostat is activated when the temperature drops below 8° F. from the set temperature level.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved thermostat which is cost effective to manufacture and allows convenient calibration and adjustment.


The present disclosure discloses a packing box and a method for using the same. The packing box includes a box body and a cover; the cover matches the box body, and an end of the cover is connected on a swivel to an end of the box body; an inner side of the cover is provided with an non-slip layer; the lower end surface is flush with a lower end of the cover or protrudes with respect to the lower end of the cover; after the cover is turned over, a bottom support surface is formed. The method of using a packing box includes: opening the packing box, turning over a cover, and placing the packing box after the cover being turned over on a working surface. The packing box of the present disclosure has an non-slip function; the box and the method disclosed bring convenience for people to use the box.

A packing box is a box used to pack a product; it can guarantee the safety of the product in transit, upgrade the product, and so on.
There are a wide variety of existing packing boxes, one of which mainly comprises a box body and cover, the cover being connected on a swivel to box body. However, most of these packing boxes do not have an non-slip function. When such box is placed on a surface, since it has no non-slip setting, such box is easy to drop, knock over, and so on because of someone's carelessness, so that the product in the box is dropped, lost or destroyed, which brings inconvenience for people using the packing box and cannot protect the product better.
For example, regarding to the packing box for a bracket, if a bracket packing box placed on a surface is dropped, knocked over, and so on, the bracket in the bracket packing box will drop, or even lost, thus affecting the orthodontia by a doctor.

Packing box and method for using the same


A tetragonal lattice is formed by first cylindrical structural members, and a photonic crystal has a periodical structure formed by a periodical arrangement of such tetragonal lattice. A distance between center points of the first cylindrical structural members is taken as a unit length a, which constitutes a lattice constant of the tetragonal lattice. At an approximate center of the tetragonal lattice, a cylindrical structural member is provided, and a dielectric area is provided around the first cylindrical structural members and the second cylindrical structural member. This structure allows the formation of a photonic band gap for a TE wave and a photonic band gap for a TM wave in a certain common frequency region, thereby forming a complete band gap.

Recently, photonic crystals are becoming increasingly important as devices for controlling electromagnetic waves such as light. A photonic crystal is a periodical structured member showing a periodical change in a dielectric constant in crystal-constituting regions, with a periodical dielectric change comparable to a wavelength of an electromagnetic wave such as light, and can realize novel electromagnetic characteristics by an artificial periodical structure. Such structure is featured, like a band gap formation in a semiconductor substance by a Bragg reflection of electrons by periodical potentials of atomic nuclei, by a formation of band gap to an electromagnetic wave such as light, as such electromagnetic wave is subjected to a Bragg reflection by periodical distribution of refractive index. In a photonic crystal, such band gap is called a photonic band gap. Such photonic band gap, in which an electromagnetic wave such as light cannot exist, allows to arbitrarily control the electromagnetic wave such as light.
A band gap which inhibits a propagation of an electromagnetic wave such as light in all the directions is called a complete band gap. In case such complete band gap is made possible, an ultra small device can be prepared in a photonic crystal, by forming a point defect or a linear defect therein. For example, in case of artificially perturbing a part of a periodicity in the photonic crystal, a defect level is formed in the photonic band gap and an electromagnetic wave such as light is allowed to exist only in such defect level, and such phenomenon can be utilized for example in a resonator. Also in case of forming a linear defect, an electromagnetic wave such as light can propagate along an array of defects but cannot propagate in other areas than the defects, so that an ultra small waveguide can be formed.
Therefore, in order to exploit the characteristics of the photonic band gap, it is necessary to prepare a photonic crystal having a complete band gap.
As a photonic crystal structure having a wide complete band gap, there is known a photonic crystal having a three-dimensional periodical structure (hereinafter represented as three-dimensional photonic crystal) such as a Yablonovite structure (for example Patent Literature 1) or a Woodpile structure (for example Non-Patent Literature 1). Such crystals have a wide complete band gap, but are very difficult to produce because of structures thereof Also in case one of the plural dielectric substances constituting the photonic crystal is air, the three-dimensional periodical structure cannot be maintained when the dielectric substances are arranged three-dimensionally and in a non-contact manner as in a certain diamond or opal structure.
On the other hand, a photonic crystal having a two-dimensional periodical structure (hereinafter represented as two-dimensional photonic crystal) is easier to prepare in comparison with the three-dimensional photonic crystal. For example, as a two-dimensional photonic crystal having a complete band gap, there is known a two-dimensional photonic crystal constituted of a triangular lattice arrangement formed by a circular hole (for example Patent Literature 2). Also as a relatively easily produceable structure, a two-dimensional photonic crystal having a tetragonal lattice arrangement formed by circular holes or cylinders is known.
Also the photonic crystal is formed from two or more dielectric substances. Ordinarily there are employed two substances, one of which is often air because of an ease in manufacture and a low loss. For example, in the aforementioned two-dimensional photonic crystal constituted of a trigonal lattice structure or a tetragonal lattice structure, such trigonal lattice or tetragonal lattice is formed by air.
Patent Literature 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,267
Patent Literature 2: JPA No. 2001-272555 (paragraph [0023], FIG. 1)
Non-Patent Literature 1: E. Knobloch, A. Deane, J. Toomre and D. R. Moore, Contemp. Math., 56, 203 (1986).
However, in the two-dimensional photonic crystal constituted of a trigonal lattice arrangement as described in Patent Literature 2, a widest complete band gap is obtained for r/a of 0.48 (wherein r is a radius of a circular hole and a is a lattice constant of the photonic crystal). Therefore, a thickness between the circular holes becomes as small as 0.04a, and such photonic crystal is very difficult to prepare.
Also a two-dimensional photonic crystal constituted of a tetragonal lattice structure, in case the tetragonal lattice is formed by circular holes, shows a band gap to a TE wave (transverse electric wave) of the incident electromagnetic wave but does not show a band gap to a TM wave (transverse magnetic wave). On the other hand, in case the tetragonal lattice is formed by cylinders, it shows a band gap to the TM wave but does not show a band gap to the TE wave. Therefore, a complete band gap cannot be obtained in the two-dimensional photonic crystals constituted by such tetragonal lattices.
Thus, there is required a two-dimensional photonic crystal that can be prepared easily and that shows band gaps to both the TE wave and the TM wave in all the incident angles in order to obtain a complete band gap.
On the other hand, as the photonic crystal is generally prepared by a semiconductor manufacturing technology and a photoforming technology, materials to be employed are limited to semiconductor materials and photosettable resins. These materials have relatively small relative dielectric constants, so that a wide band gap is difficult to obtain. A method of mixing a ceramic powder in a photosettable resin is also known, but a high relative dielectric constant cannot be obtained as the relative dielectric constant is governed by a logarithmic mixing rule and is principally influenced by the relative dielectric constant of the resin, so that a wide band gap is difficult to obtain.

Two-dimensional photonic crystal, and waveguide and resonator using the same


A method for depositing a high-k dielectric material on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The method includes applying a chemical bath to a surface of a substrate, rinsing the surface, applying a co-reactant bath to the surface of the substrate, and rinsing the surface. The chemical bath includes a metal precursor which includes at least a hafnium compound, an aluminium compound, a titanium compound, zirconium compound, a scandium compound, a yttrium compound or a lanthanide compound.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to liquid phase deposition of a high-k dielectric material on a semiconductor substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
Dielectric materials with high dielectric constant (high-k) are desirable for use as gate dielectrics in semiconductor devices.
Conventional methods of depositing a high-k dielectric film on a semiconductor substrate include physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is a gas-phase thin film deposition method based on alternate saturative surface reactions.
In ALD, separate pulses of reactive vapor streams are led to a process chamber containing a semiconductor substrate, where the pulses can be separated by purging or evacuating. During each pulse, a self-limited chemisorbed layer is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The reaction chamber is then purged or evacuated to remove traces of non-chemisorbed first reactant from the gas phase. In the next pulse, the chemisorbed layer is exposed to a second reactant which forms a thin film of dielectric material on the semiconductor substrate. This cycle may be repeated until a desired thickness is obtained for the dielectric material deposited onto the substrate. Although the ALD method may have advantages over the PVD and CVD methods, the ALD method still suffers from problems with film quality, film continuity and film contamination.

Deposition method for high-k dielectric materials


An all optical radio frequency converter. The invention relates to a microtoroid optomechanical oscillator that can provide a local oscillation frequency and a mixing functionality. The microtoroid optomechanical oscillator can be fabricated from a silica-on-silicon wafer. When an input optical signal having an optical carrier frequency carrying a modulated RF signal representing information is applied to the microtoroid optomechanical oscillator, a signal including the baseband information modulated on the optical carrier is provided as output. The output signal can be detected with a photodetector. Information carried by the optical signal can be recorded and/or displayed to a user. Injection locking of the microtoroid optomechanical oscillator can be accomplished by providing a signal of suitable frequency. The frequency and the phase of operation of the microtoroid optomechanical oscillator can be locked to the respective frequency and phase of the injected locking signal.

In an electronic homodyne receiver known in the prior art (as shown in FIG. 1(a)) a baseband signal provided using an RF carrier is down-converted from the RF carrier by mixing the received signal with a signal from a local oscillator (LO) that has the same frequency as the RF carrier (fRF). The mixing occurs in an RF mixer through the nonlinearities of electronic elements (such as diodes and transistors). The LO also uses electronic components as well as an electromechanical reference resonator such as a quartz crystal.
Today many RF communication links use an optical carrier to improve the bandwidth, reduce the loss and the overall cost by replacing bulky RF cables with thin optical fibers. In these links (also known as RF sub-carrier optical links) the data modulated RF carrier is up-converted to optical frequencies. The RF signals transported using optical frequencies (as the carrier) require conversion to electrical signals before processing. After conversion to electronic domain conventional electronic technology is used to process the RF signal. It is desirable to perform the required RF signal processing in optical domain in order to avoid the extra loss, cost and complexity associated with optical-to-electrical conversion. Moreover an all-optical communication system has the extra benefit of isolation from external electromagnetic radiation. As a result an all-optical link is not susceptible to electromagnetic noise and it is very secure (since it is not accessible wirelessly).
There is a need for an all-optical RF frequency converter that would eliminate the need to convert optical signals to electrical signals prior to processing those signals.

Photonic RF down-converter based on optomechanical oscillation


A process of cleaning debris (24) from a partially-sawn semiconductor wafer (10). The method of the present invention includes cleaning a partially fabricated wafer (12) that may have fabricated on it a micromechanical device (16) which can be easily damaged by particles (24) generated by the partial-saw process, such as oxide particles. The present invention includes cleaning the partially-sawn wafer with a solution including diluted hydrofluoric acid and an alkyl glycol. Clean-up using this solution accomplishes two goals. First, it removes debris including oxide particles on the wafer surface and in the kerfs (22), and second, reduces the depth of damage in the surface (26) of a CMOS layer (14) proximate the kerf (22) which has been determined to be a source of particles generated after a wafer cleanup process. A subsequent megasonic process is utilized to acoustically vibrate the wafer while bathed in deionized water to further remove any other particles. After the clean-up process of the present invention, the semiconductor wafer is completed by performing at least one more semiconductor process. An substantially improved yield is realized by utilizing the cleaning process of the present invention.

Conventional manufacturing techniques mass produce integrated circuit dies from wafers, typically silicon wafers. Each wafer is processed by subjecting the wafer to a series of processes including material deposition and etching procedures to create several integrated circuit dies on the wafer. The wafer is then partitioned and separated along streets to create individual die, typically through a sawing process. These dies are then bonded to leads, and finally packaged in a ceramic or plastic housing to form the final integrated circuit.
In the case of manufacturing micromechanical devices, as well as other devices such as biological or chemical sensors, it is desired to further process the semiconductor wafer after a "partial saw" process, that is, before the wafer is completely diced or cut to form each of the individual die. The partial-saw process is beneficial to initially and accurately cut the wafer along the streets while the wafer is easily registerable with processing equipment, and before the circuit is complete. However, this partial-saw process undesirably generates particles which can contaminate, damage, and possibly render useless, the individual dies if not carefully controlled. Micromechanical devices generally include miniature devices manufactured upon a substrate and have moving parts. Some examples include microaccelerometers, micromotors and gears. These micromechanical devices are particularly vulnerable to particles, and thus the partial-saw process is useful to achieve a partial cut before the moving parts are defined. Clean-up to remove residual debris and particles after the partial-saw process is critical.
A recent innovation of Texas Instruments Incorporated of Dallas Texas, is the digital micromirror device or the deformable mirror device (collectively DMD). The DMD is an electro/mechanical/optical Spatial light modulator (SLM) suitable for use in displays, projectors and hard copy printers. The DMD is a monolithic single-chip integrated circuit SLM, comprised of a high density array of 16 micron square movable micromirrors on 17 micron centers. These mirrors are fabricated and supported over address circuitry including an array of SRAM cells and address electrodes. Each mirror forms one pixel of the DMD array and is bistable, that is to say, stable in one of two positions, wherein a source of light directed upon the mirror array will be reflected in one of two directions. In one stable "on" mirror position, incident light to that mirror will be reflected to a projector lens and focused on a display screen or a photosensitive element of a printer. In the other "off" mirror position, light directed on the mirror will be deflected to a light absorber. Each mirror of the array is individually controlled to either direct incident light into the projector lens, or to the light absorber. The projector lens ultimately focuses and magnifies the modulated light from the pixel mirror array onto a display screen and produce an image in the case of a display. If each pixel mirror of the DMD array is in the "on" position, the displayed image will be an array of bright pixels.
For a more detailed discussion of the DMD device and uses, cross reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,049 to Hornbeck, entitled "Spatial Light Modulator and Method"; U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,544 to DeMond, et al, entitled "Standard Independent Digitized Video System"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,369 to Nelson, entitled "Printing System Exposure Module Alignment Method and Apparatus of Manufacture", each patent being assigned to the same assignee of the present invention and the teachings of each are incorporated herein by reference. Gray scale of the pixels forming the image is achieved by pulse-width modulation techniques of the mirrors, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,652, entitled "DMD Architecture and Timing for Use in a Pulse-Width Modulated Display System", assigned to the same assignee of the present invention, and the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The individual mirrors of the DMD mirror array are easily susceptible to damage from debris including particles generated during the wafer saw and/or break process. Because the DMD is a micromechanical device with movable pixel mirrors, the DMDs fabricated upon a wafer may not be conveniently covered with a protective oxide coating prior to a final saw process as is conventional with other semiconductor processing techniques. Moreover, due to the conductive address electrodes with are positioned below the conductive mirrors, a conductive particle entrapped between the mirror and address electrode could easily short the mirror to the address electrode. Thus, it is particularly important in the case of the DMD to avoid leaving behind any particles during the wafer saw process and clean process.
As disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,876 entitled Grid Array Masking Tape Process, one technique to protect the wafer during sawing is to utilize a grid array masking tape over the active surface of the processed wafer. The tape adheres to the wafer along a grid extending between the formed integrated circuits and prevents debris from damaging the active surface during the sawing process. The tape is removed after the saw process and then the photoresist under the mirror layer is undercut by a plasma etch process to form wells under the mirrors, allowing the mirrors to deflect.
Other techniques for processing a wafer to form micromechanical devices are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,706 entitled "Integrated Partial Sawing Process", U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,559, entitled "Wafer-Like Processing after Sawing DMDs", U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,876 entitled "Grid Array Masking Tape Process", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,182, entitled "Use of a Saw Frame with Tape as a Substrate Carrier for Wafer Level Backend Processing". The teaching of each of these commonly assigned patents is incorporated herein by reference.
In commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/369,838 entitled "Separation of Wafer into Die with Wafer-Level Processing", there is disclosed a method of covering the surface of a wafer with a protective coating, whereby separation lines are then inscribed on the top surface of the wafer. These separation lines represent boundaries between die and have a predetermined depth. After the protective coating is removed, the wafer is further processed with at least one more wafer-level process. Finally, the wafer is separated into die along the separation lines. In this patent application, there is taught a method whereby the protective coating maybe accomplished by first spinning-on a layer of photoresist and then depositing a thin oxide layer. This protective layer is later removed during the cleaning step using solvents, solvent streams, or ashing. In addition, a wet etch process can be used to remove a resist material.
One technical challenge encountered during the processing of the DMD is the fact that the micromechanical mirrors and associated support structure are fabricated upon CMOS addressing circuitry. Thus, when the wafer is partially sawn along the streets to form kerfs, oxide particles from the CMOS layer of the wafer are generated, and may become disposed within the kerfs. These oxide particles can also be scattered about and disposed upon the protective layer, as shown in FIG. 1.
Although there are several techniques available for removing this debris including oxide particles, it has now recently been discovered that even after a cleanup process to remove oxide particles from the wafer surface and kerfs, the edges of the buried CMOS layer adjacent the kerfs will continue to generate oxide particles over time, after a clean-up process. It has now been discovered that the subsequent generation of these oxide particles from the CMOS layer is due to the microscopic damage, including cracks, in the CMOS layer walls adjacent these kerfs. Time, vibration and other factors facilitate the continuous release of these microscopic oxide particles from the CMOS layer adjacent the kerfs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of cleaning a semiconductor wafer after a partial saw process, and before subsequent processing, which also substantially reduces or eliminates the subsequent generation of debris, including oxide particles from the CMOS layer, after the post-saw cleanup process. Such a method of reducing the subsequent generation of oxide particles should realize substantially higher yield of dies, especially those of the micromechanical type including DMD's, but also other integrated circuits and devices that require subsequent processing including chemical or biological sensors.

Method of cleaning wafer after partial saw


The present invention is to provide a back support plate, which is integrally formed of plastic and includes an upper portion with an inner-side having a vertical curvature and a horizontal curvature that respectively conform to the curvature of human thoracic vertebrae and a horizontal curvature of the human back corresponding in position to the thoracic vertebrae, and a lower portion with an inner-side having a vertical curvature and a horizontal curvature that respectively conform to the curvature of human lumbar vertebrae and a horizontal curvature of the human back corresponding in position to the lumbar vertebrae. The two inner-sides are protrudingly provided with a plurality of protruding knobs which correspond in position to two lateral sides of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and have upwardly and downwardly decreasing widths, respectively, such that the joining section between the two portions extends to the two lateral sides of the human back.

According to surveys and research conducted by the present inventor, many white-collar workers, heavy computer users, and people who are required to sit long hours at work or performing their duties (e.g., drivers) tend to use backrests to support their upper and lower back and the surrounding muscle tissues, with a view to relieving the pressure on the spinal joints and spinal discs in the upper and lower back and the related muscle tissues, and to limiting the activity of the back and lumbar vertebrae so as to maintain the normal curvatures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. It is intended that forces acting on the joints can be reduced, and muscles relaxed, by adjusting or correcting body postures. Backrests are also used to alleviate muscle fatigue and pain, promote blood circulation in back muscles, enhance the recovery of back muscle tissues, and relax muscles in the neck, the shoulders, and the upper and lower back so that the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae can be gradually fine-tuned to their proper positions.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate two of the most common backrests on the market, namely the short backrest 10 in FIG. 1 and the tall backrest 20 in FIG. 2. Both are made by covering a hard board with a bulky foam cushion and then enclosing the hard board and the foam cushion with a piece of mesh cloth made of nylon, Lycra, or other synthetic fibers. When the backrests 10 and 20 are newly made, their foam cushions conform to the configuration of the human back and therefore feel comfortable during use. When they are used for quite some time, however, almost all users will find the following drawbacks and deficiencies of the backrests 10 and 20 and use them no more:
(1) The curve of the hard board in either conventional backrest 10, 20—particularly the curve of the inner side (i.e., the user facing side) of the central longitudinal cross-section of the hard board—does not conform to the S-shaped curve jointly created by the kyphotic curve of the human thoracic spine and the lordotic curve of the human lumbar spine as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, the hard boards themselves are totally incapable of properly and stably supporting the user's thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12 and lumbar vertebrae L1˜L5 and the surrounding muscle tissues. To compensate for this shortcoming of the conventional backrests 10 and 20, the hard boards are covered with the aforesaid foam cushions, whose configurations and elasticity can make the user feel that their upper and lower back is well supported. Nevertheless, this "feel" of support is only an imaginary support simulated by the foam cushions but not a substantial, proper, stable support. After long term use, the conventional backrests 10 and 20 tend to lose all their expected supporting abilities due to deformation of the foam cushions, or even cause the thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12, the lumber vertebrae L1˜L5, and the surrounding muscle tissues to shift to improper positions, which is contrary to the essential purpose of using the backrests 10 and 20: to fine-tune or correct the positions of the cervical vertebrae C1˜C7, the thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12, and the lumbar vertebrae L1˜L5.
(2) The elasticity of the foam cushions, when new, often render the inner sides (i.e., the user facing sides) of the conventional backrests 10 and 20 too soft. Once the foam cushions show elastic fatigue after long term use, however, the inner sides of the backrests will become exceptionally stiff because of the material properties of the hard boards. In either case, the conventional backrests 10 and 20 fail to provide proper and stable support for the user's thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12 and lumber vertebrae L1˜L5 and the surrounding muscle tissues. Rather, the conventional backrests 10 and 20 are very likely to fatigue the foregoing vertebrae and muscle tissues by supporting them at the wrong positions. Should that happen, the user may adjust their sitting posture incorrectly, and an incorrect sitting posture may eventually shift the thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12, the lumber vertebrae L1˜L5, and the surrounding muscle tissues to improper positions.
(3) The conventional backrests 10 and 20 are bulky. When placed against the backrest of a chair, they tend to occupy so much sitting space that the user's buttocks cannot be correctly positioned. As a result, referring back to FIG. 3, the user's sacral vertebrae S will not form the normal S-shaped curve with the lumbar vertebrae L1˜L5 and thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12 above, and the surrounding muscle tissues will be tense and cannot be easily relaxed. In particular, when disposed against the backrest of the driver's seat in an automobile, the conventional backrests 10 and 20 often take up too much sitting space and thus deprive the user's buttocks of sufficient support, making it difficult for the user's feet to operate the throttle pedal or the brake pedal properly, which is dangerous.
(4) The conventional backrests 10 and 20 are seat cushions at best. While they provide a comfortable sitting environment at the beginning, they become useless as soon as the comfortable feel is gone. Discarding the backrests, however, is a waste of resources and environmentally unfriendly.
(5) The conventional backrests 10 and 20 are incapable of applying acupressure to the user's back. Nor can they be installed with electrodes which work with electrotherapy devices to electrically stimulate the acupoints on the user's back.
(6) Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the conventional backrests 10 and 20 are not designed to support the user's cervical vertebrae C1˜C7, and yet a twisted cervical spine may gradually shift the thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12, the lumbar vertebrae L1˜L5, and the surrounding muscle tissues to improper positions.
Hence, the issue to be addressed by the present invention is to design a novel backrest which overcomes the aforesaid problems, and compensates for the functional deficiencies, of the conventional backrests 10 and 20. It is desirable that the backrest is structurally simple, allows ample sitting space when placed against the backrest of a chair, and can properly and fully support the user's cervical vertebrae C1˜C7, thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12, and lumber vertebrae L1˜L5, so as for the user to relax their neck, shoulders, upper and lower back, and the related muscle groups and thereby fine-tune the cervical vertebrae C1˜C7, thoracic vertebrae T1˜T12, and lumber vertebrae L1˜L5 to their proper positions.


A rotary electronic candle, including a candle body having a hollow cavity with a candle wick, the candle wick including a battery box base, a plurality of fixing columns, a motor fixing ring, a cover plate, a motor, a rotating shaft, a light source plate and a hemispherical cover. The fixing columns are fixed at the upper end of the battery box base, the motor fixing ring is located between the plurality of fixing columns, and the cover plate is covered on the upper end face of the motor fixing ring. A through hole is formed in the center of the cover plate, the motor is installed in the motor fixing ring, the rotating shaft is connected with the motor shaft of the motor and penetrates through the through hole, and the light source plate is fixed on the cover plate.

Candles are decorative daily necessities. Traditional candles are mainly used for lighting and are achieved by burning wax oil. Candles gradually become shorter due to combustion and are used up finally, meanwhile with the development of society, the function of candles is no longer limited to lighting, but also plays the role of decorating and adding to atmosphere, for example on birthday parties, friend dinners, and dates. Several candles can be lighted to add a romantic atmosphere due to the sparkly candlelight. However, burning candles are not only troublesome, but also have large potential safety hazards. In view of this, electronic candles are proposed, but most electronic candles can only emit light and can play music at most, and the ornamental value is too low to meet the needs of people at present.

NANTONG YA TAI CANDLE ARTS & CRAFTS CO., LTD.


An apparatus for transmitting/receiving a signal in a communication system is provided. A Mobile Station (MS) spreads a transmission signal to generate a spreading signal, receives, from a Base Station (BS), information on a second spreading signal transmission region, extended from a first spreading signal transmission region, and maps the generated spreading signal to a subcarrier in the second spreading signal transmission region. A Base Station (BS) transmits information on a second spreading signal transmission region extended from a first spreading signal transmission region, for reception of a spreading signal, receives a spreading signal mapped to subcarriers over the second spreading signal transmission region, from an Mobile Station (MS), detects a spreading signal from the spread signal mapped to the subcarriers, and despreads the detected spreading signal to restore a transmission signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving an uplink spreading signal in a communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current communication systems transmit/receive signals using, for example, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and/or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). In addition, the communication systems use, for example, Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC), Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), multi-antenna, etc. taking into account a high-speed service supporting capability, a bandwidth utilization efficiency, etc.
The communication system includes a transmitter and a receiver, for example, a Mobile Station (MS) and a Base Station (BS), for transmitting/receiving signals. A description will now be given of a signal transmission from the MS to the BS. A signal transmitted from the MS includes control information being fed back to the BS. The control information is information which is fed back from the MS to the BS due to the application of AMC, HARQ, multi-antenna, etc. and includes, for example, Channel Quality Information (CQI), Acknowledgement/Non-Acknowledgement (ACK/NACK), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) mode switching information, etc.
The MS spreads the control information with a spreading code to generate a spreading signal (or spread signal), and transmits the generated spreading signal to the BS. Therefore, MSs of the communication system can transmit control information to the BS using the spreading code.
To this end, the communication system reserves uplink signal transmission resources for the transmission of the spreading signal. The MSs transmit their generated spreading signals to the BS over the reserved resource region. A description will now be made of a spreading signal transmission region reserved for the transmission of control information, i.e., spreading signal, in uplink resources of the communication system.
FIG. 1 illustrates an uplink frame including a spreading signal transmission region in a conventional communication system.
Referring to FIG. 1, an uplink (UL) frame 111 includes a spreading signal transmission region 113 for transmission of control information that MSs each feed back to a BS. Herein, the control information is a spreading signal which is spread with a spreading code.
The uplink frame 111, as illustrated in the drawing, includes a plurality of symbols and a plurality of subcarriers. Therefore, the MS can transmit a control signal such as the Channel Quality Information (CQI), Acknowledgement/Non-Acknowledgement (ACK/NACK), and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) mode switching information over the spreading signal transmission region 113.
In the communication system, an index of an MS is assumed herein to be 'i'. A spreading signal corresponding to the feedback information that an MS #i transmits to the BS is defined herein as Ci,n, where n denotes a value between 0 and N−1. For generation of the spreading signal, the MS performs Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation on a spreading code with an N-subcarrier length.
The spreading signal transmission region 113 includes N subcarriers. The parameter N is a multiple of the minimum uplink resource allocation unit Nalloc, and Nalloc, has various values greater than '1' for each communication system. If the N subcarriers are defined as Sn, n has a value between 1 and N−1. The N subcarriers can be adjacent to each other or distributed over the full band according to the resource structure of the uplink frame.
The signals Sn that MSs transmit over the spreading signal transmission region 113 can be expressed as Sn=Ci,n.
Assume that the number of MSs transmitting uplink feedback information is I and that the MSs each transmit one spreading signal. In this case, if uplink power control is performed in the ideal channel environment, signals received at the BS are expressed as Equation (1).
                              S          n                =                              ∑                          i              =              0                                      I              -              1                                                                                C                          i              ,              n                                                          (        1        )
The maximum number of spreading signals transmittable through the signal Sn should be limited such that the BS receiving the spreading signals can detect each spreading code at a specific error rate through despreading. Since the despreading process and an operation of finding a detection probability depart from the scope of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein for simplicity.
However, it is possible to set the maximum number Imax of spreading signals separately for each communication system. Therefore, in the case where the communication system satisfies Sn=Ci,n (where n=0˜N−1), if the number of spreading signals corresponding to the uplink control information is assumed to be I, the amount of subcarrier resources to be allocated in the spreading signal transmission region 113 is expressed as Equation (2).┌I/Imax┐×N  (2)
In Equation (2), ┌x┐ denotes the minimum integer greater than x.
With reference to FIG. 2, a description will now be given of a spreading signal transmission region that results from increasing the amount of resources.
FIG. 2 illustrates a spreading signal transmission region for the transmission of control information in a conventional communication system.
Referring to FIG. 2, MSs use a first spreading signal transmission region 210 and a second spreading signal transmission region 250, for the transmission of control information. A BS receives the spreading signal from MSs over the first spreading signal transmission region 210 and the second spreading signal transmission region 250.
When using the first spreading signal transmission region 210, MSs each transmit a maximum of Imax spreading signals. When the number of spreading signals included in one spreading signal transmission region exceeds a specific threshold, it is impossible for the BS to receive the spreading signal(s) that exceeds the threshold in number. Therefore, the number of spreading signals that MSs can transmit over one spreading signal transmission region is previously determined.
Assume that a signal Sn is transmitted over the first spreading signal transmission region 210 and that the signal Sn includes N subcarriers. Imax signals 211, 213 and 215 transmitted over the first spreading signal transmission region 210 are shown.
Assume that the number of spreading signals that MSs will transmit to the BS is Imax+1. In this case, because it has exceeded the maximum number of spreading signals transmittable over one spreading signal transmission region in an uplink frame, the BS should additionally use another spreading signal transmission region, i.e., the second spreading signal transmission region 250, for transmission of the exceeding spreading signal, i.e., one spreading signal 251.
Like this, even though the number of spreading signals that exceeds the maximum number Imax of spreading signals is only one, there is a need for a separate second spreading signal transmission region 250 which is equal in size to the first spreading signal transmission region 210. As a result, in order to transmit the Imax+1 spreading signals, there is a need for 2N subcarriers, assuming that the number of resources, i.e., subcarriers, of each spreading signal transmission region is N.
Therefore, for the transmission of the spreading signals, where there is a number of spreading signals which exceed the maximum number of spreading signals to be transmitted over one spreading signal transmission region with a preset size, it is necessary to additionally use a separate spreading signal transmission region. In other words, there is a need to use a spreading signal transmission region with a preset size regardless of the number of the exceeding spreading signals, causing a waste of resources.

Apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving a signal in a communication system


A screw feeding apparatus, which is designed for use with power tools, has a casing for holding screws, a platform slidably disposed in the casing for supporting and advancing the screw, a chamber assembly and a clamp assembly. In particular, the chamber assembly has an elongated cylinder for guiding the screw into a work surface. The clamp assembly is situated in the chamber assembly so that each screw from the casing is properly positioned for engaging a screwdriver bit. The screw feeding apparatus also includes a loading sleeve coupled to a rear cylinder mounted on the rear end of the chamber assembly. When the loading sleeve is retracted with respect to the rear cylinder, a screw is loaded into the chamber assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power screwdriver, and more particularly, to an automatic screw feeding apparatus for use with a power screwdriver.
2. Description of Related Art
Various types of power screwdrivers have been developed to increase work productivity. They come in various sizes and styles, but with one thing in common. That is, almost all of them require an operator to manually hold a screw when using the power screwdriver. The inconvenience of holding each screw is compounded since the work productivity is limited by how fast screws are provided to the power screwdriver.
Although there are some screw feeding mechanisms for use with the power tools, most of them are large and cumbersome to use. Moreover, many internal components render these feeding mechanisms difficult to troubleshoot and maintain. Alternatively, some automatic screw feeding mechanisms require specially designed screw ribbons, where screws are queued in a single line, and thus cannot be used with ordinary individual screws. This is especially cumbersome since the screw ribbons may not be always available and the ribbons may rip when used in a heavy industrial environment.


A semiconductor device for performing a sum-of-product computation and an operating method thereof are provided. The semiconductor device includes an inputting circuit, a scaling circuit, a computing memory and an outputting circuit. The inputting circuit is used for receiving a plurality of inputting signals. The inputting signals are voltages or currents. The scaling circuit is connected to the inputting circuit for transforming the inputting signals to be a plurality of compensated signals respectively. The compensated signals are voltages or currents. The computing memory is connected to the scaling circuit. The computing memory includes a plurality of computing cells and the compensated signals are applied to the computing cells respectively. The outputting circuit is connected to the computing memory for reading an outputting signals of the computing cells. The outputting signal is voltage or current.

Along with the semiconductor technology, several semiconductor devices are invented. A novel semiconductor device is used for computation, such as "sum-of-product." "sum-of-product" is useful for Artificial Intelligence technology.
However, the conductance and resistance of the semiconductor device may not be stable. The conductance and resistance may be affected by several factors. As a result, the final computation result may be changed and caused error.

Semiconductor device for performing sum-of-product computation and operating method thereof


The present invention provides a method for detecting bacteria and a nano-well device having one or more input/output connections about a gap and one or more bacteriophages at or about the gap that trigger a detectable electrical field fluctuation when the one or more bacteriophages contact a cognate target within a liquid sample.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent No. 60/630,975, filed Nov. 24, 2004, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This invention was made with U.S. Government support under U.S. Army Medical Command, as part of the project "Detection and Remediation of Chemical Threat Agents" (TEES 32536/5975Q). The government has certain rights in this invention. Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with bacterial detection.
Bacteriophages are viruses that kill bacteria. Most bacteriophages have defined host-specificity, a characteristic that has led to the widespread use of bacteriophages for typing of pathogenic bacteria ("phage typing"; see, 1–3, 6, 8, 11, 12). Double-stranded DNA phages can be grouped into three main morphotypes: myophages, which have contractile tails; siphophages; which have flexible, non-contractile tails, and podophages, which have short, "stumpy" tails.
Bacteriophages are the most numerous biological entities, estimated at 1031 in the biosphere, and are unimaginably diverse. Phages exist with a wide range of host specificities, from narrow host range phages like λ, which infects only some strains of E. coli, to generalists like P1, which can inject its DNA into all enterobacteria and even myxobacteria. Consequently, phages have long been used as a "low-tech" method to type bacteria in clinical microbiology environments. Attempts to exploit the specificity of phages in detection and identification of pathogenic bacteria have been burdened by the requirement of culturing the target bacteria, growing the infected culture, and assaying the production of progeny virions, processes which at minimum require hours and also knowledge of the culture conditions is required.
The committed step in bacteriophage infection is irreversible adsorption. For double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) phages, the results from interactions between the specific adsorption apparatus, usually tail fibers, with specific receptors on the surface of the host cell. For two of the three main morphotypes of dsDNA phages, the myophages with contractile tails and the siphophages with flexible tails, the injection of DNA into the host cell follows rapidly and involves the transitory formation of a channel through which the phage DNA passes into the target cytoplasm. Concomitant with injection is a short-lived membrane depolarization and an efflux of K+ ions from the cytoplasm, at a rate of ˜106/sec per infected cell, before a poorly-understood re-sealing process occurs, allowing re-energization of the membrane and the commencement of the infection program.

Sensing phage-triggered ion cascade (SEPTIC)


The purpose of the present invention is to provide an oxide semiconductor thin film, which has relatively high carrier mobility and is suitable as a channel layer material for a TFT, from an oxynitride crystalline thin film. According to the present invention, a crystalline oxynitride semiconductor thin film is obtained by annealing an amorphous oxynitride semiconductor thin film containing In, O, and N or an amorphous oxynitride semiconductor thin film containing In, O, N, and an additional element M, where M is one or more elements selected from among Zn, Ga, Ti, Si, Ge, Sn, W, Mg, Al, Y and rare earth elements, at a heating temperature of 200° C. or more for a heating time of 1 minute to 120 minutes.

A thin-film transistor (TFT) is a kind of field effect transistor (FET). A TFT is basically a three-terminal element that has a gate terminal, a source terminal, and a drain terminal, and is an active element having a function of using a semiconductor thin film that is formed on a substrate as a channel layer in which electrons or holes migrate, applying a voltage to the gate terminal, controlling the current that flows in the channel layer, and switching the current between the source terminal and the drain terminal. Currently, polycrystalline silicon film or amorphous silicon film is widely used as the channel layer of a TFT.
The amorphous silicon film is capable of being uniformly formed on a 10th-generation glass substrate having a large surface area, and is widely used for the channel layer of a liquid-crystal panel TFT. However, the mobility of carrier electrons (carrier mobility) is a low 1 cm2/Vsec or less, so application in a high-definition panel TFT is becoming difficult. In other words, as liquid crystals become to have higher definition, there is a need for high-speed driving of a TFT, and in order to achieve high-speed driving of this kind of TFT, it is necessary to use a semiconductor thin film having a carrier mobility that is higher than the 1 cm2/Vsec carrier mobility of an amorphous film as the channel layer.
On the other hand, the polycrystalline silicon film has a high carrier mobility of about 100 cm2/Vsec, so has sufficient characteristics as channel-layer material for a high-definition panel TFT. However, a polycrystalline silicon film has low carrier mobility at the crystal grain boundaries, so there is a problem in that there is poor uniformity in the surface of the substrate, and variation in the TFT characteristics occurs. Moreover, in the manufacturing process of a polycrystalline silicon film, after forming an amorphous film at a comparatively low temperature of 300° C. or lower, the film is crystallized by an annealing process. This annealing process is a special process that employs excimer laser annealing or the like, so a high running cost is required. In addition, the size of the glass substrate that can be used remains at a 5th-generation size, there is a limit to the reduction in cost, and product development is also limited.
Therefore, currently as material for the channel layer of a TFT, there is a need for a material that has both the excellent characteristics of an amorphous silicon film and a polycrystalline silicon film and that can be obtained a low cost. For example, JP 2010-219538 (A) discloses a transparent amorphous oxide thin film (a-IGZO film) that is formed by a vapor phase film formation method, has In (indium), Ga (gallium), An (zinc), and O (oxygen) without added impurity ions, and has a carrier mobility that is higher than 1 cm2/Vsec, and a carrier density that is 1016/cm3 or less.
However, even though the a-IGZO film disclosed in JP 2010-219538 (A) that is formed by a vapor phase film formation method such as a sputtering method or pulse laser vapor deposition method has a comparatively high carrier mobility within the range 1 cm2/Vsec to 10 cm2/Vsec, an amorphous oxide thin film inherently has problems in that oxygen deficiency easily occurs, and operation of a device such as a TFT sometimes becomes unstable because of the fact that the behavior of the carrier electrons is not always stable due to external factors such as heat.
Furthermore, the occurrence of a phenomenon in which the threshold voltage will shift to the negative side when a negative bias is continuously applied to a TFT element under visible-light irradiation (light negative bias degradation phenomenon), which is unique to amorphous film, is identified as a serious problem for use in displays such as a liquid-crystal display.
On the other hand, JP 2008-192721 (A) discloses an In2O3 (indium oxide) film that is doped with Sn (tin), Ti (titanium) or W (tungsten), or a In2O3 film that is doped with W, Zn and/or Sn with the object of obtaining a thin-film transistor that is low cost and is able to achieve both high performance and high reliability, and that can be used for manufacturing elements for a polymeric material that does not require high-temperature processing. According to JP 2008-192721 (A), by using these amorphous In2O3 films for a channel layer, it is possible to make the carrier mobility of a TFT element 5 cm2/Vsec or greater.
Moreover, JP 2010-251604 (A) discloses an amorphous In2O3 film that is obtained by forming a film using a no-heating sputtering method with an In2O3 sintered compact that is doped with one or two or more elements selected from among Sn, Ti, W, and Zn as a target, and then performing heat treatment for 10 minutes to 120 minutes at 150° C. to 300° C. According to JP 2010-251604 (A), by performing this kind of heat treatment, it is possible to obtain a very stable In2O3 film through comparatively simple control while maintaining the characteristic of having both high carrier mobility and an amorphous nature.
Furthermore, in JP 2011-58012 (A) discloses an amorphous In2O3 film having excellent stability that includes In, Ga, Zn, O, and N (nitrogen), and is controlled so that the concentration of N is no less than 1×1020 atom/cc and no more than 1×1022 atom/cc.
However, the In2O3 films that are disclosed in the cited literature above are amorphous films, so basically problems such as the easy occurrence of oxygen deficiency, the films becoming unstable due to external factors such as heat, or the problem of the occurrence of the light negative bias degradation phenomenon cannot be solved. Moreover, in considering use as a channel-layer material for a high-definition panel TFT, achieving even higher carrier mobility is desired.
On the other hand, "Applied Physics Express 5 (2012) 011)" discloses an In2O3 film doped with Ga that is obtained by forming an amorphous film using a sputtering method with an In2O3 sintered compact doped with Ga as a target, and then crystallizing the film by performing heat treatment for 1 hour at 300° C. Even though this film has high carrier mobility, controlling oxygen deficiency is difficult, and the carrier density become a high 1×1017 cm−3, so it is difficult to obtain a TFT element having stable characteristics.
Moreover, JP 2009-275236 (A) discloses an oxynitride semiconductor thin film that includes added elements such as Zn and an added elements such as In or Ga, the atomic composition ratio of N that is represented by N/(N+0) is 7 atomic % or greater but less than 100 atomic %. This oxynitride semiconductor thin film can be formed by introducing source gas that includes N (nitrogen) in the gaseous phase, or irradiating a N radical using a radical source, then forming a film using a sputtering method or vapor deposition method, and further arbitrarily performing heat treatment at a temperature of 150° C. to 450° C. after film formation. According to JP 2009-275236 (A), this oxynitride semiconductor thin film has a hexagonal crystal structure, high carrier mobility of 10 cm2/Vsec to 30 cm2/Vsec, and excellent stability. However, the carrier density is high at about 1×1018 cm−3.


An optical recording actuator includes: a base and a lens holder having a lens. A pair of spaced-apart flexible, inextensible, coplanar connecting members are connected between the base and the lens holder. A force is applied to the lens holder in the plane of the connecting members to generate tension in the connecting members. A motor applies forces and moments to the lens holder so that the lens holder can move the lens in a desired manner. The resulting actuator has four controllable degrees of freedom of motion relative to the base: focus, tracking, pitch and roll.

Optical disk recording and playback devices use Focus/Tracking actuators to control the lens position relative to the rotating disk. This is necessary because of unavoidable warp of the disk, spindle errors, and other mechanical and optical imperfections. Both focus (controlled by the distance between the lens and the disk surface) and tracking (the correct radial position of the lens so as to read or write a single track at a time) must be simultaneously maintained for the reader or recorder to function. The motions of the actuator are controlled by a servo system and the forces which cause these motions are typically generated by one or more electromagnetic motors.
As optical disk recording and reading devices increase in speed (read and write rate), the disk rotational velocity increases. This requires that the Focus/Tracking actuator, which controls the objective lens position so as to maintain proper focus and tracking location of the read/write spot on the disk surface, must respond more quickly and accurately to any disk warping or spindle errors. This in turn requires that any internal actuator resonances be either sufficiently high in frequency, or have sufficient damping so as to allow the required control system performance. Often, the flexures, in flexure-supported actuators, have problematic resonances with low damping, which limit the actuator servo performance.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional optical actuator generally designated 10. The optical actuator 10 includes an objective lens 12 which is well known in the art to focus a laser light beam (not shown) on the surface of an optical disk (not shown). The objective lens 12 is fixed to a lens holder 16 by an adhesive or other fastening structure (not shown). The optical actuator 10 further includes four spaced-apart flexures 18. The flexures 18 are fixed at one end to the lens holder 16 and at their other ends to a base 36. All of the flexure ends are fixed by rigid fixing means; that is, the ends of the flexures are constrained to the base 36 or the lens holder 16 in all six degrees of freedom of motion. An actuator focus coil 38 and tracking coils 40 are bonded to the lens holder 16. These coils are positioned within the magnetic flux generated by magnets 32 and magnetic flux yokes 34. The focus coil 38 and tracking coils 40 provide forces which deform the flexures 18 and move the lens holder 16 and attached objective lens 12 in the Y and Z directions so as to maintain the focus and tracking of the laser beam (not shown) on the optical disk (not shown). Because the flexures 18 are typically manufactured of metal wire, which has very low internal damping, and the end fixing means of the flexures 18 do not add significant damping, the resonances of the wire flexures have very little damping. These resonances are typically in the frequency range of 500 to 10,000 Hz, and cause problems with the stability and performance of the servo used to control the actuator.
Further, as storage capacity is increased, for example in the DVD disk, higher numerical aperture lenses are required for recording and reading data on the disk. Conventional two degrees of freedom actuators (focus and tracking) do not compensate for disk tilt and therefore their performance suffers with use of high numerical aperture lenses. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved four degree of freedom actuator (focus, tracking, pitch and roll) for use with high capacity storage media.

Optical actuator with tensioned suspension


An apparatus and a method for providing a global localization output are provided. When the apparatus receives navigation signals, the apparatus processes the signals to determine, based on a fixed earth-centered, earth-fixed (ECEF) reference pose of a reference point in an ECEF coordinate, a new ECEF pose, and to convert the fixed ECEF reference pose to an east-north-up (ENU) reference pose in an ENU coordinate. When the apparatus determines that a jump occurs in the new ECEF pose based on a pose change between the new ECEF pose and a previous ECEF pose, the apparatus calculates a reference shift of the ENU reference pose based on the pose change to absorb the jump in the ENU coordinate, and updates the ENU reference pose based on the reference shift. Thus, a new ENU local pose may be obtained using the ENU reference pose.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present invention. The subject matter discussed in the background of the invention section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background of the invention section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background of the invention section or associated with the subject matter of the background of the invention section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background of the invention section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is an essential part for obtaining accurate global positioning, and is widely used for vehicle localization purposes. Localization helps to map the position of the vehicle on the map, and model vehicle characteristics like speed, acceleration, angle of turn, etc. Due to environmental factors like Ionospherical Interference or Multipath reflections from obstacles such as tall buildings, there is sometimes noise in the satellite Observations, and the vehicle position from localization may "jump" thinking the vehicle is biased. However, the vehicle in real life clearly cannot move or "jump" beyond a certain limit, and these "jumps" are corrections of localization drifts or a result of an undesirable observation. These jumps may cause motion control to have abnormal acceleration and de-acceleration.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Apparatus, system and method for providing global localization output and application of same

GUANGZHOU XIAOPENG AUTOPILOT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A superacid catalyst comprising: zirconium oxide on whose surface sulfate groups are present, in a quality corresponding to total coverage of the surface of the zirconium oxide by means of a monolayer of these sulfate groups, optionally containing a noble metal in a quantity ranging from 0.1 to 3% by weight, with a porosity ranging from 0.1 to 0.30 cm3/g, consisting of at least 70% of pores with a diameter ranging from 1 to 4 nm, prepared by a process which comprises:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a superacid catalyst based on sulfated zirconium oxide, optionally containing a noble metal, prepared in the presence of acetylacetone. This catalyst is useful in acid-catalyzed processes and in the hydroisomerization of n-paraffins.
2. Description of the Background
Catalysts based on sulfated oxides of zirconium, titanium, iron having superacid characteristics, are known in the art, according to the definition of Gillespie, as described for example by K. Arata, Adv. Catal., 37, 165, 1990. These superacid catalysts are usually prepared by means of an articulate synthesis comprising numerous steps. For example sulfated zirconia (ZrO2/SO4xe2x88x922) is generally prepared in the following way:
1) precipitation of fresh zirconia hydroxide;
2) drying;
3) impregnation with a sulfating agent;
4) calcination.
Step (3) can be carried out in various ways: via wet inbibition point, as described in EP 520 543, by treatment with a gaseous stream of H2S or SO2, as described by J. R. Shon, H. W. Kim, in J. Mol. Catal., 52, (1989), 361, or by treatment in solution (R. Le Van Mao, S. Xiao and T. Si Le, Catal. Lett., 35, (1995), 107; D. Farcasiu, J. Qi Li, in Appl. Cat. A, 128, (1995), 97). All the steps of this preparation are critical: zirconium precursor, drying temperature, sulfating agent, concentration of the sulfating agent solution used, temperature and calcination time. As a result the control and reproducibility of the synthesis are complicated. Simplified syntheses of ZrO2/SO42xe2x88x92 comprising a single synthesis step have recently been effected. For example H. Arata et al. use Zr(SO4)2 as precursor (Bull. Chem. Soc.Jpn., 63, (1990), 244): this method however does not allow control of the sulfur content and its dispersion. U. Ciesla et al. precipitate zirconium hydroxide in the presence of alkyl sulfonates or sulfonates (EUROPACAT II Congress 3-8 September 1995). The crystallization of the amorphous phase begins at very high temperatures, higher than 650xc2x0 C. Another synthesis method in a single step is based on the gelation of Zr(OC3H7)4 dispersed in propaol, nol, in an acid environment by HNO3/H2SO4. The material, before being calcined, must be dried under supercritical conditions (D. A. Ward, E. I. Ko. J.Cat. 150, (1994), 18).
In D. Tichit et al., Catal. Let., 38 (1996) 109-113, Zr(OC3H7)4 dispersed in propanol, is gelified in an acid environment by H2SO4. The materials obtained after calcination at 650xc2x0 C. consist of tetragonal phase associated with small quantities of monoclinic phase. Patent application MI 97A00358 describes a sulfated zirconia catalyst with particular porosity characteristics and with high acid properties prepared by means of a process in a single reaction step. This superacid catalyst comprising zirconium oxide on the surface of which sulfate groups are present in a quantity corresponding to total coverage of the surface of the zirconium oxide by means of a monolayer of these sulfate groups, is characterized by a porosity ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 cm3/g consisting of at least 70% of pores having a diameter ranging from 1 to 4 nm. According to a preferred aspect, this material may additionally contain a noble metal, preferably platinum, in a quantity ranging from 0.1 to 3% by weight.
These materials are prepared by means of a process which comprises:
(a) hydrolysis in an alkaline environment of a hydrolyzable compound of zirconium in the presence of a tetra-alkylammonium hydroxide (TAA) and sulfuric acid
(b) drying of the resulting product and its calcination at a temperature ranging from 250 to 650xc2x0 C.
The materials obtained in step (b) can be impregnated with a solution of a compound of a noble metal to obtain a sulfated zirconia on whose surface a noble metal is deposited in a quantity that varies from 0.1 to 3% by weight. The presence of superacid sites in these materials was verified by pyridine absorption and FT-IR spectrum analysis. It is specified in fact by K. Tanabe et al., Successful Design of Catalysts, T. Inui Ed., (1988), 616, that sulfated zirconia has an intense IR band at about 1370 cmxe2x88x921, attributed to the asymmetrical stretching of the Sxe2x95x90O group. The absorption of pyridine causes a consistent shift of this signal and the entity of this shift is correlated to the superacid strength of the material and its catalytic properties. The material described in MI 97A00358 showed a shift ranging from 50 to 60 cmxe2x88x921 against a maximum value provided in literature of 50 cmxe2x88x921.
These catalysts based on sulfated zirconia are superacid solids and can therefore be used in acid-catalyzed reactions. When they additionally contain a noble metal they are bifunctional catalysts that can be used in the hydroisomerization process of n-paraffins, to convert these hydrocarbons with a linear chain to hydrocarbons with a branched chain. According to a preferred aspect, light n-paraffins can be particularly subjected to hydroisomerization to obtain hydrocarbons with a branched chain having a higher octane number, for use as fuels.
We have now unexpectedly found that by carrying out the synthesis of this sulfated zirconia in the presence of acetylacetone, catalysts based on zirconium oxide are obtained, on whose surface sulfate groups are present with improved superacid characteristics and which are therefore more active in acid-catalyzed reactions.
The present invention therefore relates to a superacid catalyst comprising zirconium oxide on whose surface sulfate groups are present, in a quantity corresponding to total coverage of the surface of the zirconium oxide by means of a monolayer of these sulfate groups, having a porosity ranging from 0.1 to 0.30 cm3/g, consisting of at least 70% of pores with a diameter ranging from 1 to 4 nm, optionally containing a noble metal in a quantity ranging from 0.1 to 3% by weight, obtained by means of:
(a) hydrolysis in an alkaline environment of a hydrolyzable compound of zirconium in the presence of a tetra-alkylammonium hydroxide (TAA) and sulfuric acid and acetylacetone;
(b) drying of the resulting product and calcination at a temperature ranging from 250 to 650xc2x0 C.;
(c) optional treatment of the product resulting from step (b) with an aqueous solution of a compound of a noble metal, drying and calcination.
The presence in step (a) of the synthesis of acetylacetone (AcAc) allows the preparation of sulfated zirconia with improved superacid characteristics, and therefore more active in acid-catalyzed reactions.
In step (a) of the preparation process of the material of the present invention the tetra-alkylammonium hydroxide is selected from hydroxides of the type R1R2R3R4NOH, wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or different and are alkyl groups, preferably comprising from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; the hydrolyzable derivative of zirconium is selected from alkoxyderivatives, nitrate, sulfate, and is preferably tetrapropylorthozirconate. The sulfuric acid is used in aqueous solution in a concentration ranging from 0.01 to 10 M. The molar ratios of the mixture of step (a) are the following:
AcAc/Zr=0.001-0.5
TAA/Zr=0.05-0.25
ROH/Zr=10-100
H2SO4/Zr=0.1-0.5
H2O/Zr=2-100
According to a preferred aspect the zirconium compound is dispersed in an alcohol ROH wherein R is an alkyl with from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and is preferably propanol; the acetylacetone is then added to this mixture followed by the tetra-alkylammonium hydroxide in aqueous solution, preferably tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, and the resulting solution is left under stirring for a few hours before adding the sulfuric acid solution. The resulting dense slurry, which must have a basic pH, is left under stirring for a period of time ranging from 2-20 hours.
In step (b) the resulting product, after possible concentration, is dried to a temperature ranging from 80 to 150xc2x0 C. and is then calcined at a temperature ranging from 250 to 650xc2x0 C., preferably from 400 to 600xc2x0 C.
According to a preferred aspect the catalytic material of the present invention may additionally contain a noble metal, preferably platinum, in a quantity ranging from 0.1 to 3% by weight. These catalysts are prepared by treatment of the material obtained in the previous step (b) with an aqueous solution of a compound of a noble metal, drying and calcination. Preferably, the material obtained in step (b) is impregnated by means of the xe2x80x9cwet inhibitionxe2x80x9d method which is well known in the art, with an aqueous solution of a compound of a noble metal, preferably platinum, to deposit a quantity of noble metal ranging from 0.1 to 3% by weight. Hexachloroplatinic acid and ammonia complexes of tetravalent platinum are preferred for the purposes. This is followed by drying at a temperature ranging from 80xc2x0 to 150xc2x0 C. and calcination at a temperature ranging from 400xc2x0 to 600xc2x0 C.
The materials of the present invention are completely crystalline to X-rays and consist of tetragonal zirconia crystallites having dimensions of less. than 300 xc3x85, generally between 50 and 150 xc3x85. The surface area of these materials is greater than 30 m2/g, preferably between 60 and 120 m2/g. The content of sulfates can be determined by chemical analysis and corresponds to the theoretical value which can be calculated for the total coverage of the zirconia surface by means of a monolayer of sulfate groups, as described by P. Nascimento et al., in xe2x80x9cNew Frontiers in Catalysisxe2x80x9d, Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Catalysis (L. Guczi et al. EDS.) p. 1185, Elsevier (1993). For a surface area between the preferred values previously indicated, the sulfur content in the catalyst, corresponding to a monolayer of sulfate groups, is between 1 and 3% by weight.
The sulfate groups are attached to the zirconia by means of the hydroxyls present on its surface, and therefore the possibility of obtaining a monolayer of sulfates, corresponding to the maximum acidity of the material, is linked to the presence of a sufficient number of hydroxyls on the surface of the zirconia.
The catalysts based on sulfated zirconia of the present invention are superacid solids which are more active than the sulfated zirconia prepared as described in MI 97A00358, i.e. without the presence of acetylacetone in the synthesis mixture. They are materials which can be used in acid-catalyzed reactions and in particular, when they additionally contain a noble metal, they are bifunctional catalysts with an improved activity in the hydroisomerization process of n-paraffins, to convert these hydrocarbons with a linear chain into hydrocarbons with a branched chain, i.e. they give much higher conversions and comparable selectivities with respect to the sulfated zirconia prepared without acetylacetone.
According to a preferred aspect, the best results can be particularly obtained when light n-paraffins containing from 4 to 10 carbon atomsare subjected to hydroisomerization to obtain hydrocarbons with a branched chain having a higher octane number, for use as fuels.
By subjecting C5-C6 n-paraffins, or a mixture thereof, to hydroisomerization, as the Light straight run fraction deriving from topping, light gasolines are obtained with a high octane number. By subjecting, on the other hand, C6-C8 n-paraffins, or their mixtures, to hydroisomerization, it is possible to obtain heavy gasolines with a high octane number.
The operation is carried out in the presence of hydrogen, at a temperature ranging from 250 to 300xc2x0 C., preferably between 50 and 130xc2x0 C., and at a pressure ranging from 5 to 80 bars, preferably between 20 and 50 bars. The noble metal is preferably platinum. The WHSV space velocity (hoursxe2x88x921), expressed as g paraffin/g catalyst hours, is between 0.01 and 1, and the molar ratio hydrogen/paraffin is between 5 and 30.
According to another aspect, these bifunctional catalysts can be used in hydroisomerization processes of waxes (n-paraffins with a number of carbon atoms equal to or greater than 12) to improve the pour point and viscosity index, to obtain bases for lubricating oils.

Superacid catalyst for the hydroisomerization of n-paraffins

Abstract: (a) hydrolyzing derivate of zirconium in a basic medium in the presence of a tetra-alkylammonium hydroxide (TAA), sulfuric acid and acetylacetone (AcAc);

Abstract: (b) drying the product of step (a) and calcining the dried material at a temperature ranging from 250 to 650xc2x0 C.

Abstract: (c) optionally treating the product resulting from step (b) with an aqueous solution of a compound of a noble metal, and drying and calcining the treated product.


A mold for injection molding and a molding method using the same, in which multiple gates are provided to a curved runner, thereby easily molding a product having a complicated shape and a large width, and in which a plurality of curved runners are provided, thereby easily ejecting forms that are filled in the runners. The mold includes first and second molds defining a mold cavity, a first gate disposed at a first position of the mold cavity, a second gate disposed at a second position of the mold cavity spaced apart from the first position, a first curved runner provided to the second mold so as to be connected to the first gate, and a second curved runner provided to the second mold so as to be connected to the second gate. The first and second curved runners have inlets that are connected with each other, and cross-sectional areas that are gradually reduced from the inlets to the first and second gates.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate generally to a mold for injection molding and, more particularly, to a mold for injection molding having a plurality of curved runners, and a molding method using the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A mold for injection molding has a runner for guiding molten resin fed through a sprue into a mold cavity for molding a product. In this case, an exit of the runner is called a gate. In the case where the gate is located on the outer surface of a molded product, a mark of the gate remains on the outer surface of the molded product, and thus it is difficult to provide an aesthetically pleasing external appearance. As such, the mold, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 10(1998)-95033, employs a curved runner capable of providing a gate to the rear surface of a molded product.
The mold disclosed in this document includes a first runner provided at a parting portion of a stationary mold and a movable mold, and a second curved runner connecting a mold cavity with the first runner. The second runner has an arcuate shape, and a cross-sectional area that is gradually reduced from an entry connected with the first runner to a gate.
This mold can prevent the mark of the gate from remaining on the outer surface (i.e., front surface) of the molded product because the gate of the second runner is located on the rear surface of the molded product. Further, when the movable mold is separated from the stationary mold, the molded product can be separated from the gate of the second runner, and a form of the resin filled in the second runner can be separated from the mold while being elastically deformed.
This mold makes it possible to mold a product having a simple shape and a small size. However, because the gate is located only at a limited position of the mold cavity, the mold can be subjected to a short run of the molten resin when a thin, wide, flat product or a tortuous product is molded. In the case of the mold employing the curved runner, it is difficult to construct multiple gates due to the difficulty in removing a form in the runner in the future.

Mold for injection molding and molding method using the same


A method for preparing a credential package includes providing access to a credential record of a plurality of credential records stored in a database system. The credential record includes information identifying a credential candidate and credential information associated with the credential candidate. The method further comprising receiving a credential document associated with the credential information, receiving credential document information associated with the credential document, and storing the credential document in a distributed ledger system comprising a plurality of nodes.

As the economy has changed in recent years, the workforce has changed from one in which workers remain in a job for many years, in some cases through retirement, to workers more frequently changing jobs. Such job changes often come with changes in location as well. With such job mobility, there is an increased interest in verifying the credentials of potential workers or employees.
Such an interest in verifying the credentials of potential employees is particularly relevant when the employee is a licensed professional. Examples of licensed professionals include engineers, teachers, therapists, and various medical professionals.
In particular, credentialing medical professionals is an ongoing challenge for medical practices, hospitals, treatment centers, and other large organizations hiring medical professionals with various certifications and skill sets. For example, traveling emergency room doctors or traveling nurses often work under short-term contracts, such as three or six-month contracts. In another example, doctors may join a medical practice and seek surgical privileges at a hospital. As such, two organizations are performing credentialing activities with little or no insight into the actions of the other organization.
Credentialing using conventional methods can take an extended period of time, representing a large overhead expenditure when hiring a short-term employee or leading to wasteful redundant efforts. When a medical professional changes jobs, the process is repeated with no understanding of the history of the verifications and other credentialing activities performed by prior facilities.
As such, an improved credentialing system would be desirable.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

Secure credentialing systems and methods