A fixing structure is provided for an outer ring in an one-way clutch. The fixing structure includes a ring-shaped leaf spring having angular waviness and interposed between an outer side wall of the outer ring and a opposing inner wall of a housing. The ring-shaped leaf spring defines a cut formed in a radial direction to make the ring-shaped leaf spring discontinuous as viewed in an angular direction, whereby the ring-shaped leaf spring is integrally assembled by resilient force, which acts in radial directions, on the outer ring or an outer periphery of a side plate mounted on the outer ring. Any axial movement of the ring-shaped leaf spring is limited by a portion of the side plate.

a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fixing structure for an outer ring in a one-way clutch which is used as a torque-transmitting or backstop component in a drive system of an automotive vehicle or the like.
b) Description of the Related Art
As is appreciated from a side cross-sectional view of FIG. 9 and also from a front view of FIG. 10 in which a part of a side wall 60 has been cut away, a one-way clutch is constructed of an outer ring 10, an inner wall 20, the side wall 60 mounted on a side wall of the outer ring 10, etc. Each spline 15 formed on an outer peripheral wall of the outer ring 10 is fitted in a corresponding keyway 46 formed in a housing 45, so that the outer ring 10 and the housing 45 are fixedly united together. Designated at numeral 30 is a stopper ring which serves to achieve positioning of the outer ring 10 in an axial direction.
An internal mechanism of the one-way clutch comprises, as shown by cutting away the part of the side wall 60 in FIG. 10, a number of rollers 50 arranged between a cam surface 90 on an inner peripheral wall of the outer ring 10 and an outer peripheral wall of the inner ring 20, springs 70 maintained in contact with leading ends of the respective rollers 50 as viewed in an idling direction, and spring anchors 80 for the respective springs 70. As long as the inner ring 20 rotates clockwise as indicated by arrow R.sub.1 in FIG. 10, no locking action is performed.
The housing 45 is a casting so that no accurate dimensions can be expected thereon. To cope with this problem, a clearance a is left between the spline 15 of the outer ring 10 and a wall of its corresponding keyway 46 of the housing 45 as illustrated in FIG. 11.
When the inner ring 20 rotates clockwise (in the idling direction) or counterclockwise (in a locking direction), the outer ring 10 is also caused to rotate in the same direction due to drag torque of the rollers 50, leading to the inconvenience that a side wall of the spline 15 is caused to hit a side wall of the keyway 46 and a sharp metallic hitting noise is hence produced.
To fix the outer ring 10, it was therefore proposed, as shown in FIG. 9, to interpose a spring 40 between the outer ring 10 and an opposing inner wall 45a of the housing 45 so that the outer ring 10 is always pressed against the stopper ring 30 to avoid occurrence of such a sharp metallic hitting noise.
According to this conventional approach, however, the spring 40 is a separate part so that the spring 40 has to be assembled at the user's end prior to assembling the one-way clutch on the housing 45. This has resulted in the drawbacks that more assembling steps are needed and the assembly work is cumbersome and time-consuming.

Fixing structure for outer ring in one-way clutch


A structure and method for monitoring extrusion failures. The structure includes: a test wire having first and second ends; first and second vias contacting first and second ends of the test wire; a first monitor structure electrically isolated from the test wire and surrounding a periphery of the test wire; and a second monitor structure over the test wire, the second monitor structure electrically isolated from the test wire, the second monitor structure extending over at least the first end of the test wire.

In modern integrated circuits, devices such as transistors formed in a semiconductor substrate are interconnected by wires formed in interlevel dielectric (ILD) layers into circuits. At high current densities, the metal in the wires can migrate in the direction of electron flow building up at the anode end of the wire to the point where the buildup of metal causes delamination of the interlevel dielectric layers and extrusion of metal from the end of the wire. These extrusions can short to adjacent wires causing circuit failures. The remedy is to make wires wider and/or thicker to reduce current density, however wider lines use more integrated circuit chip real estate and makes dense wiring schemes more difficult if not impossible. The data gathered from extrusion monitors enables the use of wires of minimum wire cross-sectional areas in the integrated circuit.
Currently, the industry uses electromigration or extrusion test structures to monitor this failure mechanism. However, current monitors only can detect fails, which extend laterally to adjacent wires in the same ILD layer. However, extrusions that extend vertically and short to wires in upper or lower ILD layers are not detected. Therefore, there is a need for an extrusion monitor that can detect vertical as well as lateral extrusions.

International Business Machines Corporation


A novel exposure system includes a reduced-projection lens optimized for a predetermined single exposure wavelength and a chromatic aberration correction system for TTL (Through The Lens) alignment with broadband light. The correction system includes a holographic lens which dispersion has a negative number in contrast to a conventional glass lens which has a positive dispersion number. By employing a holographic lens, the total optical length of an alignment system can be made short enough to avoid the necessity of installing a mirror therein, thus realizing a highly accurate alignment system.

The present invention relates to an alignment detection optical system, or more in particular to an exposure system of reduced projection type comprising an alignment detection optical system of TTL (Through The Lens) type for detecting marks on a wafer through a projection optical system.
In conventional methods of fabricating a semiconductor device, a stepper is used for projection exposure of a circuit pattern on a mask while moving the wafer stepwise. A semiconductor device is fabricated by sequential alignment and superimposed exposure of a circuit pattern on a mask and a circuit pattern on a wafer coated with a resist providing a photosensitive material. This alignment is effected by detecting alignment marks on the wafer. A high-precision alignment requires a TTL system for detecting the marks through an exposure projection detection system as an effective means. The resist is coated while rotating the wafer, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, an asymmetric thickness distribution of a resist film 312 is caused by resist flow in the direction of detection in the vicinity of an uneven base mark 311. When the resist is irradiated with a light of narrow wavelength range the detected light intensity changes periodically with the resist film thickness as shown in FIG. 5A. As a result, the image detection of an alignment mark having an asymmetric resist distribution with a light of narrow wavelength range causes an increased emphasis of asymmetry of the resist film thickness distribution resulting in a detection error of the detected wavelength as shown in FIG. 5B. The irradiation of a light of broad wavelength range, on the other hand, reduces the change in the intensity of the detected light with the resist film thickness as shown in FIG. 6A, with the result that the detected waveform becomes symmetric thereby making possible a high-accuracy alignment as shown in FIG. 6B.
The compatibility between the TTL system and the detection with a light of broad wavelength range requires the resolution of the problem mentioned below.
In a projection optical system, the aberration is corrected generally only for the exposure light of single wavelength for transferring a fine pattern. The detection by the TTL system with a light of broad wavelength range, therefore, displaces the image points of various wavelengths. The resulting chromatic aberration blurs the detection waveform and makes a high-accuracy alignment impossible. In order to obviate this problem, as disclosed in JP-A-1-227431, a method has been suggested in which an optical system for correcting the chromatic aberration for a light of broad wavelength range is configured of glass lenses and inserted between a projection lens and a detector.
In the prior art described above, an optical system for chromatic aberration correction is configured of glass lenses, and therefore an increased number of glass lenses are used for the chromatic aberration correction system, thereby undesirably reducing the resolution of the alignment detection optical system as a whole, due to the adjustment error or the surface error of the optical elements.

Reduced-projection exposure system with chromatic aberration correction system including diffractive lens such as holographic lens


The present invention comprises a spacer, especially a spacer for use with a thrust roller bearing assembly. An internal radial lip projecting into the central aperture of the spacer provides for frictional retention on a shaft passing therethrough. Where the thrust bearing and spacer combination is to be installed in a bore, one or more external radial lips may be included to frictionally retain the spacer within the bore. The spacer element is adapted for coupling to one of the bearing elements. In one embodiment, the bearing and spacer may be bonded together. In another embodiment, the spacer and bearing are joined by mutually engageable circumferential locking surfaces. The spacer is selected from a plurality of spacers of differing axial dimension, each spacer being color coded according to its axial dimension.

In the power driven transmission arts, and particularly in the automobile transmission arts, multiple helical gears are typically employed. Since each set of gears meshes differently due to variations within its manufacturing tolerances, and since an axial thrust is exerted by rotation of the gears, thrust bearings are required to carry the axial thrust load. Because of the manufacturing tolerances, the axial dimension required of the thrust bearing may vary; considerable variation may result if multiple gears are employed on a single shaft. In the prior art, shims or spacers of varying axial dimension have been used to take up or fill this variable axial dimension.
During assembly, the gears are selected and installed, leaving an axial dimension or space to be filled by the thrust washer and spacer. This space must be carefully measured. A thrust bearing is first selected, and then a spacer of the desired axial dimension must be selected and located from among the available supply of washers. The spacer and thrust bearing combination must preceisely fill the axial dimension. Often, a plurality of spacers are tried and tested until the right spacer or combination of spacers properly fills the available axial space. This is a difficult and time-consuming task requiring patience and careful attention to detail.
In practice, the gear train is assembled in a transmission on a conventional assembly line. For manufacturing convenience, the transmissions are typically carried by overhead suspension conveyors, and at least some of the parts, including the thrust bearing and spacer, are assembled by inserting these lighter weight bearing parts upwardly into the interior of the suspended transmission from which the shaft extends downwardly. Thrust washers and selected spacers are typically assembled and joined by a thick grease-like compound before being inserted upwards into the suspended transmission and onto the shaft. The grease compound is the primary means for securing the combination onto the exposed, downwardly extending shaft during assembly. The sticky, grease-like compound, however, is prone to picking up undesired environmental dirt and contaminants.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,725,153 and 4,733,479 to Tsuruki teach the use of variable axial dimension spacers or shims which snap in place on the thrust bearing portion. In some embodiments disclosed in the Tsuruki patents, annular shims having inner or outer dimensions permitting an interference fit ("interference margin") with internal or external flanged portions of the bearing cage are disclosed. The bearing cage flanges are dimpled or deformed so as to reduce the tolerance of the fit to less than zero clearance in order to require forcible mounting of the shim to the bearing assembly. The manufacturing tolerance of such interference-fit piece parts can be difficult and expensive to maintain, leading to undesirable costs or difficulties during assembly
Another shim disclosed by Tsuruki includes a series of dimpled peripheral flanges having interference fit dimensions which snap over the bearing periphery. In addition to the previously mentioned problem with interference fit manufacturing tolerances, this alternative shim is formed of a single piece of material having uniform thickness, and thus the dimpled peripheral flange portions are necessarily of the same thickness as the shim. The external diametrical dimensions of a thrust bearing/spacer assembly become intolerably large with thicker spacers and are thus limited, for practical purposes, to thin shims.
In addition, difficulties in marking the axial dimension on prior art spacers while maintaining the dimensional tolerance thereof present unwieldy sorting problems for assembly line workers.


A system and method for detecting an analyte of interest in a sample is provided. The method includes passing a set of ions obtained from the sample through an ion mobility spectrometer to filter out ions that are not ions of interest and to generate an ion mobility spectrum. A mass spectrum of at least some of the ions is generated using a mass spectrometer. The method also includes determining that the analyte of interest is in the sample when peaks of interest are found in one or more of the ion mobility spectrum and the mass spectrum, and the peaks of interest follow a predetermined pattern of peaks associated with the analyte of interest or are confirmed by ion mobility spectrometry.

The subject matter herein generally relates to chemical detection systems and, more particularly, to chemical detection systems that include one or more ion mobility spectrometers and mass spectrometers.
Chemical detection systems are used to detect particular threats. These threats include explosives, illicit drugs, chemical warfare agents, pollutants, and toxins, for example. Many of these detection systems include ion mobility spectrometers. The ion mobility spectrometers measure the presence of ions obtained from analytes in a sample. The ions are created by ionizing vapor molecules from the sample. The sample is obtained in the form of vapors from ambient air or in the form of particulate matter from ambient air, a package, luggage or person that is being examined for explosives, drugs or other chemical agents.
The ions that are obtained from the analytes in the sample are represented as peaks on an ion mobility spectrum. The peaks in the spectrum are used to determine whether a particular ion of interest is present in the sample. An ion of interest is an ion that is associated with a particular analyte of interest. An analyte of interest is a chemical species that commonly is found with the explosives, drugs, chemical warfare agents, and other chemicals that are sought to be detected.
One problem associated with ion mobility spectrometers is the resolution of the spectrometers. In some cases, known spectrometers may have difficulty in distinguishing between chemicals present in the background of the sample and the analytes of interest. These devices can produce false positive and false negative alarms. A false positive alarm occurs when the spectrometer misinterprets a peak in a spectrum as representing a threat. A false negative alarm occurs when the spectrometer misinterprets a peak in a spectrum that corresponds to an analyte of interest as corresponding to an analyte that is not of interest. A false negative alarm also may occur when a peak of interest is suppressed or obscured by other peaks. These other peaks may be associated with other analytes in the sample that are not analytes of interest.
Thus, a need exists for an improved chemical detection system that more accurately detects the presence of one or more analytes of interest in a sample. Such a system can improve existing procedures for detecting explosives, illicit drugs, chemical warfare agents, toxins or pollutants.


A magnetic gear device including: an internal rotor and an external rotor in which a plurality of magnetic pole pairs are each placed in a circumferential direction substantially at equal intervals; and a holding member that is placed between the internal rotor and the external rotor and holds a plurality of magnetic materials in the circumferential direction substantially at equal intervals, wherein the number of magnetic materials is a difference between or a total of the numbers of magnetic pole pairs, the holding member includes a plurality of circular rings that hold the magnetic materials, and connecting rods that are placed in the circumferential direction substantially at equal intervals and connect the plurality of circular rings, the plurality of circular rings face each other via the magnetic materials, and each number of magnetic pole pairs is set to have the number of connecting rods as a divisor.

Non-contact gear devices include magnetic gear devices. A magnetic gear device includes a first movable element and a second movable element in which a plurality of magnetic pole pairs having different magnetic poles are placed on an operating surface side at equal intervals. For example, the first movable element and the second movable element have a cylindrical shape, a disk shape or a flat plate shape. A plurality of magnetic materials functioning as pole pieces are placed between the first movable element and the second movable element at equal intervals. When the first movable element is moved, the second movable element is moved by magnetic interactions between the magnetic pole pairs each included in the first movable element and the second movable element. A gear ratio of the second movable element with respect to the first movable element is decided depending on a combination of the numbers of magnetic pole pairs of the first movable element and the second movable element. The operating surface mentioned here refers to facing surface sides of the first movable element and the second movable element that face each other with the plurality of magnetic materials interposed therebetween.
There are magnetic gear devices such as a cylindrical rotary type magnetic gear device including an internal rotor and an external rotor as the first movable element and the second movable element or a cylindrical linear type magnetic gear device including an internal column and an external column as the first movable element and the second movable element (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 3). The cylindrical rotary type magnetic gear device includes a cylindrical internal rotor, a cylindrical external rotor into which the internal rotor is fitted at an interval, and a cylindrical intermediate yoke inserted between the internal rotor and the external rotor at an interval. On each of an outer peripheral surface of the internal rotor and an inner peripheral surface of the external rotor, a plurality of magnetic pole pairs constituted by an N pole magnet and an S pole magnet are placed in a circumferential direction. The intermediate yoke holds a plurality of ferromagnetic magnetic materials in the circumferential direction at equal intervals.
When the external rotor rotates, the internal rotor rotates by the magnetic interaction between the magnetic pole pairs each included in the internal rotor and the external rotor. Herein, when the numbers of the magnetic poles each placed in the internal rotor and the external rotor are set to Ph and Pl, an alternating magnetic field is generated in a radial direction along with the rotation of the internal rotor and the external rotor. Herein, when the number of magnetic materials held by the intermediate yoke is set to Ns, the alternating magnetic field mainly includes a Phth harmonic component, an (Ns−Ph)th harmonic component and an (Ns+Ph)th harmonic component (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2).
Because the internal rotor and the external rotor rotate in synchrony with the alternating magnetic field including the three harmonic components, the number Pl of the magnetic pole pairs placed in the external rotor is set to (Ns−Ph) or (Ns+Ph) (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2). In other words, the number Ns of the magnetic materials held by the intermediate yoke is set to (Ph+Pl) or (Pl−Ph).
FIG. 10 is a schematic assembly view that shows an example of a cylindrical rotary type magnetic gear device of the related art. The magnetic gear device includes an internal rotor 100, an intermediate yoke 200, and an external rotor 300. On an outer peripheral surface of the internal rotor 100, three magnetic pole pairs 102 including a magnet 102a with N pole at outer side and a magnet 102b with S pole at outer side magnetized in a thickness direction are placed in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, on an inner peripheral surface of the external rotor 300, seven magnetic pole pairs 302 including a magnet 302a with N pole at inner side and a magnet 302b with S pole at inner side magnetized in a thickness direction are placed in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the magnetic gear device shown in FIG. 10 has a gear ratio of 3/7.
The intermediate yoke 200 holds a total of ten magnetic materials 202 of the numbers 3 and 7 of the magnetic pole pairs 102 and 302 included in each of the internal rotor 100 and the external rotor 300 in the circumferential direction at equal intervals. For example, the intermediate yoke 200 is manufactured by fixing each magnetic material 202 to a resin formed in a cylindrical shape (see Patent Document 1). The alternating magnetic field including a third harmonic component, a seventh harmonic component and a thirteenth harmonic component generated by the magnetic pole pairs 102 and 302 intersects with the intermediate yoke 200 in a radial direction.
Patent Document 1: Pamphlet of International Patent Publication WO 2009/087408
Non-Patent Document 1: K. Atallah, "Design, analysis and realization of a high-performance magnetic gear," IEE Proceedings-Electric Power Applications, U.K., March, 2004, volume 151, No. 2, pages 135 to 143
Non-Patent Document 2: Tetsuya Ikeda, Kenji Nakamura and Osamu Ichinokura "A Way to improve Efficiency of Permanent-Magnet Magnetic Gears" Journal of Magnetic Society, 2009, volume 33, No. 2, pages 130 to 134
Non-Patent Document 3: K. Atallah, J. Wang, D. Howe, "A high-performance linear magnetic gear," Journal of Applied physics, U.S., 2005, volume 97, No. 10, 10N516—pages 01 to 03


There are provided two subpixels opposite each other with respect to each data line. A pair of gate lines are provided for each row of pixels. A plurality of subsidiary signal lines are provided between the adjoining columns of the pixels. The data lines and the subsidiary signal lines are alternately arranged between the adjoining columns of the pixels. A storage wire is provided between the adjoining rows of the pixel12+66s.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array panel for a liquid crystal display.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display ("LCD") is one of the most commonly used flat panel displays. The LCD, which includes two panels having a plurality of electrodes thereon and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, controls the transmittance of incident light by applying voltages to the electrodes to rearrange liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer.
Among these LCDs, a LCD having electrodes provided both on respective panels and a plurality of thin film transistors ("TFTs") for switching the voltages applied to the electrodes are typically used. The LCD has a plurality of pixel electrodes receiving image signals depending on the switching of the TFTs. In addition, the LCD has a plurality of gate lines respectively connected to output terminals of gate driving integrated circuits ("ICs") for supplying scanning signals to turn on and off the TFTs and a plurality of data lines respectively connected to output terminals of data driving ICs for supplying image signals.
The higher resolution of a LCD requires more gate lines and data lines and thus more driving ICs, thereby increasing manufacturing costs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Thin film transistor array panel for liquid crystal display


A control valve configuration is described which is used in a fuel injector for internal combustion engine. The control valve contains a valve body that can be displaced axially in a valve chamber by an actuating device and is formed of two rigidly connected sections. A first section of the valve body forms a seat valve between the valve inlet and valve outlet in a first section of the valve chamber. The seat valve is closed in a rest position of the valve body and is opened in a working position of the valve body. A second section of the valve body and a second section of the valve chamber form a slide valve which, in the rest position of the valve body, produces a fluidic connection between the valve outlet and a return opening and blocks the fluidic connection between the seat valve and the valve outlets and which closes the return opening and then starts to produce a fluidic connection between the seat valve and the valve outlet only after it leaves the rest position.

The invention relates to a control valve configuration for use in a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine. Configurations of this generic type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,329 and 5,407,131.
In the case of the control valve configuration according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,329, fuel passes as a control fluid through an electromagnetically actuable control valve, which is configured as a slide valve, to a pressure intensifier in the injector. Via the electromagnetic activation, at defined times or crank angles of the internal combustion engine the fuel to be injected is placed under high pressure by the pressure intensifier. The fuel which is placed under high pressure then causes, in the conventional manner, the valve needle on the nozzle of the injector to lift off from its seat and to open up the path for the fuel to the nozzle opening, in order to inject the fuel into the combustion chamber of the engine.
Another type of control valve for a fuel injector that operates with a cam-operated pressure-intensifying piston, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,131. The control valve here is a seat valve that is normally, i.e. in the rest state, open and which can be closed with the aid of a solenoid. In the open state, the fuel delivered from the tank by a lowpressure fuel pump flows back through the control valve to the tank. The fuel injection into the combustion chamber of a diesel engine is initiated by energizing the solenoid, the magnetic force of which brings the seat valve into the closed operating state. The fuel in the injector, which is now no longer able to flow away, is placed under pressure as a consequence of the cam-actuated piston of the pressure intensifier. When the pressure has reached the defined nozzle-needle opening pressure, the injection starts. The injection is ended by deenergizing the solenoid, whereupon the seat valve is re-opened, so that the fuel can flow away again and the pressure in the injector falls.
Leakage and losses which arise due to leaking and as a consequence of the seepage form a problem which generally occurs in the case of control valve configurations for fuel injection and in particular also in the case of the known configurations dealt with above. The sealing function is restricted both in the case of the slide valves and in the case of the seat valves. Slide valves are only inadequately sealed over the sealing gap, and in the case of seat valves, the sealing function is undertaken only in one direction by the seat. Also, relatively long-lasting seepages, for example by keeping open a valve for the control fluid during the rest state, as in the case of the configuration according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,131 mentioned above, are to be evaluated as a loss.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a control valve configuration for use in a fuel injector for internal combustion engines which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type, in which losses occurring during use are reduced.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a control valve configuration for use in a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine. The control valve configuration contains a housing having a valve chamber, a valve inlet for a fluid which is under pressure, and a valve outlet for hydraulically controlling an injection process at a nozzle of the fuel injector. The valve chamber has a first section, a second section, and a return opening. The housing further has a chamber wall defining a rear of the valve chamber and a seat defining a first part of a seat valve disposed in the first section. An actuating device is disposed in the housing. A valve body is disposed in the valve chamber, and the valve body can be displaced axially by the actuating device. Depending on a position of the valve body, the valve body produces or blocks a fluidic connection between the valve inlet and the valve outlet. The valve body has a first valve section forming a second part of the seat valve disposed between the valve inlet and the valve outlet in the first section of the valve chamber. The seat valve is closed in a rest position of the valve body and is opened in a working position of the valve body. The valve body has a second valve section rigidly connected to the first valve section. The second section of the valve chamber and the second valve section form a slide valve which, in the rest position of the valve body produces a fluidic connection between the valve outlet and the return opening and blocks a fluidic connection between the seat valve and the valve outlet. The slide valve closes the return opening and then starts to produce a fluidic connection between the seat valve and the valve outlet only after the valve body leaves the rest position. The first section of the valve chamber leads through the seat of the seat valve in a direction of flow into the second section of the valve chamber.
Accordingly, the valve body that can be displaced axially in the valve chamber by the actuating device has two rigidly connected sections. A first section of the valve body forms a seat valve between the valve inlet and valve outlet in a first section of the valve chamber, the seat valve being closed in a rest position of the valve body and being opened in a working position of the valve body. A second section of the valve body and a second section of the valve chamber form a slide valve which, in the rest position of the valve body, produces a fluidic connection between the valve outlet and a return opening and blocks the fluidic connection between the seat valve and the valve outlet, and which closes the return opening and then starts to produce a fluidic connection between the seat valve and the valve outlet only after it leaves the rest position.
The control valve configuration according to the invention therefore forms two individual valves which are connected in series and one of which is configured as a seat valve and the other of which is configured as a slide valve. Since, in the rest position of the valve body, the outlet of the valve configuration is cut off from the inlet pressure by the closed seat valve and additionally by the slide valve and is connected to the return opening, the outlet is kept unpressurized in this phase without control fluid flowing as wastage through the configuration. In addition, the leakage losses in this phase remain low as a consequence of the cumulative sealing actions of the seat valve and slide valve (connected one behind the other). Since the seat valve naturally begins to open immediately the valve body leaves the rest position, the space between the valve and the slide valve can already be filled with the inlet pressure before the slide valve, after obstructing the return opening, opens up the path to the outlet, with the result that the pressurization of the outlet takes place abruptly.
The outlet of the control valve configuration according to the invention is therefore particularly well-suited for a hydraulic control of the injection process, in which the injection phase is initiated by transfer of the valve body into the working position and the injection interval is determined by the rest position of the valve body.
In the case of a preferred embodiment, the first section of the valve body is a control piston which slides in a tight-fitting manner in the first section of the valve chamber and on the front side of which, which faces the seat valve, an annular active surface which is exposed to the valve inlet pressure is formed. A control space behind a rear active surface of the control piston is connected to the valve inlet via a feed restrictor and to a return connection via a discharge restrictor that is to be opened by the actuating device. In this connection, flow resistances of the restrictors and a proportion in size between the annular active surface and the rear active surface are dimensioned in such a manner that the valve body moves into the working position when the discharge restrictor is opened and moves into the rest position when the discharge restrictor is closed.
In this embodiment, the control piston is preferably configured in such a manner that when it reaches its working position, it presses in a sealing manner onto an access from the control space to the discharge restrictor. This ensures, within the meaning of the above problem definition, that the seepage losses remain limited to the short transition phase of the control piston from the rest position into the working position.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the first section of the valve chamber that contains the control piston has a diameter larger than a diameter of the second section of the valve chamber that forms the slide valve. The seat of the seat valve is formed by a conically shaped housing edge of the housing that is situated at a transition region between the first and second sections of the valve chamber. The front side of the control piston has an annular surface with a central zone that rests in a sealing manner on the seat when the valve body is in the rest position.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the annular surface on the front side of the control piston is a tapering transition area on the valve body connecting the first valve section to the second valve section. The first valve section has a diameter greater than a diameter of the second valve section. The housing has an annular groove with a constricted continuation. The conically shaped housing edge forming the seat of the seat valve is an edge of the housing disposed between the annular groove and the constricted continuation in the valve chamber. The valve inlet leads into the annular groove and the annular groove has a diameter larger than the diameter of the first section of the valve chamber. The constricted continuation of the annular groove forms a control edge for the slide valve at the transition region to the second section of the valve chamber.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the second valve section has a further annular groove. The further annular groove has an axial dimension dimensioned in such a manner that it spans a distance between the return opening and the valve outlet in the rest position of the valve body and, after the valve body leaves the rest position, the further annular groove leaves the return opening and at a same time spans a distance between the valve outlet and the constricted continuation of the annular groove.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the return opening has a control edge that is concurrent with an outer edge of the second section of the valve chamber.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the control piston has a flow duct connecting the feed restrictor to the control space. The feed restrictor connects the valve inlet to the flow duct.
In accordance with another added feature of the invention, the discharger restrictor is a flow duct having an entry opening situated on a front of the chamber wall.
In accordance with another additional feature of the invention, the control piston has a stop element disposed on the rear active surface. The stop element, when the control piston reaches the working position, is placed in a sealing manner onto the entry opening of the discharge restrictor.
In accordance with another further feature of the invention, the first valve section is a control piston having a rear face with a bore formed therein. The control piston has an end wall defining an end of the bore. The chamber wall of the housing has a return connection and a discharge restrictor with an entry opening fluidically connected to the return connection. A further piston slides in a tight-fitting manner in the bore of the control piston. The further piston is supported on the chamber wall, and the further piston has a flow duct leading through the further piston to the entry opening of the discharge restrictor. The bore defines a control space formed between the end wall of the control piston and the further piston.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the housing has a pressure-equalizing duct leading from a space formed between the rear face of the control piston and the chamber wall to ambient pressure.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the further piston has a front end reaching into the bore and strikes against a back of the bore, sealing off the flow duct leading to the discharge restrictor, when the control piston is in the working position.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the actuating device is an electromechanical actuator.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, a ball valve is disposed adjacent the discharge restrictor and the actuating device acts on the ball valve for blocking the discharge restrictor.
In accordance with a yet further feature of the invention, the valve outlet is to be connected to a primary side of a pressure intensifier in order to control a nozzle needle of the fuel injector.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the actuating device is a piezo actuator.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a control valve configuration for use in a fuel injector for internal combustion engines, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Control valve configuration for use in a fuel injector for internal combustion engines


A system includes a terminal and a gateway. The terminal is programmed to identify, in received data, a signature of rogue data that includes at least a device identifier and an application identifier, and to transmit, via uplink to a satellite, the identified signature to a gateway. The gateway is programmed to block downlink data, upon determining that downlink data includes the received signature, and to broadcast the received signature to a second gateway.

A satellite network allows traffic between devices, terminals, satellite(s), and gateways. For example, a device such as a mobile device or computer, connected through a local area network to a terminal, can communicate with another device, i.e., via a satellite uplink and/or downlink and one or more gateways. A rogue device, e.g., a mobile device having a rogue application, may attack the satellite network by propagating rogue data via the terminal through the network. A distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack can flood a network with incoming packets or messages, resulting in denial of network services, e.g., satellite bandwidth, connections, CPU and other resources, for legitimate users.

Mitigation of attacks on satellite networks


A plastic binder is milled to a powder, preferably having a particle size equal to the mean size of flakes of permanent magnet material, and dry mixed with the magnetic flakes. A molding fixture is heated to a temperature higher than that of the melting point of the plastic binder. A rotor core, having a rounded upper edge for molding a thin cylindrical magnet thereon, of solid or laminated soft magnetic material is prepared and placed in the molding fixture and brought up to the molding temperature. The mixture is poured in measured amounts into the upper chamber of the hot molding fixture and then compressed and melted. The fluid mixture is transferred into a molding cavity surrounding the rotor core in the lower chamber and cooled. After cooling, the finished permanent magnet rotor is ejected. Advantageously, by this method, the proportion of magnetic material to plastic may be increased to approximately 80%/20% magnetic material to plastic by volume, and the magnets may be made thinner.

Molding magnets instead of forming, machining and assembling them is cost effective. Molded magnets are made of a mixture of magnetizable powder and a binder, typically nylon or other thermoplastic. The magnetic powder and binder are usually compounded in an extruder; then, pellets of the mixture are used to injection mold parts. The higher the magnetic material loading, the more effective the magnet; therefore, thinner magnets with less magnetic material are required. The standard method of compounding and injection molding has an upper limit (by volume) of about 60%/40% of magnetic material to plastic, above which adding more magnetic material results in impractical flowability and workability in the injection molder.

Method of making permanent magnet rotors


A cable release apparatus includes a housing and latch mounted at one end of the housing. The latch has a central opening and a plurality of projecting members extending into the housing. A releasable connector is mounted inside the housing. An actuator has one end disposed in the central opening in the latch and another end in contact with the releasable connector. The actuator is movable between a first position prior to activation of the releaseable connector and a second position wherein the releasable connector is activated. Prior to activation of the releasable connector, the latch is held in place by an interference fit between the projecting members and the housing. When the releasable connector is activated, the projecting members are deflected by applying tension to the latch, thereby releasing the latch from the housing.

Various devices and methods have been provided in the oilfield service industry for releasing downhole apparatus such as wireline from the conveyance head and tools. Traditionally, such apparatus have relied upon mechanical weakpoints. U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,269, incorporated herein by reference, assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation addressed disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art devices and methods.
Therefore, it is a desire to provide a release device that overcomes deficiencies of the prior art devices. It is a further desire, to provide a release device that provides additional benefits.


A process and apparatus for selectively electroplating the tip portion of an airfoil. The airfoil includes a root portion and a blade portion having a tip. At least part of the blade including the tip is coated with an insulating material. Insulating material is removed from the tip and the airfoil is mounted in a fixture so that the tip is exposed. The fixture is immersed in a sealing bath, and the fixture and at least a portion of the airfoil is encased in sealing material while leaving the tip exposed. The fixture is then immersed in an electroplating bath, the exposed tip is electroplated, and the fixture is removed from the bath.

The present invention resides in an improved process and apparatus for the electroplating of airfoils used in turbines and the like.
Airfoils, which are used in jet engine environments, are generally required to have the tip portion thereof coated with a wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant material. Typical coating processes and apparatus require the masking of the airfoils in a coating fixture prior to the electroplating of a protective material on the tip portion of the airfoil blade. The fixtures previously used suffer from a number of disadvantages. These disadvantages include chemical contamination due to dragout in the plating baths, clumsiness of assembly of the supporting fixture for the airfoils, and limited capacity, that is limited number of airfoils processed per batch. Naturally, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved process and apparatus for plating the tip portion of airfoils. More particularly, it would be highly desirable to have a process and apparatus which reduces chemical contamination, increases product throughput, and reduces product cost.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a process for plating the tip portion of airfoils which is both efficient and economic.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for use in the plating process which increases throughput, reduces chemical causing contamination by dragout, and is simple to use.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.

Process for selectively electroplating an airfoil


An electric motor is provided. The motor is mountable to a machine. The motor includes a rotor rotatable about an axis, a stator, a housing, and a fastener. The housing includes a first endshield and a controller can, with the stator being positioned axially between the endshield and the can. The fastener extends through and interconnects the first endshield, the stator, and the can. The fastener projects axially beyond at least one of the first endshield and the can for connection to the machine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electric motor mountable to a machine. More particularly, the present invention concerns a motor including a rotor, a stator, a housing, and a fastener, wherein the fastener extends through the stator and the housing and projects beyond one end of the housing for connection to the machine.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that electric motors are used in a variety of machines, including but not limited to appliances such as air conditioners. For instance, the condenser unit of an air conditioner might include an electric motor to drive the condenser fan. In many configurations, the condenser unit is located outdoors. In such cases, the motor may be exposed to moisture and/or other contaminants from the environment. Yet further, the motor may be exposed to moisture originating in the condenser unit during the course of normal operation. The orientation of the motor, combined with its specific configuration, may predispose it to the detrimental ingress of such moisture and/or contaminants onto interior motor components such as the stator and/or controller.


A system for compressing an Internet Protocol (IP) header for a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) is provided. The system includes an access gateway and a plurality of cells, each of which has an enhanced node B (ENB). When the quantity of cells that will provide the MBMS is known to be one, execution of a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)-based data compression function for the IP header occurs in the ENB of the one cell. When the quantity of cells that will provide the MBMS is not known to be one, execution of the PDCP-based data compression function occurs in the access gateway.

In traditional wireless telecommunications systems, transmission equipment in a base station transmits signals throughout a geographic region known as a cell. As technology has evolved, more advanced equipment has been introduced that can provide services that were difficult previously. This advanced equipment might include, for example, an enhanced node B (ENB) rather than a base station or other systems and devices that are more highly evolved than the equivalent equipment in a traditional wireless telecommunications system. Such advanced or next generation equipment may be referred to herein as long-term evolution (LTE) equipment. Devices that might be used by users in a telecommunications network can include both mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, handheld computers, portable computers, laptop computers, tablet computers and similar devices, and fixed terminals, such as residential gateways, televisions, set-top boxes, and the like. Such mobile and fixed devices will be referred to herein as user equipment or UE.
A group of LTE-based cells might be under the control of a single entity known as a central control. The central control typically manages and coordinates certain activities with a group of cells such as scheduling the transmission of broadcast/multicast services from the ENBs under its control to the UEs being served by the ENBs.
Services that might be provided by LTE-based equipment can include broadcasts or multicasts of television programs, streaming video, streaming audio, and other multimedia and non-multimedia content. Such services are commonly referred to as multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS). An MBMS might be transmitted throughout a single cell or throughout several contiguous or overlapping cells. A set of cells receiving an MBMS can be referred to as a service area. A service area and a region under the control of a central control do not necessarily coincide. For example, a central control might specify that a first subset of cells under its control will deliver a first MBMS and that a second subset of cells under its control will deliver a second MBMS.
An MBMS may be communicated from an ENB to a UE using point-to-point (PTP) communication or point-to-multipoint (PTM) communication. PTP communication, also known as unicast communication, is similar to conventional cellular network communication in that there is a dedicated radio bearer between the ENB and a UE. PTP communication from the ENB may enable high quality communication with the UE. However, when an ENB communicates with a large number of UEs using PTP communication, a substantial amount of overhead may be required for establishing and maintaining the PTP communications and a substantial amount of the available spectrum may be occupied.
PTM communication may include utilizing a dedicated channel or dedicated carrier to transmit data or services to multiple UEs. While a certain amount of overhead may be required to initiate a PTM communication, the overhead is relatively small and may not vary in relation to the number of UEs. That is, as more UEs utilize the data or services, the overhead required to establish and maintain the broadcast PTM communication remains approximately the same. PTM communications may also improve spectral efficiency as the number of UEs increases because no new transmissions are required for newly added users. In some cases, the quality of PTM communications may be worse than that for PTP communications since there is little or no communication from the UEs to the ENB, and because of power considerations and other factors that may reduce the relative quality of the communication.
Transmission of data or services by PTM communication might be either a broadcast or a multicast. A broadcast is a PTM transmission that is freely available to UEs within range of the transmission. A multicast is a PTM transmission that is available only to UEs that have subscribed to or have otherwise been granted access to the transmission. Hereinafter, the terms unicast, broadcast, and multicast might be used interchangeably to refer to any transmission of data or services from an ENB to one or more UEs.
In some LTE telecommunications networks, data is transmitted in Internet Protocol (IP) packets. The IP packets include headers that contain information about the data carried by the packets. In Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4), the header is typically 40 bytes long including the Transport Control Protocol header and Real-Time Protocol header and in Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), the header is typically 60 bytes long including the Transport Control Protocol header and Real-Time Protocol header. Due to this large size, the data in an IP header might be compressed to increase the efficiency of IP packet transmissions. The compression is typically carried out by a software and/or hardware component known as the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP).

Location of packet data convergence protocol in a long-term evolution multimedia broadcast multicast service


A timer control circuit includes timers that perform count operations. A signal selection circuit selectively passes underflow signals supplied from the timers, based on control signals. A flip-flop is supplied with an output of the signal selection circuit section as a toggle signal.

The present invention relates to a timer control circuit for controlling an output of a timer incorporated in a computer such as a microcomputer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a timer control circuit capable of providing a complicated output waveform without casting a burden upon software.
Conventionally, there is known the circuit shown in FIG. 5 that outputs signals having various waveforms from an external output terminal of a microcomputer by using an output signal of a timer incorporated in the microcomputer.
This circuit includes timers T1, T2, and T3, flip-flops (xe2x80x9cF/Fxe2x80x9d) F1, F2, and F3, and switches S1 to S6. The generated signal is output from the F/Fs F1, F2, and F3. The timers T1, T2, and T3 are set in a mode to automatically down count for two periods. Initial count values in the first and second periods are set to different values.
In the circuit shown in FIG. 5, the F/Fs are toggled based on an underflow signal or an overflow signal output from the respective timers T1, T2, and T3 when counting corresponding to one period is finished.
For example, When the timer T1 is started, it begins counting as shown in FIG. 6. If the switch S1 is ON at two time points t1 and t2 when the timer T1 has output an underflow signal, then an output signal of the flip-flop F1 is inverted and an output signal that is a one shot pulse can be generated.
Furthermore, a complicated waveform including two pulses maybe output by using any of the following two methods.
Method 1: This is a method used when one timer is provided for one flip-flop. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, only one timer T1 is connected to the flip-flop F1. When the timer T1 is started it begins counting as shown in FIG. 7. If the switch S1 is ON at two time points t1 and t2 when the timer T1 has output an underflow signal, then an output signal of the flip-flop F1 is inverted and an output signal of one shot pulse can be generated. Thereafter, the count value of the timer T1 is re-set, and the timer T1 is started again. As a result, the output signal of the flip-flop F1 is inverted at two time points t3 and t4 when the timer T1 has output an underflow signal, and a second pulse having a different width can be output.
Method 2: This is a method used when two or more timers are provided with one flip-flop. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, three timers T1, T2, and T3 are connected to the flip-flop F2. When the timers T1 and T2 are simultaneously started, the switch S2 is set ON. As shown in FIG. 8, the timers T1 and T2 begin counting. At a time point t1, the timer T1 outputs a first underflow signal, and an output of the flip-flop F2 is inverted. Subsequently, the switch S3 is changed to the ON state. If thereafter two underflow signals have been output from the timer T2, then the switch S2 is changed to the ON state. As a result, the output of the flip-flop F2 is inverted at a time point t2 when a first underflow signal has been output from the timer T2. Furthermore, at a time point t3 when a second underflow signal has been output from the timer T2, the output of the flip-flop F2 is inverted. Thereafter, the timer T1 causes a second underflow, and the output of the flip-flop F2 is inverted at a time point t4. As a result, the two-pulse waveform as shown in FIG. 4 is generated. Thus, in this technique, an output waveform as shown in FIG. 8 is obtained by selecting one among a plurality of timers by using switches.
Thus, in the conventional timer control circuit, one timer is started a plurality of times or one of a plurality of timers is selected when generating a complicated output waveform including two or more pulses. Therefore, switching of the states of the switches S1 to S6 and counter re-setting need to be conducted by software in a personal computer. This is disadvantageous because it increases the load of the software.
It is an object of this invention to provide a timer control circuit capable of simply providing a desired out put waveform without burdening the software with a load even in the case of a complicated waveform.
The timer control circuit of one aspect of this invention comprises a plurality of timers. Each timer counts up to a predetermined value and outputs an underflow signal when counting is over. Furthermore, a logic unit receives a control signal and the underflow signals from all of the timers, and based on the control signal passes one of the underflow signals as a toggle signal. Furthermore, a control unit receives the toggle signal from the logic unit. The control unit changes its output state based on the input timing of the toggle signal.
The timer control circuit of another aspect of this invention comprises a plurality of timers. Each timer counts up to a predetermined value, generates and outputs an enable during counting, and outputs an underflow signal when counting is over. Furthermore, a plurality of logic units commonly receive an underflow signal output from one of the timers and an enable signal output from at least one of the timers. Each logic unit receives a control signal and the underflow signals from some of the timers and based on the control signal passes one of the underflow signals as a toggle signal only during an effective interval of the enable signal(s). Furthermore, there are provided a plurality of control units. Each control unit receives the toggle signal from corresponding one of the logic units. Each control unit changes its output state based on the input timing of the toggle signal.
The timer control circuit of still another aspect of this invention comprises a plurality of timers. Each timer counts up to a predetermined value and outputs an overflow signal when counting is over. Furthermore, a logic unit receives a control signal and the overflow signals from all of the timers, and based on the control signal passes one of the overflow signals as a toggle signal. Furthermore, a control unit receives the toggle signal from the logic unit. The control unit changes its output state based on the input timing of the toggle signal.
The timer control circuit of still another aspect of this invention comprises a plurality of timers. Each timer counts up to a predetermined value, generates and outputs an enable during counting, and outputs an overflow signal when counting is over. Furthermore, a plurality of logic units commonly receive an overflow signal output from one of the timers and an enable signal output from at least one of the timers. Each logic unit receives a control signal and the overflow signals from some of the timers and based on the control signal passes one of the overflow signals as a toggle signal only during an effective interval of the enable signal(s). Furthermore, a plurality of control units are provided. Each control unit receives the toggle signal from corresponding one of the logic units. Each control unit changes its output state based on the input timing of the toggle signal.


A ridge type semiconductor optical device includes a first conductivity type semiconductor layer including at least a first stripe section; an active layer including at least an active stripe section on the first stripe section; a second conductivity type semiconductor layer including at least a second stripe section on the active stripe section; a ridge electrode on the second stripe section; an insulation film on an end face of each of the first stripe section, the active stripe section, and the second stripe section; and a film heater on the insulation film, the film heater overlapping with the end face of at least the first stripe section.

Some implementations described herein relate to a heater-integrated ridge type semiconductor optical device.
Recently, semiconductor optical devices such as semiconductor laser elements are requested to work in a wider operation temperature range. To stably work in such a wider temperature range, a Peltier device is disadvantageous due to a larger package size and higher cost. Temperature adjustment measures using a heater are available. For example, by employing a design structure where a satisfactory optical output is achievable at high temperature, heating with a heater only in a low-temperature environment can prevent current density from dropping at low temperature, enabling stable operation.
Some techniques may use a thin film heater just on an upper electrode of a laser. Some techniques may use thin film heaters on both sides of a stripe structure for a light confinement zone.
The aforementioned thin film heaters are only provided to be away from an active layer and cannot sufficiently transmit heat generated by itself to the light confinement zone, making it likely to deteriorate its heat efficiency.

Heater-integrated ridge type optical semiconductor optical device


A swiveling skylight mount and system is provided. The mount may include a base mount defining an opening therein, the opening bounded by a constantly radiused wall. The mount may also include an adjustment ring, the adjustment ring including an aperture adapted for receipt of a skylight tube. The adjustment ring may include a constantly radiused outer surface. The outer surface of the adjusting ring may be disposed at least partially against the wall defined by the opening in the base mount, and adapted to swivel relative to the base mount. Such a swiveling sky mount may also be included in an adjustable skylight system, that also includes a flashing unit to which the base mount may be attached, and a light transmissive dome.

Skylights provide for the transmission of natural light to the interior of buildings. Popular both in commercial and residential structures, skylights provide a more pleasing and desirable source of interior illumination and reduce the consumption of electricity.
Traditional skylights are constructed with a light shaft between a skylight lens upon a building roof and an opening in an interior ceiling. The light shaft may include conventional framing and sheetrocking between the skylight lens and the interior opening below.
Alternatively, tubular skylights may be used. A tubular skylight may include an exterior dome upon the roof of the building, an interior light diffuser at the interior building ceiling, and a light tube disposed between the dome and diffuser.
Tubular skylights include a number of unique characteristics that may be advantageous in certain applications. For examples, tubular skylights may be purchased as pre-assembled systems, making installation easier and requiring less construction expertise. Tubular skylights also may be used without the need for reinforcing structural supports. Tubular skylights may require less involved constructional logistics that the afore-mentioned light shaft skylights. They may also be used in spaces too small for such traditional skylights.
Additionally, tubular skylights may be installed in less time than is required to install a traditional skylight. Installation of currently-existing tubular skylights may include the following steps. First, the preferred location of the interior diffuser may be located upon the interior building ceiling, then perhaps adjusted so as to avoid interference with existing ceiling joists. Thereafter, from the attic space above the ceiling, a direct path may be established between the ceiling location to the exterior building roof. Such a direct path may be desirable, to avoid elbow joints with the use of rigid skylight tubes or bends with the use of flexible skylight tubes, so as to provide a straight path for incoming sunlight, inasmuch as a straight path results in greater transmission of such sunlight. However, such a direct path may not be available, either because of framing, HVAC ductwork, piping, and/or wiring within the attic space, or because of interfering structures upon the roof. Once final ceiling and roof locations have been identified, holes are cut through each. Thereafter, various configurations of interior ceiling diffuser mounts and rooftop structural mounts may be utilized, as commercially available. Next, a light tube is disposed between the roof and the ceiling. However, unless a direct line could be established between the roof and the ceiling, either a flexible light tube (itself bent) or a rigid light tube with one or more elbow units may need to be used between the two openings to connect the ceiling diffuser to the rooftop mount.
Experience with the currently-existing tubular skylights has identified several challenges. For example, dimensions between the exterior roof and the interior ceilings vary greatly from one building to another. As noted above, for example, placement of the interior diffuser within a building depends not only upon the particular dimensions of the individual building, which may differ significantly from one application to another, but also upon the subjective preferences of the individual installer or building owner. Furthermore, as to such a structure, depending upon placement of the exterior dome upon the roof relative to placement of the diffuser on the interior ceiling, still further dimensional variables are presented. For example, different roofs have different pitches, and different rooftop structures, such as vents, chimneys, and the like, might be found upon any particular building during any particular application that would require placement of the rooftop unit in a different location.
Simply put, the variables to be reckoned with for proper installation of a tubular skylight within a particular building include the location of the interior diffuser, the location of the exterior roof unit relative to the interior diffuser, and the angle between those two components. Economy of manufacture urges that standardization of tubular skylight components would be desirable, yet a single configuration of the currently-known tubular skylights does not account for the virtually infinite variations of such variables encountered in the field. It would be desirable to have a skylight system with a tubular tunnel assembly that could be finely adjusted to meet the variations in angle between the rooftop assembly and the interior assembly.
The apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,848 purports to be adapted to suit a variety of roof pitches in a tubular skylight assembly. However, use of that apparatus is limited by its inherent features. While some adjustment of the angular orientation of the described apparatus might be made about lugs, the sides 23 of the apparatus constrain such movement in many directions. Furthermore, the apparatus admits only to articulation about fixed horizontal axis 26. While axis 26 may be changed at installation between various pairs of the grooves formed on the rim of the base, that number of pairs of grooves is finite, and therefore the adjustability of the angular orientation of the depending light tube likewise is finite. The described apparatus also is comparatively complicated to manufacture and, should a lug be broken, the apparatus would be rendered useless.
It has also been found preferable to minimize the use of elbows within the light tube. While the currently known tubular skylight systems may require the use of such elbows to provide for connection between the rooftop unit and the interior diffuser, use of such elbows has been found to reduce the amount of light transmitted through the skylight assembly. Examples of such elbows are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,947. It would be preferable to avoid the use of any such elbows.
Even with the use of flexible tubing between the rooftop assembly and the interior diffuser, experience has shown that it may be preferable in some applications for such flexible tubing to extend directly, in a straight line, from the rooftop mount to the interior diffuser, rather than to bend or to use rigid elbows so as to adapt for angular displacements between the rooftop mount and the interior diffuser. As noted above, every elbow or bend in the light tube may result in diminishment of the amount of sunlight transmitted by the skylight system.
As suggested above, the buildings in which tubular skylights might be installed often have pitched roofs. While roof pitch usually is at one of only several standard gradients, the angle at which the light tunnel beneath such a roof must traverse, relative to the plane of the roof, to reach the interior diffuser panel may vary infinitely between different applications. Experience in the field teaches that precise measurement, satisfactory alignment, and efficient light transmission can be difficult to achieve with some presently-known tubular skylights. Careful measurement and advance planning, even by a skilled craftsman, must account for satisfactory final installation in three dimensions, which multiplies the opportunity for human error. It would be desirable therefore to have a skylight assembly that would allow for simple yet effective fine tuning in the field of the angular orientation of the light tunnel between the roof mount and the interior diffuser.
It has also come to be recognized that some tradesmen installing tubular skylights prefer to assemble and install as much of the skylight system as possible from the building roof, minimizing the amount of time and assembly required indoors, either inside the building itself or in the attic space between the ceiling and roof. Because those who install tubular skylights view as preferable those devices that can be more completely assembled and installed from the rooftop, it would be desirable to have a skylight system that allows for assembly and installation of as much of the system as possible from the exterior building roof.
Still further, differential thermal expansion between various components of a tubular skylight assembly must be recognized. Variations in the temperatures between a building interior and exterior, as well as variations in ambient outdoor temperature between the yearly seasons, may cause differential thermal expansion between the components of some presently-known tubular skylight systems that impairs the integrity of the skylight system. It would therefore be desirable to have a tubular skylight system that addresses differential thermal expansion concerns and thereby preserves the integrity of the tubular skylight system.
Furthermore, it has been found in some installations that humidity intrudes to the interior of a tubular skylight system, and may condense at the exterior skylight dome. It would be preferable, therefore, to have a tubular skylight system that allows for drainage of condensed moisture from the skylight dome to the exterior of the building roof.
It would thus be desirable to have a tubular skylight system meeting one or more of the foregoing concerns that is also durable, reliable, and easily and inexpensively manufactured.
While various tubular skylights have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.

Adjustable skylight angle adaptor and system


A method of manufacturing an electronic device including a thin film transistor comprises forming a semiconductor film over an insulating substrate; depositing a first masking layer over the semiconductor film and removing portions of it to form a plurality of holes through it that extend substantially perpendicularly from its upper to its lower surface; patterning the first masking layer in a first pattern; depositing a second masking layer over the first masking layer; patterning the second masking layer to define a second pattern that lies within the area of the first pattern; and implanting the semiconductor film using at least the first masking layer as an implantation mask. A portion of the first masking layer that defines at least some of the holes partially masks the implantation such that the implantation defines source and drain regions, an undoped conduction channel between the source and drain regions, and a field-relief region having a lower doping concentration than does the drain region between the conduction channel and the drain region.

For many years there has been much interest in developing thin-film circuits with TFTs on glass and/or on other inexpensive insulating substrates, for large area electronics applications. Such TFTs fabricated with amorphous or polycrystalline semiconductor films may form the switching elements of a cell matrix, for example, in a flat panel display as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,829 (Our Ref: PHB 33646). A more recent development involves the fabrication and integration of circuits from TFTs (often using polycrystalline silicon) as, for example, integrated drive circuits for such a cell matrix. Thus, for example, published European Patent Application EP-A-0 629 003 (Our Ref: PHB 33845) describes such an electronic device comprising on a substrate a switching matrix of thin-film switching transistors and a peripheral drive circuit located outside the matrix and comprising thin-film circuit transistors which are coupled to the switching TFTs of the matrix. The whole contents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,829 and EP-A-0 629 003 are hereby incorporated herein as reference material.
Unfortunately, undesirable field-induced effects occur in the transistor characteristics of such TFTs, especially those fabricated with polycrystalline silicon formed using low temperature processes. Several instability mechanisms occur, for example, on-current loss, bias-induced state creation in the polycrystalline silicon, and hot carrier induced state creation and carrier trapping. Another effect which occurs is a drain field-enhanced increase in leakage current. The degradation of the transistor characteristics (for example, off-state leakage current, threshold voltage and on-state current) can seriously limit the use of such TFTs in such circuits.
One way of reducing such effects in TFTs is by means of a field-relief region having a lower doping concentration than the drain region. The TFT comprises an insulated gate adjacent to a crystalline semiconductor film for controlling a conduction channel in the semiconductor film between source and drain regions. The field relief region is present between the conduction channel and drain region of the TFT. It may be located to the side of the gate, or it may be fully or partly overlapped by the gate.
The problem with conventional field-relief architectures is that they require an additional low-dose implantation step. A high-dose implant is needed for the formation of the source and drain, whilst a low-dose implant is required for the field-relief region. Although the introduction of a field-relief region improves TFT performance considerably, the additional implantation step complicates the TFT production process. It is desirable to fabricate the source, drain and the field-relief region in a single implantation step in order to simplify the TFT manufacturing process, which will reduce production costs and improve throughput and yield. This problem is addressed in Japanese Patent Specification No. 9148266 which describes a method of TFT fabrication wherein the edges of the gate electrode are oxidised to form porous films. The porous films are used as a mask to reduce the amount of impurity ions implanted into the active layer and thereby form field relief regions adjacent the source and drain.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved method of defining field relief regions in a single implantation step.
The present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electronic device including a thin film transistor, comprising the steps of:
(a) forming a semiconductor film over an insulating substrate;
(b) depositing a first masking layer over the semiconductor film and removing portions thereof to form a plurality of holes therethrough which extend substantially perpendicularly from the upper to the lower surface thereof;
(c) patterning the first masking layer in a first pattern;
(d) depositing a second masking layer over the first masking layer;
(e) patterning the second masking layer to define a second pattern that lies within the area of the first pattern; and
(f) implanting the semiconductor film, using at least the first masking layer as an implantation mask, with a portion of the first masking layer which defines at least some of the holes partially masking the implantation, such that the implantation defines source and drain regions, an undoped conduction channel between the source and drain regions, and a field-relief region having a lower doping concentration than the drain region between the conduction channel and the drain region.
Combined implantation of source, drain and field-relief regions can thus be achieved with the use of a masking layer or template for the definition of the field-relief region, which reduces the implant dose in a controlled fashion relative to the source and drain regions where there is no template.
The first masking layer defines a large number of vertical holes that reach down to the layer beneath, through which the dopant is implanted. The fraction of the template area that is covered with holes determines the effective dopant concentration in the region defined by the template. An increase in the number of holes and a reduction in the hole size will produce a quasi-homogeneous doping profile in the field-relief region, whose doping uniformity can be improved further in a subsequent combined dopant activation and diffusion process using a laser to diffuse the dopant laterally in the molten silicon. The doping dose and distribution can therefore be readily dictated in a controllable manner by selecting a suitable density and size of holes. Techniques which facilitate this are discussed below.
With the approach disclosed in the Japanese Patent Specification No. 9148266 referred to above, the dopant concentration in the field relief regions may only be adjusted relative to the dopant concentration in the source and drain regions by varying the thickness of the oxide layer.
Depending on their number and size, the holes in the template may be prepared using for example lithography or "nanotechnology", that is techniques for defining features having dimensions of the order of nanometers rather than micrometers.
Step (b), that is the formation of a first masking layer over the semiconductor film having a plurality of holes therethrough may comprise providing an array of spaced raised features over the semiconductor film, depositing the first masking layer thereover, and removing the raised features together with the portions of the first masking layer material overlying the raised features. Alternatively, step (b) may comprise depositing a first masking layer over the semiconductor film, defining an etchant mask over the first masking layer, and etching a plurality of holes through the material of the first masking layer.
Step (c), patterning the first masking layer in a first pattern, may be carried out before the step of etching holes in the first masking layer.
In a preferred embodiment of the method, the step of forming holes in the first masking layer is carried out after step (e), such that the holes are formed through the exposed areas of the first masking layer.
The patterning of the first and second masking layers may be achieved in several ways. In a preferred process, step (d) is carried out before step (c), and the method includes a further step (h) after step (d) and before step (c) of patterning the second masking layer to form a mask in the first pattern for the patterning of the first masking layer in step (c). More particularly, wherein step (h) may comprise defining the second pattern in the second masking layer and then forming sidewall spacers adjacent the second masking layer to define the first pattern.
The step (e) of patterning the second layer may comprise defining the second pattern in a third masking layer over the second masking layer, oxidising the exposed portions of the second masking layer, and then removing the oxidised portions of the second masking layer thereby defining the second pattern in the second masking layer.
The use of this oxidation technique or spacers enables the formation of relatively narrow field relief regions, reducing the associated parasitic capacitance and series resistance.
Preferably, the first masking layer may form a gate electrode layer, and the method includes a step of depositing a gate insulator layer after step (a) and before step (b). This enables the formation of fully self-aligned, gate-overlapped lightly-doped-drain (FSA GOLDD) device structures.
Alternatively, the first masking layer forms a gate insulating layer and the second masking layer forms a gate electrode layer.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device including a thin film transistor which comprises a patterned semiconductor film on an insulating substrate, a gate insulator layer over the semiconductor film, and a gate electrode over the gate insulator layer, the semiconductor film comprising source and drain regions, an undoped conduction channel between the source and drain regions, and a field-relief region having a lower doping concentration than the drain region between the conduction channel and the drain region, wherein a portion of the gate electrode overlaps the field-relief region and has a plurality of holes defined therethrough which extend substantially perpendicularly from the upper to the lower surface thereof.
In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device including a thin film transistor which comprises a patterned semiconductor film on an insulating substrate, a gate insulator layer over the semiconductor film, and a gate electrode over the gate insulator layer, the semiconductor film comprising source and drain regions, an undoped conduction channel between the source and drain regions, and a field-relief region having a lower doping concentration than the drain region between the conduction channel and the drain region, wherein a portion of the gate insulator layer overlaps the field-relief region and has a plurality of holes defined therethrough which extend substantially perpendicularly from the upper to the lower surface thereof, and the gate electrode is self-aligned with the conduction channel.
Preferably, the length of the field-relief region is less than 1 μm. The use of, for instance, a spacer technology, oxidation of a patterned mask layer or overetching of a patterned mask layer allow the formation of a relatively narrow field relief region, with a length which may be well below 1 μm.
The holes in the first masking layer may expose around 1 to 10% of the underlying layer with a view to optimising the stability of the TFT. The average hole diameter is preferably less than 100 nm.
The layer definition and implantation methods used to fabricate the TFTs may adopt known technologies and process steps, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The source and drain regions and field-relief regions may be doped regions of the one conductivity type present in the semiconductor film, and/or they may be doped regions of one or more additional semiconductor films adjacent to the said semiconductor film. Gate-aligned processes may be used in order to reduce parasitic effects. Thus, for example, at least some of the circuit TFTs may have their field relief region substantially entirely overlapping with the gate, and the gate of these TFTs and/or of other circuit TFTs may have an edge which is substantially aligned with an edge of the drain region.
It should be noted that the Figures are diagrammatic and not drawn to scale. Relative dimensions and proportions of parts of these Figures have been shown exaggerated or reduced in size, for the sake of clarity and convenience in the Drawings.

Manufacture of electronic devices comprising thin-film transistors


A light-shielding blade for use in cameras utilizes a film of para-type aromatic polyamide for its base material. The light-shielding blade has a single-layer structure using an aramid film as its blade material. The film is added with carbon black at a ratio of 2 to 10 percent by weight relative to a total weight of the blade material. Alternatively, the light-shielding blade has a laminated structure with a plurality of aramid films stacked each other and having a thickness of 2 to 30 microns each, a total thickness being set to a range of 50 to 200 microns.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a shutter blade for use in a focal plane shutter or a lens shutter of a camera and a diaphragm blade of a camera, to be more specific, to a plastic light-shielding blade for use in a camera that requires to block light.
2. Description of Related Art
A blade such as a shutter blade and a diaphragm blade for use in an optical apparatus such as a camera must be light in weight and high in rigidity and, at the same time, must intrinsically have light-shielding properties because the blade covers a photosensitive material at the front side thereof to block light from being exposed to the material. Besides, it is desired for the blade to be black in color and low in reflectivity because the blade must absorb light to prevent the light from being reflected on the surface of the blade. Further, the blade must have a good planarity and a high resistivity against contact electrification because the blade operates in contact with another. These properties are especially important for a shutter blade that operates at a high speed. To satisfy the above-mentioned requirements, various light-shielding blades have been developed as disclosed for example in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Sho 60-63825, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 63-165828, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 57-17932, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 57-24925, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 57-60315, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 57-118226, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 58-149030, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 4-211232, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-270855. Of the above-mentioned publications, No. Sho 57-24925 discloses a light-shielding blade made of an aluminum alloy sheet for use in a camera. No. Sho 58-149030 discloses, for light-shielding blade materials, plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyamide, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, urea resin, polyurethane, polystyrene, polypropylene, and unsaturated polyester resin, or materials obtained by reinforcing these materials with fibers such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, boron fiber, higher polymer organic fiber, boron nitride, and whisker. No. Hei 4-211232 discloses use of aromatic polyamide fiber for a blade support arm.
Currently, a light-shielding blade made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is in wide use because of its low cost and light weight. However, because PET is comparatively low in strength such as tensile elasticity, PET is not suitable for use in a light-shielding blade for a focal plane shutter that operates at a high speed. If PET is used as the material of a light-shielding blade, the blade is deflected by vibration or shock caused by traveling or braking of the blade. This deflection leads to damage of the blade or collision between blades. Therefore, guaranteed durability of the shutter using PET light-shielding blades is generally in the order of 10,000 shutter operation times, far less than 30,000. Actually, if PET light-shielding blades are used for a focal plane shutter, a derived maximum shutter speed is limited to 1/1000 second to 1/2000 second. To achieve shutter speeds of 1/4000 second or higher, in case that a focal plane shutter is constituted by four light-shielding blades for example, the first and second blades are made of aluminum alloy (for example, superduralumin) and the third and fourth blades are made of PET. If all of four blades are made of PET, the deflection may be caused by traveling or braking of the blades.

Light shielding blade for camera made of para-orientation aromatic polyamide film


A method for operating a security and/or automation system is described. A sensor may identify when a first person is in a sleep state. The sensor may detect a disturbance in the sleep state, and alert a second person when the detected disturbance satisfies one or more disturbance parameters.

The present disclosure, for example, relates to security and/or automation systems, and more particularly to monitoring a person, sometimes a child, in the home environment.
Security and automation systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication and functional features such as monitoring, communication, notification, and/or others. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with a user through a communication connection or a system management action.
Managing the status of a person in a household can be a complicated process. Depending on the age of the person, multiple factors may need to be tracked and monitored for a second person to feel the first person is adequately safe and healthy. Additionally, monitoring systems may be stand-alone systems not integrated into a more holistic approach to monitoring.