The present invention relates to proteins that are expressed in oocytes, nucleic acid sequences encoding those proteins and antibodies generated against those proteins. Composition and methods are provided for using the disclosed oocyte proteins as targets for contraceptive drugs.

There is increasing interest in developing an immunological approach to contraception for humans and sterilization for animal populations. A contraceptive vaccine would provide many advantages over currently available methods of contraception. Methods of contraception such as hormone therapies and chemical or mechanical barriers against fertilization have serious drawbacks, such as undesirable side effects and less than complete effectiveness. For example, side effects of hormonal therapies such as the pill include cancer, and in the case of mechanical barriers, increased susceptibility to infection. In addition, contraceptive vaccines would further be useful for fertility control of animal populations, where long-term or permanent sterilization, without the need for frequent intervention, is desirable. For example, such long-term sterilization would be useful for controlling fertility in human beings or agriculturally important livestock, such as cattle and pigs. Further, contraceptive vaccines would be useful for permanent sterilization regimes useful for pest control, such as for sterilization of rodents or other unwanted populations.
While there has been much interest in the development of immunocontraceptives, the focus has been, until recently, on the development of immunocontraceptives directed against sperm surface antigens, or on already known peptide hormones such as human chorionic gonadotropin and follicle stimulating hormone. One obstacle to the development of an effective egg surface antigen based immunocontraceptive vaccine has been the lack of knowledge regarding the molecular identities of egg surface proteins known to be directly involved in the fertilization process.
Mammalian fertilization may be defined as a series of gametic interactions in which capacitated sperm must first penetrate the cumulus cells and zona pellucida (the egg vestments), then bind to and fuse with the egg plasma membrane (oolemma). The initial binding event between gametes is known as primary binding and occurs, in the mouse model, when the zona pellucida protein, ZP3, binds to a receptor(s) on the sperm (reviewed in (McLeskey et al., 1998, Int. Rev. of Cytol. 177: 57-113). This binding event also initiates the acrosome reaction in which hydrolytic enzymes are released from the acrosomal compartment and act on the zona pellucida to facilitate penetration of the zona pellucida by sperm. Zona penetration is known as secondary binding and is mediated by the zona protein, ZP2, and one or more molecules on the inner acrosomal membrane (reviewed in Snell and White, 1996, Cell 85: 629-637).
Upon emergence from the zona pellucida, sperm then cross the perivitelline space and bind to and fuse with the oolemma. The molecular basis of sperm-oolemma binding and fusion has yet to be fully elucidated; however; recent evidence has demonstrated that integrins are involved in the interaction. Almeida et al. (1995, Cell 81:1095-1104) found that when oocytes were treated with monoclonal antibodies against the egg surface integrin α6β1, mouse sperm-oolemma binding was reduced. Further, these investigators reported that somatic cells which express α6β1 bind mouse sperm avidly while somatic cells that lack α6 or β1 do not. A proposed sperm surface ligand for α6β1 is fertilin. Fertilin contains a domain homologous to a family of integrin ligands known as disintegrins (Blobel et al., 1992, Nature 356: 248-252), which suggest a cell adhesion function for the molecule. Also, recombinant fertilin is known to bind to the oolemma (Evans et al., 1997, Dev. Biol. 187:79-93), with both monoclonal antibodies to fertilin (Primakoff et al., 1987, J. Cell. Biol. 104: 141-149) and fertilin peptide analogs (Almeida et al., 1995, Cell 81: 1095-1104; Evans et al., 1995, J. Cell. Sci. 108: 3267-3278) blocking sperm-oolemma binding and fusion.
Sperm-egg binding and fusion is likely to require multiple receptor-ligand interactions and other oolemmal proteins are likely to be involved in the fertilization process. In fact, there is indirect evidence implicating other oolemmal proteins in sperm-egg interaction. A purified sperm-associated protein (protein DE) which is involved in fusion in the rat, binds to the surface of zona-free rat oocytes (Cohen et al., 1996, Biol. Reprod. 55: 200-206). Another putative oolemmal sperm receptor is removed from the surface of radioiodinated mouse eggs following trypsin treatment and reappears on the egg surface after 3-6 h of culture (Kellom et al., 1992, Mol. Reprod. Dev. 33: 46-52). The reappearance of this 94 kDa protein on the egg surface coincides with the ability of the trypsin-treated eggs to be penetrated by sperm.
Glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins may play a key role in gamete interaction. GPI-anchored proteins possess a covalently linked glycosylated phosphatidylinositol moiety which serves to attach the protein portion of the molecule to the cell surface lipid bilayer (Low and Saltiel, 1988, Science, 239: 268-275). Proteins linked to the cell surface via a phosphatidylinositol anchor are known to be involved in a wide variety of cellular functions including T cell activation, hydrolysis of extracellular matrix proteins, transduction of extracellular stimuli, and cell-cell adhesion (reviewed in Low and Saltiel, 1988, Science, 239: 268-275). GPI-anchored proteins can be released from the cell surface by treatment of cells with the highly specific enzyme phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) (Low and Finean, 1978, Bioch. Biophys. Acta. 508: 565-570). Therefore, treatment of intact cells with PI-PLC has become a useful tool to characterize the released proteins and to investigate the role of GPI-anchored proteins in cell function.
The hamster oocyte is unique in that zona-free eggs from other species such as the mouse, rat, and guinea pig do not incorporate heterologous sperm as readily (Yanagimachi, 1972, J. Reprod. Fertil., 28: 477-480; Hanada and Chang, 1976, J. Reprod. Fertil., 46: 239-241; and Quinn, 1979, 210: 497-506). Because of this promiscuity, the zona-free hamster egg has been used extensively in the sperm penetration assay (SPA) to assess the fertilizing capacity of human spermatozoa (Yanagimachi et al., 1976, Biol. Reprod., 15: 471-476; Rodgers et al., 1979; Liu and Baker, 1992, Fertil. Steril., 59: 698-699). In spite of the widespread use of this assay, the molecular interactions which occur between the human sperm and hamster oocyte during gamete interaction remain largely unknown. Presumably, however, there are molecules on the hamster egg plasma membrane (oolemma) which specifically interact with molecules on the human sperm plasma membrane during sperm-egg binding and fusion.
There have been a number of recent attempts to produce contraceptive vaccines directed against egg antigens (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,820,863, 5,641,487, 5,637,300, and 4,996,297). To date, because of their relative abundance and accessibility to immunodetection, the focus has been on identifying zona pellucida epitopes. However, results from fertility trials in several species have shown that ovarian histopathology is often observed in ZP3 immunized animals. Therefore, commercial contraceptive companies have lost interest in zona proteins as contraceptive immunogens.
A new approach for an effective contraceptive vaccine that specifically targets antigens directly involved in the fertilization process is needed. However, to date, there are no reports of vaccines directed against egg protein(s) directly involved in the process of sperm-egg fusion step which is required for fertilization. The present invention is directed to contraceptive compositions and methods that are based on egg specific surface proteins.
Definitions
In describing and claiming the invention, the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set forth below.
As used herein, "nucleic acid," "DNA," and similar terms also include nucleic acid analogs, i.e. analogs having other than a phosphodiester backbone. For example, the so-called "peptide nucleic acids," which are known in the art and have peptide bonds instead of phosphodiester bonds in the backbone, are considered within the scope of the present invention.
The term "peptide" encompasses a sequence of 3 or more amino acids wherein the amino acids are naturally occurring or synthetic (non-naturally occurring) amino acids. Peptide mimetics include peptides having one or more of the following modifications:                1. peptides wherein one or more of the peptidyl —C(O)NR— linkages (bonds) have been replaced by a non-peptidyl linkage such as a —CH2-carbamate linkage (—CH2OC(O)NR—), a phosphonate linkage, a —CH2-sulfonamide (—CH2—S(O)2NR—) linkage, a urea (—NHC(O)NH—) linkage, a —CH2-secondary amine linkage, or with an alkylated peptidyl linkage (—C(O)NR—) wherein R is C1-C4 alkyl;        2. peptides wherein the N-terminus is derivatized to a —NRR1 group, to a —NRC(O)R group, to a —NRC(O)OR group, to a —NRS(O)2R group, to a —NHC(O)NHR group where R and R1 are hydrogen or C1-C4 alkyl with the proviso that R and R1 are not both hydrogen;        3. peptides wherein the C terminus is derivatized to —C(O)R2 where R2 is selected from the group consisting of C1-C4 alkoxy, and —NR3R4 where R3 and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkyl.
Naturally occurring amino acid residues in peptides are abbreviated as recommended by the IUPAC-IUB Biochemical Nomenclature Commission as follows: Phenylalanine is Phe or F; Leucine is Leu or L; Isoleucine is Ile or I; Methionine is Met or M; Norleucine is Nle; Valine is Vat or V; Serine is Ser or S; Proline is Pro or P; Threonine is Thr or T; Alanine is Ala or A; Tyrosine is Tyr or Y; Histidine is His or H; Glutamine is Gln or Q; Asparagine is Asn or N; Lysine is Lys or K; Aspartic Acid is Asp or D; Glutamic Acid is Glu or E; Cysteine is Cys or C; Tryptophan is Trp or W; Arginine is Arg or R; Glycine is Gly or G, and X is any amino acid. Other naturally occurring amino acids include, by way of example, 4-hydroxyproline, 5-hydroxylysine, and the like.
Synthetic or non-naturally occurring amino acids refer to amino acids which do not naturally occur in vivo but which, nevertheless, can be incorporated into the peptide structures described herein. The resulting "synthetic peptide" contain amino acids other than the 20 naturally occurring, genetically encoded amino acids at one, two, or more positions of the peptides. For instance, naphthylalanine can be substituted for trytophan to facilitate synthesis. Other synthetic amino acids that can be substituted into peptides include L-hydroxypropyl, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanyl, alpha-amino acids such as L-alpha-hydroxylysyl and D-alpha-methylalanyl, L-alpha.-methylalanyl, beta.-amino acids, and isoquinolyl. D amino acids and non-naturally occurring synthetic amino acids can also be incorporated into the peptides. Other derivatives include replacement of the naturally occurring side chains of the 20 genetically encoded amino acids (or any L or D amino acid) with other side chains.
As used herein, the term "conservative amino acid substitution" are defined herein as exchanges within one of the following five groups:                I. Small Aliphatic, Nonpolar or Slightly Polar Residues:                    Ala, Ser, Thr, Pro, Gly;                        II. Polar, Negatively Charged Residues and Their Amides:                    Asp, Asn, Glu, Gln;                        III. Polar, Positively Charged Residues:                    His, Arg, Lys;                        IV. Large, Aliphatic, Nonpolar Residues:                    Met Leu, Ile, Val, Cys                        V. Large, Aromatic Residues:                    Phe, Tyr, Trp
As used herein, the term "purified" and like terms relate to the isolation of a molecule or compound in a form that is substantially free of contaminants normally associated with the molecule or compound in a native or natural environment.
As used herein, the term "MOP5 polypeptide" and like terms refers to polypeptides comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 and biologically active fragments thereof.
As used herein, the term "MOP8 polypeptide" and like terms refers to polypeptides comprising SEQ ID NO: 4 and biologically active fragments thereof.
As used herein, the term "biologically active fragments" or "bioactive fragment" of an egg surface polypeptide encompasses natural or synthetic portions of the native peptide that are capable of specific binding to at least one of the natural ligands of the respective native MOP5 or MOP8 polypeptide.
"Operably linked" refers to a juxtaposition wherein the components are configured so as to perform their usual function. Thus, control sequences or promoters operably linked to a coding sequence are capable of effecting the expression of the coding sequence.
As used herein, the tern "pharmaceutically acceptable carrier" encompasses any of the standard pharmaceutical carriers, such as a phosphate buffered saline solution, water and emulsions such as an oil/water or water/oil emulsion, and various types of wetting agents.

University of Virginia Patent Foundation


A chain cleaning and lubricating device for use with chain driven vehicles, such as motorcycles. The chain cleaning and lubricating device includes a lubrication reservoir for storing chain lubricant, a lubrication applicator, and a control lever that is attachable to the handlebars of a motorcycle. A control cable operatively connects the control lever to a control valve that is operatively situated within the lubrication reservoir. The chain cleaning and lubricating device is affixed to a sprocket housing mounted to the frame of the motorcycle. The lubrication applicator includes a plurality of bristles that extend downward from the bottom surface of the lubrication reservoir to continuously engage the rotating chain of the motorcycle to remove debris from the chain. The control lever is selectively operated to regulate the flow of chain lubricant from the lubrication reservoir to the chain of the motorcycle.

Many chain driven vehicles such as scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles typically include a drive chain for powering the vehicles in a forward direction. A chain driven vehicle with an improperly maintained drive chain can result in damage to the vehicle, and possible injury to the vehicle operator. Drive chains are often exposed to contaminants such as dirt, and mud that accumulate between interconnecting links of the chain, and moisture that causes the chain to corrode and rust. Operating off-road motorcycles on dirt roads or trails typically results in the drive chain being exposed to greater amounts of contaminants. Over time, neglected care of the chain can reduce the life of the chain and create a safety hazard unless routine maintenance is performed to maintain the chain in good, operating condition.
Maintaining the drive chain in a healthy operating condition requires proper cleaning and lubrication. Lubricating the chain is often undertaken while the motorcycle is stationary. Such a task is traditionally accomplished by raising the motorcycle onto a wheel stand, placing the motorcycle in neutral, and simultaneously rotating the rear wheel with one hand while applying a lubricant onto the drive chain with the other hand using an oil dispenser such as an oil or spray can. Subsequent to applying the lubricant onto the chain, excessive lubricant is generally wiped away using a rag, in an effort to remove any contaminants from the chain. Such methods are relatively straight-forward for most chain driven machines such as motorcycles. The task generally requires lifting, and the coordinated functionality of both hands, or alternatively, the assistance of another individual. Though the preferred method of lubricating the drive chain of a motorcycle is while the motorcycle is stationary, some motorcycle riders prefer to lubricate the chain while riding the motorcycle. Typically, the operator holds a spray can in one hand and attempts to lubricate the chain by pointing the spray nozzle towards the vicinity of the chain while simultaneously negotiating the motorcycle on the road. Steering the motorcycle with one hand while attempting to lubricate the chain of the motorcycle with another is dangerous, inefficient, and does not adequately remove contaminants from the chain.
Various prior art devices have been introduced to aid operators in cleaning and lubricating the drive chain of motorcycles, scooters, or mopeds. One prior art device includes bristles that are fixed along a hub of a rotating wheel where the bristles engage the drive chain to remove any debris and contaminants collected on the chain. Such prior art devices do not include a method of lubricating the drive chain of a motorcycle. Another prior art device comprises a cylindrical housing including a rigid brush having a plurality of bristles formed within the housing, and an opening for receiving the chain of a motorcycle during operation. The bristles engage the chain as the chain passes through the housing to remove contaminants from the chain. A tube is connected to a pressurized lubricating spray applicator where the tube extends into the cylindrical housing. One drawback of this prior art device is that the cleaning and lubricating process is efficiently completed when the motorcycle is in a stationary position.
Conventional cleaning and lubricating devices are not engineered to lubricate the chain of motorcycles simultaneously while operating the motorcycle on a paved road, race track, or dirt trail. Traditional cleaning and/or lubrication devices for chain driven vehicles require that the vehicle be stationary. The coordinate efforts of placing the vehicle in a stationary position before lubricating the chain is often less desirable, time consuming, and inconvenient. For example, in some situations, operators wish to clean and lubricate the chain of the motorcycle while operating the motorcycle at high speeds such as on a race track. The ability to clean and lubricate the chain while riding the motorcycle is convenient, requires little effort, and effectively and continuously maintains the chain in good operating condition.


A router has multiple channel inputs and multiple channel outputs and a switch core for selectively connecting at least two of the channel outputs to respective channel inputs. Each channel output is connected to an output signal path containing a FIFO register and the router is configured so that first and second channel outputs are connected to a pair of channel inputs respectively. The router configuration is changed so that the first and second channel outputs are connected to first and second channel inputs respectively. The FIFO registers in the output signal paths of the first and second channel outputs are forced to equal fullness.

The subject matter of this application relates to a method of operating a router.
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a television program provider may operate a production facility 6 at which it produces a digital television (DTV) program signal AV having a baseband video component representing a sequence of pictures and a corresponding baseband audio component. We will assume for the purpose of this discussion that the baseband video component is in the high definition serial digital interface (HD-SDI) format specified in SMPTE 292M and that the baseband audio component includes at least one channel of digital audio data that is encoded in accordance with the standard known as AES3 and is embedded in the horizontal ancillary data space of the HD-SDI video signal (defined by SMPTE 292M) in accordance with the mapping defined in SMPTE 299M. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the HD-SDI video signal is able to accommodate up to 16 audio channels, organized as four groups each containing four audio channels. Typically, a channel of the baseband audio component is derived from an analog audio signal that has been sampled at 48 kHz, and each line of the horizontal ancillary (HANC) data space of the HD-SDI signal carries 0, 1 or 2 audio samples.
In accordance with the AES3 standard, each audio data sample has 20 or 24 bits and is placed in an AES subframe having 32 bits. Four bits of the subframe form a preamble that is used for synchronizing purposes. Two AES subframes form an AES frame. Generally, the two audio data samples that are placed in the two subframes of an AES frame are related, for example as left and right channel stereo components, and the mapping scheme maintains a constant time relationship between the two samples through embedding and subsequent disembedding.
For convenience in set up and use of the illustrated equipment there will generally be a consistent mapping between audio signal sources and the channels that convey the respective audio data streams provided by the audio signal sources. For example, the audio data samples derived from left and right channel stereo components of an audio signal would typically be conveyed in two adjacent channels (e.g. channels 1 and 2 or channels 3 and 4) of the HD-SDI signal.
Audio data may alternatively be encoded using Dolby E packets, which may be conveyed using a data structure similar to AES frames. A single Dolby E packet cannot be accommodated by an AES subframe and therefore the Dolby E packet is split into two subpackets that are placed in the two subframes respectively of the AES frame. Thus, in the event that Dolby E packets are embedded in an HD-SDI signal, the two subpackets of the Dolby E packet are conveyed in two adjacent channels respectively.
Still referring to FIG. 1, the program signal is supplied to a program signal router 8 that receives the program signal at an input and directs the program signal to a selected destination via an output of the program signal router. It will be appreciated that the program signal router would normally have many inputs and many outputs and can be configured to direct the program signal received at any selected input to any exclusive set of one or more destinations.
In practice, it may be desirable to switch the audio component of the program signal separately from the video component. This may be accomplished by disembedding the audio component from the program signal, supplying the program signal and the audio component to a video switch 10 and an audio switch 12 respectively, and re-embedding the audio component in the program signal downstream of the video switch 10. In a practical implementation, the video switch is an X-Y space switch having row and column conductors that can be selectively interconnected by crosspoint switch elements whereas the audio switch is a shared memory time switch.
Operation of a shared memory time switch that can route a signal provided by one of four sources to an exclusive set of at least one of four destinations will be described with reference to FIG. 2. Digital data words from respective sources are supplied to input registers 16, each of which is assigned a position in a sequence that contains all the input registers. Typically, the assigned position of an input register 16 reflects the spatial location of an input terminal, such as a connector, to which the input register is connected. A controller (not shown) read enables the input registers sequentially and accordingly the data words are placed sequentially on a bus 18. The controller controls the read enable command supplied to the input registers and the state of the bus 18 so that the data words are placed on the bus in successive bus operating cycles. Consequently, the position of a data word from a particular input register in the sequence of bus operating cycles depends strictly on the assigned position of the input register. The sequence of data words is written to successive addresses in a memory array 20, and the address to which a data word is written depends strictly on the position of the data word in the sequence of bus operating cycles and hence on the spatial location of the input terminal at which the data word was received.
Data words are read from the memory array 20 and each word is placed on an output bus 22 in at least one of four time slots of the bus operating cycle. The output bus thus conveys up to four interleaved digital signals. The switch also comprises four output registers 24 whose outputs are connected respectively to the four output terminals of the switch. Analogously to the input registers, each output register 24 is assigned a position in a sequence that contains all the output registers and typically the assigned position of an output register reflects the spatial location of the output terminal to which the output register is connected. The controller controls the read enable command supplied to the output registers and the state of the bus 22 so that each output register reads the data words that are in an assigned time slot of the bus operating cycle.
The controller receives an operator command specifying the output(s) to which a given input signal is to be directed, and generates read enable commands that will result in the data words of the input signal being routed to the appropriate outputs. Suppose, for example, that the operator sets the controller to select the signal received at the input terminal connected to the input register 161 for routing to the output terminals connected to the output registers 241 and 243. In this case, the controller controls the read enable commands supplied to the memory array so that the data words that were supplied to the memory array in time slot 1 of the bus operating cycle are placed on the output bus in both time slot 1 and time slot 3 of the bus operating cycle. The output registers 241 and 243 read the signal on the output bus in time slots 1 and 3 respectively of the bus operating cycle. Accordingly, the data words of the signal received at the input terminal connected to the input register 161 are routed both to the output terminal connected to the output register 241 and to the output terminal connected to the output register 243.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the audio switch 12 is designed to receive sample words, each containing one audio sample, from the disembedder 26 at a uniform rate of 48 ks/s and supply sample words to the embedder 28 at a uniform rate of 48 ks/s. Because the number of audio samples per line of the video signal varies between 0 and 2, a FIFO register 30 at the input of the audio switch 12 is used to match the rate at which the disembedder outputs sample words to the rate at which the switch 12 receives sample words, and similarly a FIFO register 32 at the output of the audio switch is used to match the rate at which the switch 12 supplies sample words to the rate at which the embedder 28 receives sample words. In order to ensure that a sample word is always available to read from the input FIFO 30 when required by the audio switch, the input FIFO must be able to contain up to 64 sample words and, on average, it contains 32 sample words. Similarly, in order to meet the demands of circuitry that specifies the number of samples that the embedder must insert on each line of the video signal, the output FIFO 32 must be able to contain up to 64 sample words and its average content is 32 sample words. Consequently, the average delay suffered by an audio sample in passing through the FIFOs and the audio switch is 64 sample times plus the delay through the audio switch (between 3 and 5 sample times), or about 1.43 ms. In comparison, the delay suffered by the video component of the HD-SDI program signal in passing through the video switch is negligible. This difference in delay between the video component and the audio component may cause objectionable lip sync error.


An implantable bi-ventricular heart stimulating device has a control circuit that within a time cycle, delivers pacing pulses with both first and second pacing circuits with a time gap between a pacing pulse delivered by these pacing circuits. The time gap can be such that a pacing pulse delivered by the second pacing circuits falls substantially within a first time interval in which an evoked response can be expected to a pacing pulse delivered by the first pacing circuit. The control circuit performs a temporary modification of the operation of the device such that during at least one time cycle no pacing pulse is delivered by the second pacing circuit during the first time interval.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an implantable heart stimulating device with which it is possible to stimulate both the ventricles of a heart, i.e. a bi-ventricular pacer.
The invention also relates to a system including such a device and to a method for his bi-ventricular stimulation and sensing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different implantable devices for stimulating a heart are known. The devices are normally able to sense the electrical activity of the heart. Some implantable devices are able to deliver stimulation pulses to both the left and right ventricles of the heart, and sometimes also to the left and right atria.
Devices that are able to deliver stimulation pulses to both the left and right ventricles are also called bi-ventricular pacers. Such devices can be used to treat patients who suffer from different severe cardiac problems, e.g. patients suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is defined generally as the inability of the heart to deliver a sufficient amount of blood to the body. CHF can have different causes. It can for example be caused by a left bundle branch block (LBBB) or a right bundle branch block (RBBB). By using bi-ventricular pacing, for example, the contraction of the ventricles can be controlled in order to improve the ability of the heart to pump blood. The stimulation pulses to the two ventricles can be delivered simultaneously but it is also known for the stimulation pulses to the two ventricles to be delivered with a short time delay between them in order to optimise the pumping performance of the heart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,768 describes different possible electrode positions in order to stimulate or sense the different chambers of the heart.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,100 describes that electrodes may be positioned in both the left and the right atrium as well as in the left and the right ventricles.
In connection with implantable pacers, in particular pacers which only have the possibility to stimulate the right ventricle, and sometimes also the right atrium, it is known to detect capture, i.e. to detect whether the heart actually reacts to a delivered stimulation pulse. If capture is not detected it is possible to cause the pacer to deliver a back-up pulse with a higher pulse energy than the first pulse. It is also possible to increase the pulse energy in future stimulation pulses if capture is not detected. In order to conserve the battery it is important for stimulation pulses not to be delivered with an unnecessarily high energy. By varying the energy of the stimulation pulses and by detecting the capture it is possible to find a threshold value for the stimulation pulse energy. Based on the threshold value, a suitable stimulation pulse energy can be determined.
The detection of capture involves several problems. Different signals from the heart or generated by the pacemaker may interfere with each other, which may make the detection of capture difficult. The evoked response that it is intended to detect may thus be hidden because of other electrical phenomena. It is particularly difficult to detect capture in a bi-ventricular pacer since in such a pacer there are more delivered and detected signals which may interfere with each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,234 describes a system for detecting capture in connection with bi-ventricular or bi-atrial pacing. The document describes the fact that if a chamber is captured, then there is a biological refractory period during which this chamber cannot be stimulated again. The system described in this document monitors these refractory periods for the different chambers, for example for the two ventricles. When capture is achieved in both ventricles, no intrinsic depolarization signals can be sensed during the following refractory period. However, where the output level of one of the pacing pulses is insufficient to capture one ventricle, but capture is achieved in the other ventricle, a delayed depolarization pattern can be detected in the ventricle that was not captured. This delayed depolarisation is due to an interventricular conduction from the ventricle that is captured to the ventricle that is not captured. The system according to this document thus monitors the refractory interval following each delivery of stimulating pulses to the ventricles. A loss of capture is indicated in case such a delayed depolarisation is sensed during the refractory period.
Also United States Patent Application Publication 2001/0049542 describes a system for detecting capture in connection with bi-ventricular or bi-atrial stimulation. The system includes a morphology detector incorporated in a micro controller to allow for the processing of the sensed intra-cardiac electrogram signals (IEGM). The morphology of the IEGM may depend on whether both the ventricles (or atria) have captured or not. By detecting the shape of the IEGM capture thus may be detected.

Implantable bi-ventricular stimulation device and system, and bi-ventricular stimulation and sensing method


A hydraulic circuit has a first PV pump connected to a valve group for powering a plurality of hydraulic mechanisms connected to the group, and a second PF pump connected in the circuit. In the improvement, a hydraulic line extends between the second pump and the valve group and there is a conductor sensing a mechanism load pressure. A valve network directs flow from the second pump to the valve group when the difference between the pressure in the hydraulic line and the load pressure declines below a predetermined value. Such decline "signals" that the mechanisms require more fluid than is available from the first pump alone. A new method for supplementing the flow of a first pump with that of a second pump is also disclosed.

Hydraulic pumps and motors and the fluid (oil, synthetic liquids or the like) used with them are commonly employed for transferring power from one location to another. A very common type of hydraulic circuit includes a hydraulic pump driven by a "prime mover" source of power such as an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. The pump draws oil from a tank and delivers such oil under pressure to one or more control valves. The control valve(s) direct pressurized oil to one or more hydraulic output mechanisms used to perform useful work. Exemplary output mechanisms include hydraulic cylinders (sometimes referred to as linear motors) and rotary hydraulic motors.
Hydraulic circuits can be (and are) used in a wide variety of applications and offer very good control of the output mechanism powered by such circuit. Because the circuit components, i.e., pumps, valves, motors and the like, can be connected to one another using flexible hoses, hydraulic circuits transfer power in situations where it is not possible (or at least not practical) to use straight, rigid mechanical drive lines for that purpose. And when compared to mechanical drive lines, hydraulic circuits offer superior "controllability."
Many types of hydraulically-powered machines involve hydraulic output mechanisms, e.g., hydraulic motors, the sizes and maximum speeds of which are known to the designer and do not change over the life of the machine. For example, a self-propelled agricultural combine for harvesting row crops and grain has a number of hydraulic mechanisms, the power requirements of which are known to the designer. The hydraulic motor(s), pump(s), valve(s) and the like are sized in anticipation of known mechanism load characteristics.
But design engineers do not always have the luxury of "predictability of load." Some hydraulic machines are specifically configured in anticipation of having any of a wide variety of equipment types powered by the hydraulic circuit on such machine. A good example is an agricultural tractor.
Such tractors are used to pull equipment such as a towed combine, a crop sprayer, a crop planter or a forage harvester, to name but a few. Each type of equipment has its own hydraulic mechanisms which will likely differ as to number and flow and pressure requirements from those of another equipment type.
And the precise make and model of the equipment which may be towed by a particular tractor is not known to the designer. Of course, purchasers of tractors are not required to inform the tractor seller of all of the types of towed equipment that may be used with such tractor. And in any event, such equipment may change over time. It is fair to say that in the foregoing examples, the tractor is the "power supply" for the towed equipment used therewith.
These facts present a challenge to the designer of the tractor hydraulic circuit who must anticipate the number and types of hydraulic mechanisms on the equipment being towed and powered by the tractor. And the flow requirements of such mechanisms vary widely.
A common practice when designing certain known hydraulic circuits is to select pumps which, in both number and maximum output flow of each, will meet the needs of the highest anticipated equipment flow requirement. As a result, such circuits have excess flow capacity for many types of less-demanding equipment--one or more hydraulic pumps may be utilized only a small percentage of the tractor operating time. To state it another way, the pumping capacity is selected for maximum load requirements and is under-utilized during "off-peak" operating periods.
The inclusion of such pumping capacity can be burdensome to both the tractor designer and the user. The designer must find locations on the tractor to mount pumps (which are driven by the tractor internal combustion engine) and must consider the added cost thereof when setting the tractor selling price. And the tractor user is required to maintain such pumps and keep them operating.
An approach to minimizing the installed pumping capacity on a machine involves what is known as "load sensing." U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,259 (Miller et al.) describes a closed-center load-sensing hydraulic system having a pressure-compensated, variable-displacement pump and two functions "prioritized" one to the other. The primary work circuit (e.g., steering system) is given priority in flow over a secondary work circuit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,260 (Miller et al.) shows a similar system which is open-center and uses a fixed-displacement pump. Both Miller et al. systems are said to alleviate steering wheel "kickback."
The system of the Miller et al. '259 patent is configured so that the vehicle steering system has priority and controls whether pump flow is directed only to the steering system, to both the steering and secondary work circuits or only to the secondary work circuits. The system of the Miller et al. '260 patent initially directs all fluid to the primary work circuit and then, depending upon rising load pressure in the primary circuit, to both the primary and secondary work circuits or to the secondary work circuit alone.
To put it in other words, the Miller et al. systems employ a single pump for powering two functions. The systems "favor" the primary function and shift pump flow to the secondary function only when the primary function is satisfied.
The system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,680 (Obe et al.) has three hydraulic pumps. The first pump normally powers a working implement but its flow can be manually valved to join the flow of a second pump which powers what the patent calls an auxiliary actuator. U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,795 (Dunn) describes a tri-path pressure selector network that prioritizes the flow of a pump to a vehicle braking system. When the needs of such system are satisfied, pump flow is available for other functions.
While these prior art systems have been generally satisfactory for their intended purposes, they are less-than-ideally suited for applications where the nature of the load mechanisms to be powered by the system is not fully known. The system of the Obe et al. patent relies upon manual valve manipulation to shift the flow of one pump between two circuits, one of which is also "fed" by a second pump. It is difficult for an operator to know when a mechanism needs additional hydraulic flow (and when it does not) and in any event, manual manipulation often results in reduced machine efficiency.
The rationale underlying the systems of the Miller et al. patents is to always "favor" the primary work circuit over a secondary circuit rather than to direct pump flow to the primary circuit only during peak demand. This approach is clearly appropriate where the primary work circuit involves steering or braking but less than satisfactory for powering other implement mechanisms.
A new hydraulic circuit which minimizes the pumping capacity installed on a machine, which supplements main pump flow only during peak demand imposed by the hydraulic mechanisms being powered, which is automatic in operation and which takes advantage of the operating characteristics of a variable-delivery pump and the simplicity of a fixed-delivery pump would be an important advance in the art.

Hydraulic circuit with load sensing feature


An apparatus and method for controlling unwanted spread of adhesive used to attach a semiconductor integrated circuit die to an integrated circuit package assembly. A barrier prevents the adhesive from spreading onto bond finger connections of the integrated circuit package. The barrier may be a solder mask ring outside of and encircling the perimeter of the die attachment area of the package assembly. The barrier is located between the die attachment area and the adjacent bond fingers of the package.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fabricating integrated circuit packages, and in particular, to an apparatus and method that controls unwanted spreading of adhesive used to attach semiconductor integrated circuit dies to an integrated circuit package assembly.
2. Description of the Related Technology
The semiconductor integrated circuit has revolutionized the field of electronics by becoming a basic building block in electronic products. The integrated circuit has made it possible to create many new electronic products and related services in the consumer, industrial and military markets. As more and more electronic products were introduced, a great demand for the integrated circuits used to build these products was created.
This demand resulted in a new industry devoted to manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits in quantity and at a price that was acceptable in the various electronic markets. In order to keep the price of integrated circuits as low as possible, assembly line, automation and large quantity manufacturing techniques were required.
Packaging techniques for integrated circuits have been developed to satisfy demands for miniaturization in the semiconductor industry. Improved methods for miniaturization of integrated circuits enabling the integration of millions of transistor circuit elements into single integrated silicon embodied circuits, or chips, have resulted in increased emphasis on methods to package these circuits in space efficient, yet reliable and mass producible packages.
Integrated circuits are created from a silicon wafer using various etching, doping and depositing steps that are well known in the art of fabricating integrated circuit devices. A silicon wafer is comprised of a number of integrated circuit dies that each represent a single integrated circuit chip. Ultimately, the die or chip may be packaged by transfer molding plastic encasement around the die with a variety of pin-out or mounting and interconnection schemes. For example, M-Dip (Dual-In-Line-Plastic) provides a relatively flat, molded package having dual parallel rows of leads extending from the bottom for through-hole connection, and mounting to an underlying printed circuit board. More compact integrated circuits allowing greater density on a printed circuit board are the SIP (Single-In-Line-Plastic), PLCC (Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier), and SOJ (Small Outline J-leaded) molded case packages.
Integrated circuits are comprised of many interconnected transistors and associated passive circuit elements that perform a function or functions. These functions may be random access memory, central processing, communications, etc. Different types of integrated circuits are used to create an electronic system such as a personal computer. Combining integrated circuits requires electrically connecting each integrated circuit together to form the electronic system. Once the integrated circuits are connected together in a system, other devices such as keyboards, video monitors and printers may be connected to and utilized with the system.
In order to accomplish this interconnection, conductive paths must be made available to connect the internal circuitry of the integrated circuit die to external system electrical circuits. The integrated circuit die uses metallized bumps or "bond pads" which are connected to the internal circuits of the die.
The integrated circuit package has conductors called "bond fingers" that are connected to the bond pads of the integrated circuit die by wire bonding, tape automated bonding ("TAB"), wedge bonding, ball bonding or other methods well known in the art. The bond fingers are connected to the integrated circuit package pins that are used to connect to printed circuit boards.
Before the integrated circuit die bond pads are connected to the integrated circuit package, the die must be mechanically attached to the package assembly. Epoxy adhesive containing silver filler particles may be used for attachment of the die to the package assembly. Epoxy adhesive, however, spreads or "bleeds" away from the adhesion area. Both the silver filled epoxy and the epoxy resin base spread or bleed away from the die and package mounting area. Any filled epoxy or epoxy resin that flows onto a bond finger contaminates this bond finger and may result in a defective wire bond thereto.
To control the epoxy from spreading or bleeding onto the bond fingers, the die and adhesive may be recessed into a cavity. The bond fingers adjacent to the die are placed above the surface of the die attachment cavity and this cavity substantially prevents epoxy from spreading or bleeding onto bond fingers above. Integrated circuit package assemblies requiring a large number of pins such as, for example, those using very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit dies, do not always have the option of an attachment cavity. These VLSI package assemblies have the bond fingers at the same level as the die attachment surface.
What is needed in fabricating VLSI semiconductor integrated circuit dies with corresponding high density packages is a way to prevent adhesive spreading of the die attachment epoxy onto the adjacent bond fingers when both are on the same surface plane.

Method and apparatus for controlling adhesive spreading when attaching an integrated circuit die


A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same, the semiconductor device includes a single crystal substrate, a source/drain structure and a nanowire structure. The source/drain structure is disposed on and contacts with the substrate. The nanowire structure is connected to the source/drain structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of forming the same, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device having a nanowire structure and a method of forming the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional planar metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor has difficulty when scaling down to 65 nm and below. Therefore the non-planar transistor technology such as fin field effect transistor (FinFET) technology that allows smaller size and higher performance is developed to replace the planar MOS transistor. For example, dual-gate FinFET device, tri-gate FinFET device, and omega-FinFET device have been provided. Furthermore, gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire FET device is progressed for achieving the ongoing goals of high performance, low cost, increased miniaturization of integrated circuit components, and greater packaging density of integrated circuits.

Method of forming a single-crystal nanowire finFET


An easy access immersion suit, in which the zippered opening starts at the crotch, runs diagonally up across and around the hip, diagonally across the back and ending at the underarm opposite the previous referred to hip.

Immersion suits are used for example by personnel in search and rescue and other high-risk occupations involving the chance of cold water immersion. The challenge is to create a full body suit that will keep the user dry when immersed in water but at the same time not restrict the user when performing daily activities. With traditional immersion suits for this role the user requires assistance to correctly do up the zippers while donning the suit. An immersion suit that allows the user to don/doff it themselves would be a significant improvement.
Traditional immersion suits usually have two water tight zippers, a donning/doffing zipper plus a defecate/urination zipper for males. With more and more female users, the need for a multi-sex immersion suit entry system is apparent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,795 issued Aug. 14, 1984 to Long et al discloses an easy access underwater diving suit wherein the torso portion of the suit and provides access by a zipper extending diagonally across the front from one shoulder to the opposite hip. The extra long torso portion is extended to permit the wearer to don the suit and is then adjusted to the size of the user and fastened in this position. This construction permits the user to don and doff the suit unaided, however it requires significantly extra material and is bulky when worn.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,517 issued Sep. 5, 1989 to Meistrell describes a wet suit with and offset zipper that extends at across the rear of the suit at an angle across the back bone of the user so that the zipper used to close the split does not interfere with bending movements of the user. While this system does use and diagonally extending zipper it is ineffective in solving the problems solved by the present invention.


A light guide module with adjustable lighting of a contour surface is composed of light sources and a light guide. The light guide is composed of a primary part, a Y-shaped branch, and a secondary part with a contour surface. The supporting surface of the Y-shaped branch of the light guide is composed of a system of directional optical elements, is of prismatic shape, conical shape, or a combination thereof, and has a vertex on the optical axis of the primary part of the light guide.

The uniformity of lighting of dashboards or other interior parts is usually a critical parameter in the area of interior signal lighting. Because front and rear contour lights, directional indicator lights, and daytime running lights are used to accentuate the exterior style features of a vehicle, requirements for homogeneity are also becoming essential for exterior signal lighting. For these purposes, light guide components with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are commonly used as a light source.
Light guide components, constructed according to the required appearance, can have a linear base or a planar base.
A linear light guide component can be added to one side or both sides in the direction of the light guide axis, i.e., usually perpendicular to the lighting direction. The drawback to this approach is that it cannot be used on a complicated contour shape with relatively small diameters.
A planar light guide component is ordinarily provided with several LEDs and an axis that coincides with the lighting direction. In order to attain the required homogeneity of the emerging beam, it is possible to use collimating optical elements on the input surface or properly constructed optical elements on the exit surface. The drawback of this approach is the large number of LEDs arranged along the entire input surface.
It would be desirable to have a light guide module that can achieve a required lighting using totally uniform lighting of the contour surface.

Light guide module with adjustable contour surface illumination


A drive steel member for driving engagement with a rotary drilling machine, including a chuck adapter having main body and chuck seating means and being constructed and arranged in fixed, sealed relation on one end of the drive steel member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to rotary drilling systems, and more specifically to drive steel improvements for drilling systems as used in drilling and boring for roof bolting operations for tunnel construction, mining and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the fields of industrial, mining and construction tools, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) is now in wide use in making cutting tool inserts, sometimes called polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDC). PCD materials are formed of fine diamond powder sintered by intercrystalline bonding under high temperature/high pressure diamond synthesis technology into predetermined layers or shapes; and such PCD layers are usually permanently bonded to a substrate of "precemented" tungsten carbide to form such PDC insert or compact. The term "high density ceramic" (HDC) is sometimes used to refer to a mining tool having a PCD insert. "Chemical vapor deposition" (CVD) and "Thermally Stable Product" (TSP) diamond-forms may be used for denser inserts and other super abrasive hard surfacing and layering materials, such as layered "nitride" compositions of titanium (TiN) and carbon (C2N2) and all such "hard surface" materials well as titanium carbide and other more conventional bit materials are applicable to the present invention.
The principal types of drill bits used in rotary drilling operations are roller bits and drag bits. In roller bits, rolled cones are secured in sequences on the bit to form cutting teeth to crush and break up rock and earth material by compressive force as the bit is rotated at the bottom of the bore hole as in mining operations. In drag bits, PCD or like cutting elements on the bit act to cut or shear the earth material. The action of some flushing fluid medium, such as fluid drilling mud, water or a compressed air/vacuum system, is important in all types of drilling operations to cool the cutting elements and to flush or transport cuttings away from the cutting site. It is important to remove cuttings from the hole to prevent accumulations that may plug water passages and otherwise interfere with the crushing or cutting action of the bit; and the cooling action is particularly important in the use of PCD/CVD/TSP cutters to prevent carbon transformation of the diamond material.
Roof drill bits are one form of a rotary drag bit used in roof bolting operations, which are overhead so the drilling operation is upward through earth structures of extremely hard rock or mineral (coal) deposits; and stratas of shale, loose (fractured) rock and mud layers are frequently encountered.
My prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,180,022; 5,303,787 and 5,383,526 disclose substantial improvements in HCD roof drill bits using PCD cutting elements constructed in a non-coring arrangement, and also teach novel drilling methods that greatly accelerate the speed of drilling action and substantially reduce bit breakage and change-over downtime. These prior HCD bits easily drill through most earth structures, but it was discovered that some drill bits might plug when drilling through mud seams and other soft earth formations and my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,839 is a coring-type bit designed for such earth structures.
Also in the past, the use of large quantities of drilling fluids for overhead irrigation resulted in uncontrolled water loss and floor flooding. It was determined that the amount of water required to wet drill with PCD rotary bits could be reduced from a conventional (tungsten carbide bit) range of 9-18 gallons per minutes down to about 1-3 quarts per minute when atomized into an air mist on PCD inserts. My U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,858 discloses a compressor and air-water mixing system that greatly reduces the amount of water required for effective hole flushing while substantially reducing the amount of respirable dust. My U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,612 discloses rotary drilling systems including improvements in drive steel columns and secondary bore reamers to ensure delivery of flushing fluid and effective bit and reamer cooling without substantial pressure loss, and especially using the low volume air mist system of my earlier work. The disclosures these prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,875,858 and 6,092,612 are incorporated herein by reference as though fully set out.
One prior and continuing problem involves the connection of the drive steel to the chuck of a drilling machine. The continuing practice in the industry typically utilizes a connector on the tubular drill steel end with a flanged end to seat in the machine chuck; and such connectors are fastened on the drill steel using one of the following techniques:                (1) a connector shank is forged onto the round drill steel with the potential problems of (a) being off center, (b) too high or low forging temperature, and (c) improper re-tempering; and, in addition, forged drill steel is relatively expensive and labor intensive;        (2) a connector is welded onto thin walled round or hex drill steel which may break due to fatigue and failure resulting from metal softening in the welded area (this practice has been banned in some jurisdictions due to injuries);        (3) a connector is press fit into a machined hex drill steel with the potential problems of (a) off center tapering and (b) loosening due to metal flow; or        (4) hex drill steel rods are cut to length and a chuck connector is inserted into a drilled rod end with the problems of (a) drill steel softness in the range of 28-35 Rc resulting in bending and also mushrooming on the machine chuck, (b) loosening and pulling apart of the connector, and (c) not being water tight for wet drilling or air tight with loss of vacuum when drilling dry.
My U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,635 approaches this problem by providing a chuck adapter sealed on the end of the starter steel by fastening means including epoxy and cross-pinning attachment. However, it has been found that, even with O-ring and silicon sealant applied to such a "pin on" shank, such a shank adapter connection still develops leaks after extended use. This, of course, compromises that delivery of pressurized flushing fluid to the remote drilling bit end of the drill steel column.


To weld a flat conductor to another bonding member reliably without leaving a welding scar, a conductive protective member, such as copper plate or the like, with a higher strength than that of a low strength conductive member is placed between the low strength conductive member such as a flat conductor and the horn tip or the anvil to perform welding with the low strength conductive member sandwiched between the protective member and another bonding member such as stranded conductor or the like.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method of ultrasonic welding with which a low strength conductive member, such as a flat conductor, can be reliably welded to another bonding member without creating a welding scar inflicted by the horn tip or the anvil.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In an ultrasonic welding machine such as shown in FIG. 5, at the front end of the horn of a ultrasonic welding machine 25, a horn tip 26 is secured to function as one portion of a welding jig and an anvil 28 is secured on a base table 27 facing opposite the horn tip 26, to function as another portion of the welding jig. A bonding member is set on the anvil 28 and when the horn 29 is lowered to come in contact with the bonding member, the horn tip 26 ultrasonically vibrates in the lengthwise direction so that the individual bonding members can be connected to each other by welding.
As the bonding members, a copper plate member 30, a flat conductor of a flat wire 31 or copper foil may be used, for instance. As shown in FIG. 6, at another end of the copper plate member (joint member) 30, a stranded conductor 34 of a electrical wire 33 is welded in a similar manner and, with this, the flat wire 31 and the electrical wire 33 are electrically connected.
At the lower end surface (working surface) of the horn tip 26, indented portions 35 and projected portions 36 are formed to form cross shapes, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for instance, and it is possible to communicate ultrasonic waves to the bonding members efficiently (Japanese Utility Model Laid Open No. 1989-139986).
However, when welding a low strength conductive member such as the flat conductor 32 or a copper foil using the horn tip 26 provided with the indented portions 35 and projected portions 36 forming cross shapes described above, since the projected portions 36 come in contact with the low strength conductive member 32 diagonally relative to the lengthwise direction of the low strength conductive member 32 and the projected portions run at right angles to each other, the flat conductor 32 tends to develop an indented welding scar 37 relative to the copper plate member 30 such as a bus bar, as shown in FIG. 9. It has been confirmed, based upon measurements of the peeling strength made by pulling the bond apart vertically relative to the bonding surface 38, that in such a case, peeling does not occur starting from the bonding surface 38 but rather a rupture tends to occur starting at the root 39 of the bonding portion, due to the welding scar 37, reducing the strength of the low strength conductive member such as the flat conductor 32.


In a magnetic circuit for providing magnetic anisotropy in the in-plane radial direction of a soft magnetic under layer, magnets for perpendicular magnetization are respectively provide on the north and south poles of a magnet for horizontal magnetization. When magnetic circuits configured thus are stacked in a plurality of stages, a magnetic field (air-gap magnetic field) formed in a gap between the magnetic circuits is superimposed by magnetic fields from the magnets for perpendicular magnetization as well as a magnetic field from the magnet for horizontal magnetization (in-plane magnetization). The pole faces of the magnets for perpendicular magnetization are disposed closer to the gap between the magnetic circuits, so that a stronger magnetic field can be formed in the gap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic circuit and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a magnetic circuit suitably used for magnetic field heat treatment of a magnetic recording medium substrate and so on and a method of applying a magnetic field by means of the magnetic circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the technical field of information recording, hard disk drives acting as means for magnetically reading and writing information including characters, images, and music have become necessary as primary external recorders or internal recording means of electronic equipment such as personal computers. Such hard disk drives include hard disks serving as magnetic recording media. For hard disks, a so-called "in-plane magnetic recording method (longitudinal magnetic recording method)" is available in which magnetic information is longitudinally written in the plane of a disk and "a perpendicular magnetic recording method" is available in which magnetic information is perpendicularly written in the plane of a disk.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a typical laminated structure of a hard disk of the longitudinal magnetic recording method. A non-magnetic Cr base layer 2 formed by a sputtering method, a magnetic recording layer 3, and a carbon layer 4 serving as a protective film are sequentially stacked on a non-magnetic substrate 1, and a liquid lubricating layer 5 formed by applying a lubricant is formed on a surface of the carbon layer 4. The layers are about 20 nm in thickness at the most and are generally formed by a dry process such as a magnetron sputtering method (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-143972). The magnetic recording layer 3 is made of a Co alloy having uniaxial crystal magnetic anisotropy. The Co alloy includes CoCrTa and CoCrPt alloys. The crystal grains of the Co alloy are horizontally magnetized relative to a surface of the disk to record information.
However, in the longitudinal magnetic recording method, an increase in recording density has been regarded as being limited because of the following problems: when each recording region (magnetic domain) is reduced in size to increase a recording density, the north poles and south poles of adjacent magnetic domains repel each other and result in cancellation of magnetization, so that for a high recording density, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the magnetic recording layer and reduce the crystal grains in size, and finer crystal grains (smaller volumes) cause a phenomenon such as "thermal fluctuations" in which the magnetization direction of the crystal grains is disturbed by thermal energy and data is deleted.
In response to these problems, the "perpendicular magnetic recording method" has been studied. In this recording method, a magnetic recording layer is magnetized perpendicularly to a surface of a disk. Thus the north poles and the south poles are alternately combined and placed in a bit arrangement and the north poles and south poles of magnetic domains are adjacent to each other with enhanced magnetization. As a result, there is just a small number of self-demagnetizing fields (demagnetizing fields) in a bit and thus the magnetization (magnetic recording) is more stabilized. When the magnetization direction is recorded in the perpendicular direction, it is not necessary to significantly reduce the thickness of the magnetic recording layer. For this reason, even when the recording region is reduced in size in the horizontal direction, the recording layer is increased in thickness and the crystal grains are increased in size in the perpendicular direction, so that the overall crystal grains are increased in volume and the influence of "thermal fluctuations" can be reduced. Thus the perpendicular magnetic recording method is expected as a method for achieving super high density recording.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing a basic layered structure of a hard disk acting as a "perpendicular two-layer magnetic recording medium" in which a recording layer for perpendicular magnetic recording is provided on a soft magnetic under layer (SUL). A soft magnetic under layer (SUL) 12, a magnetic recording layer 13, a protective layer 14, and a lubricating layer 15 are sequentially stacked on a non-magnetic substrate 11.
In this structure, the soft magnetic under layer 12 effectively acts to increase a writing magnetic field and reduce the demagnetizing field of the magnetic recording layer 13. Permalloy, CoZrNb amorphous, and so on are typically used for the soft magnetic under layer 12. For the magnetic recording layer 13, a CoCrPt alloy, a PtCo film, a PtFe film, or a SmCo amorphous film or the like is used.
As shown in FIG. 2, in a hard disk of the perpendicular two-layer magnetic recording method, the soft magnetic under layer 12 is provided as the base of the magnetic recording layer 13. The soft magnetic under layer 12 has a magnetic property of "soft magnetism" and has a thickness of about 100 nm to 500 nm. The soft magnetic under layer 12 is provided to increase a writing magnetic field and reduce the demagnetizing field of the magnetic recording film. Further, the soft magnetic under layer 12 acts as a path of a magnetic flux from the magnetic recording layer 13 and a path of a writing magnetic flux from a recording head. In other words, the soft magnetic under layer 12 plays the same role as an iron yoke provided in a permanent magnet magnetic circuit. Thus in order to avoid magnetic saturation during writing, the thickness of the soft magnetic under layer 12 has to be set larger than that of the magnetic recording layer 13.
In view of the multilayer configuration, the soft magnetic under layer 12 corresponds to the non-magnetic Cr base layer 2 provided in the hard disk of the longitudinal magnetic recording method shown in FIG. 1. However, the soft magnetic under layer 12 is not formed as easily as the Cr base layer 2.
As described above, in the hard disk of the longitudinal magnetic recording method, each layer is about 20 nm in thickness at the most and is formed by a dry process (mainly by magnetron sputtering, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-143972). Also for perpendicular two-layer recording media, various methods have been studied to form the magnetic recording layer 13 and the soft magnetic under layer 12 by a dry process.
However, when the soft magnetic under layer 12 is formed by the dry process, a sputtering target has to be a ferromagnetic material having strong saturation magnetization and the soft magnetic under layer 12 has to be 100 nm or larger in thickness. For these reasons, perpendicular two-layer recording media have serious problems about mass production and productivity in consideration of the evenness of the film thickness and composition, the life of the target, the stability of the process, and the low deposition rate above all.
For this reason, attempts to apply a metal film on the non-magnetic substrate 11 by a plating method and use the metal film as the soft magnetic under layer 12 have been studied. In the plating method, the thickness of the metal film can be easily increased and can be polished.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory drawing showing a structural example of a perpendicular two-layer recording medium in which the soft magnetic under layer 12 is formed by plating. In this laminated structure, between the non-magnetic substrate 11 and the soft magnetic under layer 12, a nucleation film 16 for obtaining adhesion to the substrate is formed by plating.
Incidentally, a number of magnetic domains magnetized in a specific direction are prone to appear in the plane of a soft magnetic film and domain walls appear on the interfaces of the magnetic domains. When the soft magnetic film having such domain walls is used as a soft magnetic under layer for the perpendicular two-layer magnetic recording medium, a leakage magnetic field generated from the domain walls causes isolated pulse noise called spike noise or micro-spike noise, so that the signal reproduction property may be seriously deteriorated. As a solution to this problem, it is effective to make the soft magnetic film anisotropic in the in-plane radial direction serving as the easy axis of magnetization or in the in-plane circumferential direction.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory drawing of "magnetic anisotropy". An anisotropic magnetic field (Hk) is provided as a difference (δH) between a magnetization saturation magnetic field strength in the in-plane radial direction and a magnetization saturation magnetic field strength in the in-plane circumferential direction. When δH is positive, the in-plane radial direction is the magnetization direction (anisotropy direction). When δH is negative, the in-plane circumferential direction is the magnetization direction (anisotropy direction). In this case, the numeric value of magnetic anisotropy is represented as an absolute value.
When the soft magnetic film is formed by a dry process (for example, a sputtering method), the soft magnetic film is provided with magnetic anisotropy in the in-plane radial direction by applying a radial magnetic field to the substrate during sputtering. When the soft magnetic film is formed by a wet process (for example, a plating method), the soft magnetic film can be provided with magnetic anisotropy in the in-plane circumferential direction by forming the soft magnetic film while applying a magnetic field in one direction to the substrate and rotating the substrate during plating. Such magnetic anisotropy is substantially axially symmetric with respect to the axis of the substrate and may be provided in either of the in-plane radial and circumferential directions according to the simulation results of a magnetic recording process.
However, in both of the dry and wet processes, it is not easy to simultaneously form a soft magnetic film with excellent film characteristics and provide the film with magnetic anisotropy having high axial symmetry. Thus a method for simultaneously achieving such excellent film characteristics and magnetic anisotropy is desired.
As an effective means of providing magnetic anisotropy, a technique of heat-treating a soft magnetic substance in a magnetic field is available. For example, in a fabrication process of a GMR head, heat treatment is performed in a strong magnetic field exceeding 1 tesla (T) to orient a pin layer and a free layer, so that magnetic anisotropy is provided in the direction of the magnetic field.
Further, it is known that in an audio-visual magnetic head, noise can be reduced by performing heat treatment in a rotating magnetic field (one of a magnetic field device and the head is rotated) to obtain magnetic isotropy.
However, in such a heat treatment process, it is necessary to form a heat treatment furnace including a non-magnetic component and generate a magnetic field in one direction in the heat treatment furnace. Thus a magnetic field generator tends to be large in size and require external installation and the heat treatment furnace tends to have a complicated configuration.
It can be said that a magnetic field heat treatment method for providing a soft magnetic substance with magnetic anisotropy or isotropy is an established technique. However, it is not easy to provide the soft magnetic under layer of the perpendicular two-layer recording medium with axially symmetric magnetic anisotropy in the in-plane radial direction and the in-plane circumferential direction through magnetic field heat treatment. This is because in the configuration for applying a magnetic field from the outside of the heat treatment furnace, it is difficult to form a magnetic field in the in-plane radial direction or the in-plane circumferential direction of the substrate disposed in the furnace.
A magnetic field in the in-plane radial direction can be relatively easily formed with coils having the same poles facing each other. However, a region enabling a diverging magnetic field in the in-plane radial direction suitably for obtaining magnetic anisotropy is small. Further, a strong magnetic field is hard to obtain.
Under these constraints, soft magnetic under layers have not been provided with axially symmetric magnetic anisotropy through magnetic field heat treatment.

Magnetic circuit and method of applying magnetic field


The invention is an apparatus for releasably connecting a first structure to a second structure. In detail, the invention includes the first structure having a first cavity extending inward from a surface thereof. An inward facing circumferencial lip is mounted in the first cavity in proximity to the first surface forming a restricted opening having a first diameter. The second structure includes a second cavity extending inward from a surface of the second structure. A hollow tubular member having first and second ends is movably mounted within the second cavity, with the tubular member movable from a retracted position to an extended position. The first end of the tubular member is in the form of a collet movable between a retracted position and an expanded position in contact with the lip in the first cavity when the tubular member is in the extended position. An actuation system is provided for moving the tubular member between the retracted and extended positions wherein the collet extend past the lip of in the first cavity. A second actuation system is provided for locking the collet in the expanded position when the tubular member is in the extended position.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of apparatus for releasably attaching expendable stores such as a fuel tank to a vehicle and the like and, in particular, to an apparatus that is quickly resettable.
2. Description of Related Art
There are numerous approaches to releasably connecting expendable stores to a vehicle. For example, wing mounted gravity released weapons are attached to the wings of aircraft by means of bomb racks that incorporate retractable hooks that engage lugs on the weapon and uses external adjustable sway braces to prevent lateral motion. The hooks can be either electro-mechanically or explosively actuated. However such apparatus are limited to small expendables. The use of such an approach on a large external fuel tank mounted to a spacecraft would require massive external sway braces that would add significant weight to the spacecraft and increase drag to unacceptable levels.
On large external fuel tanks explosively actuated systems such as explosive bolts and the like have proven highly reliable, but require refurbishment after each use. In addition, during the installation of pyrotechnic devices, concurrent activities are severely restricted, increasing the overall "turnaround" time between launches. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,476 "Tie-Down And Release Mechanism For Spacecraft" by C. W. Marks, et al. discloses such an explosively actuated device. It includes a hollow housing mounted within the main body of the spacecraft having an internal lip at its end that abuts against an internal lip on a second hollow housing on the structure to be released. A segmented collet, having an external groove, is held in contact with the two lips such that they are retained within the groove. The collet in turn is held into contact with the lips by a toroidal spring supported by a movable cylinder. This cylinder includes a second groove positioned such that when the movable cylinder is actuated by the pyrotechnic charges, it drives the cylinder to a position where the spring can retract into the second groove thereon allowing the segmented collet to release the lips. Such explosively actuated systems can not be used on vehicles that require multiple dockings with another spacecraft because of the refurbishment requirement after each use. In the future, reusable booster spacecraft will require rapid turn around times and thus such vehicles must have only a minimum number of systems requiring refurbishment between launches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,333 "Apparatus For Releasably Connecting First and Second Objects in Predetermined Space Relationship" by J. A. Chandler and U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,046 "Automatic Compliant Capture And Docking Mechanism For Spacecraft" by M. E. Dobbs, et al. disclose apparatus for connecting a spacecraft to another spacecraft. Here one of the vehicles includes an extendable probe having a bulb-like member at its end which engages a cone shaped funnel on the spacecraft. Upon the bulb like member bottoming in the funnel, a releasable detente secures the probe therewithin. Such systems, have the advantage of correcting for misalignment of the two vehicles during docking because the funnel tends to "capture" the probe. However, they are unusable for securing an expendable tank or the like to a launch vehicle. First of all, the need to accommodate misalignment is not required and the tank must be firmly secured to the booster in order to withstand the high aerodynamic and inertial G loads experienced by boosters. In addition, they do not provide means for adjusting the tension preload between the spacecraft nor are such systems retractable to a flush condition.
Thus, it is a primary object of the invention to provide an apparatus for releasably connecting first and second structures together, such as a reusable launch vehicle and an expendable external tank.
It is another primary object of the invention to provide an apparatus for releasably connecting first and second structures together that requires no refurbishment after operation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for releasably connecting first and second structures together that includes means to adjust the tension preload.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for releasably connecting first and second structures together that returns to a flush position within the external contour of the structure.

Apparatus for releasably connecting first and second structures together


A layered panel in which strength of a hinge can be improved regardless of the kinds of substrates configuring a front wall and a rear wall of the layered panel is provided. A layered panel in accordance with the present invention is a layered panel rotatable about a hinge as a rotary axis, characterized by including a front wall, a rear wall, and an intermediate layer interposed between the front wall and the rear wall, the hinge including the intermediate layer.

Heretofore, as a partition plate, a floor material, and the like of a trunk in a car or the like, there has been employed a layered panel rotatable about a hinge as a rotary axis.
For example, in patent document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Ser. No. 2009-241510), there is disclosed a layered panel in which rigidity of the layered panel is enhanced and durability of the hinge is improved.
In the layered panel of patent document 1, a first plate section is bent to be welded onto a second plate section side to form an integral hinge, and the integral hinge has an axial direction substantially parallel to an orientation direction of glass fiber disposed in the first plate section


A circuit board interconnection system comprising an edge mounted electrical connector and at least one cable connector. The edge mounted connector comprises a body having a plurality of electrical contacts retained thereon with each contact including a circuit board engaging portion and a terminal engaging portion. At least one receptacle is formed by a flange extending from the body about the terminal engaging portions. The cable connector comprises a body including a pluraity of terminals thereon connected to a source of electrical potential and arranged to be inserted into the edge connector receptacle electrically interconnecting respective terminals to edge connector terminal engaging portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to a system and individual connectors for electrically interconnecting a cable of the type having a plurality of conductors to a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A particular use for the connectors of a nature described is in the telephone switching field. It is often desirable in telephone switching equipment to provide for electrical interconnection between a cable and a printed circuit board which serves to modify an incoming electrical signal transmitted via the cable. It is also desirable to transmit the modified signal from the board through other electrical cables. Rapid interconnection and interchangeability of the various cables being connected to the circuit board is a beneficial feature.
Many such assemblies are of relatively complex design which require several multiple manual operations in order to satisfactorily provide the desired interconnections. Assembly, repair and disassembly is both time-consuming and expensive by manufacturing standards.
The printed circuit boards typically used for the above applications may include a plurality of conductive pads on the marginal portions thereof or a plurality of cladded bores on the board. It is desirable to develop a flexible system wherein the multiple individual conductors of a cable may be conveniently terminated to either a plurality of plated bores or terminated to conductive pads on the circuit board.
Some examples of the connectors used in the past are those found in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,785 to Jayne describes a connector assembly having a separable cover means which slidably engages an insulative housing to cover the wire in addition to defining an opening for receiving a wire. The contacts positioned within the housing have a slotted end portion for electrically engaging the wire and an opposing end portion for slidably engaging a male pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,906 to Jayne relates to a connector having an insulating housing and contacts having a contacting portion within the housing and another portion extending from the housing. A cover is pivotably mounted to the housing for covering a recessed area within the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,838 to Jayne relates to a flat cable connector assembly adapted to receive a flat cable having a plurality of aligned conductors and adapted to be plugged into an array or grid of conductor pins to interconnect the cable conductors and pins. A flat cable is positioned between a top and bottom body so that when the top and bottom bodies are assembled the contacts pass between adjacent conductors in the cable.
None of these connectors lend themselves to providing a system for the rapid connection and interchangeability of various cables to a printed circuit board.


A vehicle seat back mounting having a latch pivotably mounted for a limited swinging movement with a recessed catch shaped for engaging a projection on the stationary seat part to prevent forward tilting. The center of gravity of the latch is located laterally and below the pivot point so that during manual tilting of the seat back the force of gravity releases the latch from the projection; and so that during sudden deceleration of the vehicle an inertial force counteracts the force of gravity and prevents unlatching.

The present invention is related to a seat for use in a vehicle in general, and particularly to a seat to be used in a motor vehicle.
Vehicle seats of various constructions are already known, as are hinges of different constructions which mount the rear component of the vehicle seat on the rear region of the seat component of the seat for tilting at least frontwardly from at least one erect position to a frontwardly collapsed position and back. Then, it is also known to equip the hinges of the hinge arrangement with a fine-adjustment arrangement which enables the user of the seat to select an erect position which is most comfortable or convenient to the user.
Under many circumstances, particularly in a two-door passenger car or in a three-door stationwagon, it is desirable or even mandatory that the back rest component of the front seat of the vehicle be tiltable frontwardly into a collapsed position thereof in order to provide access to the rear part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and especially to enable rear-seat passengers to ingress and egress the rear part of the passenger compartment. In this situation, it is desired that the back component of the vehicle seat be releasable for the frontward tilting in a simple, quick and otherwise convenient way, in order not to unduly inconvenience either the front-seat or the rear-seat passengers of the vehicle.
However, another requirement which is to be satisfied under these circumstances is that the latching arrangement which arrests the back component in its erect position be safe, that is, that it reliably maintain the back component in its permanent or selected erect position in the event of a sudden deceleration of the vehicle, particularly in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. This is not only desired, but in many countries even mandated by statutes, in order to reduce the likelihood of a serious injury both to the front-seat and the rear-seat passengers of the vehicle. As to the rear-seat passengers, a natural tendency in the event of a sudden deceleration of the vehicle would be to brace against the back component of the front seat and, if the arresting arrangement did not securely retain the back component in place, the back component would yield frontwardly under the force exerted thereupon by the rear-seat passenger, and thus not perform the supporting function expected from it by the rear-seat passenger. On the other hand, as to the driver or the front-seat passenger, the yielding of the back component in the frontward direction would trap him or her between the back component and the dashboard or steering wheel and act on him or her with an inertia-based force, possibly aggravated by the force exerted on the back component by the rear-seat passenger, which force or forces could cause additional, or aggravate anyway occurring to injuries suffered by the driver or the front-seat passenger.
In order to satisfy the above requirement, the conventional arresting arrangements for the back component are usually so constructed that they require a voluntary action on part of the driver or of the passenger for releasing the same. So, for instance, at least some of the conventional arresting arrangements include a release button or lever located at the top portion of the respective front seat of the vehicle, which can be displaced by the driver or the passenger of the vehicle into a position in which the arresting arrangement, which is connected to the releasing button or lever, for instance, by a Bowden cable, is moved from its arresting position, into which it is permanently urged, into a releasing position in which it releases the back component of the seat for free tilting toward a frontwardly collapsed position and back. However, it will be appreciated that, because of the need for actuating the release button or lever preparatorily to the frontward tilting of the back component of the vehicle seat, this conventional arresting arrangement for the back component of the seat is less than fully satisfactory.


Spectral ambiguities are resolved in transmitting data across a data communications channel from a local transmitter to a remote receiver using a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) scheme by augmenting the encoding-decoding process at the transmitter and receiver. At the transmitter, the encoding process is augmented by converting the mappings (I.sub.k, Q.sub.k) into mappings (I.sub.k, Q.sub.k), where I.sub.k =I.sub.k and Q.sub.k =.vertline.Q.sub.k.vertline..alpha..sub.k and wherein .alpha..sub.k =sign(Q.sub.k-1)sign(Q.sub.k). At the receiver, the decoding process is augmented by converting the mappings ({character pullout}.sub.k, {character pullout}.sub.k) into mappings ({character pullout}.sub.k, {character pullout}.sub.k), where {character pullout}.sub.k ={character pullout}.sub.k and {character pullout}.sub.k =.vertline.{character pullout}.sub.k.vertline..beta..sub.k and wherein .beta..sub.k =sign({character pullout}.sub.k)sign({character pullout}.sub.k-1).

In Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) techniques both amplitude and phase are used to represent the data contained within the signal. Often 8-QAM to 256-QAM systems are used in applications such as wireline communications. Data is transmitted in a QAM modulation scheme with the data contained within the amplitude and phase of the transmitted signal. In a typical system, for every n bits of data, a QAM symbol (Ik, Qk) is generated using some constellation encoder, where Ik is the kth real amplitude and Qk is the kth imaginary amplitude of the signal. In conventional systems, the signal is transmitted through a modulator which converts the signal into analog waveform for transmission through a channel to a remote location. The remote location includes a demodulator which converts the received analog waveform into a QAM constellation point, and a constellation decoder which converts the QAM constellation point back into n bits.
Usually the constellation encoder-decoder elements are designed to correct for phase ambiguities in the received QAM constellation point. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,630, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Overlooked, however, is the effect of spectral inversion or "mirroring" across an axis (typically, the I axis). This occurs, for example, when the signal is frequency stacked such as in cable modem system.
Thus, there is a need to design encoder-decoder elements in a constellation system that correct for spectral inversion.

Method and apparatus for resolving spectral inversion ambiguities in coded data


A semiconductor power component using flat conductor technology includes a vertical current path through a semiconductor power chip. The semiconductor power chip includes at least one large-area electrode on its top side and a large-area electrode on its rear side. The rear side electrode is surface-mounted on a flat conductor chip island of a flat conductor leadframe and the top side electrode is electrically connected to an internal flat conductor of the flat conductor leadframe via a connecting element. The connecting element includes a bonding strip extending from the top side electrode to the internal flat conductor and further includes, on the top side of the bonding strip, bonding wires extending from the top side electrode to the internal flat conductor.

In flat conductor technologies, the rear side electrode of the semiconductor power chip can be surface-mounted on a flat conductor chip island of a flat conductor leadframe. The top side electrode is electrically connected to an internal flat conductor of the flat conductor leadframe via a connecting line or a connecting element.
A semiconductor power component of this type is known from U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0162330. In the case of the known semiconductor power component having a semiconductor power chip, however, there is no large-area electrode provided on the top side of the semiconductor power chip, rather this large-area electrode is divided into contact strips. The contact strips of the surface electrode are connected via bonding wires to a busbar, which is arranged on an insulated base and merges into an external flat conductor. The large-area rear side electrode is fixed directly on a chip island of a flat conductor leadframe and is electrically connected to a further external flat conductor.
One disadvantage of the semiconductor power component is that the surface electrode is split into narrow strips which, for their part, merge into bonding wires. This has the disadvantage that the permissible current density is limited by the sum of the cross sections of the bonding wires. Consequently, the current has to be limited depending on the diameters of the bonding wires in order to prevent the bonding wires of the semiconductor power component from being fused.
German Patent document number DE 10 2004 006 440.7 discloses a sensor component having a freely accessible sensor region, the sensor region of which is ensured with corresponding contact pads on a substrate via connecting lines, where the connecting lines may be either bonding tapes, bonding wires or flat cables. In order to transfer this solution to a semiconductor power component, the cross sections of the bonding tapes have to be enlarged in such a way that a reliable bonding connection cannot be ensured on account of the thickness of the bonding tapes then required.
If a plurality of bonding wires are used for the semiconductor power component, they limit the maximum possible current or the maximum possible current density through the semiconductor power component, as is already known from U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0162330. Finally, there are also solutions in which flat cables connect the large-area electrode to corresponding wide contact pads of an internal flat conductor. However, with these relatively flat cables, there is also the problem of producing a reliable cohesive connection to the large-area top side electrode of the semiconductor chip.

Semiconductor power component with a vertical current path through a semiconductor power chip