A sealed compressor has an electric motor received within a hermetically sealed shell. The electric motor drives a compressor pump unit. An electric connection provides electric power to the motor. A terminal housing is mounted on the shell, with a terminal plug for supplying electrical power from outside of the shell into a connector within the shell. A grommet is at an opening in the shell which allows passage of the electric connector from the terminal plug to the electric connection. The grommet has a first surface positioned on an opposed side of a wall of a housing spaced from the shell, and a second surface sealing against the shell. The grommet has an interior portion allowing passage of the electrical connections from the terminal plug into the electric connector within the shell.

This application relates to a sealing grommet for sealing between the walls of a terminal housing, and a sealed compressor shell.
Compressors are known and typically include a motor driving a compressor pump unit within a sealed shell. The shell is typically sealed, as refrigerant circulates within the shell to cool the motor. Even though the shell is sealed, an electric connection must still extend into the shell to supply power to the motor.
The connection through the shell must be adequately sealed, and the arrangement of a terminal housing and compressor shell has made this a challenge.

Sealing grommet for connection between terminal housing and interior of sealed compressor


Apparatuses and methods related to measuring motion or deformations of vibrating objects are provided. A plurality of images of an object are acquired in synchronization with a plurality of determined times of interest during oscillation of the object. The plurality of images are compared to obtain one or more quantities of interest of the object based at least in part on the plurality of images.

It is well-known that oscillations (vibrations) of objects are measured using sensors such as accelerometers, linear velocity displacement transducers and displacement gauges. These methods measure motions locally at a few discrete locations through contact with the surface. Due to their mass, such sensors can affect the response of the object being measured.
In addition to the effects of mass on the response of an object, such methods typically measure object motions and deformations only along a specific direction and at discrete points. To obtain measurements of motion in all directions at a point, either a combination of several sensors located at the same point or a combination of several experiments with sensors oriented in distinct directions at the same point is required to obtain all of the motion components at a given point. Even if multiple sensors are used, a measurement of the deformations of the object surface caused by the oscillations cannot be determined using motion data at a single position since the gradients of the deformation may also be required. Due to the size and weight of these sensors, it is not possible to place additional sensors sufficiently near the same point to acquire accurate measurements of the surface deformations.
These deficiencies have led to the development of optical non-contacting measurements. Optical measurement methods do not contact the surface and as such do not affect the response of the object. In one such method, laser vibrometers are capable of acquiring motion measurements for vibrating objects without contacting the surface. In its standard form, a laser vibrometer acquires measurements at one point.
A scanning laser vibrometer can operate in a manner that scans across the object, acquiring motion measurements at several positions on the object surface. A disadvantage of the method is that the scan time increases according to the density of the measuring points. A further disadvantage of any scanning laser vibrometer is the missing reference to an object point for the measurement of relative object motions between points on the object surface. The primary quantity measured by laser vibrometers is the relative phase change and/or the rate of change due to the optical path length variation induced by object surface motions. The sensitivity direction is given by the combination of illumination and observation angle. That is, measurements are made along a line of sight without direct reference to a fixed object point. Therefore, a measurement of the relative motion of two object points is impossible and strain measurements cannot be obtained in the general case. A further disadvantage are the high costs due to the use of expensive optical components, coherent light sources, vibration isolation components, and the requirements to have a highly reflective object surface during the measurement process.
Additional non-contacting measurement methods include Speckle interferometry, such as speckle holography or speckle shearography, used to obtain full-field (total visible surface) motion measurements during object vibrations and/or oscillations. These methods can provide a direct reference to the object surface and thus, determination of object strains is possible. A major disadvantage of these procedures is that the coherent illumination and measurement process can only be used to measure small object motions due to the high sensitivity of interferometric methods. Additional disadvantages include the deleterious effects of: (a) small environment disturbances; and (b) rigid body motion of the object relative to the recording medium. A further disadvantage is the high cost due to the use of expensive optical components and coherent light sources.
Yet another non-contacting measurement method includes digital speckle photography or digital image correlation originally developed to measure the 2D deformations of an object subjected to a change in loading (i.e. static loading change). The method stores images of a randomly varying intensity pattern in the two loading states and uses software to compare sub-regions in each pattern to extract full-field measurements of surface displacement. When combined with multiple cameras and appropriate mathematical formulation, the method is capable of determining full field 3D surface motions. The random pattern provides a locally unique set of markers to allow for determination of correspondences between many small sub-sets within the image so that it is possible to measure a full-field of local surface deformations. Known as a speckle pattern, the randomly varying intensity field may be naturally occurring or artificially applied.

Optical non-contacting apparatus for shape and deformation measurement of vibrating objects using image analysis methodology


Periodic self-cleaning apparatus of use in combination with a process tube which receives a process fluid therethrough such as a tubular reactor to form a looped system having a launching and receiving chamber for a cleaning device or pig which is propelled periodically through the tube by the motive force of the fluid to clean the tube without disrupting the continuous unidirectional flow of the fluid. The pig need not be spherical and extraneous fluid pumps are not needed.

Tubular equipment, tubes and pipes, which are taken to be synonymous in this specification, are used in industrial, commercial, residential, and municipal applications for many different purposes ranging from transport of drinking water to processing mixtures of toxic chemicals.
One such use of tubular equipment is for the transport of fluids, such as gases, liquids, mixtures of gases and liquids, and slurries comprising mixtures of liquids and solids. In many cases, deposits of solid material accumulate on the walls of the tube and restrict fluid flow therethrough. This increases the power required to transport the fluid, see for example, Kipin, Peter, "Cleaning Pipelines: a Pigging Primer", Chem. Eng., Feb. 4, 1985, pp 53-58. Examples of this type of behavior are the build-up of paraffin waxes on the inside of pipes used to transport petroleum products described in Pipeline Pigging Technology, Tiratsoo, J. N. H., editor, Gulf, Houston, 1988 and the build-up of iron oxide corrosion products on the inside of steel water pipes described in aforesaid Kipin, Peter, "Cleaning Pipelines: a Pigging Primer".
Another common use for tubes is as heat exchange equipment in the indirect heating or cooling of fluids and fluid-solid mixtures through the wall of the tube. It is common during these processes for an insoluble scale to form on the inside of the tube due to a change in solubility of solute in the fluid due to a change in temperature by heating or cooling, as described in Someah, Kaveh, "On-Line Tube Cleaning: the Basics", Chem. Eng. Prog. July 1992, pp 39-45. A common example of this is the heating of water in water-cooled steam-condensers in power plants. As the cooling water in the tube is heated by condensing steam the solubility of certain inorganic salts such as calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate is decreased and these salts precipitate out of the water and accumulate on the tube wall. Heat sensitive materials when heated through the tube wall sometimes will foul the inside of tubes when the material is chemically altered by overheating. The caramelization of sugar solutions during heating is an example of this common problem.
In addition to causing an increase in flow resistance and, thus, power required to maintain the flow, the build-up of scale and other forms of fouling greatly impairs the transfer of heat to the fluid through the fluid wall. Said impairment of heat transfer necessitates that larger and more expensive equipment be employed, compared to operation without scale or fouling.
Tubes are also used to provide residence time for reacting flows of fluids and fluid-solid mixtures. In such reacting systems it is often the case that solids will build-up on the wall of the pipe due to settling of solids from the suspension, precipitation of a reaction product, or a reduction in solubility of a non-reacting component in the stream due to a change in fluid temperature in the reactor. An example of a reacting system which exhibits the latter phenomena is supercritical water oxidation of organic wastes containing inorganic material as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,224--Modell et al, issued Oct. 12, 1993. In the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,224, the reaction is carried out under adiabatic conditions. As the reaction progresses, the heat of reaction raises the fluid temperature and inorganic salts tend to precipitate out of the fluid phase and have been known to cause build-up of solids in tubular reactors. Such build-up of solids leads to an increase in flow resistance and, thus, an increase in the consumption of energy for the transport of fluid through the reactor. If these solids are allowed to continue to accumulate, complete plugging often occurs and results in the costly event of lost production from the facility.
The use of cleaning members or pigs for the purpose of cleaning tubular equipment, such as pipelines and municipal and industrial process piping and equipment is well known. Cleaning members are used to remove both liquid and solid material from the lines and are usually propelled by a fluid through the hydraulic forces exerted on the cleaning member by the flowing fluid.
In the cleaning of petroleum pipelines a cleaning member known as a pig is introduced in the pipeline at a pig launching station and moved through the pipeline by the hydraulic force exerted by a motive fluid, usually the petroleum product transported through the line. Some distance downstream, the cleaning member is received into a pig receiving or catching station. A pig can be loaded into a pig launcher, manually or automatically and similarly unloaded from the pig receiver manually or automatically. However, the pig must be transported back upstream to the launching station by independent means, usually by surface transport.
In the chemical, food, and related process industries pigs are known to be used to clean process tubes and to act as a barrier between fluids so that a single tube can be used to transport several different fluids or fluid-solid mixtures without intermixing of the fluids. In such systems pigs are often introduced and withdrawn from the tubes using pig launchers and catchers in the same manner as described above for petroleum pipelines. In alternative systems, pigs are launched and received by the same device by reversal of the direction of flow of the motive fluid in the tube as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,431--Ishii et at, issued May 13, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,293--Ogawa et al, issued Apr. 15, 1980, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,410--Bersch, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,476--Bersch, issued Dec. 17, 1991. It is known that such systems can be automated to periodically reverse the flow of the fluid through the tube, and by using a launching and receiving device at each end of the tube the cleaning member can periodically be pushed through the tube by the fluid in alternating directions. Unfortunately, for many of the flow systems which use tubes and require periodic cleaning, the periodic reversal of flow through the tube is not tolerable and thus this method cannot be used.
Methods are known using the continuous circulation of rubber cleaning balls through process tubes, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,589--Koller, issued Nov. 4, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,533--Bochinski et al, issued Jan. 28, 1986, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,833 Ben-Dosa, issued Feb. 11, 1992. In these methods, such balls are loaded into the entrance of the process tube by an automatic loading device and pushed through the tube by the hydraulic force of the process fluid on the balls out through an exit. After the exit of the tube the balls are separated out of the process fluid by a screening device and automatically removed from the process to a recirculation system which returns the balls to the automatic loading device. Unfortunately, the use of such cleaning systems is limited to process conditions which are compatible with the material of construction, such as rubber, of the balls, and as such cannot be used to clean systems operating at high temperature or under other conditions which are detrimental to the rubber. In addition, the methods and apparatus used for loading, removing, and recirculating the cleaning members are only useful when the cleaning member is essentially spherical.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,083--Wennerberg et at, issued Feb. 4, 1969 describes a device for cleaning an endless tube. The operation of this device requires that the flow of fluid through the tube is greater than the flow entering and exiting the system, such that a portion of the fluid that has passed through the tube is recirculated from the "end" of the loop to the "beginning" of the loop allowing recirculation of the cleaning member. Eduction of this recirculating fluid is effected with a second large flow recirculation loop and pump. In addition to requiring substantial energy to effect the eduction of the recirculating liquid, this device is deficient in that a large portion of the fluid exiting the tube must be mixed with the feed to the system.
In addition to the pigging methods described above, which can be employed in some circumstances to effect tube cleaning without the interruption of fluid flow, methods exist to clean tubes which require the tubes to be taken out of useful service. These methods include mechanical means such as bristle brushes, rubber plugs, scrapers, cutters, vibrators, and water lances. These methods have the undesirable feature that they require the process tube and attached equipment to be taken out of service during the cleaning operation, and in addition often require that the equipment be partially disassembled prior to cleaning. An additional method which also requires the tube to be taken out of service is cleaning by chemical means. For example, many types of scale which form on heat exchanger tubes can be removed by washing the tube with nitric acid. Chemical cleaning methods have the further disadvantage of requiring disposal, or clean-up and recycle, of the cleaning chemicals.
It is therefore clear that there exists a need for a system which will allow the cleaning of a process tube by tube cleaning members on a periodic basis, without disrupting the continuous unidirectional flow of the process fluid through the tube, without being limited to the use of spherical rubber cleaning members, without requiring mixing of the inlet and outlet streams, and without requiring an additional pump to provide the means of recirculating the cleaning members.

Apparatus for the self-cleaning of process tubes


A storage shelf base for an item of furniture or household appliance, includes a base plate stationarily secured to a body of the item of furniture or household appliance, a support plate arranged on the base plate, and a storage shelf, which is positively driven relative to the support plate and can simultaneously be moved rotationally and translationally. Facing bearing surfaces of the support plate and the storage shelf have respective at least substantially closed circulating running grooves, in which rolling elements are guided. The storage shelf is movable relative to the support plate, out of an initial position into an intermediate position, in an opening movement, in which the storage shelf is rotated relative to the support plate in a rotational direction and shifted in a predetermined direction and can be moved out of the intermediate position back into the initial position in a closing movement. The support plate has a closing-support device supporting the closing movement of the storage shelf.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a storage shelf base for an item of furniture or household appliance and an item of furniture or household appliance.
Storage shelf bases of this type, in which a support plate and a storage shelf guided on the support plate are arranged on a base plate and can be moved simultaneously in rotation and translation, allow access to otherwise inaccessible surfaces in the storage space of an item of furniture or household appliance such as a refrigerator or freezer.
For example, DE 42 16 765 A1 discloses storage shelf bases equipped with a turntable where the turntable is installed directly in the base plate of the storage shelf base.
The post-published DE 10 2017 106 170 A1 discloses a storage shelf that is positively guided relative to the support plate and can be moved simultaneously in rotation and translation.
A disadvantage of these prior art storage shelf bases is that sometimes the initial position of the storage shelf, which it occupies, for example, in the storage space closed by a door of the furniture or household appliance, is not always reached.
If this initial position is not reached, this may lead to malfunctions in the support of the storage shelf on the support plate during a subsequent attempt to move the storage shelf from its initial position to an intermediate position intended for loading or unloading. It can also happen that the door no longer closes properly. In the worst case, trying to close the door with a lot of force can damage the storage shelf.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a storage shelf base for an item of furniture or household appliance so that the defined initial position is reliably reached when the shelf is inserted into this initial position.
The storage shelf base according to the invention has a support plate arranged on the body of the furniture or household appliance.
The storage shelf base also has a storage shelf that is positively guided relative to the support plate and can be moved simultaneously in rotation and translation, wherein the bearing surfaces of the support plate and the storage shelf facing each other have at least predominantly closed circumferential grooves in which rolling elements are guided.
The storage shelf is movable relative to the support plate in an opening movement from an initial position to an intermediate position, in which the storage shelf is rotated relative to the support plate in one direction and displaced in a predetermined direction, wherein the storage shelf is movable from the intermediate position back to the initial position in a closing movement. The storage shelf base has a closing-support device which supports the closing movement of the shelf.
The integration of closing support makes it easy to reach the defined initial position.
An additional advantage of the shelf is that it has a base plate that is fixed in a stationary manner to the body of the furniture or household appliance and on which the support plate is arranged, wherein the closing-support device acts between the base plate and the support plate.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment, the closing-support device is formed by a wedge-shaped web or by a ribbed structure between the base plate and the support plate. The web or rib structure can be formed either on the base plate or on the support plate.
Alternatively, the web or rib structure can also be formed by a separate component arranged on the base plate and/or on the support plate.
According to another advantageous embodiment variant of the storage shelf base, the closing-support device supporting the closing movement of the storage shelf is designed as at least one step on the base plate or on the support plate, preferably on an underside of the support plate facing the base plate in the area of a front edge.
Such a step is easy and inexpensive to attach to or integrally form on the base plate and/or support plate.
In addition, such a step can be kept small in construction and thus has only a very small influence on the overall height of the storage shelf base.
The step is preferably integrally formed on the support plate. It is also conceivable to attach such a step to a support plate.
The step causes a common inclination of the mutually facing bearing surfaces of the support plate and the storage shelf in relation to the horizontal, so that a plane on which the axes or points of rotation of the rolling elements lie is also inclined in relation to the horizontal.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment variant, the height of the step is dimensioned so that the inclination of the support plate in the closing direction relative to the base plate is between 1° and 5°, preferably between 1° and 2°.
Such an inclination is sufficient for a reliable retraction of the storage shelf into its initial position while at the same time having very little influence on the overall height of the storage shelf base. The low inclination also prevents the objects arranged on the storage shelf from slipping.
According to another advantageous embodiment variant of the invention, the geometry of the running grooves is such that the movement of the storage shelf immediately before reaching the initial position contains a translational component; the direction of movement of the storage shelf immediately before reaching the initial position is particularly advantageous as it is approximately linear. In particular, this enables the storage shelf to be moved into the defined initial position.
The storage shelf base according to the invention can preferably be used in an item of furniture or in a household appliance, especially in a refrigerator or freezer. In addition, the furniture or household appliance each has a body for receiving the storage shelf base.

Storage shelf base and item of furniture or household appliance


An interface is provided that corresponds to an individual person without being restricted to a particular place within a room, by performing gesture recognition while identifying an individual person. A stereo camera (1) picks up an image of a user (4), and based on the image pickup output, an image processor 2 transmits a color image within a visual field and a distance image to an information integrated recognition device (3). The information integrated recognition device (3) identifies an individual by the face of the user (4), senses the position, and recognizes a significant gesture based on a hand sign of the user (4). The information integrated recognition device (3) executes a command corresponding the identified user (4) and performs operations of all devices (6) to be operated in the room (such as a TV set, an air conditioner, an electric fan, illumination, acoustic condition, and window opening/closing).

There are a large number of systems as shown in FIG. 1, i.e., systems for identifying a speaker or the like based on a position and direction of the face of an individual person. This type of system finds the face of a user 64 based on color information or the like of images picked up by one or a few cameras 61, and performs personal identification by face, or measures the direction of the face, the direction of sight line or the like, with the help of eyes, nose, mouth or the like, which are structures in the face.
Therefore, persons who are within a recognition object region 63 would be substantially limited to users sitting and persons watching a space such as a particular display 62. This raises a problem in that this type of system can be used only in very narrow places. Also, regarding the identification of behavior of the user that is performed in conjunction with the personal identification, the direction of face, that of sight line, and nodding action form the nucleus of objects to be identified.
Also, in conventional systems as shown in FIG. 2, i.e., systems for specifying three-dimensional positions and movements of a person in an indoor space 5, the whole body of a user 72 is photographed by arranging cameras 71 (71-1, 71-2, 71-3, 71-n) to expand the object region. However, this type of system does not constitute a gesture-based interface apparatus associated with personal identification, and therefore, it would not provide interaction specified for each user.
Furthermore, conventional recognition systems as shown in FIG. 3, i.e., systems for recognizing a hand sign of a user 84 is used as an interface apparatus by acquiring an image of a hand alone by a display device 82 or the like in a fixed environment in front of a camera 81, that is, in a recognizable region 83, to thereby recognize the hand sign. This causes a problem in that this type of system is operable only in narrower and fixed environments. Therefore, this type of system would not provide a hand-sign based interface for each individual person, the interface having the function of identifying an individual and acquiring a movement/behavior log of the individual in a wide space such as a room.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology


A photosensitive polyimide composition, a polyimide film, and a semiconductor device using the same are disclosed. The photosensitive polyimide composition can be cured by heating. A polyhydroxyimide is used as a base resin and can be mixed with a photoacid generator and a cross-linking agent having two or more vinylether groups. A film of the photosensitive polyimide composition can be developed by treatment with an alkaline aqueous solution. Embodiments of the invention enable improvement in production yield and reliability in a highly-integrated memory semiconductor packaging processes.

1. Field of the Invention
Disclosed herein is a photosensitive polyimide composition, a polyimide film, and a semiconductor device using the same. Disclosed herein too is a photosensitive polyimide composition, a polyimide film, and a semiconductor device using the same, in which a polyhydroxyimide is used as a base resin. The polyhydroxyimide is mixed with a photoacid generator and a cross-linking-agent. The film of the photosensitive polyimide composition can be cured by heating.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photosensitive polyimide is polyimide that is sensitive to light or similar radiation. When the photosensitive polyimide is applied to a stress buffer layer or an interlayer insulating film during a semiconductor fabrication process, photoresist processes can be performed to form a pattern of the polyimide.
Also, resolution and miniaturization are being emphasized in semiconductor chip packaging by the recent trend towards thinner and light weight packaging. In this respect, recent developments have focused on chip scale packaging (CSP) technology. At present, the CSP technology is being developed and applied to the semiconductor chip package at various levels. In particular, recent developments have focused on wafer-level CSP technology, which finishes a chip package on a wafer.
A wafer-level CSP of the prior art is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, in a wafer-level CSP, a semiconductor chip 110, which comprises an integrated circuit, is connected to a solder ball 180 through an input and output pad 120 and a redistribution layer 160. This structure is made in a batch process at the wafer level. In addition to input and output pad 120, a fuse box 130 is formed on the semiconductor chip 110. Inert layer 140 is formed on portions of semiconductor chip 110 other than the fuse box 130 and input and output pad 120. Formed on inert layer 140 is a first polymer layer 150. First polymer layer 150 is partially removed and then redistribution layer 160 formed along the top surface of the first polymer layer 150, such that redistribution layer 160 is disposed on the exposed portion of input and output pad 120. The redistribution layer 160 is then covered with a second polymer layer 170. The second polymer layer 170 is partially removed and solder ball 180 formed on the exposed portion of redistribution layer 160. Also, the redistribution layer 160 can be varied to accommodate the wafer-level CSP configuration. For example, an under bump metallurgy (UBM) can be formed in a region where the solder ball 180 is formed.
FIG. 2 shows a prior art fabrication process of the prior art wafer-level CSP illustrated in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, after the first polymer layer 150 is deposited and patterned in process S210, metal is sputtered on the first polymer layer 150 in process S220, and then etched to form a trace and a pad, thereby forming the redistribution layer 160. Subsequently, the second polymer layer 170, which covers the redistribution layer 160 and the first polymer layer 150, is deposited and patterned through in process S230, and then a solder ball 180 is arranged on the exposed redistribution layer 160 in process S240. Subsequently, in process S250, soldering is completed using reflow soldering.
As described above, in wafer-level CSP technology, peripheral input and output pads are redistributed as an array of solder terminals using thin film processes. This redistribution can mitigate the problem of resolving integrated circuit peripheral terminals.
Photosensitive polyimides can be classified into a negative type and a positive type. Examples of negative photosensitive polyimides are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,512 to Kleeberg et al. (hereinafter "'512") and U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,743 to Hiromoto et al. (hereinafter "'743"). The '512 patent discloses a polyamic acid where a photosensitive functional group is coupled with a polyimide precursor by ester bonding. The '743 patent discloses a photosensitive polyimide where a photosensitive group and a compound having amino component are coupled with a polyamic acid by ion bonding. The '512 and '743 patents disclose that when a resist composition solution including polyimide is coated on a wafer, and then exposed to light, photopolymerization occurs in the portion where the resist composition solution was exposed, so that cross-linking occurs between precursor molecules, causing the resist composition solution to become insoluble. The resist composition is developed using an organic solvent to remove the unexposed area, and then the imidization reaction is completed by heating to obtain a polyimide layer with the desired pattern.
However, while not being limited by theory, such negative polyimide photoresists have problems in that their resolution is poorer than that of positive polyimide photoresists, and the resists, or related resist formation or stripping processes, are likely to generate a defect. Also, since an organic solvent, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) or dimethylacetamide (DMAc), is used as a developing solution for negative polyimide photoresists, in addition to high cost, their use is undesirable because of their environmental impact. For at least these issues, in summary, a positive polyimide photoresists that can be developed in an alkaline aqueous solution would be preferred for semiconductor processes.
Examples of positive polyimide photoresists are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 52-13315, 62-135824, 60-37550, and 7-33874, wherein Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 52-13315 and 62-135824 disclose a method for manufacturing a pattern using the difference in dissolution speed between an exposed area and an unexposed area, by mixing a polyimide precursor, specifically a polyamic acid, with a dissolution inhibitor, specifically a naphthoquinonediazide compound. Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-37550 discloses a photosensitive polyimide where a photosensitive group, specifically o-nitrobenzelester group, is coupled with a polyimide precursor by ester bonding. Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-33874 discloses a chemically amplified composition manufactured by mixing a resin with a photoacid generator, the resin being obtained by substituting a functional group that can be dissociated by an acid for a carboxylic group of polyamic acid.
In prior art positive polyimide photoresist technologies, the pattern is formed by a photolithography process wherein a precursor, comprised of polyimide, is converted into polyimide through a curing process at a temperature of 300° C. or greater. However, without being limited by theory, it is thought that such processes, when employed in wafer-level CSP, cause defects in integrated semiconductor devices, in part due to the high temperature of curing processes. For this reason, a positive polyimide photoresist that offers a lower temperature curing process is needed.

Photosensitive polyimide composition, polyimide film and semiconductor device using the same


An effective composite for absorbing both standing and flowing water which comprises a fumed silica component, a water-absorbent acrylic polymer a fibrous component, and three types of scoriaceous components is described. Bags containing the composite may also be used.

Water-absorbing resins are widely used in water-retaining agents, dehydrating agents, sludge coagulants and other consumer products. Water-absorbing resins are available in a variety of forms, including substituted and unsubstituted natural and synthetic polymers, such as starch/acrylonitrile graft polymers, carboxymethylcellulose, crosslinked polyacrylates, sulfonated polystyrenes, hydrolyzed polyacrylamides, polyvinyl alcohols, polyethylene oxides, polyvinylpyrrolidones, and polyacrylonitriles.
The most commonly used polymer for absorbing electrolyte containing aqueous fluids is partially neutralized polyacrylic acid (PAA), i.e., containing about 50% to 100%, neutralized carboxyl groups. An exemplary commercially available material is poly(acrylic acid) partial sodium salt from Sigma Aldrich Corporation, St. Louis, Mo.
In addition commercially available polymer fibrous materials are: REON™ 200 from Absorbent Technologies, Beaverton, Oreg.; and Water-Lock® 400 from Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine, Iowa.
Such water-absorbing resins are termed "superabsorbent polymers," or SAPs, and typically are lightly cross-linked hydrophilic linear or hydrophilic polymers. SAPs are disclosed in Goldman, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,669,894 and 5,599,335. US2008/250916 describes barge units with bags containing absorbent fibrous material. US2009/163365 describes a water-swellable material comprising a crosslinked polymer matrix containing inorganic particles. US2009/274519 describes a water-fillable flood control device. US2011/297575 describes a bag containing water-absorbent for retaining soil on slopes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,670 describes a double layered bag containing an absorbent. US2003/170406 describes a specialized device containing a water absorbent. US2005/277548 describes a water absorbent containing grafted acrylonitrile and styrene. GB 2438613A describes a specially designed bag for water absorbents.
SAPs can differ in their chemical identity, but all SAPs are capable of absorbing and retaining various amounts of aqueous fluids equivalent to multiple times their own weight but not beyond. Presently available SAPs can absorb distilled water up to one hundred times their own weight.
Conventional SAPs undergo surface swelling when wetted with a fluid such that continued transport of the fluid into the cross-linked particle interior or linear polymer interior is substantially compromised or prevented completely such that the optimal maximum swell ratios of up to 100× are seldom achieved. To counteract this restriction of surface swelling, substantial amounts of cellulose fibers have been included in many products so as quickly to absorb and distribute the fluid for eventual supply to the SAP particles. Commonly used are absorbent cotton fibers and compositions thereof.
In addition, inert inorganic substances having large surface areas are known to have slight absorbent properties. These secondary components are hydrophilic, inorganic minerals, such as microporous alumino silicate minerals or other volcanic scoriaceous materials. Particular examples include: molecular sieves; bentonite clays, such as aluminum phyllosilicates; and montmorillonite clay, or sodium bentonite; or zeolites such as analcime, chabazite, clinoptilolite, heulandite, natrolite, phillipsite, or stilbite. Exemplary commercially available materials are the bentonite Texas Sodium Bentonite, available from Texas Sodium Bentonite, Inc., of Comanche, Tex., and the St. Cloud Natural Zeolite, which is a natural clinoptilolite form of potassium aluminosilicate, available as powders and granules from a number of sources including GSA Resources, a subsidiary of St. Cloud Mining Company of Winston, N. Mex. These solid alternate phase carriers are commercially available in various particle sizes.
Additionally, materials showing slight absorbent properties are available from Cabot Corporation which supplies a number of different fumed silica products suitable for use in the invention compositions. These include various products with a large hydrophilic surface area: Cab-O-Sil™ EH-5 (380 m2/g of surface area), Cab-O-Sil™ HS-5 (325 m2/g of surface area), Cab-O-Sil™ M-5P (200 m2/g of surface area), Cab-O-Sil™ M-5 (200 m2/g of surface area), Cab-O-Sil™ PTG (200 m2/g of surface area), Cab-O-Sil™ MS-55 (255 m2/g of surface area), Cab-O-Sil™ LM-150 (160 m2/g of surface area).
Fibrous materials such as cloth have been employed to remove undesirable water remaining due to leakage or flooding. Again, absorption is minimal at best, generally <2×. Alternatively, excess water can be vacuumed. However, when the amount of water is large, these methods are inefficient and time consuming.
Traditionally, sandbags, filled with sand, have been used to prevent water from egressing into occupied areas of homes and businesses. They have also been used to prevent the overflow of rivers, lakes, marshes, etc. The weight and volume of conventional sandbags makes them difficult to transport. Water absorption by sandbags is minimal. Thus, "sandless sandbags" using the above mentioned SAP components (without however added inert inorganic substances such as bentonite or zeolites, or fumed silica or other fibrous polymers like starch) have been developed to circumvent some of these problems. These are typically comprised of a polyacrylic acid powder without filler to aid in absorbing of water and may include the same fabric material used in baby diapers or tampons. The outer bags, exposed to the environment, themselves are made of traditional materials, including burlap, polyester, polypropylene, or nonwoven polymers.


A spring unit includes a composite spring and a metal wire. The composite spring is formed of resin, has a single beam structure, and includes a curved part between its end parts. The metal spring is formed of a metal wire, and includes a curved part between its end parts. The end parts of the composite spring are fixed to the corresponding end parts of the metal spring, so that the composite spring and the metal spring are fixed to be positioned in the same plane. The composite spring and the metal spring engage with each other in an engagement part formed in at least one position between the curved parts and the end parts. The composite spring and the metal spring are separated in a part other than the end parts and the engagement part.

Conventionally, as a kind of electronic apparatus, cellular phones and game apparatuses have been provided where a movable housing provided with a liquid crystal display unit, etc., is slidable relative to a stationary housing provided with operations keys and the like. This kind of electronic apparatus includes a built-in slide mechanism that allows the movable housing to slide relative to the stationary housing.
The slide mechanism applied to this electronic apparatus incorporates a spring unit. This slide mechanism moves and urges the movable housing in a closing direction until an operator moves the movable housing to a predetermined position relative to the stationary housing, and urges the movable housing in an opening direction after the operator moves the movable housing to or beyond the predetermined position. This makes it possible to improve the operability of the electronic apparatus.
Furthermore, springs of various structures are used for spring units, among which a spring unit is known that incorporates multiple metal wire springs (see Patent Document 1). According to the spring unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to increase a load relative to the amount of displacement, multiple (three) wire springs are arranged at equal intervals and their end portions are connected to a housing of an electronic apparatus using connecting members.


A conspicuity marking system includes a light guide which has at least one optically reflective surface for propagating light through the light guide and a retroreflective light extractor for extracting light propagating through the light guide and for retroreflecting light from an external light source incident upon the system. Light propagating through the light guide which is transmitted into the light extractor is reflected back through the light guide such that it exits the light guide at a location displaced from the retroreflective light extractor. Light from an external light source which is incident on the system passes through the light guide and is retroreflected toward the light source by the retroreflective light extractor.

Retroreflective conspicuity marking systems are used widely in traffic control systems and personal safety systems to increase the visibility of objects in poor lighting conditions such as, for example, night lighting conditions or conditions of inclement weather. Common examples include retroreflective sheeting for highway signing applications, construction work zone markers such as traffic cones, and retroreflective pavement marking systems.
Such retroreflective conspicuity marking systems may be considered passive systems in that they serve only to retroreflect light incident on the object from an external light source. In some applications it may be desirable to provide an active conspicuity marking system which illuminates an object to increase its conspicuity in typical daylight conditions and which also provides retroreflective conspicuity marking.
Commonly assigned, co-pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 08/518,337 discloses and claims a light distribution system which comprises a light guide and at least one light extraction overlay optically coupled with the light guide for extracting light from the light guide.

Conspicuity marking system including light guide and retroreflective structure


A sound damping wallboard for installation on an installed wallboard, a sound damping wallboard system, and a method of constructing a sound damping wallboard on a building structure are disclosed. The sound damping wallboard includes a gypsum layer having a gypsum layer inner surface and a gypsum layer outer surface, a first sound damping layer disposed at the gypsum layer inner surface and having a first sound damping layer inner surface opposite the gypsum layer inner surface, a first encasing layer disposed at the gypsum layer outer surface, a second encasing layer disposed at the first sound damping layer inner surface, and a second sound damping layer disposed at the second encasing layer opposite the first sound damping layer inner surface.

A building is typically constructed with walls having a frame comprising vertically oriented studs connected by horizontally oriented top and bottom plates or tracks. The walls often include one or more gypsum wallboards fastened to the studs and/or plates on each side of the frame or, particularly for exterior walls, one or more gypsum wallboards fastened to the studs and/or plates on one side of the frame with a non-gypsum based sheathing attached to an exterior side of the frame. A ceiling of the building may also include one or more gypsum wallboards oriented horizontally and fastened to joists, studs, or other structural members extending horizontally in the building. Walls and ceilings of this construction often have poor acoustical performance and a low sound transmission class (STC) rating, which results in noise pollution, lack of privacy, and similar issues in the various spaces of the building. One of the aspects of this poor performance is the coincidence between the human voice Hertz spectrum and the vibrational Hertz range of standard gypsum wallboard, which creates a unique dip in the acoustical curve of a standard frame and gypsum wallboard wall.
One method to improve acoustical performance of the walls and ceilings is to install insulation in the cavities of the walls before attaching wallboards to the wall frame. Other methods include the use of rubber sheets, clips, or panels attached to the frame during wall or ceiling construction. However, most of the current methods to improve wall or ceiling acoustical performance must be implemented during the initial wall or ceiling construction, and these conventional methods do not overcome the coincidence issue of standard gypsum wallboard discussed above. Further, the resulting wall may be significantly thicker than traditionally-constructed walls due to the addition of the sound damping materials.
Therefore, there exists a need for a sound damping wallboard that is structured for retrofit installation and attachment to a wallboard or other panel of wall material previously installed onto the frame of a wall to improve the acoustical performance of the wall and, in particular, help address any coincidence issues. Further, there exists a need for a sound damping wallboard for attachment to an installed wallboard or wall panel whereby the sound damping wallboard is sufficiently thin to minimize the skill and labor needed for installation, minimize the increase in overall wall thickness, avoid costly and labor-intensive modifications to installed wall and ceiling objects, such as existing wall outlets, switches, and wall or ceiling fixtures, and minimize any reduction in living space within the structure causing a reduction in the value of the structure.

Sound damping wallboard and method of constructing a sound damping wallboard


A poppet valve operating system for an internal combustion engine includes poppet valves which are driven by rocker arms rotationally mounted to a rocker shaft. Each of the rocker arms is maintained in axial alignment upon the rocker shaft by a separate, resiliently biased telescoping pin housed in the rocker arm body. The rocker arm pins extend into indexing reliefs formed in the outer cylindrical surface of the rocker shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a poppet valve operating system having a rocker shaft with slidably mountable rocker arms which are indexed upon the rocker shaft by means of reliefs formed in the outer cylindrical surface of the rocker shaft.
2. Disclosure Information
Many overhead valve engines utilize rocker arms for actuating cylinder poppet valves. Such rocker arms are generally either pedestal mounted or shaft mounted. Shaft mounted arms are usually slidably installed upon a cylindrical rocker shaft. Once the arms have been installed, they must be maintained in a precise axial location along the shaft to assure that proper contact is made with the valve and other actuating mechanisms such as a camshaft or push rod. Designers have devised a number of schemes for maintaining rocker arms in a desired position on a rocker shaft. These schemes usually include the use of custom spacers which are interposed between the rocker arms and the mounting pedestals. The spacers are sometimes supplemented by compression springs or other devices. Needless to say, all the devices add weight, complexity and expense. Also, the need for different spacers may lead to misbuilds of the engine cylinder heads.
It would be desirable to provide a rocker arm retention system for use with rocker shaft mounted arms which positively retains rocker arms, but nevertheless permits their disassembly for servicing.

Poppet valve operating system for internal combustion engine


A bone cement having a dry component including a large constituent and a small constituent. The small constituent fills a substantial volume of the interstitial spaces between the particles of the large constituent. Therefore, only a second or minor interstitial space is left remaining between the individual particles of the small constituent and the particles of the small constituent and the particles of the large constituent. Therefore, a reduced amount of a polymerizable component need be added to the dry component to form a bone cement. Such a bone cement formulation decreases the exothermic temperature of the bone cement and decreases the possibility of tissue necrosis in the implantation area.

The human body includes a large structural complement including a bone structure. This bone structure, however, may become damaged or need repair for various reasons. Generally, implants may be used to replace or repair damaged portions of the bone structure. One means of fixing these replacements to the bone structure is a bone cement or bone replacement. Moreover, the bone cement itself may be used as a prosthetic material.
In one example, a bone replacement may be used to reconstruct a portion of the bone structure. For example, in a cranio-facial application, the bone replacement may be molded to reconstruct a portion of the or anatomy that has been damaged due to disease, injury, congenital defect, or surgery. Therefore, the structure supporting the muscle and skin portions of the human anatomy can be replaced using the bone replacement material. Such bone replacement materials may also be used for more orthopedic applications where the bone replacement must support a load or be load bearing portion of the anatomy.
Most moldable bone replacement materials, often referred to as bone cement, include or are formed of an acrylic. In particular, the polymer of the bone cement includes a polymethylmethylacrylate (PMMA). Most often, finely divided portions of this PMMA is provided and mixed with a liquid monomer or polymerizable material such as acrylicesters. A polymerizing initiator is then added or released into the mixture and the mixture begins to polymerize and harden. For a short period of time, during the polymerization, the entire mixture is doughy or workable so that a physician may form the material into the shape and size desired for implantation and use.
The polymerization of the liquid is an exothermic reaction. Therefore, the bone cement increases in temperature or radiates heat during the polymerization process. Generally, the temperature of bone cement may increase to such a degree as to cause tissue necrosis. The necrosis can occur if the bone cement is implanted before the bone cement cools, or if the area is not cooled, such as by irrigation. This can decrease the efficiency of forming the bone cement in situ.
It has been proposed to produce an acrylic bone cement that has a large majority of large particles to form a highly porous final material. This porous bone cement allows for a large majority of bone in-growth into the porous structure. The porous bone cements require that the bone cement be formed in such a way to produce the porous product to allow bone in-growth.
Nevertheless, it is often desired to produce a non-porous bone cement while including reduced exothermic energy. That being, a bone cement that has a high strength due to the lack of pores, while still including a cool workable period so that it may be molded in situ to achieve those advantages.

Reduced exothermic bone replacement cement


A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance path designed so as to include nonlinear portions; a first conveyance roller pair which is provided at predetermined positions of the sheet conveyance path and which has a conveyance width capable of nipping and conveying a sheet having the minimum size sheet passing width among sheets to be passed through the sheet conveying apparatus; a guide plate which is placed in a downstream side or an upstream side of the first conveyance roller pair in a sheet conveyance direction and has a curved guide surface; and a plurality of guide ribs which are extended on the guide surface in the sheet conveyance direction and are provided in a sheet passing width direction of the sheet in a region corresponding to the conveyance width of the first conveyance roller pair.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus for conveying sheets along a curved guide surface through a pair of conveyance rollers disposed at an upstream side and at a downstream side of the guide surface and an image forming apparatus with the sheet conveying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or the like, a sheet before or after it is provided with an image is conveyed by a sheet conveyance apparatus. Various kinds of sheets are used as a sheet on which an image is provided. For example, art paper having high surface smoothness used in image formation such as a photograph and, to the contrary, recycled paper having low surface smoothness, or the like are used in addition to copying paper in general use. Also, each kind of paper includes different sizes from a larger size to a smaller size, or different thicknesses from a thicker one to a thinner one. Namely, various kinds of sheets in various conditions and sizes are used.
On the other hand, a sheet conveyance path through which a sheet is conveyed is provided with a guide plate for guiding the sheet to be conveyed. Generally, the guide plate is provided with projecting guide ribs extended to a sheet conveyance direction. Many guide ribs are provided almost throughout the width in a sheet passing width direction (a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction). For example, when an A4 size sheet is conveyed in a portrait orientation, the shorter side of the A4 size sheet is the sheet passing width and the guide ribs are provided almost throughout the sheet passing width, such that increase of conveyance resistance caused by direct contact of the sheet to be conveyed with the a guide plate can be prevented (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2000-95382).
In the above-described sheet conveying apparatus, however, there has been a problem that friction between the guide ribs and the sheet to be carried would cause a conveyance friction noise. More specifically, a large conveyance friction noise used to occur when a pair of conveyance rollers is provided at an upstream side and at a downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction and guide ribs curved into a convex shape toward the sheet conveyance path are provided between the pair of conveyance rollers. That is, when the sheet is conveyed such that the trailing edge of the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveyance rollers at the upstream side and the leading edge of the sheet is nipped by the pair of conveyance rollers at the downstream side, the sheet is pulled because of the linear speed of both pairs of conveyance rollers or a drive control timing of both pairs of conveyance rollers and frictionally rubbed against the guide ribs curved into the convex shape with a strong force. Therefore, the conveyance friction noise tends to be louder. This tendency becomes more remarkable when a sheet having lower surface smoothness such as recycled paper is used.
Also, there may be such a case that a leading edge of some kinds of sheets, e.g., a curled sheet, a sheet having one side printed, a sheet having a cutting burr at its edge, and a thick rigid sheet, may cause a friction noise when it hits the guide ribs. In recent image forming apparatuses, many of them have a sheet conveyance path which curves with a small curvature in order to downsize the apparatus, such that a guide plate which is placed in such a sheet conveyance path tends to generate the friction noise. Further, depending on the angle of approach of the leading edge of the sheet to the guide plate, there are such inconveniences that the sheet may be buckled and the leading edge of the sheet may hit projecting side walls of the guide ribs, causing the sheet to skew.

Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus with the sheet conveying apparatus


A battery assembly for a lighting fixture is provided. The battery assembly includes a battery unit comprising a battery unit housing and a first set of conductive pins. The battery unit housing is configured to accommodate one or more batteries configured to power one or more light sources of the lighting fixture. The first set of conductive pins are in electrical communication with the batteries. The battery assembly includes a battery interface comprising a battery interface housing and a second set of conductive pins. The battery interface housing is configured to accommodate the battery unit housing. The second set of conductive pins are coupled to the light source(s) so that the batteries power the light source(s) when the first set of conductive pins contact the second set of conductive pins. In some implementations, the battery unit can be inserted into the battery interface while the lighting fixture is energized.

Lighting fixtures (e.g., luminaires) using LEDs or other solid-state light sources have in recent years become somewhat practical and continue to penetrate the lighting market due to the increased luminous efficacy of commercially available LED components. LED lighting systems can include one or more LED devices that become illuminated as a result of the movement of electrons through a semiconductor material. LED luminaires are desirable as they offer energy savings due to good luminous efficacy combined with the ability to precisely control light distribution patterns, which is of particular importance for certain lighting scenarios. LED lighting systems can operate on back battery power (e.g., direct current power) when a primary power supply (e.g., alternating current power) is offline.


Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. The semiconductor device includes a substrate and a PIP capacitor located. The PIP capacitor includes a first polysilicon layer, a metallic silicide layer, a protective layer, a dielectric layer, and a second polysilicon layer, which have a lower conductive plate pattern and are successively arranged. The method includes: providing a substrate; successively forming a first polysilicon layer, a metallic silicide, and a protective layer on the substrate; transferring a lower conductive plate pattern into the first polysilicon layer, the metallic silicide layer, and the protective layer, thus forming the first polysilicon layer, the metallic silicide layer, and the protective layer having the lower conductive plate pattern; successively forming a dielectric layer and a second polysilicon layer having a lower conductive plate pattern on the protective layer. The capacitance and reliability of the PIP capacitor are improved.

With the rapid development of semiconductor devices, the market competition is becoming more and more fierce, one of the main methods to prolong the service life of the products is to constantly reduce the area of the die. In the Mixed-Signal Circuit, the proportion of the capacitor area in the chip is considerable, thus manufacturing a capacitor having a high performance and high capacity is an inevitable trend of the development of the semiconductor device.
The capacitor in the semiconductor device can be divided into PIP capacitors (the upper and lower conductive plates are made of polysilicon, the intermediate layer is an insulator layer), MIM capacitors (the upper and lower conductive plates are made of metal, the intermediate layer is an insulator layer), and MIP capacitors (the upper conductive plate is made of metal, the lower conductive plate is made of polysilicon, the intermediate of layer is an insulator layer). As regarding to the PIP capacitor, after the lower conductive plate polysilicon is formed, in order to reduce the contact resistance of the device and improve the operating speed of the device, a metallic silicide (such as WSi) is usually formed on the lower conductive plate polysilicon, then an insulator layer (also known as the dielectric layer) is formed on the metallic silicide, and the upper plate polysilicon is formed on the insulator layer, thus the manufacture of the PIP capacitor is completed.
In the prior art, there are two methods for manufacturing PIP capacitor on the semiconductor device, which are as follows:
The first process includes the steps of: 1. forming the lower conductive plate polysilicon and the metallic silicide layer on the lower conductive plate polysilicon; 2. forming the source and the drain; 3. forming the insulator layer; 4. forming the upper plate polysilicon.
The second process includes the steps of: 1. forming the lower conductive plate polysilicon and the metallic silicide layer; 2. forming the insulator layer; 3. forming the upper plate polysilicon; 4. forming the source and the drain.
In the two processes, the capacitance of the PIP capacitor formed by the first process is generally small, the capacitance cannot be increased to 1.8 ff/m2 even though reducing the thickness of the insulator layer; the capacitance of the PIP capacitor formed by the second process can increased to 1.8 ff/m2, however, the PIP capacitor has a poor reliability.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing same


A six DOF measurement aid module for determining 3D coordinates of points to be measured of an object surface, comprising a laser tracker for determining the position and orientation of the six DOF measurement aid module. The six DOF measurement aid module has a body comprising an object coupling device with an object interface, configured to couple, via the object interface, alternatively both a handle to the body with a fixed pose and the body to a mobile platform with a fixed pose, a sensor attachment coupling device with a sensor interface-configured to couple alternatively both a sensor attachment effecting non-contact measurement and a sensor attachment effecting tactile measurement to the body with a fixed pose via the sensor interface, and visual markings, which are arranged in a defined spatial relationship in a manner forming a pattern in a marking region on the body.

In object measuring technology, various systems are known for determining 3D coordinates of points to be measured of an object surface, so-called surface points. Each system is based on the use of a specific measuring head/sensor that scans the object surface. In this context, the measuring task and in particular requirements defined therein regarding the measurement accuracy/speed prescribe the choice of measuring head/sensor to the greatest possible extent. There are principally two classes of measuring head/sensor types that are used when measuring objects: the measuring heads effecting tactile scanning and the measuring heads effecting non-contact scanning. Tactile measuring heads comprise for example a stylus-type measuring probe with a ruby sphere fixed at one end. The ruby sphere is brought into contact with a point to be measured of an object surface and the 3D coordinates of this point are ascertained on the basis of this. Measuring heads effecting non-contact scanning such as laser scanners, for example, comprise a beam source for emitting measurement radiation, wherein a point to be measured of an object surface is irradiated by the measurement radiation and measurement radiation is reflected from this irradiated point and the 3D coordinates of this point are ascertained on the basis of this. Most of these object measuring sensors or measuring heads effecting tactile or non-contact scanning were designed for use for example with a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), an automatically guided kinematic chain or a robot arm. That is to say that the measuring heads were designed to be coupled to a CMM, an automatically guided kinematic chain or a robot arm, whereby the measuring head, in an automatically guided and controlled manner, scans and measures an object surface to be measured.

Six DOF measurement aid module for determining 3D coordinates of points to be measured of an object surface


A panel (3) having an inlet (12) for a disc cartridge (13) is attached to the front side of a mechanism body (2) consisting of a chassis, a magnetic head, etc., and the mechanism body (2) is elastically attached to the inner sides of upper and lower cases (6) and (7) through the intermediation of a plurality of buffer rubber members (11). The upper and lower cases (6) and (7) are integrally joined together to form a casing (1), and a buffer member (5) is attached to an opening (4) formed on the front side of the casing (1). This buffer member (5) has a rectangular frame-like through-hole (17) at its center, and holding members (5a) and (5b) formed around it are inserted into holding grooves (7c) formed in the cases (6) and (7). Further, a frame member (5c) is formed on the back side of the buffer member (5) so as to surround the through-hole (17), and the panel (3) is inserted into the frame member (5c) and exposed through the opening (4).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus in which a cartridge is inserted into a mechanism body through an inlet to thereby effect recording and reproduction on and from a recording medium accommodated in the cartridge and, in particular, to a recording/reproducing apparatus in which the mechanism body is mounted to the interior of a casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, in a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus in which information is recorded and reproduced on and from a magnetic disc accommodated in a disc cartridge, a panel is mounted to the front side of a mechanism body having a driving mechanism, and the disc cartridge is inserted through an inlet provided in this panel, whereby information is recorded and reproduced on and from the magnetic disc by using a magnetic head provided in the mechanism body.
In the field of game equipment, etc., there has conventionally been known a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus whose casing accommodates a mechanism body, with a panel being exposed through an opening provided on the front side of the casing. In such a known magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, the mechanism body is mounted to the inner bottom surface of the casing through the intermediation of a buffer rubber member, and a small gap is provided between the panel and the opening, whereby any impact applied from the outside to the casing is absorbed by the buffer rubber member and prevented from reaching the mechanism body.
However, the above-described conventional magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus has a problem in that while it can protect the mechanism body from damage by virtue of the buffer rubber member in the case of a relatively weak impact, it is liable to suffer damage when a strong impact is applied as in the case in which the casing falls, causing the panel to hit against the edge of the opening of the panel. Further, if the impact is not so strong, there is a concern that vibrations will be generated when the panel hits against the edge of the opening of the casing. In particular, when recording/reproduction is performed, with the rear end of the disc cartridge being engaged with the inlet of the panel, the recording/reproducing operation can be adversely affected. Further, since foreign matter such as dust is easily allowed to enter the casing through the gap required to exist between the panel and the opening, the mechanism body arranged inside the casing is liable to be adversely affected.

Recording/reproducing apparatus with a buffer member used for mounting a mechanism body


A coating composition is provided for inhibiting growth of fungus and/or algae on a surface. The coating composition includes a dry film preservative and an antibacterial dry-film preservative comprising an immobilized isothiazolin-3-one derivative/zinc oxide complex. The amount of the antibacterial preservative comprising immobilized 1,2-isothiazolin-3-one derivative/zinc oxide complex and the dry film preservative contained in the coating composition is sufficient to inhibit or prevent the defacement of a surface exposed to the environment, when such defacement is due to growth of fungi or algae, or a combination of fungi and algae on a surface coated with said surface coating composition.

The growth of fungi and algae on exterior and interior surfaces in humid conditions and/or periods of darkness is a major concern that affects residential homes, commercial offices, and recreational environments. Such growth is not only unsightly and defaces the surfaces, but also damages these surfaces. As used herein, exterior surfaces refers to any surface of an object that may be subject to environmental conditions in nature. The coating compositions disclosed herein may also be intended for use on interior surfaces that may be subject to humid conditions and/or periods of darkness, such as a residential bathroom or basement.
Fungi (e.g., mold, mildew) is not only unsightly, but can destroy commonly used building materials, such as wood, fiber, and other materials, causing severe damage to buildings and other structures and equipment. There are between 100,000 and 200,000 species of fungi, mold and mildew, depending on the employed classification methodology. Of particular concern are the pathogenic fungi, which can cause significant adverse health effects to exposed individuals. About 300 species of fungi are presently known to be pathogenic to man, but it is thought that there are many other fungi species that are not yet recognized as pathogenic.
Fungal colonies typically take on a filamentous form, having long filament-like cells called hyphae. Under the favorable growth conditions, hyphae grow into an intertwining network called a mycelium. A mycelium can be visible to the naked eye, appearing as unsightly fuzzy green, bluish-gray or black spots, for example. When conditions for growth are less favorable, many varieties of fungi can respond by forming spores on specialized hyphal cells. Spores are the primary means for dispersal and survival of fungi, and can remain dormant for months or even years-even withstanding extremely adverse conditions, to germinate and flourish again when environmental variables, such as light, oxygen levels, temperature, and nutrient availability, become favorable again.
Fungi are considered saprophytes, i.e., fungi generally grow by decomposing organic matter to obtain nourishment. Building and decorative materials such as wood, paper-coated wallboard, wallpaper, fabrics, carpet and leather can provide the necessary organic matter for the nourishment and growth of fungi. Today, an especially problematic fungal genus that is often found on exterior surfaces of buildings is Stachybotrys. Stachybotrys chartarum, commonly found in nature growing on cellulose-rich plant materials, is frequently found in water-damaged building materials, such as ceiling tiles, wallpaper, sheet-rock, and cellulose resin wallboard (fiberboard). Depending on the particular environmental conditions—e.g., temperature, pH, and humidity—in which Stachybotrys is growing, mycotoxins, compounds that have toxic properties, may be produced.
Other common fungi that are typically found on exterior surfaces, such as the exterior surfaces of residential homes and commercial offices, are Aspergillus species sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Alternaria dianthicola, Aureobasidium pullulans (aka Pullularia pullulans), Phoma pigmentivora, and Cladosporium sp. Heavy contamination of exterior surfaces by dirt and/or oil can facilitate fungal growth by providing a food source for the fungi. In addition, surfaces and materials that are difficult to access for cleaning, or for which cleaning is neglected, are particularly vulnerable to attack by fungi.
It has become increasingly apparent that exposure to certain fungi or their spores can significantly and adversely impact the health of humans, pets, and other animals. Concerns such as allergies, asthma, infections, and the long-term repercussions of mold toxins are just a few of the many adverse health effects associated with fungal contamination and/or growth.
Algal growth likewise is unsightly and over the long term can destroy the coated surface and/or the underlying substrate. Algae are members of a group of predominantly aquatic photosynthetic organisms of the kingdom Protista. The can grow on exterior surfaces and are unsightly and have the potential to destroy the exterior substrate or coating, if left unchecked. Non-limiting examples of algae that are of particular concern for exterior coatings are Chlorella, Oscilatoria, Scnedesmus, Ulothrix, Trentepohlia, and Trebouxiophyceae.
Bacteria likewise can grow on and deface exterior surfaces exposed to the environment, and like fungal and algal growth, such bacterial growth can be unsightly, but can also damage such surfaces over time. Examples of undesirable bacteria include but are not limited to Enterobacter cloacae, Actinobacter sp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Accordingly, there is a continued need for improved methods and compositions for that have efficacy for inhibiting environmental defacement of surfaces due to bacterial, fungal and algal growth on surfaces, since environmental exposure may be assumed to contribute to defacement from all three types of microbes. Such growth not only defaces such surfaces, but also damages them.


A method for integrating salicide and self-aligned contact processes in the fabrication of logic circuits with embedded memory is achieved. Field oxide areas are formed to isolate a logic device area and a memory device area. A gate oxide layer, first polysilicon layer, silicon oxide layer and silicon nitride layer are deposited over the substrate. The silicon nitride layer is selectively removed in the logic device area. The layers in the memory device area are patterned to form memory devices. The layers in the logic device area are patterned to form gate electrodes. Silicon nitride spacers are formed on the sidewalls of the gate electrodes and memory devices and associated source and drain regions are formed within the substrate. The substrate is covered with a resist protective oxide which is removed in the logic device area. A layer of titanium is deposited over the substrate and transformed by annealing into a titanium silicide layer over the gate electrodes and associated source and drain regions. The unreacted titanium layer overlying the spacers, field oxide, and resist protective oxide layer is removed. An insulating layer is deposited over the substrate. A self-aligned contact opening is formed in the memory device area through the insulating layer between two of the memory devices to one of the associated source and drain regions. A second polysilicon layer is deposited over the substrate and within the self-aligned contact opening and patterned to complete the self-aligned contact.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the fabrication of integrated circuit devices, and more particularly, to a method of integrating salicide and self-aligned contact processes in the fabrication of integrated circuits.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the fabrication of integrated circuit devices, logic products are often produced using salicide (self-aligned silicide) processes in order to obtain higher circuit performance. In silicidation, a refractory metal layer is deposited and then annealed. The underlying silicon reacts with the refractory metal layer to produce a silicide overlying the gate electrode and source and drain regions. The silicided gate and source/drain regions have lower resistance than non-silicided regions, especially in smaller geometries, and hence, higher circuit performance.
In the production of memory units, the self-aligned contact (SAC) has been widely used to reduce cell size. With the advent of Large Scale Integration (LSI) many of the integrated circuits formed on semiconductor substrates comprise several circuit functions on a single chip. For example, memory devices are formed on the same chip as the logic circuits which address them. It is desired to find a method of integrating the salicide and the SAC processes on one wafer so that both high logic performance and high density memory for embedded memory can be achieved.
Silicidation has been widely used in the art. Silicidation techniques and self-aligned contacts are discussed in Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era, Vol. 2, by S. Wolf, Lattice Press, Sunset Beach, Calif., c. 1990, pp. 144-149 and in VLSI Technology, Second Edition by S. M. Sze, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., c. 1988, pp.397-400 and 479-483. U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,035 to Fang et al shows a method of forming a dual gate oxide for a memory having embedded logic wherein silicide is formed in both areas. U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,722 to Bashir et al teaches self-aligned source/drain polysilicon or polycide contacts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,980 to Yoo teaches a silicided self-aligned contact for SRAM cells, but with no embedded logic. U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,083 to Matthews teaches a BiCMOS device with self-aligned contacts.

Method of salicide and sac (self-aligned contact) integration

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


There is provided an automatic correction method for an onboard camera and an onboard camera device. The automatic correction method includes the following steps: obtaining a lane image with the onboard camera and a current extrinsic parameter matrix, and identifying two lane lines in the lane image; converting the lane image into a top-view lane image, and obtaining two projected lane lines in the top-view lane image for the two lane lines; calculating a plurality of correction parameter matrices corresponding to the current extrinsic parameter matrix according to the two projected lane lines; and correcting the current extrinsic parameter matrix according to the plurality of correction parameter matrices. This can be applied in situations where the vehicle is stationary or travelling for automatic correction on the extrinsic parameter matrix of the onboard camera.

For an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), it is required to obtain lane images from onboard camera and generate control information related to assisting driving—by analyzing or recognizing the lane images. However, common onboard cameras are corrected with a manner of static adjustments. That is, if the onboard camera mounted on a vehicle is subject to any situation like a displacement, a change of the road environment or a setting error while the vehicle is travelling, the onboard camera then cannot instantly provide a valid lane image for the analysis and recognition, resulting in fails of the ADAS. To this end, a solution of several embodiments will be provided as below.

Automatic correction method for onboard camera and onboard camera device


An integrated micro-electromechanical (MEM) optical resonator comprises a cantilever beam which is fixed to a substrate at one end and extends freely over the substrate at the other end, and a bimorph actuator stacked atop the beam at its fixed end. A reflective surface partially covers the top of the beam at its free end. The bimorph actuator comprises material layers having different thermal expansion coefficients. A DC-biased AC voltage connected across the actuator causes it to heat and cool as the current passing through it increases and decreases, creating a thermal bimorph effect which causes the cantilever beam and the reflective surface to oscillate in accordance with the varying current, preferably at the beam and actuator structure's fundamental resonant frequency. Combining the resonator with a light source and actuator excitation circuitry creates an optical scanner engine which delivers a scan angle in excess of 20 degrees and a scan rate of up to 2000 Hz, using a driving voltage of only 2 V.sub.p-p.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of optical scanners, particularly those based on a micro-electromechanical (MEM) optical resonator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical scanning systems, i.e., systems which generate a scanning laser or light beam and detect the beam's reflection off of a target, find widespread use in such diverse fields as laser imaging, factory automation and information handling. Such a system typically includes a laser light source, an oscillating mirror, and a photodetector. The laser light is directed onto the oscillating mirror and the reflected beam traces a "scan line" each time the mirror moves from one oscillation extreme to the other. The scan line is in turn directed at a target such as a bar code, and laser light reflected from the target is detected by a photodetector which produces an output that provides information about the target. Two-dimensional (2-D) scanners, which can trace scan lines in two typically orthogonal directions, are also in common use.
A key component of an optical scanning system is the oscillating mirror. The frequency of oscillation determines the system's "scan rate", i.e., the number of times per second that a scan line is traced. A high scan rate enables a target to be scanned more quickly than it would be with a lower scan rate. The distance the mirror moves when oscillating determines the system's mechanical and optical "scan angles". Mechanical scan angle is defined as the angle between the plane of the mirror at one oscillation extreme and the other extreme. Optical scan angle is defined as the angle between a light beam reflected off the mirror at one oscillation extreme and the other extreme, which is equal to twice the mechanical scan angle. As used below, "scan angle" refers to the optical scan angle.
A high scan angle is critical to a scanning system's "resolution", i.e., the size of the smallest target detail which can be resolved by a scanning system. A system's resolution is determined by a variety of factors, including the quality of its light source, the optical components used, the scan angle and the distance from the light source to the target. If a target is far enough away from the source, even a system with a small scan angle produces a wide scan line which can trace a wide target. However, the spot size of a laser beam increases as it travels from its source, so that a large separation between source and target adversely affects resolution. A system having a wide scan angle offers the advantage of tracing a wide scan line while keeping the distance between source and target small, increasing system resolution.
Present optical scanners are generally based on galvanometric or oscillatory systems. A galvanometric scanner is a form of electric motor in which the armature is made to alternate between clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations of less than 360 degrees, typically producing a scan angle of less than 60 degrees. A plane mirror with its surface parallel to the axis of rotation is rigidly mounted on the projecting shaft of the armature. Galvanometric scanners tend to be bulky, heavy, expensive and have poor reliability. They are discussed in more detail in G. F. Marshall and J. Montagu, "Advances in Oscillatory Optical Scanners", SPIE Vol. 2383, pp. 440-448 (1995).
Oscillatory scanner systems operate by providing a stimulus necessary to cause a mirror and its mechanical mount to oscillate at the structure's mechanical resonance frequency, at which the system's scan angle is maximized. One such system, described in H. Goto and K. Imanaka, "Super compact dual axis optical scanning unit applying a torsional spring resonator driven by a piezoelectric actuator", SPIE Vol. 1544, Miniature and Micro-Optics: Fabrication and System Applications, pp. 272-280 (1991), uses a piezoelectric actuator attached to a resonator structure using an epoxy resin to excite the structure at its resonant frequency. The resonator structure includes mirror, torsional spring and inertia generating segments. This system has several shortcomings, however. The scan rate of the system is limited to about 288 Hz and the scan angle is limited to about 20 degrees. The piezoelectric actuator is bulky and requires a high driving voltage, and the device requires the separate manufacture and subsequent joining of the actuator and resonator components, resulting in a somewhat fragile hybrid device.
Another optical scanning system, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,148 to Nishikawa et al., employs a resonator which includes four bimorph cells and three torsional springs surrounding a mirror. This multiplicity of components is hand-assembled into a bulky, complex, fragile structure which produces a scan angle of up to .+-.30 degrees, but requires a driving voltage of up to 20 V.sub.p-p.

Micro-electromechanical (MEM) optical resonator and method


A magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording includes a slider having an air bearing surface (ABS) and a trailing surface and a transducer fabricated on the trailing surface. The transducer includes a magnetoresistive (MR) read element disposed within a gap material bounded by shield material, an adjunct pole, and a main pole formed in an adjacent layered relationship to the adjunct pole. The adjunct pole has a front edge that is recessed from the ABS and a rear edge. The main pole has a write tip that extends approximately to the ABS. The transducer further includes a write coil having a first layer of turns below the adjunct pole and above the shield material. The magnetic head also includes a heating element with a portion of the heating element below the write coil and behind the rear edge of the adjunct pole.

Electronic data is commonly stored on discs of various types. Disc drives hold and rotate the disc while positioning a read/write head over the disc to read data from it or write data to it. The head typically comprises a read/write transducer formed on the trailing surface of a slider. When the disc media is rotated, a thin film of air forms between the disc and an air bearing surface (ABS) of the slider. During operation of the disc drive, the head is said to "fly" over the surface of the rotating media, with the ABS being disposed just above the disc surface. The thin film of air formed between the ABS and the disc surface is known as the air bearing. The very small separation distance between the transducer of the flying head and the surface of the disk is referred to as the "flying height." When the flying head is suspended above the recording disc in this manner, it can be moved over a desired concentric track of the disc to access data stored on that track.
The flying height of the head is a critical factor affecting the density of the magnetic data that can be stored on the disc. In recent years, the magnetic recording industry has strived to increase the data storage density in both longitudinal and perpendicular recording technologies by employing various techniques aimed at decreasing the average flying height of the head over the rotating magnetic media.
A perpendicular magnetic recording head differs from the more traditional longitudinal recording head in the direction of the magnetic flux orientation with respect to the magnetic disk medium. During a write operation, a perpendicular recording head directs the magnetic flux in a direction substantially normal to the surface of the magnetic disk. In contrast, the magnetic flux generated by a longitudinal recording head is generally in the plane of the surface of the magnetic disk. A perpendicular magnetic recording head with enhanced magnetic field strength is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,791,793, which is herein incorporated by reference. Perpendicular magnetic recording heads and methods of operation are also taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,847,509; 6,834,026; 6,822,829; 6,816,339; and 6,813,115.
In one prior art technique for reducing the flying height of the magnetic head is to incorporate a heating element into the slider to temporarily heat a portion of the head to cause the transducer elements to move closer to the rotating disc, thereby reducing the flying height during periods of reading and writing. This allows the flying height to be low during reading and writing, and to be high at other times to enhance the durability of the head-disk interface. The technique of reducing flying height when reading and writing is commonly known as "dynamic flying height" (DFH) actuation. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,103 teaches a slider head having a patterned heating element which selectively heats the edge of the leading slider surface to cause the head to fly closer to the rotating disc. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,113 discloses a resistive heating element embedded within the slider body just ahead of the transducer. Application of power to the heating element causes the pole tips of the transducer to protrude toward the data recording surface relative to the air bearing surface of the slider, such that the flying height at the location of the transducer is reduced.
Magnetic recording heads that include a heater disposed in an overcoat layer for thermally expanding the surrounding layers, thereby adjusting the distance between the transducer device and the hard disc, are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publications US 2004/0184192 and US 2004/0130820. U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2004/0075940 teaches a heating element that is either physically located in the overcoat layer between the write transducer and a passivation layer, or between the read transducer and the slider body. Additionally, U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2003/0099054 discloses a thin-film magnetic head having a heater formed at a position opposite to the air-bearing surface with respect to the magnetic head elements.
Resistive heating elements have also been used in so-called "thermally assisted" magnetic recording (TAMR), wherein the magnetic material in the media is locally heated to near or above its Curie temperature in order to lower the coercivity of the recording media during writing. At ambient temperature, the coercivity is high enough for thermal stability of the recorded bits. A good example of a TAMR disk drive is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,183, which discloses a thin-film write head having a resistive heater located in the write gap between the pole tips of the write head.
A variety of problems have plagued prior art head designs that utilize Joule heating elements for dynamically controlling the flying height of the read/write transducer. One problem has been excessive thermal stress caused by localized heating of the slider and transducer materials. Relatively high power to the heater is often required to produce sufficient pole tip protrusion. Other problems associated with thermal heating of slider heads include the difficulty in achieving an optimal transducer protrusion profile, overheating of the magnetoresistive reading element, deformation of the shape of the slider, and poor control over pole tip protrusion. For instance, designs that include a heater element disposed in the overcoat layer often suffer from disproportionate expansion of the overcoat material such that the overcoat material contacts the surface of the magnetic disc, thereby increasing the distance between the magnetic recording elements and the disc surface. Many of these problems may lead to deleterious consequences in prior art magnetic recording heads.
Another past approach involves controlling the flying height dynamically by applying a voltage between the flying head and the magnetic storage medium. The applied voltage controls the vertical movement of the head to increase or decrease the flying height by electrostatic forces. This technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,342. One major drawback of the electrostatic force approach, however, is the inability to maintain precise control over the flying height. Another approach involves piezoelectric head-positioning techniques. Such techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,577,466 and 5,943,189. A magnetic disk drive that incorporates a piezoelectric element with a resistive heater located between the read transducer and the slider body is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2004/0165305. A drawback of such piezoelectric techniques, however, is that they are typically difficult to manufacture without thermally damaging the read transducer.
In yet another approach, U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,646 discloses a method and apparatus for dynamically controlling the flying behavior and height of a read/write head by manipulating the spring constant of the suspension. The spring constant is changed by locally varying the material temperature of the suspension arm using a small heater deposited on the surface of the suspension arm. This technique suffers from serious reliability and control problems.
Thus, there is an unsatisfied need for a solution to the problem of achieving a low flying height during reading/writing processes while avoiding or reducing the problems inherent in prior art DFH actuation approaches.

Perpendicular magnetic recording head with dynamic flying height heating element disposed below turns of a write coil