In a manufacturing method for a silicon wafer, a first heat treatment process is performed on the silicon wafer while introducing a first gas having an oxygen gas in an amount of 0.01 vol. % or more and 1.00 vol. % or less and a rare gas, and a second heat treatment process is performed while stopping introducing the first gas and introducing a second gas having an oxygen gas in an amount of 20 vol. % or more and 100 vol. % or less and a rare gas. In the first heat treatment process, the silicon wafer is rapidly heated to first temperature of 1300° C. or higher and a melting point of silicon or lower at a first heating rate, and kept at the first temperature. In the second heat treatment process, the silicon wafer is kept at the first temperature, and rapidly cooled from the first temperature at a first cooling rate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a silicon wafer to be used as a substrate of semiconductor devices.
2. Description of Related Art
With trends toward high integration of semiconductor devices in recent years, requirement for quality of a silicon wafer to be used as a substrate of such semiconductor devices is becoming severer. In particular, there is an eager demand for the development of a silicon wafer having less grown-in defects in the device active region.
A technique of performing heat treatment on a silicon wafer is well known as a process for reducing such grown-in defects.
As one example of such a technique, there is a technique of heat treating a silicon wafer at a temperature of 1000° C. or higher and 1350° C. or lower for 50 hours or less in a hydrogen and/or inert gas atmosphere, followed by oxidation heat treatment at a temperature range of 800° C. or higher and 1350° C. or lower for 50 hours or less (for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-11-260677).
There is also known a technique of heat treating a silicon single crystal wafer at a temperature of from 1100 to 1300° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere for 1 minute or more and heat treating the resulting wafer continuously at a temperature of from 700 to 1300° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere for 1 minute or more without cooling it to a temperature less than 700° C., thereby forming a silicon oxide film on the surface of the wafer (for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-2001-144275).
In recent years, a technique for subjecting a silicon wafer to rapid heating/cooling thermal process (RTP: Rapid Thermal Process) is known as a technique of producing, in a high productivity and an easy manner, a silicon wafer with few defects in the surface layer of the wafer.
As one example, there is known a technique of heating a material for substrate obtained from a silicon single crystal having an oxygen concentration of from 11 to 17×1017 atoms/cm3 (ASTM F-121, 1979) at from 1100 to 1280° C. for from 0 to 600 seconds in an atmosphere containing nitrogen in an amount of 90% or more and then cooling it at a cooling rate of from 100 to 25° C./sec in an atmosphere switched to that containing oxygen in an amount of 10% or more (for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-2003-115491).
The heat treatment technique described in the JP-A-11-260677 is however not preferred because it has poor productivity because long heat treatment time is necessary and in addition, slip tends to occur during heat treatment.
The heat treatment technique described in the JP-A-2001-144275 is also not preferred because it has also poor productivity due to a substantially long heat treatment time and in addition, slip tends to occur during heat treatment.
In the heat treatment technique described in the JP-A-2003-115491, a nitride film is inevitably formed on the surface of the silicon wafer as a result of heat treatment in an atmosphere containing nitrogen in an amount of 90% or more. Thus, a step for removing the nitride film, such as etching process, is required so that the number of manufacturing steps is increased. Therefore, this technique is also not preferred.


This device transforms the energy of flowing water into useable energy and includes one or more flow diversion structures, one or more paddlewheels, and one or more generators. A gearbox or transmission may be added to increase the rotational speed of the generators. A subsea cable can be included to transmit the electrical energy from device to shore.

Populations grow exponentially, world economies are expanding, demand for energy is escalating, global warming becomes more evident, and fossil fuels are running out. Political tensions regarding hydrocarbons are high to say the least. The United States, and rest of the world, needs solutions to these energy problems and they need them to be clean renewable solutions.
In the Atlantic Ocean off the Southeastern United States runs the Gulf Stream. Essentially, the Gulf Stream is a river of ocean water flowing with an average speed of 4 mph. At its widest point, the Gulf Stream is almost as wide as Florida. This flow of ocean water carries as much energy as the entire world consumes 100 times over, and it flows constantly 24 hrs a day 365 days a year. Similar currents run along the edges of all other continents.
Numerous companies have designed and built devices that convert the energy of flowing water into useable electricity, but such devices tend to consist of traditional turbines. These marine turbines are very similar to common wind turbines but they are designed to be used underwater. Marine turbines have rotating blades that slice through the water, and likewise slice into whales, manatees, dolphins, and other marine animals that may be swimming by. These blade impacts not only injure or kill the animal, but also break the blades of the device and render the marine turbine useless until it is repaired. When traditional marine turbines are used in flowing rivers they are not only susceptible to catastrophic damage by animal impacts, but by debris such as tree branches that drift downstream. Solutions to these problems are virtually impossible to find because screening the water flow ahead of such turbines ultimately blocks the energy itself. Any screen would soon get clogged with seaweed and marine growth in a very short period of time. A new approach was deemed necessary and the invention herein provides the solutions.
To be viable, a device that converts the energy of flowing water into useable energy must not harm marine life. The device must also be very strong and robust to survive punishing river and ocean environments. Traditional turbine blades must inherently be hydrodynamically efficient, and thus cannot be thick, strong, and robust as required.
To be reliable, a device that converts energy from flowing water cannot be complex. Sophisticated components should be avoided and all critical components must be well protected from the harsh wet conditions. An uncomplicated design will also ensure capital, operating, and maintenance costs associated with the device will be very low. When costs are low enough, the resulting cost per kilowatt hour can match that of fossil fuels.
Ideally, a device that converts energy from flowing water should also be capable of being scaled up to enormous size without requiring an array, or vast quantities, of such devices. Many devices in an array only results in hundreds, if not thousands, of components needing to be maintained. Spread out amongst the array, even simple components will be difficult to maintain if they are distributed out over several square miles. An ideal device would still have an extremely low number of components even when scale up and sized to produce 100 s, if not 1000 s, of megawatts. Finally, an ideal device would not be affected by hurricanes nor typhoons that might pass by. The novel invention described herein delivers on every single objective mentioned in the paragraphs above.
Upon review of all similar innovations, one will find that prior art has addressed only a few of the necessary requirements. Without addressing all of them, such a device cannot produce power both safely and cost-effectively. Particular features not found in prior inventions make this particular invention considerably more viable, practical, economical, cost-effective, and harmless to underwater environments.


A gas turbine engine seal system includes a rotating member having an abrasive tip disposed in rub relationship to a stationary, abradable seal surface. The abrasive tip comprises a zirconium oxide abrasive coat having a columnar structure that is harder than the abradable seal surface such that the abrasive tip can cut the abradable seal surface.

Gas turbine engines typically include a variety of rotary seal systems to maintain differential working pressures that are critical to engine performance. One common type of seal system includes a rotating member such as a turbine blade positioned in a rub relationship with a static, abradable seal surface. The rub relationship creates a small operating clearance between the turbine blade and seal surface to limit the amount of working gas that bypasses the turbine blade. Too large a clearance can allow undesirable amounts of working gas to escape between the turbine blade and seal surface, reducing engine efficiency. Similar seal systems are typically used as gas turbine engine inner and outer airseals in both the compressor and turbine sections.
To maintain a desirably small operating clearance, the rotating member, for example a turbine blade, typically has an abrasive tip capable of cutting the seal surface with which it is paired. When a gas turbine engine is assembled, there is a small clearance between the rotating member and seal surface. During engine operation, the rotating member grows longer due to centrifugal forces and increased engine temperature and rubs against the seal surface. The rotating member's abrasive tip cuts into the abradable seal surface to form a tight clearance. The intentional contact between the abrasive tip and seal surface, combined with thermal and pressure cycling typical of gas turbine engines, creates a demanding, high wear environment for both the seal surface and abrasive tip.
To limit seal surface erosion and spalling, thereby maintaining a desired clearance between the rotating member and seal surface, seal surfaces are typically made from relatively hard, though abradable, materials. For example, felt metal, plasma sprayed ceramic over a metallic bond coat, plasma sprayed nickel alloy containing boron nitride (BN), or a honeycomb material are commonly seal surface materials.
Unless the rotating member has an appropriate abrasive tip, the seal surface with which is paired can cause significant wear to the rotating member. In addition to degrading engine performance, this is undesirable because rotating members, particularly turbine and compressor blades, can be very expensive to repair or replace. As a result, the materials used to form abrasive tips are typically harder than the seal surfaces with which they are paired. For example, materials such as aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), including zirconium oxide (Zr.sub.2 O.sub.3) toughened aluminum oxide; electroplated cubic BN (cBN); tungsten carbide-cobalt (WC--Co); silicon carbide (SiC); silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4), including silicon nitride grits cosprayed with a metal matrix; and plasma-sprayed zirconium oxide stabilized with yttrium oxide (Y.sub.2 O.sub.3 --ZrO.sub.2) have been used for abrasive tips in some applications. Three of the more common abrasive tips are tip caps, sprayed abrasive tips, and electroplated cBN tips.
A tip cap typically comprises a superalloy "boat" filled with an abrasive grit and metal matrix. The abrasive grit may be silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon-aluminumoxynitride (SiAlON) and mixtures of these materials. The metal matrix may be a Ni, Co, or Fe base superalloy that includes a reactive metal such as Y, Hf, Ti, Mo, or Mn. The "boat" is bonded to the tip of a rotating member, such as a turbine blade, using transient liquid phase bonding techniques. Tip caps and the transient liquid phase bonding technique are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,570 to Paulonis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,041 to Duval et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,992 to Duval et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,488 to Schilke et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,913 to Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,656 to Schaefer et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,828 to Rutz et al. Although tip caps have been used in many commercial applications, they can be costly and somewhat cumbersome to install onto blade tips.
A sprayed abrasive tip typically comprises aluminum oxide coated silicon carbide or silicon nitride abrasive grits surrounded by a metal matrix that is etched back to expose the grits. Such tips are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,698 to Eaton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,488 to Schilke et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,913 to Johnson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,199 to Vontell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,242 to Pike, U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,973 to Condit et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,725 to Matarese et al. Sprayed abrasive tips are often paired with plasma sprayed ceramic or metallic coated seals. Although sprayed abrasive tips have been used successfully in many engines, they can be difficult to produce and new engine hardware can show some variation in abrasive grit distribution from tip to tip. Moreover, the durability of sprayed abrasive tips may not be sufficient for some contemplated future uses.
An electroplated cBN abrasive blade tip typically comprises a plurality of cBN grits surrounded by an electroplated metal matrix. The matrix may be nickel, MCrAlY, where M is Fe, Ni, Co, or a mixture of Ni and Co, or another metal or alloy. Cubic boron nitride tips are excellent cutters because cBN is harder than any other grit material except diamond. Electroplated cBN tips are well suited to compressor applications because of the relatively low temperature (i.e., less than about 1500.degree. F. [815.degree. C.]) environment. Similar tips, however, may have limited life in turbine applications because the higher temperature in the turbine section can cause the cBN grits and perhaps even the metal matrix to oxidize. Although electroplated cBN tips are typically less expensive to produce than sprayed abrasive tips, the technology used to make them can be difficult and costly to implement.
Therefore, the industry needs an abrasive tip for gas turbine engine seal systems that is highly abrasive, more durable, and less expensive to produce than those presently available.

Columnar zirconium oxide abrasive coating for a gas turbine engine seal system


An optical wavelength converting apparatus comprises an optical wavelength converting device, which is constituted of a crystal of a nonlinear optical material and converts a wavelength of an incident fundamental wave into a different wavelength, a holder, which is constituted of a metal and to which the optical wavelength converting device is adhered and secured, and a device for adjusting the temperature of the region containing the optical wavelength converting device. The optical wavelength converting device is secured to the holder by adhering only the surface of the optical wavelength converting device to the holder, which surface is normal to the direction of a crystallographic axis that has a coefficient of thermal expansion most different from the coefficient of thermal expansion of the metal constituting the holder among the coefficients of thermal expansion of the crystallographic axes of the optical wavelength converting device. The optical wavelength converting device is thus reliably secured to the holder and prevented from breaking or being distorted due to a change in environmental temperature, and the accuracy, with which the temperature of the optical wavelength converting device is adjusted, is kept high.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical wavelength converting apparatus provided with an optical wavelength converting device for converting a fundamental wave into its second harmonic, or the like. This invention particularly relates to an optical wavelength converting apparatus, which is provided with an improved structure for mounting the optical wavelength converting device on a holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various attempts have heretofore been made to convert the fundamental wave of a laser beam into its second harmonic, or the like, e.g. to shorten the wavelength of a laser beam, by using a crystal of a nonlinear optical material. As optical wavelength converting devices for carrying out such wavelength conversion, there have heretofore been known a bulk crystal type of optical wavelength converting device, an optical waveguide type of optical wavelength converting device, and the like.
By way of example, the optical wavelength converting device of this type is combined with a laser diode pumped solid laser or is employed in a structure comprising a semiconductor laser, which serves as a fundamental wave source, and an external resonator. In such cases, the optical wavelength converting device is ordinarily located in the region inside of the resonator. In general, the temperature of such a resonator is very accurately adjusted such that the resonator length may be kept constant. In such cases, the temperature of the optical wavelength converting device, which is located in the region inside of the resonator, is also adjusted.
The optical wavelength converting device described above is mounted on a holder and is secured at a predetermined position such that its optical axis may align with the optical axis of a laser, which serves as a fundamental wave source, a condensing lens, or the like. As the structure for mounting the optical wavelength converting device on the holder, two types of structures have heretofore been known. In one of the structures, the optical wavelength converting device is mounted on the holder by using a crystal pushing member, which is constituted of a metal, a plastic material, or the like. In the other structure, the optical wavelength converting device is adhered to the holder.
However, with the structure in which the crystal pushing member is utilized, the problems occur in that the optical wavelength converting device moves slightly due to a change in the environmental temperature, or the like, and cannot be secured at the correct position for a long period. In cases where the optical wavelength converting device is located in the region inside of the resonator, if the optical wavelength converting device thus moves to an incorrect position, the resonating conditions of the resonator will vary. As a result, the problems occur in that the intensity and the beam shape of the wavelength-converted wave fluctuate, and noise occurs.
With the structure in which the optical wavelength converting device is adhered to the holder, in cases where the holder is constituted of a metal, such as copper, the problems described below are encountered. Specifically, when a change in the environmental temperature occurs, a large stress is generated in the optical wavelength converting device due to a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the optical wavelength converting device and the holder constituted of the metal. As a result, the optical wavelength converting device breaks or is distorted. A technique for adhering and securing a optical wavelength converting device to a metal material having a coefficient of thermal expansion close to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical wavelength converting device is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,376. However, even if the disclosed technique is applied to a structure for securing the optical wavelength converting device to the holder described above, satisfactory results cannot always be obtained.
Therefore, an attempt has been made to make the holder described above from glass, which has a coefficient of thermal expansion approximately equal to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical wavelength converting device. However, such a holder made from the material other than a metal has a low thermal conductivity. Therefore, in cases where the holder made from the material other than a metal is located in the region inside of the resonator, the accuracy, with which the temperature of the optical wavelength converting device is adjusted, cannot be kept high. As a result, the performance of the optical wavelength converting apparatus fluctuates.


A battery pack includes a battery protection circuit module package coupled with a holder. The protection circuit module includes a basic package including a lead frame having a plurality of leads spaced apart from each other, and protection circuit elements provided on the lead frame, and an encapsulant and a holder simultaneously produced by disposing the basic package in a first injection mold and injecting a resin melt into the first injection mold to perform an insert injection molding process. The encapsulant encapsulates the protection circuit elements to expose parts of the lead frame, wherein the encapsulant and the basic package configure the battery protection circuit module package, and wherein the holder is coupled to the battery protection circuit module package due to the insert injection molding process.

A battery is generally used in mobile devices such as a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA). As a battery most commonly used in the mobile devices, a lithium ion battery is heated when overcharge or overcurrent occurs, and even has the risk of explosion as well as performance degradation if heating is continued and thus temperature thereof is increased. Accordingly, a typical battery may include a protection circuit device for detecting overcharge, overdischarge, and overcurrent and blocking operation of the battery. This conventional protection circuit device is generally produced by soldering a protection integrated circuit (IC), a field effect transistor (FET), resistors, capacitors, etc. on a printed circuit board (PCB). However, the conventional protection circuit device may not easily achieve a small size because the PCB occupies an excessively large space. Furthermore, after the protection circuit device is mounted on a battery core pack, a process for electrically connecting the same to external connection terminals or internal connection terminals through additional wires, wire bonding, or exposed terminals of the PCB is complicated and not easy.

Structure of battery protection circuit module package coupled with holder, and battery pack having same


The present invention relates to, among other things, the interactive reporting of student progress using learning maps.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to field of educational reporting systems, and, more specifically, provides systems and methods for reporting student progress and/or knowledge using a learning map, which is device for expressing dependency relationships between and amongst learning targets.
2. Discussion of the Background
A teacher (or other educator) responsible for teaching a subject area to a student would benefit by knowing the student's strengths and weaknesses in the subject area. For example, if the teacher knows the student's strengths and weaknesses in the subject area, then the teacher can spend more time teaching the concepts that the student doesn't know and less time teaching the concepts that the student already knows.
Accordingly, what is desired are systems and methods to enable a student, teacher or other interested party (e.g., parent or tutor) (hereafter "user") to quickly and easily determine the concepts the students knows and/or the concepts the student doesn't know so that the educator can better teach the student.


An aircraft brake which is circumferentially disposed about the aircraft axle and supported at two points symmetrical about a line perpendicular to a center line drawn through the aircraft axle. Clearance between the brake housing and the axle in the direction of the reacting couple to the braking load is essential in the geometry of mounting the brake to the shock strut and axle structure.

This invention pertains to aircraft brakes, and more particularly to the geometry of the mounting of the multiple disc aircraft brake to the shock strut and axle structure.
Currently there are two general structural systems employed to transmit the brake torque generated in multiple disc aircraft brakes into the shock strut structure. In both of these systems the wheel axle is integral with and generally perpendicular to the shock strut piston although not necessarily in the same plane. In the first of these systems the brake is joined to the axle by a torque resistant connection such as splines or a flange bolt circle. In the second of these systems, the brake is prevented from rotating on the axle by a single link, pin or key connection to the shock strut structure. The link, pin or key connection acts at a considerable radius from the axle centerline. The brake torque is then reacted by a couple, equal and opposite forces, acting at the wheel axle and at the point the single link, pin or key attaches to the brake.
Both of the specific types of connectors suggested in the first system are readily adaptable to the space envelope available for the brake installation. However, both the splines and flange bolt circle expose the axle to high temperatures and permit no air circulation between the inside diameter of the brake and the outside diameter of the axle. Spline connections, while providing a true quick-change brake, suffer from high vulnerability to damage and high cost. The flange bolt circle attachment has very poor maintainability due to the large number and inaccessability of the bolts. The second of the prior art methods for transmitting brake torque into the landing gear structure, suggested above, has excellent maintainability and is relatively free of the above axle problems. However, this brake is particularly adaptable to bogie type landing gears and frequently cannot be applied in a practical manner to conventional landing gears.
It is an object of this invention to combine the advantages of the two alternate structural systems, discussed above, in a single system and additionally, provide better cooling to the brake discs.
More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a mounting for an aircraft type brake, circumferentially disposed about the wheel axle, which:
transmits or reacts the brake torque at only two points, PA1 provides air cooling circulation between the axle and brake, PA1 isolates the wheel axle from the brake heat, PA1 is simple and economical, PA1 is readily accessible for maintenance, quick change, PA1 provides a replacable interface should the torque reacting surfaces be damaged in any way, but particularly from fretting corrosion, PA1 and being symmetrical, installs on either side of the strut or dual-wheeled gears without disturbing the vertical axis of the brake and without need for special adaptors or optional hydraulic ports.


An apparatus, system, method, and program product are disclosed for data exchange in a collaborative environment. A data module receives first data from a first application that corresponds to second data of a second application. The first data has a structured format readable by the first application, but not readable by the second application. The structured format includes a semantic language format. A conversion module converts the first data from the semantic language format to an intermediate data having a format readable by the second application. A synchronization module synchronizes the intermediate data with the second data such that changes made to the first data by the first application are replicated in the second data of the second application.

Collaborative engineering is a process of engineering collaboratively, together by multiple individuals, typically using multiple tools that each have a different focus or purpose. During collaborative engineering processes, various data sets may be exchanged between the various tools that are used, which may eliminate data redundancy, but may also cause shared data to get out of sync.

Data exchange in a collaborative environment


The printing apparatus is provided with a transport mechanism section that transports work, a printing mechanism section that has nozzles, which carry out printing by discharging an ink, as liquid droplets, onto the work transported by the transport mechanism section, and an adjustment section that adjusts a volume per single droplet of the ink discharged from the nozzles on the basis of a separation distance between the nozzles and the work, which is positioned directly below the nozzles.

Printing apparatuses that print by applying ink onto a recording medium have been used in the related art (for example, refer to PTL 1). The printing apparatus disclosed in PTL 1 is provided with a transport unit that transports a recording medium, nozzles (an ink jet head) that discharge ink onto the recording medium, which is transported, a fabric thickness detection unit that detects a height of a recording surface of the recording medium transported by the transport unit, and a movement unit that changes the height of the nozzles depending on a height position of the recording surface of the fabric detected by the fabric thickness detection unit.
In such a printing apparatus, for example, in a case of performing printing on recording medium such as a fabric with a comparatively large amount of fluff, a distance between the recording medium and the nozzles is comparatively increased by raising and the nozzles by an amount that is equivalent to the amount of the fluff. As a result of this, it is possible to avoid a circumstance in which the fluff comes into contact with the nozzles.
However, as the distance between the nozzle head and the recording medium is increased, there is a problem in that discharged ink does not land in a desired position on the recording medium. It is thought that the reason for this is that the volume of a single droplet of ink, which is discharged from the nozzles, is extremely small, and therefore, may even be subjected to the effects of a slight aerial current.
In this manner, in printing apparatuses of the related art, there is a problem in that printing precision (printing quality) decreases as a separation distance between the nozzles, and the recording medium is increased.


A coating for an implantable medical device includes a poly(monochloro-p-xylylene) coating formed on at least a portion of the implantable medical device, and a layer including at least one of poly(ethylene glycol) and a poly(ethylene glycol) derivative linked to the poly(monochloro-p-xylylene) coating by covalent bonds.

Medical devices implanted into a body may be designed such that the device interacts with the body and produces a response, for example, to cause tissue growth around a portion of the medical device to secure the medical device in place. In some implantable medical devices, it is desirable for only a portion of the device to interact with the body. For example, a leadless cardiac pacemaker (LCP) is a medical device implanted into a ventricle of a heart to provide electrophysiological therapy to the heart. The LCP is contained entirely within the ventricle. The LCP is self-contained and includes a control systems and a battery so that no leads into the heart are necessary for power or control. The LCP may include tines at a distal end that are designed to interact with the body to produce a tissue growth response around the tines to secure the LCP to the endocardium. It is desirable that the remainder of the external surface of the LCP not interact with the body so that tissue growth is confined to the tines at the distal end. Limiting the tissue growth in this way makes it easier to remove the LCP once the battery becomes depleted.
What is needed is a reliably biologically inert coating that can be formed on the exterior surface of at least a portion of an implantable device to limit interaction with the body and the growth of tissue.

Biologically inert coating for implantable medical devices


An enclosed scaffold is suspended from a plurality of wire lines attached near the apex of a hemispheric dome surmounting the cylindrical sides of a containment structure, e.g. a tank. The scaffold is attached to the wire lines by hydraulically actuated cable gripping and climbing devices which may be manually or automatically controlled to raise and lower the scaffold. A wheel mounted car rides on the face of a buttress on the exterior of the containment structure wall. A boom mounted on the car is pivotally attached to the top of the scaffold. By means of a hydraulic thruster mounted on the car, the points of attachment of the scaffold to the boom can be moved away from or toward the buttress and wall as needed to provide room for the scaffold to hang level when it moves over the curved part of the structure. To balance torques on the scaffold tending to keep it from hanging level, guide channels carried by the lower part of the car engage rollers carried by the lower part of the scaffold, the roller position with respect to the guide channels being adjustable by screw jacks. The radial component of the force exerted on the scaffold by the wire lines keeps the car wheels in positive engagement with the buttress at all points above the springline. Below the springline, guide rails temporarily bolted to the buttress hold the car wheels against the buttress, thereby to maintain the scaffold level. The scaffold may be adapted to different buttress configurations and may be adapted to receive and suspend pup scaffolds for operating over the vertical part of the structure wall.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to scaffolds and more particularly to self-raising scaffolds.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Conventional scaffolding has proven ineffective and very expensive for use on containment structures having cylindrical sides and a hemispherical roof. Such structures are being used to house nuclear reactors, and include a reinforced concrete structure consisting of a vertical cylinder, a hemispherical dome, and a flat foundation mat. For safety purposes containment structures for nuclear reactors are prestressed by a post-tensioning system and have a portion thereof below ground level. Vertical concrete buttresses are provided for anchoring horizontal tendons in the cylinder walls and part of the dome section. Scaffolding is utilized to provide access to the buttresses and install the tendons to prestress the structure.
It is known to suspend a scaffold from lines connected to the top of a vertical walled building and to raise and lower the scaffold by means of line grippers and climbers. It is also known to provide a scaffold with a plurality of long rollers whose axes lie in a plane inclined to the scaffold floor, whereby the scaffold can be operated over an inclined roof or wall. Neither of these systems is satisfactory for a dome shaped structure since the attitude of the wall of a dome changes from vertical to horizontal as one progresses from the springline to the apex of the dome.


The present invention relates to novel compounds of 7-(4-[4-aminophenyl)sulphonyl]-1-piperazinyl) fluorquinolonic derivatives, of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkyl, and are denominated N-sulphanilyl-derivatives. They are obtained by the process of the invention from the 7-(1-piperazinyl) fluorquinolonic compounds and their esters.

The compounds of this invention have not been disclosed in literature, but their antibacterial fluorinated quinolone precursors or original products are known, like the Ciprofloxacine (CFXM), from: K Grohe et al., Ger pat. 3,142,854, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,444 (1983, 1987 both to Bayer A. G.); K. Grohe, H. Heitzer, Ann. 1987, 29; and the Norfloxacine from: T. Irikura, Belg. pat. 863,429 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,719 (1978, 1979 both to Kyorin); M. Pesson, Ger pat. 2,840,910 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,317 (1979, 1981 to Roger Bellon/Dainippon); H. Koga et al., J. Med. Chem. 23, 1358 (1980).

7-(4-[4-aminophenyl)sulphonyl]-1-piperazinyl fluorquinolonic derivatives and synthesis

University of Chemistry, 22 Velez Sarsfield Avenue


A user interface display provides access to an analysis portal that receives customized code for a business data system. The code is provided through the user interface display to a cloud based service that analyzes the customized code based on the types of services requested by the user. A report is generated, based on the analysis, and displayed to the user.

There are a wide variety of different types of business data systems currently in use. Such systems often include enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, customer relations management (CRM) systems and line-of-business (LOB) applications, among others.
In deploying a business data system within a business, an independent service vendor (ISV) or developer often takes the initial business data system and modifies, or customizes, it to the particular needs of the company. For instance, a developer may customize the code or metadata or both in the business data system so that it meets the particular needs of a given company.
During this type of development, the developer may wish to ensure that the customizations that are being made conform to the best practices for the specific business data system. In addition, the developer may wish to have the customizations analyzed to determine whether they are generating errors, or other problems with the deployment. It is currently quite cumbersome to obtain this type of analysis. In fact, a comprehensive analysis of the customizations is not normally obtainable at all.
Additionally, in order to obtain any type of analysis of a customization, the developer often sends the customized code to the analyzer (which may be the manufacturer of the underlying business data system that was customized by the developer) and requests an analysis. The customized code is then run locally by the analyzer. The analyzer may run different types of automated checks on the customized code and perform some manual tests and then provide fairly limited feedback. The feedback can include general feedback as to the accuracy of the customized code, as to whether it will cause errors, as to whether it conforms to best practices established by the analyzer, etc. In addition, to being limited, this type of analysis can take hours or even days. In the interim, the developer does not know the results of the analysis.
It has also been difficult, with conventional business data systems, for the research and development team that designed the business data system to obtain information about how customers are using the product and to update best practices as they are developed. For instance, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain aggregated data that illustrates how a plurality of different customers and partners are customizing the product. Currently, in an attempt to obtain this information, the research and development team conducts time consuming and costly human interviews with various customers. These interviews attempt to obtain data from the customer about how the customer customized the product, how the product is being deployed, etc. In addition, the research and development team can sometimes obtain a copy of the customized code from the customer (for a one-time use) for analyzing the code. The research and development team then normally needs to write additional code to run an analysis on the customer file. In the end, this only provides information about a single customer. It has been very difficult and cumbersome, if not impossible, to view aggregated data about how customers and partners customize the product. Therefore, the research and development team normally does not fully leverage this information, from a large cross section of customers, in generating new releases and additional features for the underlying product.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Portal for submitting business metadata for services


A light receiving element, comprising a semiconductor structure comprising at least a first conductivity type semiconductor layer, a first, second conductivity type semiconductor layer provided on the first conductivity type semiconductor layer in the semiconductor structure, a second, second conductivity type semiconductor layer having an impurity concentration lower than that of the first, second conductivity type semiconductor layer, a second, first conductivity type semiconductor layer provided on the second, second conductivity type semiconductor layer, or a second, first conductivity type semiconductor layer provided within the second, second conductivity type semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light receiving element for use in writing data to, and reading data from, an optical disk, such as CD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, or the like. The present invention also relates to a light detector comprising the light receiving element and built-in circuitry, and an optical pickup comprising the light detector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photodiodes (PDs), which are light receiving elements, are semiconductor devices which convert incident light through their light receiving surfaces to an electrical signal. The PDs are used for optical pickups of optical disk apparatuses which write data onto an optical disk, such as CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, or the like.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an optical pickup comprising a photodiode. This optical pickup comprises a semiconductor laser (laser diode) LD for irradiating a predetermined portion of the information recording side of an optical disk 34 (e.g., CD-R/RW) with light for writing data, and a photodiode PD for converting light reflected from the predetermined portion of the information recording side of the optical disk 34 to an electrical signal. The photodiode PD has five light detecting portions D1 to D5.
Laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser LD is split by a tracking beam generating diffraction grating 30 provided between the semiconductor laser LD and a hologram element 31 into three laser beams, i.e., two subbeams for tracking and a main beam for reading information signals. These laser beams are transmitted through the hologram element 31 as zero-order light, and are made parallel by a collimating lens 32, and are condensed by an object lens 33 to form a beam spot on the information recording side of the optical disk 34. Digital information (bit information) is recorded on the tracks of the information recording side of the optical disk 34 by means of formation of pits and lands, magnetic modulation, refractive index modulation, or the like.
The laser beam condensed onto a track of the information recording side of the optical disk 34 is modulated by pits, which are arranged in accordance with information recorded on the track, and is then reflected from the information recording side of the optical disk 34. The reflected light from the information recording side of the optical disk 34 is transmitted through the object lens 33 and the collimating lens 32, diffracted by the hologram element 31, and directed onto the light detecting portion D1 to D5 of the photodiode PD as first-order diffracted light.
The hologram element 31 has two regions with different diffraction pitches, i.e., regions 31a and 31b. A portion of the reflected main beam for reading information signals, which is directed onto one of the two regions of the hologram element 31, is condensed onto a dividing line, which separates the light detecting portions D2 and D3 of the photodiode PD. The other portion of the reflected main beam is directed onto the other region of the hologram element 31, and is condensed onto the light detecting portion D4 of the photodiode PD. The reflected subbeams for tracking are condensed via the hologram element 31 onto the respective light detecting portions D1 and D5 of the photodiode PD.
In the optical pickup of FIG. 12, the position of the photodiode PD onto which the reflected main beam for reading information signals is condensed, is moved in a direction traversing the light detecting portions D2 and D3 depending on the distance between the hologram element 31 and the optical disk 34. When the main beam for reading information signals is brought into focus on the information recording side of the optical disk 34, the reflected main beam is directed onto the dividing line between the light detecting portions D2 and D3 of the photodiode PD.
The outputs of the light detecting portions D1 to D5 are represented by S1 to S5, respectively. A focusing error signal FES is given by:FES=S2−S3.
Tracking error is detected by condensing the two subbeams for tracking onto the respective light detecting portions D1 and D5 of the photodiode PD, and obtaining a tracking error signal TES. The tracking error signal TES is given by:TES=S1−S5.
When the tracking error signal TES is 0, the main beam for reading information signals is condensed onto a target track on the information recording side of the optical disk 34.
A reproduction (read out) signal RF for reading data on the information recording side of the optical disk 34 is given as the sum of the outputs of the light detecting portions D2 to D4 of the photodiode PD receiving the reflected main beam for reading information signals, i.e.,RF=S2+S3+S4.
In this manner, the photodiode PD of the optical pickup detects the reproduction signal RF of reflected light containing a data signal recorded on the information recording side of the optical disk 34. The photodiode PD also detects the focusing error signal FES, which is a focusing signal for adjusting the focus of laser light from the semiconductor laser LD, and the tracking error signal TES, which is an address signal for verifying a position on the information recording side of the optical disk 34 which is irradiated with the laser light. With the focusing error signal FES and the tracking error signal TES detected by the photodiode PD, the optical pickup is controlled so that laser light emitted by the semiconductor laser LD toward the optical disk 34, in which data is recorded, is accurately directed onto a predetermined position on the information recording side of the optical disk 34.
Recently, an optical disk apparatus employing such an optical pickup has been used to write or read a huge amount of data (e.g., video data) to or from an optical disk. As the data amount of an optical disk is increased, there is an increasing demand for a reduction in time required to write data to, or read data from, the optical disk. To meet the demand, a rate at which data is written to or read from the information recording side needs to be increased (e.g., 16× speed, 32× speed, etc.).
Optical pickups for an optical disk apparatus adopt a light detector in which a light receiving element (e.g., the photodiode PD shown in FIG. 12) is integrated with a signal processing circuit on the same device (a light detector with built-in circuitry). A high-speed operation of a photodiode is required for increasing the data write/read rate to the information recording side of an optical disk. To meet the requirement, it is important to improve the response speed of the photodiode to incident light.
The response speed of the photodiode is determined mainly by a CR time constant defined by the junction capacitance (C) of the depletion layer in a PN junction region and the series resistance (R) of a cathode region, an anode region, and the like, and the movement time required for photocarriers generated in a semiconductor layer deeper than the depletion layer to be diffused from the generation region to an end of the depletion layer due to the difference in the photocarrier concentration. The smaller the CR time constant and the shorter the movement time of photocarriers, the faster the response speed of the photodiode.
In the optical disk apparatus, the writing of data to the information recording side of an optical disk is carried out by changing the shape or phase of a pigment on the information recording side of the optical disk with the heat of laser light from the semiconductor laser LD. Therefore, in order to reduce the write time of data to the information recording side of an optical disk, the light power of laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser LD to the information recording side of the optical disk needs to be increased so as to enhance the amount of light. In this case, the amount of light (reflected light), which is reflected from the information recording side of the optical disk and enters the photodiode PD, is increased. As the amount of the reflected light entering the photodiode PD is increased, the photocarriers generated within the semiconductor layer constituting the photodiode are accumulated in the vicinity of the PN junction region. The accumulation of the photocarriers narrows the width of the depletion layer, leading to a phenomenon that the junction capacitance increases. As a result, the cut-off frequency of the photodiode PD is lowered, and therefore the response speed of the photodiode PD may be reduced.
As to the reduction in the response speed of the photodiode PD due to the photocarrier accumulation, if the width of the depletion layer in the PN junction region of the photodiode PD is limited and the intensity of the electric field within the depletion layer is increased, the width of the depletion layer can be prevented from being narrowed due to the accumulation of the photocarriers generated within the semiconductor layer in the vicinity of the PN junction region.
However, if the width of the depletion layer in the PN junction region of the photodiode PD is limited, the photocarriers generated within the semiconductor layer deeper than the depletion layer, due to light entering the light receiving surface of the photodiode PD, are gradually moved from the semiconductor layer deeper than the depletion layer to an end of the depletion layer by diffusion due to the difference in the photocarrier concentration, so that the movement time of the photocarrier is elongated. The increase in the photocarrier movement time may reduce the response speed of the photodiode.
A solution to such a problem is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-77401 (Publication 1).
FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view showing a photodiode disclosed in Publication 1. FIG. 13B is a graph showing the impurity concentration distribution of a cross section of the photodiode taken along line W-W′ in FIG. 13A.
The photodiode shown in FIG. 13A comprises a low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7, and a P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 having a higher impurity concentration than that of the substrate 7, a high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 having a lower impurity concentration than that of the substrate 7, and an N-type epitaxial layer 4, which are laminated in this order on the substrate 7. Thus, the photodiode has a multilayer structure. At an interface between the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and the N-type epitaxial layer 4, a plurality of P+-type separation buried diffusion layers 12 are provided in predetermined regions. A P+-type separation buried diffusion layer 11 is provided on the P+-type separation buried diffusion layer 12 in the N-type epitaxial layer 4. A surface of the P+-type separation buried diffusion layer 11 is exposed from a surface of the N-type epitaxial layer 4. Thus, in FIG. 13A, the photodiode is provided in a region surrounded by the P+-type separation buried diffusion layer 12 and the P+-type separation buried diffusion layer 11 on the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3.
The impurity concentration distribution of the photodiode in FIG. 13A from the surface to the inside is shown in FIG. 13B.
The impurity concentration of the N-type epitaxial layer 4 is designed to be distributed uniformly from the surface of the photodiode to the PN junction region at the interface between the N-type epitaxial layer 4 and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3.
In the PN junction region at the interface between the N-type epitaxial layer 4 and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3, the impurity concentrations of the N-type epitaxial layer 4 and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 are compensated by each other and both concentrations are steeply reduced. Therefore, in the PN junction region, a strong electric field is generated, which is directed toward the junction interface from the N-type epitaxial layer 4 and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3.
The impurity concentration of the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 is designed to be uniformly distributed and to be lower than the impurity concentration of the N-type epitaxial layer 4 except for the PN junction region.
The impurity concentration of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 is designed to be higher than the impurity concentration of the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3, and to have a curved profile with a peak of the impurity concentration. Therefore, a portion of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 between a region having the peak of the impurity concentration and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3, has a higher potential than that of the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3. As a result, an internal electric field is generated in the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 from the region having the peak of the impurity concentration toward the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3.
The impurity concentration of the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7 is designed to be uniformly distributed and to be lower than the peak of the impurity concentration of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2. Therefore, the potential of the region of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 having the peak of the impurity concentration, functions as a potential barrier against electrons in the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7.
In the thus-constructed photodiode, a reduced proportion of the photocarriers, which are generated within the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7 deeper than the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2, due to light entering the light receiving surface of the photodiode (i.e., the surface of the N-type epitaxial layer 4), can go beyond the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 and reach the PN junction region at the interface between the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and the N-type epitaxial layer 4. This is because the potential of a portion of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 nearer the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7 functions as a potential barrier against the potential of the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7. Therefore, a large amount of photocarriers generated in the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7 cannot reach the PN junction region due to the potential barrier of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2, and are subjected to recombination in the low resistance low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7 to be extinguished.
Accordingly, in the photodiode shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the number of photocarriers, which are generated in a deep site within the photodiode, and are moved over a long distance up to the end of the depletion layer (i.e., the PN junction region formed at the interface between the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and the N-type epitaxial layer 4) caused by diffusion due to the difference in the photocarrier concentration, can be reduced. As a result, a reduction in the response speed of the photodiode can be prevented.
If the difference in the impurity concentration between the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 is increased as shown in FIG. 13B, the intensity of the internal electric field generated from the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 toward the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 is increased. Therefore, the mobility of the photocarrier generated between a region below the depletion layer at the interface between the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and the N-type epitaxial layer 4, and a region nearer the surface of the photodiode than the region having the peak of the impurity concentration of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2, is increased. Therefore, the response speed of the photodiode can be improved, even when the information recording side of an optical disk is irradiated with a large amount of light in order to reduce the write time of data to the information recording side of the optical disk, so that a large amount of reflected light enters the photodiode.
Further, even when the information recording side of an optical disk is irradiated with a large amount of light in order to reduce the write time of data to the information recording side of the optical disk, so that a large amount of reflected light enters the photodiode, the thickness of the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 may be reduced by a predetermined value, and the width of the depletion layer may be limited so as to increase the intensity of the electric field within the depletion layer in order to suppress a reduction in the response speed of the photodiode, due to the accumulation of electronic charge in the vicinity of the depletion layer at the interface between the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and the N-type epitaxial layer 4. Thereby, the response speed of the photodiode can be improved.
Typically, in a write mode in which data is written into the information recording side of an optical disk, writing of data, and reading of an address signal for verifying whether or not the written data is accurately recorded at a predetermined position on the information recording side, are alternately performed.
In the write mode of the optical disk apparatus, the writing of data is carried out by irradiating the information recording side of an optical disk with high-power laser light. In the mode of reading an address signal, the information recording side of an optical disk is irradiated with laser light having constant power much lower than the power of the laser light used for the writing of data. The laser light is reflected from the optical disk, and 2/100th or less of the reflected light in the write mode is detected by the photodiode.
The photodiode has to reliably detect photocarriers generated by the reflected light of a very small power of laser light when reading an address signal in the write mode. To satisfy such a requirement, the photocarriers generated by the reflected light of the high-power laser light are collected as photoelectric current at high speed when writing data, and an excess portion of the photocarriers (carriers having a long movement time) are subjected to recombination so as to prevent the excess photocarriers from contributing to the photoelectric current (signal). Thereby, subsequent reading of the address signal can be rapidly carried out.
However, the speed of writing data by an optical disk apparatus onto an optical disk is being further increased and the light power of laser light in writing data is also being increased. As the light amount of laser light is increased, the photodiode is likely to fail to read an address signal immediately after writing data onto the optical disk in the write mode.
The inventors have analyzed this phenomenon using simulation. As a result, it was found that when writing data onto an optical disk, a portion of photocarriers generated in a region of the semiconductor layer of the photodiode deeper than the PN junction region are moved and reach the PN junction region, and are detected as a photoelectric current, i.e., the movement time of the photocarrier is elongated to such a level. When the level of a signal (photoelectric current) generated by the photocarrier having a long movement time is greater than or equal to a predetermined level compared to the level of the address signal, the signal generated by the photocarrier having a long movement time is superposed with the address signal, so that a photoelectric current representing the address signal may not be read out.
Hereinafter, a mechanism underlying the case when the photoelectric current representing an address signal cannot be read out in the photodiode (FIGS. 13A and 13B) in the write mode, will be described.
FIG. 14 is a graph showing the response characteristics of the photodiode shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B with respect to pulsed laser light (wavelength: λ=780 nm). This graph shows a change over time in photoelectric current (output current) generated by taking, into an external circuit, photocarriers generated in each region within the photodiode by reflected light of the high-power pulsed laser light when writing data in the write mode of the optical disk apparatus.
The upper portion of the graph in FIG. 14 shows the semiconductor layers of FIG. 13B, where region B indicates the N-type epitaxial layer 4, region C indicates the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3, region D indicates a slant region of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 nearer the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3, region E indicates a region of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 in the vicinity of the peak of the impurity concentration and nearer the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3, and region F indicates a region of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 from the vicinity of the peak of the impurity concentration to the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 1.
A solid line indicated by A in FIG. 14 shows the response speed of overall photocarriers, indicating that photocarriers generated by the reflected light of high-power laser light are taken as a photoelectric current into an external circuit, and it takes about 14 nsec for the photoelectric current of the photocarriers to decrease by a factor of 2/100th or less which can be read out as an address signal.
The photocarriers generated in the regions within the photodiode due to the reflected light of the high-power pulsed laser light entering the photodiode can be divided into four components below:
(i) a photocarrier component which is generated in the depletion layer provided at the interface between the N-type epitaxial layer 4 and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and is moved at high speed due to the electric field in the depletion layer (photocarriers generated in region B and region C);
(ii) a photocarrier component which is generated outside the depletion layer at the interface between the N-type epitaxial layer 4 and the high resistivity P-type epitaxial layer 3 and is moved due to the internal electric field of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 (photocarrier in region D);
(iii) photocarrier component which is generated at the region in the vicinity of the peak of the impurity concentration in the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 and is moved by diffusion due to the concentration difference (photocarriers generated in region E); and
(iv) a photocarrier component which is generated in a deeper region of the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 between the region in the vicinity of the peak of the impurity concentration and the low resistivity P-type semiconductor substrate 7, and is substantially extinguished by recombination and slightly contributes to the photoelectric current (photocarriers generated in region F).
Among the photocarrier components (1) to (4), the photocarrier component (i) has the highest response speed, the photocarrier component (ii) has the second highest response speed, the photocarrier component (iii) has the third highest response speed. The photocarrier component (iv) is substantially extinguished by recombination and only slightly contributes to the photoelectric current, and has the lowest response speed.
The most of the photocarrier component (i) is taken as a photoelectric current to an external circuit within about 5 nsec. The most of the photocarrier component (ii) is taken as a photoelectric current to an external circuit within about 26 nsec. The most of the photocarrier component (iii) is taken as a photoelectric current to an external circuit within about 28 nsec. A relatively large portion of the photocarrier component (iv) is not taken as a photoelectric current to an external circuit even after 30 nsec.
FIG. 15 is a graph showing a change in light intensity from the surface of the photodiode in the depth direction when the reflected light of high-power pulsed laser light (wavelength: λ=780 nm) enters the photodiode shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B. The light intensity is exponentially decreased from the surface of the photodiode in the depth direction. For example, when the distance from the surface of the photodiode to the peak of the impurity concentration in the P+-type buried diffusion layer 2 is 17 μm, the light intensity in the vicinity of the interface between region E and region F is reduced to 13% of the light intensity at the surface of the photodiode.
The absolute numbers of photocarriers generated in the surface and the regions of the photodiode are proportional to the light intensity of the respective regions. Therefore, 80% or more of the total photocarriers are generated in regions B, C, and D.
The photocarrier components (iii) and (iv) are generated in regions E and F, respectively. Both regions E and F are deeper from the surface of the photodiode than the depletion layer, so that the absolute number of generated photocarriers is small. Therefore, in the data read mode of a typical optical disk apparatus, the photocarrier components (iii) and (iv)have substantially no influence on the level of an address signal when reading the address signal.
In contrast, in the data write mode of the optical disk apparatus, the amount of reflected light entering the photodiode from an optical disk is large in writing data, so that the absolute numbers of the photocarrier components (iii) generated in region E and (iv) generated in region F are increased.
When reading an address signal immediately after writing data, a light signal detected by the photodiode has a small power which is 2/100th or less of the reflected light from an optical disk when writing data. Therefore, when reading an address signal immediately after writing data, the photocarrier components (iii) generated in region E, and (iv) generated in region F, are increased in writing data. Therefore, the level of a photoelectric current generated by these photocarriers having a low response speed is greater than or equal to a predetermined level immediately after the writing of data as compared to the level of a photocarrier generated by an address signal, and the photoelectric current having a low response speed is superposed to the photoelectric current generated by the address signal, so that a photoelectric current representing the address signal may not be detected.
Such a phenomenon is likely to occur when writing of data is performed at high speed in the data write mode of an optical disk apparatus and pulsed laser light having a high power and a large amount is used. This is a large problem when a higher data write speed is desired.

Light receiving element, light detector with built-in circuitry and optical pickup


A transducer system for an acoustic instrument such as a guitar or violin including a receptacle for mounting on the instrument coupled electronically to an output jack for mounting in a remote location on the instrument and a transducer or pickup assembly that plugs into the receptacle.

Acoustic stringed musicians have long sought a mechanism for mounting transducers onto their instruments which will not attach directly to the soundboard of the instrument, will not disturb the playing motions of the instrumentalist, offers the capacity for quick and easy interchange of different transducers without having to de-tune or remove the strings, and offers the option of removing the transducer from the instrument when not needed.
Many designs exist for mounting transducers on acoustic stringed musical instruments. These designs involve the use of screws, spring clips, flexible shafts, telescoping arms, clamps, adjustable rails, foam pads, mounting frames, and similar methods.
There are three common elements to be found in most of these mounting mechanisms, and each mechanism includes one or all of these three elements:
First, there is no effective means for interchanging different transducers. One transducer is permanently mounted onto each mechanism. PA1 Second, some part of the transducer assembly or mounting mechanism is affixed to the surface of the instrument (often the soundhole of the instrument) in a manner that is aesthetically unpleasing, may cause damage via friction to the parts of the instrument where the device is affixed, may disturb the playing motions of the instrumentalist, and/or may dampen the vibrating abilities of the instrument to produce acoustical sound. PA1 Third, there is an output cable which emerges from the transducer and is left to lay against the face (soundboard) of the instrument. This leaves the cable in a position which may hinder the playing motions of the instrumentalist, and also poses a danger to the instrument. If the cable is accidentally pulled or tensioned, it may tear the transducer away from the instrument, and thereby damage the parts of the instrument to which the device is affixed. An alternative is to permanently connect the output cable from the transducer to an output jack located elsewhere on the instrument. This solves the above mentioned problems related to the cable, but the transducer will then be permanently installed in the soundhole of the instrument. PA1 The first component is a receptacle which is mounted onto the instrument. This receptacle embodies sleeves or other female audio connectors (jacks) which are electronically connected to an output jack located elsewhere on the instrument. PA1 The second component is a series of transducer assemblies which have male audio connectors (plugs) mounted directly onto the casing of the device. These plugs are electronically connected to the output conductors of the transducer and are positioned to be received by the female connectors (sleeves) of the receptacle.
The prior art which does offer the possibility of interchanging transducers is limited to use on solid body electric guitars using only electromagnetic pickups, and is not applicable to acoustic guitars or other acoustic musical instruments. These designs for electric guitars always use the plugs/pins attached to the transducer only for the normal purpose of conducting electronic signals. Mounting frames and/or screws are used to accomplish the task of physically mounting the pickup onto the instrument.
Exemplary prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,501,186, 4,227,434, 4,394,830, 4,404,885, 5,010,803, 4,854,210, 5,029,511, 4,748,886, and 5,010,803.

Transducer system for acoustic instruments


In a change-speed gearbox or motor vehicles with a front molted transverse drive unit comprising a change-speed gearbox in line with an engine and a final drive (10) which is driven by the output gearwheel (9) of the change-speed gearbox and has its main axle mounted in the gearbox housings 1, 2, the final drive (10) is a bevel gear right-angle drive consisting of a crown wheel (11) and a pinion (12) and the crown wheel (11) is arranged on an axle member (13) consisting of the same material as the gearbox housings.

1. TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles with a front mounted transverse drive unit comprising a change-speed gearbox in line with an engine and a final drive, which is driven by the output gearwheel of the change-speed gearbox and has its main axle mounted in the gearbox housing.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
From German patent 36 21 620, a change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles having a front mounted transverse drive unit is known, wherein the final drive connected to the output gearwheel of the change-speed gearbox is a differential gear unit for driving the front wheels of the vehicle.
In this known change-speed gearbox, a bevel gear right-angle drive is connected to the differential gear unit by way of a hollow shaft, so that a vehicle can be provided with four-wheel drive while retaining a large number of the components. In the case of the known change-speed gearbox, it is further proposed to employ the differential gear unit only as a housing which drives the bevel gear right-angle drive by way of the hollow shaft, in order to provide only a rear-wheel drive for a vehicle.
While the known change-speed gearbox has the advantage that it can be used as part of an assembly kit for vehicles with front-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive, and even with rear-wheel drive, the retention of the differential housing and the hollow shaft nevertheless imposes severe design limitations on the bevel gear right-angle drive. Arranging the bevel gear right-angle drive laterally offset from the output gearwheel brings it into the region of the adjoining clutch and of the engine, and hence, for spatial reasons, the optimum diameter design cannot be accommodated.

Change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles with a front mounted transverse drive unit


A foolproof electrical connector interface system includes a connector male, a connector female, two fixing plates and two junction boxes. The connector male and the connector female are fixed in installing slots of a photovoltaic panel; the fixing plates are provided with positioning columns, first hooks and second hooks; the fixing plates are connected with the photovoltaic panel, and then the connector male and the connector female are respectively fixed between the first hooks and between the second hooks; the connector male and the connector female are electrically connected by a wire; the connector male is provided with a male plug; the male plug is provided with a bump; the connector female is provided with a female plug; the female plug is provided with a groove; the junction boxes are waterproof junction boxes; the junction boxes are respectively electrically connected with the connector male and the connector female through wire.

With the development of the society and the advancement of science and technology, environmentally-friendly and pure energy has gradually attracted human attention. As an environmentally-friendly and endlessly accessible new energy source, photovoltaics are valued by people. The photovoltaic panel is a common device for converting solar energy, and has high requirements for connectors during the use of the photovoltaic panel, which requires high electrical connection tightness, seal and firmness.
At present, the photovoltaic panel is installed in such a manner that the photovoltaic panel is installed at first and then wires are connected, which is very inconvenient. This is because a plurality of photovoltaic panels needs to be connected in series in order to achieve good power generation effect. In order to realize connection, the wires of two adjacent photovoltaic panels need to be connected by two separate connectors. In addition, electrifying sheets of the photovoltaic panels need to be welded to linear conductors. When there is a problem with the connector or the extension wire, the wires and the panels need to be disassembled successively for replacement. Thus, the entire disassembly and replacement process for the photovoltaic panels is very inconvenient and wastes working time. In addition, once disassembled and replaced, the photovoltaic panels may be directly damaged due to carelessness, resulting in material waste. The direct consequences from the above reasons lead to high later maintenance cost of the solar photovoltaic panels.

Foolproof electrical connector interface system


A housing has a pair of chambers separated by a vertical wall. A hearth is on one side of the wall in the housing and is adjacent to an orifice which allows a stream of material, such as molten metal to pass from one chamber to the other. A gas is caused to flow through the orifice counter to the material flow by placing the other chamber at a higher fluid pressure than the one chamber. A blower coupled to the chambers provides the differential pressure. Molten metal is collected in a crucible in the other chamber. The gas flow moves through the orifice and forces impurities on the surface of the material to flow in reverse in the one chamber before the flow passes through the orifice.

A number of methods have been in use publicly for a number of years for separating the impurities floating on a molten mass of metal from the molten mass itself. For the most part, the conventional techniques have drawbacks which render them undesirable to purify.
A dam is often used for this purpose. For a dam to function properly, it must protrude into the molten metal so that its lower edge is below the surface of the metal. As a result, it must be constructed of materials that can withstand the thermal environment or alternately, the dam must be water cooled. A dam that is able to withstand temperatures of this environment must be made of either ceramic or graphite if not H.sub.2 O cooled. Both of these materials are sources of contamination for many alloys. Both materials are subject to cracking of or reacting with the metal in this high temperature environment. As a result, dams made of these materials are often not acceptable for purifying the upper surface of a mass of molten metal.
Dams made of water-cooled copper may be used but they cause other problems. Since copper dams are cooled, they also have a tendency to cause the solidification of the metal around the dams. This action can make it difficult to achieve steady state material flow through the system. To counter this solidification, additional heat must be added in the neighborhood of the dam, thus allowing the area under the dam to remain molten. This technique generates extreme heat fluxes within the dam. As a result, the internal water passages of these dams scale up quickly and the dams are subject to a significant amount of thermally induced deformation. These effects contribute to high maintenance costs, short operating life and provide an opportunity for costly water leaks and low thermal efficiencies.
Another technique conventionally used is one known as oxide herding. This technique requires that a significant portion of the input power be used for herding of oxides. This can represent a process efficiency loss. It also puts a constraint on the patterning which may make some forms of process optimization impossible. Additionally, in the case of an "arc down" or momentary interruption of the herding heat source; the herding mechanism becomes immediately non-functional. This affords the opportunity for impurity flows to occur within the interval between the arc down and the moment that the torch or electron beam is restarted or that the metal solidifies. After restart, the slag may have moved to a location where recovery by the herding mechanism is impossible. Since at present technological levels arc downs do occur, this mechanism is not as efficient as it might be.
Because of these drawbacks of conventional techniques, a need exists for a more robust purification technique with the capability to make such a process more versatile for use and to reduce the cost of the purification while maintaining a high degree of purification of the metal.

Method and apparatus for removal of floating impurities on liquid


A transmission and drive assembly for a planter that can be transversely positioned on and selectively clamped on the planter frame at desired locations out of interfering relationship with the planting units. The transmission is at the end of the frame outside of the outermost planter unit but may be easily repositioned on the frame as is necessary. A ground wheel assembly is secured to so as to optionally extend to the front or rear of the frame. It may also be adjusted transversely to accommodate adjustments in the row spacings. The dual assembly includes a countershaft journaled on both the transmission and the wheel assembly bracket and driven by the ground wheel through ratchet assemblies. The transmission is also securable to the frame to extend either to the front or the rear thereof. A crossover drive assembly is provided for transferring drive from the front to the rear of the frame when the transmission is mounted to extend to the front of the frame. The arrangement of components facilitates transverse positioning of the transmission and drive assembly so that row spacings can be adjusted as desired.

Planters of the type having a main frame with a plurality of individual planting units mounted along the frame and adjustable to vary row width are well known. Many of the planter configurations include a sprocket and chain drive assembly, or transmission, permanently mounted between the individual planting units, generally in the middle and towards the rear of the main frame. A drive or ground wheel assembly mounted on the frame provides drive to the transmission which in turn rotates a drill shaft connected to the individual planting unit seed meters. By driving a plurality of planting units from a transmission, the need for a separate drive wheel for each individual unit is eliminated, and the seeding rate can be quickly and easily adjusted at the transmission. However, when relatively narrow row spacings are desired, the transmission has been found to interfere with the adjacent planting units. In many cases the desired narrow row spacing cannot be obtained because of the transmission. It has been necessary to use a different planter for narrow row crops than for wide row crops, or alternatively to use a wider spacing between the planting units on either side of the transmission than that used between the rest of the planting units. The latter method leaves a gap which is objectionable or unacceptable to the farmer. An alternate transmission and drive assembly is required to accommodate the narrow row spacing capabilities without the need for a separate drive wheel for each unit.
Another problem encountered with the permanently mounted center transmission is the lack of versatility in spacing the individual planting units on the frame. Often the location of the transmission interferes with the desired location for a particular planter unit, especially when an odd number of units are to be used and symmetrically located with respect to the center of the frame or when planting units are to be spaced between units already mounted on the frame.

Variably positionable transmission and drive assembly for a planter


An agent interaction request received from a user of a client device is sent to one or more identified agents based on agent selection criteria. Agent selection criteria can include an agent bid amount. One or more responses to the agent interaction request can be received from the identified agents and sent to the user.

The Internet has grown from a sparse collection of interconnected research institutions into a vast global network including information on nearly any topic imaginable. The sheer volume of the information that is available can sometimes present problems in obtaining desired information. Internet search engines offer a solution for finding desired information by providing a user interface for performing a search of a periodically updated index of information available on the Internet. Search engines generally accept one or more keywords from users, identify a set of results based on a comparison of the keywords to one or more indices, and return a list of identified results, such as web page URLs, to the user.
Search engines can aid greatly in locating information, but in some instances the search results provided either do not include the sought for information and/or the sought for information can not easily be discerned from the query result listings. For example, a simple single keyword search can return hundreds or even thousands of listings, while a detailed multiple keyword search may not return any results at all. Performing a series of searches with progressively narrowing keyword scope can sometimes be effective, but often there is a threshold at which there is concern that valid results are being omitted, and in some cases the sought for information may not be available on the Internet at all due to its specificity.

Query results enhancement through agent interaction


A system includes a surface having a demarcated area and discrete areas disposed on the surface. The discrete areas may each be configured to receive user input. At least a portion of the discrete areas overlap the demarcated area. The system further includes a sensing layer disposed underneath the surface. The sensing layer may be configured to sense force applied to the surface in response to the user input.

Many computing devices (e.g. laptops, notebooks, ultrabooks, tablets, and personal computers) for consumers use or are integrated with human interface devices (HIDs). Such interface devices are configured for communicating user input to the computing devices, and may thus also be known as user interface devices. Examples of such user interface devices or HIDs are keyboards, touchpads, mousepads, mice, joysticks, and the like. In most computer systems, each HID is distinct and separate from one another. For example, in a typical home computer system, the computer system includes a keyboard that is separate from a mouse. The keyboard and the mouse are independent components that perform their own unique functions. In another example of a typical laptop or notebook, the laptop comprises or is integrated with a keyboard and a separate touchpad. The keyboard is configured to receive user input via keys of the keyboard, while the touchpad is configured to emulate a mouse to provide mouse cursor functions in response to user input. Like the home computer system, in a laptop configuration, the touchpad is disposed at a separate location from the keyboard, usually forward (relative to the screen) of the keyboard.
One example product of a HID where the keyboard and the touchpad are located at distinct positions is the Microsoft Touch Cover 2. The product is coupleable to a second device, such as the Microsoft Surface, for providing user input for the second device. Thus, user input received by the Microsoft Touch Cover 2 is transmitted as input signals to the Microsoft Surface. In the Microsoft Touch Cover 2 product, the keyboard area and the touchpad area are separate from each other. In order to use the mouse cursor or to utilize the mouse function, the user needs to move his hands from the keyboard area to the touchpad area. One problem associated with this product is that the user needs to move his hands over a distance in order to switch from keyboard mode to mouse mode.
United States Patent Publication No. 2014/0078063 discloses a keyboard device having gesture-initiated functions. The keyboard device includes multiple keys that are touch-sensitive. There are multiple pressure-sensitive touch sensors for detecting actuations on the keys of the keyboard. Actuation on each key transmits an input signal associated with the key to a computer. Additionally, a user can perform gestures across the keys in order to perform different functions, such as shortcuts. However, it is necessary for the user to provide user input on at least one of the keys in order to perform any functions. If the user presses a region outside of a discrete key, the device would not be able to detect the user input. Further, in this device, there is a risk of the user accidentally typing a key when the user intends to perform a gesture across the keys.
Therefore, in order to address or alleviate at least one of the aforementioned problems and/or disadvantages, there is a need to provide a human interface device in which there are at least some improved features over conventional approaches, such as those described above.


The present disclosure provides an assisting communication device and method, a wireless access node and a method for a wireless access node. The assisting communication device includes: an adjacent access nodes information acquiring unit, configured to detect, based on configuration information from a wireless access node assisted by the assisting communication device, at least one adjacent access node, to acquire working parameters of the adjacent access nodes, the configuration information including an indication about at least one of a detecting type, a detecting object and a detecting result report; and a notification unit, configured to report the acquired working parameters of the adjacent access nodes to the wireless access node assisted by the assisting communication device, to be served as a configuration reference of the wireless access node so as to avoid conflict with the adjacent access nodes.

In wireless communication systems nowadays, some access nodes which are actually adjacent to each other in location do not share their respective access configuration information. These access nodes are for example base stations belonging to different operators, or access nodes based on different communication protocols. Due to unavailability of the configuration information or working parameters of the other access nodes, there is possibility that adjacent access nodes interfere with each other, thereby degrading the communication quality. In addition, it is difficult for the access nodes which are of the property of being mobile and incident, or the access nodes of different wireless communication systems to perform complete and direct configuration information interchange therebetween.

Assisting communication device, wireless access node and method therefor


There is disclosed a method for integrating a vehicle stability enhancement system and rear wheel steering. The method includes inputting a vehicle speed and measured vehicle yaw rates. Determining a front and rear wheel steer angle. Calculating a desired yaw rate. Comparing the measured yaw rate with the desired yaw rate to determine a yaw error term. Applying a braking force to a wheel of a vehicle imparting a yaw moment based upon the magnitude of the error term calculated. The rear wheel steer angle is taken into account in calculating a desired yaw rate.

The present invention relates to a vehicle with rear wheel steering control and active brake control. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle wherein the rear wheel steering control and active brake control are integrated to produce optimal vehicle performance.
Recently, vehicles have been produced with brake systems that actively apply brakes to individual wheels in an effort to improve vehicle stability or handling. Many new vehicles also include rear wheel steering which enhances the vehicle maneuverability at low speed and the vehicle stability at high speed via control of the rear wheel steering angle.
However, when these two systems are included on a vehicle, the systems need to be integrated such that the control actions of both systems are not conflicting such that undesirable vehicle handling is achieved.
For example, an active brake control system compares the vehicle yaw rate measurement with a computed desired vehicle yaw rate during a vehicle maneuver, and forms an error term to decide and command a proper amount of differential braking for stabilization of the vehicle during the maneuver. If the state of rear wheel steering is not accounted for when computing the desired vehicle yaw rate, the computation may result in an erroneous value such that when compared with the vehicle yaw rate measurement there will be a significant error term even though the vehicle is handling correctly. The active brake control system in this circumstance would command an undesired differential braking which would result in poor vehicle performance.
As another example, if the rear wheel steering commands an out of phase steering with the front steering in a low speed region, or an in phase steering in a high speed region, vehicle handling and stability may be compromised. Although an out of phase steering enhances the vehicle""s maneuverability under normal driving conditions, there is a tendency to oversteer when maneuvering at a limit condition. Similarly, an in phase steering stabilizes vehicle maneuverability under normal driving conditions, but it has a tendency to promote understeer when maneuvering at a limit condition. Therefore, when a vehicle is operated at the limit conditions where active brake control usually takes effect, the active brake control and rear wheel steering systems need to be integrated such that they do not provide conflicting controls that would result in less than optimal vehicle performance.
Therefore, it is a purpose of this invention to provide an integration of rear wheel steering with a vehicle stability enhancement system such that there is a proper interchange of information between the two systems that results in an optimum vehicle performance.
The present invention is directed to an improved method for integrating a vehicle stability enhancement system and rear wheel steering. The method includes the steps of: inputting a vehicle speed, inputting a measured vehicle yaw rate, determining a front wheel steer angle, determining a rear wheel steer angle, calculating a desired yaw rate, comparing the measured yaw rate with the desired yaw rate to determine a yaw rate error term, and thereafter applying a braking force to a wheel of the vehicle to impart a yaw moment based upon the magnitude of the error term calculated and wherein the rear wheel steer angle is accounted for in calculating the desired yaw rate.
The method for integrating a vehicle stability enhancement system and rear wheel steering has the advantage of including the rear wheel steer angle in calculating a desired yaw rate, such that optimal vehicle performance can be maintained.
The method for integrating a vehicle stability enhancement system and rear wheel steering has the further advantage of providing an improved hand wheel position centering algorithm that includes the effects of rear wheel steering.
As a further advantage, the method for integrating a vehicle stability enhancement system and rear wheel steering provides rear wheel steering control during active brake control that includes terms within the algorithm to compensate for over steering and under steering.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a vehicle having a vehicle stability enhancement system and a rear wheel steering system that are integrated in accordance with present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for improving rear wheel steering control that includes determining of an,understeer or an oversteer condition;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram detailing the overall control of the vehicle stability enhancement system;
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram detailing the hand wheel sensor centering algorithm;
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram detailing the differential braking control of the vehicle stability enhancement system;
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram detailing the algorithm for determining a desired yaw rate taking into account rear wheel steering variables.
FIG. 7 is a graph detailing a rear wheel gain curve plotted at various speeds.

Integration of rear wheel steering with vehicle stability enhancement system