The thin film deposition system for depositing a thin film on the surface of substrates disposed in a sealed thin film deposition furnace comprises a measuring unit at a site communicating with the thin film deposition furnace, the measuring unit comprising a thin film deposition sample substrate for allowing a thin film substance flowing in from the thin film deposition furnace to adhere while X-ray incidence and extraction windows being provided on the side walls of the measuring unit, wherein X-ray is irradiated on the thin film deposition sample substrate in the measuring unit through the X-ray incidence window by means of a thin film measuring unit provided at the outside of the thin film deposition furnace, and the X-ray reflected from the thin film deposition sample substrate is sensed through the X-ray extraction window.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of thin film deposition technologies for allowing real time in-situ measurements of deposited thin films.
2. Description of the Related Art
Real time in-situ measurements of deposited thin films formed on the surfaces of a substrate in a thin film deposition furnace are quite important for depositing the thin film with high accuracy.
An optical thin film measuring apparatus taking advantage of laser interferometry has been known in the art as the thin film measuring apparatus as described above.
This optical thin film measuring apparatus is particularly applied for measuring a transparent thin film such as a dielectric material. In this optical thin film measuring apparatus, a laser beam is irradiated on the surface of a thin film deposition substrate disposed in a thin film forming furnace, and the intensity of the beam reflected from the surface is sensed using a photo-cell. The intensity of the reflected light sensed with the photo-cell exhibits a periodic characteristic due to interference between the reflected light from the surface of the substrate and the reflected light from the surface of the thin film, and the thickness of the thin film is measured by the number of interference cycles.
However, the conventional optical thin film measuring apparatus involves a measuring limit ascribed to the wavelength of the light used, and a measuring accuracy exceeding the critical accuracy cannot be expected.
Required levels in the industrial fields for the production of the thin film have became quite high in recent years, often claiming a quite high level accuracy of several angstroms for the thickness of the thin film. Accordingly, a thin film measuring apparatus that can replace the optical thin film measuring apparatus has been desired.

Method and apparatus for measuring thin film, and thin film deposition system


A semiconductor device is formed of an insulative case frame having a frame portion; a lead pin block having a base and a plurality of lead pins with inner leads formed in the base, the lead pin block being installed inside the frame portion; a base plate attached to the frame portion for covering a first opening; a circuit board bonded to an inner face of the base plate and having semiconductor chips thereon connected to ends of the inner leads; a gel resin sealant filling an inner space of the insulative case frame over the circuit board and the semiconductor chips; and an insulative cover plate placed on the insulative case frame for closing a second opening of the insulative case frame. A sealing agent is disposed between the lead pin block and the frame portion to seal a gap therebetween, and an air vent is formed in the base of the lead pin block to communicate between the inner space and atmosphere.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device called "power module", which houses a circuit board having semiconductor elements thereon in an insulative case frame, and more specifically to a structure for installing a lead pin block on which many lead pins are formed.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing a structure of a conventional semiconductor device called "power module" or "intelligent power module". And, FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5--5 in FIG. 4.
As shown in these figures, the semiconductor device has an insulative case frame 10 having a frame portion 12. A radiator base plate or metal plate 20 is bonded with an adhesive to a first opening step 14 formed on a first side of the frame portion 12 to close a first opening of the case frame 10. Circuit boards 30, 31, i.e. ceramic boards, are bonded with a solder and so on to the inside face of the radiator base plate 20. Lead frames 40 through 45 are connected at the inner lead ends A thereof to a thick film wiring formed on the circuit board 30. A lead Din block 70 with lead pins P1 through P16 standing thereon is fixed to the frame portion 12 of the insulative case frame 10. The ends B of inner leads of the respective lead pins P1 through P16 are connected to the thick film wiring formed on the circuit board 31. A gel resin sealant 50, e.g. silicone resin, is filled in an inner space of the case frame 10 to immerse or cover the circuit board 30, the inner leads of the lead frames 40 through 45 and the inner leads of the lead pins P1 through P16. An insulative cover plate 60 is bonded with an adhesive to a second opening step 18 formed on a second side of the frame portion 12 to close the second opening of the case frame 10.
Semiconductor elements or chips 32, 34, such as power transistors, IGBTs (conductivity-modulation-type transistors), diodes, thyristors, and so on are mounted on the circuit boards 30, 31. The inner lead ends A of the lead frames 40 through 45 are bonded with a solder and so on to the land portions of the thick film wiring of the circuit board 30, and connected through bonding wires 32a, 34a to the corresponding semiconductor elements 32, 34.
The lead frames 40 through 45 are fixed to the frame portion 12 by insert molding, and terminal washers 40a through 45a at the frame portion 12 are connected with terminal screws (not shown) for outer connection.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a lead pin block and its installation structure. Referring now to FIG. 6, the lead pin block 70 is molded by an insert molding separately from the insulative case frame 10. The lead pin block 70 includes a base 71 on which the lead pins P1 through P16 are standing, a step 72, a coupling claw (not shown) formed on the other side opposite to the face that the step 72 is formed, and guide pins G1, G2. The upper face of the step 72 is positioned at the same height as the upper face of the second opening step 18 when the step 72 is inserted into slots 12a formed on the inner face of the frame portion 12 of the insulative case frame 10, so as to accept the insulative cover plate 60. The coupling claw couples with a wedge-shaped coupling claw 12b formed on the inner face of the frame portion 12. The guide pins G1, G2 are inserted into respective quiche holes formed on a female connector (not shown) for the lead pins P1 through P16. A pair of support pins 12c, which sustain the inserted lead pin block 70 at the predetermined height, is formed on the inner face of the frame portion 12.
The lead pin block 70 is formed by molding separately from the insulative case frame 10 for reducing the volume of the resin mold to further reduce the influence of the sink and so on of the resin. By this measure, the precision of the pitch between the lead pins and the verticalness of the lead pins P1 through P16 are improved, and therefore, the production yield of the semiconductor device is improved.
The lead pin block 70 is installed on the insulative case frame 10 tightly enough not to come out easily by inserting the lead pin block 70 into the slots 12a and coupling the coupling claw 12b of the frame portion 12 with the coupling claw of the lead pin block 70. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the gel resin sealant 50, i.e. silicone resin, is filled in the insulative case frame 10, and then closed with the insulative cover plate 60 bonded with an adhesive to the second opening step 18 of the insulative case frame 10 and the step 72 of the lead pin block 70.
The above described structure for installing the lead pin block 70 on the semiconductor module has following drawbacks.
The gel resin sealant 50, i.e. silicone resin, is heated to cause heat expansion due to heating for bonding the insulative cover plate 60 to the insulative case frame 10 or heat generated from the power elements, covered by the gel resin sealant 50, of the operating semiconductor module. The expanding gel resin sealant 50 spreads out through an insertion gap G between the base 71 of the lead pin block 70 and the inner face of the frame portion 12, or lifts up the insulative cover plate 60.
Also, since the lead pins P1 through P16 are extremely fine square rods less than 1 mm in width, the lead pins are easily bent by the unwanted contact and so on during packaging or transporting of the semiconductor module. And, the resin guide pins G1, G2 are easily broken.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide a semiconductor device for installing a lead pin block that prevents the gel resin sealant from spreading out through the insertion gap between the base of the lead pin block and the inner face of the frame portion.
It is another object of the invention to provide a semiconductor device with a protective structure that prevents the lead pins and guide pins from bending or breaking during transporting and so on of the semiconductor device.


Systems, non-transitory computer-readable media, and computer-implemented methods are provided for using location data of discharge vehicles for management of distributions of task assignments. Systems, non-transitory computer-readable media, and computer-implemented methods are provided for collecting task specifications and identifying appropriate task-performing resources. Systems, non-transitory computer-readable media, and computer-implemented methods are provided for using location data of discharge vehicles for electronically adjusting scheduled tasks. Systems, non-transitory computer-readable media, and computer-implemented methods are provided for assigning tasks based on empirical performance assessments of resource-allocation systems.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to geotracking and in particular to systems and methods for biased task assignments based on geotracking of discharge vehicles.
According to conventional practices, when special needs transportation must be coordinated, staff members of an originating special needs facility, of a destination special needs facility, and of transportation companies typically coordinate the transportation via a series of telephone calls. For example, the special needs transportation may correspond to transporting a patient by ambulance between hospitals and/or other medical facilities. In some cases, a transfer center may also be involved to act as a middleman between several transportation companies and the special needs facilities.
To request a transfer, a first staff member of a first special needs facility relays a request for transportation to one or more other parties by telephone. The first staff member must communicate all the details of the need, such as details of a person to be transported, a pickup location, a pickup time, a destination, special circumstances, account details, policy details, etc. One or more other staff members (of a transfer center, a transportation company, or a destination facility) typically type the received information, entering the information into a system that is separate from any system of the first special needs facility. In some cases, where medical facility personnel call transportations companies directly, sometimes several ambulance companies must be contacted to coordinate a transfer and/or to reap the benefits of competition. In the case of transfer center involvement, transfer center staff then telephones a transportation company and further relays the information about the transfer. Thus, multiple telephone calls and multiple conversations, at a minimum, are required for the for the setup of the transfer.
After setup of the transfer, coordination often ends. The medical facilities are ignorant of any statuses of the transport vehicle, of ETAs (estimated times of arrival), of whether the transport vehicle is on-time, early or late, of whether there are any plan changes, etc., unless a staff member picks up the telephone again and calls the transfer center, the transport vehicle, or the transportation company. Even then, one more additional phone calls or radio communications may be necessary to gather a modicum of current information.
Thus, the communications throughout the process are in large part by word-of-mouth. Moreover, in order to determine options and coordinate logistics that take into account different needs, different availabilities, different capabilities, and difference performances, an expert is necessary to make judgment calls and attempt to somewhat shepherd the transfer. As a consequence of all these factors, the conventional practices are error-prone, knowledge-deficient, time-consuming, and inefficient.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for biased task assignments based on geotracking of discharge vehicles. This and other needs are addressed by the present disclosure.

Biased task assignments based on geotracking of discharge vehicles


A fixed transmitter for operating a rolling code receiver is disclosed. A set of fixed codes is captured from a rolling code transmitter that is used to actuate a corresponding rolling code receiver. The set of fixed codes is stored in a memory of a fixed code transmitter. The fixed code transmitter, upon each actuation, transmits one or more codes of the set of fixed codes to operate the rolling code receiver. The set of stored fixed codes in the fixed code transmitter has fewer codes than a total number of unique codes that can be generated by the rolling code receiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed in general to security systems and in particular to a security system that includes a transmitter for operating a rolling code receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transmitter-receiver controller systems are widely used for remote control and/or actuation of devices or appliances such as garage door openers, gate openers, and security systems. Rather than transmitting a single code N to operate the receiver, rolling code technology is based on the idea that the recognized operating code of the security system changes each time an operating code is provided. The activation code is altered each time in both the transmitter and the receiver according to a rolling code algorithm, which produces a specific number of possible code combinations. In most cases, the transmitter and receiver of a rolling code system both contain a synchronized code generator that calculates a new operating code each time a code is provided and/or received. Thus, the operating code combination N of the system changes to code combination N+1 after code N is used, then code N+1 changes to code combination N+2 and so on.
In the case of a transmitter, its code generator produces a new code (e.g., N+1) each time it transmits a code, whether or not the receiver actually received the new code. While in the case of the receiver, its code generator advances to a new code (e.g., N+1) only when it receives a valid code. However, where the transmitter transmits a code, but the receiver does not receive the transmitted code, the transmitter and receiver will be out of synchronization. That is, the code generator in the transmitter will be further along in the code sequence than the code generator in the receiver. This may occur, for example, when the transmitter is activated outside the maximum range of the receiver. Thus, when a rolling code transmitter is activated "out of range," the transmitter will transmit code N and advance its rolling code to code N+1, but the receiver will remain at code N and continue to expect code N. When the rolling code transmitter is activated "in range," it will transmit code N+1, but the rolling code receiver will not respond because it expects code N.
To avoid having to reset the rolling code generator each time the transmitter and receiver are out of synchronization, manufacturers of rolling code systems provide code windows. Some manufacturers provide one or more forward windows, while others will also provide a backward window. Rolling code receivers having code window will be activated, not only by the current code N in the rolling code sequence, but also at any other code in the designated code window.

Transmitter for operating rolling code receivers


A balancing force adjusting device for a window which raises and lowers includes a case, a horizontal gear member, a click member and a vertical gear member. The horizontal gear member is rotatably arranged around the horizontal axis in a predetermined position with this case, and a ratchet gear is formed around a shaft portion of the horizontal gear member. The click member is rotatably arranged in a predetermined angular range around the horizontal axis in a position adjacent to the horizontal gear member, and has two clicks extending in the horizontal gear member direction and respectively arranged on both the sides of an intermediate shaft portion. The vertical gear member is engaged with the horizontal gear member. One side click of the click member is biasedly engaged with the ratchet gear formed in the horizontal gear member. When the engagement of this one side click is released by a swinging operation, the other side click is engaged with the ratchet gear so that a torsion spring can be unwound every one gear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a balancing device of a raising-lowering window having a movable shoji opened and closed in the vertical direction.
2. Description of Related Art
In the raising-lowering window for opening and closing the shoji in the vertical direction, a structure having a balancing device for holding a dynamic balancing relation with the shoji weight with respect to the above shoji is arranged so as to simply raise and lower the shoji by slight force and rest the shoji in an arbitrary opening position is known. This balancing device is a device devised so as to apply balancing force balancing with the window shoji through a spiral rod by utilizing the torsional force of a torsion spring. For example, publicly known balancing devices are described in JP-A-3-161683, JP-A-3-180683 and JP-A-4-238984.
These inventions mainly relate to the adjustment of the above torsion spring. Concretely, an adjusting mechanism conventionally proposed is generally divided into a structure for rotating an adjusting shaft arranged in a slide device by a ratchet mechanism in only one direction, and a structure for winding a brake spring of a coil shape around an adjusting shaft and giving braking force to the adjusting shaft by the tight binding force of the brake spring.
However, in the adjusting structure using the above ratchet mechanism, it is very convenient to wind and fasten the torsion spring, but no torsion spring can be unwound. Therefore, this adjusting structure has disadvantages in that the adjustment is limited to one direction, and the torsional force of the torsion spring is released at a stretch, etc. In contrast to this, the structure utilizing the brake spring is more excellent than the structure of the above ratchet mechanism since both the winding and unwinding operations can be performed. However, there is a fearful problem with respect to the braking force using the brake spring. Therefore, problems exist in that the unwinding operation is naturally caused by a slip and slackness is caused with the passage of time so that no sufficient braking function can be maintained for a long period, etc.
Further, the adjusting shaft must be rotated against the brake spring. Therefore, problems exist in that labor taken in the adjustment is large, etc.
In comparison with the above ratchet structure and the above brake spring structure, the balancing device described in the above JP-A-4-238984 is more excellent than the other devices since the braking force is reliably obtained and the unwinding operation is simply performed by skillfully utilizing the rotating direction of the adjusting shaft and a wedge effect. However, problems exist in that the number of parts is large and the structure of a braking portion is complicated, and no stepwise adjustment can be made in the unwinding operation, etc.
Further, as mentioned above, in the case of the balancing device in which no unwinding operation can be stepwise adjusted and the torsional force of the torsion spring is completely released at a stretch, the movable shoji suddenly drops by its own weight when the torsional force of the torsion spring is released in the opening state of the movable shoji and an operator carelessly forgets to support the movable shoji. Therefore, problems exist in that the operator is accidentally injured and the shoji is damaged in certain cases, etc.

Balancing device of raising-lowering window


A filter useful for the ultrafiltration and microfiltration of aqueous suspensions includes a microporous membrane structure that has pores of size effective to reject particles in the range of about 0.01-10 .mu.m. At least a portion of the membrane structure in contact with the suspension has a surface energy less than that of polytetrafluoroethylene. Low surface energy can be achieved by coating a microporous substrate with a substance such as fluorine substituted dioxole polymer. The filter has superior resistance to fouling by species suspended in the aqueous suspension and can continuously filter flow of such suspension in excess of 100 L/(m.sup.2 -h) for more than 150 hours. The new filter is useful in many traditionally fouling prone ultrafiltration and microfiltration membrane applications such as the filtering of shipboard generated graywater waste.

Microfiltration and ultrafiltration are two recognized types of membrane separation processes. See Membranes: Learning a Lesson from Nature, Koros, W. J., Chemical Engineering Progress, October 1995, pp. 68-80, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. These processes are known for such representative utilities as processing corn-stillage streams, concentrating emulsions and cell suspensions, reducing bacteria and particulate turbidity, recovering paint, removing oil microemulsion and separating biomolecules and virus from aqueous streams.
In microfiltration and ultrafiltration the mechanism for separation involves sieving of primarily liquid feed streams containing suspended species through a microporous membrane. The driving force for separation is a transmembrane pressure differential, i.e., the feed stream side is placed at a higher pressure than the filtrate stream side to force the liquid through the membrane pores. The transmembrane pressure gradient can be created by applying a pressure to the feed and/or by drawing a vacuum on the filtrate. Of course, suspended species of size larger than the membrane pores are rejected which yields a filtrate free of large species and a retentate stream concentrated in the rejected species.
Microfiltration and ultrafiltration suffer from the serious drawback that the membrane tends to foul over time in service. That is, as filtration continues the pores become blocked which reduces and ultimately stops the separation process until the foulant is cleaned if possible, or the fouled membrane is replaced with virgin membrane.
Fouling of microporous membranes in microfiltration and ultrafiltration has been studied extensively. While the mechanisms and theories concerning fouling are very complex, two general categories have been identified, namely deposition and adsorption fouling phenomena. Deposition fouling occurs as a result of hydrodynamic forces. The pressure gradient across the membrane actively pushes the foulant species into the pores. Adsorption fouling relates to the adhesiveness between the foulant and the membrane. Generally, suspended species to be separated from the feed liquid that have great affinity for the membrane material tend to adhere to the membrane at the surface and in the pores. The bulk of foulant species settling on and in the membrane prevents further transmembrane flow of liquid.
Adsorption fouling, and to some extent deposition fouling, can be affected by the chemistry of the feed stream and membrane system. For example, electrically charging the membrane can sometimes effectively mitigate fouling by polar species from nonpolar liquid or vice versa. In many practical separations, however, the species to be separated possess a wide range of polarity. Therefore, membrane charging is useful in those specific separations to which it is amenable.
It is highly desirable to have a microfiltration and/or ultrafiltration process that is resistant to fouling in a wide variety of feed stream composition systems. Hence, according to the present invention there is now provided a method of filtering a suspension comprising the steps of
contacting one side of a two-sided microporous membrane structure with a suspension in an aqueous medium, the structure having passageways through the structure of a size effective to reject species suspended in the aqueous medium of size in the range of about 0.01-10 .mu.m; PA1 creating a transmembrane pressure gradient effective to cause aqueous medium to pass through the microporous membrane structure to the other side of the membrane structure to form a filtrate substantially free of rejected species; and PA1 removing the filtrate, in which at least a portion of the microporous membrane structure in contact with the suspension comprises a substance having a surface energy less than that of tetrafluoroethylene homopolymer.

Dioxole coated membrane module for ultrafiltration or microfiltration of aqueous suspensions


A method for treatment of bacterial infections with rifalazil administered once-weekly or twice-weekly. A method for treatment of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infections caused by Mycobacterium avium complex, infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae and infections caused by Helicobacter pylori by administering to a patient suffering from the bacterial infection 1-100 mg of rifalazil once or twice a week. In this dose regimen, the treatment is fast, efficacious and eliminates undesirable secondary symptoms observed with daily doses of 1-50 mg of rifalazil.

The current invention concerns a method for treatment of bacterial infections with rifalazil administered once-weekly or twice-weekly. In particular, the invention concerns a method for treatment of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infections caused by Mycobacterium aviuni complex, infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae and infections caused by Helicobacter pylori by administering to a patient suffering from the bacterial infection rifalazil once or twice a week. In this dose regimen, the treatment is fast, efficacious and eliminates undesirable secondary symptoms observed with daily doses of 1-50 mg of rifalazil.
Bacterial infection caused by mycobacterium species and similar infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae or H. pylori cause serious health problems in the United States and worldwide. For example, tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the most serious infectious diseases outside of developed countries, with over one billion people infected worldwide. The worldwide infection rate results in eight million active tuberculosis cases annually and over two million deaths per year. In the United States, 26,000 new cases of active tuberculosis were reported in 1994. The number of active cases in the United States is high because of the increase in patients with AIDS and the increase in immigration from developing countries. Moreover, there is reported an increase in multidrug resistance tuberculosis and disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infections.
Additionally, there is an increase in transmissible chlamydial diseases caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae, nonmotile, obligate intracellulare to bacteria. Chlamydia pneumoniae causes respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, pharyngitis and sinusitis, and has been associated with about 10% of community-acquired pneumonia. The Chlamydia pneumoniae infections are geographically wide spread. Studies on antibody prevalence have shown that large number of people is infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae at one time or another.
Helicobacter pyloni infections are infections of gastrointestinal tract. H. pylori is a gram-negative microphilic organism residing in human stomach and intestine which is closely connected with acute gastritis and development of inflammation of mucous layer. Acute gastritis is associated with epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting. The organism is difficult to treat, delayed recurrences are frequent, and treatment involves multiple antibiotic regimens.
It would thus be highly advantageous to provide a method for treatment of the above-described diseases with new types of antibiotics which are able to efficaciously treat and/or eradicate the bacteria or organisms causing these diseases without necessity to utilize complex antibiotic treatments and regimens which result in undesirable secondary symptoms and adverse reactions.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a method for treatment of Mycobacterium species, Chlamydia pneumoniae and H. pylori infections with once a week or twice a week administration of a relatively new antibiotic, rifalazil, that belongs to the class of antibiotics called ansamycins. Rifalazil has the same or better activity than either rifabutin or rifampin, the other two antibiotics of the same class and actively inhibits the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium species, Chlamydia pneumoniae and H. pylori when administered only once a week or twice a week in doses from 1 to 50 mg. Previously, rifalazil has been administered on daily basis and because of the severe secondary adverse reactions, was discontinued as a drug for treatment of tuberculosis and other infection. Newly discovered once-week or twice-week regimen has the same efficacy as daily administration and yet eliminates or significantly decreases the adverse reactions.
Rifalazil compound has been described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,602 where its antibacterial activity has been disclosed. Dosages described in vitro and in mice animal models correspond to a dose from 10 mg to 10 g/day for adults. However, when clinical trials with these doses of the antibiotic were administered daily, many adverse reactions occurred and the treatment with rifalazil was discontinued.
All patents, patent applications and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
One aspect of the current invention is a method for treatment of bacterial infections with once or twice-week administration of rifalazil.
Another aspect of the current invention is a method for treatment of tuberculosis with once or twice-week administration of rifalazil.
Still another aspect of the current invention is a method for treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex infections with once or twice-week administration of rifalazil.
Still another aspect of the current invention is a method for treatment of Chlamydia pneumoniae infections with once or twice-week administration of rifalazil.
Yet another aspect of the current invention is a method for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections with once or twice-week administration of rifalazil.

Method for treatment of bacterial infections with once or twice-weekly administered rifalazil


An apparatus for simultaneously disposing tubular labels on a plurality of bottles or other containers includes an assembly for advancing the bottles or other containers along an endless travel path. The apparatus also includes a plurality of tubular label applying stations each operable to individually apply a tubular label onto a bottle or other container as the bottle or other container is advanced along the travel path. The advancing assembly is preferably in the form of a rotating plate supporting the bottles or other containers thereon at uniform angular spacings from one another and the tubular label applying stations are preferably also supported on the rotating plate. A cam and cam follower arrangement is utilized for controlling each tubular label applying station to perform its label applying operation in coordination with the advancing movement of its associate bottle or other container.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for simultaneously disposing tubular labels on a plurality of bottles or containers and, more particularly, to an apparatus for disposing tubular or endless sleeve labels of the type which are supplied from a roll.
Sleeves or tubular labels having an endless shape have shown themselves to be particularly attractive for use as labels for bottles or containers. Such sleeves or tubular labels are most typically pre-printed plastic labels formed from thin flexible plastic film and these printed labels, commonly referred to as sleeve labels or tubular labels, have found wide use as labels for blow-molded plastic containers such as, for example, multi-liter soft drink bottles, other beverage bottles, and detergent chemical containers.
Tubular labels have proved to be cost effective as compared with other labeling techniques such as, for example, silk screen labeling techniques or adhesive label techniques, and one reason for this result has been the development of apparatus for automatically disposing such tubular labels on bottles or other containers, which minimize some of the labor-intensive steps typically involved in other label applying techniques. U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,825 discloses an apparatus for applying tubular labels to product containers, which includes a labeling assembly, a drive system for actuating the labeling assembly, and an assembly for advancing product containers to a label applying position. The labeling assembly is operable to repetitively separate individual tubular labels from a web comprised of tubular labels separably connected to one another. The labeling assembly is driven through a label applying stroke in which the assembly effects separation of the next available tubular label from the supply web of labels, draws the tubular label over a guide horn which opens the tubular label, and then draws the opened tubular label onto the product container. Before commencing its return stroke, the labeling assembly releases the tubular label which label contracts under its inherent bias and assumes a generally fixed mounted position on the product container.
As each product container is provided with a tubular label, the product container can then be discharged from the label applying position and the next product container awaiting labeling can be subsequently advanced into the label applying position. If a product container, especially one which is filled, is fed to the label applying position at too fast a rate, instability of the product container may occur, leading to movement of the product container to an extent that it may not be properly positioned for receiving its tubular label. The feeding and discharge of product containers into and out of the label applying position thus represents one step of the label applying process whose time requirements can only be reduced to a predetermined minimum level, regardless of the operating speed of the labeling assembly in performing other steps such as separating, opening, and inserting a tubular label on the product container.
Moreover, the driving movement of the labeling assembly through its label applying stroke and in the opposite direction along its return stroke cannot exceed a predetermined rate for the reason that incomplete opening and/or undesired plastic deformation of the tubular label may occur. Specifically, since the driving movement of the labeling assembly in its label applying stroke effects separation of the engaged tubular label along the separable connectors (e.g., perforations) between the engaged tubular label and the next following tubular label on the supply web, the rate of movement of the labeling assembly during the separation phase must be accomplished at a controlled rate so that plastic deformation of the tubular label (such as, for example, permanent axial elongation) does not occur due to a lag in the separation of the labels relative to the downward movement of the engaged tubular label. If the labeling assembly pulls the engaged tubular label at too fast a rate while the next succeeding tubular label is clamped during the perforation separating phase, one or both of the labels may stretch (e.g., axial elongation) beyond an elastic limit, thereby resulting in tearing or permanent plastic deformation of the tubular label.
Efforts to increase the efficiency of the tubular label applying operation have led to the development of one arrangement in which several tubular label applying apparatus are arranged together, with all of the apparatus receiving containers from a common feed device such as, for example, a linear conveyor. However, difficulties arise in reliably pre-positioning each group of product containers in the respective feed position at which they are fed in groupwise manner to the group of automatic tubular label applying apparatuses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,633 to Fujio et al discloses a film wrapping machine for wrapping film around articles. Although the films do not have an endless shape such as a tubular label, the film wrapping machine disclosed in the Fujio et al patent is operable to apply film to a plurality of articles during movement of the articles between a feed location and the discharge location. The film wrapping machine includes a rotary turntable assembly supporting the articles at uniform spacings circumferentially about the rotary turntable assembly. A film supply unit supplies film to a film retaining member associated with each article during passage of the article past the film supply unit. The film retaining member associated with each article then applies the film in encircling relation about the article as the article continues to be advanced by the rotation of the rotary turntable assembly. However, due their endless shape, tubular labels must be moved axially over an article or container to apply the tubular label thereto and the Fujio et al film wrapping machine does not discloses a structure for applying a label of endless shape.
Accordingly, efforts to increase the speed at which automatic tubular label applying apparatus operate have been tempered by the reality that the rate at which product containers can be fed to, and discharged from, the label applying apparatus, and the rate at which tubular labels can be reliably separated from a supply web, inherently limit any significant increases in the production rate of the label applying apparatus.

Apparatus for simultaneously disposing tubular labels on a plurality of bottles or other containers


A retrofit system system for converting a conventional hot and cold water faucet arrangement to automatic electric control is disclosed. A solenoid valve and U-shaped tubes at either end are inserted into each riser. The valves are responsive to a control panel for setting flow rate and/or temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device and method for electrically controlling the temperature and flow of water for use at any sink(lavatory) with a preexisting faucet.
2. Description of Prior Art
There are many apparatus to control the temperature and flow of water through output means. They are concerned with precise temperature and flow provision and retention while providing temperature and flow readout for comfortable water contact. They have no concern for low cost or ease of implementation.
Because sink use does not require specific temperatures that must be maintained in case of hot or cold water flow change, general temperatures may be used. Hot, Warm and Cold and limited steps between can be used to sufficiently provide a competent range of temperatures. Low, medium and high flows sufficiently provide water volume needs. And due to its valve system design, installation of the apparatus is quick and simple.
There exist apparatus designed for sink use that are activated by placing the hands within range of infrared sensing means initiating water flow. When the hands are removed from the area of sensing the flow of water stops or is timed to stop. These apparatus do not offer single step temperature adjustment. Some must be adjusted manually. This limits the use by the handicapped who cannot turn a manual adjustment. These apparatus also replace the existing faucet means which disallows the personal selection of faucet design, increases the cost of the apparatus substantially and creates a chore and great expense to implement.

Automatic water faucet or water faucet controller


According to the invention a user interface of a consumer electronic apparatus is modified, which can be used for example to update a given basic UI functionality or to temporarily implement isolated, dedicated UI sub-domains. For this purpose side information is received comprising side information components for controlling the user interface and validity information defining the validity start and/or end time of the side information components. The side information components and validity information is stored and the user interface is modified by using said stored side information components. The start time and/or end time of the user interface modification is controlled by means of said stored validity information.

In general terms a user interface (UI) includes all aspects of an apparatus or a program, which are used for an interaction with a user. This includes commands and mechanisms, which the user utilizes to control the operation of the apparatus or program and to input data but also an output by the apparatus or program, which can be seen or heard or otherwise perceived by the user.
Especially for consumer electronic apparatuses and computer systems a wide range of user interfaces has been developed and implemented. A very simple and today in many areas outdated user interface requires the user to type textual commands by using a keyboard and produces a single stream of text as output. More comfortable are graphical user interfaces, which use for the output displayed windows, pictures or icons and for the input and control a cursor moved over the display using "up"- and "down"-keys or a pointing device such as a mouse, a trackball or a touch-pad. Even more sophisticated is a voice-controlled user interface based on speech recognition. However, a drawback of these user interfaces is that they are defined and fixed once the respective apparatus has left the factory which means that no extensions or corrections are possible.

Method for modifying a user interface of a consumer electronic apparatus, corresponding apparatus, signal and data carrier


A dry shaver has a flat casing mounting a flat cutter head composed of an outer shear foil and an inner cutter assembly. The inner cutter assembly is driven by a flat motor accommodated within the casing to reciprocate in hair shearing engagement with the outer shear foil. A flat and elongated battery is disposed within the casing over substantially the entire length thereof in side-by-side relation to the flat motor. The motor has a length shorter than the battery and is disposed in the casing with its lower end in substantially the same level as that of the battery so as to define above the motor a space which extends into an upper center portion from one lateral side of the casing. The flat motor has an output rotor shaft extending upwardly into the space for coupling thereat to an output rotor shaft. Pivotally supported to an upper center portion of the casing is a pivot lever which has a first end extending upwardly of the casing for coupling with the inner cutter assembly and has a second end extending downwardly into a lower portion of the space for coupling with a drive arm. The drive arm extends horizontally from the eccentric shaft to the second end of the pivot lever within the space in order to reciprocate the pivot lever about a pivot axis upon rotation of the eccentric shaft, thereby driving to reciprocate the inner cutter assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a flat-shaped dry battery, and more particularly to a battery-powered small dry shaver of a reciprocatory type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been provided a number of reciprocatory dry shavers designed into a compact configuration taking advantage of present-day technologies of miniaturizing a motor and a battery. A typical prior art shaver of compact configuration is disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication [KOKOKU] No. 1-50060. In this patent, the battery and the motor are accommodated within a housing in side-by-side relation to each other so as to reduce a width dimension. The motor is operatively coupled to a rotary-to-reciprocation translator which translates a rotary motion of an eccentric pin coupled to a motor output shaft into a reciprocatory motion of an inner cutter assembly. The translator is movably supported within the housing by a pair of resilient legs integrally extending from the opposite ends of the translator and bent upwardly for supporting connection to the lateral ends of the housing. Due to the structural limitation of the translator, the housing is required to have an enough space extending laterally over the battery and the motor for accommodating the translator. This space adds a length or height dimension to the housing because of that the resilient legs are required to a certain length for giving a sufficient reciprocatory stroke to the translator. Thus, the prior art dry shaver is insufficient to minimizing the length or height dimension. Further, the miniature battery is limited to a cylindrical battery of which diameter is still greater than a minimum thickness available for the cutter head as well as for the motor. Therefore, the prior art dry shaver is also insufficient for reducing the thickness to a minimum.


This invention provides a method for forming a self aligned contact using a reverse self aligned contact etch process. A substrate structure is provided having conductive structures thereon. The conductive structures can be any of a number of structures including, but not limited to: floating gate transistors, capacitors, word lines, or a combination thereof. The substrate structure also has doped regions thereon adjacent to one or both sides of the conductive structures. A polysilicon layer is formed over the conductive structures and the doped regions. A photoresist mask is formed over the polysilicon layer having openings over the conductive structures. The polysilicon layer is etched through the openings in the photoresist mask and stopping on the hard masks to form self aligned contacts over the doped regions. A dielectric layer is formed over the self aligned contacts and the conductive structures. The dielectric layer and the self aligned contacts are planarized.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fabrication of semiconductor devices and more particularly to a reverse self aligned contact etch process.
2) Description of the Prior Art
The use of self aligned contact (SAC) processes has resulted in higher performing, lower cost, and increased density semiconductor devices. However, the etch to form the contact opening can cause damage to the spacers protecting the sidewalls of the structures adjacent to the contacts. Also, the tops of the structures adjacent to the contacts must withstand a significant overetch for the contact opening to be etched down to the substrate.
The importance of overcoming the various deficiencies noted above is evidenced by the extensive technological development directed to the subject, as documented by the relevant patent and technical literature. The closest and apparently more relevant technical developments in the patent literature can be gleaned by considering the following patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,054 (Kauffman et al.) shows a self aligned contact process. In order to completely remove the blanket deposited dielectric layer over the doped region, the top of the adjacent gate and silicon or nitride spacers must ondergo a substantial overetch which can cause reliability problems such as leakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,238 (Avanzino et al.) shows a reverse dual damascene process used to form an interconnect. Avanzino uses a timed etch of a metal layer to form a conductive via projecting up from a planer conductive layer. Avanzino does not address the self alignment and overetch problems solved by the present invention.

Method for fabricating a self aligned contact using a reverse self aligned contact etch

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company


A camera viewfinder comprises a viewfinder window defining a viewing field, and a masking device movable to position respective mask openings having different aspect ratios over the viewfinder window to vary the viewing field. The masking device includes a pair of separate independent masks, each of which has one of the mask openings and is movable relative to the other over the viewfinder window from respective locations at opposite sides of the viewfinder window.

When taking a picture it is necessary to know not only in what direction to aim the camera but also how much of the subject will be included in the picture. For this reason practically every camera has a viewfinder of some kind.
Cameras have been proposed, such as disclosed in prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,086,311, issued February 1992, 4,583,831, issued Apr. 22, 1986, and 3,490,844, issued Jan. 20, 1970, that include means for taking pictures which when printed are intended to have different aspect ratios. Each aspect ratio is selected by the photographer before he or she takes the picture. One currently popular aspect ratio in addition to the normal or full frame one, i.e. 1.5:1, in 35 mm photography is between 2:1 and 3:1. An aspect ratio between 2:1 and 3:1 provides a panoramic or stretch format print as compared to the normal format print having an aspect ratio of 1.5:1.
Since it is necessary for the photographer to know how much of the subject will be included in the picture, the viewfinder in these cameras typically will have some masking device or the like for partially masking the viewfinder field to match the aspect ratio selected by the photographer. For example, prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,997, issued Nov. 27, 1990, discloses a masking blade movable to alternatively position a pair of mask openings having panoramic and telephoto aspect ratios, respectively, over a viewfinder window to vary the viewing field. A problem, however, with this design is that the masking blade must move within an area inside the camera body that is at least four times the area occupied by the viewing window. Thus, the size of the camera body may need to be enlarged to accommodate movement of the masking blade.

Camera viewfinder with masking device for varying the viewing field


Mechanisms for controlling a micro electrical power grid to select the volume of electricity produced by power generation sources in order to meet demand and achieve a particular optimization goal. In one embodiment, a system operable to control a micro electrical power grid may include a plurality of intelligent power broker (IPB) units and at least one data analytics unit in communication with the IPB units. Each IPB may be associated with an electrical power source or an electrical load and may be operable to collect data relating to its associated electrical power source or electrical load. The data analytics unit may receive the data from the IPB units and may be operable to analyze the data and direct the IPB s to remove one or more of the electrical power loads from the micro electrical grid and/or increase an electrical power output from the electrical sources during time period T.

Modern electric power grids may combine a diverse array of power generation units fueled by coal, nuclear energy, natural gas, solar power, wind, oil, biodiesel, and/or hydro power, just to name a few. However, some of these power sources may not provide a sustained, reliable energy source for power generation. For instance, renewable power sources, such as solar power and wind, may be susceptible to environmental factors that might hinder their availability when electricity is badly needed. Hence, these power sources are often called intermittent because there might be periods of gaps in their availability. On the other hand, more stable energy sources, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, often produce undesired pollutants as a by-product of their operation. This has resulted in environmental regulations that limit these emissions and hence restrict their use.
The emergence of Smart Grid initiatives throughout the world is forcing rapid change and decentralized operation of the electric grid. A Smart Grid uses sensors, digital communications, and computer software to help collect real-time information from the grid and automate its operation. Smart Grid systems can automatically fix problems in the energy grid by isolating faulting areas, bringing extra power generation online, opening new power lines, or shedding low priority loads from the system. The widespread interest in renewable power sources brings the problem of managing distributed power generation to the forefront. The use of intermittent power sources requires new operational models that take into consideration not only future demand but also future availability of power sources and the cost of the energy they produce. A Micro Grid environment provides a scaled down Smart Grid, capable of running without transmission lines (which are used to bring electricity from far away power generators) by virtue of localized energy generators. Typically, these nearby generators run on natural gas, diesel, or renewable energy. Micro Grids environments are ideal for studying the problems posed by new management challenges arising from distributed generation, autonomous operation, energy storage, and energy sales.

System and method for mathematical predictive analytics and computational energy modeling


A centrifuge for clarifying or separating suspensions has a centrifuge drum with a bottom, a lid, an annular seal that unites them, a chamber that provides access for the suspension, and a distributor. The suspension can be supplied past the distributor to a package of conical plates provided with inner ascending channels. In order to process suspensions with a relatively high level of solid particles and with coarser particles, a diversion chamber is located below each inner ascending channel in the distributor, communicates with the access chamber, and has at least one calibrated aperture for separating off part of the suspension with its solids, the package of plates consists of an upper section and of a lower section, with the lower section also having ascending channels, which are positioned farther out and which the separated portion of the flowing suspension is supplied to, and pipe connections extend from the diversion chamber to the inner ascending channels in the upper section of the plate package and supply the rest of the flowing suspension to them.

The present invention relates to a centrifuge for clarifying or separating suspensions and having a centrifuge drum with a bottom, a lid, an annular seal that unites them, a chamber that provides access for the suspension, and a distributor, past which the suspension can be supplied to a package of conical plates provided with inner ascending channels.
A centrifuge of this type is known, for example, from German OS No. 2 845 733. The suspension is supplied in this centrifuge to a sedimentation space from the access chamber. The portion of the suspension that does not enter the space is supplied to inner ascending channels by connections that are positioned stationary in the distributor. The sedimentation space has a gap in its bottom that can be closed off with a flexible ring. The drum has de-sludging apertures in the vicinity of its longest diameter. The apertures can be closed off by means of a liquid-activated sliding floor. While the sliding floor is closed the gap in the bottom of the sedimentation space is closed off by the flexible ring as the result of pressure acting on the ring. When the sliding floor is opened to allow the ejection of sludge, the gap is freed, allowing the solids collected there to be extracted. Only coarse solids will collect in the sedimentation space, with the product flowing along with its content of the rest of the solids through the interior ascending channels in the package of plates.
The point at which the liquid phases of the suspension are separated is in the vicinity of the ascending channels. The liquid phases are separated while the solid particles are being centrifuged out.
The gaps between the separate plates in the package are kept very small to obtain as high a level of clarification as possible in the centrifuge drum, leading with some types of solids to the clogging up of the ascending channels and of the gaps demarcated by the plates.

Centrifuge for clarifying or separating suspensions


An online system maintains characteristics for its users and may access characteristics of users maintained by a third party system. The online system may select content for a user of the third party system based on characteristics maintained by the third party system. If the third party system does not maintain a characteristic for its users, the generates a model predicting the characteristic for third party system users based on a set of online system users identified based on characteristics of third party system users. The online system clusters third party system users based on the predicted characteristic for other third party system users connected to the third party system user. Using verified characteristics for third party system users from a trusted third party system, the online system determines an accuracy of the predicted characteristic for third party system users in a cluster.

This disclosure relates generally to presenting content to users of a third party system that communicates with an online system, and more specifically selecting content for a third party system user based at least in part on an accuracy of an age or other characteristic predicted for the third party system by the online system.
An online system allows its users to connect to and to communicate with other users. Users may create profiles on an online system that are tied to their identities and include information about the users, such as interests and demographic information. The users may be individuals or entities such as corporations or charities. Because of the increasing popularity of online systems and the significant amount of user-specific information maintained by online systems, an online system allows users to easily communicate information about themselves to other users and share content with other users.
Further, many online systems communicate with third party systems external to the online system. An online system may provide content to a third party system for presentation to users of the third party system. Additionally, some third party systems may authorize an online system to access information maintained by the third party system for users of the third party system. For example, a third party system authorizes an online system to access at least a subset of information that the third party system includes in a profile for a user of the third party system. The online system may use the information accessed from the third party system to select content for a user of the third party system that the online system provides to the third party system.
Many online systems maintain characteristics associated with their users and select content for presentation to various users based on the characteristics associated with the users. Similarly, various third party systems maintain characteristics associated with users of the third party systems that are used by various third party systems to select content for third party system users. Various characteristics associated with a user may be asserted by the user to an online system or to a third party system. For example, a user asserts an age to the online system, which stores the age in association with the user. However, a third party system communicating with the online system may not maintain characteristics of a user of the third party system that the online system uses to select content. For example, a third party system does not maintain age asserted or a gender asserted by a third party system user with the third party system. However, characteristics that are not maintained by a third party system may be used by an online system that communicates with the third party system to select content, limiting the effectiveness of content items selected by the online system for a user of the third party system. For example, if a third party system does not maintain an age for a user of the third party system, the online system is unable to identify whether content items identifying a particular age range are suitable for presentation to the user of the third party system from the information maintained by the third party system.

Predicting characteristics of users of a third party system that communicates with an online system and determining accuracy of the predicted characteristics


A preliminary ejection sensor of an ink jet recording apparatus includes a vibration plate adapted to vibrate on receipt of an ink droplet ejected from an ejection port on a recording head in order to detect the vibration of the vibration plate depending on variation of a gap between a core and the vibration plate, whereby it can be checked whether ink is ejected from the recording head or not. In addition, the preliminary ejection sensor can check the present ink ejecting state of the recording head. Thus, in contrast with a conventional sensing system wherein ink ejection is sensed by an optical sensor on one side surface of the recording head, the structure of the ink jet recording apparatus can be simplified. Additionally, in contrast with another conventional checking system wherein a temperature sensor is disposed on the recording head to indirectly check the present ink ejecting state of the recording head by monitoring the elevated temperature, the ink jet recording apparatus assures that a checking operation can quickly be achieved at a high accuracy. Consequently, the ink jet recording apparatus makes it possible to exactly detect whether or not ink is correctly ejected from ink ejection ports formed on the recording head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus as well as an ink jet recording head employable for the ink jet recording apparatus. Further, the present invention relates to a method for determining the ejection state of an ink jet recording head for an ink jet recording apparatus of the foregoing type.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many proposals have been hitherto made with respect to a recording apparatus for performing a recording operation for a recording medium such as paper, a sheet of material for OHP or a similar material (hereinafter referred to as a recording paper sheet or a paper sheet) in such a manner that a recording head operable in accordance with a various kind of recording system is mounted on the recording apparatus. The recording head for the recording apparatus is typically exemplified by a wire dot type recording head, a heat susceptible type recording head, a thermal image transferring type recording head and an ink jet type recording head.
Among the aforementioned conventional recording heads, sincere attention has been paid to the ink jet type recording head adapted to eject ink directly to a recording paper sheet because it is operated at a low running cost without any generation of noisy sound.
Since the ink jet type recording head having a plurality of fine ink ejection ports arranged thereon is generally employed for an ink jet recording apparatus of the foregoing type, in the case that gas bubbles or dust particles are involved in each ink ejection port or in the case that ink fails to be ejected from each ink ejection port of the recording head due to its increased viscosity caused by evaporation of an ink solvent or the ink is transformed to assume another state unsuitable for performing a recording operation therewith, a measure is taken such that factors associated with improper ink ejection are obviated by refreshing the ink (the foregoing measure is called an ejection recovering treatment).
This ejection recovering treatment is practically executed in accordance with the following manner. Specifically, ejection recovering treatment is executed such that an element for generating energy to be utilized for ejecting ink from each ejection port of the recording head is activated while a suitable ink receiving member is disposed opposite to the ejection port forming surface of the recording head so that ink is properly ejected from each ejection port of the recording head (this type of ejection recovering treatment is called preliminary ejection treatment). Otherwise, ejection recovering treatment is executed such that while the ejection port forming surface of the recording head is covered with a cap or the like, a certain intensity of sucking force is exerted on each ejection port of the recording head so as to allow a certain quantity of ink to be forcibly discharged from each ejection port of the recording head for the purpose of eliminating factors associated with improper ink ejection (this type of ejection recovering treatment is called suction recovering treatment).
In this connection, it is preferable that improper ink ejection detecting means is disposed in association with the aforementioned ejection recovering treatment. Since a large quantity of ink is consumed for executing the suction recovering treatment compared with the preliminary ejection treatment, it is desirable to employ the suction recovering treatment only in the case that the improper ejection factor which can not be eliminated by executing the preliminary ejection treatment is employed. To this end, it is recommendable that a measure is taken in such a manner as to enable the fact that ink is not ejected from the recording head to be detected. Such a measure as mentioned above has been hitherto taken such that an optical sensor is disposed at a side of the ink flying path in order to detect whether or not ink is ejected from the recording head. With respect to a recording head of the type utilizing thermal energy used therefor as energy to be utilized for ejecting ink therefrom, since the working temperature of the recording head is undesirably elevated when a thermal energy generating element is activated while ink is not ejected from the recording head, it is acceptable to determine based on detection of the elevated temperature of the recording head in which ink is not ejected from the recording head. However, in the case that the optical sensor is disposed in that way, there arises a malfunction that the whole structure of an ink jet recording apparatus is enlarged. On the contrary, in the case that the thermal energy generating element is employed in the aforementioned manner, since detection of failure of ink ejection is indirectly executed, there is a fear that it is impossible to quickly and exactly detect that ink is not ejected from the recording head.
On the other hand, with respect to detection of a quantity of remaining ink to be supplied to an ink jet recording head, in the case that a conventional open type ink tank, mainly, an ink tank having ink impregnated in a sponge material received therein is used for the ink jet recording head, the presence or absence of ink in the ink tank is determined by penetrating an electrical conductive needle into the sponge material to check the present electrical conductive state of the needle based on the variation of a resistance value of the sponge material. Otherwise, when a closed type ink tank having an ink bag received therein is used for the ink jet recording head, a negative pressure sensor is disposed in a flow path of the ink tank to check whether a certain quantity of ink remains in the ink tank or not. However, in the case that the open type ink tank is employed for the ink jet recording head, since it is necessary to insertably dispose the electrical conductive needle in the ink tank, causing a wiring member to be additionally disposed for the ink jet recording head, there sometimes arises an occasion that not only the ink tank or the ink jet recording apparatus itself becomes expensive and complicated in structure but also the electrical conductive needle penetrated into the sponge material has a problem in respect of a detecting accuracy. On the contrary, in the case that the negative pressure sensor is disposed in the ink tank, the ink jet recording head has a problem that the negative pressure sensor itself is expensive, causing the ink jet recording apparatus to correspondingly become expensive. Another problem is that it is necessary to reserve a space required for disposing the negative pressure sensor in the ink tank, and moreover, an ink supply path in the ink tank becomes complicated.

Ink jet recording head with ink detection


The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock for a motor vehicle door arrangement, wherein a catch and a pawl are provided. The catch can be brought into an opening position and into a closed position. The catch may be brought into holding engagement with a lock striker. The pawl may be brought into an engagement position. The pawl may be deflected into a release position. A pawl actuation lever is provided for deflecting the pawl. An engagement arrangement is provided. The engagement arrangement comprises a deflection lever on the side of the pawl actuation lever and a counter contour on the side of the pawl. The deflection lever is configured to engage the counter contour. An actuation movement of the pawl actuation lever can deflect the pawl into the release. An inertial characteristic of the deflection lever causes a deflection movement along a free-wheeling path.

The motor vehicle lock in question is assigned to a motor vehicle door arrangement which comprises at least a motor vehicle door. The expression "motor vehicle door" is to be understood in a broad sense. It includes in particular side doors, back doors, lift gates, trunk lids or engine hoods. Such a motor vehicle door may generally be designed as a sliding door as well.
Crash safety plays an important role for today's motor vehicle locks. It is in particular important that neither crash induced acceleration nor crash induced deformation leads to an accidental and unintended opening of the motor vehicle door which the motor vehicle lock is assigned to. The focus of the present application is to prevent an unintended opening of the motor vehicle door based on crash induced acceleration. In case of an impact, in particular a side impact, the motor vehicle, including the motor vehicle door, is subjected to a very high acceleration. Because the outer door handle comprises an inertial mass which is not rigidly connected to the vehicle door, the outer door handle does not immediately follow the movement of the motor vehicle door which is due to the acceleration stemming from the impact. As a result, a relative movement between the outer door handle and the motor vehicle door is caused, which may correspond to an opening movement of the outer door handle and thereby lead to an unintended opening of the motor vehicle door.
The known motor vehicle lock (US 2011/0181052 A1), which is the starting point for the present invention, is provided with the usual lock elements catch and pawl, wherein the pawl may be deflected into a release position by actuation of a pawl actuation lever.
The known motor vehicle lock also comprises a lock mechanism which may be brought into different functional states such as "unlocked" and "locked" by the user. The pawl may be deflected into its release position by an outer door handle which is connected to the pawl actuation lever if the lock mechanism is in its unlocked state. With the lock mechanism being in its locked state, an actuation of the pawl actuation lever runs free.
To guarantee a high crash safety the known motor vehicle lock comprises a crash element which is a separate component from the pawl actuation lever. By the accelerations which occur during a crash, the crash element moves into a blocking position in which the crash element blocks further actuation of the pawl actuation lever.
One disadvantage of the known motor vehicle lock is the fact that, before the intended blocking of the pawl actuation lever takes place, the crash element has to perform the above noted movement into the blocking position. The necessity of the movement of the crash element before the intended blocking takes place leads to undesirable reaction times of the crash safety function.
Furthermore for the known motor vehicle lock, the constructional design of the drive train between the door handle and the pawl appears to be challenging. This is true as in a crash situation not only the pawl actuation lever, but in fact the whole drive train starting from the door handle to the pawl actuation lever is being locked. In order not to run the risk of an unpredictable breakage of some component in this drive train, i.e. even some component other than the pawl actuation lever, it has to be designed for exceptionally high forces, which in turn leads to high material and production costs.

Brose Schliesssysteme GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft


A topological insulator structure includes an insulating substrate and a magnetically doped TI quantum well film located on the insulating substrate. A material of the magnetically doped TI quantum well film is represented by a chemical formula of Cry(BixSb1-x)2-yTe3. 0<x<1, 0<y<2. Values of x and y satisfies that an amount of a hole type charge carriers introduced by a doping with Cr is substantially equal to an amount of an electron type charge carriers introduced by a doping with Bi. The magnetically doped TI quantum well film is in 3 QL to 5 QL.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a topological insulator structure.
2. Discussion of Related Art
If an electric current flows through an electrical conductor in a magnetic field perpendicular to the electric current, a measurable voltage difference between two sides of the electrical conductor, transverses to the electric current and the magnetic field, will be produced. The presence of this measurable voltage difference is called the Hall effect (HE) discovered by E. H. Hall in 1879. Subsequently, the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in magnetic materials and the spin Hall effect (SHE) in semiconductors were discovered. Theoretically, HE, AHE, and SHE would have corresponding quantized forms. In 1980, K. V. Klitzing et al. achieved quantum Hall effect (QHE) in a semiconductor in a strong magnetic field at a low temperature (Klitzing K. V. et al., New Method for High-Accuracy Determination of the Fine-Structure Constant Based on Quantized Hall Resistance, Phys Rev Lett, 1980, 45:494-497). After that, D. C. Tsui et al. achieved fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) during the studying of the HE in a stronger magnetic field (Tsui D. C. et al., Two-Dimensional Magnetotransport in the Extreme Quantum Limit. Phys Rev Lett, 1982, 48:1559-1562). In 2006, Shoucheng Zhang predicted that quantum spin Hall effect (QSHE) can be realized in mercury telluride-cadmium telluride semiconductor quantum wells (Bernevig B. A. et al., Quantum spin Hall effect and topological phase transition in HgTe quantum wells, Science, 2006, 314:1757-1761). This prediction was confirmed in 2007 (Konig M. et al. Qauntum spin Hall insulator state in HgTe quantum wells. Science, 2007, 318:766-770). At present, in the variety of quantized forms of the HE, only the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) has not been observed in reality. QAHE is the QHE in zero magnetic field without Landau levels, which can have a Hall resistance of h/e2 (i.e., 25.8 kΩ, i.e., quantum resistance), wherein e is the charge of an electron and h is Planck's constant. The realizing of the QAHE can get rid of the requirement for the external magnetic field and the high electron mobility of the sample, and has an application potential in real devices.
Topological insulators (TIs) are a class of new concept quantum materials. A TI has its bulk band gapped at Fermi level, the same as usual insulators, but hosts gapless, Dirac-type, and spin-split surface states at all of its surfaces, which allow the surfaces to be electrically conductive and are protected by time reversal symmetry (TRS). There are two kinds of TIs, three-dimensional (3D) TIs and two-dimensional (2D) TIs. 3D TIs have topologically-protected two dimensional surface states. 2D TIs have topologically-protected one dimensional edge states. The discovery of Bi2Se3 group (including Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3) of TIs makes this kind of material receives substantial research interest from not only condensed matter physics but also material science. In 2010, Yu R. et al. predicted that QAHE could be achieved in Cr or Fe doped Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Sb2Te3 3D TI films (Yu R. et al., Quantized anomalous Hall effect in magnetic topological insulators, Science, 2010, 329:61-64). However, any TI which can observe the QAHE therein has not been achieved. Further, even a ferromagnetic material (including magnetic doped TIs) having an anomalous Hall resistance larger than a kiloohm (kΩ) has not been achieved. For a film having a thickness of 5 nanometers and having the anomalous Hall resistance larger than a kiloohm, the corresponding anomalous Hall resistivity should be larger than or equal to 0.5 milliohms·millimeter (mΩ·mm).
What is needed, therefore, is to provide a TI structure having a relatively large anomalous Hall resistance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Topological insulator structure having magnetically doped topological insulator quantum well film

Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences


Method and apparatus for sampling an analog voltage and providing a digital representation of the sampled voltage by binary switching individual resistive networks in parallel with a reference leg of a comparator circuit and combining binary switching signals with the comparator output signal.

As noted in the parent application, the A/D converter of the present invention is used in implementing an engine oil wear indicator whereby a microcontroller periodically measures the temperature of oil in the engine. By progressing through a series of predetermined steps of applying predetermined binary signals to the circuit, the A/D converter compares an analog voltage, which varies with the engine temperature to various reference voltages and determines the relative value of the analog voltage with respect to the reference voltage values.


An induction machine with integrated magnetic gears is disclosed. The machine comprises two rotors and two stators. An outer stator has ferromagnetic material, producing a rotating magnetic field with a defined number of pole pairs synchronized with a supply frequency. A high speed rotor has ferromagnetic material and a combination of rotor bars and permanent magnet pole pieces selected so that the permanent magnet pole pieces do not interact with the outer stator magnetic field. The high speed rotor rotation is asynchronously coupled to the outer stator magnetic field. An inner stator has ferromagnetic steel segments that modulate the field produced by the high speed rotor permanent magnets. A low speed inner rotor has ferromagnetic material and permanent magnet pole pieces, the low speed inner rotor counter-rotating to the high speed rotor. The low speed inner rotor is synchronously coupled to the high speed rotor using modulation harmonics.

Gears are commonly used when machines fail to meet load torque or speed requirements. Mechanical gearboxes are widely used to match the prime-movers' operating speeds to the requirements of their loads, both for increasing the rotational speed (e.g., wind turbine generators) or decreasing the speed (e.g., electric-ship propulsion). It is usually more cost and weight effective to employ a high-speed electrical machine together with a gearbox to transform speed and torque than to build a machine to operate at a desired speed. Although high torque densities can be achieved with mechanical gearboxes, there are many concerns about their operation such as acoustic noise, mechanical vibration, need for lubrication, reliability concerns, and maintenance requirements.
One solution to some of the above issues is to employ a gearbox using magnetic gearing in which the rotational forces, or torques, are transmitted across an airgap through the interaction of magnetic fields [1]. Magnetic gears avoid problems associated with traditional mechanical gears. Magnetic gears do not have contacting surfaces, or engaging teeth, and do not require transmission fluids. A further benefit is that magnetic gears have concentric rotating shafts and forces within them tend to be more balanced, relieving the stress on the bearings and thus allowing for significant improvements in bearing longevity. The magnetic gear system is therefore robust and highly reliable. Magnetic gears also eliminate friction losses due to contacting teeth and are highly efficient.
Magnetic gears transmit torque without contact by different magnetic poles through flux modulating pieces. Since the torque transmission occurs without any contact, magnetic gears have high efficiency, low noise, less vibrations and improved reliability. Furthermore, for higher power ratings, magnetic gears are smaller and lighter than mechanical gears and have inherent overload protection. In case of overload, the magnetic gear slips and when the fault is cleared, it reengages safely. Magnetic gears significantly reduce harmful drivetrain pulsations, which cause misalignment/vibration of shafts. Torque densities, typically in the range 40-80 kNm/m, can be achieved with high efficiency [1-9].
Low-speed high-torque electrical machines have many applications. In order to have low-speed and high-torque from an electrical machine, the machine can be designed to operate at a desired speed or the machine output can be geared to the desired speed. Satisfying the load requirements needs to be done with efficiency, low cost, minimal size and simplicity. Since the machine size is directly proportional with the torque, high torque machine are generally large. Direct drive machines at high torques are often not feasible due to size and mass [14-17].
A magnetic gear integrated with a permanent magnet (PM) motor has been developed for a number of applications. Due to its high torque density, PM machines were integrated with magnetic gears and resulted in a high-torque low-speed drive which eliminates the mechanical gearbox with all of its related concerns. It has high reliability, low maintenance, low cooling requirements, inherent torque overload protection and low NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) [3-9]. PM machines integrated with magnetic gears have been used in many applications such as electric vehicle traction, wind turbines, ship propulsion systems, aerospace actuation, and industrial applications that require a high-torque, low-speed drive [1-9, 14, 16, 17].
There are a number of applications where high torque, low speed characteristics are required but the industrial system to be driven is well suited to an induction machine drive. Examples may include systems having a long cable or an isolation transformer between the drive and motor, or systems which exhibit significant backlash, windup or potential for jamming. In these cases, PM systems are not suitable and induction machines with integrated magnetic gear would be a better fit.
Although PM machines can be made with very high torque densities and high pole numbers (for low speed operation), induction machines offer simplified open loop control or simple 'sensorless' closed loop control, lower cost, can be used with systems with long cables requiring isolation or filtering, and are also suitable for systems with significant backlash, windup or potential to jam.
However, the combination of induction machines with magnetic gears is not straightforward. PM machines and magnetic gears are both synchronous. Induction machines are asynchronous and therefore not easily combinable with synchronous magnetic gears.
One example of a PM machine with magnetic gears is disclosed in PCT Publication WO2011/144895 (Large magnetically geared machines). This application discusses a PM machine integrated with magnetic gear, integrating two synchronous machines. The application provides an electrical machine comprising a first rotor, wherein the first rotor includes a support structure, a second rotor, and a stator. The first rotor, second rotor, and stator are arranged concentrically about a shaft, and at least one of the second rotor and the stator accommodates the support structure. It is designed for use in energy generation or propulsion. This system does not incorporate an induction machine with integrated magnetic gearing.
A further example of a PM machine with magnetic gears is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,968,042 (Electric marine propulsion device with integral magnetic gearing). This patent discloses a propulsion device comprising an electrical machine with integral magnetic gearing, which comprises three members, namely a first or inner rotor comprising a first plurality of permanent magnets, a second rotor in the form of a plurality of ferromagnetic pole pieces, and a stator which is associated with a plurality of 3-phase windings and to the periphery of which a plurality of second permanent magnets are fixed. This patent uses a PM machine. The patent provides a list of machines that may be used in the integration with magnetic gears but it doesn't provide any disclosure of how to combine asynchronous machines with the synchronous magnetic gears.
Another PM machine system with integrated magnetic gears is disclosed in US Publication No. 2011/0012458 (Magnetic drive systems). This application discloses a PM machine integrated with magnetic gear. It has one set of PMs and the windings are put on the stator combining the two stators with each other, resulting in a one stator configuration. The main focus of this prior application is the design and support of ferromagnetic pole pieces within the system. Again, this system integrates two synchronous machines.
A further example of a PM machine with integrated magnetic gears is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,358,044 (Electric machine apparatus with integrated, high torque density magnetic gearing). This patent shows a flux modulated PM machine with two stators and one rotor. It shows two configurations but again, it integrates two synchronous machines.
An example of a hybrid induction machine with magnetic gears is shown in Mezani et al., "Magnetically Geared Induction Machines", in Magnetics, IEEE Transactions, vol 51, no. 11, pp 4-8, June 2015. This paper describes a method of coupling a wound rotor induction machine to a magnetic gear to achieve a high torque density drive system. It uses 3-phase windings to increase the torque transmission capabilities of the system. This allows more operational flexibility compared to magnetically geared PM machines. It also uses ferromagnetic pieces in designing the magnetic gear and a multi-phase winding arrangement. Mezani uses a design which incorporates one stator and two rotors. The arrangement described in this paper requires additional direct current (DC) boost windings and additional three phase rotating diode rectifier. This means that the system is not a fully integrated induction machine with integrated magnetic gears, but is a hybrid induction and synchronous machine with magnetic gear. Finally, the design does not allow for optimization of the parameters in the system. These parameters affect the efficiency and operation of the integrated magnetic gear, and also torque density values.
Presently, there are limited options for low speed drives that use induction machines without using mechanical gearboxes, which can be a major point of failure, for example, in Type-3 wind turbines [10]. It would be advantageous to develop an induction machine that is fully integrated with internal magnetic gears for the ability to have a high torque low speed machine.

Induction machine with integrated magnetic gear and related methods


A patient incontinence and lifting pad is an apparatus utilized to absorb urine excreted by a bedridden patient as well as to facilitate turning and lifting the patient. The apparatus includes a bed pad on which the patient is able to lie as well as an attached first securing strap and a second securing strap used to anchor the bed pad to a hospital bed railing or similar structure. An elongated band of the first securing strap and the second securing strap may be attached to itself in order to anchor the bed pad. An absorbent incontinence pad insert for absorbing urine is inserted within a slot on the bed pad and may be removable/replaceable. The absorbent incontinence pad insert may be held in place within the slot by a peripheral hook fastener strip.

A common hazard of the health industry is the possibility of back injury when handling patients who are unable to move of their own accord. Work-related injuries such as musculoskeletal disorders may result from performing high-risk tasks and can affect all aspects of life. These injuries result in exorbitant medical costs and workers' compensation costs. Within the health industry, one of the largest causes of injuries is unsafe lifting practices, particularly when handling bedridden patients. This can be problematic as bedridden patients who are unable to move on their own must be turned frequently in order to prevent the onset of pressure ulcers. Simply turning bedridden patients can be a challenging task in itself. Moving bedridden patients altogether can be even more difficult and may result in injury to health personnel with unsafe lifting practices.
The present invention is a patient incontinence and lifting pad. The present invention is utilized to absorb urine that is excreted by bedridden patients as well as to aid health personnel in turning and moving bedridden patients. The present invention greatly mitigates the likelihood of back injuries and similar ailments due to unsafe lifting practices. When using the present invention, health personnel are not required to directly physically handle bedridden patients during turning and moving. The present invention may be reusable.