An example method is provided in one example embodiment and includes intercepting a setup request for a session via a small cell network portion associated with a wide area network (WAN) instance, wherein the WAN instance comprises the small cell network portion and an enterprise network portion and wherein the small cell network portion and the enterprise network portion are interconnected to a service provider network; classifying the session to a particular WAN priority queue, wherein a plurality of WAN priority queues are configured for the WAN instance; determining whether the particular WAN priority queue has available bandwidth for the session; allocating bandwidth for the particular WAN priority queue if the particular WAN priority queue has available bandwidth; and permitting the session to be established if the particular WAN priority queue has available bandwidth.

Networking architectures have grown increasingly complex in communication environments. For example, small cell radio access points have gained notoriety due to their capabilities to connect wireless devices to a network. In general terms, small cell radio access points can operate in a licensed spectrum to connect user equipment to the network, often using broadband connections. For a mobile operator, small cell radio access points can offer improvements to both coverage and capacity, which is particularly applicable to indoor networking environments where macro cell networks typically suffer coverage limitations. Small cell radio access points can also offer an alternative networking architecture to deliver the benefits of scalable small cell deployments. In a wide area network (WAN), such as an enterprise deployment, bandwidth for the WAN is often shared among traffic traversing the WAN for enterprise communication devices that are part of an enterprise network and small cell radio access points that are part of a small cell network. In some cases, bandwidth for the WAN can be overloaded, which can cause degradation to all traffic traversing the WAN. Accordingly, there are significant challenges in managing bandwidth allocation for wide area networks.

System and method to provide dynamic bandwidth allocation over wide area networks


An apparatus for reproducing sound from data which are electrically stored in an electronic memory is disclosed. This sound reproducing apparatus includes a member for providing timing control to associated electronic circuitry. There is also a member for retrieving the individual elements of the data from the memory and electronic components for converting the retrieved elements into respective audio signals. Furthermore, there are electrical circuit elements for audibly broadcasting the respective audio signals. The duration of the broadcasting of each respective signal is controlled by a circuit which is responsive to the timing control member and the retrieved elements. The present invention may also broadcast sounds from externally input signals. This is effected through an external source element for obtaining such external input and a switch means for connecting either the stored elements retrieved from the memory or the external input from the external source to the audible broadcasting member.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sound broadcasting apparatus and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a portable electric horn for broadcasting songs which are electronically stored within the horn and for broadcasting live sounds over a microphone connectible to the horn.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sound broadcasting apparatus provide a useful way for communicating speech, music and other sounds to people. To provide such a broadcasting apparatus which is also versatile creates the need for a device which is portable and which can broadcast both live and recorded sounds. So that a variety of recorded songs can be broadcast with clarity, such a device needs to be sophisticated enough to provide appropriate tempo, pitch and volume controls for accurately reproducing the sounds.
The device also needs to be sophisticated enough to control itself once a recorded segment has been selected for broadcasting. This need includes providing a device with means for automatically controlling the duration which each element within the selected segment is broadcast.
Although the device must be sophisticated, it must be relatively simply constructed so that it is portable and easily maintainable. The portability and easy maintainability needs of such a device raise the further need for using solid-state integrated circuit memories to store the recorded sounds in the sound broadcasting apparatus.
Some devices have been previously proposed in attempts to meet one or more of these needs. One such proposal is a simple public address system including a microphone, a power amplifier, and a loud-speaker. Systems which have included electronic memories have also been proposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,349 in the name of Takase discloses an electronic music box having a memory which is proposed to be energized in a predetermined manner by output signals from a pulse generator. The contents of the memory cells are arranged in a given melody. During the proposed operation of this device, output signals from a musical scale signal circuit and signal level selection circuit are supplied to a loud-speaker to generate sound.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,097 in the name of Strangio discloses a computer-aided musical apparatus and method. The Strangio patent proposes that electronically stored coded data be successively released in correspondence with the successive notes and the rhythm of a particular musical composition. The proposed apparatus for accomplishing this includes means for decoding the stored data, converting the stored data into oscillating electrical signals, and converting the electrical signals into broadcasted audible tones.
Another proposed electronic device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,240 in the name of Ando to include a binary counter which is cleared when the counts within the counter reach integers representative of a melody.


A zoom lens system including, in an order from an object to an image: a first lens group having positive refractive power; a second lens group having negative refractive power; a third lens group having positive refractive power; and a fourth lens group having positive refractive power, wherein zooming is performed by changing intervals between the first through fourth lens groups, and a lens included in the fourth lens group satisfies:vd_10>75,wherein vd_10 denotes an Abbe number of a line d of the lens included in the fourth lens group.

1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to a zoom lens system, and more particularly, to a 4-group zoom lens system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage capacity of a photographing apparatus that captures an image by using a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is to be increased as the photographing apparatus becomes digital. As the storage capacity increases, a lens system employed in the digital photographing apparatus is required to have relatively high optical performance and a relatively small size.
In order to clearly record small information of a subject, the lens system may satisfactorily compensate for aberration generated around a screen. However, it is difficult to miniaturize the lens system if relatively high performance is to be realized, and manufacturing costs increases to miniaturize the lens system. Thus, it is difficult to simultaneously satisfy relatively high optical performance such as high magnification and high resolution and relatively low manufacturing costs.


In embodiments of optical flow accounting for image haze, digital images may include objects that are at least partially obscured by a haze that is visible in the digital images, and an estimate of light that is contributed by the haze in the digital images can be determined. The haze can be cleared from the digital images based on the estimate of the light that is contributed by the haze, and clearer digital images can be generated. An optical flow between the clearer digital images can then be computed, and the clearer digital images refined based on the optical flow to further clear the haze from the images in an iterative process to improve visibility of the objects in the digital images.

Computing the optical flow between images is a common technique used to infer the apparent motion between the images and compute a motion field for image processing and computer graphics applications, such as for optical flow registration, which is useful for image tracking, motion segmentation, and other motion processing applications. A motion determination between images can be utilized to track object motion, such as in video frames. For example, in a robotics application, cameras may capture two or more separate images of a scene and/or subject from slightly different perspectives and combine the separate images into one image to smooth and/or reduce noise in the images.
Conventional optical flow algorithms do not account for haze caused by atmospheric particles that obscure images of outdoor scenes, such as fog and smoke. Standard processing ignores the presence of haze that can degrade images, and computes the optical flow between images assuming that the images are free of haze, fog, smoke, and the like. The conventional optical flow algorithms also assume color consistency and image contrast between images, which also assumes that consecutive image frames have consistent haze interference in the presence of haze. However, an object may appear differently from one image to the next due to motion of the object and/or fog or smoke drift that changes the visual appearance of the object, which may not be recognized as the same object from one image to the next. For example, a car may appear blurry in fog in one image and suddenly part of the car is clear in a next image as the car emerges from the fog. The image pixels that display as the part of the car emerging from the fog change color consistency and contrast, and may not be recognized for pixel correspondence during image processing as the same car from one image to the next.
Techniques for haze removal are used with graphics and computer vision applications to improve the quality and visibility of images or videos. Haze removal techniques (also referred to as de-hazing) can also serve as a preprocessing step for improving high-level vision or graphics applications, such as for feature extraction, image correspondence, object recognition, image editing, and the like. However, applying haze removal algorithms or techniques to image sequences or video frames can cause incoherent results across the sequences or frames, where single image de-hazing does not take temporal consistency into consideration.


An electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch having an insert of refractory metal inserted in the hollow formed in a base electrode is disclosed wherein the insert has a nickel film electroplated and a noble metal film plated thereon and is mounted in a pressed state. It is also disclosed that a metal having a low melting point is filled in a space defined by the hollow of the base electrode and the end face of the insert.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a main electrode for use in plasma arc working torch which is capable of welding or cutting works.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A plasma arc working torch known in the prior art is generally in a structure shown in FIG. 7 wherein reference numeral 1 designates a plasma electrode which is cooled by a cooling agent. The electrode 1 is composed of an base electrode 2 in a pipe form and an insert of refractory metal 3 inserted in a hollow portion at the end of the base electrode 2. The base electrode 2 can be made of copper metal or copper alloy while the refractory metal can be made of hafnium metal or zirconium metal. Reference numeral 4 designates an electrode supporting member for supporting the electrode 1, which is made of electrically conductive material. Reference numeral 5 designates an insulating sleeve formed at the outside of the electrode supporting member 4. Reference numeral 6 designates a tip supporting member which is formed at the outside of the insulating sleeve 5 and is made of electrically conductive material. A torch body 7 is constructed from the electrode supporting member 4, the insulating sleeve 5 and the tip supporting member 6.
Reference numeral 8 designates a tip electrode in a hollow form supported at the end of the tip supporting member 6. The tip electrode 8 has a plasma jet hole 801 formed at the center of the end thereof. Reference numeral 9 designates an insulating cap and reference numeral 10 designates a guide pipe for cooling water. Cooling water supplied from a supplying hose 11 cools directly the main electrode 1 and flows into the path shown by an arrow and finally goes out from the torch trough a drain hose 12.
In the torch mentioned above, an electric power is supplied between the main electrode 1 and the work while a plasma forming gas such as air, oxygen gas or nitrogen gas is spouted from the plasma jet hole 801 at the tip electrode 8 to generate a plasma jet. The working of the work can be carried out with this plasma jet.
In the operation of the torch shown in FIG. 7, high voltage of a high frequency generated by a high frequency generator 14 is applied, through a capacitor 15, between the main electrode 1 and the tip electrode 8 to generate a so-called pilot arc. This pilot arc is spouted from the plasma jet hole 801 of the tip electrode 8 by the action of a flow of the plasma forming gas. When the torch (T) is brought near the work 13 with keeping the pilot arc, a working arc is generated between the main electrode 1 and the work 13. When the working arc has been generated once, the pilot arc at the tip electrode disappears because there is a resistor 16 on the way of the electric path for generating the pilot arc. It should be noted that the high frequency generator 14 stops its operation with the generation of the pilot arc.
The plasma arc working torch in the structure mentioned above has the following disadvantage: The main electrode 1 is cooled always but is heated up to a high temperature during the working time. U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,649 discloses the main electrode 1 composed of the base electrode 2 and an insert of refractory metal 3 such as hafnium inserted into the hollow of the end of the base electrode 2. However, even with this main electrode 1, the operation life is still short due to the high temperature of the main electrode.
On the other hand, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,932 discloses the main electrode 1 in which a high-heat insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal is plated with zinc film by immersing into a molten zinc chloride and further plated with silver film by immersing into a molten silver metal. The high-heat insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal having a zinc film and a silver film plated sequentially thereon is soldered to the hollow of the end of the base electrode 2 by using silver soldering material. In this case, a zinc oxide film is formed on the surface of the plated zinc film and prevents the heat transmission from the zinc film to the silver film. As a result, the heat generated at the high-heat insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal is not conveyed rapidly to the base electrode 2. This does not result in an improvement in the operation life of the main electrode 1 as high as expected. Further, the zinc film obtained by immersing the high-heat insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal into the molten zinc chloride separates easily from the insert of zirconium refractory metal 3. Therefore, the plated insert of zirconium refractory metal 3 is undersirably apt to have the plated films separated easily therefrom when subjected to the external force during a working time period until the completion of the silver soldering work to the hollow of the end of the base electrode 2. Further the insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal is heated up to a high temperature during the work of the plasma arc working torch. As a result, the silver soldering material for soldering the insert 3 of zirconium refractory metal to the hollow of the end of the base electrode 2 melts and forces the insert 3 to separate from the base electrode 2.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,778 describes an improved main electrode for use in a plasma arc working torch in a structure as described below. A cooling holder 1 is made of an electrically conductive metal having a high thermal conduction such as copper. There is provided a room 7 between the cooling holder 1 and a relating thin insert 2 of a refractory metal. The room 7 is fulfilled with a material having a lower thermal conduction than that of the cooling holder 1. Since the thermal conduction of the material fulfilling the room 7 is lower than that of the cooling holder 1, the heat transmission from the periphery of the thin insert of a refractory metal 2 is higher than that from the center of the thin insert of a refractory metal 2. That is, the purpose of this structure is to localize the arc generating point to the effective center of the thin insert 2 of a refractory metal by over-heating forcedly the center of the thin insert 2. In other words, the temperature distribution at the working surface of the thin insert 2 is controlled by over-heating forcedly only the center of the thin insert. It is necessary for the achievement of this effect to make the thin insert 2 thinner, that is, to make the height of the thin insert 2 lower than the diameter thereof. Such a thin insert 2 of a refractory metal having a height smaller than the diameter undesirablly results in a short operation life of the plasma arc working torch.

Electrode for use in plasma arc working torch


This invention relates to opto-electronic systems using semiconductor lasers driven by optical phase-locked loops that control the laser's optical phase and frequency. Feedback control provides a means for precise control of optical frequency and phase, including the ability for broadband electronic tunability of optical signals and the cascading of multiple lasers for enhanced tunability and coherent combining for increased output power.

Electronic phase-locked loops (PLL) have a wide range of applications in the field of electronics. An introduction to these techniques is presented in F. M. Gardner, Phaselock Techniques, 3rd ed. (Wiley, 2005). Phase-locked loops can be extended to the optical domain by use of semiconductor lasers as current-controlled oscillators, thereby realizing an opto-electronic implementation of phase-locked loops, as described by A. Yariv, in "Dynamic analysis of the semiconductor laser as a current-controlled oscillator in the optical phased-lock loop: applications," Optics Letters, vol. 30, pp. 2191-2193, September 2005. The opto-electronic implementation of phase-locked loops is commonly referred to as optical phase-locked loops (OPLLs).
Extremely wide-band optical waveforms and precisely tunable Terahertz signals can be generated over a wide frequency range by using OPLLs to electronic control the frequency and phase of semiconductor lasers (SCLs) including near-visible and near-infrared semiconductor diode lasers and mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). Such electronic control enables a number of applications including coherent power combining (see, for example, N. Satyan, W. Liang, F. Aflatouni, A. Yariv, A. Kewitsch, G. Rakuljic, and H. Hashemi, "Phase-controlled apertures using heterodyne optical phase-locked loops," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 20, pp. 897-899, May-June 2008) and U.S. Patent Application 2006/0239312 to Kewitsch et al. Moreover, techniques to stabilize the frequency of semiconductor lasers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,708 to Mells.
Semiconductor laser-based OPLLs are promising candidates for a number of applications in the fields of frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) laser radar, arbitrary broadband waveform generation, Terahertz signal generation, and coherent optical communications. Unique characteristics of semiconductor lasers include their large tuning responsive to electrical drive currents (1-10 GHz/mA) and their wide tuning ranges of up to 1 THz or more.

High performance tunable lasers utilizing optical phase-locked loops


A method of inspecting a sample includes performing a focusing operation on a target pattern of a sample. The focusing operation includes scanning the target pattern at different focusing levels to obtain a plurality of focus images. The method further includes using at least one of the plurality of the focus images as a target pattern image of the target pattern and then measuring a dimension of the target pattern based on the target pattern image.

The present inventive concepts relate to an inspection method and system and a method of inspecting a semiconductor device using the same.
Due to the small-sized, multifunctional, and/or low-cost characteristics of semiconductor devices, semiconductor devices are important elements in the electronic industry. The semiconductor devices may be fabricated using various processes such as photolithography, etching, deposition, ion implantation, and cleaning processes.
An inspection process is performed to examine whether there are any failures in patterns of a fabricated semiconductor device. By performing the inspection process, it is possible to optimize a process condition of the fabrication process and determine whether there are any failures in a semiconductor device at an early stage.
As the semiconductor device is scaled down, there is an increasing demand for a method and a system capable of reliably measuring dimensions of fine patterns in the semiconductor device.

Inspection method and system and a method of inspecting a semiconductor device using the same


A highly versatile fluids and particulate separator that can be used in a centrifugal mode or centrifugal with gas flotation mode without the use of rotating apparatus within the cell. A pump and recirculation system provide the means for centrifugal force and gas flotation. A buoyant self adjusting discharge assembly with a vortex of fluids surrounding it provide the exit path for separated light fluids and light particles. In oil and water separation the buoyant assembly allows self discharge of the oil and can be used with high oil to water ratios at high volume. Oil spill cleanup is possible. Conversely gas flotation may be used for low volume separating applications.

This invention relates generally to the separation of fluids of differing specific gravity with or without contaminates of solid particulate from fluid solutions. More particularly, this invention relates to removal of oil and particulate intermixed with water contained in a storage tank continually receiving water intermixed with oil and particulate of approximately minus 200 mesh with some minus 60 mesh coming from a ground pollution washplant operation. This required continual removal of pollution products from the water in the storage tank. A search for a device suitable to treat the polluted water reveled only costly, intricate apparatus prone to mechanical problems, maintenance problems, expensive filters to replace, etc. It appeared that the answer to the problem would be two separators, a centrifugal separator and a flotation separator. This was unacceptable. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,175,040 and 4,534,860 describe centrifugal oil separators, one being complex and the other relatively simple. U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,862 describe apparatus for flotation and the mechanics of bubble and particle attachment. It is possible to separate oil and fine particulate from fluid solutions by flotation but typical apparatus is slow, large and cumbersome. Nothing suitable was found for the specific requirements necessary.
The invention uses no rotating apparatus or bearings within the cell, eliminating mechanical malfunction, is low cost, easily built, with no complex adjustments. A pump, preferably with a variable speed drive provides the power to operate the separator. The invention is not limited to any specific separation process. It is usable as a centrifugal separator alone or flotation separator using gas. Due to the simple design and capacity it is intended for use as a primary or head end separator. Others skilled in the art would find the invention useful in different applications in other fields of industry.


An X-ray analysis instrument, in particular, an X-ray diffractometer (21), has an X-ray source (22; SC) that emits an X-ray beam (23), an X-ray optics (24), in particular a multi-layer X-ray mirror, and a collimator mechanism (BM), wherein the collimator mechanism (BM) forms an aperture window (2, 2′) with an aperture opening (3, 3′) through which at least part (26) of the X-ray beam (23) passes. The collimator mechanism (BM) comprises means for gradual movement of the aperture window (2, 2′) in at least one direction (A/B, x, y) transversely to the X-ray beam (23), the aperture opening (3, 3′) is at least as large as the cross-section (32) of the X-ray beam (23) at the location of the aperture window (2, 2′), and the path of movement (VWx, VWy) of the aperture window (2, 2′), which is accessible by the collimator mechanism (BM), in the at least one direction (A/B, x, y) is at least twice as large as the extension (RSx, RSy) of the X-ray beam (23) at the location of the aperture window (2, 2′) in this direction (A/B, x, y). The X-ray analysis instrument offers a wider scope of beam conditioning possibilities.

The invention concerns an X-ray analysis instrument, in particular, an X-ray diffractometer, comprising                an X-ray source that emits an X-ray beam,        an X-ray optics, in particular, a multi-layer X-ray mirror,        and a collimator mechanism, wherein the collimator mechanism forms an aperture window with an aperture opening through which at least part of the X-ray beam passes.
An X-ray analysis instrument of this type is disclosed e.g. in DE 10 2004 052 350 A1.
X-ray diffractometry is an efficient method for non-destructive chemical analysis of, in particular, crystalline samples. In modern X-ray diffractometers, the X-ray beam that is generated by an X-ray source is directed onto a sample via a multi-layer optics and the diffracted X-ray radiation is analyzed by a detector.
The multi-layer X-ray optics performs monochromatization and mainly shaping of the X-ray beam in an X-ray analysis apparatus with good efficiency. However, the structure of the multi-layer X-ray optics also determines the beam properties on the output side of the multi-layer optics. Physical values such as the input and output convergence, the focal lengths between the source focus and the image focus, the enlargement ratio and thereby also the size of the X-ray beam in the image focus must be determined prior to production of the multi-layer optics. In particular, it is not possible to vary the surface curvature of a multi-layer X-ray mirror or the layer separations in its multi-layers at a later time. For this reason, the multi-layer X-ray optics are basically inflexible.
One particularly important property in X-ray diffractometry is the convergence angle β, since the resolution of a diffractometer decreases with increasing convergence angle. Convergence collimators have been disclosed for adjustment to varying measurement requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,097 describes several holes of identical diameter on a rotatably disposed disc of an X-ray analysis device, which generates a collimator function. A collimator can be continuously moved in a first direction through slight rotation of the disc, and a collimator can be moved in discrete steps in a second direction by changing to a different hole on a different radius of the disc. There are different hole sets with different hole diameters. A similar functionality can be obtained with a band having several holes.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,245,699 B2 discloses a Montel optics with a variable collimator that is mounted thereto, comprising two L-shaped collimator sections one of which can be moved along the angle bisector between the two mirror surfaces.
In both cases, the beam conditioning possibilities are limited. The perforated disc of U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,097 only allows stepped adjustment of the beam divergence (in correspondence with the hole diameter of the different hole sets) and also only stepped collimator shift in one direction. Moreover, the mechanical structure is very complex. The collimator mechanism of U.S. Pat. No. 7,245,699 B2 basically always collimates out a part of the X-ray radiation that is remote from the source.
It is the underlying purpose of the present invention to present an X-ray analysis instrument that offers a greater variety of beam conditioning possibilities in order to thereby improve the field of use of multi-layer X-ray optics.

X-ray analysis instrument with adjustable aperture window


Architecture for a word processing application that facilitates operating on mathematical symbols, expressions, and/or equations input to a word processing document, and returning results back to the document. User input to the document in the form of math symbols, expressions or equations is transformed into a format for processing by a math engine. The engine returns one or more operations to the user that can be performed on the input, including calculating mathematical solutions, graphing equations and viewing steps to solving math problems. A user interface allows the user choose from the possible operations and to interactively manipulate input and graphs in the word application. The results can be inserted directly into the document and also be graded automatically.

The advances in computing hardware and software are typically complimentary. In other words, advances in hardware provide a platform for richer and more complex software, and the advances in software can impact further improvements in the hardware. The rapid evolution of such hardware and software provides tools for research, business systems, and learning.
A common problem, however, is that new programs require users to learn new interfaces, menus, etc., thereby imposing impediments to learning these new programs. A significant portion of these impediments can be removed by employing software with which the user already has some measure of familiarity. Applications such as word processors have typically been used for composing documents. Thus, most users will have some level of comfort in using word processors, web browsers, and with less familiarity with spreadsheets, etc., the basic set of programs normally used in day-to-day computing activities.
In the academic environment, for example, students and teachers are now required to use computers to some extent for assignments, examinations, presentations, etc., and more specifically, word processing software for projects such as papers and lab work. When faced with using or preparing technical documents most which require some form of mathematics, this becomes even more problematic when required to also learn existing math software systems as this presents a fairly steep learning curve.


A method of forming and classifying a precipitate containing large, coarse and fine particles from a super-saturated precipitating mother slurry, e.g. sodium aluminate from the Bayer process. The method comprises separating the precipitating mother slurry into a plurality of separate streams, introducing each stream into a vessel provided with an agitated lower zone and a quiescent upper zone to form the precipitate, with the large and coarse particles remaining as a slurry in the agitated lower zone and the fine particles migrating to the quiescent zone, removing product slurry from the lower agitated zone, and removing spent liquor containing the fine particles from the quiescent upper zone. The invention also provides apparatus for carrying out the method. The combined precipitation and partial classification (separation of fine particles) makes it possible to deal with high solids charges increasingly encountered in industrial processes.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for the precipitation and classification of solids from mother liquors (slurries) in industrial processes. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to the precipitation and classification of alumina hydrate from aluminate liquors during the Bayer process for the production of alumina from bauxite.
II. Background Art
In the Bayer process, hydrated aluminum oxide in bauxite is digested at elevated temperature and pressure with concentrated sodium hydroxide solution to form a solution of sodium aluminate. The solution is separated from the remaining insoluble materials (red mud) and is then cooled so that it becomes super saturated. Seed crystals of alumina hydrate are added and a precipitate is produced. Coarse crystals of the resulting precipitate are separated as a product stream intended for drying and calcination to produce alumina. Fine crystals are removed for use in the process and the remaining sodium aluminate (spent liquor) is recycled to the digestion step for use with the caustic hydroxide solution.
In the American variant of the classic Bayer process, it is normal to classify the precipitation discharge stream into large particles (product), a coarse seed fraction and a fine seed fraction. The fine seed is then subjected to an agglomeration process in high ratio sodium aluminate liquor to reduce the number of particles present. This allows the production of a coarse strong product which is not otherwise attainable.
Commercial pressure to increase liquor (sodium aluminate) productivity, and hence the production yield from existing equipment, leads to the use of higher and higher concentrations of caustic sodium hydroxide. The desire to complete the crystallization in a defined time period then leads to higher and higher seed charges. The resultant higher solids content in the precipitation discharge stream makes the conventional separation and classification equipment difficult to operate and/or inefficient or ineffective. In particular, the separation of a fine fraction from a thick (dense) slurry is difficult, although the separation of large (product) particles from a coarse seed fraction is somewhat less difficult. Difficulties of separation are generally encountered at solids concentrations of greater than about 300 gpl solids.
One way of dealing with the need for a high content of solids in contact with precipitating liquor is to make use of the "dense bed" concept. Basically, this concept is the use of a vessel to produce a higher solids concentration in the vessel than the feed to the vessel by removing an underflow of dense slurry and an overflow containing little solid. Generally, this involves introducing the precipitating liquor and seed charge into a tank or other vessel having a lower zone where the precipitated solids is kept in turbulent agitation suitable for crystal growth and an upper non-turbulent zone where solids from the lower zone may enter and sediment back into the lower zone. By transferring an underflow stream and an overflow stream separately into the next tank in a series, it is possible to increase the solids content in the lower zone in comparison with the solids content of the combined feed streams.
However, it is then still necessary to classify the resulting product into the required product, coarse and fine fractions, and this is difficult at high solids contents, as indicated above.
The use of dense bed precipitators in the Bayer process has been suggested in the past, e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,184 issued to Richard H. Featherston on Mar. 14, 1972 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,773 issued to Gl.o slashed.r Mejdell et al. on Sep. 20, 1977. These patents are discussed in the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,184 discloses a process and apparatus for the production of alumina hydrate by creating a different kind of precipitation circuit which uses only one kind of seed material. The process involves continuously introducing aluminate liquor and fine seed slurry into the first of a series of precipitation stages, each stage containing aluminate liquor lower in ratio of alumina to caustic soda concentration than the preceding stage but higher in ratio than the succeeding stage, maintaining in each stage a quiescent region for the separation of fine alumina hydrate particles, and continuously transferring aluminate liquor and entrained fine particles from the quiescent region of each stage to the succeeding stage. The stages employ dense bed precipitators having an upper quiescent region and a lower agitated region. Coarser particle material accumulates in the vessels and each vessel is underflowed periodically to a classification device. Liquid and slightly finer material is returned to the vessel from which it came to maintain the flow conditions in the precipitator chain. This process requires the modification of the entire conventional system to operate as a series of dense bed precipitators.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,773 discloses a process in which aluminate mother liquor is passed countercurrent to the direction of feed of aluminum hydroxide crystals through a plurality of stages each with a dense bed type of configuration. Again, this requires a modification of the entire conventional process to operate with dense bed precipitators. Moreover, it is believed that, if attempted on a commercial scale, this invention would cause uncontrollable scaling, coupled with an inability to control the production of the fines necessary to maintain the process.
Accordingly, while the use of dense bed precipitators has been suggested in the past, the systems disclosed have required complete plant refits or the construction of new plants. The capital outlay is thus considerable. Moreover, the results have not been of great benefit. There is therefore a need for a method and apparatus that can handle higher precipitate densities as part of otherwise conventional Bayer plant equipment.

Method and apparatus for precipitating and classifying solids in high concentrations


An ultrahigh-pressure dual on-line solid phase extraction/capillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography (DO-SPE/cRPLC) system is provided. The system comprises: a sample loading valve into which a first solvent and a sample to be analyzed are loaded; a first column valve in flow communication with a first solid-phase extraction column and a first reverse-phase liquid chromatography column; a second column valve in flow communication with a second solid-phase extraction column and a second reverse-phase liquid chromatography column; a column-switching valve for determining whether the sample is transferred to either the first column valve or the second column valve; a solvent selection valve in flow communication with the first and second column valves to supply the first solvent or a mixed solvent of the first solvent and a second solvent to the first and second column valves; a second solvent loading valve, in flow communication with a solvent mixer, into which the first and second solvents are loaded; a supply pump for loading the second solvent into the second solvent loading valve; and a supply pump for loading the first solvent into the sample loading valve, the second solvent loading valve and the solvent selection valve. The system requires minimal time (i.e. dead time) for column equilibration between successive experiments to shorten the total time required for the experiments by a factor of about two. In addition, the system enables rapid sample injection, on-line sample desalting and sample enrichment. Furthermore, the system is highly reproducible in terms of liquid chromatography (LC) retention time and can be operated at a pressure as high as 10,000 psi.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrahigh-pressure dual on-line solid phase extraction/capillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography system (hereinafter, abbreviated as a 'DO-SPE/cRPLC system' and also referred to simply as a 'system'. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ultrahigh-pressure DO-SPE/cRPLC system that requires minimal time (i.e. dead time) for column equilibration between successive experiments to shorten the total time required for the experiments by a factor of about two, that enables rapid sample injection, on-line sample desalting and sample enrichment, that is highly reproducible in terms of liquid chromatography (LC) retention time, and that can be operated at a pressure as high as 10,000 psi.
2. Description of the Related Art
On-line solid phase extraction/capillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography is recognized as one of the most powerful analytical tools for current proteomic research due to its high analysis efficiency. On-line solid phase extraction/capillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography has various advantages, and particularly, the ability to effectively separate trace amounts of biological analytes and the wide analyte-solid phase interaction range enable researchers to identify low-abundance proteins with great efficiency.
Mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods for identifications of proteins have become standard analytical platforms in proteomic research. The shotgun approach, or bottom-up approach, which is among the most well-established and robust MS-based strategies, relies on proteolytic digestion of proteins into peptides prior to analysis using a mass spectrometer. Such digestion of proteins increases the solubility of the biological samples and creates peptide fragments that are readily ionized and detected in the mass spectrometer.
This process, however, inevitably results in increased sample complexity. For example, yeast proteome, which—at ca. 6,000 different proteins—is one of the simpler proteomes, will provide over 300,000 peptides. Among the various approaches to overcoming this problem is the use of multidimensional protein identification technology (Link, A. J., Eng, J., Schieltz, D. M., Carmack, E., et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 1999, 17, 676-682; Chen, E. I., Hewel, J., Felding-Habermann, B., Yates, J. R. III, Mol. Cell. Proteomics 2006, 5, 53-56.). However, the efficiency and sensitivity of liquid chromatography (LC) columns remain to be improved significantly. It is already known that the sensitivity of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) experiments can be increased dramatically upon decreasing the inner diameters of the separation columns while maintaining their lengths constant (Kim, M.-S., Choie, W.-S., Shin, Y. S., Yu, M. H., Lee, S.-W., Bull. Korean Chem. Soc. 2004, 25, 1833-1839.).
In many cases (e.g., for biological samples that contain substantial amounts of detergents and salts), on-line desalting steps are essential prior to mass analyses because such impurities suppress ionization process of peptide analytes, resulting in decreased detection sensitivity of the analytes. On-line desalting is preferred to off-line methods because the latter are rather time-consuming and also inevitably suffer from sample loss.
Another practical issue when using long, small-inner diameter (ID) capillary columns packed with hydrophobic media is their extended column equilibration (or regeneration) time; in practice, 1-m-long, 75-m-ID columns require at least 2 hours of equilibration before the capillary columns can be reused in subsequent experiments.

Ultrahigh-pressure dual on-line solid phase extraction/capillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography system

Korea University Industry and Academy Cooperation Foundation


A pharmaceutical dosage form comprises, in one portion thereof, a substantially single (+)-enantiomer of a chiral drug other than verapamil and, in another, separate portion thereof, a substantially single (-)-enantiomer of the drug wherein, in use, the different enantiomers are released at different rates from the dosage form. The dosage form is useful for administration of chiral drugs where both enantiomers have a valid pharmacological input, and where a clinical benefit may be realised by controlling the release rates of those enantiomers. Examples of such drugs include, in particular, tramadol and warfarin.

The separate enantiomers of some chiral drugs have different therapeutic properties, and/or mechanisms of action and yet in some cases it may still be desirable to dose both enantiomers together. However, where the pharmacokinetic properties of the separate enantiomers are different, for instance due to differences in the rates at which they are metabolised, the ratio of the different enantiomers changes with time after initial dosing, which can lead to reduced efficacy of the drug. The actual enantiomeric ratio at any one time may be dependent upon a number of factors, and may be further complicated if different dosage forms provide different enantiomeric ratios. Effects such as these have been observed with the different enantiomers of Verapamil, for instance see Longstreth, J. A. Clin. Pharmacol. (1993) 18 (2nd Edition): 315-336 and Gupta et al., Eur. J. Pharm. Biopharm. (1996) 42(1): 74-81.


A spool for a strip of film or other web material has a core and an elongate slot through the core for receiving an end portion of the strip. A separate keeper for retaining the end portion in the slot includes a first portion that is snapped into the slot and holds the end portion firmly against one surface of the slot. The keeper has a second portion that is engageable with the strip outside the slot for holding the strip against an arcuate portion of the core. The keeper can be latched in either a first position in which the keeper is partially inserted into the slot during insertion of the end portion into the slot, or a second position in which the keeper is fully inserted into the slot.

Various techniques are known for attaching the end of a strip of film or other web material to a spool. For example, a film end can be attached to a spool by a piece of adhesive tape. Also, it is known to provide a slot in a spool with one or more teeth or hooks in the slot for engaging openings in an end portion of the film to attach the end portion to the spool. It is also known to use a pin or other kinds of locking members for holding an end portion of film in a spool slot.
When the film has been attached to the spool, the spool is rotated to wind a predetermined length of the film onto the spool. Then the spool can be loaded into a cassette. Film can be removed from the spool by pulling the end of the film opposite from its attachment to the spool away from the spool, as in conventional 35 mm film cassettes. However, in some instances it is desirable to have all of the film wound into the cassette and then to drive the film out of the cassette by rotating the film spool within the cassette in an unwinding direction. In order to thrust the film out of the cassette in this manner, a force must be exerted on the film in its lengthwise direction. If the film is attached by conventional methods, such as adhesive tape or by inserting the film into a slot and engaging it with hooks in the slot, there may not be sufficient rigidity or beam strength in the film to effect thrusting of the free end of the film out of the cassette. The spool of the present invention overcomes this problem and provides a unique and improved manner for attaching the film to the spool.


A capacitive electrode has a flat electrode with a geometric shape, wherein at least one central portion of the electrode is removed to provide for a frame-like form of the electrode.

Capacitive sensing electrodes are used for many different purposes, for example, to provide for a human interface device. Many different types of keyboard like interfaces, touchscreen interfaces or pen tablet devices have been developed and are in existence. For these type of devices and interfaces, capacitive sensors as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are used. These capacitive sensor electrodes as shown, however can only provide for a limited sensitivity. There are a number of different electrode patterns that have been developed and used in the marketplace for Projected Capacitive Touch Sensors. However, there still exists a need exists for an improved capacitive sensor electrode that can provide increased sensitive and also reliability.


A recording sheet is successively fed in the abscissa direction by means of a sprocket. The recording sheet is previously printed with ruled lines with a predetermined inter-line space in the ordinate direction thereof. The sprocket is driven by a pulse motor. Displacement of the recording sheet from one to the next ruled line corresponds to the number of pulses supplied to the pulse motor. Before the beginning of the recording, a ruled line on the recording sheet is brought into positional coincidence with the recording pen. During the movement of the recording sheet after the recording operation having been started, a counter counts the pulses supplied to the pulse motor and is reset every time when the number of the pulses corresponding to the inter-line space has been attained. Upon termination of the recording, the contents in the counter represents the position of a recording pen relative to a certain ruled line. On the basis of the contents in the counter, the recording sheet is automatically fed in the abscissa direction. Upon occurrence of coincidence between the certain ruled line and the recording pen position, the feeding of the recording sheet is stopped. In this manner, the recording pen is always positioned in alignment with one of the ruled lines on the recording sheet at the beginning of the succeeding recording operation, requiring no manipulatability for the positional alignment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a recording system and in particular concerns a system for controlling relative movement between recording means and ruled lines printed on a recording sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Usually, a recording system or apparatus for recording data on a recording strip or sheet is employed as one of the means for displaying the analysis results of analyzing apparatus, output informations from various measuring instruments. The analyzed results are recorded on the recording sheet strip with a certain physical quantity taken along the abscissa as a first variable, while a second physical quantity related to the first quantity is taken along the ordinate. For the quantity taken along the abscissa, there may be enumerated, for example, wavelength or wavenumber in a spectrophotometer, retention time in the case of a chromatograph such as gas or liquid chromatograph, massnumber in the case of a mass spectrum measured by a mass spectrometer, chemical shift in a absorption spectrum in the case of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer and so forth. In most cases of the measurement systems, time is taken along the abscissa.
For the recording of the analyzed results on a recording sheet, it is a prerequisite that the analyzed results are recorded in one-to-one correspondence to the abscissa and the ordinate, respectively. On this assumption, a sample is analyzed in respect of quality or quantity. Accordingly, in order to carry out an analysis with a high accuracy, it is required that variation or displacement in the abscissa direction can be readily read with a high accuracy. In order to meet such requirement, the recording sheet or strip is usually printed with ruled lines with a predetermined inter-line space in the ordinate direction thereof. Various rules or line spaces are adopted. However, the most familiar is a recording sheet printed with an inter-line space of 1 cm. As an attempt to incerease the accuracy, there may be employed a marker system which is adapted for recording a short marker for a space of 1 mm, an intermediate marker for a space of 5 mm and a long marker for a space of 10 mm, for example.
However, if a facilitated reading of variation along the abscissa is of a primary concern, it is preferred to make use of the ruled lines printed previously on the recording sheet. In this case, when spectrum in the wavelength range of 300 nm to 400 nm is to be recorded in the measurement with a spectrophotometer, operator sets at first the position of a recording or writing pen in alignment with a given one of the ruled line in precedence to the starting of the measurement. Assuming that the recording sheet is fed in the abscissa direction at a feeding rate of 20 nm/cm, displacements such as 320 nm, 340 nm and so forth can be offhand read with the space of 20 nm. The positional coincidence between the recording pen and one of the ruled lines in precedence to the initiation of the measurement is required also in the case where the marker system is utilized, because otherwise the ruled line will not be aligned with the marker, thereby reducing the advantages provided by the use of the ruled lines. On the contrary, the presence of the ruled lines may provide obstacle for the reading along the abscissa.
In conjunction with the use of the ruled lines on a recording sheet, there has heretofore been a problem that the writing pen position has to be brought into alignment with a selected one of the ruled lines every time when the measurement is initiated, involving cumbersome manipulation. In conventional measurements, the recording pen will not always coincide with the ruled line after completion of a single measurement. Rather, misalignment will occur more frequently. Accordingly, for the recording with the aid of the ruled lines, operation for aligning the pen position with a selected one of the ruled lines is required for every measurement, which is of course a troublesome procedure.

Recording system with inter-line space positioning means


A disc brake assembly includes a caliper movable relative to a rotor for the purpose of urging a pair of friction elements into engagement with the rotor. A housing of the caliper defines a stepped bore for receiving a piston which cooperates with the housing to form a pressure chamber within the stepped bore. A plate within the pressure chamber separate the pressure chamber into a pair of cavities and a valve assembly controls communication of fluid pressure to one of the pair of cavities and to the other cavity. During initial fluid pressure build-up in the caliper, the valve assembly remains in a first position to communicate fluid pressure to one of the cavities so that the plate and piston advance to a braking position at a first rate of speed. After the initial fluid pressure build-up when the fluid pressure reaches a predetermined value, the valve assembly is movable to a second position to communicate fluid pressure to the other cavity so that the piston is advanced at a second rate of speed less than the first rate of speed.

A disc brake assembly includes a pair of friction elements which are movable by a piston and caliper assembly to a braking position in engagement with a rotor. The pair of friction elements are disposed adjacent the rotor in such proximity, generally, to drag against the rotating rotor. In order to prevent the pair of friction elements from dragging on the rotor, various retraction devices have been devised to hold the pair of friction elements in substantial clearance with the rotor. For example, in the past total clearance between the rotor and pair of friction elements has generally been maintained between five and fifteen thousandths. At present it is intended to generally maintain a total clearance between fifteen and thirty thousandths.
With the increased clearance between the pair of friction elements and the rotor, the piston within the caliper is required to move through an increased distance to fully engage the pair of friction elements with the rotor. Heretofore, a quick take-up or fast fill master cylinder is used to rapidly take up the increased clearance between the pair of friction elements and the rotor. Consequently, the response time for a full brake application remains substantially the same, even though the piston is required to travel through an increased distance.


Sweet taste modulators for enhancing sweetness of an oral consumer product having a sweetener are described. The sweet taste modulators include 5-ethoxymethyl-2-furaldehyde, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,6-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoic acid and 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, syringic aldehyde, sinapic aldehyde, ester of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and vanillic acid, 4-hydrozybenzaldehyde, and 5-methoxymethylfurfural. A method of making 5-ethoxymethyl-2-furaldehyde and a method of making an oral consumer product are also described.

Recent research efforts into food science have been increasingly focused in developing compositions comprising a reduced amount of natural sweetener without compromising the preferred sweet taste. Although naturally-occurring carbohydrate sweeteners, such as sucrose, are the most widely used sweeteners, they suffer from the disadvantages of high cost and high caloric content. Artificial sweeteners have been designed that overcome these problems but they are sometimes rejected by the consumer for not having a sufficiently "sucrose-like" taste. Artificial sweeteners have different sweetness profiles from that of sucrose and often suffer from side effects such as delays in the onset of sweetness perception and/or unpleasant aftertastes.
The perception of sweet taste is mediated by T1R2 and T1R3 G-protein coupled receptors. Heterodimers of T1Rs are necessary for the detection of sweet stimuli. FIG. 1 shows the interaction of the heterodimeric sweet receptor and selective sweet ligands, demonstrating the structural diversity of agonists and their different binding sites. Taste modulators do not directly activate taste receptors; they are able to interact with the receptor and influence the binding affinity of direct agonists.
Certain sweet taste enhancers are already described in literature. Ley et al. ("Enhancers for Sweet Taste from the World of Non-Volatiles: Polyphenols as Taste Modifiers," Sweetness and Sweeteners, ACS Symposium Series, 979 (25), 400-409 (2008)) characterized hydroxylated benzoic acid amides. Servant et al. ("Positive allosteric modulators of the human sweet taste receptor enhance sweet taste," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107 (10), 4746-4751 (2010)) determined three compounds with sweet enhancing character and suggest that these compounds enables a stabilization of the closed form of the Venus flytrap domain of the T1R2-subunit.
Thus, there is an increasing interest in the food industry in taste modulators due to their ability to improve the sweet taste of products by masking and reducing the perception of undesirable flavors while optimizing and enhancing positive sweetness. Despite progress in developing methods for identifying new taste modulators, there is still a need for oral compositions that include sweetness modulators. Moreover, the high demand for low- or non-caloric, natural and synthetic sweeteners has promoted further development of sweet taste modulators as low-cost, low-caloric alternatives that would reduce the quantity of natural or artificial sweeteners in orally delivered products.
In particular, there is a need for a new sweetness modifier which is capable of increasing the sucrose equivalence of a sweetener. Furthermore, there is a need for a sweetener composition that is capable of increasing the sucrose equivalence, as well as, modifying the perception of sweet flavor of the sweetener, the aftertaste of the sweetener, the sweetness onset period of the sweetener, the sweetness peak period of the sweetener and/or the sweetness decay period of the sweetener. Human sweet taste receptors adapt to the perception of sweet taste over time to decrease: (1) maximum intensity of taste perception experienced, (2) total amount of taste perception experienced and (3) total duration of taste perception experienced. The sweet taste modifiers disclosed herein affect human sweet taste receptors to result in an increased (1) maximum intensity of taste perception experienced, (2) total amount of taste perception experienced and (3) total duration of taste perception experienced.


This invention is directed to an environmentally safe, water soluble stripping composition which contains a solution of water, a water soluble ester containing from 4 to 10 carbon atoms and an amount of hydrogen peroxide or compounds which generate hydrogen peroxide in situ; which peroxide concentration is not in excess of 30 wt. % of the water/ester composition. The invention also concerns the use of this biodegradable composition in a process for stripping organic coatings such as paints and resins from substrates.

With the use of crosslinked epoxy and polyurethane paint systems containing heavy metals and paint primers containing chromates, there has arisen a need for a stripping agent which effectively removes these coatings without attacking the substrate base. Although paint strippers comprised mainly of strong acids have proven capable of removing such paints, their propensity for corrosion of metal substrates has limited their use. Alkaline activated paint removers, based on ammonia, amines and caustic agents have been proposed but have been found to be ineffective in such applications. The most active paint strippers to date are methylene chloride based compositions, however, such highly volatile halocarbons are environmentally objectionable and are suspected carcinogens. Although methylene chloride is fast acting, its effectiveness is short lived due to its volatility; thus, repeated applications of the stripper are required for the removal of all but very thin coated layers. To overcome the problem of volatility, N-alkyl pyrrolidones have been substituted in whole or in part for methylene chloride, however, such compositions are equally objectionable because of the lactam's hydrogen bonding properties in the presence of water leading a significant lowering of the stripping rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,385 proposes the use of ketones such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone in formulations with peroxide to provide adequate stripping, but, like methylene chloride, these stripping agents have a short effective life since the ketone component is volatile and extremely flammable.
Other formulations have also failed to meet all of the requirements for stripping compositions such as a high stripping capability, non-flammability, biodegradability and/or freedom from carcinogenic or non-biodegradable chemicals. Accordingly, applicant's aim is to overcome the above difficulties and to provide an ecologically safe, water soluble, biodegradable stripping agent which is resistant to oxidation under ambient conditions and which is non-combustible
It is another object of this invention to provide an ecologically safe stripping composition which effectively removes epoxy and polyurethane containing resinous coatings from a substrate and which minimizes environmental and personal hazards.
Another object is to provide a stripping composition which is non-corrosive to metal surfaces.
Still another object is to provide a process for using the present composition in the removal of resinous coatings without significant damage to aluminum or other metal surfaces.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and disclosure.

Aqueous stripping composition containing peroxide and water soluble ester


An electric motor can be accurately drive-controlled even when a failure occurs in a motor electric angle detection unit. When at least one of a resolver and an angle computation unit is diagnosed as abnormal in an initial diagnosis after a system restart, a motor electric angle initial value is estimated on a basis of a response output of a three-phase electric motor in response to input of a motor drive signal to the three-phase electric motor, a motor electric angle estimation value is calculated on a basis of an output shaft rotation angle detection value detected by an output-side rotation angle sensor and a relative offset amount estimated on a basis of the estimated motor electric angle initial value, and the three-phase electric motor is drive-controlled on a basis of the calculated motor electric angle estimation value.

As a motor control device that controls an electric motor of an electric power steering device that is incorporated in a vehicle, for example, a control device of a multi-phase rotary machine described in PTL 1 is disclosed.
In the conventional example described in PTL 1, a position sensor such as a resolver detects a rotor rotation position θ, and, on the basis of command voltages Vd1 and Vq1 and the rotor rotation position θ, a U-phase command voltage Vuu*1, a V-phase command voltage Vvu*1, and a W-phase command voltage Vwu*1 that are three-phase voltage command values are calculated.

Motor control device, electric power steering device, and vehicle


A system includes a first electronic device that activates a first receiver according to a communication schedule that includes a plurality of frames. Each frame is organized according to a grid including a plurality of cells, wherein the cells are associated with a plurality of communication channels and a plurality of time slots. The system also includes a second electronic device that communicates with the first electronic device by transmitting a wake-up packet during a first time slot on a first communication channel. The first time slot and the first communication channel are located at a known position of a respective grid in each frame of the communication schedule. The first electronic device performs an operation based on the wake-up packet after receiving the wake-up packet. The second electronic device also receives a first acknowledgment packet associated with the wake-up packet.

The present disclosure relates generally to communication schemes between devices in a communication network. More specifically, the present disclosure relates generally to enabling devices to communicate with each other while using power efficiently.
Numerous electronic devices are now capable of connecting to wireless networks. In some instances, the electronic devices communicate between each other using a mesh network. As such, one electronic device may send data to another electronic device by relaying the data via intermediate electronic devices. Although relaying data between electronic devices is a useful way to communicate between devices, power may not be used efficiently by the electronic devices when transmitting and receiving data between each other.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Systems and methods for efficiently communicating between low-power devices


The present disclosure provides a scanning driving circuit and a flat panel display. The scanning driving circuit includes a plurality of cascaded scanning driving units, and each scanning driving unit includes an input circuit receiving a higher level transmission signal, a first clock signal and a second clock signal and outputting a present level transmission signal and a pull-up control signal; an output circuit receiving signal from the input circuit and outputting the lower level transmission signal; a control circuit receiving the first pull-down signal, the second pull-down signal and the pull-up control signal and outputting the scanning driving signal; a scan line receiving scanning driving signal and controlling the pixel unit, in order to meeting the driving demand of the charge sharing pixel while ensure the high aperture ratio of the charge sharing pixel and not affect the reliability of the scanning driving circuit.

Vertical alignment (VA) liquid crystal mode has advantages of high contrast, fast response time and high penetration rates, etc. and has been widely used. Wide viewing angle performance of the VA mode is divided each VA sub-pixel as Main area and Sub area, the Main area is the same as the normal sub-pixel, the Sub area is generated a voltage difference with the Main area through various circuit design, in order to achieve wide viewing angle performance, however the pixel used this design always has two scan lines, wherein the first scan line normal charging the Main area and the Sub area respectively, the second scan line controls a thin film transistor (TFT) to charge sharing with the Sub area, in order to achieve the voltage difference of the Main area and the Sub area, since two scan lines will occupy part of the space, resulting in decreased the pixel aperture ratio, and therefore merged the second scan line and the scan line of the next level pixel to increase the pixel aperture ratio, but such designs require two scan lines cannot simultaneously opened, otherwise the Main area and the Sub area cannot generate a voltage difference, in the existing large-size panel scanning driving circuit design, since the circuit load and other factors, often are used 4CK, 6CK or 8CK a plurality of clock signals, the scanning driving signal generated by this circuit cannot satisfied the needs of driving pixel of the above, so the above problem needs to be improved.

Scan driving circuit and flat panel display

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd


A water-borne low adhesion backsize and release coating latex composition comprising: (a) about 5 to about 70 weight percent of a polymer comprising polymerized free radically polymerizable monomer of the formula C.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 --P--C.sub.m H.sub.2m --X--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CH.sub.2 wherein n is an integer of about 12 to about 20, P is a divalent polar linking group, X is a divalent linking group selected from the group consisting of ##STR1## m is an integer of about 2 to about 10, and R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of --H and --CH.sub.3, (b) about 30 to about 95 weight percent of an aqueous phase, and (c) about 0.05 to about 4 weight percent of an emulsifier, wherein particles of the polymer are stabilized by the emulsifier and dispersed within the aqueous phase. A method of making the latex and sheet materials coated therewith.

Normally tacky and pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) materials have been used for well over half a century. Products of this type, which take the form of tapes, labels, and other types of adhesive coated sheets, must be protected from unintended adhesion to other surfaces. Hence, tapes are typically wound into a roll on their own backing and labels are typically laminated to a release sheet to prevent their accidental adhesion to other surfaces and also to prevent their contamination with air-borne dust and other contaminants. In order to allow a roll of tape to be unwound without the undesirable transfer of adhesive to the tape backing, it is customary to provide the tape backing with a low adhesion backsize (LAB). Similarly, the release sheet or liner, to which the adhesive coated label is typically laminated, is supplied with a release coating to permit the easy removal of the liner from the label. This LAB or release coating is expected to reproducibly provide an appropriate level of release to the adhesive of interest, to not deleteriously affect the adhesive, and to be resistant to aging so that the release level remains relatively stable with time.
The Handbook of Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Technology, 2nd Ed., D. Satas Ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1989, Chapter 23, describes polymers which may be used as release agents for PSA tapes. Various polymers of lower critical surface tension such as silicones, fluorine-containing polymers, and long alkyl chain branched polymers are useful as release coatings. Long alkyl chain branched polymers are waxy compounds which can be used to prepare release coatings of medium release value which are especially desirable for PSA tapes. Many release coating patents describe the use of such long alkyl chain branched polymers. For example, Hendricks, U.S. Pat. No. 2,607,711 (1952) discloses the use of copolymers of alkyl acrylate and acrylic acid for tape release coatings. According to Hendricks alkyl acrylates having an alkyl side chain of 16-20 carbon atoms are the more suitable, with octadecyl acrylate being the preferred comonomer.
Examples of other long alkyl chain branched copolymers include stearyl methacrylate - acrylonitrile copolymer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,497); copolymers of stearyl acrylate or methacrylate with other monomers (U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,198); polyvinyl esters such as polyvinyl stearate, polyvinyl palmitate, polyvinyl arachidate, and polyvinyl behenate (U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,073); stearyl maleate-vinyl acetate copolymer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,771); polyvinyl stearate, polyvinyl laurate, copolymers of vinyl stearate with vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride, copolymers of octadecyl acrylate with other monomers (U.S. Pat. No. 2,913,355); polyethylene imines acylated with higher fatty acids (U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,342); poly-N-acyl imine (U.S. Pat. No. 3,475,196); solution polymers of vinyl stearate, allyl stearate, or vinyl octadecyl ether with maleic anhydride (U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,894); N-stearyl polyacrylamide (U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,588); solution polymerized stearyl itaconate, monacetyl itaconate, and monobehenyl itaconate (U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,566); copolymers of N-substituted long straight chain alkyl maleamic acids and vinyl monomers (U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,625); and polyvinyl N-octadecyl carbamate prepared by reacting polyvinyl alcohol and octadecyl isocyanate (U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,011).
Takaji, European Patent Application 80302935.4, Publication Number 0,024,908, Publication date Mar. 11, 1981, discloses polymeric release agents prepared via an organic solvent based polymerization of a vinyl monomer of the general formula CH.sub.2 .dbd.CR.sup.1 COO(CH.sub.2 CHR.sup.2 O).sub.n CONHR, wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each represent a hydrogen or methyl group, R represents an alkyl group of at least 12 carbon atoms or a fluoroalkyl group of at least 6 carbon atoms, and n is an integer of 1 to 6. European Patent Application 80302935.4 also discusses the polymerization of the vinyl monomer with other vinyl compounds. However, European Patent Application 80302935.4 does not teach or suggest the preparation of water-borne LABs or release coatings from such monomers.
All of the long-chain branched polymers discussed above are solvent-based polymers. They are prepared via polymerization reactions which are conducted in organic solvents and are typically coated out as dilute solutions, e.g., 1-10 percent, in the organic solvents in order to provide thin release coating layers on suitable backings. The use of such solvent-based release coatings in the manufacture of PSA tapes and other products poses both fire hazards and health hazards, in addition to being uneconomical, due to the organic solvents which constitute a large proportion of the coating solutions (i.e., generally greater than 90 weight percent). These organic solvents are typically either emitted into the air or burned in emission control devices. This is quite undesirable from the standpoint of environmental protection and energy conservation. An urgent need therefore exists for water-borne LABs and release coatings which can be prepared via aqueous polymerization reactions which can be coated onto suitable substrates as aqueous solutions or dispersions.
As indicated above, solvent-borne release coatings and LABs pose severe risks to the environment and are also uneconomical. Attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with solvent-borne release coatings and LABs by the development of water-borne release coatings and LABs.
Collins, Great Britain Patent Specification 859,739 (published Jan. 25, 1961) discusses a backsize coating composition in the form of a substantially homogeneous and relatively stable aqueous dispersion adapted to be applied to a backing to form a thin coating which comprises a water-dispersible film former agent and a lesser amount of a water-insoluble water-dispersible release agent. The release agent which is incompatible with the film-former agent comprises either a fatty alcohol ester copolymer or fatty acid ester copolymer. Examples of the release agent include stearyl maleate-vinyl acetate copolymers and octadecyl acrylate-acrylic acid copolymers. The release agents are prepared by mixing the copolymers which are prepared and contained within organic solvents with isopropanol, water, and morpholine followed by distillation in order to remove the organic solvents. Thus, this approach is not a solvent-free process. In addition, the backsize coatings thus obtained do not provide good release properties for more aggressive pressure sensitive adhesives.
Dahlquist and Zenk, Great Britain Patent Specification 870022 (published Jun. 7, 1961) describes a pressure sensitive adhesive tape having a low adhesion backsize comprising a tetrapolymer of octadecyl acrylate, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, and methyl acrylate in the approximate proportions by weight of 5:1:3:1. The tetrapolymer is obtained by the polymerization of the monomers in one or more organic solvents. Luedke, Dahlquist, and Hendricks, U.S. Pat. No. 3,011,988 (issued Dec. 5, 1961) discloses a method of converting such a tetrapolymer solution into an aqueous dispersion. The method involves the addition of water and morpholine to an organic solvent solution of the tetrapolymer followed by the removal of the organic solvent by distillation. Likewise, this approach is not a solvent-free process.
Doehnert, U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,741 (issued Nov. 10, 1981) discloses an aqueous release backsize coating composition for use in conjunction with pressure sensitive adhesive tapes. The coating composition comprises an acrylate terpolymer useful as a release polymer, a base, a polar solvent wetting agent, and a water-soluble thickening agent. The release polymer is obtained by the polymerization of a higher alkyl acrylate ester monomer, a carboxyl supplying monomer, and an acrylate derived hardening monomer in an organic solvent. A preferred acrylic ester is stearyl methacrylate. The aqueous backsize composition is prepared by adding a base to a solution of the terpolymer in an organic solvent, followed by the addition of a thickener and an aqueous solvent mixture. Again, this approach is not a solvent-free process. Furthermore, the backsize coatings prepared thereby do not provide the desired release or unwind properties for more aggressive pressure sensitive adhesives.
Wempe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,183 (issued May 31, 1983) and Wempe U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,830 (issued Apr. 3, 1984) disclose a polyvinyl alcohol based release coating composition for strippable substrates which is useful in conjunction with pressure sensitive adhesives. The release coating composition comprises a polyvinyl alcohol, a migratable release promoting agent, a water-soluble salt of a coordinating metal, and a water-soluble boron compound in an aqueous solution. According to Wempe the migratable release promoting agent may be any surface active agent exhibiting release promoting properties and surface activity in water and having a hydrophilic region which tends to bury itself in the water mass. Coatings formed from such compositions do not provide the desired release and aging properties for more aggressive pressure sensitive adhesives.
Thus, most existing polymer systems useful as LABs and release coatings which are described in the literature are solvent-based systems. However, due to safety, economical, and environmental concerns, solvent-free water-borne LAB and release coating systems are highly desirable. The so-called "aqueous release coating systems" described in the literature are mostly aqueous dispersions converted from solvent-based polymer systems and thus are not truly solvent-free polymer systems. In addition, such converted polymer systems do not provide desirable release and aging properties for more aggressive pressure sensitive adhesives. Other coating systems such as those that use surfactants as migratable release agents are also disadvantageous in that they do not provide desirable release and aging properties.
Attempts have been made at preparing aqueous-based dispersions of long alkyl chain branched polymers by the emulsion polymerization of monomer systems comprising long alkyl chain vinyl monomers such as octadecyl acrylate, stearyl methacrylate, vinyl stearate, etc. However, because of the relatively low reactivity of these long alkyl chain monomers as compared to short alkyl chain vinyl monomers in aqueous systems, difficulties have been encountered in attempting to incorporate these long alkyl chain vinyl monomers into a polymer structure. Thus, the polymer dispersions or emulsions prepared via such methods do not provide desirable release and aging properties. So far, there has been no successful development of a water-borne release coating system. An urgent need therefore exists for a water-borne release coating system which is environmentally safe and economical and which provides desirable release and aging properties.

Water-borne low adhesion backsize and release coating compositions, methods of making the compositions, and sheet materials coated therewith

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A liquid supply apparatus includes: a tank including a liquid storage chamber, a first wall configured such that liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber visually recognizable from outside, and a second wall having a supply opening; a cover configured to cover at least the first wall and including a third wall having a light transmitting portion via which a particular portion of the first wall is visually recognizable from outside; a film bonded to the tank and partly protruding toward the cover from a portion of the first wall different from the particular portion; and a positioner configured to position the tank with respect to the cover. The film extends in a direction containing a component in an up and down direction. A length of the portion of the film which protrudes from the first wall is greater than the particular length.

The following disclosure relates to a liquid supply apparatus including a tank refillable with liquid through a supply opening.
There is known a printer including: a tank refillable with ink; and a recording head configured to receive the ink from the tank and record an image on a sheet by ejecting the ink through nozzles. When the ink stored in the tank is consumed, a user can refill the tank through the supply opening of the tank with the ink stored in a bottle.
The tank of such a printer normally includes a visual-recognition wall. The visual-recognition wall allows a user to check a remaining amount of the ink stored in the tank, from outside of the tank. The visual-recognition wall is formed of a material having such light transparency that the inside of the tank is visually recognizable from the outside of the tank.


A control method for an injection molding machine comprises the steps of measuring a density of a molten resin in a heating cylinder, controlling a stroke of an injection screw in an injection process by feed forward control based on the measuring step, and controlling an operating parameter of the injection molding machine based upon the measuring step.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an injection molding machine and, more specifically, a controlling method that is suitable to reduce variations in weight of molded products.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a motor-driven injection molding machine will now be described, centering on an injection unit included therein. The motor-driven injection molding machine comprises an injection unit driven by a servomotor. In such an injection unit, rotation of the servomotor is converted into a linear motion by a ball screw and a nut, thereby moving a screw forward and backward.
In FIG. 1, rotation of an injection servomotor 11 is transmitted to a ball screw 12. A nut 13 is fixed on a pressure plate 14 and moved forward and backward by rotation of the ball screw 12. The pressure plate 14 is movable along four guide bars 15, 16 (only two of them are shown in the figure) fixed on a base frame (not shown). Forward and backward motion of the pressure plate 14 is transmitted to a screw 20 via a bearing 17, a load cell 18, and an injection shaft 19. The screw 20 is rotatably and axially movably disposed in a heating cylinder 21. The heating cylinder 21 includes a hopper 22 for feeding a resin at the position corresponding to the rear portion of the screw 20. Rotation motion of a servomotor 24 for rotating the screw 20 is transmitted to the injection shaft 19 via connecting members 23 such as a belt or pulleys. In other words, the servomotor 24 rotates the injection shaft 19, which rotates the screw 20.
In a plasticizing/measuring process, the screw 20 rotates and moves backward in the heating cylinder 21, whereby a molten resin is stored in front of the screw 20, that is, in the heating cylinder 21 on the side of a nozzle 21-1. The backward movement of the screw 20 is effected by a pressure caused by the gradually increasing amount of a molten resin stored in front of the screw 20.
In a filling and injecting process, forward movement of the screw 20 is effected by driving force of the injection servomotor 11, whereby the molten resin stored in front of the screw 20 is filled and pressurized in a metal mold for molding. In this case, the force to press the molten resin is detected by the load cell 18 as an injection pressure. The detected injection pressure is amplified by a load cell amplifier 25 and fed into a controller 26. The pressure plate 14 is provided with a position detector 27 for detecting the amount of movement of the screw 20. The detected signal outputted from the position detector 27 is amplified by a position detector amplifier 28 and fed into the controller 26.
The controller 26 outputs current (torque) instruction values corresponding to the respective processes based on the set values preset by a display/setting unit 33 via a man-machine controller 34. A drive 29 controls current for driving the injection servomotor 11 to control output torque of the injection servomotor 11. A drive 30 controls current for driving the servomotor 24 to control the number of revolutions of the servomotor 24. The injection servomotor 11 and the servomotor 24 comprise encoders 31 and 32, respectively, for detecting the numbers of revolutions. The numbers of revolutions detected by the encoders 31 and 32 are fed to the controller 26. Especially, the number of revolutions detected by the encoder 32 is used to know the number of revolutions of the screw 20.
On the other hand, a plurality of heaters 40 are disposed around the heating cylinder 21 for heating and melting the resin fed from the hopper 22. These heaters 40 are controlled by a temperature controller 41. The temperature controller 41 receives the temperature detecting signals fed from a plurality of thermocouples 42 disposed in the vicinity of the heaters 40. The temperature controller 41 outputs the temperature detecting signals from the plurality of thermocouples 42 to the controller 26 as thermocouple-detected values. The temperature controller 41 also controls the plurality of heaters 40 based on the heater temperature-setting signals that represent the heater temperature setting values sent from the controller 26.
Actually, as shown in FIG. 2, multiple zones are defined around the heating cylinder 21, and the respective heaters are disposed in their respective zones around the heating cylinder 21 and independently controlled in terms of energization. Normally, multiple zones are defined in such a manner that a zone Z0 is allocated immediately below the hopper 22, and from there, zones Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, and Z5 are allocated in sequence toward the nozzle 21-1.
In the injection molding machine, it is important to manufacture a large volume of products that are stable in quality in a short time at a low cost. Hereinafter, the description about the stable quality will be made limiting to the weight of the molded product. The controlling methods for obtaining a stable quality are as follows. The first method is a controlling method that can make correction for disturbances. In other words, feedback control maintains a characteristic that is considered to be an alternative to variations in weight of molded products in constant. The second method is a control method that aims at no-variation in weight by estimating variations in weight of the molded products in advance, and applying signals that cancels the estimated variations (feed forward control).
However, in the second controlling method, it is very difficult to ascertain the controlled object. Therefore, before using the second controlling method generally, many problems must be solved.
Referring now to the block diagram of FIG. 3, the outline of a mold internal pressure feed forward controlling method based on the second controlling method presented in the injection process will be described. In FIG. 3, Gc(S) represents a transfer function in the controller for controlling the injection servomotor 11 described in conjunction with FIG. 1, and Gp(S) represents a transfer function of the process. G1p(S) represents a transfer function for converting a disturbance such as variations in temperature of the heating cylinder 21 into variations in density of the molten resin. It is because variations in density of the molten resin effect on the mold internal pressure, and consequently, the weight of the molded product may vary. The disturbance is caused by various factors, for example, by variations in temperature of the heating cylinder 21, or by the state of the molten resin such as the temperature or the pressure, and the number of revolutions of the screw. In any cases, respective sensors that correspond to the respective types of the disturbance may detect such disturbances, and the detected results are fed to a subtracter 51. Assuming that the signal between the transfer function Gc(S) in the controller and the transfer function Gp(S) of the process is a value detected by the load cell described in conjunction with FIG. 1,
Gc (S)=value detected at the load cell (S)/disturbance (S),
Gp (S)=mold internal pressure/value detected at the load cell (S), are satisfied.
On the other hand, the transfer function G1p(S) is used for generating signals for canceling variations in amount of control caused by disturbances (in this case, the mold internal pressure that may effect on the weight of the molded product). Assuming that the amount of change in the mold internal pressure caused by the disturbance is xcex94p (t), the transfer function G1p(S) is used for generating the signal corresponding to xe2x88x92xcex94p(t).
As described above, in the current feed forward controlling method, variations in weight of the molded product is intended to be eliminated by maintaining the mold internal pressure at a intended value by detecting the disturbances that have been converted into variations in density of the molten resin and applying operational signals that can cancel detected variations in density of molten resin to the control system. The operational signals described here mean, specifically, signals of which the real stroke of the screw in the injection process is considered to be the amount of operation.
However, it is not easy to convert variations in density of the molten resin into the real stroke of the screw. Even for the identical variations in density of the molten resin, when changes occurred in the temperature of the resin or the amount of cushion at the time of injecting motion, the transfer function G1p (S) must be changed. This is difficulty of the feed forward control.
Difficulty of feed forward control will now be described from the different point of view. The primary cause of variations in density of the molten resin consists in variations in size of a resin material (variations in size of the pellet or ground material). In the actual molding operation, a method for stabilizing the molten resin density employed here uses the technique of changing the set temperatures for the zones Z1 and Z2 of the heating cylinder 21 shown in FIG. 2. More specifically, the set values of temperature for the zones Z1 and Z2 of the heating cylinder 21 are increased in the molding operation in which melting of a resin takes longer time than usual due to the reasons such that the size of a resin material is large, the molding cycle is short, or the measuring stroke is large. The reason is that melting temperature of a resin is not affected largely by a small change of the set values of temperature for the zones Z1 and Z2. Changing the number of revolution of the screw or the backing pressure of the screw may be contemplated as an alternative method, but this method cannot be employed easily due to its significant effect on the temperature of resin.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems found in the feed forward control, and to provide a method for controlling an injection molding machine that can reduce variations in weight of the molded products.
It is another object of the present invention to stabilize the density of the molten resin and to reduce variations in weight of the molded product by adding an auxiliary feedback control system that considers the temperature of a heating cylinder as the amount of the operation.
The present invention is a method for controlling an injection molding machine. The method according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of measuring a density of a molten resin in a heating cylinder, controlling a stroke of an injection screw in an injection process by feed forward control based on the measuring step, and controlling an operating parameter of the injection molding machine based upon the measuring step.
The method according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of measuring a density of molten resin in a heating cylinder, determining a state of a temperature of the heating cylinder based upon a predetermined algorithm, and controlling a temperature of the heating cylinder based upon the measuring step and the determined state of the temperature, thereby minimizing variations in density of the molten resin.

Method for controlling an injection molding machine capable of reducing variations in weight of molded products


A lead frame lead and method of fabrication of the leadframe. A leadframe is formed from one of copper or copper-based material having a layer of an alloy of palladium and nickel and a coating of palladium formed over the alloy on the leadframe. The coating of palladium is from about 3 to about 10 microinches and preferably about 3 microinches. The palladium/nickel layer is from about 10 to about 40 microinches and preferably about 10 microinches and is an alloy having from about 40 to about 90 percent by weight nickel and the remainder essentially palladium. A preferred ratio is 75 percent by weight nickel and 25 percent by weight palladium. A semiconductor device is fabricated by providing a copper or copper-based leadframe and forming a layer of the palladium/nickel alloy over the entire leadframe followed by a palladium layer thereover while maintaining the assembly temperature below about 180 degrees C during subsequent device assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to leadframes and methods of fabrication of such leadframes.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, semiconductor integrated circuit chips are generally secured to leadframes with bond pads on the chips being coupled to inner lead fingers of the leadframe by way of gold wires. The leadframes make the electrical connection of the integrated circuit to the circuit board possible. To accomplish this purpose, the leadframes provide gold wire bondable inner lead surfaces to allow connection of the gold wire from the integrated circuit bond pad to the leadframe inner lead by bonding, as well as a flat surface to which the integrated circuit chip is attached. The chip inner leads with wire bonds are then encapsulated in plastic and the external leads, which remain external to the plastic encapsulation, must then be solderable to the printed circuit board surface, typically using a solder paste.
In the prior art, the external leads, after encapsulation of the chip and internal leads with gold wires, have been either dipped in molten solder, which is generally an alloy of tin and lead, or plated with the tin/lead solder to preserve the solderability of the external leads. The internal lead tips has been silver spot plated during leadframe manufacture prior to chip attach. A lead finish was thereafter introduced into the art based upon nickel and palladium which eliminated the use of solder and consequently the lead and tin contained in the solder from the leadframe. It also eliminates the silver spot plating of the internal leads. All plating is provided by the leadframe manufacturer, so there is no need for plating at the assembly site. This has proven over time to be a stable and robust lead finish with demonstrable benefits. The drawback to this system is that the nickel layer is generally thick, being on the order of 40 to 120 microinches, to prevent copper diffusion from the base metal to the surface, nickel is a target, albeit of lower importance than lead, of environmental concern. The deposition of nickel is also time consuming and requires rather extensive and expensive waste treatment facilities. It is therefore apparent that elimination or reduction of the nickel and/or replacement of the nickel with a more environmentally and/or economically friendly material is highly desirable.

Lead-free and cyanide-free plating finish for semiconductor lead frames