A driver assistance system for a vehicle is provided. The driver assistance system includes a detecting device, which is designed to detect driving data that characterize the driving state of the vehicle, and a controller, which is designed to process the driving data detected by the detecting device and, if predetermined driving data are present, trigger a braking device to perform autonomous braking of the vehicle. The controller is also designed such that if driving data that indicate an imminent collision with an obstacle are detected, the function of the detecting device is monitored. If the detecting device no longer provides any driving data or plausible driving data to the controller, a continuation of the autonomous braking is triggered, at least until the vehicle has been decelerated to a specified speed.

The invention relates to a driver assistance system for a vehicle, including a detection device which is configured to detect driving data which characterizes the driving state of the vehicle and a controller which is designed to process the driving data detected by the detection device and, if predetermined driving data is present, to cause a brake device to carry out autonomous braking of the vehicle, and to a method for braking a vehicle including detecting driving data characterizing the driving state of the vehicle, by a detection device and processing the detected driving data and, if predetermined driving data is present, carrying out autonomous braking of the vehicle by the brake device.
A related art driver assistance system or method for braking a vehicle is known from EP 2 214 940 B1. In the related art driver assistance system, autonomous emergency braking of a vehicle with maximum available braking force is triggered by the service brake, independently of the driver, if the circumstances require it. If the vehicle has then come to a stationary state owing to the emergency braking, a device for detecting the vehicle in front checks whether a vehicle is located in front of the vehicle which has braked to a stationary state. If this is the case, a parking brake of the vehicle is applied. This is intended to prevent the vehicle which has been braked by emergency braking from being pushed into the vehicle in front by a vehicle driving behind. However, this assumes that the device for detecting the vehicle in front has not been damaged in an impact with the vehicle in front which, however, cannot be ruled out in the event of a collision occurring with the vehicle in front, despite the emergency braking which has been initiated.
Furthermore, driver assistance systems such as an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) system are also known from the related art. These systems measure the distance from a vehicle driving in front using a corresponding detection device and signal said distance to a controller, which then adjusts the actual distance from the vehicle driving in front to a speed-dependent setpoint distance by intervening in an engine controller and/or in a brake device. However, in the known ACC systems, this adjustment is only effective for as long as the detection device, for example a distance sensor, functions. In the cases in which the difference in speed from the vehicle driving in front has, however, become so large or the distance from the latter is so short that there is a high probability that an impact has to be expected, damage to the distance sensor must be expected because said sensor is generally arranged right at the front on the vehicle. However, owing to the detection device which is then defective, no intervention of the brake device takes place anymore, with the result that the movement energy of the affected vehicle is then dissipated only by the deformation work which is based on the collision with the vehicle driving in front.
In contrast to the above, the invention is based on the object of developing a driver assistance system or a method for operating a brake device of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a way that the consequences of an accident when there is a collision with an obstacle are alleviated.
In autonomously intervening ACC systems according to the related art, the detection device in the form of a distance sensor is generally destroyed when there is a collision with an obstacle, for example with a vehicle driving ahead. For this reason, the distance control system and therefore autonomous braking which is already initiated by the control device of the ACC system are aborted.
According to an aspect of the invention, a driver assistance system includes a detection device which is configured to detect driving data which characterizes the driving state of the vehicle, as well as a controller which is designed to process the driving data detected by the detection device, and, if predetermined driving data is present, to cause a brake device to carry out autonomous braking of the vehicle. However, in contrast to the related art, the controller is also designed such that when driving data which indicates a directly imminent collision with an obstacle is detected, the controller monitors the function of the detection device, and if the detection device no longer supplies any driving data or any plausible driving data to the controller, brings about continuation of the autonomous braking at least until the vehicle has been decelerated to a predefined speed.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for braking a vehicle includes detecting, by a detection device, driving data characterizing the driving state of the vehicle, processing the detected driving data and, if predetermined driving data is present, carrying out autonomous braking of the vehicle by the brake device. If driving data which indicates an immediately imminent collision with an obstacle is detected by the detection device, the function of the detection device is monitored, and if the detection device no longer supplies any driving data or any plausible driving data the autonomous braking is continued at least until the vehicle has been decelerated to a predefined speed.
An "obstacle" is understood to mean here any obstacle which is suitable for colliding with a vehicle owing to a movement of said vehicle. For example, an "obstacle" is to be understood as meaning a vehicle which is driving in front or a stationary vehicle which is located in the movement path of the vehicle.
"Autonomous braking" is to be understood as meaning braking which is not initiated by the driver but rather by the driver assistance system. Furthermore, the predefined (lower) speed, to which the vehicle is decelerated by the brake device which is still kept applied even after a collision with the obstacle, is preferably the stationary state of the vehicle, that is to say a speed which is equal to zero. However, since speed sensors have been found empirically to be incapable of detecting precisely speeds below approximately 3 km/h to 5 km/h or of differentiating such a low speed from a stationary state, the predefined speed can also be this empirical value of the detection limit from 3 km/h to 5 km/h. The predefined speed up to which the vehicle is to be decelerated by the still applied brake device even after a collision with the obstacle can be any speed which is less than the speed of the vehicle which is present immediately before the collision with the obstacle. Even then, a deceleration which acts beyond the time of the collision and which goes beyond the intervention by the brake device is still present. The value of this predefined speed is defined by a person skilled in the art on the basis of empirical values.
The plausibility of the driving data supplied by the detection device, such as for example the actual distance from the vehicle in front, can be checked, for example, by comparison with the data supplied by further sensors, such as wheel rotational speed sensors, acceleration sensors, etc. Last but not least, redundant distance sensors whose measured values are compared with one another are also conceivable.
If the detection device can no longer supply any driving data or any plausible driving data at all, integrated algorithms of the driver assistance system determine a collision with the obstacle or with the vehicle driving in front. In this context, assumptions based, in particular, on statistical experiences can be made. In this case, the autonomous braking which is initiated by the driver assistance system, for example on the basis of an excessively short distance and/or on the basis of an excessively high speed relative to the obstacle even before the collision, is also continued after the collision until the vehicle has been decelerated to the predefined speed or to a stationary state.
However, if the detection device has not suffered any damage as a result of the collision and continues to supply plausible driving data, representing reality, to the controller, the driver assistance system can maintain, uninterruptedly per se on the basis of the distance from the vehicle in front or from the obstacle which has then shrunk, for example, to a very small value or to zero, the autonomous braking on the basis of the control algorithms, without a further intervention having to take place. This is because in this case the objective of autonomous or automatic braking which is carried out uninterruptedly at least until the predefined speed is reached or until the stationary state is reached is also achieved.
The advantage of these measures is that in the event of damage to the detection device by a collision which results in the detection device then no longer being able to supply any plausible driving data or any driving data at all to the controller, autonomous braking, which has already been previously initiated by the driver assistance system, is continued uninterruptedly until the vehicle has reached the predefined speed or the stationary state. As a result, the brake device can still contribute to dissipating kinetic energy even after a collision with an obstacle, such as a vehicle driving in front or a stationary vehicle, has already taken place, which kinetic energy would otherwise only be dissipated through elastic and plastic deformation of the crush zones of the parties of the collision. The brake device can therefore contribute to decelerating the vehicle driving up from behind, even after a rear end collision with a vehicle driving in front. This is important in particular in the case of a rear end collision at the end of a traffic jam, because the kinetic energy of the vehicle which is driving up from behind at the end should be dissipated as quickly as possible in order to avoid vehicles being pushed onto or into one another by the impact. Overall, embodiments of the invention therefore contribute to alleviating the consequences of accidents in the case of such collisions.
The controller is particularly preferably also designed in such a way that even after the autonomous decelerating of the vehicle to the predefined speed or to the stationary state, it keeps the brake device applied and/or applies a further brake device in order to keep the vehicle in the braked state. The advantage of keeping in a braked state the vehicle which is already in the stationary state after the collision with, for example, a vehicle in front is that the vehicle which is kept in a braked state then provides greater resistance with respect to vehicles which subsequently drive up from the rear, and therefore with respect to the tendency that the vehicle is pushed onto the vehicle in front by the impact.
According to one variant of this measure, the brake device which brakes the vehicle autonomously to the stationary state is a service brake device of the vehicle. The further brake device which then keeps the vehicle in the stationary state can be a parking brake device of the vehicle. In this case, the securing braking force is therefore transmitted from the service brake device to the parking brake device. This variant can be carried out easily particularly if the parking brake device can be controlled or activated by electrical signals which are then modulated, for example, by the controller of the driver assistance system.
According to a further variant, the vehicle can both be braked autonomously to the stationary state by the service brake device and subsequently kept in the braked state by the service brake device. This variant is suitable, in particular, for vehicles in which the parking brake device can only be activated mechanically.
The controller is also particularly preferably designed in such a way that it changes the brake device from the applied state to the released state if a (bifunctional) activation element such as, for example, an accelerator pedal or a clutch pedal of the vehicle has been activated. This applies both to the phase in which the deceleration of the vehicle which has been initiated by the driver assistance system still persists and to the phase in which the vehicle has already been braked to the predefined speed or to the stationary state and secured there. In both phases, the driver is to be provided with the possibility of aborting the autonomous braking at his own volition. This can be advantageous, for example, when after a collision it appears necessary to move the vehicle out of a danger zone if the drive system is still functionally capable, in order, for example, to avoid vehicles driving into the stationary vehicle from the rear by moving the vehicle onto a hard shoulder. However, the activation element can also be a monofunctional activation element, such as a pushbutton key, which is then provided exclusively for the purpose of aborting the autonomous braking.
In addition to the described intervention into the brake device, customary driving assistance systems such as ACC additionally also have the possibility of intervening in the controller of the drive machine. According to one preferred development, the controller of the driver assistance system can therefore be designed in such a way that, in addition to the intervention in the brake device of the vehicle, if predetermined driving data is present, a controller of a drive machine is made to reduce the driving power autonomously. If driving data which indicates an immediately imminent collision with an obstacle is detected, the function of the detection device is then monitored as described, and if the detection device no longer supplies any driving data or any plausible driving data to the controller, in addition to the continuation of the autonomous braking a continuation of the autonomous reduction of the driving power of the drive machine is also brought about, at least until the vehicle has been decelerated to the predefined speed. In this case, the drive machine also contributes with its drag torque to decelerating the vehicle after a collision has taken place.
The power of the drive machine is preferably reduced, for example, as far as an idling rotational speed driving power, but the drive machine is not completely switched off so that the brake device releases the vehicle, as described above, as a result of activation of the accelerator pedal and the vehicle can be set in motion again under its own force in so far as or for as long as this is still possible after the collision.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more exemplary embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Driver assistance system having autonomous braking to a standstill

KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH


An exercise device for people with lower body paralysis. The exercise device guides and resists the motion of the hands and feet away from and towards the trunk. The exercise device holds the feet at a nearly constant angle in relation to a line drawn between the ankles and hips. The arm motion is constantly mechanically linked to the leg motion so that voluntary arm motion causes motion of paralyzed legs. A knee guide keeps paralyzed legs in proper alignment. Arm motion controls the application of electrical stimulation to leg muscles. Electrical stimulation of leg muscles causes the generation of leg forces that contribute to the overcoming of the resistance to the movement of the hands and feet in relation to the trunk.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to exercise machines, specifically to exercise machines which involve combined upper and lower body exercise with functional electrical stimulation of paralyzed lower body muscles.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
People with paralysis such as paraplegics and quadriplegics have large portions of their body which they are unable to move on their own. There are a multitude of health related problems associated with paralysis, some examples are; muscle atrophy, pressure sores, osteoporosis, loss of joint range of motion, cardiovascular disease, lack of cardiovascular endurance, lower body blood clot formation, edema, and spasticity.
Functional electrical stimulation is used to contract and thus exercise paralyzed muscles. Functional electrical stimulation involves applying small electrical currents to the nerves of a paralyzed muscle to cause it to contract. The electrical stimulation is typically applied through surface electrodes placed on the skin over the muscle to be contracted.
Typically, an individual with paralysis who is involved with functional electrical stimulation exercise will use an individual muscle group stimulator. While using this type of stimulator a person will typically exercise one muscle group at a time for 15 minutes. For example, one applies the stimulator electrodes over the top of the upper thigh, which is the quadriceps muscle, and performs knee extensions with a weight on the ankle. One goes through this process on each of the paralyzed muscles. This is a time consuming process since a typical complete paraplegic has five or more paralyzed muscle groups. Because it is very time consuming to go through all the paralyzed muscle groups with an individual muscle group stimulator, regular compliance is very low for this type of program. In addition, this type of program does very little to develop the cardiovascular system since only one muscle group at a time is active.
What is needed is an exercise device that exercises most of the paralyzed muscles at the same time while also exercising non-paralyzed muscles. A machine such as this saves time and provides better cardiovascular development when compared to an individual muscle group stimulator. Electrical stimulation stationary bicycles have been developed, however, they only stimulate the front and back upper thigh and the buttocks. They require complex electronics so that each muscle is only active during a certain range of the pedal crank arm rotation. Exercising three muscle groups at a time is still not enough to fully develop the cardiovascular system. The person exercising on the stationary bicycle will usually have to spend additional time electrically stimulating other muscles individually.
The common row machine might seem to be a good full body exercise device to utilize in combination with functional electrical stimulation. However, the resistance is applied through the movable hand grips on row machines. An able bodied individual regulates the force applied with the legs versus the force applied with the arms in order to produce the rowing motion. It would be very difficult or perhaps impossible for a computer to regulate the electrical stimulation applied to paralyzed legs so that the force produced by the legs versus the arms would result in the correct rowing motion. In addition, rowing machines only provide resistance in one direction. This means only about half of the body muscles are getting exercised significantly.

Upper and lower body exerciser that can be used by people with lower body paralysis


A device for powering an implant within a body of a subject from a location external to the subject, wherein the implant requires a threshold rate of power increase in order to operate in at least one mode, may include an antenna configured to wirelessly transmit energy to the implant. The device may also include a power storage unit configured to store energy from a power source incapable of delivering the threshold rate of power increase to enable the implant unit to operate in the at least one mode and a power release unit configured to release a pulse of energy from the power storage unit to the antenna after the power storage unit collects an amount of energy sufficient to enable the implant unit to operate in the at least one mode.

Neural modulation presents the opportunity to treat many physiological conditions and disorders by interacting with the body's own natural neural processes. Neural modulation includes inhibition (e.g. blockage), stimulation, modification, regulation, or therapeutic alteration of activity, electrical or chemical, in the central, peripheral, or autonomic nervous system. By modulating the activity of the nervous system, for example through the stimulation of nerves or the blockage of nerve signals, several different goals may be achieved. Motor neurons may be stimulated at appropriate times to cause muscle contractions. Sensory neurons may be blocked, for instance to relieve pain, or stimulated, for instance to provide a signal to a subject. In other examples, modulation of the autonomic nervous system may be used to adjust various involuntary physiological parameters, such as heart rate and blood pressure. Neural modulation may provide the opportunity to treat several diseases or physiological conditions, a few examples of which are described in detail below.
Among the conditions to which neural modulation may be applied is sleep disordered breathing, examples of which include obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring. OSA is a respiratory disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. During the sleep of a person without OSA, the pharyngeal muscles relax during sleep and gradually collapse, narrowing the airway. The airway narrowing limits the effectiveness of the sleeper's breathing, causing a rise in CO2 levels in the blood. The increase in CO2 results in the pharyngeal muscles contracting to open the airway to restore proper breathing. The largest of the pharyngeal muscles responsible for upper airway dilation is the genioglossus muscle, which is one of several different muscles in the tongue. The genioglossus muscle is responsible for forward tongue movement and the stiffening of the anterior pharyngeal wall. In patients with OSA, the neuromuscular activity of the genioglossus muscle is decreased compared to normal individuals, accounting for insufficient response and contraction to open the airway as compared to a normal individual. This lack of response contributes to a partial or total airway obstruction, which significantly limits the effectiveness of the sleeper's breathing. In OSA patients, there are often several airway obstruction events during the night. Because of the obstruction, there is a gradual decrease of oxygen levels in the blood (hypoxemia). Hypoxemia leads to night time arousals, which may be registered by EEG, showing that the brain awakes from any stage of sleep to a short arousal. During the arousal, there is a conscious breath or gasp, which resolves the airway obstruction. An increase in sympathetic tone activity rate through the release of hormones such as epinephrine and noradrenaline also often occurs as a response to hypoxemia. As a result of the increase in sympathetic tone, the heart enlarges in an attempt to pump more blood and increase the blood pressure and heart rate, further arousing the patient. After the resolution of the apnea event, as the patient returns to sleep, the airway collapses again, leading to further arousals.
These repeated arousals, combined with repeated hypoxemia, leaves the patient sleep deprived, which leads to daytime somnolence and worsens cognitive function. This cycle can repeat itself up to hundreds of times per night in severe patients. Thus, the repeated fluctuations in and sympathetic tone and episodes of elevated blood pressure during the night evolve to high blood pressure through the entire day. Subsequently, high blood pressure and increased heart rate may cause other diseases.
Efforts for treating OSA include Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment, which requires the patient to wear a mask through which air is blown into the nostrils to keep the airway open. Other treatment options include the implantation of rigid inserts in the soft palate to provide structural support, tracheotomies, or tissue ablation.
Another condition to which neural modulation may be applied is the occurrence of migraine headaches. Pain sensation in the head is transmitted to the brain via the occipital nerve, specifically the greater occipital nerve, and the trigeminal nerve. When a subject experiences head pain, such as during a migraine headache, the inhibition of these nerves may serve to decrease or eliminate the sensation of pain.
Neural modulation may also be applied to hypertension. Blood pressure in the body is controlled via multiple feedback mechanisms. For example, baroreceptors in the carotid body in the carotid artery are sensitive to blood pressure changes within the carotid artery. The baroreceptors generate signals that are conducted to the brain via the glossopharyngeal nerve when blood pressure rises, signaling the brain to activate the body's regulation system to lower blood pressure, e.g. through changes to heart rate, and vasodilation/vasoconstriction. Conversely, parasympathetic nerve fibers on and around the renal arteries generate signals that are carried to the kidneys to initiate actions, such as salt retention and the release of angiotensin, which raise blood pressure. Modulating these nerves may provide the ability to exert some external control over blood pressure.
The foregoing are just a few examples of conditions to which neuromodulation may be of benefit, however embodiments of the invention described hereafter are not necessarily limited to treating only the above-described conditions.


An apparatus for feeding articles to an accumulation area (4) is provided to have a conveyor path with a curved section (7) interconnecting a first conveyor path section (8) in the feeding direction upstream of the curved section (7) and a second conveyor path section (9) downstream thereof and extending substantially in parallel with each other. The apparatus further provides for transferring (10) the articles from the first section transversely to the feeding direction and over to the second section, by-passing the curved section, and a control arrangement (28) for controlling transfer to optionally transfer articles from the first to the second conveyor path section by-passing the curved section, or allowing the articles to pass through the curved section.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding articles to an accumulation area comprising at least one conveyor for feeding the articles forming a conveyor path to said area and means for optionally turning said articles by substantially 180 degrees for shifting end for end before the articles arrive to said accumulation area, as well as a method for feeding articles to an accumulation area, in which the articles are optionally turned by substantially 180 degrees for shifting end for end before arriving to said accumulation area.
The invention is directed to feeding articles of any type to an area for accumulation thereof, but it will hereinafter be explained for the case of feeding articles in the form of bread, preferably having an elongated shape, such as loaves, to an area, where they are accumulated, preferably for being loaded into a box being placed in said area according to a desired pattern.
Thus, the invention relates to such a feeding apparatus making it possible to have articles fed to the accumulation area with a certain orientation or changing this orientation by substantially 180 degrees. This may for instance be done for having the openings of plastic bags enclosing said articles directed towards each other when the articles are to be arranged in two parallel rows in said accumulation area. This may for instance be desired for protecting these openings from external influences, such as by the walls of a box or container into which they are to be loaded.
A known apparatus of this type includes a turntable arranged in said conveyor path, so that a conveyor will feed the articles to the turntable and a pusher will push the articles onto the turntable, whereupon the turntable will turn by 180 degrees and then the pusher will push the articles off the turntable onto a conveyor located in the conveyor path downstream thereof. As an alternative the articles may be pushed by said pusher or rake over the turntable without being turned. A disadvantage of this apparatus is that the pushing of the articles onto and off the turntable is time consuming, so that the number of articles possible to be fed per time unit to said accumulation area will decrease as a consequence of the provision of said turntable for making said turning possible.
Another apparatus of this type has a turntable provided with recesses for wheels arranged on driven axles, so that the turntable part of the conveyor path will also act as a conveyor when the wheels are driven. Accordingly, no pusher is needed for feeding the articles over said turntable. When articles are to be turned the turntable is lifted so much that the wheels will no longer extend through said recesses, and the turntable may then be turned. A disadvantage of this apparatus is that the wheels provide a comparatively small support surface for said articles in comparison with for instance a belt conveyor, and if for instance loaves enclosed in plastic bags are fed, a bag may erroneously be fed or get stuck in a wheel disturbing the entire procedure and possibly requiring an interruption of the operation of the apparatus, which is troublesome and also may involve costs.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the type defined in the introduction, which is improved in at least some aspect with respect to such apparatuses already known.
This object is according to the invention obtained by providing such an apparatus, in which said conveyor path has a curved section interconnecting a first conveyor path section in the feeding direction upstream of the curved section and a second conveyor path section downstream thereof extending substantially in parallel with each other, the apparatus further comprising means for transferring said articles from said first section transversely to the feeding direction of the latter over to said second section by-passing said curved section and a control arrangement adapted to control said transferring means to optionally transfer articles from the first to the second conveyor path section by-passing the curved section or letting them pass through the curved section.
This means that said articles may very efficiently, i.e. rapidly, without any delay caused by said turning be fed to said accumulation area by feeding the articles through said curved section or take a short-cut by said transferring means resulting in an automatic turning of the articles by 180 degrees with respect to the articles passing through said curved section. It is pointed out that xe2x80x9ctransferringxe2x80x9d here is defined as a translatory movement of the articles in the direction in question. It is possible to rapidly obtain many different patterns of articles in said accumulation area. This will be achieved for articles of varying shapes in a reliable manner by using covered conveyors, such as belt converors instead of wheels
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention said transferring means is adapted to push the articles from said first section to said second section.
It is also preferred to arrange means for optionally accumulating articles conveyed through the conveyor path before the transversal transfer thereof by said transferring means for transferring a plurality of articles simultaneously. This may for instance be accomplished by providing a separate conveyor of the conveyor path controllable to move step-wise for accumulating a new article for each step.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the apparatus also comprises means for optionally turning said articles by substantially 90 degrees before the articles arrive to said accumulation area. This is a preferred feature, since it makes it possible to obtain a larger variety of accumulation pattern in said accumulation area for for instance loading the articles in a desired way in a box or container.
Said means for optionally turning said articles by substantially 90 degrees is advantageously operable to select turning direction, clockwise or counter-clockwise, for the articles, increasing the flexibility of the apparatus to form different patterns of articles in said accumulation area even more.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention said means for optionally turning articles by substantially 90 degrees is adapted to be controlled to form an obstacle to be hit by the articles thus turning them. and this means comprises according to another preferred embodiment of the invention an arm arranged laterally to the conveyor path and introducable into the conveyor path for being hit by said articles.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the apparatus further comprises additional means for optionally transferring articles being in a mid-portion of said curved section extending substantially perpendicularly to said first and second sections in a direction being substantially in parallel with said first and second sections onto an intermediate support surface separating said first and second section. This means that these articles will then theoretically have been turned by substantially 90 degrees when they are in said mid-portion with respect to their orientation in said first section and 90 degrees less than the orientation they would have in said second section when not transferred to said intermediate support surface. Accordingly, the articles will in this way also be turned by 90 degrees. Furthermore, the apparatus preferably comprises means for transferring articles from said intermediate support surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension of said second section onto the latter.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the apparatus further comprises means for gathering articles located in said mid-portion by influencing them from both sides towards the centre of said mid-portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension of said first and second sections before transferring them to said intermediate support surface by said additional transferring means. This means that a plurality of articles in this way turned by substantially 90 degrees may simultaneously be transferred to said intermediate support surface making it possible to obtain a high feeding speed without any noticeable delay caused by the turning resulting in this way.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the conveyor path is arranged to arrive to said first section through a part upstream thereof extending in substantially the same direction as the first section forming a prolongation thereof, and according to another preferred embodiment of the invention said conveyor path is continued downstream of said accumulation area by a part extending in substantially the same direction as said second section. These embodiments are advantageous, since they simplify the construction of the apparatus and makes parts of the conveyor path easily accessible.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention said first, second and curved section of the conveyor path are formed by individually controllable conveyors. This means that it is possible to feed the articles differently in these sections for obtaining an optimum co-ordination of the movement of these conveyors for obtaining a certain pattern of articles in said accumulation area as fast and accurate as possible.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention the apparatus comprises an intermediate conveyor arranged in a space separating said first and second section and having the same feeding direction as said second section. This is preferred, since this means that articles arriving on the intermediate support surface formed by this intermediate conveyor may be fed thereby in a direction in parallel with the feeding direction of the second section of the conveyor path.
The invention also provides a method for feeding articles according to the appended independent method claim. The advantage of such a method and the methods according to the preferred embodiments of the invention defined in the dependent method claims will be clear from the above discussion of the apparatus according to the present invention.
The invention also relates to a computer program and a computer readable medium according to the corresponding appended claims. It is easily understood that the method according to the invention defined in the appended set of method claims is well suited to be carried out through program instructions from a processor which may be influenced by a computer program provided with the program steps in question.
Further advantages as well as advantageous features of the invention will appear from the following description and the other dependent claims.

Apparatus and a method for feeding articles


A communications device includes a signal input for receiving signals such as a binary phase shift keyed (BPSK) communications signal having a repeated preamble bit or symbol pattern. A modem processes the communications signal and includes a demodulator and processor that generates an initial frequency offset estimate and phase error estimate by processing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) that detects the repeated preamble pattern for a block of samples within the communications signal, correlates within a start of message correlator to search for a start of message sequence and correlates different phases of the repeated preamble pattern within training correlators for reducing false detections of the start of message. Radio circuitry is operative with the modem for processing communications data obtained from the communications signal.

Some multi-band or other tactical radios operate in the high frequency (HF), very high frequency (VHF), and ultra high frequency (UHF) bands. The frequency range of these multi-band tactical radios is from about 2 MHz to about 512 MHz. Next generation radios will probably cover about 2.0 to about 2,000 MHz (2.0 GHz)(or higher) to accommodate wider bandwidths, higher data rates and less crowded frequency bands. Several standards have been developed for the different frequency bands. For HF, US-MIL-STD-188-110B and US-MIL-STD-188-141B specify waveforms and minimum performance requirements of waveforms and radio equipment, the disclosures which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
UHF standards, on the other hand, provide different challenges over the 225 to about 512 MHz frequency range, including short-haul line-of-sight (LOS) communication and satellite communications (SATCOM) and cable. UHF waveforms operate through different weather conditions, foliage and other obstacles making UHF SATCOM an indispensable communications medium for many agencies. Different directional antennas can be used to improve antenna gain and improve data rates on the transmit and receive links. This type of communication is typically governed in one example by MIL-STD-188-181B, the disclosure which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. This standard specifies a family of constant and non-constant amplitude waveforms for use over satellite links.
The joint tactical radio system (JTRS) implements some of these standards and has different designs that use oscillators, mixers, switchers, splitters, combiners and power amplifier devices to cover different frequency ranges. The modulation schemes used for these types of systems can occupy a fixed bandwidth channel at a fixed carrier frequency or can be frequency-hopped.
These systems use many different types of modulations, including M-ary phase-shift keying (M-PSK) modulation, M-ary quadrature-amplitude modulation (M-QAM) or modulations with memory, such as continuous phase modulation (CPM), and are sometimes combined with convolutional or other type of forward error correction codes. To ensure interoperability, standardized waveforms are often used. These and other systems often use a Binary Phase Shift Keyed (BPSK) waveform for Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) communications systems. Some examples are the 117F and F3 manpack radios manufactured by Harris Corporation of Melbourne, Fla. Several performance issues were noted in some of these and similar radios as caused by "bad" acquisitions. The receiver modem must acquire the waveform in each DAMA slot such as corresponding to a time division multiple access (TDMA) slot. If acquisition estimates have excessive error, data is lost for the entire slot.
This type of modem often uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to detect the waveform and exploit spectral characteristics of a transmitted preamble. After the modem processes the FFT and detects the preamble, the modem estimates the frequency offset and the phase from complex FFT output values. It is desirable to improve acquisition estimates of the frequency offset, phase error and symbol timing to allow better processing and acquisition estimates and enhance communications.
Also, because of the non-random aspect of the preamble, the start of message bit correlation can sometimes false alarm during this non-random preamble portion of the waveform, i.e., the 110110110110 portion of the preamble, for example, forming the training sequence. It would be advantageous if false detections could be reduced in this portion of the preamble prior to the start of message bits.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Communications device and related method with reduced false detects during start of message bit correlation


A method and an electronic device monitor a battery of the device with respect to device operational mode in one or both of battery charge level monitoring and battery cut-off determination. Mode-based monitoring employs a mode-specific wait period prior to performing a measurement used to determine a remaining charge level of a battery. The mode-specific wait period depends on the operational mode immediately preceding the measurement and therefore, accounts for battery recovery effects on measurement accuracy. Mode-based cut-off determination employs information regarding an impending operational mode to determine whether or not a remaining charge level of the battery is sufficient to support the mode. Only those operational modes for which there is sufficient remaining charge are enabled while operational modes for which there is insufficient remaining power are disabled.

Battery-powered electronic devices, electronic devices that derive some or all of their operating power from one or more batteries, are popular, widely available and in relatively widespread use. In particular, electronic devices that use batteries as a primary operational power source are able to be portable and mobile, such that the devices are effectively free from a fixed location and power source. In many instances, portability is responsible for much of the market share attributed to such devices. Examples of popular battery-powered electronic devices include, but are not limited to, notebook and laptop computers, hand-held computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, and cellular telephones.
Given that many battery-powered devices depend on batteries as a primary power source, most battery-powered electronic devices closely monitor a charge level remaining in the batteries in order to insure reliable operation of the device. Among other things, remaining charge is used to determine a cut-off point for the batteries at which the device automatically initiates a 'soft' shutdown. Automatic soft shutdown helps to insure data integrity and operational reliability when batteries near an end of useful charge. In addition, remaining charge level is also often employed by the electronic device to give a user of the device an indication of how much operational time may be available as well as warn the user of an impending or potential loss of operational power.
Inaccuracies in battery charge level monitoring, as well as a need to insure that shutdown occurs before the normal operation of a device is affected by loss of sufficient battery power, often lead to an effectively artificial reduction in the apparent charge life of a given set of batteries. Specifically, monitoring that determines a charge level of the battery to be lower than it actually is can result in a shutdown occurring sooner than it should. In addition, to insure normal operation of the device under all operating modes, the battery cut-off point is generally set conservatively based on a power requirement of an operational mode with a highest power utilization. In short, both the monitoring inaccuracies and the use of a conservative cut-off point typically result in an unnecessarily premature indication of effective end-of-charge life in many battery powered electronic devices.
Thus, it would be advantageous to be able to potentially extend a useable lifetime of a battery by improving battery charge level monitoring accuracy as well as reducing the need for unnecessarily conservative cut-off points for batteries used in battery-powered electronic devices. Such an improved monitoring accuracy and cut-off determination may extend the useful life of batteries in battery-powered electronic devices thus solving a long-standing need in the area of battery-powered devices.

Operational mode-based battery monitoring for a battery-powered electronic device

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A hydrogen storage alloy, represented by the following formula I which is suitable for use as an active anode material for ni-metal hydride secondary cells by virtue of its high discharge characteristics including, for example, a discharge capacity ranging from approximately 300 to 400 mAh/g and a rate capability of at least 80%;

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a high capacity and high performance Zr-based hydrogen storage alloy for secondary cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Zr-based hydrogen storage alloy for use as an active anode material for Ni-metal hydride (MH) secondary cells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A Nixe2x80x94MH secondary cell employing a hydrogen storage alloy as the active material of its anode, functions according to the following reaction principle. Upon the discharge of the cell, hydrogen atoms within the hydrogen storage alloy combine with the hydroxide ions (OHxe2x88x92) in a KOH electrolyte to produce water while releasing electrons from the hydrogen atoms via an external circuit to the cathode. On the other hand, upon the charge of the cell, water is decomposed into hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OHxe2x88x92). These hydroxide ions remain in the electrolyte whereas the hydrogen ions combine with the electrons introduced from outside of the electrode to produce hydrogen atoms which are then stored in the alloy, In principle, a Nixe2x80x94MH secondary cell takes advantage of the hydrogen storage alloy""s characteristic properties, including stability in alkali solutions and ability to rapidly absorb and release hydrogen, reversibly.
There are two requirements which hydrogen storage alloys must meet in order for them to be used as active anode materials for Nxe2x80x94MH secondary cells. First, they must have hydrogenation reaction properties, including a hydrogen absorption-release pressure suitable for gas-solid reaction (ordinary, 0.01-1 atm at room temperature), a high hydrogen storage capacity (the theoretical discharge capacity of an electrode is proportional to hydrogen storage capacity (CH wt %): theor. capa. (mAh/g)=268xc3x97CH), and rapid hydrogenation speed. Second, upon the electrochemical reaction of the alloys with KOH electrolytes, the charge transfer reaction, which is closely correlated with the decomposition and synthesis of hydrogen, must readily occur at the interface between the alloys and the electrolyte. That is, the surfaces of the alloys must perform the catalytic function of the charge transfer reaction.
Today, many hydrogen storage alloys have been developed to have the above properties. They can be divided largely into two groups: AB5 and AB2 types. Representative AB5 type includes Laxe2x80x94Ndxe2x80x94Nixe2x80x94Coxe2x80x94Al (see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,817) and Mmxe2x80x94Mnxe2x80x94Nixe2x80x94Coxe2x80x94Al (Jap. Pat. Publication Nos. 61-132,501 and 61-214,361), both in hexagonal structure. As those belonging to AB2 type, Tixe2x80x94Vxe2x80x94Nxe2x80x94Cr, a C14, 15-hexagonal, BCC multi-phase t. structure, (see, U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,400), Zrxe2x80x94Vxe2x80x94Ni, a C14 structure (see, J. of the Less-Common Metals, 172-174:1219(1991)), and Zrxe2x80x94Crxe2x80x94Mnxe2x80x94Ni, a C14, 15 structure (refer to supra, 1211(1991)) are exemplified.
Of them, the Laxe2x80x94Ni electrodes of AB5 type are found to show that their electrode capacities are significantly decreased as the cycle of charge and discharge goes on (see, J. of the Less-Common Metals, 161:193 (1990) and 155:119(1989)). This phenomenon, so-called xe2x80x9cdegradationxe2x80x9d, can be solved in the alloy of U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,817 to J. J. G. Willems et al., in which the Ni element is partially replaced by Co and Al and the La element partially by Nd. This technique suggested can improve the life span of the electrode, but causes a decrease in discharge capacity.
Separately, a method of electroless plating Cu on hydrogen storage alloy powders was disclosed in J. of the Less-Common Metals, 107:105(1985), whereby the electrodes can be improved in life span without reduction in capacity. However, this method is complicated and produces pollution of the environment on account of the plating processes and reagents used.
It is now found that AB5 type hydrogen storage alloys show a discharge capacity limit to approximately 300 mAh/g whereas AB2 type hydrogen storage alloys have a discharge capacity greater than 300 mAh/g. In addition, the AB2 type hydrogen storage alloys are also found to be of superior cycle life span even though no plating process is performed (see, J. of the Less-Common Metals, 172-174:1175(1991) and 180:37(1992)).
Zr-based hydrogen storage alloys with a discharge capacity of 300-370 mAh/g, which comprise at least 30 wt % of Zr element and at least 40 wt % of Ni element, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,646 by T. Gamo et al.
Tixe2x80x94Zrxe2x80x94Vxe2x80x94Nixe2x80x94Cuxe2x80x94Mnxe2x80x94M (M=Al, Co, Fe, etc.) hydrogen storage alloys ranging, in discharge capacity, from 300 to 380 mAh/g are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,205 by K. Hong and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,728,586 and 4,551,400 by M. A. Fechenko et al.
These conventional hydrogen storage alloys are disadvantageous in that their rate capability abruptly deteriorates as the discharge current density increases.
Intensive and thorough research repeated by the present inventors aiming to overcome the above problems encountered in the prior Zr-based hydrogen storage electrodes resulted in the finding that a modified Zrxe2x80x94Mnxe2x80x94Vxe2x80x94Ni quaternary alloy, in which the Zr is partially replaced by Ti and the other elements are optionally adjusted, has great hydrogen storage ability and a high discharge capability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a high capacity and high performance Zr-based hydrogen storage alloy, which is suitable for use as an active anode material for Nixe2x80x94MH secondary cells.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hydrogen storage alloy for Nixe2x80x94MH secondary cells, represented by the following formula I:
Zr1xe2x88x92xTix(MnuVvNiy)zxe2x80x83xe2x80x83I
wherein, x, u, v, y and z each represent an atom fraction under the condition of: 0 less than x xe2x89xa60.2, 0.5xe2x89xa6uxe2x89xa60.7, 0.5xe2x89xa6vxe2x89xa60.7, 1.0xe2x89xa6yxe2x89xa61.4, and 0.84xe2x89xa6zxe2x89xa61.0.

High capacity and high performance Zr-based hydrogen storage alloy for secondary cells

Abstract: wherein, x, u, v, and z each represent an atom fraction under the condition of: 0 less than xxe2x89xa60.2, 1.5xe2x89xa6uxe2x89xa60.7, 0.5xe2x89xa6vxe2x89xa60.7, 1.0xe2x89xa6yxe2x89xa61.4, and 0.84xe2x89xa6zxe2x89xa61.0.1.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A gyratory crusher includes a bowl assembly with a concave crushing surface and a crusher head of conical shape which extends into the concave portion of the bowl assembly. A central crusher axis extends centrally through the bowl assembly. The crusher head is mounted with a central head axis at an angular deviation with respect to the central crusher axis to intersect the crusher axis at an apex. Crushing action is obtained by driving the crusher head to gyrate the angular offset of its central axis about the central crusher axis. The gyratory crusher has an adjustable stroke of gyration. Adjustability of the stroke is obtained by controllably varying the amount of angular deviation by which the crusher head gyrates about the central crusher axis. The amount of angular deviation is controlled by an eccentric support bearing which gyrates a guide shaft of the crusher head about the crusher axis and which is adjustably mounted to move toward and away from the apex of gyration without also changing the position of the crusher head with respect to the apex.

The invention relates to gyratory crushers and particularly to the gyratory motion mechanism of gyratory crushers.
The invention may be best understood in consideration of generally understood operating characteristics of gyratory crushers. Gyratory crushers or cone crushers are those which support a cone-shaped crushing head capable of undergoing a gyrating motion centered generally about a vertical central axis through the crusher. The gyrating motion of the crushing head performs a crushing action on material which enters a space between the head and an inner surface of a concave or bowl-shaped stationary member. The bowl-shaped member is disposed in an inverted position generally over the cone-shaped crushing head. The bowl-shaped member is centered on the axis through the crusher and has a central opening through which materials, such as rock, ore, coal or the like are fed into the space between the crushing head and the stationary, bowl-shaped member. The action of the crusher typically distributes the materials annularly about the centrally disposed conical shape of the crushing head. The materials typical move by gravity into the annular space between the inner wall of the stationary bowl member and the outer, cone-like surface of the crushing head. The annular space between the bowl member and the crushing head is also referred to as the crushing chamber. The gyration of the crushing head causes the space at any specific radial position of the crusher to cyclically increase and decrease in width. The cyclic, relative motion of the two members comminutes the materials as they are drawn by gravity though the annular, downward sloping space to be discharged at the base of the crushing chamber.
Cone crushers are generally chosen to be optimally suited for specific operating conditions and materials. The shape of the crushing chamber, the angle of the conical head, the stroke (the difference between the extremes of gyratory movement of the crushing head), and the rotational speed of the gyratory drive are factors which are typically considered in the selection of a crusher. Selection of a crusher with optimum specifications including its size is often based on prior experience with the materials to be comminuted. For example, the hardness of rock or ore may limit the amount of reduction that can be achieved in a single path. Consequently, hard rock may require a stroke length on the short end of a range of typically specified gyration strokes. Such relatively short stroke may limit the material throughput rate or capacity of the crusher. On the other hand, a comparatively easier to crush or softer material or rock may permit a greater reduction during a single pass, hence a relatively longer stroke of the crusher may be specified. The relatively long stroke may, in general, also permit a greater material throughput.
For many commercial crushing applications, however, gyratory crushing plants are intended for use at many different locations. For example, road construction projects often require crushing operations at a number of successively accessed quarries. Each location may provide materials of different hardness. For crushers intended to produce under such variable conditions, it would generally not be possible to preselect operating specifications of the crusher to optimize the crusher for any particular source material. Instead, it appears desirable to have available a crusher which can be adjusted to work optimally with materials without much concern as to hardness or crushability. An ideal crusher would permit an operator to optimize crusher throughput and product quality at each new site, as for example by making sample runs and by fine tuning of certain adjustable operating parameters of the crusher.
For any given crusher size and type, the closed side setting (CSS) which is the least gap between the crusher head and the bowl, may not be less than a certain minimum setting at which the crusher begins to be overloaded. The CSS is typically adjustable by raising or lowering the bowl or stationary member with respect to the crusher head. According to some known crusher makes the crushing head may be raised or lowered to establish the CSS. The rotational speed of the crusher head may, of course, be changed. However, for any one crusher the throughput or production capacity of the crusher may not increase with an increase in the crusher speed. The production capacity of the crusher may even decrease slightly with a speed up in rotational speed.
The length of the stroke of the crusher, namely the difference between a maximum opening and a minimum opening at a given section through the space between the head and the bowl, does have an effect on the throughput of the crusher. The stroke length is typically established by the design of the crusher components, such as the amount of eccentricity in a camming member or sleeve which transforms rotational motion of a drive member into the desirable, gyrational motion of the crusher head. A cone crusher of a certain size when equipped with an eccentric member with increased eccentricity with respect to that of an original eccentric member, may show a marked increase in production capacity. A corresponding increase in the drive power or the rotational speed of the drive member may increase the power input to the crusher to accommodate the increased crushing action for a correspondingly improved production capacity. However, a comparatively longer stroke may not be optimally suited for relatively hard materials which require greater crushing force. Thus, typically a compromise stroke length is chosen which may not permit an ideal production rate in certain crushing operations.


The present disclosure relates to modified homoserine dehydrogenase and a method for producing homoserine or a homoserine-derived L-amino acid using the same.

Among L-amino acids, L-threonine, L-isoleucine, and L-methionine commonly use homoserine produced by homoserine dehydrogenase (hereinafter, "Hom"; EC:220.127.116.11) from aspartate-semialdehyde (hereinafter, "ASA"). Therefore, to produce the amino acids by a fermentation method, it is essential to maintain the activities of enzymes used in the biosynthetic pathway at a certain level or higher, and intensive research has been conducted thereon.
In particular, the activity of homoserine dehydrogenase acting at the branch point of the biosynthetic pathways of L-lysine and L-threonine is known to be regulated by L-threonine and L-isoleucine. Recently, there have been several reports on Hom desensitized to feedback inhibition by L-threonine and a method for producing L-threonine using the same. In 1991, Eikmann et al. in Germany reported Hom desensitized by substituting glycine, which is the amino acid residue at position 378 of Hom, with glutamate (Eikmanns B J et al., Appl. Microbial Biotechnol. 34: 617-622, 1991); and in 1991, Archer et al. reported that desensitization occurs when the C-terminus of Hom is damaged due to a frame-shift mutation (Archer J A et al., Gene 107: 53-59, 1991).

Modified homoserine dehydrogenase and method for producing homoserine or L-amino acid derived from homoserine using the same


A method of re-working a semiconductor device having a defective copper damascene interconnect structure, including the steps of obtaining a semiconductor wafer having at least one defect in a copper damascene interconnect structure; placing the wafer in an electrolyte in an electrolytic cell such that the defective copper damascene interconnect structure forms an anode; applying electrical current to the wafer to remove from the wafer substantially all copper from the defective copper damascene interconnect structure; re-applying copper to the semiconductor wafer to form a copper damascene interconnect structure.

The present invention relates to a method of re-working a defective copper damascene wafer for a semiconductor device. The invention has particular applicability in manufacturing high density semiconductor devices with deep submicron design features which include copper damascene interconnects, in which a defect occurs in the copper, to avoid scrapping the wafer including a defective copper damascene interconnect.
Current demands for high density and performance associated with ultra large scale integration (ULSI) require submicron features of significantly less than 0.25 microns, increased transistor and circuit speeds and improved reliability. As feature size decreases, the sizes of the resulting transistors as well as those of the interconnects between transistors also decrease. Fabrication of smaller transistors allows more transistors to be placed on a single monolithic substrate, thereby allowing relatively large circuit systems to be incorporated on a single, relatively small die area. This trend toward reduced feature sizes imposes severe demands on many aspects of IC fabrication, including interconnect formation. In the manufacture of integrated circuits, after the individual devices, such as the transistors, have been fabricated in the silicon substrate, they must be connected together to perform the desired circuit functions. The connections are commonly referred to as interconnects. Narrower interconnects have reduced cross-sectional area, which results in a higher interconnect resistance for a given interconnect material. This interconnect resistance, along with the capacitance of the interconnect with respect to ground and other interconnects, contributes to an RLC (resistive-inductive-capacitive) time constant which characterizes delays associated with propagation along the interconnect line. Fabrication of a circuit with increased RLC time constants lowers the speed at which the circuit can operate by increasing the time needed, for example, for a circuit output voltage to respond to a change in input voltage. Although there are other parasitic resistances and capacitances in an integrated circuit, such as those associated with the transistors themselves, in modem circuits having submicron feature sizes interconnects may contribute as much as 80% of the total circuit delay time. The increased interconnect resistance described above places a limit on how narrow interconnect lines can be and maintain tolerable interconnect resistance. The greater the resistivity of the interconnect material, the wider the lines must be, as discussed further below. As feature size decreases and transistor density increases, multiple layers of interconnect must be used to connect the transistors to each other and to the terminals of the integrated circuit. The limitation discussed above on the narrowness of interconnect lines can exacerbate this need for multiple interconnect layers. Fabrication of each interconnect layer requires deposition and patterning processes, adding to the expense of the circuit and increasing the opportunity for defect incorporation and the resulting yield reduction. It is therefore desirable to minimize the number of interconnect layers required.
Lowering the resistivity of the interconnect material alleviates the interconnect-related problems discussed above. Resistance, R, along the length of a structure formed from a given material is related to the resistivity, xcfx81, of the material by R=xcfx81l/A, where l is the length of the structure and A is its cross-sectional area. It can therefore be seen that lowering the resistivity of an interconnect material reduces the resistance of an interconnect line of a given cross-sectional area. Furthermore, a line formed from a lower-resistivity material could be made narrower before an unacceptable resistance level is reached than a line formed from a higher-resistivity material. This ability to form narrower lines may allow fewer interconnect levels to be used to form the required connections for an IC, thereby reducing costs and potentially increasing the yield of correctly-functioning circuits.
Advantages such as those described above of low-resistivity interconnect materials have driven a movement in the semiconductor industry toward replacing aluminum interconnects with interconnects made from copper. The resistivity of pure copper (about 1.7 xcexcxcexa9xc2x7cm) is significantly lower than that of pure aluminum (about 2.6 xcexcxcexa9xc2x7cm). Both aluminum and copper interconnects typically contain small concentrations of other elements to improve interconnect reliability. These added elements increase the resistivity of the metal, but practical copper interconnects still have resistivities up to 40% lower than those of practical aluminum interconnects. Copper interconnects can therefore be made narrower than aluminum interconnects for a given value of interconnect resistance. This may result in fewer levels of metallization being needed with copper interconnects. For a given interconnect cross-sectional area, copper interconnects exhibit lower resistances, and therefore shorter interconnect-related delays, than do aluminum interconnects.
Because copper is more difficult to etch than aluminum, in addition to difficulties in etching narrow features in metals in general as compared to etching of insulators, copper interconnects are generally formed by a damascene process.
In one connection process, which is called a xe2x80x9cdual damascenexe2x80x9d technique, two channels of conductive materials, are positioned in vertically separated planes perpendicular to each other and interconnected by a vertical xe2x80x9cviaxe2x80x9d at their closest point.
The first channel part of the dual damascene process starts with the placement of a first channel dielectric layer, which is typically an oxide layer, over the semiconductor devices. A first damascene step photoresist is then placed over the oxide layer and is photolithographically processed to form the pattern of the first channels. An anisotropic oxide etch is then used to etch out the channel oxide layer to form the first channel openings. The damascene step photoresist is stripped and an optional thin adhesion layer is deposited to coat the walls of the first channel opening to ensure good adhesion and electrical contact of subsequent layers to the underlying semiconductor devices. A barrier layer is then deposited on the adhesion layer to improve the formation of subsequently deposited conductive material and to act as a barrier material to prevent diffusion of such conductive material into the oxide layer and the semiconductor devices. A first conductive material is then deposited and subjected to a chemical-mechanical polishing process which removes the first conductive material above the first channel oxide layer and damascenes the first conductive material in the first channel openings to form the first channels.
The via formation step of the dual damascene process starts with the deposition of a thin stop nitride over the first channels and the first channel oxide layer. Subsequently, a separating oxide layer is deposited on the stop nitride. This is followed by deposition of a thin via nitride. Then a via step photoresist is used in a photolithographic process to designate round via areas over the first channels.
A nitride etch is then used to etch out the round via areas in the via nitride. The via step photoresist is then removed, or stripped. A second channel dielectric layer, which is typically an oxide layer, is then deposited over the via nitride and the exposed oxide in the via area of the via nitride. A second damascene step photoresist is placed over the second channel oxide layer and is photolithographically processed to form the pattern of the second channels. An anisotropic oxide etch is then used to etch the second channel oxide layer to form the second channel openings and, during the same etching process to etch the via areas down to the thin stop nitride layer above the first channels to form the via openings. The damascene photoresist is then removed, and a nitride etch process removes the nitride above the first channels in the via areas. An adhesion layer is then deposited to coat the via openings and the second channel openings. Next, a barrier layer is deposited on the adhesion layer. This is followed by a deposition of the second conductive material in the second channel openings and the via openings to form the second channel and the via. A second chemical mechanical polishing process leaves the two vertically separated, horizontally perpendicular channels connected by cylindrical vias.
The use of the dual damascene technique eliminates metal etch and dielectric gap fill steps typically used in the metallization process. The elimination of metal etch steps is important as the semiconductor industry moves from aluminum to other metallization materials, such as copper, which are very difficult to etch.
Electroplating is a preferred technique for copper interconnect formation in integrated circuits due to its high trench filling capability and relatively low cost. Electromigration failures in copper interconnect are dependent on surface conditions because the surface and interfacial diffusions of copper have a lower activation energy than grain boundary diffusion. For a damascene process with full copper encapsulation by barrier materials, electromigration can be reduced by restriction of diffusion pathways along the surface. In order to achieve such reduction, the copper electroplating process must provide a completely filled structure in which voids and entrapments of electrolyte are absent. Voids and surface seams in damascene copper lines and plugs also should be eliminated to maximize electrical conductivity of the lines. This can be achieved if the deposition rate along via and trench sidewalls is greater at the bottom and lower sidewalls while the trench-via top opening remains open. Such enhanced filling is achieved in electroplating solution by action of organic additives with chloride ions at the surface and by pulsed electrodeposition.
In manufacturing, variations in organic additive preparations, their mixtures with plating solution as well as variations in pulse deposition conditions are monitored and controlled. However, mistakes occasionally occur which lead to deleterious concentration changes or pulse condition changes, which cause the formation of voids, seams or clefts in the copper damascene interconnect or via structures. Additionally, voids can occur at via or trench sidewalls when the seed layer is discontinuous as a result of, e.g., poor step coverage during, e.g., plasma vapor deposition (PVD) of the seed layer.
Thus, for the foregoing and other reasons, it is possible that a number of wafers may be produced which include such defects in the copper damascene interconnect structures. Since the interconnects are added at or near the end of the wafer fabrication process, i.e., back-end-of-line (BEOL), such defects would be extremely costly if the only recourse was to scrap the wafers including such defects. Therefore, a need exists for a method of reworking defective copper damascene interconnects which will avoid scrapping wafers containing such defective interconnects.
The present invention relates to a method for re-working a defective copper damascene interconnect structure. Thus, the present invention solves the problem of providing a method of reworking a defective copper damascene interconnect which will avoid scrapping wafers containing such defective interconnect. In addition, the present invention relates to a method of re-working a defective copper damascene interconnect structure which allows for returning the wafer to the fabrication process with little delay and little expense, thereby avoiding losses resulting from scrapping or more extensively reworking such wafers.
Thus, the present invention relates to a method of re-working a semiconductor device having a defective copper damascene interconnect structure, including the steps of obtaining a semiconductor wafer having at least one defect in a copper damascene interconnect structure; placing the wafer in an electrolyte in an electrolytic cell such that the defective copper damascene interconnect structure forms an anode; applying electrical current to the wafer to remove from the wafer substantially all copper from the defective copper damascene interconnect structure; and re-applying copper to the semiconductor wafer to form a copper damascene interconnect structure.
Thus, the present invention solves the problem of providing a method of reworking a defective copper damascene interconnect which will avoid scrapping wafers containing such defective interconnect.

Method of re-working copper damascene wafers


A memory system, memory interface device and method for a non-power-of-two burst length are provided. The memory system includes a plurality of memory devices with non-power-of-two burst length logic and a memory interface device including non-power-of-two burst length generation logic. The non-power-of-two burst length generation logic extends a burst length from a power-of-two value to insert an error-detecting code in a burst on data lines between the memory interface device and the plurality of memory devices.

This invention relates generally to computer memory, and more particularly to providing a non-power-of-two burst length in a memory system.
Contemporary high performance computing memory systems utilize error-detecting codes, such as parity bits or cyclic redundancy checks to detect occasional random bit errors. Other memory systems incorporate error correcting codes (ECC) to both detect and correct bit errors. As data rates increase in memory systems, error codes need to be transmitted along with data to ensure data integrity and high reliability. However, this increases the total number of bits transferred for each memory access, and thus, typically requires additional I/O pins or lanes and corresponding module/board signal traces and connector pins. Additional I/O pins increase overall memory system cost and may also result in additional failure modes. Therefore, it would be beneficial to send error-detecting codes bits without increasing the number of I/O pins.
Typical dynamic random access memory (DRAM) utilizes bursting in power-of-two lengths to improve data bandwidth. For example, double data rate one (DDR1) synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) may have a burst length of 2, DDR2 SDRAM may have a burst length of 4, and DDR3 SDRAM may have a burst length of 8, where each burst accesses data at locations relative to a specified memory address. It would be advantageous to develop an approach to modify memory system bursting to accommodate both data and error-detecting codes on the same data lines without reducing data bandwidth. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for providing a non-power-of-two burst length in a memory system.

System and method for providing a non-power-of-two burst length in a memory system

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus for imaging a subsurface material traversed by a borehole, the apparatus including an imaging pad deployed by a logging instrument, the pad including a plurality of measuring sets, each measuring set including a first current injector electrode, a second current injector electrode, a pair of sensor electrodes disposed between the first current injector electrode and the second current injector electrode, and an output for coupling to an electronics unit adapted for producing the imaging of the subsurface material.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein relates to imaging a subsurface material from a borehole.
2. Description of the Related Art
In exploration for hydrocarbons, it is important to make accurate measurements of various properties of geologic formations. In particular, it is important to determine the various properties with a high degree of accuracy so that drilling resources are used efficiently.
Generally, oil and gas are accessed by drilling boreholes into the subsurface of the earth. The boreholes also provide access for taking measurements of the geologic formations.
Well logging is a technique used to take measurements of the geologic formations from the boreholes. In one embodiment, a "logging instrument" is lowered on the end of a wireline into a borehole. The logging instrument sends data via the wireline to the surface for recording. Output from the logging instrument comes in various forms and may be referred to as a "log." The log generally includes measurements performed at different depths.
Many types of measurements are made from the borehole to obtain information about the geologic formations. One important measurement is resistivity of the geologic formation. Using resistivity data, an image of the formation can be formed. The resistivity log can be used by geophysicists to determine important characteristics of the formation such as the ability of the formation to contain a reservoir of hydrocarbons.
One type of logging instrument used for measuring resistivity is referred to as a "four-terminal resistivity imager," FIG. 1 illustrates a four-terminal resistivity imager 99 as is known in the prior art. FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of the imager 99 that is used for imaging a formation layer 97 in a geologic formation 98. FIG. 1B illustrates a front view of the imager 99. Referring to FIG. 1A, the imager 99 includes an upper current injector electrode 91 and a lower current injector electrode 92. The electrodes 91 and 92 are used to conduct electric current (I) 94 through the formation 98 and the formation layer 97. The electric current 94 is supplied by an electric source 95 and measured by an ammeter 96.
Referring to FIG. 1B, the imager 99 includes a plurality of button-sensor pairs 90 where each button-sensor pair 90 includes an upper button-sensor electrode 88 and a lower button-sensor electrode 89. The plurality of button-sensor pairs 90 is disposed between the upper button-sensor electrode 91 and the lower button-sensor electrode 92. Each button-sensor pair 90 is used to measure a formation voltage (Vi) 87.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the imager 99 includes a metal shield 86 used to shield the measurements of formation voltage 87 from the direct electric field created by the voltage between the electrodes 91 and 92.
Referring to FIG. 1B, the distance between the upper edge of the upper current injector electrode 91 and the lower edge of the lower current injector electrode 92 is 14.5 inches. The center-to-center distance between the upper button-sensor 88 and the lower button-sensor 89 is 10 mm.
The response of the imager 99 for the i-th button sensor pair 90 is defined as Vi/I.
The four-terminal resistivity imager 99 of FIG. 1 has a drawback. The drawback is that the imager 99 has little or no azimuthal resolution. "Azimuthal resolution" in this application is related to discerning changes in resistivity in the formation 98 with respect to changes of radial direction from the borehole when the borehole is viewed from above.
Therefore, what are needed are techniques to measure resistivity of a formation from a borehole wherein the resistivity measurements have high azimuthal resolution.

Apparatus and method for imaging subsurface materials using a pad having a plurality of electrode sets


There is provided a vehicle seat including: a seat cushion on which an occupant sits, and that supports the buttocks and thighs of the occupant; a rotation portion that is provided at a location on the seat cushion that is contacted by the buttocks of the occupant, and that is capable of rising with respect to a seat face of the seat cushion, then rotating with the seat up-down direction as an axial direction, and descending after rotating.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat.
2. Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2003-104093 describes a vehicle seat provided with a circular disk shaped rotation portion (cushion portion) at a central portion of a seat cushion. The rotation portion is rotated in order to assist an occupant with entering the vehicle and exiting the vehicle.
However, in the vehicle seat described in JP-A No. 2003-104093, when the rotation portion rotates in a seated state of an occupant on the seat cushion, the thighs of the occupant rub against non-rotating portions of the seat cushion. Namely, in the vehicle seat described in JP-A No. 2003-104093, smooth rotation of the rotation portion is impeded due to the thighs of the occupant rubbing against the non-rotating portions of the seat cushion.


The platen gap adjustment mechanism 70 of a printer 1 adjusts a gap between a printhead 59 and a platen 25 by moving first and second guide rails 57, 58 that support the head carriage 59 in a gap adjustment direction relative to the platen 25. A rotary mechanism for synchronously rotating the first and second guide rails 57, 58 to adjust the gap has a rotary shaft 101 perpendicular to the first and second guide rails 57, 58; first and second drive-side gears (e.g. worms) 104, 105 disposed coaxially to the rotary shaft 101; a first driven-side gear (e.g. worm wheel) 106 disposed coaxially to the first guide rail 57 and meshing with the first drive-side gear 104; and a second driven-side gear (e.g. worm wheel) 107 disposed coaxially to the second guide rail 58 and meshing with the second drive-side gear 105.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a printer having a platen gap adjustment mechanism to adjust a gap between a printhead and a platen.
2. Related Art
Printers such as inkjet printers commonly have a platen gap adjustment mechanism to adjust a gap between a nozzle face of an inkjet head and a platen, or a gap between the nozzle face and a printing surface of a print medium conveyed over the platen. The platen gap adjustment mechanism adjusts the gap between the nozzle face and the platen, or the gap between the nozzle face and the printing surface of the print medium, in response to a control signal from a host device or a control unit inside the printer based on specifications of the print medium (such as its thickness and surface condition) and the state of the printer (such as errors).
JP-A-2005-280206 and JP-A-2005-280209 disclose printers having this type of platen gap adjustment mechanism. In the printers disclosed in these patent documents, a carriage carrying a printhead is supported by two carriage guide rails. The two carriage guide rails are attached to an elevator frame. The elevator frame is attached to move vertically on printer side frames located on opposite ends of the carriage guide rails.
The platen gap adjustment mechanism transfers rotation of an elevator motor attached to the printer frame through a geared transfer mechanism to one of the carriage guide rails. Rotation transferred to the carriage guide rail is then transferred through a gear train of multiple spur gears on the elevator frame to the other carriage guide rail. At the end of each carriage guide rail is a cam mechanism that changes rotational movement of the carriage guide rails to vertical movement of the carriage guide rails. The carriage guide rails move vertically in a synchronous manner by means of a rotary cam conversion mechanism. When the carriage guide rails synchronously move vertically, the gap between the recording head on the carriage and the platen on the stationary side changes.
JP-A-2005-280206 describes a mechanism for transferring rotation from one carriage guide rail to the other carriage guide rail. The mechanism uses a timing belt mounted on the two carriage guide rails in addition to a gear train of plural spur gears, and a connecting rod between rotary disks attached to the ends of the two carriage guide rails.
Although effective, platen gap adjustment mechanisms according to the related art still have issues that require resolution. For example, six issues related to prior art platen gap adjustment mechanisms that need to be resolved are described below.
First, a synchronous rotary mechanism that connects and synchronously turns two carriage guide rails through a gear train of spur gears requires plural spur gears between the two carriage guide rails. The number of gears in the synchronous rotary mechanism increases as the distance between the rails increases, and the size of the elevator frame to which these parts are disposed also increases. Furthermore, because rotation of the elevator motor shaft must be transferred through a speed reducer, more spur gears are required to achieve the desired speed reduction. The space required to install the synchronous rotary mechanism therefore further increases.
Because space for locating the timing belt connecting the two rails must also be provided in a mechanism that uses a timing belt, the required installation space increases further when the gap between the rails is large. A mechanism having a connecting rod between rotating disks disposed to two rails likewise requires sufficient space for the connecting rods to move in conjunction with the rotating disks, and the required installation space increases accordingly.
Second, because there is backlash between the meshing teeth in a synchronous rotary mechanism using spur gears, both carriage guide rails cannot be synchronously driven with good precision due to backlash when transferring rotation starts and when the direction of rotation changes. If both carriage guide rails do not turn synchronously, variation can also occur in how far the carriage guide rails move vertically in conjunction with rail rotation. The platen gap can therefore differ between the one carriage guide rail and the other carriage guide rail.
Various problems can also arise in a mechanism using a timing belt due to backlash between the teeth of the timing belt and the gears on which the timing belt is mounted. Problems can also result in a mechanism connecting rotating disks with connecting rods due to backlash in the coupling between the rotating disk and the connecting rod.
To avoid such backlash in the synchronous drive mechanism, play (a dead zone) of specific size must be provided in the cam mechanism that converts shaft rotation to vertical movement of each shaft. This configuration can move the rails vertically and adjust the platen gap with good precision after eliminating backlash between the gears and starting synchronous rotation in the synchronous rotary mechanism when the rails start turning and when the rails change direction. However, providing a specific play in the rotary cam increases the diameter of the rotary cam and increases the space occupied by the cam mechanism.
Third, in the platen gap adjustment mechanism according to the related art, rotation of the shaft of the stationary elevator motor attached to the printer frame is transferred through a geared transfer mechanism to a carriage guide rail on the elevator mechanism side. The spur gear on the stationary side and the spur gear on the elevator side remained meshed in this geared transfer mechanism. Because the gears on the stationary and elevator sides must remain meshed, vertical movement of the gears on the elevator side cannot be increased. Increasing adjustment of the platen gap is therefore difficult.
Fourth, a geared transfer mechanism comprises plural spur gears that rotate on an axis parallel to the axis of the carriage guide rail. When torque from the stationary elevator motor is transferred to the gear fixed coaxially to the carriage guide rail, force is applied to this gear in the direction of rotation from the drive-side gear. Force therefore works in the direction causing the carriage guide rail to move vertically. To prevent this force from causing the carriage guide rail to move vertically, a spring member that can produce a strong spring force must be provided to prevent the carriage guide rail from moving. Because a strong spring force is thus applied, the durability of the gears and parts supporting the carriage guide rails decreases, and space for accommodating a large spring member is required.
Fifth, with the platen gap adjustment mechanism according to the related art, rotation of the stationary elevator motor affixed to the printer frame is transferred through a geared transfer mechanism composed of spur gears to the carriage guide rails on the elevator side (moving side). With a geared transfer mechanism, spur gears on the stationary side and spur gears on the moving side must be kept meshed. Because the gears on the stationary and moving sides cannot disengage, the spur gears on the moving side cannot move very much up and down. Increasing the platen gap adjustment distance is therefore difficult. The gears on the rotating side and the gears on the elevator side also cannot be offset in the direction of the gear width (along the axis of rotation). Parts on the stationary drive source side, and parts on the vertically moving side can therefore not be offset greatly in the tooth width direction, and the layout is therefore limited.
Sixth, conveyance rollers for conveying the print medium past the platen are disposed in the printer on the upstream and downstream sides of the platen in the conveyance direction. The conveyance rollers are disposed across the width of the print medium conveyance path between the printer side frames. Parts of the media conveyance power transfer mechanism that transfers rotation to the conveyance rollers are disposed on the outside of one side frame of the printer. Providing space for the platen gap adjustment mechanism on the same printer side frame as the power transfer mechanism is therefore difficult. The platen gap adjustment mechanism must therefore be disposed to the printer side frame on the opposite side of the printer, and freedom in locating the platen gap adjustment mechanism is therefore limited.


A paintball gun or marker end cap apparatus is disclosed, where the end cap apparatus includes tubular member having an opened, closed end and a penetrator, where the opened end is designed to be fitted over the end of a paintball barrel and a sleeve designed to be tightened causing the opened end of the tubular member to locking engage the barrel with sufficient force to hold the apparatus on the barrel until the sleeved is loosened and the penetrator is designed to rupture any inadvertently fired paintballs. The apparatus can also include at least one vent disposed near the closed end to vent any gas or liquid associated with a ruptured paintball.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap apparatus.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap apparatus, where the apparatus includes a cylindrical barrel end insert, a paintball penetrator disposed within an interior of the insert, and an outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage having retention straps attached thereto. The present invention also relates to a paintball gun or marker barrel locking end cap apparatus, where the apparatus includes an outer barrel engaging and locking assemblage having a paintball penetrator disposed on an interior, distal surface of the assemblage, optionally a plurality of vents disposed on the distal end of the assemblage, a plurality of barrel engaging members or fingers and a threaded tightener adapted to tighten or loosen a locking force between the members and an outer surface of the barrel and optionally a stop.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inadvertent firing or discharging of a paintball from a paintball gun or marker is a serious safety problem facing users, spectators and innocent bystanders. Although many barrel adaptors or condoms have been designed and introduced into the market, these devices are capable of being easily detached removing any protection that the devices afforded prior to detachment.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved barrel plug or condom for use with paintball guns or markers to improve safety and lessen the chance of inadvertent detachment of the device.

Barrel locking apparatus for a paintball gun


A trace carrier is provided. The trace carrier includes a first insulating tube, a second insulating tube, a trace pair, and a sealed hollow insulating cylinder. The trace pair is passing through the first insulating tube and the second insulating tube, and is coiled up in an inner space of the first insulating tube and the second insulating tube. The sealed hollow insulating cylinder encapsulates the first insulating tube, the second insulating tube, and the trace pair, but the four terminals of the trace pair are exposed to the outside of the sealed hollow insulating cylinder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a trace carrier, in particular, to a trace carrier capable of saving a plane area for trace routing of a layout design.
2. Description of Related Art
In design of a printed circuit board (PCB) layout, designers often encounter with the problem of insufficient trace area. Therefore, they always try hard to squeeze some extra space from the original layout design and sometimes even have to make a big fuss over the variation of the layout design to solve the above problem.
However, the high-speed signal trace for transmitting, for example, the data strobe signal (a kind of differential signal, also called DQS signal) used by the double data rate 2 (DDR2) memory and the double data rate 3 (DDR3) memory has more stringent requirements for the trace length and the trace area. However, the trace area for such high-speed signal trace is hard to handle. Therefore, no good and effective solutions have been set forth to solve the problem of insufficient trace area and the signal transmission quality of the high-speed signal trace will also be influenced by the above problem to a certain extent.


A demonstration model for a gynecological procedure, for example, LLETZ, comprising a platform hingedly supporting a transparent tubing simulating a woman's vaginal canal and sized to accommodate a standard speculum and to receive instruments to practice or demonstrate the procedures.

A relatively new gynecological procedure is known as LLETZ, and involves inserting an electrosurgical handpiece with a large loop electrode into a woman's vaginal canal to remove or excise from the cervix abnormal cells which may constitute dangerous precancerous lesions. Many physicians are unfamiliar with this procedure and need training. In addition, patient fears are often allayed when they are provided with a demonstration of the procedure that the physician has recommended. Thus, a need exists in the art for a device to train physicians and explain to a patient this gynecological procedure.

Demonstration model for gynecological procedure