A single layer pocket 82 is provided in which left edge portion 88 and right edge portion 89 of the single layer 86 are spaced apart from the left edge portion and right edge portion of the back panel 14. The pocket 82 is equipped with a flexibly rigid curvilinear shaped rib element 100 affixed vertically to the pocket, and a similar rib element 110 that extends laterally across the pocket 82.

Specially designed pants have been constructed for a variety of athletic activities, including running, rollerblading, skating and biking. While performing such sporting activities, it is often useful for athletes to carry items such as medicines, keys, money, sunglasses, energy bars or energy packets. For this purpose, an athlete will frequently wear a jersey having pockets for carrying such items, or will wear a pouch attached to his or her waist by a strap.
Pockets on jerseys, however, can restrict movement during sporting activities and items in jersey pockets tend to bounce against the athlete causing a degradation in performance. Further, athletes will often perform sports without wearing a jersey due to the high ambient temperature or to the restrictions in movement caused by jerseys. Further, pouches can affect the athletes' aerodynamics and can hinder movement during sports, disadvantageously affecting performance. Therefore, many athletic pants incorporate one or more pockets for holding items.
Pockets in athletic pants are of several types. Some pockets hold items between the outer layer of the pants and the athlete's skin. These pockets can cause the items to chafe during the sporting activity. Further, nutritional items can melt due to excessive heat generated by the athlete's body during the activity.
Other pockets in athletic pants are attached externally to the outer layer of the pants. These pockets tend to catch air during the athletic activity and, thus, degrade the athletes' performance. Further, items held by some external pockets tend to bounce excessively during the activity further affecting the athlete's performance. Also, item held by conventional pockets are difficult to retrieve, especially while performing activities involving running or jogging.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to have athletic pants that incorporate a pocket for carrying items, where the pocket does not subject the items to the extra heat generated by the athlete's body, that offer minimal resistance to air, and that minimize how much bounce the items are subjected to during the athletic activities. It would also be advantageous to have athletic pants that incorporate a pocket that allows for easy, convenient retrieval of items, particularly while performing athletic activities.


A flip chip bonding tool and ball placement capillary system comprising a dissipative material with a resistance low enough to prevent a discharge of a charge to a device being bonded and high enough to avoid current flow to the device being bonded is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flip chip bonding tool tips. More particularly, the present invention relates to dissipative and insulative ceramic flip chip bonding tools and capillaries for ball placement for bonding electrical connections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Integrated circuits have different methods of attachment to a lead frame. One method is an ultrasonic wire bond whereby individual leads are connected to individual bond pads on the integrated circuit with wire. Ball bonding—a type of wire bonding—involves a process whereby a metal sphere is melted on a length of wire. Wedge bonding is similar to ball bonding except that the process generally utilizes aluminum wire; no 'ball' is formed and the process can be performed at room temperature. Gold ball bonding, on the other hand, typically occurs at temperatures in excess of 150° Celsius. Gold ball bonding is most often used in high volume applications as it is a faster process whereas aluminum wire bonding is used in situations when packages or a printed circuit board cannot be heated. Gold ball bonding, too, has pitch limits of approximately 60 micron. Aluminum wedge bonding can be performed as pitches finer than 60 micron.
Wire bonding techniques use "face-up" chips with a wire connection to each pad. Bump or "flip chip" microelectronic assembly, on the other hand, is a direct electrical connection of face-down—"flipped"—electronic components onto substrates, circuit boards, or carriers by means of conductive bumps on a chip bond pad.
Flip chip components are predominantly semiconductor devices. Components such as passive filters, detector arrays, and MEMs devices are also used in flip chip form. Flip chip is sometimes referred to as Direct Chip Attach (DCA) as the chip is attached directly to the substrate, board, or carrier by the conductive bumps. Automotive electronics, electronic watches, and a growing percentage of cellular phones, pagers, and high speed microprocessors are assembled with flip chips.
The bump serves several functions in the flip chip assembly. Electrically, the bump provides the conductive path from chip to substrate. The bump also provides a thermally conductive path to carry heat from the chip to the substrate. In addition, the bump provides part of the mechanical mounting of a die to the substrate. The bump also provides a spacer, preventing electrical contact between the chip and substrate conductors, and acting as a short lead to relieve mechanical strain between board and substrate.
Stud bumps are placed on die bond pads through a modification of the "ball bonding" process used in conventional wire bonding or by the use of a ball placement machine where small balls are forced down a small capillary onto a pad and then laser reflowed. In the ball bonding referenced above, a tip of a bond wire is melted to form a sphere. A wire bonding tool presses this sphere against an aluminum bond pad, applying mechanical force, heat, and ultrasonic energy to create a metallic connection.
For stud bumping, the first ball bond is made as described but the wire is then broken close above the ball. The resulting ball, or "stud bump" remaining on the bond pad provides a permanent and reliable connection through the aluminum oxide to the underlying metal. After placing the stud bumps on a chip, the stud bumps may be flattened—"coined"—by mechanical pressure to provide a flatter top surface and more uniform bump heights while pressing any remaining wire tail into the ball. Each bump may be coined by a tool immediately after forming or all bumps on the die may be simultaneously coined by pressure against a flat surface in a separate operation following bumping.
Bonding tool tips must be sufficiently hard to prevent deformation under pressure, and mechanically durable so that many bonds can be made before replacement. Typical flip chip bonding tips available on the market today are made of a tungsten carbide or titanium carbide. These conducting tools are very hard compounds that have been successfully used on commercial machines as these compounds provide a reasonably long life in use as a flip chip bonding tool and ball placement capillary.
The problem, however, is that an electrostatic discharge (ESD) from the bonding tool or transient currents from the machine can damage the very circuit the tool is bonding. Flip chip bonding and ball placement capillaries tools must be electrically designed to produce a reliable electrical contact, yet prevent electrostatic discharge damage to the part being bonded. Certain prior art devices have a one-or-more volt emission when the tip makes bonding contact. This could present a problem as a one-volt static discharge can generate a 20 milliamp current to flow, which, in certain instances, can cause the integrated circuit to fail due to this unwanted current.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Flip chip bonding tool and ball placement capillary


An illumination control system comprises a source of a lighting intensity control signal, the source having an intensity control signal output. The system also includes at least one first lighting element coupled for direct intensity control by the lighting intensity control signal. Further, the system comprises at least one second lighting element. Additionally, the system comprises a low-pass filter having a filter input and a filter output, the filter input coupled in electrical communication with the intensity control signal output. Also, the system includes a transistor responsively coupled to the filter output and intensity-controllingly coupled to the at least one second lighting element. In one embodiment of the present invention, the transistor has a control input terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal, the control input terminal responsively coupled to the filter output, the second terminal intensity-controllingly coupled to the at least one second lighting element and the third terminal coupled in electrical communication with the intensity control signal output. Systems according to the present invention can be used to effectively control the intensity of lighting elements of different technologies at lower cost than prior art systems.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems adapted to control lighting intensity.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some environments, for example in the interior of motor vehicles, lighting elements of several different technologies may coexist. On the instrument panel of a vehicle, for instance, switches may be back-lit with incandescent lamps while containing light-emitting diodes which act as enunciators to indicate when the respective switches are turned on. All of such lighting elements are typically dimmable at the control of the vehicle's driver, through the driver's operation of a rheostat.
Where lighting elements of different technologies coexist, a concern arises where the lighting elements of different technologies have different lighting intensity versus applied voltage characteristics. Where this is the case, such as with incandescent lamps and light-emitting diodes, it is difficult to control the intensity of the different lamps uniformly over their entire intensity ranges. Non-uniform relative intensity of the lamps can be the result. This is a potential source of customer dissatisfaction in a vehicle whose interior is carefully designed to have a highly refined appearance.
One way to overcome the different intensity versus applied voltage characteristics of different lighting technologies is to use a microprocessor to apply different lighting transfer functions to the lighting elements of different technologies. The different transfer functions compensate for the different intensity versus voltage characteristics of the lighting elements. However, this solution is not totally satisfactory, as different intensity control circuits are needed for the different lighting elements. This can add cost. Also, microcomputer resources are fairly expensive, so using a microprocessor to individually calculate several lighting transfer functions can be costly.
Therefore, a system which can provide modify the intensity versus voltage characteristics of lighting elements more cost-effectively than the prior art will prove advantageous.


A method of manufacturing a NAND flash memory device is disclosed. A semiconductor substrate of a portion in which a source select line SSL and a drain select line DSL will be formed is recessed selectively or entirely to a predetermined depth. Accordingly, the channel length of a gate can be increased and disturbance can be reduced. It is therefore possible to improve the reliability and yield of devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates, in general, to a method of manufacturing a NAND flash memory device and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a NAND flash memory device, wherein program disturbance can be improved.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A NAND flash memory has a string structure in which source select line (SSL) and drain select line (DSL) gates and 16 to 64 cell gates are arranged in series between a source line and a bit line. The source select line (SSL) and drain select line (DSL) gates are generally greater than the cell gates. The number of cell gates arranged in the first string is generally 32 due to the limit of a cell current.
The cell program of the flash memory device is performed in such a manner that a voltage of 15V to 20V is applied to a selected cell gate and a pass voltage (Vpass) of about 10V is applied to a non-selected cell gate so that carriers introduced into the bit line pass through the gate insulating layer of the selected cell gate and charge the floating gate.
In general, the NAND flash memory device employs a method of applying 0V to the bit line in order to improve the charge efficiency of a selected channel and self-boosting a non-selected channel in order to prohibit program disturbance.
If the level of integration increases and the gate design rules are complicated, however, GIDL (gate induced drain leakage) is generated at the drain of the drain select line DSL or the source select line SSL of a non-selected cell string at the time of the self-boosting operation. Accordingly, program disturbance occurs in which unwanted electrons are injected into neighboring memory cells and the cells are programmed. This results in an abrupt decrease in the reliability and yield of devices.
If the distance between the source select line SSL and the drain select line DSL and neighboring memory cells is sufficiently secured, program disturbance can be controlled up to 90 nm. It is, however, to difficult to secure a sufficient distance as the level of integration is increased. To solve the problem, a method of reducing the size of the drain select line DSL and the source select line SSL has been proposed.
If the size of the source select line SSL is reduced, however, a punch-off leakage current is caused between a boosting channel of a non-selected bit line and a common source at the time of program. This causes to lower the channel boosting level, leading to aggravated program disturbance.
Furthermore, if the size of the drain select line DSL is reduced, the threshold voltage Vt of the drain select transistor is lowered. Accordingly, the channel precharge voltage level is lowered and the boosting level is lowered, resulting in aggravated program disturbance.

Method of manufacturing NAND flash memory device


A nonlinear hysteresis control system for controlling an actuator with nonlinear hysteresis effect is disclosed. An improved extended hysteresis effect profile further stores the displacement when a applied voltage of the actuator is from 0 voltage to a specific voltage and back to that specific voltage. Therefore, the system can be used under the condition of not very slow motion of the actuator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nonlinear hysteresis control system for controlling an actuator, especially for a nanoscale actuator, such as made by piezoelectric ceramics, magnet, and quartz.
2. Description of the Related Art
The actuators made of, for example, piezoelectric ceramics, magnet, and quartz, etc. will present nonlinear hysteresis effect that may create difficulty for various control applications.
FIG. 1 shows a typical close-loop controller 90 which includes a computer 91, a D/A Converter 92, an amplifier 93 for outputting voltage and a measurement sensor 99. A user uses the computer 91 as an interface and applies a voltage on an actuator 94. The displacement of the actuator 94 will change due to different applied voltage, then the actuator 94 can move a working platform 95 (e.g. DNA inspection device). The displacement of the actuator 94/working platform 95 can be measured by the measurement sensor 99, so the user can adjust the output voltage to adjust the desired displacement of the actuator 94. However, the nanoscale measurement sensor 99 is extremely expensive, and therefore, referring to FIG. 2, a well-known open-loop controller 90a without the need measurement sensor 99 is developed and implemented as a feed forward controller. The control scheme is depicted in FIG. 3. A desired trajectory x(t) (i.e. a plurality of desired time corresponding to the plurality of desired displacement) is calculated by the well-known "inverse Preisach model algorithm codes 31a", and appropriate applied voltage u(t) is computed to implement on the actuator 94 and the output displacement y(t) is then obtained.
To use "inverse Preisach model algorithm codes 31a", the hysteresis effect profile 20a of the actuator 94 must be built (measured in advance) or recorded by the user is stored in the computer 91a. The hysteresis effect profile 20a can include various kinds of piezoelectric ceramics, magnet, and quartz, etc. in market, so that the user can use many type of actuators as long as corresponding profiles are stored in the computer 91a.
The following paragraphs will briefly describe the classical Preisach Model and classical hysteresis effect profile hereafter so that the present invention can be understood well. Please also refer to "Mayergoyz, Mathematical Models of Hysteresis, Springer Verlag, New York, 1991." for details
Preisach Model and Classical Hysteresis Effect Profile:
Hysteresis exists in the piezoelectric ceramics so that it increases the difficulty of controller design. To overcome this problem, a numerical Preisach model for describing the hysteresis of piezoelectric actuators is used. FIG. 4 shows an input-output diagram of the hysteresis operator, γαβ, defined with a value of 1 or 0. Parameters α and β correspond to the "up" and "down" switching values of the input voltage u(t). As u(t) increases to be greater than α, then γαβ is switched from 0 to 1. On the contrary, u(t) decreases to be smaller than β, then γαβ is switched from 1 to 0.
The Preisach model is expressed as follows:q(t)=∫∫α≧βμ(α,β)γαβ[u(t)]dαdβ  (1)where q(t) is the actuator displacement with respect to its natural length, and μ(α,β) is a weight function in the Preisach model. FIG. 5 illustrates how the Preisach works, where T0 represents the limiting triangle corresponding to the maximal displacement of the actuator. When the input voltage starts to increase from zero to some value u1, all hysteresis operators γαβ with switching values α less than u1 are switched to the "up" position in the region S+ as shown in FIG. 5A. As the input voltage starts to decrease from u1 to u2, all hysteresis operators γαβ with switching values β larger than u2 are switched to the "down" position, and the region S+ will be decreased as shown in FIG. 5B. Note that, all hysteresis operators have the value of 1 in the region S+, and the value of 0 in the region S0.
Thus, equation (1) can be adapted to beq(t)=∫∫S+μ(α,β)γαβ[u(t)]dαdβ  (2)
The weight function μ(α,β) is usually determined empirically by a series of increasing and then decreasing inputs to the actuator. It can be identified by differentiating equation (2) twice, and then evaluate the measured data.
Concerning an arbitrary input history shown in FIG. 6A and its corresponding diagram in the α-β plane shown in FIG. 6B, the displacement of an actuator can be expressed below.q(t)=∫∫S1μ(α,β)γαβ[u(t)]dαdβ+∫∫S2μ(α,β)γαβ[u(t)]dαdβ+∫∫S3μ(α,β)γαβ[u(t)]dαdβΔ[X(α1,β0)−X(α1,β1)]+[X(α2,β1)−X(α2,β2)]+X(u(t),β2)  (3)where X(.) is called the Preisach function. Equation (3) can be rearranged to have
                              q                                (            t            )                          =                                            ∑                              k                =                1                                            n                -                1                                                                [                                                X                                                        (                                                                  α                        k                                            ,                                              β                                                  k                          -                          1                                                                                )                                                  -                                  X                                                        (                                                                  α                        k                                            ,                                              β                        k                                                              )                                                              ]                                +                      X                                      (                                                u                                                        (                    t                    )                                                  ,                                  β                                      n                    -                    1                                                              )                                                          (        4        )
For example, X(α,β)=qα−qαβ, where qα is the measured displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0 to α and qαβ is the measured displacement after the input voltage is decreased from α to β.
Another case for the input voltage u(t) on the descending curve shown in FIG. 7, the equation (4) can be expressed as
                              q                                (            t            )                          =                                            ∑                              k                =                1                                            n                -                1                                                                [                                                X                                                        (                                                                  α                        k                                            ,                                              β                                                  k                          -                          1                                                                                )                                                  -                                  X                                                        (                                                                  α                        k                                            ,                                              β                        k                                                              )                                                              ]                                +                      [                                          X                                                  (                                                            α                      n                                        ,                                          β                                              n                        -                        1                                                                              )                                            -                              N                                                  (                                                            α                      n                                        ,                                          u                                                                    (                        t                        )                                                                              )                                                      ]                                              (        5        )
To implement the Preisach model, the classical hysteresis effect profile 20a (Preisach functions) are measured experimentally from the piezoelectric actuators for different combinations of (α,β), which shown in FIG. 8. For points of the (α,β) plane lying within any of the squares or triangles, the bilinear spline interpolation can be used to solve the problems.
For example, the displacement of points a, b, and c can be represented as
(1) Point a: the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0V to 60Vqa=X(60,0)(2) Point b: the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0V to 105V, and then decreased from 105V to 90Vqb=X(105,0)−X(105,90)(3) Point c: the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0V to 135V, decreased from 135V to 45V, and then increased from 45V to 120Vqc=[X(135,0)−X(135,45)]+X(120,45)
Please note, FIG. 8 as an example:
α0=0, α1=15, α2=30, . . . α10=150
β0=0, β1=15, β2=30, . . . β10=150
Because X(α,β) means
"the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0 to α"                Minus
"the displacement after the input voltage is decreased from α to β"
Therefore, α>β.
So, the value of X(α,β) only exists on the upper triangle area, which means the classical hysteresis effect profile 20a only memorizes the meshed nodal points.
In addition, when α=β, X(α,β)=0
Please also note that when β=0, X(α,0) means "the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0 to α"
Although the classical Preisach model claims that the experiment must be under the condition of very slow motion; however, in fact, the displacement output would not be zero, which is shown in FIG. 9. The establishment of hysteresis model by use of classical Preisach model may be inaccurate. In other words, in the classical Preisach model, the classical hysteresis effect profile 20a only memorizes "the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0 to α", and does not memorize "the displacement after the input voltage is increased from 0 to α, and then decreased from α to 0.
Therefore, when the experiment is not under the condition of very slow motion of the actuator, the classical Preisach model will be failed.
Furthermore, under the different speed of actuator's motion, the hysteresis effect profile should be different.


When image synthesis using form data, for which a pass code has been set, or merge data, for which a password has been set, is completed, the synthesized data is encoded and held. Thereafter, a client terminal is notified by e-mail that image synthesis has been completed. Thereafter, when a request for output is inputted, collation of passwords is carried out. If the passwords match, decoding and printing-out of encoded synthesized data, or transmission of the encoded synthesized data is carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, an image processing method and an image processing system which carry out image processing on the basis of image data or a drawing command. In particular, the present invention relates to an image processing device, an image processing method and an image processing system which synthesize and output an image, which is based on image data or a drawing command inputted from an image processing terminal, and an image which is stored in advance.
2. Description of the Related Art
DTP (desktop publishing) has come to be widely used as a way of digitizing in the field of printing processing. In DTP, at a processing device such as a personal computer or a work station or the like, a page layout is prepared by carrying out preparation, manipulation, editing, and the like of an image. On the basis of this page layout, preparation of a film for exposing a printing plate is carried out (CEPS), or a press plate for printing is prepared by directly writing onto a printing plate (CTP: computer-to-plate).
Accompanying the spread of DTP and the improvement in image quality of digital printers such as laser printers, page printers, and the like (which hereinafter are called "printers") printing-out by using a printer is carried out in order to carry out simulations of printing machines.
Namely, when an image or a document prepared by applications on a computer is to be printed out, the image or document is outputted to an image processing device, is subjected to predetermined image processings at the image processing device, and is printed-out from a printer.
Among applications used at a computer, there are applications which are provided with a so-called merge printing function which, when an image or document or the like prepared at a computer is to be printed-out, print-out by superposing the image or document or the like on a form which is set in advance.
If an outer frame or a predetermined mark or the like is saved as a form by using the merge printing function, this form and the separately-prepared image or document or the like can be synthesized, and the synthesized image can be printed out.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 9-244828 proposes a security system used in printing processing or the like. In this security system for a printer, when a password or the like is designated and printing-out is requested, a job number is set and the printing data is stored in an HD or the like. Thereafter, by inputting the job number and the password, printing processing based on that printing data is executed. In this way, it is possible to prevent the contents which are printed-out from being viewed by a third party.
Further, JP-A No. 2001-125760 discloses a printing system which can make form data secure. In this printing system, for example, signature data or certifying seal data is stored as form data together with a password. When the signature data or certifying seal data is to be used as form data, by inputting it along with the password of the form data which is to be used, it is possible to use that form data. In this way, the signature data or the certifying seal data can be made secure, and cannot be used indiscriminately.
However, in these conventional proposals, even if a merge form which is synthesized with merge data is made secure, the synthesized data which is synthesized by the merging processing, and the print-out based on the synthesized data are not secure. Namely, although the security of the form data is considered, the security of the data which is synthesized by the merging processing is not considered. There are cases in which printing-out cannot be carried out at the timing desired by the client, there is a high possibility that the synthesized data and the printed output can be viewed by a third party, and the spool of the synthesized data and the reprinting and the like also cannot be made secure.

Image processing device, image processing method and image processing system


Method and apparatus and computer program code for cross programming language transformation. This transcoding permits automation of a video game asset conditioning process by using introspection and reflection capabilities of high level tool languages to generate optimally-packed, platform-specific binary memory images as well as the code, such as C++ to read the images.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and system for transcoding data. More particularly, the present invention relates to transcoding computer program code from a first language to a second language.
2. Background Discussion
Typically, when developing software, such as for a video game, multiple computer languages are used in developing complicated program packages. In such environments, conversions among these multiple computer languages are required to generate desired program code, such as the program code for the video game. These multiple computer languages typically include three types of languages:
1. a high-level language, such as Java or C# (typically used for producing content);
2. a low-level language, such as C or C++ (typically used for executing the produced contents); and
3. an intermediate language, such as XML (typically used for transmitting codes or data through a network).
Typically, conversion among these three types of computer languages is conducted manually. For example, a programmer takes one type of program code in one language and rewrites that program code into a different programming language and compiles the rewritten program code. Such a conversion is time consuming and prone to errors and inconsistency, as it requires the programmer to manually translate one language to another.


A semiconductor device includes: a gate electrode and a wiring; a first insulating film covering the gate electrode and the wiring; a semiconductor film opposed to the gate electrode with the first insulating film in between; a first concave section located in a position adjacent to the semiconductor film; a connection hole, the connection hole being provided in the first insulating film, and the connection hole reaching the wiring, and a first electrically-conductive film, the first electrically-conductive film being electrically connected to the wiring through the connection hole, and the first electrically-conductive film being buried in the first concave section.

The present application relates to a semiconductor device electrically connected to a wiring such as a signal line, to a method of manufacturing the semiconductor device, and to a method of manufacturing a display unit and a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus that use the method of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
In recent years, as a display has been grown in size and high-definition thereof has been achieved, high mobility has been demanded for a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as a drive element, and a semiconductor device having a TFT formed of an oxide semiconductor such as an oxide of one of zinc (Zn), indium (In), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn), aluminum (Al), and titanium (Ti) and an oxide of a mixture thereof has been positively developed (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010-182818, 2010-182819, and 2012-160679). In particular, it has been known that, in a TFT formed of a composite oxide of Zn, In, and Ga, electron mobility is large and superior electric characteristics are shown compared to a TFT formed of amorphous silicon (a-Si: H) generally used for a liquid crystal display or the like.
Further, a TFT made of an organic semiconductor material attracts attention. The organic TFT is allowed to be manufactured at low cost, and has high flexibility.

Semiconductor device, method of manufacturing the same, method of manufacturing display unit, and method of manufacturing electronic apparatus


An alloy component having an oxide film formed on its surface. The oxide film has atoms of a metal incorporated therein by a process comprising immersing the alloy surface in high-temperature water in which compound containing the metal is dissolved. The metal has the property of increasing the corrosion resistance of the alloy when incorporated in the oxide film. The compound has the property that it decomposes in the high-temperature water to release atoms of the metal which incorporate in the oxide film.

Nuclear reactors are used in central-station electric power generation, research and propulsion. A reactor pressure vessel contains the reactor coolant, i.e. water, which removes heat from the nuclear core. Respective piping circuits carry the heated water or steam to the steam generators or turbines and carry circulated water or feedwater back to the vessel. Operating pressures and temperatures for the reactor pressure vessel are about 7 MPa and 288.degree. C. for a boiling water reactor (BWR), and about 15 MPa and 320.degree. C. for a pressurized water reactor (PWR) The materials used in both BWRs and PWRs must withstand various loading, environmental and radiation conditions.
Some of the materials exposed to high-temperature water include carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, nickel-based, cobalt-based and zirconium-based alloys. Despite careful selection and treatment of these materials for use in water reactors, corrosion occurs in the materials exposed to the high-temperature water. Such corrosion contributes to a variety of problems, e.g., stress corrosion cracking, crevice corrosion, erosion corrosion, sticking of pressure relief valves and buildup of the gamma radiation-emitting Co-60 isotope.
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a known phenomenon occurring in reactor components, such as structural members, piping, fasteners, and welds, exposed to high-temperature water. As used herein, SCC refers to cracking propagated by static or dynamic tensile stressing in combination with corrosion at the crack tip. The reactor components are subject to a variety of stresses associated with, e.g., differences in thermal expansion, the operating pressure needed for the containment of the reactor cooling water, and other sources such as residual stress from welding, cold working and other asymmetric metal treatments. In addition, water chemistry, welding, heat treatment, and radiation can increase the susceptibility of metal in a component to SCC.
It is well known that SCC occurs at higher rates when oxygen is present in the reactor water in concentrations of about 5 ppb or greater. SCC is further increased in a high radiation flux where oxidizing species, such as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and short-lived radicals, are produced from radiolytic decomposition of the reactor water. Such oxidizing species increase the electrochemical corrosion potential (ECP) of metals. Electrochemical corrosion is caused by a flow of electrons from anodic to cathodic areas on metallic surfaces. The ECP is a measure of the thermodynamic tendency for corrosion phenomena to occur, and is a fundamental parameter in determining rates of, e.g., SCC, corrosion fatigue, corrosion film thickening, and general corrosion.
In a BWR, the radiolysis of the primary water coolant in the reactor core causes the net decomposition of a small fraction of the water to the chemical products H.sub.2, H.sub.2 O.sub.2, O.sub.2 and oxidizing and reducing radicals. For steady-state operating conditions, equilibrium concentrations of O.sub.2, H.sub.2 O.sub.2, and H.sub.2 are established in both the water which is recirculated and the steam going to the turbine. This concentration of O.sub.2, H.sub.2 O.sub.2, and H.sub.2 is oxidizing and results in conditions that can promote intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) of susceptible materials of construction. One method employed to mitigate IGSCC of susceptible material is the application of hydrogen water chemistry (HWC), whereby the oxidizing nature of the BWR environment is modified to a more reducing condition. This effect is achieved by adding hydrogen gas to the reactor feedwater. When the hydrogen reaches the reactor vessel, it reacts with the radiolytically formed oxidizing species to reform water, thereby lowering the concentration of dissolved oxidizing species in the water in the vicinity of metal surfaces. The rate of these recombination reactions is dependent on local radiation fields, water flow rates and other variables.
The injected hydrogen reduces the level of oxidizing species in the water, such as dissolved oxygen, and as a result lowers the ECP of metals in the water. However, factors such as variations in water flow rates and the time or intensity of exposure to neutron or gamma radiation result in the production of oxidizing species at different levels in different reactors. Thus, varying amounts of hydrogen have been required to reduce the level of oxidizing species sufficiently to maintain the ECP below a critical potential required for protection from IGSCC in high-temperature water. As used herein, the term "critical potential" means a corrosion potential at or below a range of values of about -230 to -300 mV based on the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) scale. IGSCC proceeds at an accelerated rate in systems in which the ECP is above the critical potential, and at a substantially lower or zero rate in systems in which the ECP is below the critical potential. Water containing oxidizing species such as oxygen increases the ECP of metals exposed to the water above the critical potential, whereas water with little or no oxidizing species presents results in an ECP below the critical potential.
Corrosion potentials of stainless steels in contact with reactor water containing oxidizing species can be reduced below the critical potential by injection of hydrogen into the water so that the dissolved hydrogen concentration is about 50 to 100 ppb or greater. For adequate feedwater hydrogen addition rates, conditions necessary to inhibit IGSCC can be established in certain locations of the reactor. Different locations in the reactor system require different levels of hydrogen addition. Much higher hydrogen injection levels are necessary to reduce the ECP within the high radiation flux of the reactor core, or when oxidizing cationic impurities, e.g., cupric ion, are present.
It has been shown that IGSCC of Type 304 stainless steel (composition in weight % 18.0-20.0 Cr, 8.0-10.0 Ni, 2.00 Mn, 1.0 Si, 0.08 C, 0.08 S, 0.045 P) used in BWRs can be mitigated by reducing the ECP of the stainless steel to values below -0.230 V(SHE). An effective method of achieving this objective is to use HWC. However, high hydrogen additions, e.g., of about 200 ppb or greater, that may be required to reduce the ECP below the critical potential, can result in a higher radiation level in the steam-driven turbine section from incorporation of the short-lived N-16 species in the steam. For most BWRs, the amount of hydrogen addition required to provide mitigation of IGSCC of pressure vessel internal components results in an increase in the main steam line radiation monitor by a factor of five. This increase in main steam line radiation can cause high, even unacceptable, environmental dose rates that can require expensive investments in shielding and radiation exposure control. Thus, recent investigations have focused on using minimum levels of hydrogen to achieve the benefits of HWC with minimum increase in the main steam radiation dose rates.
An effective approach to achieve this goal is to either coat or alloy the stainless steel surface with palladium or any other platinum group metal. The presence of palladium on the stainless steel surface reduces the hydrogen demand to reach the required IGSCC critical potential of -0.230 V(SHE). The techniques used to date for palladium coating include electroplating, electroless plating, plasma deposition and related high-vacuum techniques. Palladium alloying has been carried out using standard alloy preparation techniques. Both of these approaches are ex situ techniques in that they cannot be practiced while the reactor is in operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,709 to Andresen et al. discloses a method for lowering the ECP on components formed from carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, nickel-based alloys or cobalt-based alloys which are exposed to high-temperature water by forming the component to have a catalytic layer of a platinum group metal. As used therein, the term "catalytic layer" means a coating on a substrate, or a solute in an alloy formed into the substrate, the coating or solute being sufficient to catalyze the recombination of oxidizing and reducing species at the surface of the substrate; and the term "platinum group metal" means metals from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, osmium, ruthenium, iridium, rhodium, and mixtures thereof.
In nuclear reactors, ECP is further increased by higher levels of oxidizing species, e.g., up to 200 ppb or greater of oxygen in the water, from the radiolytic decomposition of water in the core of the nuclear reactor. The method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,709 further comprises providing a reducing species in the high-temperature water that can combine with the oxidizing species. In accordance with this known method, high concentrations of hydrogen, i.e., about 100 ppb or more, must be added to the water to provide adequate protection to materials outside the reactor core region, and still higher concentrations are needed to afford protection to materials in the reactor core. It is also known that platinum or palladium can be added to increase the ECP of stainless steel exposed to deaerated acidic aqueous solutions, thereby forming a passive oxide layer on the stainless steel and reducing further corrosion.
The formation of a catalytic layer of a platinum group metal on an alloy from the aforementioned group catalyzes the recombination of reducing species, such as hydrogen, with oxidizing species, such as oxygen or hydrogen peroxide, that are present in the water of a BWR. Such catalytic action at the surface of the alloy can lower the ECP of the alloy below the critical potential where IGSCC is minimized. As a result, the efficacy of hydrogen additions to high-temperature water in lowering the ECP of components made from the alloy and exposed to the injected water is increased manyfold. Furthermore, it is possible to provide catalytic activity at metal alloy surfaces if the metal substrate of such surfaces contains a catalytic layer of a platinum group metal. Relatively small amounts of the platinum group metal are sufficient to provide the catalytic layer and catalytic activity at the surface of the metal substrate. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,709 teaches that a solute in an alloy of at least about 0.01 wt. %, preferably at least 0.1 wt. %, provides a catalytic layer sufficient to lower the ECP of the alloy below the critical potential. The solute of a platinum group metal can be present up to an amount that does not substantially impair the metallurgical properties, including strength, ductility, and toughness of the alloy. The solute can be provided by methods known in the art, for example by addition to a melt of the alloy or by surface alloying. In addition, a coating of the platinum group metal, or a coating of an alloy comprised of a solute of the platinum group metal as described above, provides a catalytic layer and catalytic activity at the surface of the metal. Suitable coatings can be deposited by methods well known in the art for depositing substantially continuous coatings on metal substrates, such as plasma spraying, flame spraying, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition processes such as sputtering, welding such as metal inert gas welding, electroless plating, and electrolytic plating.
Thus, lower amounts of reducing species such as hydrogen are effective to reduce the ECP of the metal components below the critical potential, because the efficiency of recombination of oxidizing and reducing species is increased manyfold by the catalytic layer. Reducing species that can combine with the oxidizing species in the high-temperature water are provided by conventional means known in the art. In particular, reducing species such as hydrogen, ammonia, or hydrazine are injected into the feedwater of the nuclear reactor.

In-situ palladium doping or coating of stainless steel surfaces


An assembly for mounting an antenna to a mounting structure, such as a street pole, is provided. The antenna assembly can include an tipper and a lower mounting bracket that can be attached to an antenna. Each mounting bracket has hooks designed to be inserted into pre-formed holes in the mounting structure. The antenna becomes secured to the mounting structure when the hooks latch into the pre-formed holes of the mounting structure.

Antennas for wireless communications are typically mounted on an antenna tower or other elevated mounting structure, for example a street pole. Currently, a majority of these antennas are secured to the mounting structure through use of a bolted mechanical connection. The limited space between the antennas and the mounting structure makes installation and maintenance at times difficult for a technician. Having an additional way to further secure the antennas to the mounting structure may also be beneficial from a safety perspective.


A semiconductor device includes an interconnection structure in which via-plug density is higher in an upper layer part than a lower layer part, wherein the peeling of the lower via-plugs at the time of formation of the upper-via-plugs is avoided by restricting the density of the upper s, defined for a unit area having a size of 50–100 μm for each edge, to be 60% or less.

The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices and more particularly to a fabrication process of a semiconductor device that uses a damascene process and a semiconductor device fabricated according to such a fabrication process.
Conventionally, improvement of operational speed has been achieved in semiconductor devices with device miniaturization achieved according to the scaling law.
On the other hand, recent high-density semiconductor integrated circuits generally use a multilayer interconnection structure for interconnecting various semiconductor elements therein. In such a multilayer interconnection, there arises a problem of signal delay caused by the stray capacitance between interconnection patterns when the semiconductor device is miniaturized excessively and the interconnection patterns in the multilayer interconnection structure approach with each other.
Thus, investigations are being made conventionally for eliminating the problem of signal delay in the multilayer interconnection structure by using a low dielectric film (so-called low-K film) such a an organic insulation film of hydrocarbon family or fluorocarbon family, in place of the SiO2 insulation film used conventionally. It should be noted that such organic insulation films generally has the dielectric constant of 2.3–2.6, while this value is lower than that of the conventional SiO2 interlayer insulation film by 40–50%. In combination therewith, use of low resistance copper (Cu) patterns is studied for the interconnection patterns in place of conventional Al patterns.
Generally, a low-dielectric film is characterized by its low density, and because of this, there remain problems such as adherence to the interconnection pattern or resistance against humidity. Because of this, it is generally practiced to use a low-K dielectric film and a Cu interconnection pattern to the lower part of the multilayer interconnection structure where the problem of signal delay appears conspicuously while continuously using the conventional SiO2 insulation film characterized by excellent adherence in the upper part of the multilayer interconnection structure where the interconnection patterns are formed with relatively sparse interval.

Semiconductor device having a multilayer interconnection structure, fabrication method thereof, and designing method thereof


A cooling plate module includes a first cooling plate layer having a single phase area within and a second cooling plate layer having a phase change area within. The first cooling plate layer includes a first liquid inlet port to receive a first cooling liquid into the single phase area and a first liquid outlet port to expel the first cooling liquid from the single phase area. The second cooling plate layer includes a second liquid inlet port to receive a second cooling liquid into the phase change and a vapor outlet port to expel the second cooling liquid in a vapor state from the phase change area, where the first cooling plate layer is in thermal contact with the second cooling plate layer, and the first cooling plate layer is in thermal contact with IT components to be cooled.

Modern information technology (IT) equipment such as servers, blade servers, routers, edge servers, etc., generates a substantial amount of heat during operation. The heat generated by individual components, especially high-power components such as processors, makes many of these individual components impossible or difficult to cool effectively with air cooling systems. Modern IT equipment therefore requires liquid cooling or liquid-air hybrid cooling
Cold/cooling plates are an element used in many liquid cooling solutions. Cold plates are elements that are coupled to heat-generating components, such as critical processors. Once a cold plate is coupled to a heat-generating component, liquid circulates through the cold plate to remove the heat. Existing solutions for electronics cooling and thermal management for processor does not provide redundancy on a cold plate module level, which means there is a single failure point at the cold plate module level.

Thermal management plate for critical processors


A vehicle proximity notification device for notifying a vehicle approach using a first speaker and a second speaker provided in the vehicle includes a sound source that outputs a signal that corresponds to a sound for notifying an approach of the vehicle and that is input to the first speaker and the second speaker; and an information processor that changes a phase of at least one signal out of a signal input to the first speaker and a signal input to the second speaker in accordance with a speed of the vehicle.

Since electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles have low noise, there is a problem that pedestrians and the like are unlikely to notice the approach of the vehicle when the vehicle is in motion at a low speed with a low road noise of the own vehicle. For this reason, low-noise vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are provided with a vehicle proximity notification device that warns a pedestrian or the like of approaching the vehicle by outputting a sound (also referred to as a notification sound) reminding the moving state of the vehicle when in motion.
On the other hand, if the notification sound is output to the vehicle exterior, the notification sound may also enter the vehicle interior and give discomfort to the passengers in the vehicle interior.
Patent Literature 1 (PTL 1) discloses a technique for reducing discomfort to the passengers of the vehicle by giving a phase difference among each of notification sounds output from a plurality of speakers to move a position at which a sound output from a plurality of speakers can be heard or cancel out the sound.

Vehicle proximity notification device, vehicle and vehicle proximity notification method

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A telephone silencing system is provided for use with at least one telephone receiver and an external telephone line electrically connected with the telephone receiver. This system includes a switch electrically connected in series between the telephone line and the telephone receiver. The switch is actuatable between a closed position, in which the telephone receiver(s) is connected to the telephone line, and an open position, in which the telephone receiver(s) is electrically disconnected with the telephone line. A receiver is operatively connected with the switch actuated between a closed and open position in response to a preset signal. A transmitter, in turn, when actuated, generates the preset signal to the receiver to thereby actuate the switch between its closed and open position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone silencing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most homes, apartments, and other dwellings include one or more telephone receivers. These telephone receivers are electrically connected by wires to an external telephone line. The external telephone line, in turn, is connected with the local telephone system.
When an incoming call is routed to a particular dwelling, a 90 volt AC signal is generated on the telephone line to the telephone receiver(s) in the home. The telephone receiver in response to the 90 volt AC "ring" signal actuates a beeper, ringer or other audible signal to signify an incoming call.
In some situations, however, an incoming telephone call is simply not desired. For example, incoming telephone calls are often times not desired in early morning hours when the occupants of the home are sleeping. Similarly, incoming telephone calls may not be desired during other special time periods, for example, the dinner hour, while watching movies and the like.


A support for a musical keyboard instrument has a first leg, a second leg and an adjuster. The first leg is pivotally connected to the second leg and a rod is formed in a sidewall of the second leg. Two first spiral surfaces are respectively formed in a free end of the rod and the adjuster is provided adjacent to the rod. The knob is formed on the adjuster and has two second spiral surfaces respectively formed thereon and mated with the first spiral surfaces. When the second spiral surfaces are locked by the first spiral surfaces, the first leg can be adjusted relative to the second leg. When the first spiral surfaces are engaged with the second spiral surfaces, the fist leg is secured in position on the second leg.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support for a musical keyboard instrument, and more particularly to a support with which it is easy for a user to adjust the height of the musical instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, when a performer plays a musical instrument, it is usually provided on a support so that the musical instrument can be positioned at a desired height for the performer to use.
With reference to FIG. 6, a conventional support for a musical keyboard instrument is composed of a first leg (5) and a second leg (6). A middle portion of the first leg (5) is pivotally connected to that of the second leg (6). A disk (61) is securely mounted on the middle portion of the second leg (6) between the first and the second legs (5, 6). Multiple holes (62) are respectively and evenly defined along a periphery of the disk (61) in a radial pattern. A knob (51) is pressed by a spring (52) and a rod (not numbered) is provided on a first end of the knob (51) and can be engaged in the holes (62).
When used, the user pulls the knob (51) on the second end opposite the first end so that the rod detaches from one of the holes (62). Hence, the first leg (5) can be adjusted relative to the second leg (6) so that the conventional support for a musical keyboard instrument can be adjusted to a desired height to suit the user.
However, the rod cannot be positioned in the first leg (5) when withdrawn from the hole (62) to adjust the conventional support. It is difficult for just one user to adjust the conventional support when the knob (51) must always be pulled to keep the rod out of the hole (62).
Therefore, the invention provides a support for a musical keyboard instrument to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

Support for a musical keyboard instrument


There is put forward a tray for a CD/DVD drive. The usual drive tray includes a receiving location for CDs with a normal format and also for mini-CDs. The receiving location is formed by a receiving surface. The receiving surface is provided with a multitude of pin receivers. By way of positioning pins which may be inserted into the pin receivers there are formed bearing edges. Special shapes of CD/DVD may now be precentered and held by the positioning pins until the drive tray is retracted into the drive and the drive is ready for operation.

The invention relates to a tray for a CD or DVD drive and to an auxiliary means for using the tray according to the preamble of the independent patent claim.
Usual CD drives for reading and processing data, audio and video compact disks comprise a tray for loading CDs. This tray has at least one tray base with a rectangular outline. The tray is insertable into the drive into the tray receiver. The tray base is provided with a slot-shaped relief in whose region during the operation, the drive plate may rotate with the centering pin and the read device may move. The tray base comprises a first circular deepening with a diameter which corresponds to the standardised diameter of the usual CDs. This circular deepening forms an accommodation centering for loading a CD. If the CD is loaded, the tray is retracted into the drive, whereupon the drive plate with the centering pin from below advances into the central opening of the CD. Within the first circular deepening there is located a second circular deepening with a smaller diameter which corresponds to the mini-CD standard. Into this second circular deepening there may be applied a mini-CD before the tray is retracted into the drive. These deepenings each form a circumferential shoulder on which the CD comes to bear on loading. By way of this the CD is precentered in the tray so that it may not displace on retraction into the drive and may be correctly acquired by the centering pin and the drive plate. With these drives one may apply all normal CDs and at all events DVDs. Likewise it is possible to play so-called shaped CDs, as compact disks with a special shape, as long as these may with at least three outer edges come to bear on the mentioned shoulders and thus may be loaded in a pre-centered manner. There are also those drive trays which only comprise the first positiong shoulder, but not the second positioning shoulder for mini CDs. These therefore have an approximately continuous first rest surface for the loaded CD.
Recently CDs have appeared on the market with special shapes such as calling cards, hearts and others. These special shapes often have a format which makes it impossible for the three outer lying edges to be able to brought to bear on one of the shoulders. They are usually larger than the diameter of a mini CD and smaller than the diameter of a normal CD.
It is the object of the invention to specify a tray for a CD/DVD drive which permits apart from the known usual round CDs also the precentered insertion of those with special shapes.
This object is achieved as follows : The receiving location is formed by a receiving surface. The receiving surface is provided with a multitude of pin receivers. By way of positioning pins which may be inserted into the pin receivers there are formed bearing edges. Special shapes of CD/DVD may now be precentered and held by the positioning pins until the drive tray is retracted into the drive and the drive is ready for operation.
An additional advantage of the invention is that according to the invention various special shape CDs may be used.


A tissue engaging device and a corresponding deployment apparatus. The tissue engaging device has a generally annular-shaped body disposed about a central axis. The body has a plurality of inwardly protruding members separated by corresponding intermember spaces. The body is movable between a first position where the body is substantially convex before engagement with the tissue and a second position where the body is substantially concave when the body is engaged with the tissue. The tissue engaging device may be bioabsorbable. The deployment apparatus has a sheath and a tissue eversion apparatus for everting the tissue and positioning the everted tissue within the tissue engaging device.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to tissue closure apparatuses and methods.
2. The Relevant Technology
During intravascular and other related medical procedures, catheters are typically inserted through an incision or puncture in the skin and underlying tissues to access an artery or vein, typically in the groin, neck, or subclavian areas of a patient. The catheter can be inserted through a puncture in the blood vessel and guided to the desired site to perform interventional procedures such as angiography, angioplasty, stent delivery, plaque removal, and infusion of a therapeutic substance.
After the procedure is completed and the catheter is removed from the patient, however, the access hole must be closed to prevent hemorrhage. This is typically achieved by applying pressure over the blood vessel manually and then by applying a pressure bandage or a compressive weight. With conventional methods, the risk of post-puncture hemorrhage is high, which can cause considerable complications. The risk of complications is exacerbated by the concomitant use of anticoagulant medications such as heparin or warfarin and by anti-platelet drugs, which are commonly used following a procedure in order to prevent clot formation and thrombus and/or to treat vascular disease.
It is generally recognized that many currently employed vascular sealing methods and devices and other tissue closure methods and devices incompletely seal holes or wounds in vascular or other tissue. Achieving complete wound closure is particularly important in sealing arterial punctures, which are relatively high pressure systems. For example, under normal blood pressure, the arterial system has a pressure of about 120/80 mmHg or more. Failure to completely close arterial holes can result in hematoma, exsanguination, and in extreme cases, may result in catastrophic consequences, such as limb amputation and death. Moreover, many currently employed vascular devices employ methods and materials that remain on the intravascular endothelial surface or otherwise in the sealed vessel. Materials that remain intravascularly can be a nidus for thrombus or intravascular mural hyperplasia with later spontaneous and catastrophic closure of the vessel.
To overcome these shortcomings, some currently employed vascular devices seal the vessel from the outside of the vessel. However, these vascular devices are typically made of stainless steel, titanium, nickel-titanium (Nitinol) or other non-bioabsorbable material. As such, these vascular devices will permanently remain within the body unless physically removed later by a physician. With a prevalence of reaccessing patients for multiple procedures, this can lead to various problems. For example, when a physician tries to reenter the blood vessel in the same location, the prior placed vascular device will prevent the physician from doing so, and could possibly cause damage to the insertion instrument being used. Furthermore, after each procedure, an additional vascular device will be attached to the blood vessel to be left permanently in the body.

Clip and deployment apparatus for tissue closure


A fall detection device is provided, which accomplishes a fall judgment on acceleration by a simple calculation and improves uniformity of effective threshold value for the acceleration judgment as to a direction of an applied acceleration vector. The fall detection device produces a fall detection signal when an absolute value of each axis component of an acceleration measured by a three-axis acceleration sensor is less than a first threshold value, and when a sum of the absolute values of the axis components of the acceleration is less than a second threshold value that is 1.5 times to twice the first threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fall detection device that can be used for a fall protection of mobile electronic devices and the like, on which a hard magnetic disk drive is installed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile electronic devices inherently have high risks that the devices might be dropped by accident. The mobile electronic devices, such as a notebook PC and some kinds of digital music players, encompassing a hard magnetic disk drive are particularly delicate to impacts and need measures for protection against a fall. When those devices are held still on the earth, gravity is applied on them. But, since acceleration relative to a device is not applied on an acceleration sensor installed on the device during free fall, the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor becomes zero ideally or extremely small. So, it is usual that the free fall of the devices is detected through a judgment whether or not a measured acceleration is less than a certain threshold, and that a protective counter-measure is taken on the detection result. Such fall judgments are described in Japanese Laid-open Patent 2000-241442 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,573. In the Japanese patent document, when an installed three-axis acceleration sensor detects each of the axis components of an acceleration signal that is a small amount of almost zero and continues a certain time period, it is judged that the sensor is in free fall, and a magnetic head is moved to a shelter region to avoid a magnetic drive from breaking down due to impact on the end of falling. In the US patent document, a fall is detected when a magnitude of a compound vector of three-axis accelerations is less than a certain threshold for longer than 90 milli-seconds to move a magnetic head to a shelter region and avoid a magnetic disk drive from breaking down by impact on the end of falling.
In the fall detection described in the Japanese patent document, each of the absolute values of the axis-direction components of acceleration measured by the three-axis acceleration sensor is compared with a certain value (called a threshold value Th), and when each of the absolute values of the acceleration components is less than the threshold value Th, it is judged in free fall. That is, each of the absolute values of the x-axis component Ax, y-axis component Ay and z-axis component Az of the acceleration is compared with the threshold value Th, and it is judged in free fall when each of them is less than the threshold value Th. So, presuming that the measured acceleration A (Ax, Ay, Az) is applied at the origin O in the orthogonal coordinates shown in FIG. 5A, it is judged whether or not the acceleration A is encompassed in a cube having each side length Th in the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions. If the acceleration A is composed of only one of the x-axis component, the y-axis component and the z-axis component, it is not judged in free fall when the magnitude of the acceleration is more than the threshold value Th. But, in the cube of a side length Th shown in FIG. 5A, the diagonal direction distance from the origin O to a vertex closest to an observer of the cube is √3 Th. When a measured acceleration A is in the diagonal direction, it is necessary that the magnitude of the acceleration is not less than √3Th in order to avoid a judgment that it is in free fall. There are, however, some cases that it is judged to be freely falling, although the detected acceleration is more than the threshold value Th.
In the fall detection described in the US patent document, the magnitude of the compound vector of the axis-direction acceleration components measured by a three-axis acceleration sensor is compared with a certain value (a threshold value Th) and, when the magnitude of the compound vector is less than the threshold value, it is judged in free fall. In the orthogonal coordinates shown in FIG. 5B, at which origin O the measured acceleration A (Ax, Ay, Az) is applied, it is judged whether or not the acceleration A is contained in a sphere having a center at the origin O and a radius Th. In whichever direction on the sphere the acceleration A is directed, the magnitude of the acceleration A can be compared with the threshold value Th. In order to compare the magnitude of the acceleration A with the threshold value, however, it is necessary to square each of the axis components of the acceleration and to calculate a square root of the sum of the squares. Since a sum square calculation needs a comparatively large-scaled calculation circuit, it would be an obstacle to miniaturize of an IC for the calculation circuit.


Methods, systems and computer program products are provided for mixed shared/non-shared memory transport in virtual machines. A computer-implemented method may include providing a shared memory area writeable by a first virtual processor and a second virtual processor that are runnable on a host CPU, retrieving the information stored in the shared memory area by the first virtual processor when the first virtual processor stops running on the host CPU and before the second virtual processor runs on the host CPU, and storing the retrieved information from the shared memory area in a non-shared memory.

Computer memory generally refers to logical or physical storage used to provide applications and data on a temporary or permanent basis. Shared memory is usually accessible from multiple applications and/or devices and provides efficient communication between different computing resources.
In a physical computing system, shared memory may refer to a unit of random access memory (RAM) that is accessible from different central processing units (CPUs). In software, shared memory may be an area of RAM used by different processes for exchanging data. In virtualized computing environments, shared memory can be used to provide fast communication between a hypervisor and a virtual machine.

Mixed shared/non-shared memory transport for virtual machines


A coater belt for carrying and supporting a web through a coating station on a paper or board machine, or an off-line coater, said belt comprising an endless base member and at least a first surface layer. Said surface layer is an impermeable coating comprising a first material and a particulate filler material. The filler material which are present in the web-contact surface provide a well-defined roughness on micro-scale of said web-contact surface. The web-contact surface further presents a well-defined surface energy for accomplishing an adhesion to the web for picking-up the web at an entrance side of the coating station and for holding the web against the coater belt during its path through the coating station.

Considering that the maximum possible machine width will soon be reached in today's modern paper machines, the operating speed thereof has to be further increased if the productivity is to be increased. However, since higher machine speeds will result in higher web stresses and, consequently, in an increased risk for web breakage, the machine speed must be limited to such an extent that the maximum tensioning of the web is not exceeded. The situation becomes even more complicated if one also considers the more frequent use of recycled fibres, which have lower strength than virgin fibres.
There are numerous examples in the prior art on how to obtain higher machine speeds by eliminating so called open draws from the paper machine. The term "draw" refers to the manner in which the web is transferred from one drive section to another in a paper machine. A draw is called a "closed draw" if the web is supported at least on one side at the point of transfer, e.g. by a felt. In other cases, it is called an "open draw". The supporting element, traditionally in the form of a felt, a woven fabric or a support drum, is especially useful for transferring a wet or moist web. In some positions of the paper machine there is a requirement for the smoothness of the drum as well as for the supporting length of the felt; in such cases belts having a coated web-contacting surface are used.
It has also been proposed to introduce some form of web supporting elements at previously unsupported positions of the paper machine, such as in a coating station.
In a conventional coating station, an amount of coating material is applied to a moving web. Known coating station may be arranged to apply the coating material on one or both sides of the web. The coating station may be located either "on-line" in a paper machine, normally just before a calendering station or a reeling-up station of the paper machine, or "off-line" separate from the paper machine. In the latter case, the web speed in the coating station must preferably be higher than the web speed in the paper machine. Otherwise, the coating station may become a "bottleneck" in the overall production line.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,309 (Beloit) discloses the use of a fabric as a backing element in a short dwell coating station. The object is to avoid so called air blistering, that is the formation of air pockets which are developed between a conventional backing roll and the web upstream relative to the short dwell coater when the web is moving at high speeds (>3000 feet/minute) and air is sucked into the coater unit.
The arrangement in U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,309 includes a backing roll having a perforate surface and a permeable belt disposed between the perforated roll surface and the web. When a vacuum is applied, the web is drawn into close contact with the belt thereby avoiding the formation of said air pockets between the web and the backing member. The permeable belt is a wire-mesh belt including two layers of different denier, of which the finer layer is in contact with the web in order to avoid marking.
WO90/11135 (Beloit), mentioned in the first paragraph, discloses the use of a "backing blanket" in a coating station. The backing blanket is guided in an endless path around two guide rollers which are spaced apart, so that the web, which is supported by the blanket, is running in a plane oriented tangentially relative to the guide rollers. A short dwell coater is disposed between the guide rollers and adjacent the web, on the side thereof facing away from the rollers, for applying a coating material on the web.
The backing blanket is of composite construction, including a woven base fabric and a surface layer in the form of a woven material, which is positioned in a plane parallel to the base fabric and has a lower denier (finer) than the denier of the base fabric (coarser).
The object of the arrangement disclosed in WO90/11135 is to accomplish a more even distribution of the coating material, by avoiding the occurrence of secondary flow of the coating material in opposition to the primary flow. By the use of said backing blanket, centrifugal forces on the coating material generated by conventional backing rollers are said to be avoided.
WO95/14816 (Valmet) discloses a tail threading arrangement in a coating station. The tail threading process, which is performed during start up and after web breaks, involves the step of providing an edge strip slit from the web to act as a "tail" of the web which is first threaded through the line and then widened to the normal width of the web. The object of the arrangement in this document is to positively support the web through essentially the entire machine and to have only very narrow open draws. To this end, the disclosed arrangement comprises a support belt in a coating station. The web to be coated enters onto said support belt from a delivering wire, so that the web travels together with the support belt through the coating station. The exposed side of the web not facing the support belt is coated with a coating material.
According to the teachings of this prior-art document, a support belt used in coating station must have a very smooth surface to keep the paper coating profile level. It is stated that the support belt material should have a smooth surface or maximally containing small-diameter micropores. The term belt is defined as any non-air-permeable, flat support element. The document gives no further information on the construction or materials of the support belt.
To the knowledge of the inventors of the present invention, the arrangement described in WO95/14816 has not been used in practice.
It is stated in WO95/14816 that since web adherence cannot be arranged by vacuum, additional support can be provided by air-jets. It is also stated that the web will tend to adhere relatively strongly to the smooth surface of the support belt, initially by static electricity, and after the coating application, adhesion is caused by the moisture of the web.
EP-A-0 576 115 (Albany International Corp.) discloses a transfer belt for carrying a paper sheet from a press nip in a paper machine to a transfer point.
Although this prior-art transfer belt in some aspects operates according to the same principles as the invention, there are in fact substantial differences. The operation of the transfer belt according to EP-A-0 576 115 requires a compression of the belt in order to accomplish a web-release function at the transfer point. More specifically, the transfer belt comprises a system of polymers and hard particles embedded therein. When the belt is compressed in the press nip, it becomes very smooth giving a good web contact. On the exit side of the nip the system expands, but differently at soft and hard regions. Thereby, the water film between the belt and the web is split or broken and the web can be released. This technique based on a pressure responsive belt cannot be used in a coating station, because there is not any substantial compressive pressure acting on the web-belt system in a coating station. Furthermore, the moisture content of a web in a press section being essentially higher (the moisture content appoximately 80% on the entrance side and 50% on the exit side) than that in a coating station (moisture content approximately 5-10% on the entrance side), the operating environment of this prior-art transfer belt and the invention are essentially different. The environment is nearly 100% dry in a coating station and, therefore, web handling problems in a coating station are caused by different factors than in the "wet" environment in a press section.

Coater belt and a coating station including such a coater belt


A system and method for performing distributed power control in a processor comprising an array of cores enables each core to regulate power at least partially independently. Global power management settings are made accessible to all cores and communication between cores propagates power consumption information between nearest neighbors in the array. Each core attempts to best regulate its own power consumption in accordance with global power consumption information and/or specific instructions from a global power manager. In this manner local opportunistic load balancing may be achieved in a scalable manner suitable for a large array of cores.

In a typical multicore processor, a power management unit (PMU) communicates with a plurality of cores and manages power consumption with respect to computing requirements. The centralized PMU face linearly scaling computing requirements as the number of cores increases. Making matters even more challenging, communication latency also increases with the number of cores. As a result, multicore processor systems that delegate substantially all power management decisions to a single, centralized PMU are likely to require power management compromises due to the sub-optimal scalability characteristics of the traditional centralized PMU paradigm. What is needed is a power management approach that scales well with the number of processors cores.

Distributed power management for multi-core processors


A gas generator is provided for generating gas including steam and carbon dioxide from the combustion of a hydrocarbon gas with oxygen. The gas generator includes an enclosure with an induction head (201) having an oxygen inlet and a fuel inlet therein, an adapter block (202) to which the induction head (201) attaches and a mixing chamber (203) to which the adapter block (202) is attached. The fuel and oxygen enter the enclosure by first passing through the induction head (201). A start up igniter (210) is located within the induction head (201) to ignite the fuel and oxygen mixture within the enclosure. The adapter block (202) includes a shroud extending away from the induction head (201) and which defines a combustion chamber within the enclosure. The fuel and oxygen mixture is combusted within the combustion chamber before passing out of the shroud of the adapter block (202) and into the mixing chamber (203). The mixing chamber (203) includes a water inlet for the induction of water into the mixing chamber (203) to cool the combustion products exiting the combustion chamber and heat the water entering the mixing chamber (203) from the water inlet. The gas generator generates gas both directly as steam and carbon dioxide which are products of the combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel and the oxygen and by raising a temperature of the water entering the mixing chamber (203) from the water inlet to above its boiling point such that the water is turned into steam. The steam from the combustion chamber and the steam from the water separately entering the mixing chamber (203) are mixed and discharged together at an end of the mixing chamber (203) opposite that of the adapter block (202). The oxygen entering the induction head (201) is free of nitrogen so that the products of combustion are free of nitrogen containing pollutants.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention involves the efficient generation of environmentally clean energy, focused on the commercial generation of electrical power. This invention has a number of additional industrial applications where the working fluid used requires variable temperatures and pressures such as in food processing, oil well high energy gas injection, medical and greenhouse facility constant temperature control, and other applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
The current art in generating a major portion of commercial levels of electrical power, in the United States and world-wide, depends upon thermal generating plants burning hydrocarbon fuels (mainly coal and low grade fuel oils) with air, which contains 23.1% oxygen and 76.9% nitrogen by weight, to generate high enthalpy steam which, in turn, is used to drive turbo-electric generators.
The technology of designing, constructing and operating extremely high energy generators for jet engines, rocket engines, and gas turbine auxiliary power systems, has been significantly advanced in recent years. Generation and controlled use of such extremely high energy levels is a specialized practice and is readily adaptable to commercial industry.
The current state-of-the-art in power generation results in the production of atmospheric pollutants, mainly high levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter. Such emissions are at, and in a great many cases above, critical allowed threshhold levels and must be reduced to preserve clean air. Current US regulatory requirements prescribe the amounts of the above listed atmospheric emissions permitted in particular locations by a given power generating plant. Allowable emission thresholds are decreasing over time putting more and more pressure on industry to reduce emissions. Drastic economic penalties are being established, either in the form of fines (called purchased credits) related to the amounts by which emissions exceed allowable limits, or plants can be ordered to cease emitting operations.
In addition to the undesired effects of the build-up of atmospheric pollutants on the quality of the environment, current art extracts further societal prices in terms of the added costs of pollution control and monitoring equipment, and the purchasing of credits which are passed on to the consumers.
There have been many efforts to solve the emissions problem by exploiting non-combustible energy sources, such as windmills, fuel cells, solar cells, closed cycle solar reflector/boilers, use of tidal motion and others. None of these sources can approach the required output levels in a cost-effective manner, with operating efficiency required for large-scale, sustained commercial applications currently supplied by the conventional thermal power generating plants. Nuclear plants can produce at the required levels of outputs, but they have encountered regulatory requirements leading to high costs, and there is a strong societal opposition to increasing use of nuclear power. Hence nuclear power use in the United States is severely restricted.

Reduced pollution hydrocarbon combustion gas generator


A brake early warning system for a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle has (1) a steering column assembly (500) having a plurality of components, and (2) a vehicle broadcast system, which includes brake lights, a horn, and headlights. The brake early warning system includes a movement sensor (20) which is connected to the steering column assembly (500), and senses relative movement between two of the steering column assembly (500) components when a driver braces against the steering wheel (508) in an urgent braking situation. In such cases, movement sensor (20) senses relative movement, and generates a signal which activates the brake lights, horn, and headlights, thereby alerting any following driver, as well as others in the vicinity, that the vehicle has commenced rapid braking. In a second embodiment the brake early warning system includes inputs of both the weight of the driver and the force applied to the steering wheel, both of which affect the behavior of the system.

All motor vehicles are equipped with brake lights which indicate that the brake pedal has been depressed, and therefore that the vehicle is braking. The brake lights serve to warn a following motorist that the vehicle is braking, and that the following driver should also in turn commence slowdown or braking. Unfortunately, when the rear car is following too close considering the speed of both vehicles, the activation of the brake lights comes too late to avoid an accident. Various prior art inventions have addressed this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,333 shows an urgent braking device which connects in series with a brake light system of a vehicle. The device incorporates power modulating means connected in parallel with an inertial switch. The device is attached to the vehicle with the inertial switch in an orientation relative to the vehicle whereby the switch is normally closed. The switch opens when the vehicle is decelerating in excess of a predetermined rate. Upon opening, the switch interrupts power supplied to the brake light system and a power modulating means is activated, resulting in a modulated power signal supplied to the brake light system causing the brake lights to flash. U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,258 illustrates a steering wheel 12 which incorporates an air bag unit 22. The air bag unit has a cover door 30 with a transducer 38 molded in a deformable front wall 35 of the cover door. The transducer can be a force sensitive resistor 38 which is operably connected to an electrical circuit 42 that actuates a horn 44 when the circuit senses a change in the resistance of force sensitive resistor 38. The force sensitive resistor 38 produces a suitable change in resistance when hand pressure is exerted on the front wall 35. U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,892 defines a vehicle warning system for vehicles comprising a pressure activated switch disposed within the steering wheel for activating a transmitter when more than normal pressure is applied to the steering wheel. The vehicle warning system further comprises a warning unit which contains a receiver, a sound generator, and warning lights. When a driver is faced with a potentially dangerous situation and instinctively grips the steering wheel harder, this causes the vehicle warning system to transmit rf signals to the receiver in the warning unit of the initiating vehicle as well as the receivers in the warning units of other vehicles within a predetermined distance. The transmitted signal causes the warning light to flash and warning sound to be generated from the warning unit in each of the vehicles receiving the transmitted signal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,434 discloses a circuit for activating automobile brake lights. The circuit includes a battery, rear lights, horn, horn switch, center brake light flasher, brake pedal switch, and dash indicator light. When the horn in activated, the brake lights come on. When the enter brake light flasher is activated, the middle brake light comes on. When the brakes are activated, the dash indicator light comes on.

Brake early warning system and method of use


A surface mountable chip comprises a semiconductor substrate having IC devices formed thereon and also vertically exposed electrical contacts formed as part of the IC fabrication substrate. Metallization lines electrically connect the IC devices with the contacts. The inventor also contemplates wafers having electrical connection vias in place on the wafers in preparation as a product for further fabrication. A method embodiment of the invention describes methods of fabricating such surface mountable chips.

Common microelectronics packaging involves attaching a chip onto a package or leadframe, wirebonding the chip contacts to the package contacts and then either molding or hermetically sealing the package. The packaged chip is then suitable to be put into its final application, whether that be placed in a socket or soldered to a board. The advantages of this general method are found in the finished parts durability and reliability. These types of packages lend mechanical and environmental protection to the chip within.
Although useful in their own way, such packages have certain limitations and improvements that can be made. The most notable difficulties these packages have are their large size as compared to the chip size, cost of manufacture and cycle time for production. Accordingly, what is needed is a method and apparatus for fabricating an integrated structure including both the IC and the electrical contacts on the same substrate so that the chip can be put directly into its final use without the use of wirebonding. The device will be a solderable surface mounted IC. The inventor of the present invention contemplates such a surface mountable IC device.

Surface mountable direct chip attach device and method including integral integrated circuit


An electrochemically driven syringe pump for infusion of medicament wherein the pump has a detachable barrel in which medicament can be stored and subsequently infused. The pump is further adapted for storage as the charge transfer medium is sealed in a reservoir prior to activation.

The medical infusion pump art is one of great breadth and diversity. Even within the art of syringe pumps a great deal of work has been done.
Syringe pumps generally are used to infuse a relatively small quantity of concentrated medicament as opposed to large volume pumps which are designed to infuse accurately a medicament which is formed in admixture with a large quantity of diluent.
Syringe pumps run the gamut from highly accurate and correspondingly expensive electro mechanical pumps such as the Baxter AS40 and other devices from various manufacturers to very inexpensive and correspondingly less accurate disposables; an example thereof being the Disetronic Infusor, which is a galvanic cell, generating Hydrogen, attached to a syringe. Another example of a disposable infusion device is the SmartDoseII.TM. by River Medical Inc. This device uses an acid-base reaction to produce gas operative to collapse a bag of medicament.
As can be seen by a review of the disposable syringe pump art, of which the above are exemplary, disposable syringe pumps, particularly gas driven syringe pumps, lack the requisite accuracy to deliver many of the latest and most efficacious drugs, particularly drugs for oncology treatments and antibiotics and the like.
The instant invention provides for a level of accuracy similar to that of an electromechanical syringe pump whilst maintaining the simplicity and low cost associated with disposable devices. This accuracy is achieved by use of an accurately current-controlled electrochemical cell which preferentially transfers oxygen out of the air into a specially designed syringe having an essentially constant coefficient of friction throughout the length thereof against the syringe plunger.
An additional shortcoming of gas driven infusion devices is that as the drive gas is being generated there is a delay in infusion at the desired flow rate as the gas pressure rises. In the instant device, the syringe is prepressurized so as to minimize this lead time.
The electrochemistry of electrically driven cells is well characterized. The instant device preferentially uses a cell made of Nafion.RTM. from E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. Nafion is an acidic material which provides for the reaction: EQU 1/2O.sub.2 +2H.sup.+ +2e.sup.- .fwdarw.H.sub.2 O EQU H.sub.2 O.fwdarw.1/2O.sub.2 +2H.sup.+ +2e.sup.-
which serves to fill the syringe with oxygen gas. As can be seen from the above reaction, the water is not consumed but rather is recycled as the reaction continues. The water necessary for proton transport when the cell becomes excessively dehydrated is contained in the pump in a novel blotter arrangement which shall be subsequently described.
The combination of the novel electrochemical cell, blotter and prepressurized syringe as well as other aspects of the invention, which shall be subsequently described, provides for an accurate and cost effective pump.

Electrochemical syringe pump having a sealed storage reservoir for a charge transfer medium