A method for printing image data with a printing system having a staggered array of overlapping printheads. Adjacent printheads overlap in the cross-track direction defining an overlap region such that image pixels corresponding to the overlap region can be printed with either first or second printheads. The method includes defining an initial row interval N and an initial position of a transition boundary within the overlap region. N rows of image pixels are then printed wherein image pixels on one side of the transition boundary are printed using the first printhead and image pixels on the other side of the transition boundary are printed using the second printhead. A random process is used to iteratively determine updated row intervals, where the position of the transition boundary is shifted by an increment amount of between one pixel and three pixels for each row interval.

Stitching refers to the alignment of the printed image data from multiple jetting modules for the purpose of creating the appearance of a single page-width linehead for printing on a print medium 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, seven jetting modules 2, each being three inches in length, can be aligned together to form a page-width linehead 4 spanning twenty-one-inches in the cross-track direction 23. The jetting modules 2 can also be interchangeably referred to as "printheads" within the context of the present disclosure. Dashed lines are used to show the print boundaries 3 of the first-row jetting modules 2 as the print medium 16 moves past the linehead 4 in the in-track direction 22, passing from the first row 7a of jetting modules 2 to the second row 7b of jetting modules 2. The page-width image data is processed and segmented into separate segments to be printed with each jetting module 2, and then a segment is sent (with an appropriate module-to-module time delay to account for the staggered separation of the jetting modules 2) to the print nozzles 6 of each jetting module 2 for printing. The result of proper stitching is a continuous print band 60 that spans the width of the linehead 4 with no artifacts at the seams 64 between the swaths 62 of pixels 66 printed by the separate jetting modules 2 as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 1.
However, though it may be anticipated that the module-to-module alignment may be very good, mechanical tolerances may be difficult to consistently maintain, and therefore alignment will often not be perfect. Moreover, even if the jetting modules 2 are perfectly aligned, differences in the nozzle aim between jetting modules 2 may make them appear to be misaligned in the printed output. Consequently, this type of conventional, multi-segment linehead configuration suffers from the drawback that the pitch of the output lines along the print boundaries 3 between adjacent jetting modules 2 is irregular and thereby causes lines of lower (if the jetting modules 2 are too far apart) or higher (if the jetting modules 2 are too close together) density to appear at the print boundaries 3 between each jetting module 2, and thus impairs the quality of the printed pattern of the output. On the print medium, such misalignment in the cross-track direction 23 typically produces a gap or "white-line" artifact 8a (as shown in FIG. 2A) or an overlap or "dark-line" artifact 8b (as shown in FIG. 2B) at the seam 64 between two swaths 62a and 62b.
With a view to overcoming the presence of visible gaps or bands in the printed image, U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,188 (Vilanova et al.) teaches deliberately positioning the jetting modules (i.e., the printhead dies) of an inkjet printer with a small overlap, specifically no more than a few times the nozzle spacing. As a result of the redundancy of nozzles in the region where adjacent jetting modules overlap, this gives flexibility for compensating for gaps or bands produced by inaccuracies in locating the jetting modules and thus in setting the overlap dimension. Although, in an ideal case, 100% of the required amount of ink (maximum) would be printed by only 50% of the nozzles of each jetting module in the overlap region, in practice more or fewer of the nozzles may be fired to compensate for imperfections. For example, if the overlap is less than intended, the production of a gap is avoided by firing some of the nozzles which would not be fired in the ideal case.
A printing mask is a means for selectively masking off certain nozzles (i.e., preventing the nozzles from firing even if printing instructions for those nozzles should include an instruction to fire). The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,188 further discloses a method of adding stitching masks to the printed image content, where artifacts in the printed image caused by the printing nozzles in the overlapping region are removed, either by (a) measuring the width of the band produced in the overlapping region and selecting an appropriate stitching mask for subsequent printing operations, or by (b) printing out a test pattern in which areas corresponding to a range of stitching masks are printed out and the optimal mask is selected for subsequent printing operations. The stitching mask is then added to, or superimposed on, the printing masks to ensure that the required correction is made independently of the content to be printed.
The aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,188 further discloses that the target may comprise an array of target patches overlapping the boundaries between the jetting modules and including a range of stitching masks. The magnitudes of the boundary artifacts are then assessed, either by a user of the machine or automatically by an optical sensor/scanner system. In the first option, a user visually examines the patches in each row and selects the one with the better area fill uniformity at the printed region corresponding to the jetting module boundary. The corresponding stitching mask is then applied to that jetting module boundary in subsequent normal printing operations. In the second option, an optical sensor moves over all the patches detecting the boundary artifact level. The most appropriate stitching mask is then selected for each jetting module pair and supplied to a printer control system, where the masks will then be used in subsequent normal printing operations.
In relation to page-width thermal printers, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,977,410 and 5,450,099 each disclose a thermal line printer including a plurality of staggered linear head segments arranged in a pair of parallel rows such that the head segments partly overlap with each other in overlap regions near the ends of each head segment. In commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,099 (Stephenson et al.), the print data in the overlap region is interleaved to eliminate boundary artifacts at the juncture between segments. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,410 (Onuki et al.), the initial assignment of image bit data to a head segment in the overlap region is shifted lengthwise to accommodate for boundary artifacts at the juncture between head segments.
In relation to a carriage-type printer wherein a printhead is attached to a carriage that is reciprocated to print one swath of information at a time on a stationary print medium, U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,206 (Taylor) discloses methods for masking stitch errors between adjacent swaths laid down by operation of such a printer. In contrast with the aforementioned examples of page-width printers that utilizes a linehead including an array of stationary printheads, after each swath is printed by the carriage-type printer the print medium is stepped a distance equal to the height of the swath so that the next printed swath overlaps the pixels from the last line of the previously printed swath. When a controller determines that a stitch joint error will occur based on the current relative location between the printhead and the location of the previous swath on the print medium, the location of the next swath is adjusted relative to the position of the previous swath to eliminate the stitch joint error.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,206, the data is shifted in the printhead so that the data for the next swath is aligned within a predetermined pixel accuracy to the measured paper position (e.g., by having a later nozzle fire the pixel data originally set to be fired by the first nozzle of the printhead). In addition, the remaining stitch joint error is covered up by modifying the pixels at the stitch interface. In one example, the pixels created in the region between the last line of the previous swath and the first line of the next swath can be a duplicate line of either the last line of the previous swath or the first line of the next swath, where the size and/or density of the pixels can be changed. In another example, for situations where the stitch error is less than a pixel, in addition to shifting the data and firing the information set to be printed, the controller will also fire a line of fill pixels from the nozzle prior to and immediately adjacent to the first-fired nozzle. The purpose of a fill pixel is to bridge the gap between a printed pixel from the last fired nozzle of the previous swath and a corresponding adjacent printer pixel that will be formed when the first line of pixels is formed by the nozzle that will be used for the first line of pixels for the next swath. According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,206, the fill pixels create a printed image having more uniform continuity and density. The fill pixels are not produced for all of the pixels located in the last line of the previous swath. Instead, the fill pixels are produced when a printed pixel is located in the same position in both the previous swath and the next swath. The fill pixels can also be at a reduced size and/or density.
Stitch joint errors in a drop-on-demand carriage-type system can be the result of a gap between the drop of one swath adjacent the stitch joint and the drop of an adjoining swath adjacent the same stitch joint. As explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,206, the gap is usually caused by difficulties in producing adjacent swaths close enough together to mask this apparent error, and the correction must be produced on-the-fly during a production run. In contrast, as also explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,206, a page-width printer includes a stationary printhead having a length sufficient to print across the width or length of the sheet of print medium. The print medium is continually moved past the page-width printhead in a direction substantially normal to the printhead length and at a constant or varying speed during the printing process. Thus, it would be understood that a page-width printer would avoid the need for on-the-fly corrections between swaths during a production run.
Even with such algorithms, under some conditions an artifact can still form at the seams. In particular, visible artifacts can be seen under print conditions in which the print medium 16 drifts laterally back and forth during printing. This is illustrated in FIG. 3, which shows a portion of a linehead 4 and a portion of a print band 60 under the condition of a lateral drift in print medium 16 producing a slight skewing of the print medium 16. This skewing of the print medium 16 causes the print swath printed by the upper jetting module 2 to be shifted to the left as the print medium 16 advances to the lower row of jetting modules 2. This shift of the center print swath produces a larger than normal pixel spacing at seam 64a and a smaller than normal printed pixel spacing at the seam 64b. As the print medium 16 drifts back and forth, it can cause the apparent pixel spacing at the seams to be modulated. While the different stitching algorithms described above can conceal the seams when the pixel spacing at the seams is static, they cannot conceal the seams when the pixel spacing at the seams modulates.
Even if the artifacts at the seams are quite small, they might be detected by an observer because the human vision system is particularly effective in detecting a collection of image artifacts when the artifacts are aligned along a line. In recognition of this, European Patent Application EP0034060 (Kockler) discloses a stitching algorithm in which from one row of pixels to the next, the stitching boundary is randomly or cyclically shifted around within a 16-pixel overlap region. By dispersing the position of the stitch boundary in this manner, the stitch artifacts produced by variations in the printed pixel spacing across a seam between swaths are less noticeable to the human observer.
However, if there are in-track shifts between adjacent swaths the randomly dithered stitch boundary can produce a different type of print artifact. This is illustrated in FIG. 4, which shows a portion of two adjacent print swaths 62a, 62b, with a dithered stitch boundary 68. The pixels 66 of the two different swaths are denoted by differing hatch patterns. The dithering of the stitch boundary 68 creates a seam comprising interdigitated fingers 74 printed by the two swaths 62a, 62b. Swath 62a is displaced both in the cross-track direction 23 and the in-track direction 22 relative to a proper alignment with swath 62b. The in-track placement error causes horizontal gaps 70 to appear between some of the interdigitated fingers 74, and excessive coverage regions 72 to appear between others of the interdigitated fingers.
To reduce the visibility of gap and excessive overlap artifacts produced by the dithered stitch boundary, U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,847 (Ellson et al.) teaches randomly shifting the position of the stitch boundary, not on a pixel row-by-pixel row basis, but rather shifting the position of the stitch boundary every Nth pixel row, where N>1. Such a change reduces the number of gaps and excessive coverage regions produced by the dithered stitch boundary by a factor N, to reduce the visibility of these artifacts.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2004/0218200 (Ebihara) discloses an alternate approach to reducing the visibility of the artifacts produced by the random dithering of the stitch boundary by altering the weighting profile for the placement of the stitch boundary on any given step. By decreasing the probability for placement of the stitch boundary at the extremes of the overlap region, it reduced the probability of large steps in the placement of the stitch boundary. By doing this, the average length of the horizontal gaps and the excessive coverage regions is reduced, thereby reducing the visibility of these artifacts.
Even with such stitching algorithms, there remains a need for improved stitching algorithms to reduce or eliminate visible artifacts at the swath seams.


A carriage transport system, including a transport path formed of a plurality of transporting modules; a plurality of lower-order controllers each configured to conduct drive control of a carriage on a covered transporting module among the plurality of transporting modules; and a higher-order controller configured to control the plurality of lower-order controllers, wherein the plurality of lower-order controllers each receive a drive instruction for the carriage on the transport path from the higher-order controller in advance, and when respectively receiving one-group transport instructions transmitted from the higher-order controller simultaneously at the same timing, the plurality of lower-order controllers each apply the drive instruction to one of the carriage that is present on the covered transporting module and the carriage that is to enter the covered transporting module in an order of entering the covered transporting module, to thereby conduct the drive control of the carriage.

In general, in a factory-automated production line for assembling an industrial product, a transport system, which is configured to transport parts and the like within the production line or among a plurality of stations along the production line, is used.
In recent years, as this transport system, there is often used, due to its superiority in production efficiency, a transport system in which a transport line is divided into a plurality of control zones in each of which a control apparatus is located and between which a carriage is caused to travel.
Such a transport system is generally formed of a plurality of lower-order controllers configured to control the respective control zones and a higher-order controller connected by a communication system configured to couple to the plurality of lower-order controllers.
In a transport system disclosed in Patent Literature 1, stators of linear motors are located at predetermined intervals along a guide rail on which carriers are caused to travel, and a movable end of each linear motor is mounted to the carrier. The stator is excited by a motor driving device to generate a driving force or a braking force in the carrier.
A transport system disclosed in Patent Literature 2 includes a higher-order control section configured to centrally control a plurality of carriers that travel a transport path controlled by a plurality of control zones and a lower-order control section configured to control the carrier that travels the control zone. The lower-order control section controls a speed of the carrier within the own control zone based on a target average speed of the carrier that travels the own control zone and distance information on the own control zone.

Carriage transport system and method of manufacturing article


A thin film transistor with excellent electric characteristics, a display device having the thin film transistor, and a method for manufacturing the thin film transistor and the display device are proposed. The thin film transistor includes a gate insulating film formed over a gate electrode, a microcrystalline semiconductor film formed over the gate insulating film, a buffer layer formed over the microcrystalline semiconductor film, a pair of semiconductor films to which an impurity element imparting one conductivity type is added and which are formed over the buffer layer, and wirings formed over the pair of semiconductor films to which the impurity element imparting one conductivity type is added. A part of the gate insulating film or the entire gate insulating film, and/or a part of the microcrystalline semiconductor or the entire microcrystalline semiconductor includes an impurity element which serves as a donor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor, a display device having the thin film transistor at least in a pixel portion, and a method for manufacturing the thin film transistor and the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, technology for forming thin film transistors using a thin semiconductor film (with a thicknesses of from several tens of nanometers to several hundreds nanometers, approximately) formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has been attracting attention. Thin film transistors are applied to a wide range of electronic devices such as ICs or electro-optical devices, and prompt development of thin film transistors that are to be used as switching elements in display devices, in particular, is being pushed.
As a switching element in a display device, a thin film transistor including an amorphous semiconductor film, a thin film transistor including a polycrystalline semiconductor film, or the like is used. As a method for forming a polycrystalline semiconductor film, a technique is known in which a pulsed excimer laser beam is processed into a linear shape with an optical system, and an amorphous silicon film is scanned with the linear beam, thereby being crystallized.
As a switching element in a display device, further, a thin film transistor including a microcrystalline semiconductor film is used (see Reference 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. H4-242724 and Reference 2: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2005-49832).

Thin film transistor, display device having thin film transistor, and method for manufacturing the same

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to a space-rocket technology and can be used for placing both a pilot-controlled and unpiloted space craft in the earth""s orbit. The inventive method consists in igniting-up cruising liquid-fuel rocket engines (LRE) of all assembly units, when the propulsion power of LRE of the side units is set to maximum and the LRE of the central unit is set relatively low.

The invention relates to the field of rocket-space engineering and may find application during the development of rocket-space systems serving to place manned and unmanned spacecraft, and also other objects of different purpose, on a near-earth orbit.
The modern development of space engineering requires the creation of launch vehicles which are capable of delivering spacecraft of different purpose and mass to near-earth orbits at a height of 180-34000 km. Where there is such a variety of tasks, the demand arises for the presence of multifunctional launch vehicles which are capable in the basic or other arrangement of performing these tasks. Launch vehicles of a combined scheme with a multiunit lower stage satisfy this requirement in the best manner. Appropriately selecting the rocket units of the lower stage, it is possible over wide ranges to change the characteristics of the launch vehicle as a whole, achieving their greatest correspondence to the launch program. The advantages of launch vehicles of the combined scheme are manifested to the greatest degree when one of the rocket units of the lower multiunit stage, mainly the central, works for a longer period than the other units. Launch vehicles of the combined scheme make it possible to also optimize the ascent of spacecraft into a near-earth orbit.
A typical example of the use of a multiunit lower stage for placing a payload into a near-earth orbit is the xe2x80x9cArianexe2x80x9d project, in particular, xe2x80x9cAriane-5xe2x80x9d (see, for example, Aviation Week and Space Technology, No. 13, 1999, pp. 61, 64-65). The launch vehicle xe2x80x9cAriane-5xe2x80x9d has a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units, including a central rocket unit with a cruise LRES and two side rocket units with cruise solid propellant rocket engines (SPREs). The project provides for the use of two variants of a central rocket unit and several variants of side rocket units with different operating times and thrust level of the cruise engines. An acceleration rocket unit and the head unit with the payload are connected to the central rocket unit in accordance with a tandem scheme. At lift-off both SPREs and the LRES of the central rocket unit are fired. When operation of the SPREs ceases, the side rocket units are jettisoned and the launch vehicle continues acceleration with the aid of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit. When the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cAriane-5xe2x80x9d with an enlarged central rocket unit is used, it possible to place a payload with a mass of from 8 tons to 12 tons into a near-earth orbit from the KURU cosmodrome. In order to ascend a smaller payload, for example, with a mass of 6 tons, another central unit with another cruise LRES is necessary. Thus, when a typical construction of a launch vehicle of a combined scheme is used, it is possible, without changing the central rocket unit, to change the mass of the payload being placed into orbit by 1.5 times, which is a typical range of change of the mass of the payload for a modern launch vehicle of the combined scheme. During the refinement of this launch vehicle, separate refinement of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units in all their variants is necessary, and also the testing of different assemblies of the launch vehicle. Since different variants of the rocket units are used in the assembly of the launch vehicle, the refinement of the launch vehicle as a whole takes a large amount of time and requires large expenditures. Furthermore, operation of the launch vehicle is possible only after refinement of at least one assembly of the central and two side rocket units. A substantial drawback of all launch vehicles of a combined scheme, which use side rocket units with SPREs, is the increased ecological contamination of the atmosphere with compounds of chlorine, which are contained in large amounts in the products of combustion of the solid propellant. The increase in the energetic characteristics of the solid propellant results in additional contamination of the atmosphere with toxic products of the combustion of the solid propellant.
Other variants of use of a combined launch vehicle for the ascent of a payload into a near-earth orbit are also proposed.
A method for placing a payload into orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme is known and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,340, class 102/377, B 64 G 1/40, Oct. 23, 1990. In accordance with this patent an acceleration rocket unit and a head unit with a payload are mounted on a central rocket unit with a SPRE. A lower multiunit assembly of rocket units is fonned by connection of from two to six side rocket units with SPREs to the central rocket unit in accordance with a launch program. During lift-off of a launch vehicle with six side rocket units, SPREs of four lift-off side rocket units are fired and acceleration of the launch vehicle begins. Prior to cutting off the aforesaid rocket units, SPREs of the two remaining side rocket units are fired, after which the four spent rocket units are jettisoned and acceleration of the launch vehicle is continued with use of two SPREs. Before they are cut off, the SPRE of the central rocket unit is fired and the two spent side rocket units are jettisoned. The rocket engines of the acceleration unit are fired after operation of the SPRE of the central rocket unit has ended. The aforesaid method is realized in a launch vehicle of a combined scheme, containing a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units with cruise SPREs, including a central and connected thereto side rocket units and tandem secured on the central unit transition compartment, acceleration rocket units and a head unit with the payload, head domes of the side rocket units and a system for securing the side rocket units to the central unit. Two side rocket units are connected to the central rocket unit in a pitch plane, forming a minimum assembly of a combined launch vehicle with three rocket units in the lower multiunit assembly. Two other variants of the launch vehicle, which realize this method, are formed by additionally connecting to the central rocket unit of the launch vehicle a minimum assembly of either two side rocket units, positioned in the pitch plane, or four side rocket units, positioned symmetrically relative to the pitch plane. The known technical solution makes it possible to use a single-type SPRE for all the rocket units in the lower multiunit assembly, which significantly reduces the expenditures on placing the payload into orbit. However, in this solution the energetic possibilities of the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units is not used to the full extent, since during the first stage of operation of the launch vehicle a portion of the rocket unitsxe2x80x94three out of seven (more than 40%) for the variant with six side rocket units, does not participate in the process of creating thrust and is a passive mass during the first stage of placing the payload into orbit, which impairs the engine weight efficiency of the launch vehicle and results in a reduction of the mass of the payload to be placed in the near-earth orbit. During the realization of this method for placing a payload into a near-earth orbit, higher loads will act on the launch vehicle as a whole and accordingly on the payload when the SPREs of the side rocket units fire, they beginning to operate, for example, prior to termination of operation of the SPREs of lift-off rocket units, since at the moment of firing the additional SPREs a thrust acts on the launch vehicle both from lift-off SPREs and the thrust of the SPREs of two more side rocket units. In spite of the fact that a single-type SPRE is used in the rocket units, in this construction of the launch vehicle it is not possible to use a standardized rocket unit, since in the case of different assemblies of the launch vehicle a central rocket unit is required with different positioning of the units for securing the side rocket units. During the refinement of this launch vehicle, in addition to refinement of the firing of rocket units with SPREs under on-ground conditions, refinement is necessary for firing these units under different altitude conditions, as is presumed by the order of firing SPREs of the rocket units during the placement of the payload into the orbit with different assemblies of the launch vehicle. This launch vehicle is also not safe from the point of view of ecology, since it uses SPREs, the drawbacks of which were noted above.
A method for placing a payload into orbit by a launch vehicle of a combined scheme is also known and disclosed in British patent No. 1114414, class B7W2, FIGS. 4-8, May 22, 1968. In accordance with this patent, an acceleration rocket unit with a payload, which unit is selected in accordance with the launch program, is mounted on the lower stage. The multiunit assembly of rocket units of the lower stage is formed by connection of single-type, delta-like in plan, modules with cruise LRESs to each other with the formation of a pyramidal assembly. The number of modules in the pyramidal assembly may change from four to six depending on the launch program. During lift-off of the launch vehicle the cruise LRESs of all the modules forming the pyramid are fired. The cruise LRESs of all the modules operate with an identical thrust and are cut off simultaneously when the propellant in all the modules of the lower multiunit stage is consumed. All the modules of the lower multiunit stage are jettisoned simultaneously prior to firing the cruise LRES of the acceleration unit. The described method is realized in a launch vehicle of a combined scheme, comprising a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units with cruise LRESs and tandem connected thereto acceleration unit. The lower multiunit stage is formed from single-type, delta-like in plan, modules, which have a triangular cross section. Modules with a spread angle of triangular cross section, corresponding to the number of assembly modules being joined, are used in each of the pyramidal assemblies. The modules are connected to each other along adjacent surfaces. The known technical solution makes it possible to use a single-type LRES for all the rocket units of the lower multiunit assembly, which significantly reduces the expenditures on the placement of the payload into orbit. In spite of the use of a single-type LRES in the rocket units of the lower multiunit assembly, in this construction of the launch vehicle it is not possible to use a standardized rocket unit, since a module rocket unit with a different angle of spread of triangular cross section is required for different assemblies of the launch vehicle. During the placement of the payload into orbit with the use of the method described in this patent with the simultaneous cutoff of all the cruise LRESs of the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units, the main advantage of a combined launch vehiclexe2x80x94the possibility for more lengthy operation of the central unit, disappears, bringing the combined launch vehicle to the traditional tandem arrangement with a heavier lower stage. During the refinement of this launch vehicle, the refinement of each modification of the module rocket unit included in the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units is necessary, which significantly increases the expenditures on the development of the launch vehicle and the cost of placing the payload into a near-earth orbit.
A method of placing a payload into orbit by a launch vehicle of combined scheme is also known and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,181, class 244/172, Aug. 25, 1992. In accordance with this patent when a payload is being placed into orbit by a multifunctional combined-scheme launch vehicle with cruise LRESs in accordance with a launch program, tandem positioned rocket unit and head unit with the payload are connected to the central rocket unit and a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units is formed by connecting two or three side rocket units to the central rocket unit. At lift-off the cruise LRESs of the side and central rocket units are fired and they are brought to the nominal thrust mode. In a non-emergency situation the cruise LRESs of the side and central rocket units work together in the nominal thrust mode until the side rocket units are separated from the central, wherein the LRES of the central rocket unit works on a propellant supplied from tanks of the side rocket units. When the propellant from the side rocket units is consumed, the latter units are jettisoned, and the LRES of the central rocket unit continues to operate, using the propellant of the central rocket unit. The launch vehicle contains a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units with multiengine cruise LRESs, the assembly including a central and connected thereto side rocket units, and an acceleration rocket unit and a head unit with the payload tandem secured on the central rocket unit. The launch vehicle is provided with a system for pumping propellant between the side rocket units and the central rocket unit. It is presumed that the construction of the launch vehicle described in the patent and the method for placing the payload into a near-earth orbit ensures guaranteed placement of the payload into the orbit when a multiengine cruise LRES is used, even if there is failure of one of the engines or the whole LRES of the central or one of the side rocket units, as a result of rational use of reserves of the propellant of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units in the cruise LRES engines which have retained their working capacity. In this invention, an increased time of operation of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit is provided as a result of its operation during the first stage on propellant fed from the side rocket units, which results in a reduction of the reliability of placing the payload into orbit, since there is a high probability that a defect in the propellant pumping system will appear, especially in the detachable connections of the pipelines between the rocket units. Another drawback of this invention is that it is impossible to standardize the side units and the central unit, since it is necessary to provide them with a different number of pumping devices, which makes the refinement of the launch vehicle more complex, since the units for each assembly need to be refined separately.
The method most similar to the claimed method in respect to the combination of material features is the method for placing a payload into orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs, which has been realized in the Soviet Union with use of the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cVostok,xe2x80x9d which is used to place manned and unmanned space ships with a mass up to 5 tons in a near-earth orbit (see, for example, Launch Vehicles, V. A. Aleksandrov, V. V. Vladimirov, R. D. Dmitriev, S. O. Osipov, Senior Editor Prof. S. O. Osipov, Moscow, Voenizdat, 1981, pp. 19-22, FIG. 1.2). The known method includes connecting tandem positioned acceleration rocket units and a head unit with a payload to a central rocket unit in accordance with the launch program and forming a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units by connecting side rocket units to the central rocket unit, firing at lift-off all the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units and the central rocket unit, jointly operating the cruise LRESs of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units until the propellant of the side rocket units is consumed, cutting off the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units and separating the side rocket units from the central rocket unit while continuing operation of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit until the propellant therein is consumed, cutting off the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, separating the tandem positioned acceleration rocket unit and the head unit from the central rocket unit and subsequently accelerating the head unit until its placement into orbit.
The launch vehicle xe2x80x9cVostokxe2x80x9d itself comprises a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units with cruise LRESs, which work on kerosene and liquid oxygen and have a significantly less effect on ecology as compared with the SPREs used in the xe2x80x9cAriane-5xe2x80x9d project. The lower multiunit assembly of rocket units includes a central and connected thereto four side rocket units. A transition compartment, an acceleration rocket unit and a head unit with a payload are secured in tandem on the central unit. The launch vehicle is provided with a system for securing the side rocket units to the central unit. The side rocket units are provided with head domes. The central rocket unit has a large size and large mass as compared with the side rocket units and carries more propellant in its tanks, which ensures more lengthy operation of its cruise LRES. The cruise LRES of the central rocket unit has an immovably secured four-chamber main rocket engine and four steering rocket engines. The LRES of each side rocket unit has an immovably secured four-chamber main rocket engine and two steering rocket engines. Thus, the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units of the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cVostokxe2x80x9d is assembled of nonidentical rocket units. The refinement of the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cVostokxe2x80x9d included selection of the size-mass characteristics of the central rocket unit, side and acceleration rocket units and thrust characteristics of their cruise LRESs, designing and manufacturing the aforesaid rocket units, forming therefrom the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units, ground-based and flight-structural tests to confirm the reliability of both separate rocket units and the launch vehicle as a whole. As in respect to the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cAriane-5,xe2x80x9d during the refinement of the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cVostok,xe2x80x9d separate refinement of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units is necessary with subsequent testing in assembly, which occupies a lot of time and requires large expenditures. Furthermore, operation of the launch vehicle xe2x80x9cVostokxe2x80x9d is possible only after refinement of the arrangement of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units.
It is clear from the foregoing that the necessity exists for improvement of the method for placing a payload into orbit and an expendable launch vehicle with a changeable assembly, which would ensure the delivery into different near-earth orbits of devices of different mass and purpose with the simultaneous reduction of the cost of placing the payload and the reduction of the time necessary to develop a launch vehicle.
The object to the achievement of which the claimed invention is directed is to create a method for placing a payload into orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs and the launch vehicle itself, which ensure an expanded range of change of the mass of the payload being placed into orbit with a minimum number of varieties (types) of rocket units which are included in the assembly of the launch vehicle. Another object to the achievement of which the claimed invention is directed is to create a method for placing a payload into orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs and the launch vehicle itself, ensuring a minimum change of the coordinates of descent of the spent side rocket units when devices of different mass and purpose are placed into a near-earth orbit and accordingly a reduction of the dimensions of the closed zone for the field of fall of spent rocket units.
An additional object of the invention is to create a method for placing a payload into orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs, which ensures reduction of both inertial and aerodynamic loads on the launch vehicle during flight.
Another object of the invention is to create a launch vehicle of combined scheme with cruise LRESs, which ensures a reduction of the expenditures on its development and on its production as a result of the use of a minimum number of versions (types) of rocket units included in the assembly of the launch vehicle and the increase of their mass production.
One more object of the invention is to create a launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs and a method for its refinement, which provide a reduction of the expenditures on the development of the launch vehicle and the possibility of starting its operation in a lighter version at the earliest stages of development.
The technical objects indicated above are achieved in that in the known method for placing a payload into orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise liquid rocket engine systems (LRESs), including connecting tandem positioned acceleration rocket units and a head unit with a payload to a central rocket unit in accordance with the launch program and forming a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units by connecting side rocket units to the central rocket unit, firing all the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units and the central rocket unit at lift-off, jointly operating the cruise LRESs of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units until the propellant of the side rocket units is consumed, cutting off the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units and separating the side rocket units from the central rocket unit while continuing operation of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit until the propellant therein is consumed, cutting off the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, separating the tandem positioned rocket units and head unit from the central rocket unit and subsequently accelerating the head unit by the aforesaid rocket units until its placement into orbit, in accordance with the invention, identical rocket units having adjustable cruise LRESs with an identical nominal thrust are used to form the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units, at lift-off the launch vehicle is made to ascend by cruise LRESs of the side rocket units at a nominal thrust, and the cruise LRES of the central rocket unitxe2x80x94at a thrust equal to 90-100% of the nominal value, and it is kept constant until the launch vehicle reaches a longitudinal acceleration of 12.7-16.7 m/sec2 (1.3-1.7 g), then the thrust of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit is reduced to 0.3-0.5 of the nominal thrust, and after the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units are cut off, the thrust of the cruise LRES of the central unit is increased to the nominal value.
Furthermore, during operation of the launch vehicle with a lower level of the thrust of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, when it reaches the longitudinal acceleration of 39-44 m/sec2 (4-4.5 g), the thrust of the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units is smoothly reduced, maintaining the aforesaid longitudinal acceleration until termination of operation of the LRESs of the side rocket units.
Furthermore, during the atmosphere portion of the path, the altitude of the flight of the launch vehicle and its velocity are measured, on the basis of which the dynamic pressure of the oncoming air flow at the density of a standard atmosphere at flight altitude is determined, and when the launch vehicle reaches the velocity at which the aerodynamic forces from the dynamic pressure of the oncoming air flow reach the values which are maximum permissible for the construction of the launch vehicle, further increase of the velocity of the launch vehicle is carried out by adjustment of the thrust of the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units within the limits of 0.3-1.0 of the nominal thrust under condition that the maximum permissible dynamic pressure is not exceeded, maintaining the relationship:                               V          i                =                              kV            1                                                                        ρ                1                                            ρ                i                                                                        (        1        )
wherein:
Vi is the current velocity of the launch vehicle;
k is a dynamic coefficient equal to 0.95-1.05;
Vl is the velocity of the launch vehicle at which the maximum permissible dynamic pressure is reached;
xcfx81l is the density of standard atmosphere, at which the maximum permissible dynamic pressure is reached;
xcfx81i is the current density of standard atmosphere at the flight altitude.
Wherein, the adjustment of the thrust of the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units is carried out under the condition that the maximum permissible dynamic pressure, equal to 12000-17000 Pa, is not exceeded.
As applied to a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs, the stated object is achieved in a launch vehicle comprising a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units with cruise LRESs, including a central and connected thereto side rocket units and tandem secured on the central unit a transition compartment, acceleration rocket units and a head unit with a payload, head domes of side rocket units, and a system for securing the side rocket units to the central unit, in that in accordance with the invention, the lower multiunit assembly is composed of identical rocket units having identical propellant tanks and identical cruise LRESs with adjustable thrust, secured in a gimbal suspension, the side rocket units are mounted on the central rocket unit symmetrically relative to its longitudinal axis in sectors formed by swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit so that the swinging planes of the cruise LRES of each side rocket unit are parallel to corresponding swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit.
The launch vehicle may be provided with two side rocket units, which are mounted on the central rocket unit in one plane that is oriented at an angle of 45xc2x0 to one of the swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, or with four side rocket units mounted on the central rocket unit in two mutually perpendicular planes, oriented at an angle of 45xc2x0 to the swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit.
As applied to a method of refining a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs, the stated object is achieved in that in a method for optimizing, including selecting the size-mass characteristics of the central, side and acceleration rocket units and the thrust characteristics of their cruise LRESs, designing and manufacturing the aforesaid rocket units, forming therefrom a lower multiunit assembly of rocket units, conducting ground-based and flight-structural tests to confirm the reliability of both separate rocket units and the launch vehicle as a whole, in accordance with the invention, identical size-mass characteristics and thrust of the cruise LRESs are set for the central rocket unit and the side rocket units, this ensuring use of the central rocket unit in the makeup of a launch vehicle of a tandem scheme with a monounit lower stage, the aforesaid rocket unit is produced and ground-based and flight structural tests thereof are carried out, including in the makeup of the launch vehicle of the tandem scheme, reliability of the central rocket unit is confirmed and the central rocket unit refined on a launch vehicle of a tandem scheme is used when forming the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units of the launch vehicle of a combined scheme with the conduction of flight-structural tests with an increased time of operation of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit relative to the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units.
The essence of the invention is that forming in the launch vehicle of a combined scheme the lower multiunit assembly of identical rocket units having identical fuel tanks and identical cruise LRESs, it is possible to expand the range of changing the mass of the payload placed in a near-earth orbit by simply increasing the side rocket units connected to the central rocket unit. Wherein, as compared with known realized schemes for placement of a payload by combined launch vehicles, in the claimed method it is possible to significantly reduce the expenditures on placing the payload into orbit as a result of using monotype standardized constructions. Using adjustable cruise LRESs in the aforesaid rocket units makes it possible at lift-off to fully realize the energetic possibilities of the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units, and subsequent reduction of the thrust of a cruise LRES of the central rocket unit to 0.3-0.5 of the nominal thrust guarantees that there is a reserve of propellant in the central rocket unit for its cruise LRES after separation of the side rocket units. A decrease of the thrust of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit begins after a longitudinal acceleration of 12.7-16.7 m/sec2 (1.3-1.7 g) has been reached by the launch vehicle, this acceleration ensuring a stable position of the launch vehicle in its path. An increase of the thrust of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit to the nominal value after the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units are cut off makes it possible to fully use the energetic possibilities of the central rocket unit.
A smooth reduction of the thrust of the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units when the launch vehicle reaches a longitudinal acceleration of 39-44 m/sec2 (4-4.5 g) with the maintenance of this longitudinal acceleration until termination of operation of the side rocket units ensures expansion of the range of the mass of the payload placed into orbit, since it provides the possibility of avoiding redundant overloads when a payload with reduced mass is being placed into orbit. Wherein, it is also possible to achieve a minimum change of the coordinates of the fall of spent side rocket units and accordinglyxe2x80x94reduction of the closed zone.
The proposed method makes it possible to limit the action on the launch vehicle of aerodynamic forces from the dynamic pressure of the oncoming air flow. In order to do this, when the maximum permissible dynamic pressure on the construction of the launch vehicle is reached, a further increase of the velocity is carried out by adjusting the thrust of the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units within the range of 0.3-1.0 of the nominal thrust under the condition that the maximum permissible dynamic pressure is not exceeded, maintaining the indicated relationship (I).
A dynamic pressure of the oncoming air flow, which does not exceed 12000xe2x80x9417000 Pa, is the optimum dynamic pressure for the construction of a launch vehicle of combined scheme.
Securing the cruise LRESs of the central rocket unit and the side rocket units in a gimbal suspension and mounting the side rocket units on the central rocket unit symmetrically relative to its longitudinal axis in sectors which are formed by swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, so that the swinging planes of the cruise LRES of each side rocket unit are parallel to corresponding swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, ensures an identical positioning of each side rocket unit and its cruise LRES relative to the central rocket unit and its cruise LRES independent of the number of side rocket units included in the launch vehicle assembly, which makes it possible to use identical rocket units in the makeup of the launch vehicle with a standardized system for control of each side rocket unit.
When two or four side rocket units are secured on the central rocket unit with their arrangement in planes oriented at an angle of 45xc2x0 to the swinging planes of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit, identicalness of the conditions of their operation is ensured independent of the number of side rocket units in the lower multiunit assembly.
The proposed method for placing a payload in orbit by a multifunctional launch vehicle of a combined scheme with cruise LRESs and the construction of the launch vehicle provide the possibility of reducing the cost of development of the launch vehicle and to begin its operation at the very earliest stages of development, since in the proposed method of refinement, during the selection of the size-mass characteristics of the central, side and acceleration rocket units and the thrust characteristics of their cruise LRESs, identical size-mass characteristics and thrust of the cruise LRESs are prescribed for the central and side rocket units. This provides the possibility of using the central rocket unit in the makeup of a launch vehicle of a tandem scheme with a monounit lower stage, which makes it possible after the central rocket unit has been manufactured and ground-based and flight-structural tests have been carried out to begin to use it within the makeup of a launch vehicle of a tandem scheme. After ascertaining the reliability of the central rocket unit in this manner, the lower multiunit assembly of rocket units of the launch vehicle of a combined scheme is formed and flight-construction tests are carried out with a greater time of operation of the cruise LRES of the central rocket unit relative to the cruise LRESs of the side rocket units.
The technical result from use of the proposed invention is the expansion of the range of change of the mass of the payload being placed in a near-earth orbit, in particular, the launch vehicle of a combined scheme being developed within the xe2x80x9cAngaraxe2x80x9d project provides the possibility of rocketing a payload of from 14 tons to 28.5 tons. The use of the central rocket unit, being developed in the xe2x80x9cAngaraxe2x80x9d project, as a lower stage of a launch vehicle of a tandem scheme with placement of a payload with a mass of from 2 tons to 3.7 tons into a near-earth orbit is also possible.

METHOD FOR PLACING PAYLOAD IN ORBIT BY MULTIFUNCTIONAL LAUNCH VEHICLE OF COMBINED SCHEME WITH CRUISE LIQUID ROCKET ENGINE SYSTEM (LRES), MULTIFUNCTIONAL LAUNCH VEHICLE OF COMBINED SCHEME WITH CRUISE LRES AND METHOD FOR REFINING IT

Gosudarstvenny Kosmichesky Nauchno-Proizvodstvenny Tsentr IM. M. V.


An active actuator is interposed between the unsprung mass and the sprung mass of a vehicle, and a controller selectively extends and retracts the actuator at a prescribed acceleration so as to selectively apply an additional contact load to the wheel by making use of the inertial force of the sprung mass and/or the unsprung mass of the vehicle. A particularly advantageous result can be achieved by increasing the tire contact load when the wheel is about to lock up when braking. The present invention can thus reduce the braking distance for the given road condition.

The gripping force F of a tire can be given by the product of the frictional coefficient .mu. between the tire and the road surface and the vertical contact load W acting on the tire contact surface (F=.mu.W). In other words, the tire gripping force which plays an important role in the handling of the vehicle is proportional to the magnitude of the tire contact load for a given road condition.
It is well known that the handling of a vehicle is severely impaired when a road wheel thereof is locked up when braking. In particular, on a road surface such as a frozen road surface and a gravel road surface which could significantly reduce the gripping force of the tire, it is important to apply as large a braking force to the wheel as possible, but, without locking the wheel. The antilock brake system (ABS) makes use of this principle, and is widely used in road vehicles now on the market. According to this system, by noting the relationship between the tire slip ratio (.lambda.=(V.sub.v -V.sub.w)/V.sub.v : the ratio of the difference between the vehicle speed V.sub.v and the tire speed V.sub.w to the vehicle speed V.sub.v) and the tire grip force F, the slip ratio is kept within a limit typically by intermittently releasing the brake so as to avoid excessive slipping and to provide a high gripping force at all times. However, the ABS system is not able to change the gripping force of the tire. In other words, the capability of the ABS system to reduce the braking distance of the vehicle is limited by the given road gripping force. It is therefore desirable if the gripping force itself can be increased in view of further reducing the braking distance.
The road gripping force of a tire is important also when accelerating a vehicle. When a vehicle is excessively accelerated for a given road condition, the tires start slipping, and not only a desired acceleration is prevented from being achieved, but also the lateral stability of the vehicle may be lost. By noting this problem, it has been proposed to control the traction force of each driven wheel so that the slip ratio of the wheel may be kept within a limit, and a maximum available traction may be obtained at all times. The traction control system is designed to carry out such a control action. However, the conventional traction control system was not able to increase the magnitude of the available traction, and simply reduces the torque transmitted to the wheels so as to prevent the slip ratio from exceeding a prescribed limit.
When a linear actuator interposed between a wheel and a vehicle body is either extended or retracted at a certain acceleration, a corresponding inertia force is produced in the sprung mass and the unsprung mass. The reaction of such an inertia force may be used to increase the contact load of the road wheel or the gripping force of the tire. Therefore, when this concept is applied to a brake control system or a traction control system, it is possible to reduce the braking distance or to increase the magnitude of the available traction. In particular, the inventors have recognized that an optimum result can be achieved if the contact load of the wheel is increased when the slip ratio of the wheel is about to exceed a threshold level beyond which the tire grip force starts diminishing.


The structurally stable gelled electrolyte of the present invention includes a base electrolyte, a three-dimensional polymer precursor that is radiation curable and an electrically non-conducting solvent gelling agent. The base electrolytes of this invention are comprised of an aprotic liquid and a dissolved ionizable alkaline metal salt. The preferred radiation curable polymer pre-cursors of this invention include trimethylol propane ethoxy triacrylate (TMPEOTA) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). The solvent gelling agent should be a solid powder or polymer with high surface area to adsorb the liquid electrolyte. Solid powders that can be used in the gelling agent include inorganic oxygen compounds such as silica (SiO.sub.2), titania (TiO.sub.2), alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3), magnesium oxide (MgO), barium oxide (B.sub.2 O.sub.3) and the like. Other compounds that can be used in the gelling agent include super absorbent polymers, clays, zeolite and such. The structurally stable gelled electrolyte of this invention is coated onto a suitable substrate, for example a glass plate, metal foil, a battery electrode web and cured, either in place, or can be used as a free standing film for cell assembly.

A conventional battery generates useful electricity through a series of electrochemical reactions. A battery unit is often referred to as a "cell". The electrochemical reaction involves the transfer of electrons and ions between two electrodes: a negative electrode and a positive electrode. The electrodes are immersed in an ion-conducting medium, termed the electrolyte. The negative electrode, or anode, loses electrons; the positive electrode or cathode, gains electrons. The electrodes are connected by an external circuit to a device or "load" (such as a light bulb, gear or radio).
The electrons, during discharge, flow out of the cell, through external wires and/or devices to do work and then return to the opposite side (pole) of the cell to complete the circuit. The ratio of electrons to ions are generally integer multiples of each other, ranging from 1:1 to 3:1 (electrons:ions). In general, the higher the conductivity of the electrolyte medium, the easier the ions can be transported, from the anode to the cathode, and the higher the rate (current) and/or lower the temperature at which the cell will supply electrons to run an external device.
The electrolyte in a typical high energy lithium battery is a mixture of anhydrous, aprotic liquids in which a simple or complex salt of Group IA, Group IIA, or Group IIIA of the periodic table has been dissolved. An aprotic liquid is a liquid in which there is no free acidic hydrogen. The anode material in these systems is sufficiently chemically reactive with water to preclude the use of aqueous electrolytes. The purpose of the electrolyte in a battery is to act as the medium to facilitate the transport of ions from the anode, in this case the lithium, sodium or like metal, to the cathode during the discharge of the cell. Cathodes are generally transition metal oxides or sulfides. Cells with this construction require the use of a material known as a separator which functions to prevent the anode from coming into direct contact with the cathode. If contact occurred the cell would self discharge by allowing the ions and electrons to flow internally and no useful external work would be accomplished. During recharge the direction of electron and ion flow is the reverse of discharge and the electrons and ions are driven back towards the anode as energy is put back into the cell from an external source.
Polymer based electrolytes represent an improvement over earlier conventional liquid electrolyte batteries because polymer based systems no longer employ free liquids which are generally highly volatile, flammable, and sometimes toxic. The polymer based electrolytes typically include an interpenetrating network (IPN) composed of a conducting liquid in polymer phase and a lower conductivity supporting polymer matrix. It is generally accepted, however, that liquid electrolytes have higher conductivities, better rate capabilities, and a wider operational temperature range than polymer based network systems.
For a polymer based electrolyte to be effective it needs to: 1) have a high conductivity over a wide temperature range; 2) remain structurally stable during manufacturing, cell assembly, storage and usage; 3) prevent flow from occurring within the cell to prevent self-discharge, and 4) be capable of preparation in an easy and repeatable manner.
Lee et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,939, describes a radiation curable polymer matrix as the electrolyte to act as both the separator and ion transport medium in a battery cell. Specifically, the patent teaches the use of acrylates and methacrylates which have higher conductivities than polyethylene oxide (PEO) based electrolytes or other interpenetrating network (IPN) systems. While this system is structurally stable and eliminates the use of a free liquid, it's ionic conductivity is limited by the presence of the polymer matrix, especially at sub-ambient operating temperatures. The traditional non-aqueous electrolyte is bound up within the radiation cross-linked polymer matrix to form a self-supporting, structurally stable film which can be processed into shapes and cells. The high levels of binder restricts ion motion during discharge and recharge and therefore limits the useful temperature range of operation and rate capability in cells using this type of electrolyte. The primary advantage of the matrix electrolyte is the safety and ease of handling.
Fritz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,827, teaches the use of chemically inert solids to gel "traditional" liquid electrolytes, thus, retaining the high conductivity of a liquid system without the mess and problems associated with liquids. Fritz also describes how the separator can be eliminated by use of a paste electrolyte. The Fritz patent discloses conductivities as high as the selected aprotic electrolyte system used alone in a liquid phase and higher than the conductivities of the radiation curable polymer matrixes. However, the preferred invention of Fritz is unable to retain dimensional stability. The patent describes the final product as having a consistency ranging from a dry dust to a loose paste. To get the high conductivity the material is gelatinous or paste-like, as a result of the amount of liquid component (high volume content) used and would easily be moved if non-uniform pressure was applied during conventional manufacturing of the cell; such as in the jelly rolling or lamination of the cell. It is also possible that the high conductivity gel would flow or migrate during long term storage or usage.
Leger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,423, teaches the use of an active metal anode such as lithium, a heat-dried manganese dioxide containing cathode which contains less than 1 weight percent water and a liquid organic electrolyte comprising lithium triflouromethane sulfonate (LiCF.sub.3 SO.sub.3) dissolved in propylene carbonate (PC) and dimethoxyethane (DME). While the invention of Leger is chemically stable in a high energy battery environment and providing excellent manganese utilization, extreme care needs to be taken to protect the electrolyte mixture from shifting from the preferred formulation due to evaporation of the highly volatile DME component. Also the Leger system poses numerous environmental health and safety concerns. Caution during manufacturing is required to protect workers from fumes and potential fire hazards associated with the free liquids. This system also requires the use of dried cathodes to eliminate internal gassing or bulging of the cells and degradation of the lithium anode.
What is still needed is an electrolyte that retains the high conductivity, rate capability, and low operating temperatures associated with the liquid electrolyte and gelled liquid system that can also provide the dimensional stability found in the IPN electrolyte systems.
What is also needed is an electrolyte with the desirable high conductivity, rate capability, and low operating temperatures that also possesses improved environmental health and safety characteristics.


A rotary head type tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus comprises a rotary head drum having a rotary head for recording and/or reproducing information signals onto or from a magnetic tape helically wrapped around the rotary head drum with a predetermined wrap angle and an outer peripheral surface of the drum being free of leads for restricting the movement of the wrapped magnetic tape in the width direction; a pair of tape guides having flange portions which are located near both sides of the rotary head drum and restrict the movement of the magnetic tape in the width direction; and a head drum supporting and moving arrangement for fixing the rotary head drum and the pair of tape guides and moving so as to be in contact with or away from a cassette loading arrangement which loads and supports a tape cassette in which the magnetic tape is enclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary head type tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to a rotary head type tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which the position of a tape path for a head drum is correctly restricted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A tape player for recording and/or reproducing has a running tape in a state in which the tape is wrapped around a head drum, which has a rotary head, at a predetermined wrap angle. If a relative position of the tape for the head drum, in other words, for the rotary head, is not accurately restricted, the linearity and reproducibility of a recording track and a scanning line upon reproduction are lost. Therefore, it is necessary to use means for accurately restricting the relative position of the tape for the head drum.
Accordingly, hitherto, a micro stairway or ledge portion, which is called a lead, is formed on the head drum and the tape is moved in a state in which one of the edges of the tape is slid along the lead.
In FIG. 1, reference character a indicates a head drum of the upper drum rotating type.
A lower drum b is fixed to a chassis (not shown). A lead c is formed as an upward micro ledge or stairway surface on an outer peripheral surface of the lower drum b.
An upper drum d is located so as to overlay an upper side or surface of the lower drum b and is rotatably provided for the lower drum b. A rotary head f is arranged in a notch e formed on an outer peripheral edge of the lower surface of the upper drum d.
A tape g is wrapped around the head drum a at a predetermined wrap angle in a state in which a lower edge of the tape g is in contact with the lead c. The tape g is moved in the direction shown by an arrow. A path of the tape g is restricted by tape guides and the like (not shown). The wrapping operation of the tape g onto the head drum a is started at an angle .theta..sub.2. A moving force in the downward direction is applied to the portion of the tape g which was wrapped around the head drum a by the above components, a tape tension, and the like. Thus, the tape g moves so that its lower edge slides along the lead c.
In FIG. 2, a head drum h is of the type in which an upper drum k and a lower drum i are fixed and a middle drum is rotatable.
The lower drum i is fixed to a chassis (not shown). A lead j is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the lower drum i.
The upper drum k is provided on the upper side of the lower drum i so as to be fixed to the lower drum i. A small gap l is formed between the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper and lower drums k and i.
A middle drum (not shown) is rotatably arranged between the lower and upper drums i and k. A rotary head m is supported on the middle drum. The rotary head m moves in the tape gap l.
The tape g is wrapped around the head drum h at a predetermined wrap angle in a state in which a lower edge of the tape g is in contact with the lead j. Then, the tape g is moved in the direction shown by an arrow. Moving forces indicated by arrows F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 are applied to the tape g. Thus, the tape g is moved in a state in which its lower edge is always in contact with the lead j.
It is necessary to form the leads c and j for both of the foregoing head drums a and h and a high accuracy is required to form the leads c and j, so that the manufacturing costs are high.
On the other hand, in order to allow the tape g to move along the leads c and j, it is necessary to accurately manage the angles .theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2, the tape tension, the rigidity of the tape, and the magnitudes of forces F.sub.1 and F.sub.2. If the values of .theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2, F.sub.1 and F.sub.2, are small, the lower edge of the tape g floats from the leads c and j, so that the positions of the tape g for the head drums a and h become unstable. However, if the .theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2, F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 are too large as compared with the rigidity of the tape g, an accident can occur, such as the lower edge of the tape g being peeled off and deformed or the like. Therefore, it is necessary to very carefully manage the values of .theta..sub.1, .theta..sub.2, F.sub.1 and F.sub.2, the tape tension, the rigidity of the tape, or the like. These factors will cause an increase in the costs of the tape player.

Rotary head type tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus


A firearm with tilting barrel-receiver assembly includes a frame and a barrel-receiver assembly pivotably mounted to the frame. The barrel-receiver assembly is movable between an open position and a closed position. A latching mechanism includes a latch that selectively engages the barrel-receiver assembly. The latching mechanism may be disposed in the frame in one embodiment. The latching mechanism is movable between a locked position wherein the barrel-receiver assembly is held in the closed position and an unlocked position wherein the barrel-receiver assembly is movable to the tilted open position. The latch may be spring biased into the locked position. The barrel-receiver assembly may be configured for complete removal from the pistol in some embodiments. An interlock mechanism formed by a movable safety may be provided which prevents the barrel-receiver assembly from being unlocked when the firearm is in a ready-to-fire condition.

The present disclosure generally relates to firearms, and more particularly to a pistol with a tilting barrel-receiver assembly.
Semi-automatic pistols generally include a grip frame having a grip portion for grasping by the user, barrel defining a chamber for holding a cartridge, trigger-actuated firing mechanism for cocking and releasing a striker or hammer to detonate the cartridge, and an axially reciprocating breech block. The breach block defines a breech face for forming an openable and closeable breech with the rear of the chamber for firing the pistol and ejecting spent cartridge casings in a manner well known in the art. Portions of the frame below the barrel and breech block generally house components of the firing mechanism.
Ready access to foregoing components of the pistol is desired for periodic inspection and maintenance.

Firearm with pivoting barrel-receiver assembly


A method of attaching a flexible plastic film having electronic circuit traces to a rigid plastic substrate. The film and substrate are made from different incompatible plastic materials that do not bond to one another and have different CTE. The use of different or incompatible materials is useful where the properties of the backing structure and film are selected to achieve different results. For example, the flexible film may be selected from a material that provides a high melting point to withstand soldering while the backing material is selected from a low-cost and light weight plastic material that has a lower melting point. The film has conductive traces on at least one surface thereof and a backing surface. A heat activated adhesive is applied to the backing surface. The film is placed within an open injection mold and the mold is closed. A hot plastic resin is injected into the mold adjacent the adhesive. The resin heats the adhesive above its activation temperature and causes the adhesive to bond to both the backing surface and the plastic resin. The resin is allowed to cool and the finished circuit assembly is removed from the mold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electronic circuit assembly from flexible film and an injection molded plastic material. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of attaching a plastic flexible film to an incompatible plastic material by utilizing an intermediate adhesive layer.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In-molding, insert molding or capture molding are the processes where a flexible film is molded on or into a part or substrate. The process involves the placement of a film(s) into an open mold tool cavity. The film is held in place by features of the film or the mold tool. The mold is closed and the cavity is filled with resin. The resin molds the film onto or into a structure. Typically, the molding process is injection molding but other molding techniques can be used. These in-molded films and resins are typically costly engineering thermoplastics such as polytherimide. These materials are miscible which means that the materials interdiffuse within each other during molding creating a homogeneous film-resin substrate. The film is able to be metallized via lamination and etch or pattern plating with conductive circuit traces making it an electronic substrate. The film can be fabricated with single or double layers of metallization and are metallized through conventional laminating, sputtering, evaporation and embossing, photoimaging, etching and plating processes.
Another in-molding process is called transfer in-molding. This process uses a metallized foil as described above. However, the film resin is not miscible with the molded resin. After the in-molding of the film in the mold, the film is peeled away from the molded substrate leaving the circuit traces mechanically embedded in the molded substrate.
The problem particularly with film insert molding is that there are a limited number of compatible resins and corresponding films made from the resin. These films also tend to be expensive relative to commodity automotive plastics such as ABS and polypropylene. Currently the most widely used capture molding materials system is amorphous polyetherimide (PEI) resin with polyetherimide (PEI) film. Other systems include polyethersulfone (PES), and polysulfone (PS). Typically insert molding systems use the same polymer for both the film and resin. These in-molding resins are also not typically used in any appreciable amount in automotive components.
It is known to manufacture circuit assemblies from flexible films having flexible electronic circuits printed or traced thereon. An example of commercially available films produced by this construction is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,202. Flexible films enable the production of electronic circuit boards into highly contoured three-dimensional shapes. They also allow the electrical circuits to be manufactured separately from the backing structure. This enables the use of different materials for the backing structure and film. One way that flexible films are used is through a process called film capture or in-molding. In-molding refers to the process where a flexible film of either metal, polymer or a combination of both is inserted into a mold and subsequently molded into a circuit assembly.
The film becomes adhered to the backing structure by either mechanical interlocking or an interdiffusion of the resin and polymer film. These films typically contain electrical wiring features or circuits to create a functional electronic module when fully assembled with electronic components.
One example of an electronic circuit made from an in-molding process is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,458 ('458). This reference teaches a method of producing a multi-layer circuit assembly by sequentially building up layers of flexible films. A first flexible film has a circuit traced thereon and a hot-melt adhesive is placed on the reverse side. The film is then placed within a molding tool and a resin is injected against the facing side of the film. The mold is heated to cure the circuit traces. Additional film layers are sequentially added. The hot-melt adhesive does not act to secure the film to the injected resin. Rather, the adhesive is used to attach the various circuit layers to one another.
It is also known to manufacture electronic circuit assemblies by forming a backing only along a portion of a flexible film as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,488 ('488). The '488 patent teaches placing an elongated film into a mold tool and selecting a plastic resin that fuses to the film. The '488 device does not teach the use of a resin that is incompatible with the films.
There are two major difficulties when attempting to manufacture circuit assemblies made of a flexible film and rigid plastic substrate that are made from incompatible materials. The first problem relates to lamination failure because the film does not adhere or bond to the resin. Dissimilar plastic materials do not intermingle and fuse when melted and have very poor adhesion.
Another difficulty when making the film and substrate from different materials is thermal fatigue placed on the electronic circuits from the different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE). Different materials have different CTE. The CTE of a material is a measure of the amount of elongation and contraction it undergoes with temperature. When the film and resin are made from different materials, they expand and contract by a different amount with temperature. This difference in expansion and contraction may cause either the film or circuits placed on the film to weaken or fail over time. It is useful to provide an intermediate layer that ameliorates the different expansion and contractions.
These deficiencies and problems are overcome by the present invention.

Method of laminating a flexible circuit to a substrate


An augmentation system may supplement a person's view from at least one of an actual vehicle or a virtual vehicle of an environment through which the vehicle travels. The system may include a receiver configured to receive data signals representative of operation of the vehicle and representative of objects in the environment through which the vehicle travels. The system may also include a converter in communication with the receiver. The converter may be configured to convert the data signals into display data representative of the operation of the vehicle and representative of the objects in the environment through which the vehicle travels. The converter may also be configured to communicate the display data to a display in communication with the converter and configured to display, within the person's view from the vehicle, images representative of the display data to supplement the person's view.

When operating a machine, it may be beneficial during operation of the machine to see information representative of data received from machine sensors during operation of the machine. However, if the information is presented in a form that distracts the operator of the machine, thereby interfering with the operator's ability to operate the machine, such information may not be useful because the operator may not be able to both operate the machine and view the information.

Vision augmentation for supplementing a person's view


A method of manufacturing a superjunction device includes providing a semiconductor wafer having at least one die. At least one first trench having a first orientation is formed in the at least one die. At least one second trench having a second orientation that is different from the first orientation is formed in the at least one die.

An embodiment of the present invention relates generally to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a superjunction device with a first plurality of trenches having one orientation and a second plurality of trenches having a second orientation different than the first orientation.
Semiconductor wafer manufacture generally refers to the process of making integrated circuits on silicon wafers. A typical semiconductor wafer is generally circular in plan view. Individual electronic circuits or devices are formed across at least one surface of the wafer and then the wafer is typically cut (sawed or diced) into a plurality of individual "dies" for packaging into individual integrated circuits (ICs).
Since the invention of superjunction devices by Dr. Xingbi Chen, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,275, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, there have been many attempts to expand and improve on the superjunction effect of his invention. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,410,958, 6,300,171 and 6,307,246 are examples of such efforts and are incorporated herein by reference.
Trench type superjunction devices are expected to replace multi-epi superjunction devices because of the potential lower processing cost. FIG. 1A illustrates a top plan view of a wafer 10 used in the manufacturing of a plurality of trench-type superjunction devices or dies 20. FIG. 1B shows a magnified view of two dies 20 representative of the plurality of dies 20 located on the wafer 10. Each die 20 includes a plurality of trenches 22, each of the trenches 22 traversing the die 20 in a generally horizontal orientation. FIG. 1C shows an alternate configuration wherein the plurality of trenches 22 are each oriented generally vertically on the die 20. In each case, all of the trenches 22 on all of the dies 20 of the wafer 10 have the same orientation. FIG. 1D illustrates an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a die 20 having a plurality of trenches 22 formed in a silicon layer 12 disposed on a substrate 11. A plurality of corresponding mesas 24 are thereby formed, each mesa 24 being capped by a layer of oxide 26. The trenches 22 are typically filled with a refill material 28.
Generally, the cost of semiconductor device manufacturing has been reduced by condensing the design rules (recommended parameters) and enlarging the diameter of the process wafer. The design rules reduction may be applied to trench-type superjunction technology, as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/962,530. However, conventional trenching methods tend to cause wafer bowing and warping. Such deformations are especially prevalent when trenching large diameter wafers (e.g., greater than about six inches). Once bowing and warping occurs, a wafer typically can no longer be processed effectively, if at all. Further, even if the wafer remains capable of processing, there is a higher risk of chipping or breakage. The degree of bowing and/or warping is greater when using deep trenching, such as the type of deep trenching used, for example, in the formation of superjunction devices. Thus, the use of conventional trenching methods for manufacturing superjunction devices does not permit the cost reduction achieved by increasing the diameter of the wafer.
It is desirable to provide a method of manufacturing trench-type superjunction devices that minimizes and/or eliminates the effects of bowing and warping. It is further desirable to provide a method of manufacturing trench-type superjunction devices that reduces manufacturing costs by enabling the use of larger wafer diameters.

Multi-directional trenching of a die in manufacturing superjunction devices


A method and apparatus for scheduling in an automated manufacturing environment, comprising are disclosed. The method includes detecting an occurrence of a predetermined event in a process flow; notifying a software scheduling agent of the occurrence; and reactively scheduling an action from the software scheduling agent responsive to the detection of the predetermined event. The apparatus is automated manufacturing environment including a process flow and a computing system. The computing system further includes a plurality of software scheduling agents residing thereon, the software scheduling agents being capable of reactively scheduling appointments for activities in the process flow responsive to a plurality of predetermined events.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to automated manufacturing environments, and, more particularly, to scheduling in an automated manufacturing environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Growing technological requirements and the worldwide acceptance of sophisticated electronic devices have created an unprecedented demand for large-scale, complex, integrated circuits. Competition in the semiconductor industry requires that products be designed, manufactured, and marketed in the most efficient manner possible. This requires improvements in fabrication technology to keep pace with the rapid improvements in the electronics industry. Meeting these demands spawns many technological advances in materials and processing equipment and significantly increases the number of integrated circuit designs. These improvements also require effective utilization of computing resources and other highly sophisticated equipment to aid, not only design and fabrication, but also the scheduling, control, and automation of the manufacturing process.
Turning first to fabrication, integrated circuits, or microchips, are manufactured from modern semiconductor devices containing numerous structures or features, typically the size of a few micrometers. The fabrication process generally involves processing a number of wafers through a series of fabrication tools. Layers of materials are added to, removed from, and/or treated on a semiconducting substrate during fabrication to create the integrated circuits. The fabrication essentially comprises the following four basic operations:                layering, or adding thin layers of various materials to a wafer from which a semiconductor is produced;        patterning, or removing selected portions of added layers;        doping, or placing specific amounts of dopants in selected portions of the wafer through openings in the added layers; and        heat treating, or heating and cooling the materials to produce desired effects in the processed wafer.
Although there are only four basic operations, they can be combined in hundreds of different ways, depending upon the particular fabrication process. See, e.g., Peter Van Zant, Microchip Fabrication A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing (3d Ed. 1997 McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.) (ISBN 0-07-067250-4). Each fabrication tool performs one or more of four basic operations. The four basic operations are performed in accordance with an overall process to finally produce the finished semiconductor devices.
Controlling a semiconductor factory fabricating such integrated circuits, however, is a challenging task. A semiconductor factory ("fab") is a complex environment where numerous parts, typically 40,000 wafers or more, and numerous part types, typically 100 part types or more, are simultaneously being manufactured. As each wafer moves through the semiconductor factory (or, "fab"), it may undergo more than 300 processing steps, many of which use the same machines. A large factory may contain approximately 500 computer-controlled machines to perform this wafer processing. Routing, scheduling, and tracking material through the fab is a difficult and complicated task, even with the assistance of a computerized factory control system.
Efficient management of a facility for manufacturing products such as semiconductor chips requires monitoring various aspects of the manufacturing process. For example, it is typically desirable to track the amount of raw materials on hand, the status of work-in-process and the status and availability of machines and tools at every step in the process. One of the most important decisions is selecting which lot should run on each machine at any given time. Additionally, most machines used in the manufacturing process require scheduling of routine preventative maintenance ("PM") and equipment qualification ("Qual") procedures, as well as other diagnostic and reconditioning procedures that must be performed on a regular basis. These procedures should be performed such that they do not impede the manufacturing process itself.
One approach to this issue implements an automated "Manufacturing Execution System" ("MES"). An automated MES enables a user to view and manipulate, to a limited extent, the status of machines and tools, or "entities," in a manufacturing environment. In addition, an MES permits dispatching and tracking of lots or work-in-process through the manufacturing process to enable resources to be managed in the most efficient manner. Specifically, in response to MES prompts, a user inputs requested information regarding work-in-process and entity status. For example, when a user performs a PM on a particular entity, the operator logs the performance of the PM (an "event") into an MES screen to update the information stored in the MES database with respect to the status of that entity. Alternatively, if an entity is to be put down for repair or maintenance, the operator will log this information into the MES database, which then prevents use of the entity until it is subsequently logged back up.
Although MES systems are sufficient for tracking lots and machines, such systems suffer several deficiencies, the most obvious of which are their passive nature, lack of advance scheduling and inability to support highly automated factory operations. Current MES systems largely depend on manufacturing personnel for monitoring factory state and initiating activities at the correct time. For example, a lot does not begin processing until a wafer fab technician ("WFT") issues the appropriate MES command. And, prior to processing, a WFT must issue an MES command to retrieve the lot from the automated material handling system ("AMHS") with sufficient advance planning that the lot is available at the machine when the machine becomes available. If the WFT does not retrieve the lot soon enough, or neglects to initiate processing at the earliest available time, the machine becomes idle and production is adversely impacted.
These types of deficiencies in the typical automated MES emphasize the importance of the WFT in the efficient operation of the manufacturing process. WFTs perform many vital functions. For instance, WFTs initiate dispatching, transport, and processing as their attention and time permits. They make scheduling decisions such as whether to run an incomplete batch, as opposed to waiting for additional approaching lots, or performing PM or qualification procedures instead of processing lots. WFTs perform non-value added MES transactions and utilize conventional factory control systems that are passive. In this context, the term "passive" means activities in the control system must be initiated by the WFT, as opposed to being self-starting or self-initiating.
However, the presence of WFTs also inevitably introduces some inefficiencies. There typically is a large difference between the performance of the best WFT and the performance of the worst WFT. A WFT typically simultaneously monitors the processing of multiple tools and lots, making it difficult to focus on an individual lot or tool. Furthermore, the size and complexity of the modern fabrication process flows makes it exceedingly difficult for a WFT to foresee and prevent downstream bottlenecks or shortages arising from upstream activities. Shift changes, rest breaks, and days off for the WFT also create inefficiencies or machine idle time that adversely impact the manufacturing process flow. Just as the importance of the WFT is magnified by the deficiencies of the automated MES, so are the inefficiencies of the WFT magnified by his importance.
Thus, factory control systems utilized in today's wafer tabs are passive and do not enable a high degree of automation. These systems are very dependent on WFTs and other factory staff to monitor the state of the factory, to continuously react to change, to make rapid logistical decisions, and to initiate and coordinate factory control activity in a timely manner. These WFTs are agents, providing the active element that is lacking in factory control systems. As a result, factory effectiveness in the highly competitive semiconductor industry is quite dependent on the availability, productivity, skill level, and consistency of these human agents. WFTs must monitor and operate a number of tools located in various bays in a fab. They are forced to multiplex across tools, bays, material handling systems and a variety of factory control systems. As a fab's production ramps and more complex processes are introduced, it becomes more difficult to meet the increased complexity and volume without increasing staff or system capabilities. WFTs visibility of upstream and downstream operations, tool state, work-in-process and resource availability is limited.
However, key logistical decisions are frequently based on this limited and dated information, which is only partially provided by factory control systems. WFTs spend a significant amount of time interacting with systems, monitoring factory events and state changes, and performing other non-value added functions, such as MES logging. Shift changes disrupt the operation of the fab as the technicians are temporarily unable to provide required monitoring and coordination. Despite the best efforts of the technicians, utilization of tools suffer, adversely impacting other key factory metrics including cycle time, inventory levels, factory output and mix. With the need for intrabay material handling to transport 12-inch wafers in new 300 mm wafer fabs, significant additional complexity is introduced. Conventional factory control systems are not capable of providing this level of detailed scheduling and execution control.
The present invention is directed to resolving, or at least reducing, one or all of the problems mentioned above.

Agent reactive scheduling in an automated manufacturing environment