An inkjet head driving apparatus, wherein serial data indicating emission or non emission of nozzles respectively for a plurality of heads, is latched and memorized, and the nozzles are driven respectively based on the data memorized, the inkjet head driving apparatus having: an emission timing signal outputting device disposed in common for a plurality of heads so as to output a plurality of emission timing signals in one emission cycle; a setting device disposed respectively for the plurality of the heads so as to select the sequential emission timing signals at which emission starts synchronously, among the emission timing signals outputted from the emission timing signal outputting device in one emission cycle.

Studies for uses of inkjet printers wherein a liquid droplet is emitted from a nozzle of a head to land the droplet on a recording material, in various fields of production technologies, for instance, production of a color filter such as a liquid crystal display unit and a plasma display unit besides an image recording use such as character, drawing patter and photograph have begun in recent yeas.
Accordingly, demands for the performance of the inkjet printer have been increasing more and more and a demand for fine control of an emission timing independently for each head or for each nozzle in less than an unit of one pixel is also increasing. For example, in production of the color filter, each ink droplet of RGB color is needed to be landed at a predetermined position in a matrix from the nozzle of the inkjet head with an accuracy of μ order which is less than the unit of one pixel. For this reason, it is required that landing is to be controlled highly accurately by fine adjustment less than the unit of one pixel for each head or for each nozzle.    Patent document: Tokkaihei 10-147010
In order to the control emission timing independently head by head or nozzle by nozzle, it is considered that data transmission systems have to be configured independently for each head or for each nozzle.
However, in case data transmission system is configured for each head, usually, it is necessary to output a serial clock, serial data, a latch for data transmission and an emission start signal for forming a drive wave respectively from the control circuit board, and the control circuit board and the head have to be connected by a plurality of signal cables. Therefore, the plurality of signal cables have to be connected for a plurality head respectively. Consequently, there was a problem that number of signal cables becomes enormous.
Also, in case the data transmission system is configured for each nozzle, the emission start signal has to be provided for each nozzle respectively, there is also a problem that the number of the signal cable also becomes enormous.
As above, to provide the signal cable for each head or each nozzle causes bulky large head, complication of wiring design and cost increase. It is a serious issue to reduce the number of the signal cables between the control circuit board and the head while the numbers of the heads and nozzles are increasing.
There is considered a configuration that serial clock, latch and emission start signal are transferred from the control circuit board to every head in common, and only serial data is transferred for each head so as to reduce the number of signal cables.
However, in this embodiment, emission of each head can be performed only at the same timing and positioning adjustment between each head can be performed only by a pixel by changing read-out from a memory where data is stored. Therefore, the demand of highly accurate landing by controlling landing by less than one pixel was not satisfied.
Further, as for changing of the emission timing for each nozzle, there is suggested that the drive wave for each nozzle is formed from the same emission signal after elapsing of a predetermined delay time for each nozzle. However, in this case, due to a fluctuation of a speed of a relative movement between the head and the recording material, a landing position changes, thus there was a problem that the accurate landing cannot be realized.


A CMOS image sensor includes a photo-transistor capable of performing photo-sensing and active amplification. The photo-transistor is installed to improve low illustration characteristics while maintaining an existing pixel operation. The CMOS image sensor also includes a reset transistor connected to the photo-transistor and adapted to perform a reset function, a drive transistor for acting as a source follower buffer amplifier in response to an output signal from the photo-transistor, and a switching transistor connected to the drive transistor and adapted to perform an addressing function.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a CMOS image sensor wherein a photo-transistor capable of performing photo-sensing and active amplification is installed to improve low illumination characteristics while maintaining an existing pixel operation.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, image sensors are semiconductor devices which convert optical images into electrical signals, and may be roughly classified into charge coupled device (CCD) image sensors and complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) image sensors.
However, in a CCD image sensor, a driving system is complex, a large amount of power is consumed and a multistep photo-process is required, resulting in a complex manufacturing process. Further, it is difficult to integrate a controller, a signal processor, an analog/digital (A/D) converter, etc. in one CCD chip. Thus, obstacles to miniaturization of a product exist. Recently, CMOS image sensors have received attention as the next generation technology for overcoming the disadvantages of CCD image sensors.
The CMOS image sensor is based on a CMOS technology which employs a controller, a signal processor, etc. as peripheral circuits. In the CMOS image sensor based on the CMOS technology, a number of MOS transistors corresponding to a number of unit pixels are formed on a semiconductor substrate. A switching system is adopted to sequentially detect outputs of the respective unit pixels through the MOS transistors. Because CMOS technology is employed in the CMOS image sensor, a small amount of power is consumed and a small number of photo-process steps are performed, resulting in a simplified manufacturing process. Furthermore, it is possible to integrate the controller, signal processor, A/D converter, etc. in a CMOS image sensor chip, thereby facilitating miniaturization of a product.
A related art CMOS image sensor will be described with reference to FIG. 1, which is a circuit diagram of a unit pixel of a related art CMOS image sensor having four transistors.
As shown in FIG. 1, a related art CMOS image sensor comprises a photo-sensing device 100, for example, a photodiode, for generating photo-charges and a transfer transistor 101 for receiving a ΦTx signal at its gate and transferring the photo-charges generated by the photo-sensing device 100 to a floating diffusion region FD 102 in response to the received ΦTx signal. The related art CMOS image sensor also includes a reset transistor 103 for receiving an ΦRs signal at its gate and for, in response to the received ΦRs signal, setting the potential PVRS of the floating diffusion region FD 102 to a desired value or discharging charges stored in the floating diffusion region FD 102 to reset the floating diffusion region FD 102. The related art CMOS image sensor also includes a drive transistor 104 for acting as a source follower buffer amplifier in response to a signal inputted to its gate, and a select transistor 105 for performing an addressing operation in response to a signal ΦSEL inputted to its gate. A voltage VDL is applied.
However, in the related art CMOS image sensor, when a small amount of light is incident on the photodiode, which acts to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal, a very small amount of charges may be stored in the photodiode. Thus, it may not be possible to make a distinction between an output signal and noise.
In order to overcome the above problem, a scheme has been proposed which activates the unit pixel of the CMOS image sensor, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a pixel transistor for amplification, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the amplification pixel transistor. The pixel activation scheme will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in these drawings, the amplification pixel transistor, denoted by reference numeral 106, is formed on a semiconductor substrate 110. A gate electrode 112 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 110, and N+ diffusion regions 113a and 113b are formed on the semiconductor substrate 110 at opposite sides of the gate electrode 112, respectively. P+ diffusion regions 114a and 114b are formed on the semiconductor substrate 110 around the N+ diffusion regions 113a and 113b, respectively, to connect the gate electrode 112 with the semiconductor substrate 110. The gate electrode 112 is connected with the semiconductor substrate 110 via the P+ diffusion regions 114a and 114b. The N+ diffusion region 113a, which is one terminal of the amplification pixel transistor 106, is grounded. The N+ diffusion region 113b, which is the other terminal of the amplification pixel transistor 106, is connected to the transfer transistor 101.
However, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the pixel is activated when the pixel circuit is inappropriately configured in a two-dimensional array, the operation of the image sensor is greatly influenced by a variation in capacitor value or output resistor value.


The invention relates to the compounds of formula I or its pharmaceutical acceptable salts, as well as polymorphs, solvates, enantiomers, stereoisomers and hydrates thereof. The pharmaceutical compositions comprising an effective amount of compounds of formula I, and methods for the treatment of Parkinson's disease may be formulated for oral, buccal, rectal, topical, transdermal, transmucosal, intravenous, parenteral administration, syrup, or injection. Such compositions may be also used for the treatment of Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Lateral Sclerosis, Neural Motor disorders.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a relatively common neurodegenerative disease associated with progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) and locus coeruleus. The major clinical symptoms of PD are body rigidity, hypokinesia, and postural instability linked with trembling extremities. The cause of non-familial PD remains unclear. There are several theories regarding the possible factors behind the neuronal degeneration. These include environmental toxins, genetic factors, proteasomal and mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as free radical mediated cell death/oxidative stress. PD clinical features also comprise non-motor manifestations among which, dementia is the most important. In approximately 40% of patients, PD is complicated by cognitive impairment. Moreover, in addition to age, dementia is an independent predictor of mortality, whereas age at onset of PD and severity of neurological symptoms are not.
COMT inhibitors reduce the peripheral enzyme with greater potency than the enzyme present in the central nervous system, tolcapone does penetrate the blood-brain barrier and inhibits the COMT activity of the brain. A recent "proof-of-concept" study shows that this drug enhances memory and executive cognition and the physiologic efficiency of prefrontal cortical information processing in normal volunteers.
One of the earliest biochemical changes seen in PD patients is a decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) levels; GSH is a major component of cellular antioxidant defenses. A decrease in GSH levels also occurs in incidental Lewy body disease, which is thought to be an asymptomatic precursor to PD. This suggests that GSH depletion in the SN may play a more active role in PD pathogenesis than previously thought. Indeed recent studies reveal that GSH depletion may be actively involved in complex I inhibition, disruption of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and may have effects that affect the inflammatory processes seen in PD.
Managing acute pathology of often relies on the addressing underlying pathology and symptoms of the disease. There is currently a need in the art for new compositions to treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Compositions and methods for the treatment of parkinson's disease


A carbon substance comprises a structure and line-shaped bodies, the structure having a size ranging from about 1 μm to about 100 μm and including carbon and a metal or a metallic oxide, and the line-shaped bodies having diameters smaller than about 200 nm and including carbon as a main component thereof and growing radially from a surface of the structure. A method for manufacturing the carbon substance uses a thermal decomposition of a source gas containing carbon in the vicinity of a catalyst, wherein the catalyst comprises a first and a second materials, the first material being Ni or a Ni oxide and the second material being In or an In oxide; and the thermal decomposition is performed at a temperature ranging from about 675° C. to about 750° C. An electron emission element uses the carbon substance as an electron emission material. A composite material includes the carbon substance in its matrix.

An electric field electron emission element is a cold-cathode which consumes less energy and has an extended life longer than a thermionic emission element which has to be heated. The electric field electron emission element needs to employ an electron emission material which has such a small curvature at a vertical hem thereof that an electron can be emitted at a low voltage at an improved electron emission efficiency.
In this regard, recently, carbon fiber materials such as carbon microfiber have been noticed as an electron emission material of the electric field electron emission element. Out of these materials, a carbon nanofiber such as carbon nanotube of a nanoscale size is particularly distinguished. A carbon nanofiber, whose external diameter ranges approximately from 1 to 100 nm and length of a few μm's, can be properly shaped to perform the field electron emission at a low voltage. Further, since the component material, i.e., carbon, is chemically stable and mechanically strong, it is an ideal material for electron emission element.
Conventionally, a carbon fiber has been produced by employing a laser ablation method, an arc discharge method using arc discharge between graphite electrodes in a vacuum state or in inert gas, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method, or the like. Since the CVD method is capable of producing a carbon fiber with a better regularity than other methods, it has received more attention recently.
In case a carbon fiber, e.g., a carbon nanotube, is used as an electron emission material, the carbon nanotube is desirably arranged in a direction along an electric field (generally, a direction perpendicular to a substrate on which the carbon nanotube is arranged) for concentration of the electric field. Since the carbon nanotube has a thread shape, however, most carbon nanotube's vertical hems are not arranged perpendicular to the substrate when the carbon nanotubes are simply deposited on the substrate; and, therefore, irregularity occurs when a low voltage is applied.

Carbon substance and method for manufacturing the same, electron emission element and composite materials


An injection device for an internal combustion engine includes a piezo actuator for moving a valve piston, and a control unit for actuating the piezo actuator. The control unit supplies electrical pulses having different pulse energy to the piezo actuator and determines a return stroke between the piezo actuator and valve piston or a time delay caused by the return stroke. The control unit selects the pulse energies such that a maximum excursion of a movement of the piezo actuator caused by at least one pulse is smaller than the return stroke, whereas a maximum excursion of a piezo actuator movement caused by another pulse(s) is greater than the return stroke, after each of the pulses detects a frequency spectrum of a voltage signal at the piezo actuator during the movement caused by the respective pulse, and determines the return stroke or time delay based on these frequency spectra.

Known injection devices for internal combustion engines comprise an injector having a valve piston for controlling a flow of fuel and having a piezo actuator for moving the valve piston, and also a control unit for actuating the piezo actuator. In this case, the control unit is programmed to apply electrical pulses to the piezo actuator and therefore to cause the valve piston to move when a force which is exerted on the valve piston by the piezo actuator is greater than an opposing force. For interference-free operation of the internal combustion engine, it is necessary to control an injection instant and an injection duration, which are regulated by the movement of the valve piston, in a precisely timed manner.
Precisely timed control is inconsistent with, in particular, a so-called idle stroke between the piezo actuator and the valve piston. The idle stroke is defined as a distance through which the piezo actuator has to move or extend before it can move the valve piston. There is therefore a time delay between the actuation of the piezo actuator and the movement of the valve piston. In the present document, the term "idle stroke" is intended to be able to identify not only the length which corresponds to the idle stroke, but also another variable which is suitable as a measure for this idle stroke in the narrower sense of the word—that is to say for the said length—for example a charging quantity or an energy of an electrical pulse which allows the piezo actuator to overcome the idle stroke. However, on account of mechanical tolerances, temperature fluctuations, run-in behavior of a fuel and wear, an exact magnitude of the idle stroke is generally not known and furthermore subject to changes. In order to nevertheless be able to ensure interference-free operation of the internal combustion engine, it is therefore necessary to determine the idle stroke or the time delay which is caused by the idle stroke, and to take this into account when actuating the piezo actuator.
In a known method for determining the idle stroke, electrical pulses of different pulse energy are applied to the piezo actuator. In addition, a hydrostatic pressure is determined in a high-pressure store (rail), which supplies the injection device with fuel, by means of a pressure gauge before and after each of the pulses. If, in this case, the pulse energy of one of the pulses is so high that the piezo actuator overcomes the idle stroke and the opposing force, the piezo actuator moves the valve piston and causes a pressure drop in the rail. Knowing the pulse energy at which this pressure drop occurs allows the actuation of the piezo actuator to be adjusted during the operation of the internal combustion engine. One disadvantage of this method is that it cannot be carried out at any desired values of rotation speed, rail pressure or number of injection processes per second. If, in addition, a plurality of injectors are supplied with fuel by means of the same rail, a pressure drop in the rail cannot, under certain circumstances, be clearly attributed to an individual injector.
In another known method according to DE 10 2009 018 289 for determining the idle stroke, electrical pulses of different pulse energy are likewise applied to the piezo actuator. In addition, a voltage which is applied to the piezo actuator is determined after an end of a charging process and after a defined waiting time, the difference in said voltage being correlated with a change in force which is exerted on the piezo actuator. If the pulse energy is high enough to move the valve piston and as a result to cause a pressure drop in the rail, and a change in a force which is exerted on the piezo actuator by means of the valve piston accompanies the pressure drop, this change can be detected by means of the voltage across the piezo actuator. In this case too, knowing the pulse energy at which the change in force occurs allows the actuation of the piezo actuator to be adjusted during the operation of the internal combustion engine. One disadvantage of this method is that it cannot be used in valve pistons of so-called pressure-compensated valves in which the force which is exerted on the piezo actuator by means of the valve piston is independent of the rail pressure. However, valves specifically of this type are particularly cost-effective to operate since the piezo actuator requires little force to move these valves and as a result can be designed to be smaller.


A plug includes male contacts, a core and an envelope. Each of the male contacts includes a stopper. The core includes a first member and a second member. The stoppers are in contact with the first member and the male contacts are in contact with the second member, so that the male contacts are prohibited from being displaced with respect to the core in a first direction along which the male contacts protrude from an end face of the core.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Number 2009-43509 A discloses a power cord. The power cord includes a plug that includes a core embedded into a front center of the plug and two blades supported by the core at a predetermined interval.
In the related art, there is a possibility that projection dimensions of the blades are dispersed with respect to the core before the core is embedded into the plug (an envelope), in manufacturing process.

Power plug with male contact displacement prevention

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


The present invention is directed to a precise method of registering plurality of imaging stations, so as to form sequential images on a photoreceptor belt in a single pass. A belt hole is formed in the photoreceptor belt, outside the image area, but within the scan of the imager scan line. The scan line is sequentially swept in a transverse direction across the width of the belt. As the leading edge of the belt hole advances into the sweeping beam, a plurality of beam sweeps will occur while the leading edge is moving through the sweep area. Due to the gaussian illumination of the scanning beam, the exposure at the belt edge gradually increases to a maximum point coinciding with the maximum illumination of the scanning beam. A detector is placed beneath the belt to provide a signal representing the exposure level of each scanning beam which crosses the leading edge of the advancing belt hole. The detectors produce a current output representative of the exposure level. The current output is converted into voltage outputs which are then used in an extrapolation process to determine a midpoint for the illumination profile crossing the scan line and, from this, a reference time at which the midpoint of the beam illumination was reached. This reference time is then used to generate a precisely timed line sync signal which is reproducible through each of the imaging stations to produce registration of the first scan line of each image sequence with a very high degree of accuracy.

The present invention relates to registration of plural image exposures formed on a photoreceptor belt by a plurality of Raster Output Scanning (ROS) systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for forming registered color images on the belt in a single pass.
In single pass electrophotographic printers having more than one process station which provide sequential images to form a composite image, critical control of the registration of each of the sequenced images is required. Failure to achieve registration of the images yields printed copies in which the images are misaligned. This condition is generally obvious upon viewing of the copy, as such copies usually exhibit fuzzy color separations, bleeding and/or other errors which make such copies unsuitable for intended uses. A simple, relatively inexpensive, and accurate approach to register latent images superposed in such printing systems has been a goal in the design, manufacture and use of electrophotographic printers. This need has been particularly recognized in the color and highlight color portion of electrophotography. The need to provide accurate and inexpensive registration has become more acute, as the demand for high quality, relatively inexpensive color images has increased.
The present invention is directed towards a single pass, color xerographic system, in which a plurality of ROS stations are positioned adjacent to a photoreceptor surface and selectively energized to create successive image exposures, one for each of the three basic colors. A fourth ROS station is added if black images are to be created as well. Thus, each image area on the photoreceptor surface must make at least three passes relative to the transverse scan lines formed by a modulated laser beam generated by the ROS system. Each image is formed by a series of horizontal scan lines with each line having a certain number of pixels per inch. Each image must be registered to within a 0.1 mm circle or within a tolerance of .+-.0.05 mm. Each color image must be registered in both the photoreceptor process direction (process registration) and in the direction parallel to the process direction (referred to as the fast scan or transverse registration).
The present invention is directed towards a method and apparatus for determining the position of the ROS scanning beam relative to the photoreceptor in the process direction. The relative location is measured using a pair of transversely aligned belt holes, each hole having an associated light detector. As the belt advances into the path of the transversely swept ROS beam, a series of measurements are made as the ROS beam crosses the leading edge of the hole. By collecting the successive signal outputs of the detector, an extrapolation is made which identifies, with a very high degree of accuracy, the exact time that the midpoint of the gaussian-shaped ROS beam is at the lead edge of the belt hole. Process and skew direction adjustments can then be made to each ROS.
More particularly, the present invention is directed towards an electrophotographic printer of the type having a photoreceptor surface mounted for movement in the process direction, the printer including:
a plurality of imagers for sequentially scanning and exposing image areas with a scanning beam to form a composite color image thereon,
a photoreceptor belt mounted for movement in the process direction, said belt having formed therein at least one belt hole having a leading edge which advances with the belt in the process direction,
detecting means associated with each imager for generating a series of increasing output signals up to a maximum, which correspond to the maximum illumination distribution of the scan beam, each signal produced by a separate scan beam crossing the leading edge of the hole, and
circuit means for interpolating the detector output signals to determine the time that the ROS beam is at midpoint exposure level at the hole leading edge and for generating a line sync signal based on this reference time.

Method and apparatus for image registration


Disclosed is a method of forming a semiconductor structure that includes a discontinuous non-planar sub-collector having a different polarity than the underlying substrate. In addition, this structure includes an active area (collector) above the sub-collector, a base above the active area, and an emitter above the base. The distance between the discontinuous portions of the discontinuous sub-collector tunes the performance characteristics of the semiconductor structure. The performance characteristics that are tunable include breakdown voltage, unity current gain cutoff frequency, unity power gain cutoff frequency, transit frequency, current density, capacitance range, noise injection, minority carrier injection and trigger and holding voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to various semiconductor structures and more particularly to an improved structure that includes improved sub-collector areas that have non-planar surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
With mixed voltage interface (MVI) applications, the desire to have multiple MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) devices and multiple bipolar transistors in CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and BiCMOS (Bipolar CMOS) technologies is common practice. It is also common practice in CMOS to have thin oxide, and dual oxide MOSFET devices to provide this capability. Additionally, in BiCMOS technology, both a high breakdown (HB) and high performance (HP) BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor) (or HBT) device is desirable for mixed voltage applications that require both high voltage interfaces as well as performance requirements. The addition of multiple oxides and multiple transistors is achieved using additional process steps. These processes all add additional cost to the technology. As technologies become more advanced, the number of supported MOSFETs and bipolar devices increases. As a result, it is advantageous to provide both active and passive elements which can be achieved with less process expense, a reduced number of masks and less processing steps.
To continue to reduce cost, and maintain dimensional similitude, the vertical profiles of transistors are scaled (reduced in size) laterally and vertically. To lower costs, epitaxial regions are scaled in the vertical dimension. Additionally, with epitaxial elimination, sub-collectors are required to be implanted due to limitation on the high energy implanter and dose throughput at higher energies. The manufacturing of high performance (HP) homo-junction bipolar junction transistors (BJT) and hetero-junction bipolar transistors (HBT) and other similar structures requires the reduction of the vertical profile of the device as well as the reduction of transistor parasitics. In order to reduce the collector-to-emitter transit time of the carriers, it is preferable to position the sub-collector close to the collector-base junction. The benefits of collector doping profile reach a limit and, therefore, positioning the sub-collector close to the collector-base junction helps prevent the manufacture of a high breakdown (HB) device. However, no matter what selectively implanted collector profile is used, as the vertical profile is scaled, electric fields between the base and sub-collector increase, resulting in higher avalanche multiplication and eventually to a lower collector-emitter breakdown voltage (BVceo).
The sub-collector and "pedestal implants" are placed in a collector region to provide the reduction of the well-known Kirk effect. Heavily doped sub-collector regions are placed in transistor elements and the associated derivatives to provide reduction of the Kirk effect. Additionally, the "pedestal implant" is brought closer to the surface to provide a lessened Kirk effect to achieve a lower breakdown voltage and higher frequency device. This pedestal implant requires an additional implant process step and adds cost to a semiconductor process. To obtain a high breakdown (HB) transistor, there is no pedestal implant but a planar sub-collector region with a planar top and bottom surface. To provide a high performance (HP) transistor, the additional "pedestal implant" is placed above the sub-collector region to minimize the motion of the base-collector metallurgical junction during high current operation.
With the scaling of the vertical profile, implanted sub-collectors are utilized instead of the epitaxially formed sub-collector regions. Hence the vertical scaling of the sub-collector requires a lower dose implant in the sub-collector region. As the hot process is reduced, and shallower vertical profiles are archived, the sub-collector implant dose and energy must be reduced. This leads to higher collector sheet resistances, and lower unity power gain cutoff frequency (fMAX). Additionally, the narrower and lower dose sub-collector region leads to higher vertical injection into the substrate region. For heavily doped sub-collectors, the well-known Auger recombination is a dominant source of recombination in the collector region. Minority carrier recombination in the wide and heavily doped sub-collector regions minimize minority carrier injection to the collector-substrate region and into the semiconductor chip substrate. As a result, the scaling of the vertical profile leads to a higher injection into the substrate wafer, which can increase the noise in adjacent circuitry or elements.
The increase in the minority carrier injection into the substrate can also lead to latchup. Latchup occurs from formation of parasitic pnp element cross-couple with npn elements. Hence it is a motivation to minimize noise injection to prevent "external latchup" or "internal latchup" in a semiconductor chip.
The invention described below provides structures and methods to address these aforementioned issues.

Tuneable semiconductor device with discontinuous portions in the sub-collector

International Business Machines Corporation


A data processing apparatus includes a first storage that stores information pertaining to an order in which multiple process flows are executed, the execution of the multiple process flows being started by input of data and terminated by output of the data in a format usable for a user, a reception part that receives input data with respect to one of the multiple process flows, an execution part that executes the one of the multiple process flows on the input data, and a second storage that stores information indicating the one of the multiple process flows executed by the execution part. The execution part identifies a predetermined process flow to be executed with respect to the input data by referring to the first and second storages. The predetermined process flow is a process flow to be performed earliest among the multiple process flows that are not yet executed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium for processing data.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a system that can execute a predefined workflow pertaining to image data of a document scanned by an image forming apparatus (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-97586). With this system, the workflow is defined, so that data can flow in a manner (style) complying with an operation (duty) of the user.
Basically, a single cycle of a workflow is completed by inputting of data, performing one or more processes on the input data, and outputting the data subjected to the one or more processes.
A task flow of a user may not be simple enough to be completed by performing a single cycle of a workflow. For example, data that has been output by a given workflow may be edited by a user. Then, the edited data may be input to the same workflow or another workflow. That is, there may be a case in which a document is processed in a manner that an entity handling the document shifts from an entity that executes a workflow inside a system (virtual space) to a user that executes the workflow outside the system (real space), and shifts again to the entity that executes the workflow inside the system after the document has been processed by the user. In this case, improvement in the efficiency of processing the document is desired.

Apparatus, method, and computer-readable recording medium for processing data


A high-pressure connection for a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines is proposed, which compensates for errors of alignment between the high-pressure line and the high-pressure connection without any bending stress being exerted on the high-pressure line.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to high-pressure fluid conduit connections and more particularly to such connections useful in a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fuel injection systems for internal combustion engines are known which have a connection stub, a high-pressure line, a lock nut, and a sealing face, wherein the connection stub has a bore and a thread that are disposed concentrically to its longitudinal axis, and the high-pressure line on its end has a counterpart corresponding to the sealing face, which counterpart is pressed onto the sealing face by the lock nut screwed to the connection of this type stub. A high-pressure connection is known from German Published, Nonexamined Patent Application DE-OS 198 08 882 A1, in which a frustoconical sealing face adjoins the center bore of the connection stub. The corresponding counterpart of the high-pressure line is pressed onto this sealing face by means of a lock nut. This produces a sealing connection between the connection stub and high-pressure line.
A disadvantage of this known high-pressure connection is that the high-pressure line must extend precisely in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the connection stub, since the high-pressure connection allows no angular compensation.
The object of the present invention is to furnish a high-pressure connection which compensates for errors of alignment between the longitudinal axis of the connection stub and the high-pressure line, without sacrificing the tightness of the high-pressure connection and without requiring the high-pressure line to absorb undesired bending stresses.
This object is attained according to the invention by a high-pressure connection for a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines, which comprises a connection stub, a high-pressure line, a lock nut, and a sealing face, wherein the connection stub has a bore and a thread that are disposed concentrically to its longitudinal axis, and the high-pressure line on its end has a counterpart corresponding to the sealing face, which counterpart is pressed onto the sealing face by the lock nut screwed to the connection stub, and wherein the sealing face and the faces oriented toward one another of the lock nut and the counterpart have the form of a dome, and that the center points of the domes occupy the same geometric location.
Because of the spherical design of the sealing face, the counterpart and the lock nut, the high-pressure line can be introduced into the connection stub with errors of alignment, without this having any effect on the sealing face of the connection stub and of the counterpart. Thus in these cases as well, the tightness of the high-pressure connection is preserved in full. Furthermore, no unnecessary bending stresses, which lead to increased material stress, are introduced into the high-pressure line.
In one feature of the invention, the dome, toward the lock nut, of the counterpart is embodied as spherical ring disk, so that when the lock nut is tightened, the high-pressure line is not turned, and moreover the spherical ring disk can be made from a different material from the high-pressure line and its counterpart.
In another embodiment of the invention, a clamping ring is disposed between the lock nut and the counterpart, and its face toward the counterpart takes the form of a dome, so that because of the greater structural length, the seating of the counterpart in the sealing face causes only a slight lessening in the contact pressure.
In a further variant, the faces oriented toward one another of the clamping ring and lock nut are circular-annular faces, so that the friction between the clamping ring and the lock nut becomes minimal.
Another variant of the invention provides that the through bores of the lock nut and clamping ring are embodied conically, and the bore diameter increases as the spacing from the sealing face increases, so that even if there are relatively major errors of alignment, the high-pressure line can be introduced without deformation into the connection stub and screwed to it.
In a further aspect of the invention, the cone angle of the through bores is less than or equal to 10xc2x0, so that a maximum allowable error of alignment can be defined by the choice of the cone angle.
According to the invention, the connection stub is welded to a high-pressure fuel reservoir, to the housing of a high-pressure fuel pump, or to the housing of an injection valve, so that the connection stub can be manufactured separately and can be joined in a simple, economical way to the high-pressure fuel reservoir or to one of the aforementioned housings.
Another variant provides that the connection stub is screwed to a high-pressure fuel reservoir, to the housing of a high-pressure fuel pump, or to the housing of an injection valve, so that the high-pressure connection according to the invention can be used even in existing injection systems by being exchanged for the existing high-pressure connections.
In a further feature of the invention, the connection stub and the high-pressure fuel reservoir, the connection stub and the housing of the high-pressure fuel pump, or the connection stub and the housing of the injection valve are embodied in one piece, in particular as a forged part, so that the number of components and joining connections is minimized. Furthermore, a favorable course of material stress can be achieved.
Another embodiment of the invention provides that the sealing face is part of the high-pressure fuel reservoir, of the housing of the high-pressure fuel pump, or of the housing of the injection valve, so that the structural height of the high-pressure connection of the invention is reduced.
In another variant, the sealing face is part of the connection stub, so that the high-pressure connection can be produced independently of the other component groups of the fuel injection system and economically. Furthermore, the geometrical association of the connection stub and the sealing face is always preserved.
A feature of the invention provides that the lock nut has a female thread, and the connection stub has a corresponding male thread, so that the rated diameter of the thread is markedly greater than the outside diameter of the sealing face, and thus high contact pressures are feasible.
In a further feature of the invention, the lock nut has a male thread, and the connection stub has a corresponding female thread, so that the outer diameter of the connection stub and thus the requisite installation space as well are minimized.
The objects stated above are also attained by a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines, having a high-pressure connection, which has a connection stub, a high-pressure line, a lock nut, and a sealing face, wherein the connection stub has a bore and a thread that are disposed concentrically to its longitudinal axis, and the high-pressure line on its end has a counterpart corresponding to the sealing face, which counterpart is pressed onto the sealing face by the lock nut screwed to the connection stub, and wherein the sealing face and the faces oriented toward one another of the lock nut and the counterpart have the form of a dome, and that the center points of the domes occupy the same geometric location.

High-pressure connection for a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines


An automatic vehicle storage system includes an adjustable, self-guided vehicle satellite for moving a vehicle between a pick-up and drop-off bay, a vehicle carriage, and a storage bay. The vehicle carriage is typically movable along and by a vehicle crane, which carries the vehicle to a desired storage bay, where the vehicle satellite then moves the vehicle. Once the vehicle is in the storage bay, the satellite and returns back to the carriage at the vehicle crane. The vehicle storage system is also capable of rotating the vehicle, such that the vehicle is forward-facing in the pick-up and drop-off bay when it is retrieved by the user, and to facilitate the simultaneous operation of side-by-side cranes within a storage facility.

Automatic parking systems are used as alternatives to more conventional parking ramps, lots, structures, or the like, and facilitate more condensed parking of vehicles in a given area or volume, since there is little or no need for driving areas or pedestrian spaces within the parking area. Automatic parking systems typically utilize robotics to move each vehicle from a drop-off zone to a storage space, and to retrieve each vehicle on-demand and deposit it in a pick-up zone.


Specimen collection slides, methods of fabricating and methods of utilizing such specimen collection slides whereby each specimen collection slide includes a top rigid layer with an opening, a bottom rigid layer with an opening substantially the same size as the top layer opening, a middle rigid section having an opening larger than the openings in both the top and bottom layers, and a filtration media residing within the opening in the middle section. The top, bottom and middle are secured together to provide the resultant slide with thickness and rigidity that lends the slide to be utilized in automated handling processes and instruments. The middle section of the slide encases the filtration media and sandwiches it between the top and bottom layers so that the filtration media is protected from damage. Each slide may have its own unique identifier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to specimen storage slides, and in particular, to methods of use and specimen storage slides for the transportation and storage of dried specimens.
2. Description of Related Art
In 1963 Guthrie developed a method for collecting blood samples on absorbent filtration media. The blood samples were dried and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Today, dried blood spots (DBS) are used for mandatory newborn screening programs in the U.S. and in many other nations worldwide. DBS methods have also become common in other medical and forensic applications.
With the advancement of analyte detection methods, primarily liquid chromatography combined with mass spectroscopy (LC-MS or LC-MS/MS), interest has been expanded for the use of DBS for preclinical and clinical applications in lieu of plasma. The small blood volumes required, and the lower transportation and storage costs, are the driving factors. For preclinical applications, there is a significant reduction in the number of-animals that are sacrificed, contributing to the ethics of DBS. Dried blood spots are also stable for an extended period of time, often measured in years if the DBS is kept dry. This eliminates the cold storage and shipping requirement needs of plasma, which will drastically reduce costs.
A change from plasma to DBS creates many new challenges to meet the requirements of public health. For the last two years, extensive method development for DBS has occurred in the Bioanalytical market to meet the requirements that are being defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter "FDA") for meeting public health safety standards. The FDA, as the guardian of public health, will accept DBS studies only after they have met or exceeded predefined health standards that have been established for plasma.
A variety of fields implement the use of cards to store dried specimens. These specimens may include chemical samples, biological samples, and the like. For instance, dried blood spots stored on paper cards have been in use for years in a variety of fields ranging from clinical, preclinical, research, forensics, and the like. More recently there has been an increase in the use of dried blood spots in clinical applications, such as, in neo-natal screening, DNA analysis, disease analyses (infectious disease, blood glucose concentration, etc.), drug screenings, and the like. Preclinical applications for dried blood spots, such as, medical research, drug discoveries, and the like, are also becoming more prevalent.
In the collection of dried blood spots, a number of drops of obtained blood are deposited in predetermined locations on filter paper of a paper collection card. These collection cards include an absorbent filter paper that is encased within a cardboard frame, attached inside a cardboard card, or attached to a paper sheet. The collection cards may also be provided with a source for sample identification, such as, a demographic portion where information about the sample and the submitter's identification can be entered. The blood specimen is allowed to dry on the collection card for storage, transportation and/or later use thereof.
However, a detriment of the currently available specimen collection cards is that since they are composed of either paper sheets or cardboard these conventional collection cards are flimsy and easily damaged. Also, in collection cards having a paper or cardboard frame encasing the filter paper media, the frame is typically not much thicker than the filter paper media it encases. As such, when one or more of these types of cards are stacked upon one another, their respective filter paper medias contact each other causing sample cross contamination, which is highly undesirable. Accordingly, it is often necessary to store each framed paper or cardboard collection card in an envelope separate from one another.
Furthermore, both current and future clinical and preclinical application systems or equipment are leaning towards automated handling, automated processing, and/or automated sample collection. Currently available paper and/or cardboard collection cards are inadequate for automated handling, processing, and/or sample collection due to their flimsiness or lack of dimensional stability. Rather, these conventional cards must be individually hand picked and placed into or onto the automated systems and equipment to prevent damage thereto, which in turn, leads to slower processing times and more costly analyses.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for improved specimen collection storage devices that are durable, easily useable, are structurally and mechanically stable, have sufficiently rigidity for handling and processing, avoid specimen cross contamination, are adapted for automated handling, automated processing, and/or automated sample collection, and allow for faster processing times and reduced costs.

Dried specimen storage slides, systems and methods


A vest, particularly for emergency medical technicians, allows the technician's body to take at least some of the weight of a stretcher carried by the technician, possibly freeing one or both of the technician's hands. The vest has first and second nylon straps extending over its shoulders and attached to the body of the vest, and having adjustable stretcher handle attachments at the free ends of the straps, both in front of and in back of the vest. Horizontal straps of light reflective or luminescent material have closures at their ends and close the open front of the vest. The horizontal straps are adjustable to allow the vest to be tightened securely on the technician's body. A back support of elastic material which is stretched out when the vest is tightened is sewn at its ends to the inside of the vest adjacent the vest lapels.

Emergency medical technicians ("EMT"), and other types of rescue workers, often have the need to carry stretchers in far from ideal environmental and terrain conditions. This can cause the technician or other worker to lose his or her grip on the stretcher, with significant adverse consequences if that occurs. Also such technicians oftentimes are called upon to lift or carry weights (including loaded stretchers) which are large enough cause back problems for the technician.
According to the present invention a vest is provided for use by an emergency medical technician or other rescue worker which facilitates the technician's proper performance of his or her job under many circumstances. The vest has the ability to support at least some of the weight of the stretcher, freeing the hands of the EMT who is carrying the stretcher so as to stabilize his or her movement through poor environmental conditions and/or rugged terrain. The vest also is capable of supporting the technician's back to minimize the chance of injury as a result of lifting or carrying heavy objects, and at the same time the vest can provide high visibility to the technician in case the technician is working in an area where there is vehicular traffic. The vest achieves these advantages without significantly restricting the EMT's ability to perform othe required tasks.
According to one aspect of the present invention a vest is provided which comprises: A vest body having two arm openings, two shoulders, a neck opening, an open front, and a closed back. First and second straps extending over the shoulders and attached to the body, the straps each having at least one free end at the front or the back of the vest body. And the strap free ends each comprising stretcher handle attachment means, for receiving a stretcher handle to provide support of stretcher handles by the straps.
Closure means are typically provided for closing the open front end of the vest. The closure means may comprise a plurality of body straps extending generally transverse to the shoulder straps and having clasp elements on ends thereof at the open front. Adjustment means for adjusting the positions of the clasp elements are also preferably provided, so that the fit of the vest may be adjusted. Adjustment means are also provided for adjusting the position of the stretcher handle attachment means with respect to the vest body. At least one of the shoulder straps and body straps are preferably of light reflecting or luminescent material (preferably the body straps).
A flexible back support is typically provided connected to the vest body. The vest body may have an open front defined by first and second lapels, the vest body having a first circumference extending from the first lapel to the second lapel. The elastic back support may comprise a flexible elastic strip of material (such as urethane) about 3-6 inches wide (e.g. about 10 centimeters wide) and having an unstretched length at least about an inch less than the first circumference, and connected (e.g. by stitching) to the interior of the vest body adjacent each of the first and second lapels.
The first and second straps preferably have free ends at both the front and back of the vest body, with each of the strap free ends comprising a stretcher handle attachment means. Each of the handle attachment means may comprise a ladder buckle, a strap loop, a metal ring received by the strap loop, and a clamp, such as a carabiner.
According to another aspect of the present invention a vest is provided comprising the following components: A vest body having two arm openings, two shoulders, a neck opening, an open front, and a closed back. The vest body open front is defined by first and second lapels, the vest body having a first circumference extending from the first lapel to the second lapel. And a flexible back support comprising a strip of flexible material about 3-6 inches wide and having an unstretched length at least about one inch less than the first circumference, the strip of flexible material being connected to the vest body interior adjacent each of the first and second lapels. The details of the vest construction preferably are as set forth above.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention a vest is provided particularly for use by emergency medical technicians comprising: A vest body having two arm openings, two shoulders, a neck opening, and an open front, and a closed back. First and second nylon straps extending over the shoulders and attached to the body, the straps each having a free end at each of the front and back of the vest body. And a ladder buckle, strap loop, and metal ring received by the strap loop, for each of the strap free ends.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a vest well suited for use by emergency medical technicians and other rescue workers. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.


A linear double acting reciprocating fluid pump is disclosed with novel anchoring means to remotely secure the pump down hole in deep well applications. The multiple piston pump may be cable operated or directly driven. Using the related remote pump lock in deep well applications, the well casing can double as a discharge conduit. The pump comprises a single tubular barrel containing opposing reciprocating pistons, each piston carrying ample fluid ports with binary valves. Mechanical linkages within the pump barrel alternately reverse opposing pistons causing them to converge and diverge, thus providing a substantially steady fluid discharge and a relatively level demand on the prime mover.

Pumping fluids from deep wells presents unique challenges as space limitations are severe and head pressures may be extreme. Oil wells are known to exceed three thousand meters in depth, and water wells exceeding three hundred meters are not extraordinary. Among the most common pumps currently in use in deep well applications are single acting reciprocating piston pumps. These pumps are generally used in conjunction with pump jacks in oil and water wells and are comprised of one or more pistons in a cylindrical pump barrel submerged beneath the static fluid level. A steel discharge conduit, coaxial with the casing and typically at least five centimeters in diameter, is typically be used between the pump barrel and the well head to secure the pump barrel in a fixed position down hole.
The pistons are operated by a rigid rod reciprocating within the discharge conduit and connected to a prime mover at the well head. The ordinary reciprocating rod pump operates on a direct linkage with the piston(s) recharging on the down stroke and discharging on the up stroke causing an imbalanced power demand on the prime mover and often occasioning the need for counterbalancing. The requisite steel discharge pipe anchoring the pump barrel must be of a bore adequate to accept the rod and pistons to allow servicing multiple piston washers without removal of the discharge pipe. At extreme depths, hydraulic friction within the discharge pipe may impede pumping efficiency over what would otherwise be available in the surrounding larger diameter casing, particularly when pumping viscous oil. The capital cost of this type of system, including drilling a large bore hole, then providing large diameter casing a coaxial steel discharge pipe string, pump and drive rod is considerable. When pump barrel or foot valve repairs oblige removal of the discharge pipe from the well, the cost of the operation is considerable.
Submersible electric pumps are another popular means of pumping deep. These include multi-stage rotary turbine, eccentric piston and diaphragm types. These pumps employ rotary electric motors submerged with the related pumping means. They are generally slightly smaller than the inside diameter of a well casing and are installed in a casing by lowering the pump to below the static fluid level. The pump is powered by a high amperage electric supply cable and is installed with an independent discharge conduit as well as a safety cable. While low flow submersible DC electric pumps are now available which are quite energy efficient, they are limited to depths of less than 100 to 200 meters. Furthermore, they typically operate at very low discharge rates. AC electric deep well turbine pumps can lift water from depths of over 300 meters at a rapid discharge rate, but they typically operate at efficiencies well below 80%. In any case, a large diameter well bore must be drilled to eventually receive the down hole pump and motor, and a discharge conduit other than the casino is typically required.
The cost of casing is an important consideration in non-hard rock well construction. Small diameter casing may be safely employed at a greater depth than larger diameter casing having the same wall thickness, as it is more resistant to the lateral pressure from the surrounding strata. Accordingly, savings can be effected where casing size and related bore size can be minimized. Even in hard rock wells, and particularly where free flowing water or oil is known to be present, minimal bore diameter may be determined by the lateral space requirements of the pumping system to be installed.
A novel double acting reciprocating piston pump is disclosed by Ramsower, U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,667. This design appears to include most of the above mentioned drawbacks of single acting piston pumps as it requires a rigid discharge pipe and drive rod to secure and operate the pump within the well. Its double acting operation further requires a submerged down hole weight to return the plunger to the bottom of its stroke while simultaneously counterbalancing and lifting fluid up the discharge pipe to the well head. In deep wells, the size of the counterbalance would be very large of a necessity, and would require that the bore hole accommodate the counterweight protruding far below the pump. Hydraulic friction on the counterbalance would be considerable, especially in viscous fluids.
To overcome the deficiencies of the aforementioned technologies, the inventor sought to design a pump that could be remotely secured within a narrow diameter bore. While down hole anchoring systems are not in wide use today Wolf, U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,234 discloses a single acting cable operated pump utilizing a down hole locking mechanism which enables use of the casing as a discharge conduit. Wolf's design has several drawbacks, the most important being that the bulky locking mechanism significantly impedes potential flow through the juncture between the pump and the well casing. Further, the lock is activated by downward expansion of a resilient collar by a mandrel. This approach to installation obviates the possibility of pulling upward on the pump to expand the collar, as the pump cannot rise in the casing and frictionally communicate with the casing walls at the same time. In addition, it appears that it would be very difficult to free Wolf's collar from the casing walls after having been installed for a long period of time. Pulling upward on the pump would tend to exacerbate a stuck installation, even with the mandrel removed. This and other reasons may account for the fact that Wolf's design apparently has not been widely used.
Nixon and Park, U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,813 disclose a down hole anchor for tubing which is activated by downward fluid pressure on a bellows type collar. This installation is only for use with coaxial discharge tubing within the casing, and requires considerable amount of space to be effectively deployed. Linkous, U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,327 depicts a roller cam device for centering a discharge pipe in the well casing. Both of these systems demand a discharge pipe coaxial with the casing. Neither of these types of lock is used to seal the pump within the casing so that the casing may be employed as the discharge conduit. Hahs, U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,181 cites a support for a subterranean pump installation with an independent but related sealing means to use the casing as a discharge conduit. However, Hahs's lock and seal are designed to be used in conjunction with a rotary turbine pump and they are unnecessarily complex for many pump installations.
In view of the foregoing, existing pumping means available for confined tubular applications have a number of significant limitations. These include the requirement of large bore diameters relative to pump output capacity, low operating efficiencies at high discharge rates, the need in some applications for cumbersome and costly support and counterbalancing structures, and highly uneven power demand on the prime mover in single acting reciprocating pumps. In well applications, costly wide-bore casing) must be provided to receive down hole pumping means, the bore diameter often being considerably in excess of what would be required if smaller diameter, high production pumps were available. Much existing pump technology is capital intensive and in oil wells particularly, pumps in common use are costly to service and repair due to the weight of the drive rod and pipe string which must be removed to remove the barrel.


An applicating machine for applying a flexible carrier to a plurality of containers provided from an infeed includes a jaw drum for applying a flexible carrier to a plurality of containers provided and a cutoff device for cutting the carrier into a desired size. The cutoff device includes an adjustable beam positionable into multiple angular positions relative to a flow of the plurality of containers depending on the desired size of the multipack.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a universal cutoff system for dividing a flexible container carrier into desired multiples of containers.
Description of Prior Art
Container carriers connect two or more containers into a sturdy unitized package or "multipack" of containers. Carriers are generally planar arrays of rings, sometimes referred to as "six-pack carriers," typically formed from a thermoplastic sheet material. Carriers are applied to containers of various sizes and shapes. A preferable machine would be capable of application of a container carrier to a wide range of container sizes in a number of different package sizes.
Prior art multi-packaging devices and methods generally require several different versions or configurations of machines to accommodate different container carrier, multipack sizes and multipack configurations. Machines are traditionally a limitation on the range of container diameters, size of package or configuration of package that can be effectively packaged by a single system.
In addition, different machines or complex set-up procedures would also be required for different sizes of multipacks, for instance 4-packs, 6-packs and/or 12-packs. Each different multipack size would typically require different machines and/or complex set-up of machine configurations to accommodate division and diversion of differently sized packages.
Finally, different machines or complex set-up procedures would also be required for containers having different diameters. As such, different machines and/or set-up procedures are traditionally required to divide multipacks into desired sizes when a new set of containers having different diameters from earlier applied carriers is packaged. Conventional applicating machines include a jaw drum used to apply carriers to individual containers. Such conventional applicating machines typically include an infeed conveyor for supplying a plurality of containers within a limited range of diameters to the jaw drum. Additionally, a reel stand is positioned upstream of the jaw drum to supply a generally continuous stream of carriers to a feed drum and then on to the jaw drum.
The string of carriers are then traditionally applied to the containers and, following application, cut into a desired package configuration. Traditional cutting methods and equipment required a pin drum with fixed pitch pins positioned prior to the jaw drum to meter the carrier and separate portions of the carrier where required, such as at handle connections. A cutoff starwheel was then positioned after the jaw drum which utilized a cam actuated knife to separate the connections between adjacent packages, or "multipacks." The resulting multipack is then fed into a turner-diverter that moves and/or rotates the package to a correct position for placement on a pallet or similar shipping unit.
Accordingly, an entirely distinct applicating machine is typically required when packaging a second plurality of containers outside of a size range that can be accommodated with the standard applicating machine. Specifically, for the cutting methods and equipment, for containers having different diameters and/or multipacks of different sizes, existing equipment typically required changing the pin drum pitch for each jaw drum pitch to be run as well as the pitch and centerline spacing of the cutoff starwheels.

Universal cutoff system for container carrier applicating machine


An imaging apparatus with an autofocus mechanism for obtaining focused images. The apparatus comprises: an objective lens, a focus controller for altering a distance between the objective lens and a sample, an object finder for finding objects of interest within the sample, for example cells, and a light intensity measurement unit which measures light intensity levels of the thus identified objects of interest. The focus control alters the sample-objective distance to maximize the light intensity levels being measured, thereby to arrive at a focus position. Objects of interest may be identified by filtering out large objects and optionally by masking out background regions. The apparatus is useful for microscopy and particularly for fluorescent imaging in which light levels are low and noise is often high.

In high resolution scanning systems, focusing is a major rate-limiting step in that it is not unusual to find systems which spend approximately half of the imaging time on focusing. Thus, optimizing the focusing process is important for providing system throughput. For fluorescent imaging in particular, the situation is more extreme, as will be explained below.
Conventional microscopy focus algorithms rely on the images themselves. A series of images at different focal planes is examined and the image with the largest amount of detail, or the greatest amount of information, is selected as being correctly focused. However, current systems are unable to distinguish between genuine details and noise, and thus images with high signal to noise ratio (SNR) are required for effective focusing.
Considering conventional focusing in greater detail, conventional focusing relies on the quality of the images. In order to perform the focus sequence, the system takes a series of images around an estimated focus position. For each image, the system records its position, and computes a focus score which characterizes the sharpness of the respective image. In a final step, the system computes a position for which the focus score is maximal, and the computed position is taken as the focus position.
The sharpness function is one of many functions that evaluate the amount of fine detail in an image. A good sharpness function is sensitive (a small change in the amount of detail produces a large change in the focus score), and well-behaved over a large range. That is to say, as the distance from the focus position increases, the focus score decreases, even for large distances from the focus position. Considering by way of example the following sequence:                1. take an image,        2. convolve the image with a fine detail filter (e.g. Sobel filter),        3. sum the absolute value of the intensity of pixels in the convolved image, and        4. set the focus score (FS) to the above sum.
The above sequence is repeated typically five to ten times for each one of five to ten different images and a focus position is computed, preferably by interpolation between the images to find a maximal sum position.
The main drawback to the above-described sequence, and a drawback which applies to a complete family of functions, is that they are sensitive to noise. Thus, unless image quality is good, the largest contribution for the focus score comes from the noise, and both the requirements for sensitivity and for a large range are lost
Fluorescent imaging is characterized as being a low light application, meaning that only low levels of light are emitted from the sample. In addition, high resolution is needed in order to distinguish details of the sample. Thus a fluorescent imaging system is required to provide large magnification of the sample, to have a high capacity for collecting light and requires relatively long exposure times in order to obtain a reasonable image. In order to provide the high magnification necessary, high magnification objective lenses are used, typically of ×40 and above. In order to achieve the high resolution and to collect as much light as possible, objective lenses with high numerical apertures (NA), typically 0.75 and above, are generally used. Typical exposure times of the order of a second and above are needed in order to obtain high quality, low noise images.
It will be appreciated that a high NA causes a low depth of field. Thus even slight deviations in the distance between the objective and the sample can lead to severe misfocusing of the image. Conventional focusing of the kind described above typically requires five-ten images. The requirement of low noise images means that the exposure time used for focus need to be similar to that used for the actual imaging. In the case of fluorescent imaging, a focusing time of around five-ten seconds is therefore implied. Thus in fluorescent imaging the system spends the vast majority of its time focusing, and the focusing problem is an obstacle to providing a high throughput fluorescent imaging system.


Disclosed is a method of playing a game. The method comprising providing a hexagon-shaped playing field with six boundary lines. Further, the method comprising providing a ball having the spherical shape similar to that of an American basketball. Further, the method comprising providing three baskets attached to three backboards attached to three poles, wherein each basket in the three baskets includes a net attached to a hoop, wherein each pole in the three poles is installed at three boundary lines in the six boundary lines respectively, wherein the three boundary lines are unconnected from each other. Further, the method comprising providing three teams of players comprising a first team of players associated with a first basket in the three baskets, a second team of players associated with a second basket in the three baskets and a third team of players associated with a third basket in the three baskets.

Ball games are quite popular across the world. People engage with various types of ball games such as bat-and-ball games, racquet-and-ball games, hand and ball-striking games, goal games and net games. However, ball games are often played between two teams. Further, many ball games were invented a long time ago. For example, basketball was invented in the late 1800s. Even though these games are popular, the audience may want to watch new ball games.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved game that may overcome one or more of the above-mentioned problems and/or limitations.


A semiconductor device includes: a circuit board; a semiconductor chip mounted over the circuit board with a predetermined gap therebetween and electrically connected to the circuit board by a protruding electrode; a first resin material filled into the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip; a second resin material that seals the semiconductor chip mounted over the circuit board; a first reflector which is formed on a surface of the circuit board on the semiconductor chip side and reflects a predetermined testing light; and a second reflector which is formed on a surface of the semiconductor chip on the circuit board side and reflects the predetermined testing light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and testing method and device for the semiconductor device and, more specifically, to a semiconductor device having a semiconductor chip mounted therein by flip chip packaging, and testing method and device for such a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent size reduction and performance advancement of electronic devices varying in type, a semiconductor package is increased in density for use in the electronic devices. The high density packaging technology is also growing more advanced for mounting the semiconductor package to a circuit board with high density. Such a technology includes flip chip packaging with which a semiconductor chip is electrically connected directly with its face down to a circuit board. As an example, refer to Patent Document 1 (JP-A-10-50769).
In the below, described is a manufacturing method of a semiconductor package by flip chip packaging by referring to the accompanying drawings.
With the previous flip chip packaging, as shown in FIG. 4A, an electrode 102 of a semiconductor chip 101 is firstly formed with a protruding electrode 103, which is generally called a bump and hereinafter referred to as chip-side bump. The chip-side bump is formed mainly using soft solder with a height of about 15 μm.
Separately from such a chip-side bump, as shown in FIG. 4B, another protruding electrode 106 is formed to an electrode 105 of a circuit board 104, which is a glass-epoxy substrate mounting thereon with a semiconductor chip. The protruding electrode 106 is also formed mainly using soft solder with a height of about 15 μm, and is hereinafter referred to as circuit board-side bump.
As shown in FIG. 4C, the semiconductor chip formed with the chip-side bump is flipped over for adsorptive fixation using a nozzle 107 for mounting use, and the semiconductor-chip-fixed nozzle 107 located above the circuit board is directed downward. With such a downward movement, the chip-side bump formed to the semiconductor chip comes in contact with the circuit board-side bump formed to the circuit board. Even thereafter, a load is continuously applied in the direction of bringing down the mounting nozzle 107 so that the load of a predetermined level is applied to the semiconductor chip. Note here that, with an assumption that both the chip-side bump and the circuit board-side bump remain intact in the state that the chip-side bump formed to the semiconductor chip is being in contact with the circuit board-side bump formed to the circuit board, and in the state that the chip-side bump and the circuit board-side bump are facing each other, a gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is about 30 μm. The gap is indicated by a reference character A in the drawing.
As shown in FIG. 4D, during a heating process, the mounting nozzle is directed downward again this time until the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip becomes about 25 μm. That is, in the state that the soft solder configuring the chip-side bump and the circuit board-side bump is melted, the nozzle is moved down about 5 μm so that the chip-side bump is merged together with the circuit board-side bump. As such, an electric connection is established between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip.
Thereafter, the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is filled with an underfill material 109. The resulting circuit board filled with the underfill material is loaded to a molding die (not shown) configured by upper and lower dies. The circuit board-loaded mold die is then filled with a mold resin 108 being a glass epoxy resin so that such a semiconductor package as shown in FIG. 4E is derived.
The issue here is that, in view of ensuring the electrical properties and the product durability of the semiconductor package, expected is to control the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip with high accuracy. The reasons are described in detail below.
1. Ensuring Electrical Properties of Semiconductor Package
It is known that the gap size between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip changes the resistance value of a bump being a merge result of the chip-side bump and the circuit board-side bump. When the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is small, the resistance of the bump being a merge result of the chip-side bump and the circuit board-side bump becomes high in value. When the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is large, the resistance of the bump being a merge result of the chip-side bump and the circuit board-side bump becomes low in value.
In consideration thereof, to derive any desired value for electrical resistance between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip in the semiconductor package, i.e., to ensure the electrical properties inside of the semiconductor package, there needs to exercise control over the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip with high accuracy.
2. Ensuring Product Durability of Semiconductor Package
As described above about the previous manufacturing method of a semiconductor package, to manufacture a semiconductor package, an underfill material is filled between a gap between a circuit board and a semiconductor chip for the purpose of making more reliable the state of junction between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip. The concern here is the fact that, irrespective of the size of the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip, the amount of the underfill material for use for filling to the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip remains the same. Therefore, when the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is too large, the underfill material is not to be sufficiently filled to the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip, thereby reducing the product durability of the semiconductor package.
On the other hand, when the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is too small, the underfill material will overflow from the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip, and the overflowed material will find its way and attach to the upper surface of the semiconductor chip. Because the underfill material generally has no affinity for the mold resin, the underfill material attached to the upper surface of the semiconductor chip prevents the mold resin from being filled to a sufficient level, thereby reducing the product durability of the semiconductor package.
Therefore, in order not to reduce the product durability of the semiconductor package, i.e., in order to ensure the product durability of the semiconductor package, there needs to control the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip with high accuracy.
These are the reasons why the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is expected to be controlled with high accuracy. For the purpose, semiconductor packages whatever manufactured are all subjected to quality assessment by measuring the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip in each of the semiconductor packages.
For measuring a gap between a circuit board and a semiconductor chip in a semiconductor package, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) is possibly used as an example. With the SEM being an electron microscope, electron beams each having the diameter of a few nm sweep systematically the surface of a sample, and the intensity of generation results of interaction between the electron beams and the sample, i.e., secondary electrons and reflected electrons, is recorded in synchronization with scanning of primary beams.
Alternatively, for measuring a gap between a circuit board and a semiconductor chip in a semiconductor package, a measuring microscope utilizing the characteristics of the depth of focus is also a possibility for use.
That is, two distances are measured, i.e., a distance from a reference position to the surface of a circuit board (semiconductor-chip-side surface of the circuit board), i.e., distance indicated by a reference character B in FIG. 4E, and a distance from the reference position to the surface of a semiconductor chip (surface facing the circuit-board-side surface of the semiconductor chip), i.e., distance indicated by a reference character C in FIG. 4E. From thus calculated distance between the reference position and the surface of the circuit board, i.e., distance B, two values are subtracted so that the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip is measured. The two values for subtraction are the distance from the reference position to the surface of the semiconductor chip, i.e., distance C, and the thickness of the semiconductor chip, i.e., distance indicated by a reference character D in FIG. 4E.
Exemplified above is the semiconductor package including the semiconductor chip mounted over the circuit board by flip chip packaging, and described above are the demand of control exercise over the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip with high accuracy, and the method of measuring the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip. Alternatively, if with a semiconductor package including semiconductor chips mounted by flip chip packaging to a circuit board with an electric connection between the semiconductor chips using a protruding electrode, there needs to control the gap between the semiconductor chips with high accuracy. To measure the gap between the semiconductor chips, used is a method similar to that of measuring the gap between the circuit board and the semiconductor chip.

Flip chip semiconductor packaging device and testing method using first and second reflectors for determining gap between chip and circuit board or first and second chips


A disk changer includes a plurality of carriages having a disk on each carriage, a tray accommodating the plurality of carriages, the tray being reciprocated between a disk take-out position and a disk accommodating position, a recording and reproducing unit for driving a disk at a disk driving position for recording data thereon and reproducing data therefrom, a disk setting mechanism for displacing the disk when the disk is at a driving position from a disk loading level to a disk non-loading level and vice versa, a carriage lifting mechanism for vertically moving the carriage, which is at the disk accommodating position, between the lowermost level thereof and a level above the lowermost level, and for vertically moving the carriage between the non-loading level and a level above the non-loading level, and a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage to a space formed at one of the disk accommodating position and the disk driving position in association with an operation of the carriage lifting mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk changer in a device for recording data on and reproducing data from a disk-shaped recording medium such as a CD and a CD-ROM (hereinafter referred to merely as "a disk", when applicable) which disk changer accommodates a plurality of disks and automatically loads a selected disk in a disk driving section which includes a data recording and reproducing unit such as an optical pickup, and more particularly to a disk changer in which a plurality of disks are laid on carriages, and the disk which is being played is automatically replaced with another one by moving the carriages horizontally and vertically.
2. Related Art
A conventional disk changer which is simple in structure for loading and automatically exchanging three or four disks is shown in FIG. 29. That is, it has a rotary disk tray, and is called "a carrousel type disk changer (cf. Unexamind Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 121045/1992). The carrousel type disk changer operates as follows: A disk tray 101 on which a plurality of disks are set is turned to select one of the disks, and the disk thus selected is moved to a disk driving section which includes an optical pickup. In the upper surface of the disk tray 101, a plurality of recesses 102, 102 and 102 in each of which a disk placed are formed in such a manner that they are not overlapped with one another. At the disk reproducing position, the disk drive section (not shown) is moved vertically; that is, it is moved through a through-hole 103 formed in the recess 102 to hold the disk in cooperation with a clamper (not shown) which is arranged above the disk tray 101. In the disk changer, disk replacement is carried out as follows: While the disk driving section is held retracted below the disk tray 101, the disk tray 101 is turned to select a disk, and move it to the disk reproducing position.
In the carrousel type disk changer, a plurality of disks are loaded on one disk tray 101 in such a manner that they are not overlapped with one another as was described above. Hence, as the number of disks to be loaded on the disk tray 101 increases, the width and length (or external dimensions) of the device is increased; that is, the space occupied by the disk changer is increased. Even in the case where only three disks are loaded on one disk tray, both the width and length of the disk changer are each at least twice as long as the diameter of each disk, and the area is more than four times that of each disk.
In the case of the carrousel type disk changer, in order prevent the disk tray 101 from rubbing the chassis 104 of the disk changer body when the disk tray is turned, it is essential that the disk tray 101 in high in flatness, being free from a warp. In order to make the disk tray high enough in rigidity, or to make it free from a warp, the disk tray has reinforcing ribs, and accordingly its apparent thickness for height) is large.
On the other hand, the disk changer is so designed that the disk driving section including the optical pickup is moved up and down with respect to the disk. Therefore, it needs a mechanism for moving the disk driving section, and some space in the direction of height. As is apparent from the above description, the carrousel type disk changer in disadvantageous in that it is relatively large in width, length, and height.
In addition, in order that the disk tray 101 may be turned stably and smoothly on the chassis while being kept horizontal, the disk tay 101 is provided with supporting parts such as roller; that is the disk changer in large in the number of components, which results in an increase in the manufacturing cost.
For rationalization, the disk tray is formed as one unit by molding resin. Since it is a large molded product which is high in flatness, the resultant disk changer is high in manufacturing cost.
On the other hand, a cartridge type disk changer has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 4-38657; that is a plurality of disks are loaded therein in such a manner that they are stacked in a cartridge (or stocker). The cartridge type disk changer is advantageous in that at number of disks can be loaded therein when compared with the carrousel type disk changer; however, it is still disadvantageous in that, during reproduction, it is impossible to take out or replace the disk, because the disks are accommodated in the cartridge (or stocker) behind the pickup.


A data carrier has a data carrier body. A component module with component ntacts and a coil with coil contacts are incorporated in the data carrier body. The component is located in a component level zone. At least in their area adjacent the component module, the coil and the coil contacts are located in a winding level zone that is situated outside the component level zone. The component contacts and the coil contacts are connected through a dried electrically conductive adhesive that was introduced into channels between the coil and component contacts in a pasty or a liquid condition upon manufacturing of the data carrier. At the surface of the data carrier, adjacent the channel the data carrier has pockets that are adapted to receive a surplus of electrically conductive adhesive more than necessary than to form the channels of dried electrically conductive adhesive.

The invention relates to a data carrier comprising a data carrier body bounded by a body surface and incorporating a module and a coil, which coil is separate from the module and has coil turns and at least two coil connecting contacts, the module comprising a plate-shaped carrier, which extends substantially parallel to said body surface and which is bounded by a first carrier main surface facing said body surface and by a second carrier main surface substantially parallel to the first carrier main surface, and at least one component, which component is incorporated in the data carrier body, is connected to the carrier, is raised with respect to the second carrier main surface, and is disposed in a component level zone which extends transversely to said body surface, and at least two module connecting contacts connected to the carrier and arranged in the area of the second carrier main surface, and the coil turns and the coil connecting contacts of the coil being disposed in a winding level zone which extends transversely to said body surface and each coil connecting contact being disposed opposite a module connecting contact in a direction transverse to the second carrier main surface and being connected to the last-mentioned connecting contact in an electrically conductive manner.
The invention further relates to a method of manufacturing a data carrier, in which a data carrier body is manufactured, which data carrier body is bounded by a body surface and in which during the manufacture of the data carrier body a coil having coil turns and at least two coil connecting contacts is incorporated in the data carrier body, which coil turns and coil connecting contacts are arranged in a winding level zone which extends transversely to said body surface, and in which a module is incorporated in the data carrier body, which module comprises a plate-shaped carrier, which is bounded by a first carrier main surface and by a second carrier main surface substantially parallel to the first carrier main surface, and a component, which is connected to the carrier and is raised with respect to the second carrier main surface, and at least two module connecting contacts connected to the carrier and arranged in the area of the second carrier main surface, the first carrier main surface then facing said body surface and the second carrier main surface then being remote from said body surface and the component then being disposed in a component level zone which extends transversely to said body surface, and each module connecting contact and each coil connecting contact then being disposed opposite one another in a direction transverse to the second carrier main surface and being connected in an electrically conductive manner.
Such a data carrier of the type defined in the first paragraph and constructed as a chip card and a method of the type defined in the second paragraph are known from, for example, the document EP 0 682 321 A2.
FIGS. 1 and 2 in the document EP 0 682 321 A2 disclose a chip card which is manufactured in a customary lamination technique and whose data carrier body is formed by a card body and in which the chip, which forms part of a module and which is incorporated in the card body of the chip card, is arranged in the area of a second carrier main surface of a chip carrier which also forms part of the module, and is raised with respect to this second carrier main surface, but in which the module connecting contacts are arranged on a first carrier main surface, which is effected because a coil incorporated in the card body is disposed in a winding level zone, both with its coil turns and with its coil connecting contacts, which are conductively connected to the module connecting contacts, said winding level zone being situated between a first body main surface of the card body, to be regarded as said body surface, and the first carrier main surface of the carrier. With this known chip card it is therefore necessary to provide electrically conductive connections, which pass through the carrier, between the chip, or rather its chip connecting contacts, and the module connecting contacts, which represents an additional step, making the fabrication of the module comprising the carrier and the chip as well as the module Connecting contacts more expensive and, consequently, making the chip card more expensive.
FIGS. 3 and 4 in the document EP 0 682 321 A2 disclose another known chip card, which is also manufactured in a customary lamination technique and which has a data carrier body formed by a card body and which comprises a module in which a chip as a component of the module is arranged in the area of a second carrier main surface of a carrier of the module and is raised with respect to this second carrier main surface and in which the module connecting contacts as well as the chip are arranged in the area of this second carrier main surface, which is effected because a coil is disposed in a winding level zone, both with its coil turns and with its coil connecting contacts, which are conductively connected to the module connecting contacts, said winding level zone being situated between the second carrier main surface of the carrier and a second body main surface of the card body, which last-mentioned surface is disposed opposite the first body main surface. In this known chip card, however, the coil is disposed with its coil turns and its coil connecting contacts in a winding level zone situated within the component level zone, as a result of which the coil turns in the area in which the chip is situated must be arranged to bypass the chip, but owing to the extremely limited geometrical proportions in this area this gives rise to problems in the design of the coil as regards the coil turn layout in this area.

Data carrier having a module including a component and having a coil, and method of manufacturing such a data carrier

Austria Card Plastikkarten Und Ausweissysteme Gesellschaft M.B.H