A disclosed method includes: receiving a request to allocate one or plural virtual machines for a system that includes the one or plural virtual machines to one or plural physical machine; reading out first data concerning an evaluation indicator for virtual machine allocation, wherein the first data is registered in association with the system or a requesting source of the request; first calculating, for each virtual machine of the one or plural virtual machines, a first cost in case where the virtual machine is allocated to any one of usable physical machines, based on the read first data to identify, for each virtual machine of the one or plural virtual machines, a physical machine for which the calculated first cost is the least; and generating allocation design data including second data concerning the physical machine identified for each virtual machine of the one or plural virtual machines.

In a data center in which a cloud is implemented, operation of resources is performed by virtualizing physical servers and then activating and operating plural virtual machines (VM) on physical machines.
Requests to deploy virtual machines, remove virtual machines or change the configuration of virtual machines are occasionally outputted from users to this kind of data center, and the timing of such requests and the contents of the change of the configuration cannot be predicted in advance by an administrator of the data center. The main role of the data center is to fulfill user requirements, while at the same time, improve utilization efficiency of the infrastructure used to fulfill the user requirements, and reduce offering costs such as power costs and software license fees.
The operating requirements of the data center and the operating requirements of VMs include various operating requirements such as energy-saving operation and improvement operation of fault tolerance (improvement of availability), and these operating requirements change over time to correspond to the business environment.
In a conventional technique, the operating requirements of the data center are fixedly set before development completion of the operation management system, or before starting the system operation, and dedicated programs are prepared in advance for the plural operating requirements. When a user sends a request to deploy a VM or add a VM, the VM relating to that request is additionally activated on a physical server based on the processing result of those programs.
However, due to environmental or societal demands, the priority of individual operating requirements may change, new operating requirements may be added or some existing operating requirements may be eliminated, so it may not be possible for the dedicated programs to correspond to a specific operating requirement. Therefore, a new program, which is dedicated for plural operating requirements that are changed entirely each time when changing the operating requirements, would be prepared. As the number of operating requirements increases, it becomes more difficult to find judgment conditions for those requirements, and the program itself becomes more complex. Therefore, changing the operating policy in accordance to environmental changes is not easy.
There exists a distributed computing control apparatus that is capable of improving the computational processing performance in an environment in which the system virtualization technique is used. More specifically, the distributed computing control apparatus that distributes plural second computation processes included in a first computation process among plural virtual machines that operate on one or plural physical machines has: an allocation pattern detection unit that detects various allocation patterns for distributing the plural second computation processes among the plural virtual machines, a cost computation unit that computes the cost for each allocation pattern; and an allocation unit that selects an allocation pattern that has the lowest cost based on computation results of the cost computation unit, and distributes the plural second computation processes among the plural virtual machines according to the selected allocation pattern. This technique is a technique for distributing processes among virtual machines, and changing a method for computing the cost according to the first computation process or the requesting source of that process is not disclosed.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-218307

Method and apparatus for determining allocation design of virtual machines


A digital communication system is disclosed. A transmitter combines a digitized signal into a digital data stream with variable data rate and transmits it to a receiver. The receiver decodes the received signal with an actually transmitted data rate. For this reason, the receiver has to estimate the coding data rate of the received signal. The receiver decodes the received signal at one decoding rate, which is evaluated whether the decoding rate is correct or not. Such evaluation is achieved by, for example, measuring S/N ratio. According to such estimation the receiver estimates the actual transmitted data rate.

With the increase in subscribers to portable telephone services, effective use has become a greater problem than that of frequency. One technique for solving this problem is CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access). CDMA cellular phone systems adhere to TIA/EIA/IS-95.
In CDMA communication systems, four rates are obtained for use as the data rate for transmitting information bits. Namely, the four data rates of 8.6 kbps, 4.0 kbps, 2.0 kbps and 0.8 kbps are used. Actually, information bits are transmitted using a specified one of the four data rates. The information bits to be transmitted are divided into one frame every 20 msec, and are transmitted every frame. As a result, with the above mentioned four data rate, 172 bits, 80 bits, 40 bits or 16 bits are respectively included in one frame. Among the four data rates, 12 CRC bits and 8 CRC bits are respectively added to the information bit frames of 8.6 kbps and 4.0 kbps. CRC bits are not added to the information bit frames of 2.0 kbps and 0.8 kbps. 8 tail bits are then added to the frames of each data rate. At this time, the data rates respectively become 9.6 kbps, 4.8 kbps, 2.4 kbps and 1.2 kbps. Next, coding is carried out to cut the rate in half. After this, the data rate of each of the information bits is made uniform at 19.2 kbps by repeating the same symbol twice in the case of a data rate of 4.8 kbps, 4 times in the case of a data rate of 2.4 kbps, and 8 times in the case of a data rate of 1.2 kbps. The information bits that have thus had the data rates made uniform are next interleaved, and then scrambled using a long code PN sequence. A power control bit is also embedded in the information bits that have been scrambled. With CDMA transmission systems, 384 symbols are included in one frame. One frame is split into 16 power control groups (referred to hereinafter as PCG). Accordingly, 24 symbols are included in one PCG. Within the 24 symbols of each PCG, power control bits of 2 symbols are arranged at random positions as power control information to be transmitted to a mobile station by a base station. At this time, the symbols that were originally in those positions are lost. The position at which the power control bits are arranged is inside the 2 symbol power control bits, and is defined as a header symbol position. This position is based on 4 bits extracted from the aforementioned long code PN sequence, and 16 positions are obtained. Because one power control group is comprised of 24 symbols, the power control bits are arranged from the header to the 17th symbol, and are not arranged in the symbols from the 18th to the 24th. As a result, the information bits in which the power control bits are embedded are scattered by a Walsh function and a pilot long code PN sequence, then QPSK modulated and transmitted to a mobile station.
The signal transmitted from the base station is received at the mobile station. This received signal is QPSK demodulated, then reverse scattered by a Walsh function and pilot long code PN sequence. The power control bits are also extracted. `0` is inserted at the positions from which the power control bits have been extracted, to indicate that there is no information. As a result, a 19.2 kbps received symbol code sequence is obtained. Next, this received symbol code sequence is decoded and a CRC check is carried out. The received signal is a reduction encoded signal, decoding is carried out using, for example, Viterbi decoding. At first, the data rate of the received signal cannot be determined at the mobile station. Because of this, it is necessary to estimate the data rate. That is, there is a need to promptly estimate the data rate of the actually transmitted signal from the four possible data rates.

Apparatus and method for estimating a variable data rate


Line heads are arranged along the transfer direction of a recording medium. Each line head has a nozzle surface in which nozzles are provided over a width direction of the recording medium. Purge units each corresponding to one of the line heads are arranged along the transfer direction of the recording medium at positions which deviate from the recording medium in the width direction. Each purge unit cleans the nozzle surface of a corresponding one of the line heads.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An inkjet recording apparatus which incorporate a nozzle head having nozzles has conventionally been known wherein ink is ejected from the nozzles while the nozzle head is moved in the width direction of a recording medium, whereby recording on the recording medium is performed. An inkjet recording apparatus which incorporates a line head having nozzles arranged to cover the entire width of a recording medium in view of higher recording rate has conventionally been known wherein recording is performed without moving the head. (For example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-52910 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-103638.)
In the inkjet recording apparatuses, nozzles can be clogged or a nozzle surface can be stained during continuous ejection of ink for recording. Thus, it is necessary to periodically clean the nozzle surface. The inkjet recording apparatuses generally incorporate a nozzle surface cleaner which comes in close contact with the nozzle surface for cleaning the nozzle surface.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-103638 discloses that a line cleaner which has an elongated shape in consideration of an elongated line head is placed along the direction in which the recording medium is transferred at an external position which deviates from a recording medium in the width direction. A longitudinal end of the line head is pivotally supported. By rotating the line head by 90° around a pivotal axis, the line head alternately moves between a recording position on a recording medium and a cleaning position on the cleaner. Since this recording apparatus incorporates the line cleaner placed along the transfer direction of the recording medium, the size of the recording apparatus increases along the transfer direction of the recording medium.
The line head disclosed in the above document is structured such that a plurality of colors of inks are ejected from a single line head. Thus, only one line cleaner is needed. Alternatively, a line head structure including a plurality of line heads, from respective one of which different colors of inks are ejected, is also possible. In this structure, a plurality of line cleaners are required for a plurality of line heads on a one-to-one basis. In the case where a plurality of elongated line cleaners are provided along the transfer direction of the recording medium, an enormously large space is occupied by the cleaners along the transfer direction of the recoding medium. As a result, the size of the recording apparatus further increases.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An improved desmear process for removing resin smeared on an interior wall of a through hole drilled in a resinous substrate, especially resinous substrates made from epoxy, polyimide, cyanate ester resins and bis-maleimide triazine epoxy resins. The process involves contacting the resin smear with a solvent solution to soften the resin smear, followed by treatment with an alkaline permanganate solution to remove the softened resin, and treatment with a neutralizer to neutralize and remove the permanganate residues. The solvent solution comprises a mixture of at least two solvent components, with at least one solvent component being selected from the group consisting of gamma-butyrolactone, ethyl-3-ethoxypropionate, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone, and N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone. The solvent solution is selective for the softening and removal of epoxy, polyimide, cyanate ester resins and bis-maleimide triazine epoxy resins.

Printed circuit boards are formed from a layer of conductive material (commonly, copper or copper plated with solder or gold) carried on a substrate of insulating material (commonly glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy resin). A printed circuit board having two conductive surfaces positioned on opposite sides of a single insulating layer is known as a "double-sided circuit board." To accommodate even more circuits on a single board, several copper layers are sandwiched between boards or other layers of insulating material to produce a multilayer circuit board.
To make electrical connections between two or more circuit layers on opposite sides of a double-sided circuit board, a hole is first drilled through the two conducting circuit layers and the insulator board. These holes are known in the art as "through holes," particularly if they extend through the entire circuit board. Through holes are typically from about 0.05 mm to about 5 mm in diameter and from about 0.025 mm to about 6 mm long. The through hole initially has a nonconductive cylindrical bore communicating between the two conductive surfaces. A conductive material or element is positioned in the through hole and electrically connected with the conducting sheets or layers to complete an electrical connection.
Like double-sided circuit boards, multilayer circuit boards also use holes in an intervening insulating layer to complete circuits between the circuit patterns on opposite sides of the insulating layer, as well as intermediate layers. Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this specification to "through holes" refer to these holes in multilayer boards as well, even if they do not literally go through the entire circuit board.
When a through hole is drilled through a double-sided or multilayer circuit board, the act of drilling leaves a smear of insulating material in the barrel of the hole, as well as on the conductive surface. This smear must be removed prior to positioning or depositing the conductive material or element in the through hole if conductive contact between the through hole and the conducting sheets or layers is to be achieved.
Smear removal processes and solvents are known in the art. Several mechanical and chemical desmear methods that are known in the art are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,783, issued Jul. 22, 1986 to Krulik. One common smear removal process utilizes an alkaline permanganate solution to remove the resin smear. U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,548 to Courduvelis et al. describes an alkaline permanganate desmear process that involves three chemical steps. In the first step, called solvent etch, a solvent is applied to attack and soften the resin structure of the smeared material; in the second step, a permanganate oxidizer is applied to remove the swelled resin; in the third step, a neutralizer is applied to neutralize and remove the permanganate from the resin surface. Suggested solvents for use in the disclosed desmear process include alkaline solutions of propylene glycol ethers. Other known solvents for use in permanganate desmear processes include such chemicals as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, or tripropylene glycol methyl ether. Permanganate oxidizers used in the desmear process include alkaline solutions of sodium, potassium or lithium permanganate. Neutralizers used in the permanganate desmear process are typically oxalic acid or aqueous acidic solutions such as dilute sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid. Other known neutralizers are acidified stannous chloride, hydroxylamine hydrochloride or formaldehyde.
The known solvents used in permanganate desmear processes work fairly well in removing resin smear from a laminate material extensively used and known in the industry by the designation FR4, which is a fire retardant epoxy resin fiberglass cloth laminate. In recent years, however, specialized materials, resins and fillers have been used to develop new printed circuit board laminates having improved properties adequate for both state-of-the-art processing and performance requirements. Due to their chemical structure, the specialized resins developed for high performance laminates are very difficult to desmear using permanganate chemical processes. One such specialized resin is an epoxy, polyimide, cyanate ester resin system marketed by Allied Signal under the trademark RCC.RTM.. Another high performance resin is BT epoxy, a combination of bis-maleimide triazine (BT) resin and an epoxy resin. Permanganate desmear processes can be used for smear removal of such high performance or specialized resins, but satisfactory smear removal can only be achieved at the highest recommended levels of solvent and permanganate. For many users, such high levels are not practical.

Permanganate desmear process for printed wiring boards


A method for displaying physiological data on a medical display device includes receiving one or more first units of physiological data from a first monitoring device. At least one of the first units of physiological data is received on a continuous basis. Each first unit of physiological data corresponds to a medical parameter being monitored by the first monitoring device. One or more second units of physiological data are received from a second monitoring device. At least one of the second units of physiological data is received on a non-continuous basis. Each second unit of physiological data corresponds to a medical parameter being monitored by the second monitoring device. The first and second units of physiological data are displayed on a single display screen of the medical display device.

In a medical setting, different monitoring devices may be used to monitor different types of patients. Surgical patients and post-surgical patients in intensive care are typically connected to monitoring devices that continuously receive physiological data from these patients. Less acute patients may be monitored less frequently using vital signs devices, for example when a clinician periodically takes vital signs for the patients.
Physiological and other data obtained from these patients are often stored and displayed in different places. For example, systems that continuously monitor patients typically display patient data and also send the data to an electronics medical records (EMR) system where the data is stored. For less acute patients, monitoring devices, for example vital signs devices, may be portable and data from these devices may be obtained manually, written on a chart and put outside a patient's room.

Combined episodic and continuous parameter monitoring


The photodiode device comprises a doped region (2) contiguous with a contact region (3) of the same conductivity type located at the substrate surface (1′), an appertaining anode or cathode connection (7, 11), a further contact region (5) of an opposite conductivity type at the substrate surface, and a further anode or cathode connection (8, 12). The contact region (3) is arranged at least on opposite sides of an active area of the substrate surface that covers the further contact region (5). A lateral pn junction (16) and an associated space charge region is formed at the substrate surface by a boundary of one of the contact regions, the boundary facing the other contact region. A field electrode (6) is arranged above the lateral pn junction, separated from the lateral pn junction by a dielectric material (10), and is provided with a further electrical connection (9, 13) separate from the anode and cathode connections. By the field electrode (6), the space charge region at the surface (1′) is reduced and the peripheral dark current of the photodiode decreases considerably.

A photodiode comprises a pn junction between semiconductor regions that are doped to have opposite types of electrical conductivity. A space charge region or depletion region forms at the pn junction. The extension of the space charge region and the strength of the electric field are increased by applying a bias voltage to the doped regions in the reverse direction, the voltage of the n-type region being positive with respect to the voltage of the p-type region.
When the photodiode is irradiated, electron-hole pairs are produced in the crystalline semiconductor material by lifting electrons from the valence band up into the conduction band, which allows a free movement of the electrons. The charge carriers thus generated in the space charge region produce a photocurrent, which can be detected in a control or read-out circuit connected to the photodiode. When the photodiode is not irradiated, the bias voltage generates a so-called dark current, which interferes with the measurement. The control circuit may be used to measure the dark current and to correct the measured value of the photocurrent accordingly.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,134,179 B2 discloses a photodiode comprising a pn junction between a doped region at the surface of a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor layer of opposite type of conductivity arranged above the doped region. At the lateral margin of the doped region, a supplementary doping is applied to shift the pn junction and the space charge region to a position remote from the substrate surface. In this way charge carriers generated at crystalline defects near the substrate surface or at the edge of the doped region are prevented from contributing to the measured current.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,701,030 B2 describes a pinned photodiode formed by a region of n-type conductivity embedded in a region of p-type conductivity in a semiconductor substrate. The n-type region comprises a first zone and a second zone, which has a higher doping concentration and a smaller depth than the first zone. A shallow p+region is located at the surface above the n-type region. The doping concentrations are intended to deplete the n-type region during the operation of the device, which comprises an accumulation phase and a transfer phase. During the accumulation phase charge carriers are generated and stored in the n-type region; and in the transfer phase the charge carriers are driven through the transfer gate.
N. V. Loukianova et al., "Leakage current modeling of test structures for characterization of dark current in CMOS image sensors", IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices vol. 50(1), pages 77 to 83, 2003, describe a photodiode comprising an n-well that is surrounded by a p-well in order to reduce the dark current. The lateral pn junction is passivated by a shallow p+implant, reducing the width of the space charge region at the surface by one half.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,312,484 B1 describes a photodiode sensor structure with a pn junction between an n-type doped well region and a p-type substrate, which is the anode of the photodiode. An electric shield is formed by a polysilicon region over substantially all of the diode junction. A sense node contact forming a cathode is located at a drain/source connection region between a cascode transistor and a reset transistor.

Photodiode device with reducible space charge region


A child restraint system (1) having a mounting clip (2) positioned over an upper crossbar (12) and vertical bars (19) of a shopping cart seat (14) back support (13). The mounting clip is centered on the back support so that it rests directly behind a child when seated in the shopping cart. A belt (16) extends from sides of the mounting clip and wraps around the child's torso encircling the child preferably above the abdomen. This keeps the child in an upright position and prevents the child from leaning to the front or to the side, thereby reducing any risk of injury.

Child restraint systems, especially those used on shopping carts, have been around for many years. Conventional child restraint systems are typically seat belts attached directly to a seat of a shopping cart to prevent children from falling out of the shopping cart.
Although child restraint systems have been in use for a number of years, child injury rates in shopping carts are still very high. Approximately 66 children are injured every day in shopping cart related accidents in the USA alone. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 90 percent of these injuries are to the head of which most are from the child falling out of the cart. This is mainly due to the fact that conventional child restraint systems designs do not adequately secure the child within the shopping cart seat. Current designs allow the child to bend forward over the handle of the shopping cart, angle their torso to either side of the shopping cart, and shift their body off center allowing them to reach for objects that can be pulled down onto them from nearby shelves.
Therefore, a need exists for a child restraint system that properly aligns a child's torso to a desired vertical center of a shopping cart seat and limits the child's movement to the desired seating location and position.


This invention relates to a novel class of biodegradable water-soluble graft copolymers having building, anti-filming, dispersing and threshold crystal inhibiting properties comprising (a) an acid functional monomer and optionally (b) other water-soluble, monoethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable with (a) grafted to a biodegradable substrate comprising polyalkylene oxides and/or polyalkoxylated materials.

In detergent applications, large volumes of chemicals are used. Because these chemicals may eventually enter the environment and reside in subsurface waters or open bodies of surface waters, it is highly desirable for such chemicals to be degradable in order to eliminate any environmental problems. Traditionally, detergents and cleaning agents have contained phosphates. These phosphates are added as detergent builders, acting to sequester alkaline earth metal hardness ions, as encrustation inhibitors and as antiredeposition agents. Despite the fact that the well known inorganic phosphorus compounds are highly effective and relatively non-toxic, they lead to environmental problems such as causing excess plant growth, resulting in eutrophication of lakes.
During the past three decades, efforts have been made in the detergent industry to convert from the eutrophying polyphosphates to more environmentally acceptable materials such as polycarboxylic acid polymers (e.g., polyacrylic acids). In a similar situation, the ubiquitous branched alkyl benzene sulfonates (ABS), probably the most popular surfactants, were replaced by their biodegradable linear counterparts (LAS) to eliminate build-up in surface and subsurface waters.
While the polycarboxylic acid polymers and copolymers currently used in detergents and water treatment applications do not suffer from the same drawbacks as the phosphorus-containing inorganic builders or the foam producing ABS surfactants, the past has taught it is most desirable that chemicals used in large volume applications which enter the environment be biodegradable. Unfortunately, most polycarboxylic acid polymers and copolymers useful in detergent applications or as dispersants or as water treatment chemicals are not highly biodegradable.
Some effort has been made to provide biodegradable water-soluble polymers through the use of comonomers containing two ethylenically unsaturated double bonds. Notable in this regard is European Patent Application No. 291,808, filed May 7, 1988 (assigned to BASF Aktiengesellschaft). Disclosed in the '808 application are water-soluble copolymers prepared by the copolymerization of monomer mixtures of at least one monoethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic acid, at least one comonomer containing at least two ethylenically unsaturated non-conjugate double bonds and at least one COO--X group, at least one monoethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acid, hydroxyl esters of monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids and other water-soluble monoethylenically unsaturated monomers. However, studies of these polymers have revealed they are difficult to make and do not combine the balance of good performance properties and biodegradability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,456 ('456) discloses a detergent composition containing a graft copolymer of polyalkylene oxides and vinyl acetate which purportedly act as a soil redeposition inhibitor. The detergent composition disclosed in the '456 patent contains from 0.1 to 3% of the graft copolymer obtained from grafting onto a polyalkylene oxide polymer of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide or butylene oxide, vinyl acetate in a weight ratio of from 1:0.2 to 1:10. However, the detergent compositions of the '456 patent still contain phosphate along with this soil redeposition inhibitor and these graft copolymers are not readily biodegradable.
We have now discovered that graft copolymers prepared by grafting acid functional monomers onto biodegradable polyalkylene oxide and polyalkoxylated substrates form graft copolymers which are biodegradable and are useful as detergent additives. These graft copolymers are particularly biodegradable when they are prepared by a process which yields short chain graft units which is obtained by utilizing a metal salt, preferably a salt generating copper ions.

Graft polymers as biodegradable detergent additives


Apparatus for forming a multilayer film on at least one surface of a substrate comprises a vacuum chamber including:

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing multilayer film deposition on a substrate surface, e.g., a disk-shaped substrate, which method and apparatus utilizes a side-loading, multiple linear magnetron cathode sputtering device. The invention has particular utility in the formation of multilayer superlattice structures, e.g., (Co/Pt)n and (Co/Pd)n superlattices, as part of automated manufacture of magnetic and magneto-optical (MO) data/information recording, storage, and retrieval media in disk form.
Magnetic and magneto-optical media are widely employed in various applications, particularly in the computer industry for data/information storage and retrieval purposes. A conventional, single-sided, longitudinal magnetic recording medium 1 in e.g., disk form, such as utilized in computer related applications, is schematically depicted in FIG. 1 and comprises a non-magnetic substrate 10, e.g., of glass, ceramic, glass-ceramic composite, polymer, metal, or metal alloy, typically an aluminum (Al)-based alloy such as aluminum-magnesium, having at least one major surface on which a layer stack comprising a plurality of thin film layers constituting the medium are sequentially deposited. Such layers typically include a plating layer 11, as of amorphous nickel-phosphorus (NiP), a polycrystalline underlayer 12, typically of chromium (Cr) or a Cr-based alloy, a magnetic recording layer 13, e.g., of a cobalt (Co)-based alloy, a protective overcoat layer 14, typically containing carbon (C), e.g., diamond-like carbon (DLC), and a lubricant topcoat layer 15, typically of a perfluoropolyether compound.
Magneto-optical (MO) recording media (MO) similarly comprise a laminate of layers formed over a suitable substrate, e.g., a disk. By way of illustration, shown in FIG. 2 is a single-sided MO medium 20 having a first surface magneto-optical (FSMO) layer configuration, wherein reference numeral 21 denotes a disk-shaped substrate formed of a material selected from, for example, aluminum (Al), plated aluminum, aluminum alloys, metals, metal alloys, glass, ceramics, and glass-ceramic composite materials. Formed on one surface 21A of substrate 21 is a layer stack, comprising, in sequence from surface 21A, a reflective, heat sinking layer 22, comprising Al or an alloy thereof, e.g., AlCr, AlTi, AlCu, AlMo, etc., which layer may also serve to prevent laser beam transmission through the substrate when the latter is transparent, as in the case of glass or glass-based materials, and thus render surface 21A opaque; a first dielectric material layer 23, substantially transparent to the wavelength(s) of the at least one laser beam employed for writing and reading out information stored in the medium, typically selected from SiNx, AlNx, SiOx, and AlOx; a MO read-write layer 24, for example, comprising a rare earth-transition metal thermo-magnetic (RE-TM) material having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, large perpendicular coercivity Hc at room temperature, and high Curie temperature Tc, typically selected from TbFe, TbFeCo, TbDyFeCo, etc.; a second transparent dielectric material 25 typically selected from the same materials utilized for the first transparent dielectric layer 23; a thin, amorphous, diamond-like carbon (DLC) protective overcoat layer 26; and a lubricant topcoat layer 27, typically comprising a fluoropolyether or perfluoropolyether material.
A promising new class of materials suitable for use as the magnetic recording layer 13 of the magnetic medium of FIG. 1 or the MO read-write layer 24 of the magneto-optical (MO) medium of FIG. 2 includes cobalt/platinum (Co/Pt)n and cobalt-palladium (Co/Pd)n multilayer stacks, also referred to as xe2x80x9csuperlatticexe2x80x9d structures. As schematically illustrated in FIG. 3, such multilayer stacks or superlattice structures 30 comprise n pairs of alternating discrete layers of Co (designated by letter A in the drawing) and Pt or Pd (designated by letter B in the drawing), where n=an integer between about 10 and about 30. Superlattice 30 is typically formed by a suitable vapor deposition technique and can exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy arising from metastable chemical modulation in the direction normal to the substrate. Compared to conventional cobalt-chromium (Coxe2x80x94Cr) alloys utilized in magnetic data storage/retrieval disk applications, such (Co/Pt)n and (Co/Pd)n multilayer or superlattice structures offer an economic advantage in facilitating room temperature deposition processing necessary for utilization of lower cost polymeric substrates. When utilized in MO disk-based applications, (Co/Pt)n and (Co/Pd)n superlattices offer superior corrosion resistance and blue wavelength response vis-a-vis conventional RE-TM alloys.
For example, a (Co/Pt)n multilayer stack or superlattice 30 suitable for use as the magnetic recording layer 13 of the magnetic recording medium of FIG. 1 or the magneto-optical (MO) read-write layer 24 of the MO medium of FIG. 2 can comprise a plurality of Co/Pt pairs, i.e., n=about 10 to about 30, e.g., 13, wherein each Co/Pt pair consists of a 3-5 xc3x85 thick Co layer adjacent to an 8 xc3x85 thick Pt layer, for a total of 26 separate or discrete layers. When utilized as a high recording density magneto-optical (HDMO) read-write layer 24 in e.g., a MO medium as illustrated in FIG. 2, such multilayer stacks or superlattice structures 30 are characterized by having a large perpendicular anisotropy and high coercivity, high squareness ratio (S) for a magnetic hysteresis (M-H) loop measured in the perpendicular direction, and high Kerr rotation angle for light of a particular wavelength region, e.g., blue or red light. By way of illustration, but not limitation, (Co/Pt)n and (Co/Pd)n HDMO superlattices, wherein n=about 10 to about 30 pairs of Co and Pt or Pd layers having thicknesses as indicated supra and fabricated, e.g., by means of techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,270, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, exhibit perpendicular anisotropy exceeding about 2xc3x97106 erg/cm3; coercivity as high as about 5,000 Oe; squareness ratio (S) of a M-H loop, measured in the perpendicular direction, of from about 0.85 to about 1.0; and carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) of from about 30 dB to about 60 dB.
According to conventional methodologies and practices for automated manufacture of disk-shaped magnetic and MO media, when the various above-described thin film layers constituting the medium are deposited on the disk-shaped substrates, as by cathode sputtering techniques, it is generally advantageous to coat one disk at a time with the various requisite layers. However, the continuing requirement for increased storage density has increased the number of requisite layers and, as the number of requisite layers increases, it becomes impractical to build and operate linearly arranged, multi-chamber cathode sputtering apparatus wherein each separate or discrete layer to be deposited requires a separate vacuum chamber, because the resulting system becomes unwieldy as a result of its great length.
The above-described difficulty associated with increasing numbers of requisite layers is magnified in the case of recording media comprising (Co/Pt)n or (Co/Pd)n multilayer stacks or superlattice structures where n=about 10 to about 30 layer pairs, due to the very large number of individual layers required to be deposited. Currently available disk processing apparatus, whether pallet pass-by, single disk, or some variation thereof, do not have an adequate cathode count for single-pass coating of a large number of layers. Certain types of existing sputtering apparatus can be modified to perform multiple pass, back-and-forth, or up-and-down repetitive disk transport to fabricate multilayer stacks with a limited number of sputtering cathodes, but such reduction in cathode number incurs a significant reduction in productivity, hence increased manufacturing cost.
Moreover, to date, no production-type sputtering system based upon such modification of existing sputtering apparatus, is capable of performing multilayer deposition on 95 mm diameter disks with a required radial film uniformity (e.g., +/xe2x88x923% thickness variation).
Other types of existing sputtering apparatus, e.g., the Intevac MDP 250 style frequently utilized for magnetic and MO recording disk manufacture, transport each disk with an intermittent up-and-down motion which can be exploited for reducing the requisite number of coating stations; however, the required number of sputtering cathode/target assemblies cannot be reduced.
It is therefore considered that a method and apparatus for forming multilayer stacks or superlattice structures which minimizes the requisite number of sputtering cathode/target assemblies without sacrificing productivity is required for realizing economically viable manufacture of (Co/Pt)n and (Co/Pd)n superlattice-based magnetic and/or MO recording media. One possible approach for achieving such result is to utilize nested, annularly-shaped, independently powered Co and Pt or Pd sputtering cathodes/targets which can be alternately energized to sputter discrete layers of Co and Pt or Pd to form a multilayer stack. However, this approach entails several drawbacks, e.g., fabrication of the annularly-shaped targets is expensive, the cathode/target structure is mechanically complex, and control of the film thickness and properties in the radial direction is limited, resulting in excessive radial non-uniformity, as for example, shown in FIG. 4.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved means and methodology for forming, as by cathode sputtering, multilayer stacks or superlattice structures, for use in e.g., single- and dual-sided magnetic and/or MO data/information storage and retrieval media in disk form, which means and methodology form part of a multi-station processing apparatus and enable rapid, simple, and cost-effective formation of such media.
The present invention, wherein multilayer or superlattice structures are formed in a side-loading sputtering chamber utilized as part of a multi-chamber system, the side-loading sputtering chamber containing a plurality of co-planar, spaced-apart, radially extending, linearly elongated magnetron cathode/target assemblies each operating as a source of a sputtered target material for forming individual layers of a multilayer film on a substrate surface, and a means for serially passing a surface of a substrate over each of the cathode/target assemblies a requisite number of times for deposition of a multilayer film thereon, effectively addresses and solves problems attendant upon the use of sputtering techniques for the manufacture of, inter alia, high recording density, thin film magnetic and MO media, while maintaining full compatibility with all aspects of conventional automated manufacturing technology. Further, the means and methodology provided by the present invention enjoy diverse utility in the manufacture of other devices and products requiring multilayer thin film coatings.
An advantage of the present invention is an improved method for forming a multilayer thin film on at least one surface of a substrate.
Another advantage of the present invention is an improved method for forming a multilayer thin film with very good radial thickness uniformity over a disk-shaped substrate of wide diameter.
A further advantage of the present invention is an improved method for forming (Co/Pd)n and (Co/Pt)n multilayer superlattice structures by means of sputtering techniques.
A still further advantage of the present invention is an improved apparatus for forming multilayer thin films by sputtering.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is an improved apparatus for forming multilayer thin films on large diameter disk-shaped substrates with very good radial thickness uniformity of about +/xe2x88x923%.
Additional advantages and other features of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the present invention. The advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are obtained in part by a method of forming a multilayer film on at least one surface of a substrate with improved thickness uniformity, comprising the sequential steps of:
(a) providing a vacuum chamber comprising:
(i) a pair of parallel top and bottom walls connected by at least one side wall;
(ii) at least one entry/exit means in the at least one side wall for insertion and withdrawal of a substrate from the chamber;
(iii) a plurality of spaced-apart, radially extending, linearly elongated sputtering sources arranged in a co-planar array adjacent one of the top or bottom walls of the chamber, each of the linearly elongated sputtering sources having a length and a width; and
(iv) a gripper/transporter for gripping and moving the substrate in a generally circular, planar path past each of the plurality of radially extending sputtering sources, such that the at least one deposition surface of the substrate faces each of the sputtering sources during movement along the circular path, for deposition of multilayer film thereon;
(b) inserting the substrate into the chamber via the at least one side wall entry/exit means, the at least one deposition surface of the substrate having a maximum lateral dimension less than either the length or the width of each of the linearly elongated sputtering sources;
(c) gripping the substrate at edges thereof by means of the gripper/transporter;
(d) sputtering target material from each of the plurality of sputtering sources; and
(e) moving the substrate by means of the gripper/transporter in a circular path past each of the plurality of sputtering sources and depositing on the at least one deposition surface thereof a desired multilayer film comprising a predetermined number of sub-layers.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, step (a)(i) comprises providing a generally cylindrically-shaped vacuum chamber comprising flat, circularly-shaped top and bottom walls connected by a curved side wall; step (a)(ii) comprises providing the at least one entry/exit means in the curved side wall; step (a)(iii) comprises providing at least a pair of radially extending, linearly elongated, magnetron sputtering sources adjacent the bottom wall of the chamber; and step (a)(iv) comprises providing the gripper/transporter as including a radially extending arm rotatable about an axis co-axial with that of the cylindrically-shaped chamber.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, step (b) comprises inserting a disk-shaped substrate having a pair of opposed deposition surfaces, the diameter of the disk being less than the length and width of each of the sputtering sources; step (a)(iii) further comprises providing another plurality of spaced-apart, radially extending, linearly elongated sputtering sources arranged in a co-planar array adjacent the top wall of the cylindrically-shaped chamber for performing multilayer film deposition on each of the pair of deposition surfaces of the substrate.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise the further step of:
(f) removing the substrate from the chamber via the at least one entry/exit means after completion of step (e); wherein: step (a) comprises providing the vacuum chamber as part of an in-line, multi-station apparatus including at least one process module upstream of the vacuum chamber and at least one process module downstream of the vacuum chamber; step (b) comprises inserting the substrate into the vacuum chamber via a first entry/exit means which receives the substrate from an adjacent upstream process module; and step (f) comprises removing the substrate with the multilayer film thereon from the vacuum chamber via a second entry/exit means which supplies the substrate to an adjacent downstream process module.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, step (a)(iii) comprises providing a plurality of separately energizable sputtering sources; step (d) comprises regulating the energizing power applied to each sputtering source to provide a preselected rate of sputtering therefrom; and step (e) comprises regulating the moving speed of the substrate past the plurality of sputtering sources and selecting the number of times the substrate passes by the sputtering sources for deposition thereon of the desired multilayer film.
Embodiments of the present invention include providing in step (a)(iii) a plurality of linearly elongated, rectangularly-shaped sputtering sources each having a length of about 9 inches and a width of about 6 inches; and in step (b) a disk-shaped substrate is inserted which has a diameter of about 3.75 inches (95 mm).
According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, step (a)(iii) further comprises providing at least one pair of sputtering sources, a first one of the pair of sources being a Co source and a second one of the pair of sources being a Pd source or a Pt source; and step (e) comprises depositing on the at least one surface of the disk-shaped substrate a (Co/Pd)n or a (Co/Pt)n multilayer superlattice film, where n is an integer from about 10 to about 30, and the thickness of each of the Co and Pd or Pt sub-layers of the superlattice is from about 5 to about 8 xc3x85, with a radial thickness uniformity of about +/xe2x88x923% over the deposition surface of the 95 mm diameter disk.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for forming a multilayer film on at least one surface of a substrate comprises a vacuum chamber including:
(a) a pair of parallel top and bottom walls connected by at least one side wall;
(b) at least one entry/exit means in the at least one side wall for insertion and withdrawal of a substrate from the chamber;
(c) a plurality of spaced-apart, radially extending, linearly elongated sputtering sources arranged in a co-planar array adjacent one of the top or bottom walls of the chamber, each of the linearly elongated sputtering sources having a length and a width; and
(d) a gripper/transporter for gripping and moving the substrate in a generally circular, planar path past each of the plurality of radially extending sputtering sources, such that the at least one deposition surface of the substrate faces each of the sputtering sources during movement along the circular path, for deposition of the multilayer film thereon.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the vacuum chamber is generally cylindrically-shaped, including flat, circularly-shaped top and bottom walls connected by a curved side wall; the at least one entry/exit means is located in the curved side wall; the plurality of sputtering sources includes at least a pair of radially extending, linearly elongated, magnetron sputtering sources adjacent the bottom wall of the chamber; and the gripper/transporter comprises a radially extending arm rotatable about an axis co-axial with that of the cylindrically-shaped chamber.
In accordance with further embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises:
(e) a substrate conveyor means for inserting a disk-shaped substrate into the vacuum chamber via the entry/exit means, the disk having a pair of opposed deposition surfaces, the diameter of the disk being less than the length and the width of each of the sputtering sources; and
(f) another plurality of spaced-apart, radially extending, linearly elongated sputtering sources arranged in a co-planar array adjacent the top wall of the cylindrically-shaped chamber for performing multilayer film deposition on each of the pair of deposition surfaces of the disk-shaped substrate.
Embodiments of the present invention include apparatus wherein the vacuum chamber forms part of an in-line, multi-station apparatus including at least one process module upstream of the vacuum chamber and at least one process module downstream of the vacuum chamber; and the side wall of the vacuum chamber comprises a first entry/exit means which receives the substrate from an adjacent upstream process module for insertion into the vacuum chamber and a second entry/exit means opposite the first entry/exit means for withdrawing the substrate from the vacuum chamber and for supplying the substrate to an adjacent downstream process module.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of sputtering sources are separately energizable, whereby the energizing power applied to each sputtering source can be regulated to provide a preselected rate of sputtering therefrom; and the gripper/transporter includes means for regulating the speed of the substrate moving past the plurality of sputtering sources in the circular path and the number of times the substrate passes by the sputtering sources for deposition thereon of the desired multilayer film.
In accordance with particular embodiments of the present invention, each of the plurality of linearly elongated, rectangularly-shaped sputtering sources has a length of about 9 inches and a width of about 6 inches; and the substrate is a disk-shaped substrate having a diameter of about 3.75 inches (95 mm).
Embodiments of the present invention include apparatus wherein the plurality of sputtering sources comprises at least one pair of sputtering sources, a first one of the pair of sources being a Co source and a second one of the pair of sources being a Pd source or a Pt source; and the multilayer film formed on the at least one deposition surface of the substrate is a (Co/Pd)n or a (Co/Pt)n multilayer superlattice film, where n is an integer from about 10 to about 30, and the thickness of each of the Co and Pd or Pt sub-layers is from about 5 to about 8 xc3x85, with a radial thickness uniformity of about +/xe2x88x923% over the deposition surface of a 95 mm diameter disk as the substrate.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for forming a multilayer film on at least one surface of a substrate, comprises:
a vacuum chamber including therein a plurality of co-planar, linearly elongated, radially extending sputtering sources; and
means for forming a sputter deposited multilayer film having a radial thickness uniformity of +/xe2x88x923% on a surface of a disk-shaped substrate of 95 mm diameter.
Embodiments of the invention include apparatus which further comprise means for forming the multilayer film with the radial thickness uniformity of +/xe2x88x923 % on the other surface of the disk-shaped substrate; and means for inserting and withdrawing the substrate from the vacuum chamber via a side wall of the chamber.
Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for practicing the present invention. As will be described, the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are susceptible of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as limitative.

Method and apparatus for sputter deposition of multilayer films

Abstract: (a) a pair of parallel top and bottom walls connected by a side wall;

Abstract: (b) at least one entry/exit means in the side wall for insertion and withdrawal of a substrate from the chamber;

Abstract: (d) a gripper/transporter for gripping and moving a substrate in a generally circular, planar path past each of the plurality of radially extending sputtering sources, such that the at least one deposition surface of the substrate faces each of the sputtering sources during movement along the circular path, for deposition of the multilayer film thereon.


An arsenic ion active DNAzyme includes a nucleotide sequence, which has a base sequence selected from ATCTCCTCCTGTTC (SEQ ID NO: 62), ATCTGCTCCTGTTC (SEQ ID NO: 63), ATCTCCTCATGTTC (SEQ ID NO: 64), ATCTCCTCTTGTTC (SEQ ID NO: 65), ATCTCCAACCTGTTC (SEQ ID NO: 66), and CCGTAGCGCAAAT (SEQ ID NO: 67). A mercury ion active DNAzyme includes a nucleotide sequence, which has a base sequence selected from AATTCCGTAGGTCCAGTG (SEQ ID NO: 68), AATTCCGTCGGTCCAGTG (SEQ ID NO: 69), AATTCCGCCGGTCCAGTG (SEQ ID NO: 70), GGTTCCGAGTCTCGCGTG (SEQ ID NO: 71), and CGTTCAAAAGGGGCACTG (SEQ ID NO: 72). Sensors incorporating the respective DNAzymes are also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates generally to DNAzymes, and more particularly to sensors incorporating the DNAzymes.
Many metals pose a risk as environmental contaminants. Some methods for metal analysis, such as atomic absorption spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and anodic stripping voltammetry, often involve sophisticated equipment and sample pre-treatment.
DNAzymes (i.e., DNA enzymes or deoxyribozymes) have been isolated through in vitro selection (Selective Evolution of Ligands through EXponential Enrichment-SELEX) protocols (Sen and Geyer, 1998; Joyce, 2004; Fiammengo and Jaschke, 2005). A variety of deoxyribozymes have been isolated in vitro that are capable of catalyzing different chemical reactions, including RNA or DNA ligation (Carmi et al., 1998; Cruz et al., 2004), phosphorylation (Li and Breaker, 1999), cleavage of phosphoramidate bonds (Burmiester et al., 1997) porphyrin metallation (Li and Sen, 1996) and DNA or RNA cleavage (Carmi et al., 1996; Ting et al., 2004). DNAzymes generally have high stability against chemical and nuclease degradations. This, in combination with the catalytic activity and substrate recognition ability, makes RNA-cleaving DNAzymes potential reagents for biochemical, environmental and pharmaceutical applications.
Biomolecular recognition tools (such as DNAzyme-based ligands (catalytic DNA)) have been developed in recent years. Such tools have the potential to be highly selective and rapid sensors for the detection of transition metal ions. The focus of such tools has been on divalent metal cations. The ligands that emerge from in vitro selections generally range from 20 to 50 nucleotides in length. Due, at least in part, to their high specificity and high catalytic rates (generally below 1.0 min−1), these sensors are capable of rapidly screening large numbers of samples. Development of target protocols for geochemically diverse conditions and means for attachment to matrices for relatively simple field deployment may be desirable for rendering such sensors useful to practitioners.

DNAzymes and sensors incorporating the same

The Regents of The University of Michigan


A semiconductor device including a vertical assembly of semiconductor chips interconnected on a substrate with one or more metal standoffs providing a fixed space between each supporting chip and a next successive vertically stacked chip is described. The device is fabricated by patterning islands of aluminum atop the passivation layer of each supporting chip simultaneously with processing to form bond pad caps. The fabrication process requires no additional cost, and has the advantage of providing standoffs for a plurality of chips by processing in wafer form, thereby avoiding additional assembly costs. Further, the standoffs provide improved thermal dissipation for the device and a uniform, stable bonding surface for wire bonding each of the chips to the substrate.

In the ongoing search for higher levels of circuit integration to support system level requirements, many avenues have been explored. In particular, chip feature sizes have been substantially reduced; wafer processing technologies have been altered to allow different types of circuits on the same chip; and package sizes and foot prints have been minimized. Each approach is limited by state-of-the-art technology and cost constraints, both from the device manufacturer and the end user.
An approach for integration of functions and reduction of device size which facilitates more compact, higher performance systems is the assembly of multiple chips in a single package. Multiple chips of the same or of different device technologies are included on an interconnecting substrate and/or in a single package which provides contacts to the next level of interconnection.
Integration of multiple chips in the same package has been developed both in the horizontal and vertical planes. Historically, the vertical integration of memory circuits has provided a stacked device 10 having an increased memory capacity within the same footprint as a single device, as shown in FIG. 1. A number of similar chips 11 of relatively low pin count are connected to individual interposers 13. The assemblies are stacked atop each other, and interconnected to each other, and to external contacts 12.
More recently, as shown in FIG. 2, multiple silicon chips 21 of different types have been assembled in a vertical stack with standoffs 24 between each of the active devices 21 to separate and allow interconnections to be made to substrate 23. Chips 21 are interconnected by conductive traces on substrate 23. Typically each chip 21 is separated from the vertically successive chip by an insulating material 24. A stacked chip assembly is of particular importance for coupling an integrated circuit to a memory device, such as a random access memory, E2prom, flash memory or buffer storage, where rapid interaction between chips is crucial. Wafer fabrication of memory circuits is not readily compatible with other IC wafer fabrication technologies, and is difficult and costly to integrate. Therefore, the assembly of stacked chips for providing a rapid interaction with functional chips is cost effective.
Materials which have been used as stand-offs to separate the vertically stacked chips include polymeric films, laminate materials, adhesives, bare silicon chips, and/or a combination of such materials.
Polymeric films may be applied to the wafer and photo patterned to expose the bonding pads, thereby offering the advantage of processing as wafers with multiple chips, rather than as individual chips during final assembly of the devices. However, each additional processing step adds significantly to the wafer cost and increases the probability of introducing defects which contribute to costly yield losses. Other types of materials used as standoffs most frequently require insertion into individual packages during assembly.
Wire bonding is a widely used method to connect each semiconductor chip to the substrate or package. The bond pad is an electrically conductive metal area on the surface of the IC where bonding wires, typically of gold are connected. Copper has become commonly used for some interconnects 311 in integrated circuits, replacing aluminum. However, because of problems bonding to copper, bond pads 31 for chips with copper interconnection technology often utilize an aluminum layer 33 to cap the exposed copper bond pads 31 as illustrated in a cross-sectional view of a portion of a chip 30 in FIG. 3. The aluminum cap 33 covers the copper pad 31 and overlaps onto the passivation layer 32, thereby allowing use of the same wire bonding tools and processes as those used for chips having aluminum interconnect technologies.
It is well known that as the size of brittle silicon chips has increased, and the chips are adhered to substrates of different materials, thermal and mechanical stresses develop which can result in yield and reliability failures. Not only can the stresses be of a concern for mechanical distortion and cracking of the chips, interconnections, or interconnection interfaces, but in high speed devices, response times of the chip may be altered, thereby interfering with device performance. Avoiding inclusion of thick, continuous layers of materials having dissimilar coefficients of expansion helps to mitigate thermally induced stresses on the silicon chips.
Another major concern for vertically stacked chips is yield loss due to defects induced either during added processing steps which are necessary to prepare the chips for assembly or during the assembly process itself. Additional processing steps are costly because of fabrication expenses and yield losses.
A method for reliable, high density assembly of semiconductor chips within a small foot print is an important goal; and a method for cost effective assembly of such devices, wherein existing technologies and equipment are utilized, would be welcome.


An electrical equipment disassembly structure includes: a housing which houses an electric component therein and whose surface is provided with a recess in which a female connector is located which holds a plurality of connecting terminals electrically connected to the electric component; and a wiring harness which is fixed to the housing in such a way that a male connector attached to a distal end of the wiring harness is connected to the female connector, the wiring harness being separated from the housing by being pulled in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the male and female connectors are connected to each other, wherein the recess of the housing is provided with a breakable portion which facilitates a breakage of the female connector in the direction of pulling the wiring harness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical equipment disassembly structure, and in particular to an electrical equipment disassembly structure which, at the time of disassembly, facilitates a removal of a wiring harness fixed to a housing of electrical equipment.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a vehicle such as an automobile has been equipped with a variety of electric components to which wiring harnesses are connected. Also, in order to form a circuit which connects the electric components to the wiring harnesses, it has been equipped with a junction box (J/B), a relay block (R/B) a joint connector (J/C), a connector holder (C/H), an electronic control unit (ECU) and the like.
However, along with increasing recognition of environmental issues, importance has been placed on recycling of resources, and in a vehicle equipped with a multiplicity of electrical equipment as described above, it has been desired to recover, from a scrapped vehicle, copper used in a conductor of a wiring harness and other metal materials used in electric components.
In response to such circumstances, various electrical equipments have been proposed which can be efficiently removed and recovered from a vehicle body at the time of disassembly of a scrapped vehicle.
In electrical equipment disclosed in JP-A-2003-143738, a surface of a housing is provided with a connector hood for engaging and fixing a connector connected to the distal end of a wiring harness, wherein the thickness of a peripheral wall of the connector hood is set to be 1.5 to 2 times a standard value. At the time of disassembly of a scrapped vehicle, the wiring harness is lifted up by a lifting apparatus such as a crane and removed from a vehicle body together with the housing. The thickness of the peripheral wall of the connector hood is set to be 1.5 to 2 the standard value, whereby the mechanical strength of the connector hood is increased to provide a secure locking of the connector of the wiring harness, thus preventing the wiring harness from being unlocked as the hood breaks at the base at the time of disassembly.
In general, in a case of recycling of a scrapped vehicle, a wiring harness, which mainly uses copper as its conductor, and electric components, which also include other metal materials, are treated separately.
The electrical equipment disclosed in JP-A-2003-143738 is configured in such a way that the mechanical strength of the connector hood is increased to securely lock the connector of the wiring harness, and that the wiring harness is lifted up and recovered together with the housing. Normally, a housing of electrical equipment is securely fixed to a vehicle body, and there is concern that a lifting load of the wiring harness is increased. Furthermore, it is not easy to separate the housing and the wiring harness after the wiring harness has been recovered together with the housing. Cutting off the wiring harness and separating it from the housing can also be considered. In this case, however, there is concern about a reduction in workability, and there is also concern about a reduction in wiring harness recovery rate as part of the wiring harness is left behind in the housing.
The invention has been made in view of the aforementioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electrical equipment disassembly structure which enables an easy and reliable separation of a wiring harness and a housing at the time of disassembly.

Electrical equipment disassembly structure


A seismic method and system for generating seismic source energy in marine geophysical operations. A slotted housing is moveable by the actuation of piezoelectric elements to generate high power, low frequency seismic source signals. When the piezoelectric elements are activated by electric power, displacement of such elements is enlarged by the slotted housing to generate a pressure pulse in the water. The invention permits single source pressure pulse generation having sufficient power and low frequency. The housing can be towed by a seismic vessel or can be integrated into a self-contained marine vehicle.

The present invention relates to the field of seismic sources for marine geophysical operations. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved seismic source using piezoelectric elements within a slotted housing to generate seismic source energy.
Marine seismic vessels tow vibrators, air guns, explosives, and other acoustic projector techniques to generate seismic source energy in marine geophysical operations. The seismic source energy is represented by a pressure pulse in the water. The pressure pulse generated travels downwardly through the water and underlying geologic structures and is reflected from interfaces between the geologic structures. The reflected signal impulses return to the water column and are detected with sensors towed behind the seismic vessel or laid on the water bottom.
Seismic operations typically use high powered acoustic signals near 190 dB/Hz re micro Pascal in a low frequency band between 5-120 Hz. High power signals penetrate deep within subsurface geologic structures, and low frequency signals experience less attenuation than higher frequency signals.
High power, low frequency source signals for marine geophysical operations are typically generated with air guns or other acoustic sources. U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,889 to Bouyoucos (1975) disclosed a mass oscillation system for generating acoustic source energy in water. Other devices generate an acoustic signal by transmitting high velocity water jets into the underwater water environment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,178 to Bouyoucos (1978) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,135 to Bouyoucos (1979) disclosed a moveable piston for generating high velocity water jets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,052 to Chelminski (1980) disclosed another liquid jet acoustic source system. Improvements to liquid jet acoustic source systems were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,987 to Buoyoucos (1987) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,316 to Buoyoucos et al. (1988).
Another type of seismic source system releases compressed air through various mechanical firing systems into the water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,139 to Walker (1979) disclosed one type of air gun, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,415 to Paitson (1981) disclosed a mechanism for controlling the discharge of compressed air. U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,010 to Harrison (1993) disclosed a shuttle air gun for generating acoustic source energy.
Underwater acoustic vibrators have been used in submarine operations to detect and to locate the position of vessels and underwater objects, however such vibrators do not operate at the power levels and frequency necessary in seismic operations. An example of a high frequency, low power system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,552 to Hogman et al. (1975), wherein sonar signals were transmitted from a mobile, underwater target, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,087 to Chace (1997), which described a programmable underwater vehicle. These acoustic vibrators are streamlined, neutrally buoyant, and have control systems for changing depth, course and speed. Although multiple units of such devices could be simultanesously towed to increase the amount of acoustic power generated, simultaneous deployment of multiple acoustic sources complicates deployment, synchronization, and operation.
In addition to the high frequency, low power electromechanical transducers described above for submarine operations, slotted transducers have been used in loud speakers and in underwater sonar applications. Proposed uses for such transducers include pile drivers, trench diggers, gravel packers, replaceable knives or drills or surgical blades, sonic tools in oil wells, and sonobuoy and sonar installations.
Various forms of electromechanical transducers have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,887 to Kompanek (1980) described a slotted electromechanical transducer having a resilient member in the slot for prestressing the transducer and for preventing contact between adjacent transducer ends. U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,044 to Kompanek (1987) specifically attempted to produce large amounts of power at low frequency, however the frequency range was in the order of "several kilocycles". U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,992 to Kompanek (1992) disclosed a transducer member having a closure member extending in a U-shaped configuration. The length of the closure member defined the bandwidth of the vibration frequency produced. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,223 to Flanagan et al. (1993), a compliant cover was bonded to a transducer shell.
Conventional seismic source technology does not efficiently provide high power, low frequency source energy from a simple operating system. There is, accordingly, a need for an improved seismic source generator for use in marine seismic operations. The seismic source generator should produce high power output up to and exceeding 190 dB re micro Pascal at one meter and should operate in a frequency range between 5 and 120 Hz. The seismic source generator should be compact to facilitate deployment and retrieval.

Slotted cylinder marine siesmic method and source


A motorsport helmet includes a shell having a lower edge, a liner extending along an interior of the shell, and a support portion coupled to the shell and extending between the shell and the liner adjacent the lower edge. In some configurations, when the helmet is positioned on a DOT Standard No. 218 test head form, a portion of the lower edge is above the test line and a portion of the lower edge is below the test line, and the support portion extends from the portion of the lower edge that is above the test line to a location below the test line. The helmet may also include a muzzle adapted to cover the mouth and chin area of a wearer, and a magnetic coupling assembly releasably coupling the muzzle to the shell.

A physical impact to the head of a person may cause serious injury or death. To reduce the probability of such consequences, protective equipment, such as a helmet, is often used in activities that are associated with an increased level of risk for a head injury. Examples of such activities include, but are not limited to, skiing, snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, bicycling, rollerblading, rock climbing, skateboarding, motorcycling, and other motorsports. In general, a helmet is designed to maintain its structural integrity and stay secured to the head of a wearer during an impact or a series of impacts.
Accordingly, a motorcycle or motorsports helmet is designed to protect the wearer's head, including absorbing and dissipating energy during an impact with a surface, such as the ground. In this regard, motorsports helmet interiors include impact attenuating materials such as an arrangement of padding and/or foam, wherein the impact attenuating materials cover and contact a significant extent of the wearer's head.
Designing a commercially successful motorsports helmet presents unique challenges because consumers of motorsports helmets, such as motorcycle riders, often have very specific tastes regarding the aesthetic appearance of the helmet. Despite the added risk of not wearing a helmet, many motorcycle riders refuse to wear helmets unless compelled to do so by law, and aesthetics is one of the primary reasons cited by motorcyclists for not wearing a helmet. Designing an aesthetically appealing helmet can be challenging because the need for sufficient structural integrity in specific areas of the helmet can limit the ability to produce an aesthetically desirable helmet profile, shape, or contour.
The present invention is provided to solve these limitations and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by conventional motorcycle and motorsports helmets. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A fiber-reinforced article comprises a tubular body and a plurality of fiber braids for reinforcing the tubular body. The fiber braids have a first section parallel to the axis of the tubular body, and a second section forming an angle with the axis of the tubular body. The second sections of the fiber braids form a network capable of enhancing the resistance of the article to flexure and torsion.

Sports equipment, such as a game racket, golf club, billiard cue, hockey stick, ski stick, fishing rod, and even a bicycle frame, are generally made of a rodlike or tubular article of a thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic material. The rodlike or tubular article is generally reinforced by fiber braids, which are arranged spirally such that the fiber braids and the axis of the article form an angle so as to make the rodlike or tubular article more resistant to flexure and torsion. However, the rodlike or tubular article is often locally reinforced by a fiber-reinforced plastic composite material such that a specific area of the rodlike or tubular article has a greater resistance to flexure.
The process of reinforcing a specific area of the rodlike article is rather cumbersome and is not cost-effective. In addition, the local reinforcement of a rodlike article often results in an increase in the thickness and the weight of the rodlike article. Moreover, the interlacing fiber braids used for the reinforcement can undermine the external esthetic effect of the rodlike article. The rodlike article, which is reinforced by the fiber braids, is also vulnerable to severance caused by the concentration of stress. In order to remedy this drawback, the portion of the rodlike article, where the stress concentration is prone to take place, must be reinforced with a fiber fabric. The addition of the fiber fabric will undoubtedly result in an increase in the cost of making the rodlike article.


A method and system for selecting a color for display in a computer system. The present invention provides a color picker that displays the available colors in a honeycomb with an overall shape of a hexagon ("hexagonal honeycomb"). The color picker fills each cell of the honeycomb with a distinct color. The color picker fills each cell at a corner of the hexagonal honeycomb with certain colors and the center cell of the hexagonal honeycomb with a gray scale color. The other cells are filled with colors that are based approximately on their distance from the corner cells. The color picker also displays a second honeycomb that contains gray scale colors. A user then uses a mouse to select a cell of either honeycomb that contains the desired color.

Computer systems typically allow a user to select in which color a certain characteristic is to be displayed. For example, a word processing computer program may allow a user to select the background color for text, to select the color for each character of the text, and to select a color in which highlighted information is to be displayed. Because typical computer programs allow a user to specify over 16 million (2.sup.24) different colors, it is not practicable to display each of the colors and allow the user to select a color. Some computer programs allow the user to simply specify which of the possible colors by entering a unique numeric value associated with the color. For example, a user may enter a number between 1 and 16 million as the unique identification of a color. Since colors are typically represented by their red, green, and blue components (RGB values), a more intuitive approach to specifying a color is to specify the mixture of these components. (In addition to the RGB color models, other color models may be used, such as cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY); luminance and chromacity (YIQ); and hue, saturation, and value (HSV).) Typically, each of these components can have 256 different levels of intensities (i.e., 256.sup.3 =16 million possible colors). Thus, to specify the color yellow a user may specify a red component of 128, a green component of 128, and a blue component of 0. However, a user who specifies a color by entering the RGB values typically cannot accurately visualize what a particular color will look like when it is displayed.
To overcome this visualization problem, some computer programs select a subset of the 16 million different colors and display that subset on a computer screen. The user can select one of the colors from that subset. Even though the selection of colors is limited, users generally prefer this approach of color selection. A couple of different approaches are typically used for displaying the various colors to a user: a color square and a color circle. In a color square, the available colors are displayed in a rectangle. The colors vary horizontally from red, to yellow, to green, to cyan, to blue, to magenta, and then back to red, and each of the colors vary vertically from dark at the top to lighter at the bottom. A user uses a mouse pointer to select any specific color on the color square. The color square has a disadvantage, however, in that the colors tend to blend into one another and the user cannot easily visualize or pick a discrete color. In a color circle the colors are arranged from red, to yellow, to green, to cyan, to blue, to magenta, and then back to red around the perimeter of the color circle, and the colors get lighter towards the center of the color circle. The color circle has similar disadvantages to the color square.
It would be desirable to have a technique for displaying colors in a way that is visually appealing to a user, that allows for various combinations of color components, and that allows the user to see the distinct color that is being selected.

Method and system for selecting a color value using a hexagonal honeycomb


In a method for operating a system, a first vibration is imparted to a component of the system and the first vibration of the component is detected by a sensor. The sensor generates a sensor signal for transmission to a control device, which analyzes the sensor signal and determines whether a buildup is present on the component based upon the analysis of the sensor signal. A second vibration is imparted to the component to remove the buildup when the buildup has been detected.

The invention relates to a method for operating a system, and to a system. The invention further relates to a computer program product.
In the treatment of solid material that is processed industrially, buildup of adhering material occurs e.g. on hoppers. This buildup can adversely affect the operation of the hopper.
Particularly in the case of hoppers that are difficult to access or in the interior of a mill, it is also difficult to detect this buildup.
The buildup usually consists of a solidified accumulation of particles and possibly moisture. In the case of a tube mill hi particular, it is termed a "frozen charge".
US 2006/0124054 A1 discloses a conically shaped hopper which is attached to a reaction vessel.
The object of the invention is therefore to detect and/or remove material buildup on a component.

Method for detecting and removing buildup on a component, system and computer program


An exhaust aftertreatment system that includes a suitable combination of particulate catalyst materials is used to effectively reduce an amount of NOX to N2 and water in a high-oxygen content exhaust flow from an engine that is controlled to operate by cyclically burning lean and rich mixtures of air and fuel. The catalyst materials of the exhaust aftertreatment system comprise (1) lanthanum-based perovskite oxide particles to oxidize NO to NO2, (2) barium oxide particles to temporarily store NO2, (3) copper oxide nanoparticles chemically deposited onto particles of cerium oxides to reduce NOX to N2 and to generate NH3, and (4) particles of a selective reduction catalyst to temporarily store NH3 and to reduce any residual NOX to N2 and water before the exhaust flow from the engine is discharged to the atmosphere.

Diesel engines, some gasoline fueled engines and many hydrocarbon-fueled power plants are operated at higher than stoichiometric air-to-fuel mass ratios for improved fuel economy. The hot exhaust gas produced by such lean-burn engines generally contains a relatively high concentration of oxygen (about one to ten percent by volume) and water, as well as unwanted gaseous emissions that may need to be converted to more innocuous substances before being discharged to the atmosphere. The gaseous emissions primarily targeted for abatement include carbon monoxide (CO), unburned and partially burned hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxide compounds (NOX). The NOX constituent in the exhaust gas produced by a lean-burn engine comprises mostly NO (greater than 90 mol %) with some NO2 (less than 10 mol %) and nominal amounts of N2O. To the extent that the hydrocarbon fuel contains sulfur, the exhaust gas may also contain sulfur dioxide (SO2).
Exhaust gas treatment systems that include specially catalyzed flow-through reactors are commonly used to effectively treat exhaust gas flows. In general, these treatment systems—and the catalyst materials therein—are designed to promote (1) the oxidation of CO to CO2, (2) the oxidation of HC to CO2 and water, and (3) the reduction of NOX to N2 and water.
In general, the HC, CO, NOX and oxygen (O2) content of an exhaust flow from an internal combustion engine is not constant, but changes due to variations in the air-to-fuel mass ratio (AFR) of the combustible mixture delivered to the engine. The stoichiometric AFR of a combustible mixture of air and fuel is when exactly enough oxygen in the supplied air is present to completely burn all of the fuel. For standard gasoline fuel, the stoichiometric AFR is 14.7:1. Stoichiometric combustible mixtures and mixtures that contain an excess of fuel (i.e., AFR≦14.7) are referred to as "rich." Engines that operate by burning rich mixtures of air and fuel produce an exhaust flow with relatively high amounts of unburned or partially burned fuel (e.g., CO and HC) and small amounts of O2. On the other hand, combustible mixtures that contain an excess of air (i.e., AFR>14.7:1) are referred to as "lean." Exhaust flows from engines that operate by burning lean combustible mixtures contain relatively high amounts of O2 and NOX (about 90 mol % NO, less than 10 mol % NO2 and nominal amounts of N2O) and relatively low amounts of CO and HC.
Variations in the AFR of a combustible mixture may be intentional, for example, in order to optimize the fuel-efficiency of the engine. Alternatively, the AFR of combustible mixtures may oscillate above and below a predetermined target value due to frequent accelerations and decelerations of the vehicle. In either case, effective exhaust aftertreatment systems for automotive vehicles must be tolerant to such changing exhaust flow conditions so that the variable amounts of HC, CO and NOX in the exhaust flow are continuously treated.
Several treatment systems have been developed for vehicle applications. One conventional approach is to use a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to promote the reduction of NOX in a high-oxygen content exhaust flow. An SCR operates by injecting a reductant material, such as ammonia (NH3) or hydrocarbons (HC), into the exhaust flow before it is passed in contact with an NOX reduction catalyst. The reductant material reacts with NOX in the presence of O2 over the NOX reduction catalyst to form N2. However, most SCR systems require a reservoir of the reductant and a dosing device to inject a controlled amount of the reductant into the exhaust flow. Additionally, the reductant must be injected far enough upstream of the reduction catalyst material to ensure uniform mixing in the exhaust gas.
An alternative catalyst system, known as a lean NOX trap (LNT), is designed to treat an NOX-containing exhaust flow from an engine that cyclically operates by burning lean and rich mixtures of air and fuel. The corresponding modes of engine operation are referred to as fuel-lean and fuel-rich, respectively. During the fuel-lean mode of engine operation, excess O2 in the exhaust flow creates an oxidizing exhaust environment, wherein NO is readily oxidized to NO2 over an NOX oxidation catalyst and is stored as a nitrate species over an NOX storage material. The engine is briefly and repeatedly operated in the fuel-rich mode to increase the amount of reductants (e.g., CO and HC) in the exhaust flow, which triggers the release of NO2 from the NOX storage material and the reduction of NO2 over a NOX reduction catalyst. Conventional LNTs use platinum (Pt) as the NOX oxidation catalyst and platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) or rhodium (Rh) as the NOX reduction catalyst to effectively convert NOX to N2. But platinum group metals (PGMs), such as Pt, Rh and Pd, are a particularly expensive, and there is a need for less-expensive oxidation and reduction catalyst materials with equally comparable efficiency.


Rattling of a shift body in a second direction is suppressed when movement of the shift body toward one side in the second direction is restricted. In a shift lever device, a projecting portion of a hook of a lever projects toward the left from the lever. When disposing the lever on an R position side from an N position, a leading end face of the projecting portion is restricted from pivoting toward the left side by a right face of a rear restricting portion of a left plate, such that a pivot operation of the lever toward the right side is restricted. Flexing of the hook can thereby be suppressed, enabling rattling of the lever in a left-right direction to be suppressed.

In a shift lever device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2004-255969, a base end side portion of an engagement tab projects from shift lever in a select direction, and a leading end side portion of the engagement tab projects from the base end side portion of the engagement tab.
In this shift lever device, an engagement protrusion restricts movement of the leading end side portion of the engagement tab such that movement of a shift lever toward both sides in the select direction is restricted.


A mobile radio telephone includes a hand-portable unit 1 and a booster unit 3. A coaxial cable 25 is arranged to produce a link between the intermediate frequency signals produced by the booster unit and RF signals produced by the hand-portable unit 1.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mobile radio telephones. The invention has particular, although not exclusive, relevance to mobile radio telephones for use in the Pan European cellular radio network, commonly referred to as the Groupe Speciale Mobile (GSM) system.
Mobile radio telephones have to meet conflicting requirements of compact size, long battery life and high transmitter power. Furthermore, to comply with the GSM specification, mobile radio telephones must fit into one of a number of specified classes. These classes link transmitter power capability to the dynamic range performance of the receiver, and thus any increase in the power for the transmitter will change the specification of the performance of the receiver.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Manufacturers of mobile radio telephones for use in the GSM system may produce a range of products which meet the requirements of mobile radio telephones for use in the GSM system. At one extreme, the telephone may take the form of a hand-portable unit which is designed to be as small and light as possible, this necessarily being at the expense of transmitter power and receiver performance. At the other extreme the telephone may be mounted in a car, the telephone using the car battery, or a large independent NiCd battery to give high transmitter output power, the result thus being a larger unit which is less portable. In order to derive the benefits of both of these extremes, a hand-portable unit may be connected to a unit called a power booster which is mounted, for example, in the boot of a car. This then enables the hand-portable unit to have the performance of a telephone mounted in a car when the hand-portable unit is connected to the booster unit. However, it is necessary to know the effect of the booster unit on the receiver in the hand-portable unit, so as to be able to accurately measure the magnitude of the received signal. In known mobile radio telephones, for example as shown in European Patent Application EP-0338834, signals are routed between the transceiver incorporated in the hand-portable unit and the power booster at the final signal frequency. The main unknown in the prediction of the effect of the booster unit on the receiver in the hand-portable unit is thus the length, and hence the losses produced in the cable connecting the hand-portable unit and the booster through which radio frequency signals at the carrier frequency are transmitted.

Mobile radio telephone with booster unit


A hybrid vehicle for providing improved control, response and energy management. The vehicle including a first sensor configured to determine base data corresponding to an estimated age of the vehicle, a second sensor configured to determine feedback data corresponding to a response to a driver request for acceleration, braking or steering and a third sensor configured to determine variable data corresponding to a drag, a current environment or a weight of the vehicle. The vehicle including an electronic control unit configured to calculate an estimate of a present condition of the vehicle based on the base data, the feedback data and the variable data, adjust an energy management control data based on the estimate of the present condition of the vehicle and control at least one of a battery, a transmission, a motor or a fuel converter of the vehicle based on the energy management control data.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a system and method for improved control, response and energy management of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle's performance and fuel economy generally decrease as the vehicle ages. Also, a vehicle's performance generally decreases the more weight the vehicle is carrying in terms of passengers and luggage. For example, when a vehicle has many passengers or is carrying a full load of luggage or other items, the vehicle tends to have decreased performance (e.g., responds sluggishly to accelerator inputs) and fuel economy. On the other hand, vehicles that are brand new or are carrying very little to no load (e.g., passengers or luggage) generally provide better performance and fuel economy than similar vehicles that are older and/or are carrying heavy loads.
To increase a vehicle's performance, many vehicle manufacturers have incorporated sport modes and/or paddle shifters into their vehicles to enhance performance by allowing drivers to change gears at relatively certain times. In addition, many vehicle manufacturers have utilized a different drive force map for each different operating mode (e.g., economy mode, normal mode and sport mode) to enhance a vehicle's performance and/or fuel economy. A drive force map provides a predetermined relationship between a driver's accelerator pedal input and a desired power/torque output of the vehicle. The sport mode allows for more power/torque output per a specified driver acceleration pedal input while the economy mode allows for less power/torque output per a specified driver acceleration pedal input. These drive force maps, however, do not provide the driver with a consistent vehicle response because they do not take into account the vehicle's age and/or loading condition. In addition, these methods do not incorporate vehicle feedback to provide a consistent vehicle response.
Thus, there is a need for vehicles that provide a consistent vehicle response to the driver depending on vehicle age predictions, vehicle feedback and/or vehicle conditions and provide better dynamics and energy management.

System and method for improved control, response and energy management of a vehicle

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


An exhaust gas cleaning device is provided for an outboard motor unit having an engine provided with a pair of cylinder rows arranged so as to provide a V-shape and a crank shaft arranged substantially in a perpendicular direction in a using state and having an exhaust expansion chamber on a side of a cylinder head of the engine. In the improvement, a catalyst is disposed below the engine and inside a space having substantially a triangle shape, in a plan view, defined by a central line of one of the cylinder rows, a central line of another one of the cylinder rows and a central line of the expansion exhaust chamber. The catalyst is also disposed, in an arrangement of the cylinder rows providing a V-shape having an angle of less than 90.degree., below the engine and inside a space having substantially a triangle shape, in a plan view, defined by an inner wall section of one of the cylinder rows, an inner wall section of another one of the cylinder rows and a wall section, facing the V-shape section of the cylinder rows, of the expansion exhaust chamber.

The present invention relates to an exhaust gas cleaning device of an outboard motor unit.
Recently, in order to prevent air contamination and water contamination, a catalyst is disposed in an exhaust passage of an outboard motor unit. Attention is paid to the location of the catalyst because the catalyst is degraded or damaged if in contact with a water component such as sea water.
In one example of a conventional outboard motor unit considering the above problem, an exhaust expansion chamber is disposed below an engine, a first exhaust passage opened to the expansion chamber is disposed, a second exhaust passage is also disposed so as to communicate the expansion chamber with an underwater exhaust port, and a counterflow preventing section is provided on the way of the second exhaust passage. The counterflow preventing section is positioned above a body of a hull to which the outboard motor unit is mounted.
However, in the conventional structure mentioned above, because the counterflow preventing section is formed by bending the exhaust passage, an exhaust resistance is increased, resulting in the lowering of an output power of the engine.

Exhaust gas cleaning device of outboard motor unit