The presently disclosed embodiments are directed to image forming mediums useful for reimageable and transient documents. More particularly, the embodiments pertain to an image forming medium comprising thermally gated photochromic materials comprising diarylethene (DAE) photochromes which avoid problems with unwanted reduction in color contrast due to background coloration.

The present embodiments relate generally to an improved photochromic medium that can be used for reimageable documents. More particularly, the present embodiments are directed to a photochromic material for transient documents which is temperature dependent (thermal gating) and can suppress background coloration under ambient office conditions.
Many paper documents are promptly discarded after being read. Although paper is generally inexpensive, the quantity of discarded paper documents is enormous and the disposal of these discarded paper documents raises significant cost and environmental issues. The present invention addresses the above described problem by providing in embodiments an improved photochromic medium for containing the desired image, a new method to prepare such a medium, and a new image forming method.
Imaging techniques employing photochromic materials, that is materials which undergo reversible or irreversible photoinduced color changes are known, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,948 discloses an imaging method based upon visible light induced changes in a photochromic imaging layer containing a dispersion of at least one photochromic material in an organic film forming binder and is hereby incorporated by reference. These and other photochromic (or reimageable or electric) papers are desirable because they can provide imaging media that can be re-used many times, to transiently store images and documents. For example, applications for photochromic based media include reimageable documents such as, for example, electronic paper documents.
Transient documents and photochromic paper for transient documents have already been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 7,300,727 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,214,456, where images printed on photochromic paper can be read for a few hours under room light conditions, and the transient documents self-erase with no effort from the user and are ready to be printed again with new images the next day. The resulting blank sheet of paper is ready to be printed again with new information, and the paper may be reusable many times.
A different application for photochromic based media is for reimageable documents, and as mentioned above, for electronic paper documents. Reimageable documents require information to be kept for as long as the user wants, then the information can be erased or the reimageable document can be re-imaged using an imaging system with different information. Written images on electronic paper may be readable for longer period of time such as, for example, many days or weeks. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,875, incorporated herein by reference, it was discovered that solutions in acetone of spiropyrans modified with chelating groups in the presence of metallic cations had life-times of at least several days. In contrast, a classical spiropyran molecule, containing no chelating groups, is stable in its colored form for only a few minutes.
However, photochromic materials based on spiroyrans are "self-erasing" in that once an image is created, the colorant decays by a thermal process to the colorless state. Longer life-time may be desirable in that an image formed on a medium remains stable for a longer period of time. For example, a user may want to view an image for a longer period than a few hours. This is the case for electronic paper documents, which should maintain an written image for as long as the user needs to view it. The image may then be erased or changed with a different one by the user on command. Thus, there is a continued need for devising improved photochromic mediums that can be used for reimageable documents with an "erase-on-demand" capability.


A rapidly deployable electric vehicle (EV) charging station and components thereof are disclosed herein. The rapidly deployable electric vehicle charging station is connected to a distribution point on an electrical grid. In one embodiment, the rapidly deployable electric vehicle charging station includes an elevated platform having a top surface and a bottom surface and opposing sides, and at least one beam spanning between the opposing sides and affixed to the bottom surface of the platform. The rapidly deployable electric vehicle charging station includes an electric vehicle charging dispenser coupled to the top surface of the elevated platform. A plurality of cable blocks spanning between the platform and the electrical distribution point, wherein the cable blocks house electrical cabling extending from the electrical distribution point to the electric vehicle charging dispenser.

EVs are an increasingly popular choice for transportation purposes as it is a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation as compared to fossil-fuel burning vehicles and EVs offer more reliability than internal combustion engine vehicles due to a drastically reduced number of moving parts. The drawback with fully electric vehicles is that the range provided by batteries is limited, and the "fueling" infrastructure available to users of EVs is substantially reduced compared to fossil fuel vehicles. The development of the charging infrastructure for EVs has been a slow, costly process that has not kept up with the increasing popularity of EVs. The scarcity of charging stations, especially in less populated areas, has limited the adoption of EVs.

Electric vehicle charging systems and platforms


A dielectric-based filter includes a thermally insulated housing, at least one filter formed from a dielectric material disposed inside the insulated housing, and a temperature maintenance device having a heating component and a cooling component for maintaining the temperature of the filter inside of the insulated housing within a temperature range. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the temperature maintenance device includes a thermoelectric cooler. The device permits the use of temperature-dependent low loss, high dielectric constant materials in filtering/resonator applications. During operation of the device, the dielectric-based filter is maintained at substantially room temperature.

Wireless base stations operating using one or more dielectric filters comprised of resonator "pucks" are becoming more common because of increasing demands for filtering of signals both on the transmit and receive sides. Dielectric-based resonators are attractive for wireless applications because they have low loss (i.e., high Q values). Unfortunately, there are a number of limitations with current dielectric-based resonators. First, current dielectric materials tend to be very sensitive to temperature changes. As the temperature of the dielectric material changes, the dielectric constant and dimensions of the material will also change, thereby causing an adverse shift in frequency. Second, current filters which are formed from dielectric materials tend to be large and bulky due the large volume of dielectric material needed to form the individual filters. Both of these limitations result in the added cost associated with dielectric filters relative to metal cavity filters
Attempts have been made to combine multiple materials with offsetting temperature properties to compensate for the temperature dependency problems. In this solution, materials with different affects on the dielectric constant are combined in order to stabilize the temperature variations. Unfortunately, this leads to a lowering of the average dielectric constant of the dielectric material. Consequently, a large volume of material is needed in these solutions. Moreover these solutions produce filters with increased overall loss (lower Q values). There also is the disadvantage that actual construction of the filter requires bimetals/multiple metals to compensate for the different thermal properties between the housing (or stage) and the dielectric component.
There thus is a need for a device/method which can reduce or eliminate entirely the adverse temperature dependencies found in current dielectric-based resonators/filters. The device/method preferably allows the use of dielectric materials having high dielectric constants in a range of temperature environments.

Method and apparatus for stabilizing the temperature of dielectric-based filters


Disclosed herein is a zoom lens formed by arranging a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power in order from an object side to an image side, wherein at a time of varying power from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first lens group is moved, the second lens group is moved to the object side, and the third lens group is moved to the image side such that an air interval between the first lens group and the second lens group is decreased and such that an air interval between the second lens group and the third lens group is increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens and an image pickup device, and particularly to a technical field of a zoom lens that is suitable for a photographing optical system of a digital input-output device such as a digital still camera, a digital video camera or the like, which zoom lens is miniaturized and enhanced in performance, and which zoom lens is excellent in mass productivity, and an image pickup device using the zoom lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image pickup devices using a solid-state image pickup element such as a digital still camera and the like have recently been spread. With the spread of such image pickup devices such as a digital still camera and the like, even higher image quality is desired. In a digital still camera or the like, in particular, there is a desire for a photographing lens, especially a zoom lens, that has excellent image forming performance and which lens is compatible with a solid-state image pickup element having the large number of pixels.
In addition, there is a need for miniaturization in addition to higher image quality as described above, and there is also a need for a zoom lens that has low decentration sensitivity and which is excellent in mass productivity.
There are many kinds of zoom lenses for digital still cameras. However, as a lens type suitable for achieving a reduced size and a wider angle of view, a three-group zoom lens is known which zoom lens is formed by arranging a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power in order from an object side to an image side (see for example Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2002-244043, 2004-13169, 2007-286577, 2005-37727 and 2004-191599, hereinafter referred to as Patent Documents 1 to 5, respectively).
In a zoom lens described in Patent Document 1, a first lens group is formed by two lenses, that is, a negative lens and a positive lens, arranged in order from an object side to an image side.
In zoom lenses described in Patent Documents 2 to 5, a first lens group is formed by three lenses, that is, two negative lenses and one positive lens, arranged in order from an object side to an image side.


A rough road detection system for a vehicle comprises a first acceleration sensor that measures vertical acceleration of a component of the vehicle. An adaptive acceleration limits module determines a first acceleration limit based upon a speed of the vehicle. A limit comparison module generates a rough road signal based on a comparison of the first acceleration limit from the adaptive acceleration limits module and the measured acceleration from the first acceleration sensor.

When a vehicle travels over rough road, vibration is transmitted through wheels of the vehicle, possibly producing adverse effects. For example, the vibration may cause a belt of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) to slip, which increases belt wear and introduces torque disturbances.
Variations in wheel speed caused by the rough road can also stress other engine and drivetrain components. Outputs generated by engine speed (revolutions per minute) and throttle pedal position sensors may also be impacted by the vibration from the rough road. For example, bouncing of the vehicle caused by rough road may cause the driver's foot to bounce on the accelerator pedal in a constructive interference pattern.


A method of calculating body fluid and blood flow in a human or animal body using multi-frequencies alternating electrical currents, determining the tissues' multi-frequency impedance and reactance changes, calculating the body fluid, blood flow and physiological parameter. With the simultaneous measurements of body's or tissues' impedance and reactance from multi-frequencies, it is possible either to compensate for the frequency-dependencies or to find the dependencies' cross relationship, and thus measure body fluid and blood flow more accurately.

Bio-impedance and bio-reactance measurements as a non-invasive method to measure blood flow and body liquid levels have been explored widely. These technologies are well accepted in the medical fields. But they suffer some drawbacks. The measurements are frequency dependent. Some people incur different frequency-selective interference or noise than others when making the measurements. The frequency-selective impairments will result in poor measurements in some people. Even when the bodies or tissues are considered as conductance and capacitance (conductors and non-conductors), the tissues' characteristics are also frequency dependent. The tissues' integrated conductance and capacitance may not be linear along the frequency changes.
Bio-tissues are characterized as conductors and non-conductors from the electrical perspective. Conductors are measured by the conductance (reverse of resistance), non-conductors can be measured by the capacitance. Any tissue's change will be represented by changes of conductance and capacitance. The information of the above electrical characteristics can be monitored in order to detect body status.

Method and apparatus to measure bodily fluid and its change, and blood volume change

Msheaf Health Management Technologies Limited


Electronics module assemblies (“EMAs”) for inflatable personal restraints and associated systems are described herein. An EMA configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology can include, for example, a housing having a body portion, cover portion that attaches to the body portion to form an enclosure, and protrusion extending outwardly from the cover portion. The protrusion can have an outer boundary at which the protrusion projects away from the cover portion. The EMA can further include a crash sensor within the enclosure in an area defined by the outer boundary of the protrusion. The protrusion can form an envelope of space around the crash sensor that defines a minimum distance an external object with a magnetic field can come to the crash sensor without activating it. The EMA can optionally include a magnetic field configured to disable the crash sensor upon the detection of an external magnetic field.

Various types of seat belt and airbag systems have been used to protect passengers in automobiles, aircraft and other vehicles. In automobiles, airbags typically deploy from the steering column, dashboard, side panel, and/or other fixed locations. During a rapid deceleration event (e.g., a collision), a sensor detects the event and transmits a corresponding signal to an initiation device (e.g., a pyrotechnic device) on an airbag inflator. Initiation causes the inflator to release compressed gas into the airbag via a hose, thereby rapidly inflating the airbag.
Although airbags that deploy from stationary locations (e.g., a steering column) may be effective in automobiles, they may not be as effective in other types of vehicles having other seating arrangements. Seats in commercial passenger aircraft, for example, can be configured in a variety of layouts that provide different spacing between succeeding rows and adjacent seats. Moreover, such layouts may lack the availability of stationary structures upon which to mount airbags. Additionally, seatbacks in aircraft may rotate forward and downward during a crash or similar event, and thus may be unsuitable for airbag storage. As a result, airbags have been developed that deploy from seat belts to accommodate occupants in aircraft and other vehicles. Such airbags can deploy from, for example, a lap belt and/or a shoulder belt to provide additional protection during a crash or other rapid deceleration event.
Seat belt airbag systems include an electronic activation system positioned on or proximate to the seat to initiate airbag inflation. Electronic activation systems typically include a crash sensor (e.g., Hall effect sensors) that uses a magnetic field to detect rapid decelerations, which triggers a deployment circuit to activate the inflator and deploy the airbag. Some external magnetic fields, such as those found in loudspeakers, may be strong enough to activate the crash sensor and cause inadvertent airbag deployment. A magnetic shield, typically made from an expensive and heavy Mu-metal, is therefore positioned over the crash sensor to prevent such external magnetic fields from interfering with the operation of the crash sensor.

Electronic module assembly for inflatable personal restraint systems and associated methods


A method for forming a resist mask pattern by light exposure providing the steps of forming a resist layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming a phase shifter pattern for inverting a phase of exposed light in an upper portion of the resist layer itself or over the surface of the resist layer, exposing the surface of the semiconductor substrate including the phase shifter pattern, and forming a fine mask pattern below the edge of the phase shifter pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming a resist mask pattern by light exposure which is to be used for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to VLSI semiconductor devices which have recently been manufactured, a lot of transistors and wires are integrated in the order of submicron size on a silicon substrate. There has been used a light exposure technology in which a mask pattern is reduced (generally, by one fifth) and transferred to a photosensitive resin (resist) film which is provided on the silicon substrate so as to form a pattern of submicron size.
The minimum line widths of 1 Mbit and 4 Mbit DRAMs which have been mass-produced are set to 1.2 .mu.m and 0.8 .mu.m, respectively. Most exposure devices (steppers) for producing the 1 Mbit and 4 Mbit DRAMs utilize a bright line having a wavelength of 436 nm which is called a g-line and is emitted from an extra-high pressure mercury lamp. In some cases, there has been utilized a bright line having a wavelength of 365 nm which is called an i-line and is emitted from the extra-high pressure mercury lamp.
Referring to 16 Mbit and 64 Mbit DRAMS which will be produced in the future, it is expected that the minimum line widths will be set 0.6 to 0.5 .mu.m and 0.4 to 0.3 .mu.m. It is necessary to form resist masks having the minimum line widths so as to mass-produce the above-mentioned semiconductor devices. Consequently, it is required that a light exposure technology having higher resolution should be developed. It has been examined whether the i-line and EKISHIMA laser using krypton and fluorine which has a wavelength of 248 nm are utilized in place of the g-line so as to improve resolution by causing exposed light to have a smaller wavelength.
Referring to the exposure technology in which the exposure devices are utilized, however, the contrast of an optical image on the silicon substrate is deteriorated by the diffraction of light on pattern ends when a pattern size approximates a wavelength size. The resolution is much lower than threshold resolution as determined by an exposure wavelength and a numerical aperture NA of a lens provided on the exposure device.
To eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, there has been proposed a phase shifting method for inverting the phase of exposed light so as to improve the contrast of an optical image. The phase shifting method has been utilized exclusively for a mask technology.
By the phase shifting method, a pattern structure on a mask can be improved so as to enhance the contrast of the optical image and practical resolution. For this technology, there is used a mask which is called a phase shifting mask.
An example of the phase shifting mask is shown in FIG. 24. The reference numeral 41 denotes a quartz substrate transparent for an exposure wavelength. The reference numeral 43 denotes a thin chromium film which intercepts exposed light. The reference numeral 42 denotes a thin film (phase shifting film)transparent for the exposed light and having a thickness Ts. The thickness Ts has the following relationship with a refractive index n and a wavelength .lambda. of the exposed light. EQU Ts=.lambda./{2.multidot.(n-1)} (1)
The above-mentioned condition is set such that the phase of exposed light transmitted through the thin film 42 is shifted by a half wavelength (180 degrees). An aperture 49 always corresponds to the aperture of the mask. On the phase shifting mask are provided small apertures 40 along with the phase shifting films 42. The aperture 40 is not singly resolved therearound.
Referring to the phase shifting mask shown in FIG. 24, the phase of light transmitted through the aperture 49 is different from that of light transmitted through the apertures 40 by 180 degrees. Consequently, a light wave diffracted from the aperture 49 to its peripheral portion and a light wave from the apertures 40 cancel each other. As a result, light overflow can be controlled from the aperture 49 to its peripheral portion on an imaging plane so that the contrast of a projected image can be improved. Thus, the contrast of an image projected onto a resist is improved so that practical resolution can be enhanced. However, it is necessary to draw a first resist image for forming a chromium pattern and then draw a second resist image for specifying a phase shifting film by means of an exposure device using electron beams in order to fabricate the phase shifting mask shown in FIG. 24. It is required that electron beam drawing which takes a lot of time should be carried out twice. In addition, it is necessary to superpose a second pattern on a first pattern with high precision. Consequently, it is more difficult to fabricate the mask on a technical basis and costs are increased.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, there has been proposed a phase shifting mask shown in FIG. 25. The reference numeral 51 denotes a quartz substrate transparent for an exposure wavelength. The reference numeral 53 denotes a thin chromium film which intercepts exposed light. The reference numeral 52 denotes a resist film as a phase shifting film, of which film thickness Ts satisfies the formula (1) described above. The phase shifting mask is fabricated as follows. First, an aperture 59 is formed by a resist (not shown) by means of an exposure device using electron beams. Then, the chromium film 53 on the aperture 59 is removed by etching. Thereafter, the resist film 52 is provided as the phase shifting film and is exposed by far ultraviolet rays from the transparent substrate 51 side by using the chromium film 53 as a mask. Consequently, the aperture 59 is formed on the phase shifting film 52. Subsequently, the chromium film 53 provided under the phase shifting film 52 is etched so that an aperture 54 of the chromium film 53 is made larger than the aperture 59 of the phase shifting film 52. Consequently, there is formed an area 50 which is covered by the resist film 52 around the chromium film 53. The phase of light transmitted through the aperture 59 is different from that of light transmitted through the area 50 by 180 degrees. When the transmitted light are superposed, they cancel each other. Consequently, light overflow can be controlled from the aperture 59 to its peripheral portion. Accordingly, the distribution of light intensities on an image forming plane is made very sharp so that practical resolution can be enhanced. Referring to this method, the frequency of drawing executed by the exposure device using electron beams is not increased and the process of fabricating the mask is complicated. The resist film which remains as the phase shifting film is fragile so that it is difficult to carry out cleaning for removing refuse on the mask. Consequently, the above-mentioned method is of no practical use.
As described above, the phase shifting methods which have been proposed can be used for only a mask technique. The process of fabricating a mask is complicated. In addition, there is a great problem in respect of practicality. Consequently, it is desired that a technique for applying and using the phase shifting method should become more effective and simple.

Method for forming resist mask pattern by light exposure having a phase shifter pattern comprising convex forms in the resist


A safety device is disclosed for use with a collar for a pet. The safety device includes a central member, a first lateral member and a second lateral member. The first lateral member is for pivotal and releasable engagement with the central member. The second lateral member is for pivotal and releasable engagement with the central member.

Referring to FIG. 8, a cat wears a collar 62 with a conventional safety device 63. Referring to FIG. 9, the conventional safety device 63 is configured like a buckle of a waist belt. The conventional safety device 63 includes a female member 64 and a male member 65. The female member 64 includes a first plate 67 and a second plate 68. A space 69 is defined between the plates 67 and 68. The second plate 68 defines a recess 70 with a reduced open end. The male member 65 includes a plate 71 and a mushroom-shaped portion 66 formed on the plate 71. To engage the male member 65 with the female member 64, the plate 71 and the mushroom-shaped portion 66 are inserted into the space 69 and the recess 70, respectively. In case that the collar 62 is entangled with a branch of a tree for example, the male member 65 is supposed to be disengaged from the female member 64 in order to prevent the collar 62 from strangling the cat. However, several problems are encountered in the use of the conventional safety device 63. Firstly, unless the conventional safety device 63 is subject to a force that is oriented precisely and large enough, the male member 65 cannot be disengaged from the female member 64. Moreover, the male member 65 cannot be pivoted relative to the female member 64 in compliance with the neck of the cat. Thus, the cat feels uncomfortable wearing the collar 62 with the safety device 63.
Therefore, the present invention is intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art.


An agricultural machine comprising an input shaft connectable to the power take off shaft of a tractor; a flywheel connected to the input shaft; workings driven by the input shaft; an access panel openable to provide access to the workings of the machine; an access panel handle having a first position for opening and a second position for closing the access panel; and a brake for arresting rotating of the flywheel with a brake handle with a first position for braking the flywheel and a second position for releasing the flywheel; the access panel handle and the brake handle are arranged with respect to each other such that the access panel handle can only be placed in its first opening position when the brake is in first braking position.

The present invention is applicable to any kind of machine, in particular to agricultural machines, such as balers. As is generally known, a baler is a machine which picks up from the ground crop material that has previously been cut, windrowed or swathed, and forms the crop material into round or square bales. The workings of the baler, that is to say the internal machinery that forms the bales, will not be described herein as they are not of particular relevance to the present invention and as their construction is well documented in the prior art. It suffices for the present invention to appreciate that the workings of the baler have many moveable parts which pose a safety hazard if left exposed to the operator while the baler is in operation.
The baler derives its power from a power take off (PTO) shaft of a tractor. To ensure smooth operation of the baler, its drive incorporates a large flywheel that is connected to the PTO shaft by an overrunning, or one-way, clutch. On account of this clutch, even when the tractor engine is stopped, it is possible for the flywheel of the baler to continue rotating. Because of this ability of the flywheel and the workings of the baler to continue moving even after the tractor engine has been stopped, it is known to provide a manually operable brake to cease rotation of the flywheel so that servicing work may be carried out safely on the baler. The brake may for example take the form of a brake band that is anchored at one end to the frame of the baler, passes partly around the circumference of the flywheel and is connected at its other end to a toggle mechanism. An actuator or handle may act on the toggle mechanism to apply and release the brake.
In normal use, the moveable parts of the baler are covered by access panels. The flywheel is covered by a hinged hood and other moveable parts of the baler are protected by hinged access panels. When the baler needs attention, for example if a blockage has occurred, an operator stops the tractor and descends from the tractor cab. Next, the flywheel brake should be applied to bring all the moving parts of the baler to a standstill and only when it is safe does the operator raise the hood or open one of the side doors to provide access to the workings of the baler.
A problem with existing balers is that nothing prevents an operator from inadvertently or intentionally omitting to apply the flywheel brake before opening one of the access panels, thus exposing him to a risk of severe injury. It will be clear that this problem would apply to any agricultural machine having workings driven from the PTO shaft of a tractor by way of a flywheel that is capable of overrunning.
In WO2011/018456 solutions to this safety problem are provided; however, those proposed solutions are rather complex and hence costly. Further the solution focuses on one particular aspect of the problem, being the door opening and continued rotation of the flywheel while also other aspects such as door instability, operator ergonomics and effects on the entire machine frame should be looked at.

Agricultural vehicle with an access panel lock


A reversible wrist and thumb support is formed of a sleeve of resiliently stretchable material and includes an optionally detachable thumb support coupled to the sleeve. The thumb support includes a plurality of removable battens formed of a semi-rigid material and disposed along the posterior of a wearer's thumb. A resiliently deformable support pad is disposed on an underside of the splint and a removable stiffening semi-rigid batten that optionally includes padded surfaces, is disposed in a pocket on the top side of the support. The reversible wrist and thumb support may be worn on either the wearer's left or right hand, and the battens need not be removed when the reversible wrist and thumb support is turned inside-out.

Repetitive motion injuries to the wrist and/or thumb are a steadily increasing problem among workers who perform repetitive tasks generally, and among typists and other keyboard workers in particular. A newly emerging problem is repetitive motion injuries, particularly those associated with the thumb, caused by the use of pda's (personal data assistants). For example, "Blackberry thumb" is a newly coined expression for such an injury. These injuries include carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), deQuervains and other injuries. The pain resulting from such injuries and from arthritis, tendonitis and other hand fatigue can be excruciating, very difficult to treat, and debilitating. Loss of productivity due to these ailments and injuries among keyboard workers and even occasional keyboard wearers is estimated to be in the billions of dollars annually. Orthopedic restraint devices of many types and styles are commercially available. These devices, of course, have various degrees of effectiveness. Mere restrained movement is a primary treatment for any joint injury or joint pain. While restraint addresses such injuries and pain, there is a countervailing need to accommodate some movement in a working environment. Therefore, the orthopedic restraint devices must strike a compromise between maximum restraint and some mobility i.e., they should provide comfort and retain a significant stiffness that will urge but not force the wearer's wrist and thumb to neutral positions. The present invention addresses these concerns and provides such restraint as well as adjustable comfort with a desirable degree of mobility.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,969 to the applicant inventors, describes a glove/sleeve that serves as a carpal tunnel support. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,969 are hereby incorporated by reference, as if set forth in their entirety. The carpal tunnel support of U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,969, however, does not provide support for the wearer's thumb, and therefore does not address or provide any intervention or remedy for the aforementioned injuries and maladies that can affect the joints of the wearer's thumb.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a wrist and thumb support that is easily put on, comfortable to the wearer, and provides a suitable compromise between restraint to prevent or cure repetitive motion injuries, and movement to allow the wearer to perform various operational functions.
Many orthopedic restraint devices are of fixed configuration, for example splints and other rigid portions are fixed in position, i.e., they are not removable or adjustable. In order to accommodate various wearers, uses and symptoms, it would be desirable to produce a wrist and thumb support with removable features. Cost savings are always a prominent consideration of a wearer/consumer. It would therefore be further desirable to provide a wrist/thumb support, especially one with rigid or semi-rigid support members, that is reversible and can be worn interchangeably on either of the wearer's hands.
These and other objectives are met by the invention summarized and described below.


A scaling factor used in time interpolation calculations is tuned so as to compensate for clock sources that generate timer interrupts both slower and faster than expected. The scaling factor is decreased when the timer interrupts are late and the scaling factor is increased when the timer interrupts are early. By being able to account for timer interrupts that are generated too early, time skips are minimized. The adjusted scaling factor is used in calculating system time and interpolation offset values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a time interpolation system and method and, more particularly, to a self-tuning time interpolation system and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer operating systems employ timer interrupts as a way to track system time. In Linux operating systems, system time is incremented in intervals of around 1 millisecond (ms) by timer interrupts. The exact timing of when the timer interrupt is executed, however, may fluctuate due to interrupts being disabled or other hardware contingencies.
When interpolating the time in the time interval between two timer interrupts, these fluctuations need to be accounted for. Otherwise, time cannot be accurately determined. In the time interpolation method by David Mosberger, the difference between the actual time interval and the expected time interval is quantified and used as an offset that is to be applied in interpolating the time in a subsequent time interval. FIG. 1 illustrates this offset. The actual time interval is calculated with reference to the real-time clock (RTC) counter of the computer. In particular, it is calculated as the difference in the number of counts at the beginning and end of the time interval, multiplied by a scaling factor corresponding to the speed of the RTC. The expected time interval is typically 1 ms.
This offset is applied when determining the time in a subsequent time interval using the following formula:Time=xtime at beginning of subsequent time interval+(current RTC counter value−RTC counter value at beginning of subsequent time interval)*scaling factor+offset,where xtime is the absolute time measured in nanoseconds relative to Jan. 1, 1970, that is incremented by the expected time interval at every timer interrupt.
The offset value is updated at the end of each interval. It is increased in cases where the estimated timer interrupt occurs later than expected, and decreased in cases where the estimated timer interrupt occurs earlier than expected. When the offset value becomes less than zero, it cannot be used in any subsequent time calculation because it would result in a backwards movement of time and cause time to be passed again. As a result, it is set to zero, causing time to be skipped. For real-time applications, this is undesirable.


A base film for a dicing sheet is provided which can suppress dicing debris from generating during the dicing of a cut object without imparting physical energy, such as electron beam or γ ray. The base film for a dicing sheet comprises a resin layer. The resin layer comprises: a norbornene-based resin that is a thermoplastic resin having a norbornene-based compound as at least one type of monomer; and an olefin-based thermoplastic resin other than the norbornene-based resin. The norbornene-based resin in the resin layer has a content of more than 3.0 mass %. A dicing sheet is also provided which comprises: the base film for a dicing sheet; and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer placed on a surface of the film at the resin layer side.

Semiconductor wafers such as silicon and gallium arsenide wafers and various types of packages (which may foe collectively referred to as "cut object(s)" herein) are manufactured in a large diameter state, and these are cut and separated (diced) into small element pieces (referred to as "chip(s)" hereinafter).
A cut object to be supplied to the dicing process may be such that, for the purpose of ensuring the handling property of the cut object and chips in the dicing process and subsequent processes, a dicing sheet comprising a base film and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer provided thereon is preliminarily applied to a surface of the cut object opposite to the side which a cutting tool for cutting comes close to. Such a dicing sheet may typically use polyolefin-based film or polyvinyl chloride-based film as the base film, for example.
According to commonly-used full-cut dicing as a specific method for the dicing process, a rotating round blade is used for cutting a cut object. In the full-cut dicing, to ensure that the cut object applied thereto with the dicing sheet is completely cut over the entire surface, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer may also be cut beyond the cut object, and a part of the base film may further be cut.
During this operation, dicing debris comprising material that constitutes the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the base film may arise from the dicing sheet, and the obtained chips may be contaminated by the dicing debris. One form of such dicing debris is filament-like dicing debris that attaches onto a dicing line or to an area near the cross-section of each chip separated by dicing.
If the chip is enclosed in a package while a large amount of the filament-like dicing debris as described above remains on the chip, then the filament-like dicing debris attached to the chip will be decomposed by heat used for the enclosing, and the thermally decomposed substance may destroy the package and/or cause operational failure in a device to be obtained. Such filament-like dicing debris is difficult to be removed by washing, and the yield of the dicing process will thus be significantly reduced due to the occurrence of filament-like dicing debris. Hence, the filament-like dicing debris may have to be prevented from occurring when dicing is performed by using a dicing sheet.
When dicing a package as the cut object in which plural chips are enclosed by using cured resin, a dicing blade having a thicker blade width is used and the cutting depth in dicing also becomes deeper than the case of dicing a semiconductor wafer. Consequently, the amount of the base film to be cut and removed during the dicing may increase compared with the case of a semiconductor wafer, so that the generated amount of filament-like dicing debris also tends to increase.
To suppress the occurrence of such dicing debris, Patent Literature 1 discloses an invention which uses, as the base film of a dicing sheet, a polyolefin-based film having been exposed to electron beam or γ (gamma) ray with 1-80 Mrad. In this invention, it appears that a resin that constitutes the base film is crosslinked through the exposure to electron bese or γ ray thereby to suppress the dicing debris from being generated.
Patent Literature 1 exemplifies, as materials for the polyolefin-based film to be exposed to electron beam or γ ray, resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polymetnylpentene, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methyl(meth)acrylic acid ester copolymer, ethylene-ethyl(meth)acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-ionomer copolymer, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer, and polybutene.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Base film for dicing sheet and dicing sheet


A segmental rotation type dual-shaft hinge includes an axle housing defining a first pivot shaft chamber and a second pivot shaft chamber, a first pivot shaft including a first shaft body pivotally coupled to the first pivot shaft chamber, a second pivot shaft including a second shaft body pivotally coupled to the second pivot shaft chamber, and an angle control plate having a first position-limit hole and a second position-limit hole respectively pivotally coupled to the first shaft body and the second shaft body and so configured that the distance from the center of the first position-limit hole to the center of the second position-limit hole is smaller than the distance from the axis of the first shaft body to the axis of the second shaft body, allowing rotation of the first pivot shaft and the second pivot shaft separately and stably.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hinge technology and more particularly, to a segmental rotation type dual-shaft hinge, which is practical for use in a dual leaf electronic device, ensuring smooth rotation of the cover member of the dual leaf electronic device relative to the base member thereof in a segmental manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dual leaf mobile electronic device (such as notebook, smart phone) generally uses a dual-shaft hinge to connect the base member and the display screen-incorporated cover member, allowing the display screen-incorporated cover member to be turned between the top surface of the base member and the bottom side thereof. When the display screen-incorporated cover member is turned relative to the base member, the pivot shafts of the dual-shaft hinge are rotated relative to the axle housing, and a friction resistance can be created to achieve positioning of the angular position of the pivot shafts. However, after a long use, the friction force will be reduced, affecting the positioning of the display screen-incorporated cover member relative to the base member. Further, the rotational sequence of the two pivot shafts of the dual-shaft hinge cannot be accurately controlled, affecting the stability and accuracy of the operation in opening or closing the display screen-incorporated cover member.

Segmental rotation type dual-shaft hinge


A method for correcting for keystone distortion and reducing aliasing defects in a digital image for use by a digital image projector, includes the steps of receiving an original digital image; lowpass filtering the original digital image to provide a lowpass filtered digital image having reduced high frequency spatial components which contribute to aliasing defects introduced by digital keystone correction; processing the lowpass filtered digital image to provide for digital keystone correction; and sharpening the keystone corrected digital image.

The present invention relates to digital projection of images and, more particularly, to correcting for keystone distortion in such projected images.
Image projection systems are used to project images onto a viewing screen. Examples of projection systems include overhead projectors, traditional slide projectors, and digital projectors. FIG. 1 depicts a digital projector 10 projecting an image onto a viewing screen 12, where the optical axis of the projector 14 is normal to the plane of the viewing screen. These systems are typically used by positioning the projector on a level surface (e.g., tabletop, desk, file cabinet, etc.), and projecting the image up at an angle above the plane of the surface, so that the view of the projected image is unobstructed by the audience. Referring to FIG. 2, when the projector 16 is positioned such that the optical axis 18 of the projection lens is at an angle 20 relative to the normal to the viewing screen 22, geometrical distortion is introduced to the projected image. Let the convention be that a positive angle represents a tilt above the normal to the viewing screen (positive tilt), and a negative angle represents a tilt below the normal to the viewing screen (negative tilt). In the case for positive tilt, the distance from the top of the image to the projection lens 24 is longer than the distance from the bottom of the image to the projection lens 26. The path length discrepancy results in a larger magnification at the top of the image than at the bottom, thus yielding an image that has a larger width at the top of the image than the bottom. The projected image is trapezoidal in shape and is referred to as xe2x80x9ckeystonexe2x80x9d distortion since the distorted image resembles the shape of a keystone (FIG. 3a). In the case of negative tilt where the projected image is lower than the projector, e.g., ceiling mounted projectors, the distorted image becomes an inverted keystone shape, where the width of the top of the image is now smaller than the bottom (FIG. 3b).
There are several methods disclosed in the prior art addressing the correction for keystone distortion in projected images of projection systems. Among these are numerous patents that describe optical keystone correction implementations for fixed projection angles (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,283,602, 5,355,188 and 5,706,062). Although some effort has been made towards developing a projector with a variable optical keystone correction (U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,704), optical correction is generally limited to a fixed angle. In addition to the restricted correction angle, the more complicated optical design increases the cost in manufacturing and potentially increases size and weight. An alternative to the optical correction method that is now possible since the availability of digital projection systems is electronic or digital keystone correction.
Digital keystone correction is implemented by performing a compensation operation on the original digital image prior to projection. If the original digital image is distorted such that the amount of distortion is the inverse of the distortion introduced by the projection setup, then the final projected image will be rectilinear. One of the benefits of digital keystone correction is that additional optical elements are not needed since the correction is performed electronically. In addition, the correction applied to the original digital image can be varied according to the tilt angle and direction of tilt (positive and negative keystone correction). Despite the added flexibility with digital keystone correction, there are some limitations. Interpolation artifacts such as loss in sharpness and aliasing, which can manifest themselves as low frequency banding patterns and edge discontinuities, may be introduced as a result of digital keystone correction.
There exist in the prior art several patents that disclose different methods of implementing a digital keystone correction process in hardware (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,764,311 and 5,795,046); however, these methods do not address the reduction of the interpolation artifacts. Kazutaka, et. al., teach a method of reducing edge discontinuity artifacts after keystone correction in Japanese Patent No. 09-247593; however, this method focuses on correcting for artifacts after they have been introduced by the keystone correction process. Once introduced into the original image information, it is very difficult to eliminate these artifacts without further degrading the image.
It is an object of the present invention to correct for keystoning distortion in digital images projected by a digital projector.
This object is achieved by a method for correcting for keystone distortion and reducing aliasing defects in a digital image for use by a digital image projector, comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving an original digital image;
(b) lowpass filtering the original digital image to provide a lowpass filtered digital image having reduced high frequency spatial components which contribute to aliasing defects introduced by digital keystone correction;
(c) processing the lowpass filtered digital image to provide for digital keystone correction; and
(d) sharpening the keystone corrected digital image.
The present invention provides a method that reduces the occurrence of aliasing defects prior to the digital keystone correction process, while preserving the sharpness of the original digital image.
It is an advantage of the present invention that it reduces aliasing defects while at the same time correcting for keystone distortion. A second advantage is that the loss of sharpness due to the interpolation process is compensated for in the present invention.

Correcting for keystone distortion in a digital image displayed by a digital projector


The invention relates to a substrate table arranged to support a substrate provided with at least one substrate mark. The at least one substrate mark having a position that can be measured using an alignment system. The substrate table is provided with an optical system having a magnification factor deviating from 1, for providing an image of the at least one alignment mark to be measured by the alignment system.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti-parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
Although specific reference may be made to the use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it should be understood that the lithographic apparatus described herein may have other applications, such as the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, flat-panel displays, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), thin-film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms "wafer" or "die" herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general terms "substrate" or "target portion", respectively. The substrate referred to herein may be processed, before or after exposure, in for example a track (a tool that typically applies a layer of resist to a substrate and develops the exposed resist), a metrology tool and/or an inspection tool. Where applicable, the disclosure herein may be applied to such and other substrate processing tools. Further, the substrate may be processed more than once, for example in order to create a multi-layer IC, so that the term substrate used herein may also refer to a substrate that already contains multiple processed layers.
Although specific reference may have been made above to the use of embodiments of the invention in the context of optical lithography, it will be appreciated that the invention may be used in other applications, for example imprint lithography, and where the context allows, is not limited to optical lithography. In imprint lithography a topography in a patterning device defines the pattern created on a substrate. The topography of the patterning device may be pressed into a layer of resist supplied to the substrate whereupon the resist is cured by applying electromagnetic radiation, heat, pressure or a combination thereof. The patterning device is moved out of the resist leaving a pattern in it after the resist is cured.
The terms "radiation" and "beam" used herein encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength of or about 436, 365, 355, 248, 193, 157 or 126 nm) and extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength in the range of 5–20 nm), as well as particle beams, such as ion beams or electron beams.
The term "lens", where the context allows, may refer to any one or combination of various types of optical components, including refractive, reflective, magnetic, electromagnetic and electrostatic optical components.
Alignment is the process of positioning the image of a specific point on the mask to a specific point on the substrate that is to be exposed. Typically one or more alignment marks, such as a small pattern, are provided on each of the substrate and the mask. A device may comprise many layers that are built up by successive exposures with intermediate processing steps. Before each exposure, alignment is performed to minimize any positional error between the new exposure and the previous ones, such error being termed overlay error.
However, some of the intermediate processing steps, such as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), rapid thermal annealing, thick layer deposition and deep trench etching, can damage or distort the alignment marks on the substrate or bury them under opaque layers. Thus, sometimes the alignment marks are not clearly visible or not visible at all, negatively influencing the accuracy of alignment. This can cause overlay errors.
In some technologies, such as micro systems technology (MST) and micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), devices are fabricated using both sides of a substrate. This technology faces a problem with performing exposures on one side of a substrate such that they are accurately aligned with features previously exposed on the other side of the substrate. An alignment accuracy of the order of 0.5 microns or better is typically required.
New techniques are developed that allow the imaging of patterning features having even smaller patterns by using so-called immersion techniques. This technique is based on the fact that the space between the lens and the substrate is filled with a fluid, such as water. Since the refractive index of water is higher than the refractive index of air of some low pressure gas, the numerical aperture of the system is increased. This allows the system to image even smaller patterns, while using the same radiation system and projection system. More information about immersion techniques may be found in EP 1 420 298 A2, EP 1 429 188 and EP 1 420 300 A2. The presence of water may, however, influence the alignment measurements. As a result of the presence of water in the space between the lens and the substrate, it becomes difficult to perform alignment measurements on marks provided on the substrate. Furthermore, comparing such 'wet' measurements with previously obtained 'dry' alignment measurements is also rather difficult.
The conventional alignment techniques are all performed on the top side of the substrate, i.e. at the side at which the exposure is performed. This side will be referred to as the first side or the front side of the substrate. Such alignment techniques all measure the position of the substrate by measuring the position of alignment marks provided on the top side of the substrate. However, in combination with immersion techniques and with substrates fabricated from both sides, these conventional alignment techniques are difficult to perform and are less accurate.
Conventional alignment techniques typically use optical measurement techniques that measure the position of alignment marks provided on the top side of the substrate, i.e. the side of the substrate that does not face the substrate table on which the substrate is positioned. This makes it difficult to use these alignment techniques in combination with devices fabricated from both sides since, in that case, a substrate needs to be positioned such that the alignment marks face the substrate table.
In the event immersion techniques are used, the optics of the alignment system are usually positioned outside the area filled with liquid, so the optics and/or the optical signals need to be guided into the liquid. This is not an easy task and requires complicated and expensive techniques.
In order to overcome these problems, alignment techniques have been developed, that are arranged to measure the position of an alignment mark provided on the back-side of the substrate, i.e. the side of the substrate facing the substrate table and the side that is not exposed. This side will also be referred to as the second side of the substrate.
During alignment, the second side faces the substrate table that supports the substrate. In order to allow measuring the position of the alignment marks provided on the second side of the substrate, optical devices are provided in the substrate table. This technique is generally referred to as backside alignment and will be discussed in more detail below. A more extensive description can be found in US 2002/0109825 A1, owned by ASML.
The perception at this moment is that alignment measurements via the second side of the substrate using the optical devices provided in the substrate table may be less accurate than alignment measurements based on alignment markers provided on the first side of the substrate that can be measured directly. Therefore, improvements of backside alignment techniques are needed.
In general, there is a need for improvements to alignment techniques, back side as well as front side, to allow a more accurate measurement of the position of a substrate located on a substrate table and to achieve better alignment results.
Throughout this specification, reference to an alignment mark being located on a particular side of the substrate includes the alignment mark being etched into a respective side of the substrate and includes having subsequent material deposited on top of the alignment mark such that it is embedded and is no longer necessarily exposed at the surface.
Although specific reference may be made to the use of the apparatus in the manufacture of ICs or MEMs, it should explicitly be understood that such an apparatus has many other possible applications. For example, the apparatus may be employed in the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, liquid-crystal display panels, thin-film magnetic heads, etc.

Substrate table, method of measuring a position of a substrate and a lithographic apparatus


Provided is a communication method of a relay station in a wireless communication system, the communication method comprising the steps of configuring subframes dedicated for a backhaul link between a base station and the relay station and receiving a signal from the base station via the subframes dedicated for the backhaul link, wherein access of a legacy mobile station to at least a part of the subframes dedicated for the backhaul link is restricted.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to a method of communication in a wireless communication system comprising a relay.
2. Related Art
Wireless communication systems are widely used to provide various type of communication services such as voice and data. The wireless communication systems are multiple access systems capable of sharing available radio resources and supporting communication with multiple users. For example, the radio resources are time, frequency, codes, transmission power, etc. Examples of multiple access systems include a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) system, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system, an FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) system, an OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) system, an SC-FDMA (Single Carrier-Frequency Division Multiple Access) system, etc. The TDMA system uses time as radio resources, the FDMA system uses frequencies as radio resources, the CDMA system uses codes as radio resources, and the OFDMA system uses subcarriers and time as radio resources. Furthermore, the wireless communication systems support bidirectional communication. Bidirectional communication can be performed using a TDD (Time Division Duplex) mode, an FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) mode, an H-FDD (Half-Frequency Division Duplex) mode, etc. According to the TDD mode, uplink transmission and downlink transmission are divided by time resources. According to the FDD mode, uplink transmission and downlink transmission are divided by frequency resources. According to the H-FDD mode, uplink transmission and downlink transmission are divided by combination of time resources and frequency resources.
A wireless communication system includes a base station that provides service to a cell which is a certain area. The quality of a signal transmission is affected by a variation of wireless environments in terms of characteristic of wireless transmission technology. Particularly, radio channels vary with time due to various types of scatters and movement of mobile stations. Furthermore, receive power abruptly decreases as a distance between wireless communication subjects increases, and thus the distance is restricted. Accordingly, a mobile station can communicate with a base station when the mobile station is located in the coverage of the base station, in general. As described above, a maximum transmission rate between a mobile station and a base station, throughput of a user in a cell and throughput of the entire cell decrease due to scatters, the moving speed of the mobile station, a distance between transmitting and receiving sides, etc. For example, if the mobile station is located on the boundary of the cell or an obstacle such as a building exists between the mobile station and the base station, the quality of communication between the mobile station and the base station may be poor.
To solve the aforementioned problem, various techniques for compensating for degradation of transmission signals between the base station and the mobile station are introduced to improve a maximum transmission rate and throughput and extend the coverage of the base station. One of the various techniques is introduction of a relay station in a wireless communication system. For instance, LTE (Long Term Evolution)-Advanced that is one of potent candidates of IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication)-Advanced corresponding to a next-generation mobile communication system following third-generation mobile communication systems includes a relay station. The relay station relays signals between a base station and a mobile station. The relay station can extend the coverage of the base station and improve cell throughput.
The relay station has been recently introduced, and thus a legacy mobile station designed without considering the relay station and a new mobile station designed in consideration of the relay station coexist in a wireless communication system including the relay station. Accordingly, a method for maintaining backward compatibility for the legacy mobile station is required.

Method and apparatus of communication using subframe between base station and relay


A semiconductor device which has higher integration and is further reduced in thickness and size. A semiconductor device with high performance and low power consumption. A semiconductor element layer separated from a substrate by using a separation layer is stacked over a semiconductor element layer formed by using another substrate and covered with a flattened inorganic insulating layer. After separation of the semiconductor element layer in a top layer from the substrate, the separation layer is removed so that an inorganic insulating film formed under the semiconductor element layer is exposed. The flattened inorganic insulating layer and the inorganic insulating film are made to be in close contact and bonded to each other. In addition, a semiconductor layer included in the semiconductor element layer is a single crystal semiconductor layer which is separated from a semiconductor substrate and transferred to a formation substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a multi-layer structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a technical field of semiconductor devices, higher performance and lower electric power consumption have been promoted by miniaturization and higher integration. In order to increase the integration of semiconductor integrated circuits, a multi-layer integrated circuits with integrated circuits (semiconductor element layer) of a multi-layer structure have been proposed.
As an example of manufacturing such a multi-layer integrated circuit, a method in which an interlayer insulator of an organic material is formed over a first semiconductor element layer which is formed over a substrate, and a second semiconductor element layer is stacked over the interlayer insulator has been disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. H5-335482).
In addition, as another example of manufacturing such a multi-layer integrated circuit, a method in which a first semiconductor element layer and a second semiconductor element layer formed over different substrates are bonded with an epoxy resin so as to be in contact with each other to have a multi-layer structure has been disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2001-189419).    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No. H5-335482    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2001-189419

Manufacturing method of semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A storage phosphor system includes a storage phosphor cassette autoloader for use with a plurality of cassettes. The autoloader includes first and second endless conveyor belts, which are spaced apart and which have a plurality of outwardly extending shelves in vertical alignment so as to define a cassette read site and a plurality of cassette retaining sites. A drive drives the conveyor belts in unison to transfer cassettes loaded in the retaining sites serially through the read site. A belt position sensor senses the position of at least one of the conveyor belts and produces a signal representative of conveyor belt displacement.

It is convenient to handle a storage phosphor within cassettes that protect the storage phosphor from extraneous light and damage. This is particularly the case for storage phosphors in which the latent x-ray image stored in the storage phosphor is read by photo electrically detecting an emitted x-ray image formed by scanning the storage phosphor with stimulating radiation. An example of such a storage phosphor reader is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 979,970, filed Nov. 23, 1992 commonly assigned, inventors Rogers and Dhurjaty. It is desirable to retain the storage phosphor within a cassette except during actual processing. Such a storage phosphor cassette is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 800,799, filed Nov. 27, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,333 entitled "X-RAY CASSETTE HAVING REMOVABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENT" by Jeffrey C. Robertson, which is incorporated herein by reference. A hooked extractor can be used with the storage phosphor cassette to move a storage phosphor plate to and from a storage phosphor reader for processing. It is desirable to provide an apparatus to automate the presentation of such cassettes to such an extractor so that a number of cassettes could be processed in succession without attention from an operator. It is also desirable that such an apparatus be able to accurately position cassettes sequentially to simplify removal and reinsertion of the storage phosphor plate and that the presentation apparatus be separate from the storage phosphor reader to permit interchange of units and reduce repair times.
In a storage phosphor reader/storage phosphor cassette autoloader system, it is desirable that the cassette be accurately positioned relative to the access opening of the storage phosphor reader so that damage to the cassette and consequently to the storage phosphor is avoided during loading and unloading. Accurate sensing of the position of the cassette is therefore essential. Concomitantly, the position sensor and sensor control should be reliable, maintenance free, inexpensive and relatively simple. Sensor systems which rely on micro switches or CCD arrays can be unreliable, expensive, complex and/or require too frequent maintenance.
There is thus a problem in a storage phosphor reader/storage phosphor cassette autoloader system in providing a cassette position sensor that is reliable, inexpensive, maintenance free and simple.


A surface texture measuring method includes: moving a stylus toward an origin point; and, when the stylus reaches the origin point, braking the stylus to be stopped after overrunning the origin point waiting for a measurement start command (approach section setting operation); bringing the stopped stylus into contact with a target portion of the workpiece (workpiece setting operation); moving the stopped stylus in a measurement direction reverse to the overrunning (approach operation); and, when the stylus passes the origin point in the approach operation, continuing the movement of the stylus while acquiring data detected by the detector (measurement operation).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface texture measuring machine and a surface texture measuring method. More specifically, it relates to a surface texture measuring machine and a surface texture measuring method for measuring a narrow area in which a mechanical movement is restricted.
2. Description of Related Art
A surface texture measuring machine for measuring a surface texture (e.g. surface roughness, waviness and profile) and a surface texture measuring method using the surface texture measuring machine have been conventionally known (see Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2000-227327 and Patent Literature 2: JP-A-2001-133247).
The surface texture measuring machine measures a surface texture of a workpiece by tracing a surface of the workpiece with a stylus. Specifically, the stylus is brought into contact with a desired point on the surface of the workpiece and is moved in a predetermined measurement direction along the surface of the workpiece while being in contact with the surface of the workpiece. In accordance with the movement, the stylus displaces in a direction intersecting the tracing direction in accordance with the irregularities on the surface of the workpiece. The displacement is recorded in conjunction with the movement in the tracing direction, whereby the surface texture of the workpiece can be measured.
The surface texture measuring machine includes a drive mechanism for moving the stylus. The drive mechanism typically includes a guide rail that supports an arm provided with the stylus at an end thereof in a manner capable of linear movement, a ball screw shaft disposed along a rail, and a drive source such as an electric motor to rotate the ball screw shaft to feed the arm.
Such a drive mechanism inevitably causes a backlash in the ball screw shaft and the like.
In view of the above, an approach section is set at the start of the tracing operation in some of the surface texture measuring machines.
The approach section is a predetermined distance or time period in which the stylus is simply moved (i.e. without measuring) after starting the tracing operation.
After elapsing or passing the approach section, the surface texture measuring machine performs a movement accompanying a normal measurement operation, i.e. the detection of the displacement of the stylus and data processing.
With the presence of the approach section, the backlash of the drive mechanism is eliminated in the subsequent measurement operation, thereby maintaining appropriate relationship between the movement position and the displacement during the measurement operation.
The above-described approach section is typically defined as an approach distance of approximately 0.5 mm. Specifically, an output of an encoder for detecting the movement position is monitored and the approach section is counted as a pulse number of the encoder corresponding to the above approach distance.
No specific limitation has been posed for setting the approach section, but the approach section has been set with a margin sufficient for eliminating the backlash of the drive mechanism and stabilizing the measurement operation.
Incidentally, the above-described surface texture measuring machine is used not only for measuring a surface texture of a continuous surface of a workpiece but also for measuring a narrow area on a workpiece (e.g. a gap between two projections and bottom surface of a groove).
Such a narrow area sometimes is approximately 1 mm in width. In order to measure such a narrow area, the stylus can be miniaturized to ensure the movement area over the entire inner width of the groove and the like.
However, when the above-described approach section is 0.5 mm, only 50% of the bottom surface of the groove of 1 mm width can be measured.
When the approach section is changed to be set short, the distance available for the measurement can be increased.
However, the short approach section accompanies the following disadvantages.
Firstly, since there is no reference value for changing the approach section to be short, repetitive tests are required.
Further, all the measurement operations are conducted with the short approach section. Thus, when an area other than the narrow area is to be measured, adjustment operation for, for instance, changing back to the typical approach section with a margin is required.

Surface texture measuring machine and a surface texture measuring method


For measuring the air charge of a plastic component for a low-pressure multicomponent foam system, the gas-charged plastic component is admitted into a measuring chamber. The gas pressure of the plastic component displaces a measuring piston in the measuring chamber and the displacement distance of the piston is a measure of the gas charge.

The present invention relates to a measurement arrangement for detecting the gas charge of a plastic component.
In foam systems as described herein, it is known that an A-component (e.g., polyol) is kept under controlled pressure in a component container. A second component (the B-component), which has a circuit identical to that described below for the A-component, is present. The two components are introduced together into a mixer head and then applied to a workpiece by injection through an injection head, whereby the air contained in the A-component is the determining factor for the porosity of the injection molded plastic article. It is also possible that the B-component may unintentionally contain air which can then also have an effect on the foam.
Such a plastic article is preferably a seal, which is sprayed with the abovementioned system onto a workpiece and then reacts chemically, whereby the seal foams and then hardens.
Until now, there existed the problem that the air portion in the A-component could be kept uniform only with difficulty, since until now it was known to blow this air into the A-component container, mixing it as intimately as possible with this A-component through the action of a stirring device.
Since the interior of the component container is under pressure and the air is introduced into the A-component in fine beads under higher pressure, the air bonds to the A-component. This A-component mixture combined with air is fed to the mixing head via a material outlet and a dosing pump.
It is also known to provide the B-component with an identical circuit, consisting of a component container, material outlet, dosing pump, and inlet into the mixing head, with no air added to the B-component, although it may contain air.
As already mentioned, it was, until now, difficult to regulate the amount of air in the component container such that a uniform percentage of air was always maintained in the A-component regardless of the fullness of the component container.
It has previously been known to detect the amount of air in the A-component by means of a measuring arrangement disposed in the outlet of the A-component container.
The measuring principle of this measuring arrangement was based on the fact that the liquid to be measured was introduced into a measuring chamber, in which measuring chamber a sound generator and sound receiver were present. By bombarding the volume to be measured with sound, a certain attenuation of the sound waves was generated due to the air contained in the A-component, which attenuation was detected by the sound receiver. By evaluating the attenuation, it was possible to determine the proportion of air in the A-component. However, a disadvantage of the known measuring arrangement is that the cost of measurement is unreasonably high and such a device is very expensive to produce and to service.
The object of the present invention is therefore to improve a measurement arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction such that it is significantly more cost-effective to produce, operates more reliably, and assures fast monitoring of the air contained in the A-component.

Measurement device for detecting gas charge of a plastic component


A semiconductor memory device includes a cell array including a plurality of cell regions, a row decoder configured to drive rows corresponding to cell regions in which a refresh operation is to be performed, based on a counting address, and a refresh address generator configured to generate the counting address and a modified address in response to a control signal, wherein the modified address is generated by inverting at least one bit of the counting address, and wherein the semiconductor memory device performs concurrent refresh operations on a first cell region corresponding to the counting address and a second cell region corresponding to the modified address where the second cell region is determined to have weak cells.

The inventive concept relates generally to electronic memory technologies. More particularly, certain embodiments of the inventive concept relate to semiconductor memory devices having an adjustable refresh period.
Certain types of memory devices require refresh operations to retain stored data. An example of such a memory device is a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which stores data by maintaining charges in a capacitor. The charges tend to leak over time, so refresh operations are performed to compensate for this leakage. The refresh operation is typically performed on a periodic basis, with the period determined by the expected rate of charge leakage.
In some contexts, the rate of charge leakage may vary significantly between different memory cells, with so-called "weak cells" requiring more frequent refreshing due to a higher rate of leakage. In these contexts, if the refresh period is too long, the weak cells may lose stored data. On the other hand, if the refresh period is shorter, power consumption will be higher. Accordingly, there is a general tradeoff between the reliability of weak cells and overall power consumption in a DRAM.

Semiconductor memory device having adjustable refresh period, memory system comprising same, and method of operating same


A jet propelled watercraft includes a prime mover, a jet pump driven by the prime mover and jetting water from a jet port, a reverse gate changing a direction of the jet flow jetted from the jet pump, a shift actuator switching a position of the reverse gate among a plurality of shift positions, a reverse gate position detector detecting the position of the reverse gate, and a controller configured or programmed to execute a shift control of setting a target shift position of the reverse gate and controlling the shift actuator to move the reverse gate to the target shift position and execute an error judgment of judging that an error has occurred when the position detected by the reverse gate position detector differs from a control position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a jet propelled watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,611 discloses a personal watercraft that includes an engine, a jet pump driven by the engine, a reverse gate, an electric motor (shift actuator) arranged to move the reverse gate, and three limit switches arranged to detect a shift position of the reverse gate. The electric motor that is the shift actuator moves the reverse gate to a forward drive position, a neutral position, and a reverse drive position. With this personal watercraft, a rotational speed of the engine is restricted when the reverse gate is at a position other than the forward drive position.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-80041 discloses a jet propelled watercraft that includes an engine, a jet pump driven by the engine, a reverse gate, a reverse gate moving mechanism arranged to move the reverse gate, a shift member (reverse gate operator) arranged to operate the reverse gate, and an ECU (electronic controller). The reverse gate moving mechanism moves the reverse gate between a forward drive position and a reverse drive position. The reverse gate moving mechanism includes an electric motor and a transmission mechanism arranged to transmit the motive power of the electric motor to the reverse gate. The reverse gate operator is not mechanically coupled to the reverse gate. The ECU controls the reverse gate moving mechanism (electric motor) in accordance with operation of the reverse gate operator to move the reverse gate. This jet propelled watercraft includes a function (forward drive position retracting function) by which the reverse gate is retracted to the forward drive position to enable forward drive movement when the reverse gate moving mechanism malfunctions.


An electrical weighing scale for measuring the weight of a user having has a substantially transparent platform, a plurality of supports, and a display assembly. Piezoresistive sensors, disposed in the supports, change resistance in response to a change in the weight applied to the scale. The piezoresistive sensors include piezoresistive elements arranged in a half bridge structure that has been calibrated to provide zero balance, span matching and impedance normalization. The sensors are coupled in parallel to a display. The parallel arrangements produces a composite output signal that enables any number of sensors to be used in the scales design.

Many electrical weighing scales use electrical sensors that are coupled to amplifiers and provide an electrical signal indicative of a weight applied to the scale. In particular, many prior art approaches use a Wheatstone bridge arrangement of resistive sensors coupled to an amplifier. Such prior art scales are exemplified by, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,848, entitled SCALES, issued to Tulloch; U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,973, entitled, PORTABLE ELECTRONIC SCALE OF MINIMAL THICKNESS AND WEIGHT, issued to Angel; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,069,entitled ELECTRONIC BATHROOM SCALE, issued to Bradley.
Inaccurate readings in electrical weighing scales may result from poor sensor tolerances and other disparities among the individual sensors. For example, if two piezoresistive sensors used in the same scale have different no-load resistances a false weight may be calculated. To compensate for sensor variations, the prior art has employed parallel resistance circuits such as that as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,973,issued to Angel, and resistive balancing circuits such as that set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,584,entitled VEHICLE WEIGHING SCALE WITH OVERLAPPED LOAD BEARING PLATES, issued to Lee.
The manufacturing costs of previous scales frequently include the expenses of purchasing amplifiers, mounting amplifiers, and testing amplifiers for the proper amplification and summing of sensor signals.
Weighing scales are often placed in bathrooms and other places where temperature and humidity change rapidly. The performance of weighing scales may therefore deteriorate because of exposure to environmental conditions such as moisture, or contaminants such as household cleaning agents. Exposure to moisture and contaminants may cause inaccurate weight measurements over time because the resistance of circuit traces and component leads may be changed by corrosion.
Variations in temperature are one of the most common causes of inaccurate readings from piezoresistive elements. Since few places in a domestic setting vary in temperature as much as a bathroom, bathroom scales using piezoresistive elements must somehow compensate for temperature variations. The prior art is replete with various circuits and other schemes that provide temperature compensation to piezoresistive elements. Such prior art is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,349 to Mallon et al, entitled BINARY BALANCING APPARATUS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR TRANSDUCER STRUCTURES and U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,005 to Kurtz, entitled COMPENSATED PRESSURE TRANSDUCER EMPLOYING DIGITAL PROCESSING TECHNIQUES.
It is therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide a scale that is highly reliable yet is economical to manufacture.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a scale that is compensated for changes in environmental variables, such as temperature.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a scale that compensates for use variables, such as the distribution of weight upon the scale.


Various embodiments may include a drone for triggering sea mines by means of an external magnetic field. For example a drone may include: a drive having an electric motor; the electric motor comprising a stator and a rotor mounted on a shaft. The stator includes a stator winding arranged on a first carrier. The rotor includes a second carrier and a magnetic or electromagnetic element arranged on the second carrier. The element may be configured to magnetically interact with the stator winding to form a superordinate magnetic field during operation of the electric motor. During operation, the electric motor forms an external magnetic field outside of the electric motor with a magnetic flux density of at least 0.5 mT.

In known systems for remote-controlled clearing of sea mines, unmanned drones are equipped with magnetic coils for the purpose of triggering magnetic mines. Said coils generate strong magnetic fields that are capable of causing the sea mines to detonate. With this purpose in mind, the drones are constructed in such a way that at the distance that is typical for the triggering they suffer no damage as a result of the detonation.
Such drones may have their own dedicated drive system. The German Navy, for example, possesses remotely controllable boats of the "Seehund" (seal) type, which are fitted with a diesel engine. The magnetic coil for triggering the mines is integrated into the hull of the remotely controllable boats. The magnetic coil itself is formed from a plurality of turns made of copper cable.
Also well-known in addition to such drones floating on the surface are submarine mine-clearing drones, which either possess their own dedicated drive or can be towed by other (under)water vehicles. According to the prior art, the magnetic coil is also embodied as a separate unit from the drive device.
The prior art mine-clearing drones are very heavy due to the great weight of the magnetic coils required for the strong magnetic fields, and in most cases they are also relatively large. For this reason, the transportation of such drones to different deployment locations is a relatively complicated operation. Transportation by plane in particular is rather difficult on account of the heavy weight. In the case of drones with an independent drive, the propulsion engine also makes its contribution to the heavy weight and volume. Furthermore, an additional energy supply is also necessary for the drive, for example in the form of fuel for a diesel engine or alternatively in the form of electrically stored energy for an electric motor.


This invention relates to a method for the purification of nucleic acids, preferably DNA, from biological samples, comprising the steps (a) optional lysis of said sample, (b) optional heat incubation of said sample, (c) enzymatic digestion of non-nucleic acid components in the product of step (a) or (b), (d) heat inactivation of one or more enzyme(s) used in step (c), (e) transfer of the product of step (d) onto a resin capable of retaining non-nucleic acid components, while the nucleic acids pass through the resin, thereby purifying the nucleic acids.

The isolation of genomic DNA from tissue, cell culture cells and blood samples for molecular analyses is a commonly applied technique. Various protocols for this application have been developed over the past several decades within the scientific community. The commonly most used methodology is the binding of nucleic acids to silica surface in the presence of highly concentrated chaotropic salts and organic solvents.
The bound nucleic acid is washed with several washing buffers also containing chaotropes with or without added organic solvents to be finally eluted from the silica surface under low-salt buffer conditions. The silica-based purification principle is used in more than 90% of the kits commercially available on the market. DNA purified by this method is used in molecular downstream applications like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloning, sequencing, etc. The drawbacks of silica-based purifications are as follows: The high-salt and often organic solvent-containing buffers used in the binding and elution of DNA from silica surface exhibit the risk to be carried over into the DNA-containing eluate and therewith compromise or even inhibit downstream applications, especially sensitive PCR-based assays, but also other enzymatic reactions like ligation and sequencing reactions. Additionally, the underlying bind-wash-elute principle of so called positive chromatography leads to low recoveries of the DNA present in the sample. The procedure is a multi-step operation and generates large amounts of plastic waste and hazardous waste solutions.
Due to the lack of innovative momentum in the field of nucleic acid extractions over the last decades, this method is still the market leading routine despite the availability of modern separation matrices and filters just as new enzyme formulations and detergents that can, if combined in novel combinations and set-ups, create innovative and improved methods for the isolation of nucleic acids.
One promising approach to overcome the disadvantages of the positive chromatography principle is to apply the negative chromatography principle, in which the lead substance—in this case a nucleic acid like DNA and/or RNA—is not bound to a matrix but instead the contaminants, inhibitors and undesired cell residues, while the DNA leaves the column in a purified state. The reversion of the principle leads to a much faster processing with much less steps involved compared to bind-wash-elute-protocol. This leads to a reduction of more than 70% of the plastic waste that incurs in a conventional nucleic acid kits produce. At the same time, the usage of only aqueous buffers and non-toxic reagents avoids the generation of hazardous waste chemicals as well. One of the biggest advantages of negative compared to positive chromatography (where the target DNA is bound) is the well-known higher relative recovery of the target molecules. While bind-wash-elute purifications pose the risk of target molecule losses during the binding, washing and elution steps, negative chromatography typically recovers more than 90% of the target as the purification is not dependent on a binding event.
The principle of negative chromatography by itself is not new and has been employed and commercialized already in some "clean-up" procedures for nucleic acids. Also there are a few vendors that sell DNA purification kits using one-step procedures, but all of these products deliver low quality DNA preparations, meaning colored eluates, low ratios of OD260/OD230 and/or OD260/OD280, eluates containing UV-absorbing stabilizers (e.g. azide) or inhibitor-containing eluates etc., due to crude and poorly developed pre-column process steps.
The key to employ negative chromatography as an high quality purification methodology for nucleic acids lies in the pre-column steps to efficiently and completely disintegrate the respective samples, from which the nucleic acid is intended to be isolated (e.g. tissue, blood, cell culture cells, bacteria, plant cells, etc.).
The approach to develop sample purification methodologies that avoid the use of environmental harmful high salt solutions and organic solvents faces the challenge to fully disintegrate the sample or specimen without the help of chaotropic salt solutions. Those denature proteins, thereby destabilize cell membranes, and facilitate the disintegration of cell walls and -membranes. Another important effect of the denaturation of proteins of chaotropic salts, which is the cause for their toxicity as well, is the inhibition of nuclease activities like RNases and DNases. These both main activities of chaotropic salts determined their use in nucleic acid purification methods.
The attempt to eliminate the use of these chemicals poses the challenge to achieve cell membrane disintegration and inhibition of nucleases in different approaches. Similar attempts have been made and published but resulting in only low quality or low yield methods. For example, a method for purification of nucleic acids including a preparative step before separation of nucleic acids is disclosed in WO 2011/124703 A1.
However, there is still a need in reliable, improved and alternative ways of preparation of a biological sample before separation of nucleic acids. Accordingly, the technical problem underlying the present application is to comply with this need.

Rapid purification of high quality nucleic acids from biological samples