A frequency demodulation circuit disclosed superposes pulses on an input frequency-modulated (FM) signal at substantially peaks of the FM signal before demodulating the FM signal so that zero cross points of the FM signal can be correctly restored. A peak detection circuit detects peaks of the FM signal or peaks of the fundamental wave of the FM signal, which substantially correspond to the peaks of the FM signal. A pulse generating circuit generates, from the peak detection result, a train of pulses respectively occurring at the same timings as those of the detected peak occurrance timings. The generated train of pulses and the FM signal are respectively fed to differential inputs of a differential input type limiter. An output signal of the limiter is fed to a pulse count circuit to obtain a frequency demodulated signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a frequency demodulation circuit for demodulating a frequency-modulated (FM) signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus which performs low carrier FM recording and FM single side-band reproduction such as a commercial VTR, when the FM signal has a large frequency modulation index, zero cross points often cannot be reproduced with fidelity in an FM demodulator, so that a signal, inversion, or an inversion phenomenon is apt to occur. This phenomenon occurs when the level of lower side-band component J-.sub.1 becomes greater than the level of the FM fundamental wave component J.sub.0. Further, when the reproduced noise is overlapped, the inversion phenomenon occurs due to the influence of the noise even when J-.sub.1 <J.sub.0.
To avoid the occurrence of this inversion phenomenon, a frequency demodulator disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent publication 57-189311 (1982) superposes pulses on an input FM signal before demodulating the FM signal. The superposed pulses occur at timings delayed by a specific time from the zero cross points of the fundamental wave component of the FM signal. The specific time is set such that the pulses are superposed on the peak points of the FM signal at the carrier frequency. This operation will be described in more detail with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. 18 and the waveform diagram shown in FIG. 19.
The fundamental wave component i of an input FM signal h is taken out by a band-pass filter 20, delayed by a prescribed time by a delay circuit 21 to be a signal j. The signal j is passed through a limiter 22 to obtain a signal k, from which pulse signals l are obtained by a pulse generation circuit 23. The pulse signals l indicate the zero cross points of the delayed fundamental wave signal j, which is a condition essentially different from that of the present invention. Further, by superposing the pulse signals l on the reproduced FM signal h by an adder 24, a signal m is obtained. Since a zero cross point exists at a point of high modulation index, the inversion phenomenon does not occur.
However, the pulse signals l represent the time information of the zero cross points of the signal j of the fundamental wave which is delayed by the prescribed time, while the time information of the peak points of the input FM signal waveform is essentially different time information. Thus, the addition of signals having different time information causes the information of the FM signal to be distorted, so that the following problems are caused.
If it is assumed that an FM allocation of a VTR is 5 to 7 MHz, dark clip is 100%, and white clip is 200%, then the dark clip frequency becomes 3 MHz, white clip frequency becomes 9 MHz, and the range where the fundamental wave exists becomes 3 to 9 MHz. That is to say, the inversion period of the fundamental wave will change between a range of approximately 333/2 nsec and 111/2 nsec.
When the fundamental wave signal i is delayed by 100 nsec to be the signal j, the pulse-superposed FM signal m indicates that the phase relation between the superposed pulses and the FM signal changes with frequency. That is, when the frequency of the fundamental wave signal i is low, the pulses are superposed on positions close to the peak points of the fundamental wave signal, but when the frequency of the fundamental wave signal is high, the pulses are superposed on positions shifted from the peak points of the fundamental wave signal. Therefore, the zero cross point cannot be restored at a point X.sub.1, so that what is called the black break is generated. At a point X.sub.2 where an excess zero cross is generated, what is called the white break is generated.
When the delay time is reduced to 50 nsec, the signal j, k, l, m, becomes as signals j.sub.2, k.sub.2, l.sub.2, m.sub.2, respectively.
The signal m.sub.2 indicates that the white break is generated at the point X.sub.3. When the delay time is further reduced, the pulse signals will be superposed closer to the zero cross area, so that the waveform at the zero cross points of the reproduced FM signal is changed. This will undesirably influence the frequency characteristic after demodulation. Therefore, mere reduction of the delay time is not desirable.
As described above, in the conventional frequency demodulator as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent publication 57-189311 (1982), the prevention of the invertion phenomenon cannot be achieved over the overall frequency range of the FM signal. Further, the superposed pulses cause deterioration of the FM signal waveform.
To solve the problems as described above, we developed a new frequency demodulator which superposes a pulse having a small width on each peak of an input FM signal as disclosed in a U.S. Patent Application of Ser. No. 189,169 filed on May 2, 1988, entitled "Frequency Demodulation Circuit", and in a corresponding European Patent Application No. 88303923.2 filed on Apr. 29, 1988. This new frequency demodulator successfully solved the above-mentioned problems. However, when the limited voltage range of the ordinary semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) is considered, a further improvement is needed. That is, to superpose a pulse on each peak of a FM wave causes an increase of the amplitude of the FM wave. The amplitude increase is not preferable when the frequency demodulator is fabricated in a semiconductor IC or the like. The present invention was made to solve this problem. The present invention was made to attain the same advantageous effects as those provided by the frequency demodulator disclosed in our earlier application mentioned above without causing the increase of the amplitude of the FM signal which is to be demodulated.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A phototransistor having a non-linear light vs. conductivity characteristics and an organic electroluminescent layer are sandwiched by a pair of electrodes, a predetermined voltage is applied to the pair of electrodes, and address light is irradiated on a phototransistor to let a current flow in the phototransistor, thus causing the electroluminescent layer to emit light. It is therefore possible to drive the device to present crosstalk-free gradation display with a high contrast ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self lighting display device, and, more particularly, to an organic electroluminescent display device and a method of driving such a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ordinary organic electroluminescent display device has a matrix of segment electrodes and common electrodes respectively formed in X and Y directions on the respective sides of an organic electroluminescent layer which emits light in accordance with the applied voltage. While the organic electroluminescent layer of such a simple matrix drive type of display device is excellent in luminescent response with respect to the applied voltage, it hardly has a luminescent memory property with respect to the applied voltage so that it merely emits light line by line only in the scan period. This requires that the luminescent luminance in the scan period should be increased. Increasing the voltage for that purpose results in an increased burden on the organic electroluminescent layer and accelerates the degradation of the organic electroluminescent layer. When this display device is driven at a high duty ratio to match with the high resolution, a crosstalk occurs, which provides displayed images with a low contrast ratio.


A method of preparing a poly (ether ketone ketone) consisting essentially of the repeat unit:—Ar—O—Ar—C(═O)—Ar—C(═O)—wherein each Ar is independently an aromatic moiety is provided. The method may comprise the step of polymerising a monomer system in a reaction medium comprising: (a) a Lewis acid; and (b) a controlling agent comprising an aromatic carboxylic acid, an aromatic sulphonic acid, or a derivative thereof.

Poly ether ketones have a variety of useful properties, such as excellent electrical insulating and mechanical properties at high temperature, high strength, toughness and resistance to heat and chemicals. Such polymers may be amorphous or semi-crystalline. Both types usually exhibit high glass transition temperatures (Tg), while the semi-crystalline forms also exhibit high melting temperatures (Tm). Amongst these polymers, the poly (ether ketone ketone) family is of particular interest for use in preparing biomedical implants and implant materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, chemical inertness and resistance to stress cracking. The same materials are also useful in aerospace and many other wide-ranging industrial applications including the preparation of thermoplastic composites.
Common terminology involves naming such polymers by reference to the structure of the repeating unit (as is standard in polymer chemistry) with families being named according to the sequence of ether (symbolised by "E") and ketone (symbolised by "K") linkages in the repeat units. For example, polymers consisting essentially of the repeating unit: —R—O—R—C(═O)—R—C(═O)— would be referred to as "PEKK".
For in vivo use, PEKK materials must further meet the requirement of biocompatibility which, in turn, demands a high level of purity of the basic polymer. Ideally, it is required that these can be produced in essentially pure form on a large scale in the absence of substantial amounts of unreacted monomers, catalyst residues or other reaction components or contaminants. These impurities can also result in melt instability of the polymers during processing. This can be a serious problem during the preparation of composite materials as the instability can lead to property changes during manufacture that may impact performance in-use. For structurally critical applications, such as in aerospace, this is highly undesirable.
Aromatic polyetherketones are commonly prepared by either a nucleophilic or electrophilic polymerisation. For example, the polymer PEEK as supplied by Victrex Plc is understood to be synthesised by a high temperature nucleophilic process as depicted:

This type of reaction can be referred to as an ether-forming reaction as the result of the reaction is the formation of an ether linkage.
Alternatively, poly ether ketones such as PEKK may be formed using an electrophilic polymerisation as depicted. This is also commonly referred to as the Friedel-Crafts method.

This type of reaction can be referred to as a ketone-forming reaction as the result of the reaction is the formation of a ketone linkage.
Unlike the nucleophilic reaction, the electrophilic or Friedel-Crafts reaction may be conducted at elevated temperature as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,556 or at ambient or sub-ambient temperature as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,013. Typical reaction media for these reactions include the reactants (i.e. the monomers), a catalyst (or promoter, e.g. K2CO3 or AlCl3) and a suitable solvent.
The nucleophilic reaction is a solution reaction in that the growing polymer chain is maintained in a reactive state by the polymer remaining in solution (e.g. in diphenyl sulphone at elevated temperature). In contrast, the electrophilic reactions are not true solution reactions as the polymer is inclined to precipitate out as the chain length grows. Unlike a normal precipitation, the particles aggregate forming an intractable mass. The mobility of this mass is maintained in the process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,556 by the use of elevated temperatures and by the incorporation of a Lewis base in the process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,013 to form a deformable complexed gel structure in which there remains sufficient end-group mobility to enable polymerisation to continue.
Both the high temperature electrophilic and nucleophilic processes can produce products that exhibit poor melt stability resulting from side reactions. The very high temperatures used in the nucleophilic process can result in the scrambling of the ether and ketone linkages resulting in products in which the linkages are not as ordered as theory would predict or as desired. The high temperatures associated with these two processes can also promote side reactions and the formation of gels (probably cross-linked particles) that lead to melt instability in the final product. These gels may appear as discoloured inclusions. This makes the production of materials having a fine structure (e.g. fibres and thin films) difficult or, in some cases, impossible.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,181 discloses a low temperature electrophilic process which results in the formation of a complexed gel (with AlCl3) and which requires the use of specialised equipment to facilitate the extraction of the final product from the reaction equipment. When practised correctly, this low temperature Friedel-Crafts process can produce a final product that is neither scrambled nor contaminated with side reaction products or imperfections (e.g. cross-linked gels) thus enabling the production of fine products such as fibres without the need for melt filtrations, or other gel removing protocols, prior to processing.
Typically, the organic moieties connecting the ether and ketone linkages in polyetherketones are aromatic units which are in themselves 1,4 or 1,3-disubstituted (1,2-disubstitution is known but is unusual). All 1,4 substituted polyetherketones exhibit high levels of crystallinity. In addition, the Tm of the polymers increase as the ratio of ketones to ethers is increased. Thus the Tm of 1,4-PEEK is around 345° C. and that of 1,4-PEKK is around 395° C. whilst both exhibit ultimate levels of crystallinity of between 35% and 40%. Although 1,4-PEKK can be readily synthesised by either of the aforementioned electrophilic processes, the high Tm, makes synthesis by the nucleophilic process difficult as the polymer is reluctant to remain in solution long enough for high molecular weight product to be formed. It is well known that the Tm, of all poly ether ketones can be manipulated by the incorporation of 1,3 units (and 1,2) in the structure such that suitable mixtures of 1,4 and 1,3 units can lead to the production of amorphous products. Whilst all 1,4-PEKK is difficult to melt process it can be solution processed from solvents such as concentrated sulphuric acid.
In order to facilitate the electrophilic synthesis of PEKK the reaction may be undertaken in strongly acidic solvent systems such as HF/BF3 (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,240) or perfluoroalkyl-sulphonic acids (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,755). However, these solvent systems are highly corrosive and thus present handling problems. Alternative commercial methods for preparing 80:20 PEKK (80% 1,4: 20% 1,3) include the high temperature electrophilic process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,556. However, as mentioned above, this high temperature process can result in the production of an unstable product (high temperatures increase the likelihood of side reactions) containing imperfections (e.g. cross-linked gels), making it quite unsuitable for certain end uses, e.g. in biomedical implants, in producing articles having a fine structure and in critical aerospace composites.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,005 describes a modified Friedel-Crafts synthesis of polyetherketones using polymeric Lewis bases leading to the formation of high molecular weight products. It is believed that the use of these Lewis acid/Lewis base controlling agents alters the solubility parameter of the solvent such that the polymer complex remains in solution longer and yet still permits polymer chain mobility required for the production of high molecular weight products. The disadvantage of this process and that of the complexed gel products disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,181 is the high cost of the specialised equipment required to handle the polymer gel complex. Additional disadvantages include the large volumes of water required to decomplex and work up the polymer, owing to its very low bulk density, and the difficulty in recovering most of the solvent or Lewis base.
The process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,013 employs protic controlling agents for the preparation of poly ether ketones, in particular PEKEKK. The authors note that it cannot be reliably predicted whether a particular controlling agent will act as a dispersant, this being dependent on other reactants and conditions. This is confirmed by the present inventor's own findings. In fact, the present inventor has found that for every 10 polymerisations carried out as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,013 for PEKEKK production, on average only 1 results in the formation of a finely dispersed polymer product. The remaining polymerisations fail to provide the desired end product due to gel, or partial gel, formation. Efforts to address this in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,013 include the incorporation of a second non-polar solvent such as cyclohexane. However, even this is found to be unreliable. Such a level of unpredictability is unacceptable, especially in a commercial process.
Whilst U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,013 discloses the production of PEKK using butanol as controlling agent, this may lead to alkylation of the polymer chain resulting in the formation of an unstable product. Moreover, the butanol is not recoverable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,181 discloses a process by which the polymer complexed gels may be handled. Initial mixing and reaction is carried out in one reactor and prior to gel formation the reaction mixture is transferred to a tubular reactor where gelling occurs. On completion of polymerisation the gel is extruded from the tube into a hammer mill where decomplexation takes place in the presence of water leading to isolation of the polymer. Although high quality products can be manufactured in this way, the process requires special equipment and thus suitably adapted large scale plants for commercial production, making this method costly.
To date, despite its advantageous properties, the issues outlined above have made the large scale production of highly pure and melt-stable PEKKs problematic.

Method for preparing poly (ether ketone ketones)


An apparatus and system for supporting a planetary carrier within an aircraft gearbox includes a retainer for engaging a rotor mast and for supporting the planetary carrier.

Rotorcraft drive systems typically include one or more gearboxes. A rotorcraft gearbox—particularly a main rotor gearbox—will often include one or more planetary gear sets. The planetary gear set may include a central sun gear, an outer ring gear, and a plurality of planet gears rotatably coupled to a planetary carrier and configured to "orbit" the sun gear while engaging both the sun gear and the ring gear. Typically, the sun gear receives the torque input to the planetary gear set while the planetary carrier provides the torque output from the planetary gear set. The planetary carrier is often coupled to a rotor mast, such that the torque output from the planetary gear set is applied to the rotor mast.
In some rotorcraft, the planetary carrier and the rotor mast are coupled together using a set of splines. For example, internal splines located on the planetary carrier may transmit the torque output from the planetary gear set to mating external splines located on the rotor mast. Because these splines are typically helical or aligned axially (i.e., substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor mast), they provide no support for the planetary carrier in the axial direction.
One solution is to provide carrier-support bearings that support the planetary carrier relative to some fixed structure within the gearbox. The carrier-support bearings are typically rolling-element bearings, such as a ball bearing. However, this solution has several drawbacks. The addition of the carrier-support bearings introduces one or more additional components, which may add complexity to the design, increase weight, and make assembly more difficult. Additionally, the carrier-support bearing will typically necessitate that the planetary carrier include a mating bearing surface, which adds to the cost and complexity of manufacturing the planetary carrier. For instance, the bearing surface will typically require one or more additional machining steps, which might need to be held to tight tolerances. Furthermore, the carrier-support bearing will typically require lubrication, which may require one or more dedicated lube jets to provide oil to the carrier-support bearing. Lubricating the carrier-support bearing may further necessitate additional core passages in the gearbox housing. The addition of lube jets and/or core passages may further negatively impact the gearbox's weight, cost, design complexity, and manufacture and assembly. The carrier-support bearing may require periodic inspection, maintenance, and/or replacement. And, the carrier-support bearing introduces an additional potential failure mode within the gearbox. Other drawbacks associated with such a design will be apparent to one skilled in the art.
Other rotorcraft utilize a rotor mast with an integral planetary carrier. That is, the rotor mast and the planetary carrier are a single, unitary piece having a rotor mast portion and a planetary carrier portion. The planetary carrier is, therefore, supported in the axial direction by the rotor mast portion, which is, in turn, supported in the axial direction by mast bearings. This solution also has several drawbacks. For instance, the gearbox assembly may be more difficult to assemble, ship, and/or store, and it may require more space, because the rotor mast is permanently affixed to the planetary carrier. Manufacture of the rotor mast with integral planetary carrier may be significantly more expensive than the manufacture of two separate parts, particularly because a rotor mast alone might be manufactured from an appropriately sized pipe structure, while a rotor mast with integral planetary carrier might have to be machined from a large billet, casting, or forging, which will potentially result in more machining steps, a longer cycle time, and more material waste. Another disadvantage is that shipping, overhaul, and repair of the mast and/or gearbox becomes more difficult and expensive where the rotor mast and planetary carrier are a single, unitary piece. And, damage or wear to either the rotor mast or the planetary carrier will necessitate overhaul or replacement of the entire unitary piece—which is itself more expensive to repair, overhaul, or manufacture than a separate rotor mast and/or planetary carrier would be.
Consequently, a need exists for a method and apparatus for supporting a planetary carrier in the axial direction, without permanently coupling the planetary carrier to the rotor mast, and without introducing an additional bearing dedicated solely to providing axial support for the planetary carrier. These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art. The embodiments described below, and the inventions set forth in the appended claims, may provide all, some, or none of these advantages.

System and apparatus for supporting a planetary carrier within a gearbox


A method for the low temperature fabrication of doped polycrystalline semiconductor alloy material. The method includes the steps of exposing a body of semiconductor alloy material to a reaction gas containing at least a source of the dopant element, and establishing an electrical potential sufficient to sputter etch the surface of said layer, while decomposing the reaction gas. This allows for the deposition of a layer of doped amorphous semiconductor alloy material upon the body of semiconductor alloy material. Thereafter, the doped layer of amorphous semiconductor alloy material is exposed to an annealing environment sufficient to at least partially crystallize said amorphous material, and activate the dopant element.

Polycrystalline semiconductor alloy films have found great utility in the field of photosensitive devices, electronic imaging devices, and thin film transistors (TFT's). In particular, polycrystalline semiconductor alloy films have been investigated for use in TFT's for application as switching elements for large area, multipixel liquid crystal displays and image sensors.
Structurally, TFT's generally include source and drain electrodes, source and drain contact regions, a body of semiconductor alloy material between the source and drain electrodes, and a gate electrode in proximity to the body of semiconductor material, but insulated therefrom by a gate insulator. A typical enhancement mode thin film transistor is described in detail hereinbelow. Current in a TFT typically flows through the transistor, between the source and drain, and is controlled by the application of a voltage to the gate electrode. The voltage on the gate electrode produces an electric field which accumulates a charged region near the semiconductor body-gate insulator interface. This charged region forms a current conducting channel in the body of semiconductor material through which the device current is conducted.
In the fabrication of thin film transistors, source and drain regions should be rectifying if the body of semiconductor material is intrinsic, and ohmic if the body of semiconductor material is of opposite conductivity type than the source and drain. The resistivity of the source and drain contact regions should be as low as possible to reduce the loss of input signal. The source and drain contacts of TFT's are typically fabricated of thin metal layers deposited upon either p-doped or n-doped amorphous or polycrystalline semiconductor alloy films.
As used herein, the term "body of semiconductor alloy material" refers to a film of amorphous, polycrystalline or microcrystalline semiconductor material fabricated from silicon, silicon alloys, silicon:germanium alloys, germanium alloys, germanium, gallium arsenide, copper indium diselenide, carbon and combinations thereof. The term "doped layers of amorphous semiconductor alloy material" refers to doped layers of p-type or n-type amorphous material fabricated from silicon, silicon alloys, silicon:germanium alloys, germanium alloys, germanium, gallium arsenide, copper indium diselenide, carbon and combinations thereof. It is to be understood that silicon:germanium alloys include all combinations and ratios of silicon and germanium.
Many different deposition techniques have been employed in order to fabricate doped layers of amorphous semiconductor alloy material for use in, for example, the source and drain regions of thin film transistors. One such technique involves depositing a body of semiconductor alloy material upon a substrate, as by conventional deposition processes, and which deposited material is then subjected to an ion implantation technique to dope at least a portion of the body of semiconductor alloy material so as to define source and drain regions. However, ion implantation has several inherent disadvantages which make its use for fabrication of doped layers of semiconductor alloy material impractical, particularly for large-scale, commercial applicators, such as the commercial fabrication of, e.g., displays, and photosensitive devices employing such TFT devices. These inherent disadvantages include: (1) the radius of the ion beam used to implant a desired dopant is generally quite small, thus requiring that the ion beam be repeatedly scanned in order to attain complete coverage over a wide area sample; (2) ion implantation devices are generally very difficult to scale up to large area, continuous throughput production processes such as is required in the commercialization of a product employing TFT's; (3) said ion implantation devices typically require large magnetic fields as well as high vacuum, low pressure regimes for operation; these parameters significantly increase both the initial purchase cost of such devices, as well as the cost of operating such devices; and (4) ion implantation, due to high energy impact of the implanted ions, causes significant physical damage to the body of semiconductor alloy material, thus necessitating a subsequent annealing process to repair the damage. This anneal/repair process may be too physically stressful for some types of low temperature substrates, such as low temperature glasses.
A second technique which has been employed for the fabrication of doped layers of amorphous semiconductor alloy material is the use of conventional deposition processes, such as sputtering, or r.f. glow discharge plasma deposition, to form a multilayered amorphous structure. The multilayered amorphous structure may subsequently be at least partially crystallized, as by conventional techniques such as thermal anneal, to form polycrystalline or microcrystalline layers. By this method, substantially intrinsic amorphous silicon alloy material is deposited by, for example, r.f. glow discharge from silane with an added compensating element or elements such as hydrogen, fluorine or both. Deposited upon the semiconductor alloy material is a second layer of amorphous semiconductor alloy material, which second layer is doped so as to possess either p or n-type conductivity. Doping of the second layer is achieved by the addition of a precursor dopant gas to the deposition gases present in the r.f. glow discharge deposition chamber. After depositing such layers, unwanted areas of said doped material may be removed, as by conventional photolithographic techniques to form desired device features.
While this technique has the advantage of being relatively easy in terms of actual deposition, devices formed in this way are inherently inferior to those produced by, for example, costlier ion implantation techniques. Multilayered devices fabricated by conventional plasma deposition techniques potentially demonstrate significant peeling problems between the stacked layers as well as other interfacial defects. The interface between said layers, e.g., between the semiconductor body and the source or drain regions, gives rise to a significant density of defect states, which states significantly decrease the performance of the device. A gradual gradation from intrinsic to n-type to heavily n-type would greatly reduce the density of defect states, and therefore improve device performance.
A third technique which may be employed to form doped layers of amorphous semiconductor alloy material is an "ion shower" technique such as that discussed by Yoshida, et al in "Formation of Source and Drain Regions for Amorphous Si:H Thin-Film Transistors by Low Energy Ion Doping Techniques" published in IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 9, No. 2, Feb. 1988. While this technique possess several advantages over conventional ion implantation, notably the ability to act over a larger area than regular ion implantation, it still possesses several disadvantages, particularly the need for magnetic fields. Further, Yoshida, et al require a high vacuum, low pressure regime in order to accelerate dopant ions sufficiently to implant them into the host material.
One shortcoming inherent in each of the aforementioned techniques is the high annealing temperatures required to activate the dopant ions within the body of semiconductor alloy material to provide electrical activity. Activation of the doped layer of amorphous semiconductor alloy material includes exposing said materials to a temperature regime sufficient to at least partially crystallize the amorphous materials, i.e., form a poly or microcrystalline structure, while incorporating the dopant element into the matrix of the semiconductor alloy material. This is critical since techniques requiring high activation temperatures necessitate the use of expensive, high temperature resistant glass substrates such as Hoya NA40 display glass. Such high temperature substrates greatly increase the cost associated with fabricating electronic devices such as imaging arrays.
It thus becomes apparent that a need exists for a deposition method which allows for easy, economical fabrication of doped polycrystalline semiconductor alloy material, at relatively low temperatures.

Method of forming a layer of doped crystalline semiconductor alloy material


The present invention is directed to a method of constructing simulated vegetation for models. The method encompasses the steps of providing a substrate of non-ferrous light-penetrable fibrous material having a light penetrability of at least 50% and applying an adhesive to this substrate. The substrate is then at least partially covered with a non-ferrous leaf simulating material of ground rubber-like foam particles. It is contemplated that a preferred form of covering the substrate with the particles is by spraying the particles onto the substrate after the adhesive is applied.

This invention relates to the production of miniatures and, more particularly, to a method of producing a novel model tree structure and artificial vegetation and the resulting products.
Model trees have long been used by both hobbyists and professionals. Architectural model makers utilize model trees both to simulate existing green areas and to enhance their artistic license. Model trees used in constructing architectural models have heretofore been constructed by casting a trunk and limb structure and then stretching steel wool over the limbs and finally adhering a granular material to simulate the tree foliage. While a realistic tree results, there are several disadvantages. One is the relatively great expense in constructing such a tree. The trunk and limb structure is cast from molten metal generally containing in excess of 85% by weight tin which is a relatively expensive metal. Thus, while the trees have been accepted for professional architectural models, they have never been used to any extent in the more competitive model railroad industry.
Another reason for the lack of acceptance of the trees used by architectural model makers in the model railroad industry is the fact that the steel wool used to hold the simulated foliage on the tree tends to drop particles of the ferrous metal which is attracted by the magnetic field and static electricity set up by the electrified track. The steel wool ultimately reaches the track and is picked up by the engine possibly causing damage to is.
It has heretofore been thought that less expensive metals, such as lead, could not be used in any significant quantity to cast model trees because of the poor flow characteristics of the metal. Another reason for the relatively high cost of trees used heretofore by professionals for architectural models has been the need to employ relatively artistic people to combine the trunk and limb structure with the simulated foliage to present a relatively realistic looking model tree.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a more economical model tree utilizing a method which employs casting of the tree and limb structure from molten metal comprising at least 60% by weight lead and preferably at least 85% by weight lead. The present cost of lead being approximately 1/20 the cost of tin, substantial savings result.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a model tree structure and method for constructing the same which is economically competitive with plastic trees yet is as realistic in appearance as present case metal trees.
It is also an objective of this invention to provide a model tree structure and method of constructing same which is more realistic in appearance than present plastic trees and is characterized by complete absence of ferrous metal and any other substance which would conduct static electricity therefore making it highly utilizable in conjunction with model railroads.
It is also an aim of this invention to provide a model tree structure which is more realistic than model trees heretofore constructed as a result of a larger cross-sectional area being possible for the trunk and limb structure because of substantial savings in the cost of the casting metal.
Still a further objective of this invention is to provide a model tree structure and method of constructing same which is more truly three-dimensional than trees of the prior art as a result of the fact that the pattern from which the tree is constructed is first made in a full three-dimensional form and then is partially flattened prior to placing the pattern in a mold to form the mold cavity.
Another very important object of this invention is to provide a model tree structure as set forth in the foregoing objects which does not require a highly skilled and highly artistic person to assembly the tree and limb structure with the simulated foliage in order to effect a realistic looking model tree.
As a corollary to the above object, an aim of the invention is to provide a method of constructing model trees wherein the simulated vegetation for the tree and limb structure is completed off of the tree and then pulled over the tree limbs as a final step.
It is another one of the aims of the present invention to provide novel simulated vegetation covering and method of making same which provides for substantially complete forming of the simulated vegetation on a production line basis thus resulting in labor saving and requiring less artistic talent.
Still another objective of the invention is to provide simulated vegetation covering as described in the foregoing aim and method of constructing same which can be utilized with any type of tree and limb structure and on all types of surfaces.
Still another important objective of the invention is to provide for simulated vegetation covering and method of constructing same which is characterized by an absence of any ferrous metal and any other substance which could conduct static electricity therefore making the vegetation highly utilizable with model railroads.

Method of constructing simulated vegetation for models


A composition comprising a glycol component including ethylene glycol and polymers thereof, and iodine, which composition is characterized by the absence of a spectroscopically identifiable complex between the glycol and iodine, and the absence of free iodine in mixture therewith. The composition of the present invention may be prepared in a wide variety of formulations and possesses therapeutic, environmental and industrial cleaning applications. Also disclosed is a method for the preparation of the composition employing an anhydrous environment and including heating the components to a temperature of about 180.degree. C.

The present invention relates to organic iodine containing compositions, and more specifically to such compositions as release active iodine therefrom.
In my copending application Ser. No. 868,769, I discuss a hydrolyzable solution of ethylene glycol and iodine that responds negatively to iodine indicator testing, however, emits molecular iodine in the presence of or contact with an aqueous medium. The foregoing distinctions separate the iodine containing compound of my invention from the prior art wherein various alcoholiodine mixtures have been prepared, all of which indicate the presence of iodine upon testing. The preparation of the compositions of the present invention employs the mixture of ethylene glycol and iodine at temperatures on the order of 180.degree. C.
In general, the preparation of iodine containing compositions is well documented. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,676,554 to Hoopman discloses a medicinal composition containing iodine in concert with a variety of glycerine. The composition is not prepared in the manner of my invention and, moreover, lacks all of the ingredients employed therein. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 1,596,651 to Bryant discloses an emollient composition including iodine, phenol, thymol and petrolatum oil and is accordingly distinguishable in the scope of ingredients and the emphasis on the employment of thymol to reduce the iodine content of the composition. U.S. Pat. No. 1,719,523 to Stevens discloses a composition comprising iodine and an alcohol. Patentee obtains a composition containing ethylene iodide which is clearly distinguishable from the composition of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,580,400 to Bommarito relates to a composition comprising elementary iodine, potassium iodide, guaicol, distilled water and glycerine, for use in treatment of goiter by injection into the patient. In this composition, the glycerine serves as a solvent and is purported to reduce irritation incident to the injection process. The elementary iodine in Bommarito is stated to be the pure iodine found in the crystalline state, and the presence of this iodine, along with potassium iodide distinguishes Bommarito from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,767,667 to Gray relates to a germicidal compound which employs the ingredients of zinc iodide, iodine in the resublimed form, menthol, glycerine, alcohol and water. Gray prepares his composition by a combination of the ingredients under low heat maintained below 40.degree. C. By its definition, the composition of Gray is clearly distinguishable from that of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,013,913 to Wemer relates to an iodine containing composition specifically comprised of iodine in mixture with glycerite of tannic acid. Wemer alleges that the crystalline iodine is in fact dissolved in the tannin and glycerine without changing the characteristics or properties thereof. Wemer is silent, however, with respect to the method of preparing his solution and, more importantly, does not suggest the application of heat in the manner taught by the present invention. Moreover, the composition of Wemer is distinguishable from that of the present invention in the employment of the tannic acid component.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,896,171 to Harry, cited against parent Ser. No. 714,760, relates to an iodine containing composition which employs iodine in mixture with glycerine and/or glycerol and tannic acid. A review of the Harry disclosure suggests that the tannic acid component is contemplated as a material ingredient (see Page 2, line 126-Page 3, line 6). Further, and more importantly, Harry discloses and claims that his composition contains free iodine which is in clear distinction to the teachings of the present invention.
In addition to the foregoing patent references, Applicant is aware of literature citations pertinent on the subject of the present invention. Specifically, an article by Osol and Pines relating to the solubility of iodine in glycol-water solutions is reported in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, at Volume 41, Page 634, wherein the authors review the solubility of iodine and various glycols, including ethylene and propylene glycols, along with the effect of adding water to solutions of iodine in the solvents. All of the investigations, however, were conducted at 25.degree. C. and, as such, do not contemplate the preparation of Applicant's composition. Moreover, the relationship proposed by the authors to exist between the iodine and the respective glycols, comprising the existence of a complex analogous to triiodide ion, is distinguishable from the composition of the present invention, particularly as brought out hereinafter.
The most recent investigation of the interaction of iodine with various glycols is presented in a 1971 Ph.D. dissertation by G. D. Faile of Auburn University. The author conducted extensive ultraviolet spectroscopic investigations of various glycol-iodine systems, including that of ethylene glycol-iodine, all prepared at 25.degree. C. and speculated that a complex relationship develops, that the author referred to as charge-transfer complexes. Specifically, ultraviolet spectroscopic analysis of ethylene glycol-iodine discloses a maximum absorption at 231 nanometers, which the author indicated is clearly indicative of the complex above noted. Faile, like the references noted earlier, however, does not appreciate the present invention and its specific method of preparation which employs a much higher temperature upon mixture, and for reasons to be elaborated hereinafter, further highlights by his work the unexpected properties of the composition of the present invention.

Glycol-iodine composition and method of preparation


In a data processing system employed for simulation, a simulation program (24) produces simulation results (26), while a pre-compiler (18) used to prepare the simulation program (24) generates cause and effect lists (22). The cause and effect lists (22) and simulation results (26) are organized in data groups associated with the various variables in the model. A presentation module (28) operates a display (16) so as to display variable names (37) that represent the data groups and icons (32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, and 44) that represent operations that can be performed on the data groups. By using a mouse (15) to "click on" a data-group name (48) and an icon (40-55, 59), the user can cause a selected data-group operation to be performed on a selected data group.

The present invention is directed to user interfaces for data processing systems. It finds particular, although not exclusive, use in data processing systems used for complex simulations.
The capabilities of data processing systems have greatly advanced over the past several decades, and the amount of information that they can produce has similarly expanded. But the usefulness of the resulting information can depend to some degree on the ease with which the user can locate desired information in the mass of information that results.
Among the areas in which this is particularly true is that of simulation. Computer simulations have been employed on a wide variety of systems, such as electronic circuits, weather patterns, national economies, and manufacturing plants. All simulations depend on models, i.e., statements of relationships among the variables employed in the simulation. Once a model has been written, the data processing system performs the actual simulation; it computes series of values of the simulation variables as functions of an independent variable, typically time.
One obvious reason for performing a simulation is simply to predict performance, i.e., to answer questions such as, What will XYZ Corporation's revenues be for the next 18 months? In this case, the variable of interest is revenues while the independent variable is time.
But a simulation often is used not simply to determine what a result will be but also to determine why the results are what they are and, generally, to obtain insight into the operation of the simulated system. For these purposes, the user often must investigate values of variables other than those of a small number of ultimate result variables. This in turn requires that the user determine which of the possibly thousands of variables he should inspect. These questions require the insight of the human user and often a significant level of concentration, which may not be achievable if too much of the user's attention must be devoted to the mechanics of the interface between the user and the data processing system.

Applying successive data group operations to an active data group


In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, methods are provided for Kirchhoff-migrating seismic data using a parallel computer. The methods of the present invention preferably use a multiprocessor machine that is interconnected to form a hypercube. The presently preferred method is to build up one or more migrated output traces in each processor (node) designated as a "migration" processor, as input traces are passed from migration node to migration node along a nearest-neighbor chain. When an output trace is completed, it is sent by a migration node to storage via an appropriate I/O processor and the migration node beings building a new output trace. There is essentially no limit to the length of seismic line which can be so migrated. Alternatively, the input traces may be held in the migration nodes and the output traces passed from node to node along a nearest-neighbor chain, or the input and output traces may be passed in opposite directions along the chain. Further, the use of multiple migration chains allows for efficient operation over a wide range of number of available processors.

This invention relates to seismic exploration, and more particularly relates to processing of seismic data on multiprocessor computers.
Conventional land or marine seismic acquisition techniques involve the use of an appropriate source (or sources) to generate seismic energy and a set of receivers, spread out upon or near the surface of the earth on land, or near the water surface or water bottom in a water-covered area, to detect any reflected seismic signals due to seismic energy striking subsurface geologic boundaries. In simplistic terms, this seismic acquisition process has a seismic wave, from a source of seismic energy, travelling down into the earth, reflecting from a particular geologic interface (i.e. a change or contrast in elastic constants and/or densities) and returning to the surface, where it may be detected by appropriate receivers. These seismic signals are recorded in time, and subsequent processing of these signals, i.e. seismic "traces" or seismic data, is designed to reconstruct an appropriate image of the geologic boundaries of the subsurface and to obtain information about the subsurface materials.
One important seismic processing technique to provide this subsurface image is called migration. In general terms, seismic migration takes a set of seismic data (the seismic traces) measured at or near the surface of the earth (or water), and produces a representation of the subsurface of the earth. Generally, seismic processing techniques which perform migration are based on solving some form of a propagation or wave equation (which describes the propagation of seismic waves in the subsurface), or an approximation thereof.
There are several main types of migration processing techniques; one type is called Kirchloff migration, which approximates the evaluation of the so-called Kirchhoff integral solution to the wave equation. Kirchhoff migration techniques generally work by producing an output seismic trace (usually sampled in depth or 2-way vertical traveltime) by (1) performing a local interpolation on each input trace that falls within some determined neighborhood of a desired output trace location (herein referred to as an "output subpoint"), and (2) summing the interpolated traces within that neighborhood to provide the output trace for that output subpoint. This neighborhood is called the "migration operator." The size and shape of the migration operator may be fixed or may vary from output subpoint to output subpoint. Proper specification of an operator may be very complicated due to such considerations as aliasing, source/receiver geometry, the seismic velocity function, and the dips of reflection events. In the case of two-dimensional (2-D) migration, the sum of the left and right extremes of the operator is termed the operator "width." Typically, Kirchhoff migration operator widths range from 2 to 10 miles, so many input traces contribute to each output trace, and conversely, an input trace contributes to many output traces.
Various types of computers may be employed to process the seismic data and compute various outputs to form an approximated image of the subsurface and to provide related information about subsurface materials. The amount of seismic data to be processed by a computer may vary considerably. For example, a moderately sized 3-D marine seismic survey of a 12 mile by 7 mile rectangle would typically consist of about 2800 miles or more of data. It would take about 3 weeks to acquire this data.
It is estimated that it would take about 4 weeks to 2-D "stack"-migrate such a survey on a Unisys plus an array processor, that is to migrate the data after it is "stacked" via common midpoint techniques or other such techniques. In a similar manner, it is estimated that it would take about 4.3 years to "points"-migrate this survey in a 2-D manner on a Unisys plus an array processor, that is to migrate the date before it is "stacked"; migration before stacking involves migration of all the recorded seismic traces, rather than migration of a reduced volume of averaged or stacked seismic traces, when stacked data is employed. The time for a 3-D points migration of this survey on a Univac plus an array processor is estimated to be about 1,000 years. The time to perform a 3-D points migration of this survey on a Cray X-MP/14 is estimated to be about 20 years.
Thus, it can be seen that it takes an inordinate amount of time and cost to migrate moderate amounts of seismic data even with today's supercomputers. Seismic migration utilizes a large amount of computer resources, even though its computations are simple, because of the large numbers of computations and data flow required. Accordingly, unless the time and cost to perform seismic migration is reduced, such techniques will be used infrequently. Thus, faster computers are needed to reduce such migration times.
However, the computer industry is finding it increasingly difficult to make fast computers run even faster. The rate of increase, in the increase of speed, of the fastest electronic circuits and components is declining. The fastest general-purpose supercomputers today have theoretical maximum speeds in the range of 200-2000 million floating point operations per second (MFLOPS), but on typical computational problems they achieve only ten or twenty percent of their theoretical speed. It is unlikely that supercomputers built in the current, traditional way will more than double in speed by the 1990's.
One way to get faster processing speed without faster components is to use concurrency of one kind or another. This has led to the design and construction of various kinds of multiprocessor or "parallel" computers. There is some disagreement about the most effective way of obtaining concurrency for such parallel computers, i.e. how best to connect the processors of such a parallel computer together, as well as how many processors and of what type to employ. Some of the companies that currently build supercomputers are building large-grain parallel computers, i.e. those with relatively small numbers of very fast and powerful processors. Other parallel computers are medium-grain machines, i.e. employing a large number (hundreds to a few thousands) of relatively slow processors that are somehow connected together, or fine-grain machines, i.e. employing thousands or more of very simple, slow processors that are somehow connected together. Such medium-grain machine processors may be any type of processor, but are typically microprocessors.
Microprocessors are still experiencing a rapid increase in their speeds of execution, both for floating point operations and other instructions; the performance rate for these other instructions is usually measured in millions of instructions per second (MIPS). In a similar manner, the capacity of semiconductor memory chips is increasing rapidly while their cost is decreasing rapidly, to provide more and cheaper memory for such microprocessors.
Thus, the medium- to fine-grain parallel computer approach is especially promising, since it reasonably may be expected that the rapid rate of progress being made today in microprocessor technology and memory chips will continue for at least another decade. This is in sharp contrast to the expected slower rate of progress regarding the speeding up of the highest-speed electronic components.
For a medium-grain parallel machine, each microprocessor may be capable of executing its own program independently of the others and may have large floating-point processing power. Further, each microprocessor may be linked to a selected subset of the others via serial communication lines. The linkage between such microprocessors may be such that the communication lines constitute the edges of an n-dimensional "hypercube" with the microprocessors as the vertices. Data exchange between such microprocessors is regulated by the programs running in the microprocessors in question. Currently, fine-grain parallel machines do not have large floating-point processing power nor do all the processors operate independently, although they may be interconnected to form a hypercube.
"Hypercubes" of various dimension are defined as follows. A zero-dimensional hypercube consists of a single node labelled with a zero. For n>zero, an n-dimensional hypercube is formed from two (n-1)-dimensional hypercubes, by connecting each node in one to the correspondingly labelled node in the other with a communication path "along the n-th dimension," and then re-labelling all the nodes in one of the two (n-1)-dimensional hypercubes by adding 2.sup.(n-1) to each of its labels. Thus, an n-dimensional hypercube has 2.sup.n nodes, each of which is connected to another node along each of n dimensions; the nodes are labelled from 0 through 2.sup.n -1.
In a 10-dimensional (10-D) hypercube multiprocessor computer each processor or node is connected via 10 communication paths to 10 other nodes; such communication paths may employ full-duplex ports. Other node ports may be connected to a global broadcast bus or other I/O channels or devices. An I/O port of each node may be able to accept data that is broadcast over such a global bus, as well as carry on a full-duplex exchange of data with one or more of the other nodes of the hypercube at the same time.
A hypercube system and disks may be controlled by a host computer that contains its own multi-user, multi-tasking operating system. The host computer may be responsible for loading the hypercube programs and management of the hypercube resources. In order to execute a program on the hypercube, a user initiates execution of his host program, which in turn causes the node programs to be loaded onto the appropriate processing nodes. A program, having been loaded onto a processing node, begins execution under that node's own control. Messages passed between the processors and the host program may provide input-output data or additional control.
A hypercube system may also have a high-speed graphics subsystem that allows data residing on the host or in the hypercube nodes to be displayed on an attached high-resolution, color-graphics screen. A multichannel high-speed input-output device that will allow attachment to combinations of tape, external disk, high-speed data communications channel, or satellite computer may be used to provide direct input-output with the hypercube processor nodes.
However, if a hypercube machine, or any other type of medium-to fine-grain parallel machine, is to be used to Kirchhoff-migrate seismic data with the expectation of short execution times, it is not clear how to program such a machine to achieve this effect. Thus, there is an unmet need for methods for Kirchhoff-migrating seismic data on parallel machines, and on hypercube machines in particular.
These and other limitations and disadvantages are overcome by the present invention, however, and new economical methods are provided for quickly Kirchhoff-migrating seismic data using parallel machines.

Seismic migration of multiprocessor computer


An integrated fuel preparation and incinerator system and method for utilizing organic solid and semi-solid waste materials as a primary boiler fuel is provided. The organic waste fuel materials are refined to allow for improved combustion efficiency. Combinations of the organic fuel wastes with inorganic wastes are first dried to attain maximum thermal potential; and thereafter, special dry precombustion processing allows for the removal of undesirable inorganics, thereby reducing the adverse physical and chemical effects upon the process hardware.. The organic waste fuels are further refined during drying to a constant moisture which enhances combustion flame stability and organic fuel burnout efficiency. Drying with waste heat prior to classification also allows for overall system energy conservation, permits the relatively simple mechanical removal of entrained inorganics, and reduces energy requirements for final sizing and dispersion processing prior to the improved full suspension combustion firing phase. Using the waste heat from the combustion flue gasses as a drying media also enhances the quality of the air effluents.

This invention relates to a system and method for utilizing prepared solid and semi-solid organic waste materials as a primary fuel in a full suspension or semi-suspension fired conventional combustion boiler in a manner that improves the system's efficiency through improved combustion and an overall energy effectiveness. The process also reduces the quantity of adverse environmental residual effluents.
Disposal of organic waste materials continues to be an increasingly critical problem. Efforts are being made to develop equipment and processes for disposal of the wastes through improved energy recovery techniques.
Prepared solid waste (refuse derived fuel) incineration technology is well known for use as a supplemental fuel in the utility industry for co-combustion with coal, however attempts to utilize the mixed material as a base primary fuel are limited and far from being optimum.
Organic waste fuels almost always contain non-combustible solid inorganic materials, e.g., glass and sand, which cannot be incinerated and therefore detract from the thermal equivalence of the base fuel and in addition have a detrimental impact upon the process equipment. The inert non-combustible solids cause boiler tube erosion and slagging in addition to increasing the particulate loadings to the effluent gas scrubbers.

Method and apparatus for preparing organic waste fuels


The specification discloses an apparatus and method for molding glass fiber reinforced polyester resin articles. A bladder-covered male mold is in turn covered with resin and reinforcement and a female mold with a surface forming film located therein or with a smooth surface is then closed over the male mold. With the bladder held against the male mold by vacuum, air is evacuated from between the bladder and the female mold. The vacuum between the bladder and the male mold is then released whereby the bladder is forced against the resin to thereby force it against the film which is located within the female mold or against the mold surface. This insures a molded article with a bubble free surface. Where a film is used, this insures a tight air free bond between the resin and the film.

The present invention relates to forming molded glass fiber reinforced polyester articles, particularly panel-shaped articles such as swimming pool walls and the like. Such articles typically have a smooth, plastic skin or film which defines the exterior shape of the article. Alternatively, a very smooth mold surface is provided against which the resin is cast. Glass fiber cloth saturated with resin is then layed against the film or smooth or intentionally textured mold wall and more resin is painted or rolled into place. Alternatively, a mixture of resin and chopped glass is sprayed onto the film. Sometimes, a combination of both processes are used.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prevent the formation of air bubbles between the polyester resin layer and the surface film or the mold surface. It is also difficult to achieve a complete bond, and delamination sometimes results.
There is also a significant environmental problem involved in these prior art techniques. The vapors of the solvent used to carry the polyester resin readily escape into the working environment when one is painting or spraying the resin in place. If at all possible, this condition should be avoided. Fumes tend to be particularly bad in spraying operations.
Further, even when you spray the resin onto this film, you usually have to use a roller to try to roll out air bubbles and insure a tight fit.
Another type of molding is known as bag forming. After resin is located in a female mold, a flat bladder is sucked down against the resin surface to squeeze the resin against the female mold. However, this method has been particularly unsuccessful in connection with larger articles, such as large panels of the type used in swimming pool walls, and with reinforced resins. There are simply too many air bubbles which are not eliminated through the use of this method. When air is removed from the mold, resin is also removed. Further, it is extremely difficult to keep reinforcing ribs which might be placed against the film from shifting around as the bladder is drawn up against the resin.
Yet another alternative is to provide matching male and female metal molds. The polyester resin and chopped glass are then injected into the mold cavity under a relatively high pressure, i.e. 20-30 psi. Unfortunately, the mold for such a process is extremely expensive. It becomes particularly costly when the molded article has to be provided with undercuts.

Reinforced resin molding method and apparatus


A TV including: an interface section connected to an external device including a power supply section and a data storage section; and a main body storage section which stores TV data, wherein the main body storage section is set to a readable state by supplying power from the power supply section through the interface section; and wherein the interface section outputs the TV data to the data storage section of the external device when the main body storage section is in the readable state.

The present invention relates to a TV and a TV data transfer control method.
In recent years, the screen size of TVs has been increased. It is difficult for the user to send a large-screen TV for repair. Therefore, it is common practice for a repairman to visit the user's home and repair the TV.
TV data such as channel setting data is stored in a TV. When replacing basic parts of a TV due to a breakdown or the like, it is preferable to restore the TV data to the original state. However, since the repairman restores the TV data by manual operation, it is difficult to restore the TV data to the original state.
In this case, a method may be considered in which the setting data is stored in an external device and written into the TV after completion of repairs, much like the case of changing the model of a portable telephone.
A method may also be considered in which the setting data stored in an external memory is rewritten into the TV, as disclosed in JP-A-2005-351996.
However, since a TV cannot be easily carried, differing from a portable telephone, the method used when changing the model of a portable telephone cannot be directly applied.
When using the above method, power must be supplied to the data transfer target instrument. However, since power is not generally supplied to the TV during repair, the above method cannot be directly applied.


The invention provides multifocal ophthalmic lenses that have zones of more than one optical power, or focal length. The lenses correct for high order optical aberrations in more than one field of gaze.

The invention relates to multifocal ophthalmic lenses. In particular, the invention provides lenses that have zones of more than one optical power, or focal length. The lenses correct for high order optical aberrations in more than one field of gaze.
As an individual ages, the eye is less able to accommodate, or bend the natural lens, to focus on objects that are relatively near to the observer. This condition is known as presbyopia. Similarly, for persons who have had their natural lens removed and an intraocular lens inserted as a replacement, the ability to accommodate is absent.
Among the methods used to correct for the eye""s failure to accommodate are lenses that have more than one optical power. In particular, spectacle, contact and intraocular lenses have been developed in which zones of distance, near, and intermediate power are provided. These lenses are disadvantageous because they only provide correction for low order optical aberrations, such as defocus and astigmatism, leaving higher order aberrations uncorrected. Thus, a need exists for a multifocal lens capable of correcting higher order optical aberrations.

Ophthalmic lenses for high order aberration correction and processes for production of the lenses


A conveyor for providing motion of a wheeled cart, and the like, through a curve. A rigid frame supports a central fixed support and a pair of wheel guides on either side thereof. A mounting rail is slideably secured to the central support and includes a plurality of gravity dogs pivotally secured thereto. The central support, mounting rail and cart wheel guides extend through a common arc. A cylinder drive, is pivotally secured on one end to the main mount rail, and on an opposite end thereof to the frame. A control provides for alternate extension and retraction of the cylinder to provide for a back and forth ratcheting motion of the main mount rail with respect to the central support. The double pivot mounting of the drive cylinder provides for converting the linear motion thereof to the radial motion of the main mount rail relative to the central mount rail support. The gravity dogs are weighted to pivot upwards and contact the carts for moving them through the curve of the conveyor when the cylinder extends, and pivot beneath the carts when the cylinder retracts so that the dogs, after passing beneath the carts, can again push the carts upon subsequent extension of the cylinder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to conveyors, and specifically to ratchet type conveyors for moving various load carrying means, such as, wheeled carts and dollies, skids, pallets and the like.
2. Background
Various load carrying means, such as, wheeled carts and dollies, skids, and pallets are known in the art. Transporting and handling large numbers of such load carrying means in an organized manner either in a loaded or unloaded condition or both, is required in large automated material warehousing and supply facilities. Conveying means are known, such as, ratchet conveyors and chain conveyors, that are used to transport these load carrying devices. As is known in the art, chain conveyors provide for friction between, for example, the wheels of a cart wherein the continuous chain conveys the cart in a linear direction. Ratchet conveyors, typically hydraulic cylinder driven, provide for a back and forth motion wherein gravity dogs or other such intermittent contact means, are secured to a moveable bar, and move and are carried thereby in a back and forth alternate motion to intermittently push the load carrying means forward a certain distance with each extension stroke of the cylinder.
Both such conveying means are designed to move a load carrying means in a linear direction. A problem arises when a cart, or the like, must be conveyed through a curve, for example, around a 90 degree bend. Such change of direction has heretofore required expensive systems, such as turntables. In addition to being expensive, such change of direction systems do not provide for a continuous movement of the load carrying means.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a conveying system for load carrying means that provides for continuous movement thereof through a curve.


The present invention provides a brightness compensation method, a system and a display panel in a Demura system. The method comprises obtaining an included angle θ between a connection line of a pixel dot and a center point of a camera lens and a horizontal line as a camera is fixed; obtaining a brightness value f(θ) corresponding to the θ according to a pre-stored angle-brightness relationship; obtaining a correction brightness value of the pixel dot according to a calculation of the f(θ) and a default formula, and performing brightness compensation to the display panel according to the brightness value of the pixel dot after correction. The technical solution provided by the present invention can reduce the influence of the view angle to the brightness and the influence of cos4 θ to the brightness, and thus, it possesses the benefit of the brightness decay offset reduction.

The panel is also so called the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), which is a common electronic display device at present. The present Demura system of the LCD performs compensation according to the brightness.
In the solution of realizing prior art, the following technical issue is found:
In prior art, the Demura system generally performs compensation according to the brightness of the camera. However, in prior art, there will be offset of the brightness due to the angle as the camera obtains values of the pixel brightness. In the illustration of the 50 inches LCD, the brightnesses of two sides (indicated with the dotted ellipse area in FIG. 1) will have decay about 6% at the angle of 10°. As shown in FIG. 1, for the liquid crystal screen, the brightnesses of two sides will be darker. The larger the size of the liquid crystal screen is, the more serious the brightness decay becomes.

Brightness compensation method, system and display panel in Demura system

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd


A drive force transmission apparatus disposed within a differential carrier and adapted to drivingly couple first and second rotary shafts. The drive force transmission apparatus includes an outer casing coupled to the first rotary shaft, an inner shaft coupled to the second rotary shaft, a frictional clutch which enters a frictionally engaged state upon reception of a thrust force to thereby couple the outer casing and the inner shaft together, and an electromagnetic drive mechanism for generating the thrust force. The electromagnetic drive mechanism includes an electromagnet disposed outside the outer casing, a yoke supporting the electromagnet, the yoke being fixedly supported by the carrier in such a manner that the yoke faces a side wall of the outer casing with a gap formed therebetween, and a thrust force generation mechanism disposed inside the outer casing and adapted to produce the thrust force to be applied to the frictional clutch upon receipt of a magnetic force from the electromagnet via the gap and the side wall of the outer casing. A surface of the yoke and a surface of the side wall of the outer casing which face the gap each have a hardened surface layer.

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-16175, filed on Jan. 24, 2001. The contents of that application are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive force transmission apparatus disposed between a driving shaft and a driven shaft in a four-wheel-drive vehicle in order to transmit torque therebetween.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a drive force transmission apparatus which has an annular frictional clutch provided between a front housing and a rear housing disposed to be coaxial with each other and rotatable relative to each other; and electromagnetic drive means which operates, upon being electrified, so as to bring the frictional clutch into a frictionally engaged state. The drive means includes an annular armature disposed on the inner side (front-end side) of the rear housing, and an annular electromagnet disposed on the outer side (rear-end side) of the rear housing. The electromagnet is fitted onto a tubular electromagnet support portion of a yoke to be accommodated within an annular recess formed in the outside wall of the rear housing. A predetermined inner gap is formed between the inner circumferential surface of the electromagnet support portion and the inner wall surface of the annular recess; and a predetermined outer gap is formed between the outer circumferential surface of the yoke and the outer wall surface of the annular recess.
Upon supply of electricity to the coil of the electromagnet, there is formed a closed magnetic path which passes through a portion of the yoke, the outer gap, an outer portion of the rear housing, a portion of the frictional clutch, the armature, a different portion of the friction clutch, an inner portion of the rear housing, the inner gap, and a different portion of the yoke. As a result, due to magnetic induction, the armature is moved toward the frictional clutch so as to press the frictional clutch, whereby the frictional clutch comes into a frictionally engaged state. By means of the thus-produced frictional engagement force, a main clutch mechanism is operated in order to couple the front housing and the rear housing in a torque transmissible manner.
The above-described conventional drive force transmission apparatus has the following drawback. In the drive force transmission apparatus, when electricity is supplied to the coil of the electromagnet, the rear housing and the yoke, both being formed of low-carbon steel (soft magnetic material of low carbon content), are magnetized to thereby serve as magnets. Therefore, if Fe-containing foreign matter (e.g., wear particles such as iron particles produced within a rear differential) enters the inner or outer gap, the foreign matter adheres to a surface of the rear housing and/or a surface of the yoke, which surfaces face the gap (hereinafter these surfaces will be referred to as xe2x80x9cfacing surfacesxe2x80x9d) and accumulate within the gap. In general, low-carbon steel is low in hardness, and therefore, when the front and rear housings rotate with foreign matter having entered the gap, the foreign matter wears or scratches the facing surfaces. As a result, wear particles are further generated and fill the gap, possibly resulting in the yoke and the rear housing becoming locked to each other due to seizure, thereby preventing rotation of a propeller shaft.
The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a drive force transmission apparatus which has two members disposed with a gap formed therebetween to be rotatable relative to each other and which can mitigate wear and scratching of facing surfaces of the members, which wear and scratching would otherwise be caused by entrance of foreign matter into the gap.
The present invention provides a drive force transmission apparatus which includes a frictional clutch disposed between a first rotary member and a second rotary member disposed to be rotatable relative to each other; an electromagnetic drive mechanism for bringing the frictional clutch into a frictionally engaged state, upon reception of electricity, in order to couple the first and second rotary members in a torque transmissible manner; and a facing member disposed to be rotatable relative to the first rotary member with a gap formed therebetween, wherein a surface of the first rotary member and a surface of the facing member which face the gap each have a hardened surface layer.
Since a hardened surface layer is formed on the surfaces which face the gap, wear and scratching of the surfaces by foreign matter having entered the gap can be mitigated.
The drive mechanism may include an armature disposed within the first rotary member to face the frictional clutch and an electromagnet disposed outside the first rotary member to face the frictional clutch via a side wall of the first rotary member present between the frictional clutch and the electromagnet; and the facing member may support the electromagnet and may be disposed to form first and second gaps between the facing member and the side wall of the first rotary member at different positions with respect to the radial direction of the first rotary member.
Preferably, the hardened surface layer is formed by quenching, soft-nitriding, or plating.
The present invention provides another drive force transmission apparatus disposed within a carrier fixed to a vehicle body and adapted to drivingly couple first and second rotary shafts rotatably supported by the carrier, the drive force transmission apparatus which includes an outer casing coupled to the first rotary shaft, the outer casing being rotatable relative to the carrier; an inner shaft coupled to the second rotary shaft, the inner shaft being disposed coaxially with the outer casing and being rotatable relative to the carrier and the outer casing; a frictional clutch disposed in an annular space defined by the outer casing and the inner shaft, the frictional clutch entering a frictionally engaged state upon reception of a thrust force in order to couple the outer casing and the inner shaft together; and an electromagnetic drive mechanism disposed on one side of the frictional clutch with respect to the axial direction of the inner shaft, the electromagnetic drive mechanism including an electromagnet disposed outside the outer casing, a yoke supporting the electromagnet, the yoke being fixedly supported by the carrier in such a manner that the yoke faces a side wall of the outer casing with a gap formed therebetween, and a thrust force generation mechanism disposed inside the outer casing and adapted to produce the thrust force to be applied to the frictional clutch upon receipt of a magnetic force from the electromagnet via the gap and the side wall of the outer casing, wherein a surface of the yoke and a surface of the side wall of the outer casing which face the gap each have a hardened surface layer.
The electromagnet and the yoke may be received in an annular recess formed in the side wall of the outer casing, so that first and second gaps are formed between the yoke and the side wall of the outer casing at different radial positions.
The thrust force generation mechanism may include a cam mechanism disposed inside the outer casing to be located between the frictional clutch and the side wall, the cam mechanism including at least first and second cam members and generating the thrust force when the first cam member is rotated relative to the second cam member, the second cam member being fixed to the inner shaft; a second annular frictional clutch disposed inside the outer casing to be located adjacent to the side wall and adapted to drivingly couple the first cam member to the outer casing upon reception of a thrust force; and an annular armature disposed inside the outer casing in such a manner that the second frictional clutch is sandwiched between the armature and the side wall of the outer casing, the armature receiving a magnetic force from the electromagnet to apply a thrust force to the second frictional clutch to thereby bring the second frictional clutch in a frictionally engaged state.
Preferably, the hardened surface layer is formed by quenching, soft-nitriding, or plating.


A mailbox with lighting decorative structure, on an upper face or side face of the mailbox is installed with a lighting fixing structure of a different shape. The lighting fixing structure of different shape is installed with a specified number of lighting boards with different letter fonts or patterns. The lighting board is a combination of plastic optical fibers with letter fonts or patterns or different structures. The lighting fixing structure is connected with a circuit board, a solar energy board and a battery, producing lighting effects to the letter fonts or patterns on the mailbox at nighttime or on cloudy days.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mailbox with a lighting decorative structure, particularly a mailbox consisted of lighting fixing structures of different shapes and lighting boards of different structures that are combined to make a mailbox with lighting decorative effects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a mailbox is made of wood or metal and cannot be easily seen by people at night. So the mailbox is often run over by cars. On the other hand, a regular mailbox does not emit light on the address, if there is one, on the mailbox to facilitate identification. That is a shortcoming that needs improvement.

Mailbox with lighting decorative structure


The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for distributing a software application residing on a network, from a source computer coupled to the network, to a remote computer via electronic mail.. At the source computer, the present invention identifies the software installation components that reside on the source computer. These software installation components are used to install the software application. The identified software installation components are compared to the remote computer's software installation components. This comparison determines which software installation components are missing from the remote computer. To provide the files required for installation of the software application, the present invention transfers the missing software installation components from the source computer to the remote computer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to managing computers systems in a distributed network, and more specifically, to a method for distributing software over slow network links via electronic mail.
2. Description of Related Art
Many companies issue laptops, notebooks, and hand-held computers to their employees. These computers allow the employee to work both at the office and away from the office at remote locations. As a result, remote computers currently represent three out of every ten personal computers (PCs) in Corporate America. This number may increase to almost seven out of ten by the end of 1999.
Although remote computers provide flexibility, they are difficult to support when they are not connected to a local area network (LAN) based system. For example, typical methods of updating and supporting these devices involve, packaging up the devices and sending them back to a central office for new software packages and configuration changes or waiting until the devices are brought in from the field and left with system administrators for a couple of days. These methods create a significant amount of downtime and loss of productivity for businesses.
A solution to the problem involves providing access to software updates over a dial up link for remote users. Yet, the resources used to create such access are lacking in most LAN based systems.
As more remote devices become part of the standard corporate computing power, a clear need is emerging for a solution that allows remote users to connect to a LAN without bringing their computers in from the field.

Method for distributing software over network links via electronic mail


A defect map for a data-storage medium is generated without the use of a hard index on the medium. The servo sectors normally written to the medium during formatting operations are utilized to identify the angular positions of defective data sectors. The track-location data typically stored in each data sector is used to identify the radial positions of defective sectors. This positional information is processed by a set of computer-executable instructions that generate a graphical representation of the data-storage medium. Symbols are placed on the graphical representation in positions corresponding to the locations on the medium at which defective data sectors are identified.

Data-storage media typically store digital information in discrete locations known as data sectors. The ability of the data sectors of a particular data-storage medium to properly store information is usually checked at some point before the medium reaches the end user. This check is commonly known as a verification. An excessive amount of defective sectors on a data-storage medium may necessitate scrapping the medium. Alternatively, the medium may be utilized after steps have been taken to avoid any future use of the defective sectors.
The relative positions of each defective data sector are sometimes needed by the manufacturer of the data-storage medium in order to identify, diagnose, and correct systemic problems in the production process. For example, several defective sectors oriented along a substantially straight line may be indicative of a manufacturing problem that is placing a scratch on the medium. Hence, manufacturers utilize so-called defect maps that illustrate the positional relationship among defective data sectors. More specifically, a defect map is a graphical representation of the surface of the medium. Symbols are placed on the representation in positions corresponding the locations on the medium at which defective data sectors are located.
Each data sector typically contains specific information that identifies that particular sector. The identities of defective sectors are typically documented by recording this information during the verification process. The sector-identification information alone, however, cannot be utilized to determine the relative positions of the defective sectors. In general, some type of index must be imposed on the surface of the data-storage medium in order to determine these positional relationships. The index furnishes a common reference frame to which the locations of the defective sectors can be related. This type of index is commonly referred to as a hard index.
The use of a hard index presents a number of disadvantages. For example, a hard index consumes data-storage space, thereby reducing the amount of data-storage space available to the user of the data-storage medium. Furthermore, a hard index adds complexity to the medium""s data-storage architecture, and increases the number of steps in the production process for the medium.
Hence, eliminating the need for a hard index to map defects on data-storage media offers potential advantages relating increased data-storage capacity and reduced production costs. The present invention is directed to these and other goals.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium without the use of a hard index. In accordance with this object, a presently-preferred method for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium comprises the step of identifying a defective data sector positioned along a data track on a surface of the data-storage medium. The method also comprises the steps of writing predetermined identification data to the defective data sector, and reading track-location data and the predetermined identification data from the defective data sector.
The presently-preferred method further comprises the steps of reading data from servo sectors positioned along the data track, and updating a count each time the data from one of the servo sectors is read. The method also includes the step of determining a position of the defective data sector on the surface of the data-storage medium based on a value of the count when the identification data from the defective data sector is read, and the track-location data from the defective data sector.
Preferably, the method also includes the steps of generating a graphical representation of the surface of the data-storage medium, superimposing a first symbol on the graphical representation in a position on the graphical representation that corresponds to the position of the defective data sector on the surface of the data-storage medium, and displaying the graphical representation and the symbol on an output device.
In further accordance with the above-noted object of the invention, a presently-preferred method for mapping a defective member of a set of data sectors spaced apart by an equal angular interval along a data track on a surface of a data-storage medium comprises the step of identifying the defective member. The method also includes the steps of writing predetermined identification data to the defective member, and reading track-location data and the predetermined identification data from the defective member.
The presently-preferred method further includes the steps of reading data from servo sectors positioned along the data track, and updating a count each time the data from one of the servo sectors is read. The method also comprises the step of determining an angular position of the defective member on the surface of the data-storage medium by multiplying the angular interval by a value of the count when the identification data from the defective member is read. The method further includes the step of determining a radial position of the defective member on the surface of the data-storage medium based on the track-location data.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of displaying a graphical representation of the surface of the data-storage medium that includes a symbol located in a position on the graphical representation that corresponds to the angular and the radial positions of the defective member on the surface of the data-storage medium.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium without the use of a hard index. In accordance with this object, a presently-preferred system for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium comprises a microprocessor and a memory-storage device electrically coupled to the microprocessor.
The presently-preferred system also includes a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the memory-storage device. The computer-executable instructions identify a defective data sector positioned along a data track on a surface of the data-storage medium. The computer-executable instructions also write predetermined identification data to the defective data sector, and read track-location data and the predetermined identification data from the defective data sector. The computer-executable instructions also read data from servo sectors positioned along the data track, and update a count each time the data from one of the servo sectors is read. Furthermore, the computer-executable instructions determine a position of the defective data sector on the surface of the data-storage medium based on a value of the count when the identification data from the defective data sector is read, and the track-location data from the defective data sector.

System and method for generating a defect map for a data-storage medium without the use of a hard index


A rotary plow (1) with pivoting support wheel (2) for mounting on a plow frame (3). The pivoting support wheel (2) is suitable for plows projecting far behind, such as multi-plowbody mounted, reversible plows or semi-mounted reversible plows with a movable rear part. Furthermore, the pivoting support wheel (2) exhibits self-steering characteristics which have different support or steering forces which act on the pivoting support wheel (2) or the plow frame (3) through the pushed or forwardly-directed arrangement of the pivot arm, and thus enables an accurate lateral guidance of the plow.

Rotary plows are usually provided with support wheels on the plow frame to provide a distance of the plow frame from the ground surface and thus the penetration depth of the plow tools into the ground. Since the plow frame is angled obliquely to the direction of travel in the working position, support wheels pivot in the direction of travel during the rotary movement of the plow frame. In their pivoting movement, these require a smaller clearance with respect to the plow frame than support wheels which pivot in the opposite direction to the direction of travel if these are not arranged at the end of the plow frame. In principle, however, the pivot arm of these support wheels is inclined backwards in the working position, since self-stabilization and self-alignment of the wheels takes place precisely with changing forces on the support wheels. This improves or makes possible a stable and exact lateral guidance of the plow tools, as shown in the German patent application DE 30 33 791. In order to move the pivot arm backwards when the support wheel is placed on the ground in forwards travel, the support wheel is provided with an extension as a ground spike or it is provided with a braking device or the like, as for example disclosed in DE 75 38 474 U1 or DE 25 54 273 C2. A further pendulum support wheel as disclosed in DE 25 45 009 C3 may be perpendicularly pivoted about an axis in order to serve as a freely-rotating transport wheel in a middle transport position of the plow frame. Since these support wheels occasionally pivot forward upon touching the ground and do not fulfill their depth control function, support wheels have been implemented which basically pivot counter to the direction of travel, but need a larger pivoting clearance relative to the plow frame, but which then lacks ground clearance when turning the lifted plow. The German utility model DE 8532966 U1 proposes a pendulum support wheel, which is arranged behind the plow frame. In order to allow for boundary plowing, the support wheel may be temporarily folded forward about a vertical axis. As previously described, however, this displaced position causes an unstable lateral guidance of the plow tools, which leaves a bad and uneven plow pattern in the final furrow. The German utility model DE 299 19 028 U1 proposes a pushed support wheel with the same disadvantages.
It is an object of the invention to provide a pivoting support wheel which avoids the above-mentioned drawbacks but combines the respective advantages.

Pivoting support wheel for mounting on a plow frame