A decorative board in the present invention includes: a core layer constituted by a prepreg impregnated with a slurry containing (a) an organic resin component including a phenol-formaldehyde resin and an amino-formaldehyde resin, (b) one or more selected from a group consisting of carbonate, silica, talc and fly ash, and (c) a metal hydroxide; and a decorative layer.

Conventionally, there is a known decorative board with fireproof performance and non-combustibility (hereinafter referred to as a "non-combustible decorative board"). Such a non-combustible decorative board includes a core layer, which is a prepreg formed by impregnating an inorganic fiber nonwoven fabric with a slurry including phenol resin or melamine resin as a binder component (see Patent Documents 1-3).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-230611    Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-44323    Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 64-56540


An electrical plug connector adapted for connection with individual insulated wires of an electrical conduit comprises a housing having a plurality of elongated chambers each in line with a coupling element fixed in the housing. Each coupling element includes an elongated bifurcated jaw section having opposed inner knife edges that extend within an elongated chamber. A movable block within each housing chamber includes a first hole for receiving the end of an insulated wire to be terminally attached to a coupling element and a second hole for receiving a tool adapted to move the slider block within its chamber toward the jaw section of a coupling element so that the insulated wire previously placed within the slider block will move between the knife edges of the jaw section to provide an electrical contact. When each slider block is locked into its wire contacting position, the housing is closed and the connector is ready for use.

In the field of electrical connectors and couplings several techniques have been developed for connecting flexible, current carrying, wires to terminals in connectors and receptacles. Such wire to terminal connections have included ring terminal and screw connectors using a pressure plate, wire bearing screw terminals, compression terminals and the simple wind around screw technique. All of these earlier prior art wire to terminal connection structures had one or more serious disadvantages. Such disadvantages, included the necessity to remove wire insulation, to bend the wire in a certain manner, to install and/or tighten terminal screws and to provide wire guidance to the exterior of the connectors as heretofore devised, required a considerable amount of time to facilitate the terminal connection of conductor wires in a plug connector unit. Also, after the installation procedure, the reliability and endurance of the electrical connection between wire and terminal within the device was often less than adequate.
Another more recent form of terminal connection heretofore used in some electrical connectors utilized an insulation displacement contact (IDC) device. Here, the end of an insulated wire is forced between opposing knife edges of a blade like connector element. Examples of such IDC type elements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,444,448 and 4,701,138. In the former patent a cap and body telescope together to force wires into the IDC contact element, and in the latter patent, an applicator block mechanically linked to a lever on the housing is used to move the wire into the receiving portion of the IDC terminal. Previous connector devices using IDC terminals have utilized a plurality of complicated interfitting components, and in some instances the resulting terminal connection was unreliable.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector unit having an improved system for terminating or connecting wires to rigid IDC type connector terminals within the unit.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector with an IDC type wire termination system that can be quickly and easily installed with one simple tool by a relatively unskilled person.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector unit with a wire termination system that is electrically reliable when assembled and can be easily disassembled for repair or change in wire size if desired.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly with an IDC type wire termination system which includes a slidable block with one opening for retaining the end of a wire, the block being movable by a simple tool such as a screwdriver which can be inserted through a second opening in the block for moving the block and thus the wire retained by it into firm contact with an IDC terminal, and further including means for locking the block in position when the electrical wire/terminal contact is made.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an electrical plug connector having a lockable wire terminating system that is particularly well adapted for ease and economy of manufacture.

Electrical connector with improved wire termination system


The present invention prevents the oxidization of a member of carbon fibers and improves the electric connection between the carbon fibers and the member of carbon fibers. In the present invention, a member 5 of carbon fibers 4 includes: a first element selected from the group consisting of IVa group elements and Va group elements; a second element selected from the group consisting of C, Al, Si, Cr, and Zr; and N. Preferably, the first element is Ti. More preferably, the member 5 includes Al or Si and the ratio of Al or Si to Ti is not less than 10 atm % and not more than 30 atm %.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure, an electron emitting device, a secondary battery, an electron source, and an image display device each of which uses carbon fibers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, field emission type electron emitting devices include an electron emitting device using carbon fibers as electron emitting bodies. Because of such a field enhancement effect resulting from shape that is produced by using carbon fibers as electron emitting bodies, the electron emitting device using carbon fibers as electron emitting bodies can emit electrons from the electron emitting bodies in a lower electric field intensity than an electron emitting body made of carbon or the like shaped like a film (in the shape of a plane).
Methods for forming carbon fibers used for electron emitting bodies include a method for applying carbon fibers prepared in advance to the surface of an electrode (cathode electrode), a method for vapor-depositing carbon fibers by the use of an electrode (cathode electrode) having catalytic particles placed on the surface thereof, and the like. In the case of forming carbon fibers by the vapor deposition method, it is necessary to consider the electric and physical connection between the carbon fibers and the electrode (cathode electrode). Moreover, it is preferable that a material having high conductivity is used as the electrode (cathode electrode), so that there is proposed a method for placing another conductive body (supporting member) different from the electrode (cathode electrode) on the electrode (cathode electrode) and further placing catalytic particles on this supporting member and then forming carbon fibers by a vapor deposition method.
In a Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-139815 is disclosed a technology that places a film, which is formed by dispersing catalytic ultra-fine particles containing at least one metal selected from Fe, Co, and Ni into a material whose main component is at least one metal selected from Cu, Ag, Au, and Cr, on a substrate made of Si or the like and vapor-deposits carbon nanotubes by the use of the above-mentioned catalytic particles.
Moreover, in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-289087 is disclosed a technology that places a member on an electrode (cathode electrode) and vapor-deposits carbon nanotubes on this member by the use of catalytic particles. It is disclosed that a nitride of at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Ta, and Nb, an oxide of at least one element selected from Ti, Zr, Ta, and Nb, or a mixture of the nitride and the oxide is used as the supporting member of the carbon fibers.

Structure, electron emitting device, secondary battery, electron source, and image display device


A process for operating a plasma torch having an improved start up and shut down sequence to substantially increase electrode element life. The first shut down mode is controlled such that plasma gas flow through the swirl ring and nozzle prevents the formation of an oxide layer upon the electrode. The shut down method is especially useful for torches which operate at 100 amps or greater. The inclusion of an aluminum jacket surrounding the electrode outer walls has been found to contribute to the ability to avoid formation of oxide layers on the electrode.

The present invention relates generally to a process for operating a plasma arc torch, and more particularly to a start up sequence and a shut down sequence that significantly extends the life of the electrode and nozzle.
The operation of conventional plasma arc torches is well understood by those in the art. The basic components of these torches are a body, an electrode mounted in the body, a nozzle defining an orifice for a plasma arc, a source of ionizable gas, and an electrical supply for producing an arc in the gas. Upon start up, an electrical current is supplied to the electrode (generally a cathode) and the pilot arc is initiated in the ionizable gas typically between the electrode and the nozzle, the nozzle defining an anode. Then, a conductive flow of the ionized gas is generated from the electrode to the work piece, wherein the work piece then defines the anode, and a plasma arc is thus generated from the electrode to the work piece. The ionizable gas can be non-reactive, such as nitrogen, or reactive, such as oxygen or air.
A significant problem with conventional plasma arc torches is wear of the electrodes and nozzles. Typically, the electrodes include a hafnium or a zirconium insert. These materials are desired for their material properties, but are extremely costly and require frequent replacement.
It has been found that a significant percentage of the electrode wear and damage occurs during shut down of the torch. It is believed that on cut off of electrical current to the electrode, wear results from a complicated interaction between molten surfaces of the electrode and the pressurized flow of the plasma gas through the nozzle. The phenomena is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,227 which is incorporated herein by reference.
One form of electrode wear includes the formation of an oxide such as Hafnium oxide or Zirconium oxide. As set forth in the Applicant""s prior U.S. Pat. No. 6, 093,905 which is incorporated herein by reference, the oxidation of the electrode is a major contributor to electrode wear and loss. Applicant""s prior U.S. Patent describes a shut-down protocol for a plasma arc torch which is varied over the life of the electrode so as to beneficially remove accumulated oxide material from the electrode.
It is also understood that the electrodes, and particularly the inserts, have a limited number of cycles or xe2x80x9cpiercesxe2x80x9d. A xe2x80x9cpiercexe2x80x9d refers to the starting up and initial cutting or piercing of the arc through a work piece. For each pierce there is obviously a prior shut down of the torch and an associated start up sequence. Plasma torches utilizing conventional shut down methods and operating above 100 amps have an electrode life of generally between about 400 to 800 pierces.
The industry is constantly seeking methods for improving the plasma torches, and particularly for extending the life and improving the wear characteristics of the electrodes. The present invention concerns just such an improved method.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide a process for operating a plasma arc torch, particularly on shut down, that significantly reduces oxidation formation of the electrode element, and loss of molten element material and thereby reduce electrode element erosion and eliminate nozzle damage.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a process for shutting down conventional plasma arc torches that can be readily practiced by conventional torches with relatively minor modifications.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In accordance with the objects and purposes of the invention, a process is provided for operating a plasma arc torch on shut down. The process operates on the principles of substantially reducing the oxidation of the electrode and further eliminating loss of molten electrode material during the shut down sequence in order to substantially increase the life of the electrode. It has been found by Applicants that, through practice of the present invention, electrode life of conventional torches can be extended as much as four-fold.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a new and useful start up sequence which controls the gas flow relative to the arc current. Applicant""s start up method eliminates nozzle damage, reduces electrode erosion, and maintains a stable arc. The improved start up methodology may use conventional gas supply and control means. The start up method has the additional advantage of reducing damage to torch components caused by molten metal during piercing of the work piece during start up. The start up sequence allows a more rapid penetration through material and thus minimizes molten metal blow back that may otherwise damage the torch frontend components.
The invention will be described in greater detail below through use of the appended figures.

Process for operating a plasma arc torch


Restoration or increase of inhibitory interneuron function in vivo is achieved by transplantation of MGE cells into the brain. Compositions containing MGE cells are provided as are uses to treat various diseases characterised by abnormal inhibitory interneuron function or in cases where increase inhibition may ameliorate neural circuits that are abnormally activated.

Many neural disorders are characterised by abnormal inhibitory neuron signalling and, in particular a lack of the neuro-transmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), secreted by inhibitory neurons. GABA, a metabolite of glutamate, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter which counteracts the effects of excitatory neurotransmitters. Excitatory neurotransmitters (typically acetylcholine, glutamate, or serotonin) open cation channels, causing an influx of Na+ that depolarises the postsynaptic membrane toward the threshold potential for firing an action potential and hence cause the propagation of a signal across the synapse. Inhibitory neurotransmitters, by contrast, open either Cl− channels or K+ channels, and this suppresses firing by making it harder for excitatory influences to depolarise the postsynaptic membrane.
Abnormal inhibitory function may contribute to symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and is fundamental to the pathology of several other neural disorders including Huntington's Disease, Schizophrenia, autism, chronic pain and many forms of Epilepsy. Epilepsy, in common with most such disorders, has no known cure and is treated with a range of drugs aimed at managing the symptoms. Therefore Epilepsy and its treatment result in a severe degradation of quality of life, measured in days of activity, pain, depression, anxiety, reduced vitality and insufficient sleep or rest (similar to arthritis, heart problems, diabetes, and cancer). Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide and sufferers have a mortality rate two to three times higher than that of the general population with the risk of sudden death being 24 times greater. In addition to personal suffering, epilepsy imposes an annual economic burden of $15.5 billion in the USA alone, in associated health care costs and losses in employment, wages, and productivity. Therefore any alternative or new therapy, especially one with the potential to be curative, would have very far reaching benefits.
Research aiming to enhance inhibitory neuron function by cell transplantation has focused on the use of multi-potent cells and immortalised neurons that have been genetically engineered to produce GABA (Bosch et al., (2004) Exp Neurol 190, 42-58; Thompson, (2005) Neuroscience 133, 1029-37).
In order for the grafted cells to effectively reach affected regions and functionally integrate, it is necessary that the cells migrate away from the site of the graft and intermix with the host cells establishing inhibitory synapses with local excitatory neurons. A lack of migratory activity of the transplanted cells has been a flaw of previous attempts to derive new neural tissue from precursor cells, such as in the case of embryonic stem cell (ES)-derived neurons (Wernig et al., (2004) J Neurosci 24, 5258-68; Ruschenschmidt et al., (2005) Epilepsia 46 Suppl 5, 174-83) and genetically engineered GABA-producing cells (Bosch et al., supra.; Thompson, supra). ES-derived cells or other neural precursors transplanted into postnatal brains do not migrate extensively but form clumps of graft-derived cells in, or near, the site of transplantation (Bosch et al., supra; Ruschenschmidt et al., supra; Thompson, supra) and thus their value as a therapy is restricted, since usage would require multiple graft sites and only a limited volume of brain parenchyma can be modified. It is also unlikely that the grafted cells could be adequately positioned to effectively increase inhibition if the position of their cell body is constrained to the site of transplantation.
During development, cells from the medial ganglionic eminence form inhibitory interneurons. Studies on MGE cells are contradictory. One recent study (Olsson M et al. Neuroscience 69(4) 1169-82 (1995)) concluded that MGE cells have a relatively low migratory capacity, compared with other neural precursor cells, when transplanted into a host brain and that they would not be able to cross regions of the brain affected by neural disease, whereas the paper by Butt et al. (Neuron 48, 591-604, 2005) reported rapid migration.
ES cells have been shown to produce differentiated neurons in a host brain and so appear to be an excellent prospect for restoration of inhibitory neuron function in the diseased brain. However, ES-derived transplants also form a heterogenous population of cells—although roughly 14% of ES-derived cells grafted into the postnatal brain express GAD67 (a marker of GABA-containing interneurons), another 44% exhibit a glutaminergic phenotype, and so would be likely to have an excitatory function (the opposite to that desired), and an unknown number are presumably astrocytes (Wernig et al., supra). Also transplantation of ES-derived progenitor cells in order to increase GABAergic activity of the brain is fundamentally flawed, not only because of the limited migratory capacity of the cells, as mentioned above, but also because, following transplantation, formation of tumours is a common problem (Wernig et al., supra; Ruschenschmidt et al., supra).

The Regents of the University of California


A network apparatus for performing functions to enhance performance of a communication network is provided. The network apparatus includes a spoofing module that is configured to selectively spoof a multiple connections associated with a multiple hosts based upon corresponding spoofing criteria and to provide local acknowledgement of received messages over the connections. Additionally, the network apparatus includes a connection module that multiplexes the connections over a common backbone connection, and a prioritization module that prioritizes access to the backbone connection based upon prioritization criteria. Further, the network apparatus includes a path selection module that determines a path to transmit the received messages based upon path selection criteria. The spoofing module allocates a connection control block corresponding to a spoofed connection. Each of the connection control blocks stores information related to the connections. The above arrangement has particular applicability to a bandwidth constrained communication system, such as a satellite network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, and is more particularly related to a proxy architecture for improving network performance.
2. Discussion of the Background
The entrenchment of data networking into the routines of modern society, as evidenced by the prevalence of the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, has placed ever-growing demands on service providers to continually improve network performance. To meet this challenge, service providers have invested heavily in upgrading their networks to increase system capacity (i.e., bandwidth). In many circumstances, such upgrades may not be feasible economically or the physical constraints of the communication system does not permit simply "upgrading." Accordingly, service providers have also invested in developing techniques to optimize the performance of their networks. Because much of today's networks are either operating with or are required to interface with the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite, attention has been focused on optimizing TCP/IP based networking operations.
As the networking standard for the global Internet, TCP/IP has earned such acceptance among the industry because of its flexibility and rich heritage in the research community. The transmission control protocol (TCP) is the dominant protocol in use today on the Internet. TCP is carried by the Internet protocol (IP) and is used in a variety of applications including reliable file transfer and Internet web page access applications. The four layers of the TCP/IP protocol suite are illustrated in FIG. 17. As illustrated, the link layer (or the network interface layer) 10 includes device drivers in the operating system and any corresponding network interface cards. Together, the device driver and the interface cards handle hardware details of physically interfacing with any cable or whatever type of media that is being used. The network layer (also referred to as the Internet layer) 12 handles the movement of packets around the network. Routing of packets, for example, takes place at the network layer 12. IP, Internet control message protocol (ICMP), and Internet group management protocol (IGMP) may provide the network layer in the TCP/IP protocol suite. The transport layer 14 provides a flow of data between two hosts, for the application layer 16 above.
In the TCP/IP protocol suite, there are at least two different transport protocols, TCP and a user datagram protocol (UDP). TCP, which provides a reliable flow of data between two hosts, is primarily concerned with dividing the data passed to it from the application layer 16 into appropriately sized segments for the network layer 12 below, acknowledging received packets, setting timeouts to make certain the other end acknowledges packets that are sent, and so on. Because this reliable flow of data is provided by the transport layer 14, the application layer 16 is isolated from these details. UDP, on the other hand, provides a much simpler service to the application layer 16. UDP just sends packets of data called datagrams from one host to another, with no guarantee that the datagrams will reach their destination. Any desired reliability must be added by a higher layer, such as the application layer 16.
The application layer 16 handles the details of the particular application. There are many common TCP/IP applications that almost every implementation provides, including telnet for remote log-in, the file transfer protocol (FTP), the simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) or electronic mail, the simple network management protocol (SNMP), the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and many others.
As mentioned, TCP provides reliable, in-sequence delivery of data between two IP hosts. The IP hosts set up a TCP connection, using a conventional TCP three-way handshake and then transfer data using a window based protocol with the successfully received data acknowledged.
To understand where optimizations may be made, it is instructive to consider a typical TCP connection establishment. FIG. 18 illustrates an example of the conventional TCP three-way handshake between IP hosts 20 and 22. First, the IP host 20 that wishes to initiate a transfer with IP host 22, sends a synchronize (SYN) signal to IP host 22. The IP host 22 acknowledges the SYN signal from IP host 20 by sending a SYN acknowledgement (ACK). The third step of the conventional TCP three-way handshake is the issuance of an ACK signal from the IP host 20 to the other IP host 22. At this point, IP host 22 is ready to receive the data from IP host 20 (and vice versa). After all the data has been delivered, another handshake (similar to the handshake described to initiate the connection) is used to close the TCP connection.
TCP was designed to be very flexible and to work over a wide variety of communication links, including both slow and fast links, high latency links, and links with low and high error rates. However, while TCP (and other high layer protocols) works with many different kinds of links, TCP performance, in particular, the throughput possible across the TCP connection, is affected by the characteristics of the link in which it is used. There are many link layer design considerations that should be taken into account when designing a link layer service that is intended to support Internet protocols. However, not all characteristics can be compensated for by choices in the link layer design. TCP has been designed to be very flexible with respect to the links which it traverses. Such flexibility is achieved at the cost of sub-optimal operation in a number of environments vis-à-vis a tailored protocol. The tailored protocol, which is usually proprietary in nature, may be more optimal, but greatly lacks flexibility in terms of networking environments and interoperability.
An alternative to a tailored protocol is the use of performance enhancing proxies (PEPs), to perform a general class of functions termed "TCP spoofing," in order to improve TCP performance over impaired (i.e., high latency or high error rate) links. TCP spoofing involves an intermediate network device (the performance enhancing proxy (PEP)) intercepting and altering, through the addition and/or deletion of TCP segments, the behavior of the TCP connection in an attempt to improve its performance.
Conventional TCP spoofing implementations include the local acknowledgement of TCP data segments in order to get the TCP data sender to send additional data sooner than it would have sent if spoofing were not being performed, thus improving the throughput of the TCP connection. Generally, conventional TCP spoofing implementations have focused simply on increasing the throughput of TCP connections either by using larger windows over the link or by using compression to reduce the amount of data which needs to be sent, or both.
Many TCP PEP implementations are based on TCP ACK manipulation. These may include TCP ACK spacing where ACKs which are bunched together are spaced apart, local TCP ACKs, local TCP retransmissions, and TCP ACK filtering and reconstruction. Other PEP mechanisms include tunneling, compression, and priority-based multiplexing.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for improved approaches to optimizing network performance, while achieving flexibility. There is also a need to enhance network performance, without a costly infrastructure investment. There is also a need to employ a network performance enhancing mechanism that complies with existing standards to facilitate rapid deployment. There is a further need to simplify the receiver design. Therefore, an approach for optimizing network performance using a proxy architecture is highly desirable.

Method and system for improving network performance using a performance enhancing proxy


A decoder for decoding data from a data signal component of a television signal, such as closed caption data, decodes the data signal in response to a deflection signal during a normal mode of operation of a television receiver and in response to separated sync signal during a standby mode of operation of the television receiver.

In accordance with the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, all television sets sold in the United States that are 13" or larger in size must include capability for decoding closed caption (CC) information that is included in a data signal component of many television signals. The CC data signal component comprises two bytes of data during each occurrence of line 21 of field 1 of the television signal. A CC decoder extracts the data from the CC data signal component. The video processing portion of the television receiver produces an output video signal that includes both video program information and information corresponding to the CC data. A portion of a displayed image produced in response to the output video signal includes text corresponding to the CC data. The CC data may represent the audio program portion of a television program in which case the displayed text provides a visible representation of the audio program.
Other types of data components may also be included in a television signal in a form suitable for decoding using a decoder such as a closed caption decoder. For example, extended data services (XDS) data such as time of day information, program title, etc. may be included in line 21 of field 2 of the television signal in accordance with EIA 608 specifications. Also, teletext data and Starsight.RTM. program guide data may be included in various horizontal line intervals during vertical blanking such as line 16. The term auxiliary data as used herein includes any type of data component of a television signal that can be extracted using a decoder such as a closed caption decoder, including closed caption, XDS, teletext and Starsight.RTM. data. Similarly, the term auxiliary data decoder as used herein includes decoders for decoding the various types of auxiliary data described above.
To accurately decode auxiliary data, an auxiliary data decoder must be timed to operate during the portions of the horizontal display intervals that include auxiliary data, e.g., the latter half of line 21 of field 1 for closed caption data. A television receiver produces various timing signals that indicate when horizontal display intervals occur. For example, separated horizontal sync signals are produced in response to a synchronization signal component of the television signal. Also, horizontal deflection signals are generated to control electron beam deflection functions of an image display device, such as a kinescope.
Controlling an auxiliary data decoder with a deflection signal may increase the reliability of the decoded data. Decoder features, such as horizontal line and delay counters controlled by pulses in a sync signal, may count incorrectly in response to noise pulses in the sync signal causing the decoder to operate improperly. A sync signal that is derived from the television signal may include noise pulses corresponding to noise in the television signal. In comparison, deflection signals are generated using phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits that produce stable, uniform amplitude pulse waveforms that are less likely to include noise effects. Thus, it may be desirable to control an auxiliary data decoder using deflection signals.

System providing standby operation of an auxiliary data decoder in a television receiver


A liquid crystal display cell, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell, and a liquid crystal display apparatus are provided. The method includes an inter-electrode light-shielding pattern forming step of sequentially forming an opaque insulating layer and a metal layer in this order at an area corresponding in position to a gap between electrodes on the substrate, the opaque layer and the metal layer having a width slightly greater than the width of the gap, and an electrode forming step of forming a plurality of stripe transparent electrodes by forming a transparent conductive layer on the whole surface, patterning the transparent conductive layer so as to divide the metal layer into two parts, and providing the transparent electrodes lined with the divided metal layers on both sides of each of the transparent electrode in the longitudinal direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display cell having a pair of substrates disposed facing each other and crossed to provide pixels of a matrix arrangement, the substrate having stripe electrodes formed thereon, a method of manufacturing such a liquid crystal display cell, and a liquid crystal display apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ferromagnetic liquid crystal cell in which electrode resistance is reduced with a light-shield in the area between pixels, a method of manufacturing such a ferromagnetic liquid crystal cell, and a ferromagnetic liquid crystal display apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
The screen size of a liquid crystal display apparatus is becoming larger nowadays. As the display panel increases, there arise serious problems of heat generation caused by electrode resistance and voltage waveform delay. In order to reduce electrode resistance, the sheet resistance ps of a transparent conductive layer constituting an electrode should be reduced. A commonly used ITO has .rho.s of 10 .OMEGA./square at most. However, the narrower electrodes that will be used in for high precision display panels and color displays make reducing electrode resistance impossible. In view of this electrode resistance is expected to be reduced by forming supplemental electrodes along each transparent electrode. A substrate obtained by using this method is shown in FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, transparent electrodes 42 such as ITO are formed on a glass substrate 41,in a stripe configuration. Narrow metal layers 43 are formed on the transparent electrode 42 in the longitudinal direction. As the metal layer 43, Al, Cr, Mo or the like is used generally. Presence of the metal layers reduces the electrode resistance by one or two magnitudes than when only ITO is used.
This method is however associated with the following disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that it requires high patterning precision because the metal film 43 should be isolated electrically from adjacent electrodes 42. For example, in FIG. 4, if the transparent electrodes 42 are 200 .mu.m thick with the space therebetween being 20 .mu.m and the metal layers 43 are 20 .mu.m thick, then in order to broaden an effective pixel area, the metal layers 43 are required to be patterned relative to the ITO electrode 42 at an alignment precision of 10 .mu.m or less, preferably 5 .mu.m. If the alignment precision is 10 .mu.m, the effective pixel width is 190 .mu.m, and if it is 5 .mu.m, the effective pixel width is 195 .mu.m. However, high precision masks and an aligner must be prepared to improve the patterning precision, resulting in high cost.
The second disadvantage is that light-shielding between pixel is incomplete. In the arrangement, shown in FIG. 4, the metal film 43 covers half or more of the area between pixels, but it cannot cover the whole area between pixels. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an additional light-shielding film. As shown in FIG. 5, a metal light-shielding pattern 51 is first formed and then an insulating transparent resin, 52 is coated thereof. Thereafter, the electrode and metal film are formed like in FIG. 4. However, this method requires increased patterning steps.

Liquid crystal display with opaque insulating layer and metal layer at and wider than inter-electrode gap and method of manufacturing


The present invention provides an write head having an improved upper pole tip-to-yoke stitch. The upper pole tip is formed having an open faced sloping surface at an end of the pole tip distal from an air bearing surface. Preferably the angle of the sloping surface is about 30 degrees. The sloping surface provides a shallow angle for depositing the yoke material over which improves the magnetic properties of the yoke material, particularly in the case of sputtered high moment magnetic materials, and improves the flux flow path through the yoke. As such, the present invention allows conductor coils to be located closer to the air bearing surface without sacrificing yoke material properties and flux flow. The upper pole tip may have a back portion which is formed over an insulation layer located between a write gap layer and a conductor layer. Preferably the insulation layer and the conductor layer or layers are formed having sloping edges with shallow angles of about 30 degrees. An advantage of the present invention is that it allows the yoke and the yoke-to-pole tip stitch to be recessed from the air bearing surface, if desired, to prevent the yoke or yoke-to-pole stitch from inadvertently writing to the media.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of thin film write heads.
2. Background Art
Data is stored on magnetic media by writing on the magnetic media using a write head. Magnetic media can be formed in any number of ways, such as tape, floppy diskette, and hard disk. Writing involves storing a data bit by utilizing magnetic flux to set the magnetic moment of a particular area on the magnetic media. The state of the magnetic moment is later read, using a read head, to retrieve the stored information.
Data density is determined by the amount of data stored on an area of magnetic media and depends on how much area must be allocated to each bit. To decrease bit size, head size is decreased by fabricating thin film read and write heads. Thin film heads commonly employ separate write and read heads.
Thin film write heads are typically formed by depositing and etching layers of magnetic, non-magnetic, dielectric, and electrically conductive materials to form the structures of the head. The structures of the head, such as a core, conductors, a yoke, and pole tips, are fabricated in separate steps. This allows the pole tip size to be reduced, thereby reducing the area occupied by the magnetic bits on the media and improving data density. As data bits are placed closer together, larger magnetic flux is required to set the bits to prevent them from inadvertently being changed by adjacent bits, or by stray magnetic flux.
The yoke structure is used to couple the much larger core to the upper of the pole tips. Typically, the yoke is deposited over the top of the conductor layer to attach to the pole tip below. The yoke channels the flux from the larger core into the small pole tip. As the yoke structure narrows and connects to the much smaller pole tip, the flux from the core is channeled into an ever narrowing yoke as it connects to the pole tip.
As ever smaller structures must handle higher magnetic flux, the write head structures, and in particular the yoke structure, become susceptible to saturation. As a result, it is necessary to form the yoke of a material with a sufficiently high magnetic moment to handle high flux density without saturating.
A problem with high magnetic moment material is that imperfections in the uniformity of the material can cause the permeability of the material to degrade. If the imperfections, usually formed during the deposition process, are in an area of high flux density, saturation can occur.
In addition to reducing the size of the write head structures to improve data density, structures of write heads are made small to improve operating frequency. For example, the conductors commonly are located as close as possible to the pole tips to decrease flux path inductance by reducing the length of the flux path. Toward this end, the yoke commonly is joined or stitched to the top of the pole tip so that along with the pole tip, it forms part of the air bearing surface of the write head. An example of such a geometry is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,351 by Cole, et al., issued on Jul. 22, 1997, entitled METHOD OF MAKING THIN FILM MAGNETIC WRITE HEAD, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Stitching to the top of the pole tip, however, has drawbacks.
One problem with forming the stitch along the air bearing surface is that, in addition to the primary write gap which is formed to write data to the media, a second write gap could form at the yoke/pole tip interface. The second write gap could form if there are discontinuities at the interface caused by incomplete removal of materials or oxide formation prior to stitching the yoke to the pole tip.
The present invention provides an write head having an improved upper pole tip-to-yoke stitch. The upper pole tip is formed having an open faced sloping surface at an end of the pole tip distal from an air bearing surface. The sloping surface may be formed by conventional techniques such as ion milling to remove a corner portion of the upper pole tip. Preferably the angle of the sloping surface is between 25 degrees and 45 degrees, with the optimum angle being about 30 degrees.
The sloping surface provides a shallow angle for depositing the yoke material over. The shallow angle improves the magnetic properties of the yoke material, particularly in the case of sputtered high moment magnetic materials, and improves the flux flow path through the yoke. As such, the present invention allows conductor coils to be located closer to the air bearing surface without sacrificing yoke material properties and flux flow.
The upper pole tip may have a back portion which is formed over an insulation layer located between a write gap layer and a conductor layer. Preferably the insulation layer and the conductor layer or layers are formed having sloping edges with shallow angles. Preferably the angle of the sloping edges is between 25 degrees and 45 degrees, with the optimum angle being about 30 degrees.
An advantage of the present invention is that it allows the yoke and the yoke-to-pole tip stitch to be recessed from the air bearing surface, if desired, to prevent the yoke or yoke-to-pole stitch from inadvertently writing to the media.

Thin film write head with improved yoke to pole stitch


A quantum cascade laser includes a substrate having a conductivity type, substrate having a first region, a second region, and a third region; a semiconductor lamination provided on a principal surface of the substrate, the semiconductor lamination including a mesa stripe section provided on the second region, an upper cladding layer having the same conductivity type as the substrate, a first burying layer, and a second burying layer, the mesa stripe section including a core layer; and an electrode provided on the semiconductor lamination. The first and second burying layers are provided on the first and third regions and on both side faces of the mesa stripe section. The upper cladding layer is provided on the mesa stripe section, the first burying layer, and the second burying layer. The first and second burying layers include a first and second semi-insulating semiconductor regions comprised of a semi-insulating semiconductor material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quantum cascade laser.
2. Related Background Art
A quantum cascade laser (QCL: Quantum Cascade Laser) is known as a semiconductor optical device. This quantum cascade laser is a promising device as a compact and low-cost light source that can be used in fields such as analysis of environmental gas, medical application, and industrial processing. As a current confinement structure of the quantum cascade laser, there is, for example, a buried heterostructure (BH: Buried Heterostructure) described in Patent Literature 1 below.
A manufacturing process of this buried heterostructure will be described. First, semiconductor epitaxial layers are grown on a semiconductor substrate, and thereafter, at least a contact layer, an upper cladding layer, and a core layer are etched to form a mesa waveguide in a region to be an optical waveguide in the center of the device. Thereafter, side walls of the mesa structure are buried by current blocking layers comprised of a high-resistance semi-insulating semiconductor to produce the current confinement structure.


A switching system and control method therefor are provided and implemented with a fuel cell stack system. The switching system enables fuel cell stacks to be connected in series for providing power to a power user while removing the particular disadvantages of a series circuit. In the event of a stack fault, the faulty stack may be bypassed, whereby the remaining stacks provide power to the power user at reduced capacity. The stack is continuously monitored and is reintroduced to the series circuit if the fault clears. If the fault reoccurs a predetermined number of times after the stack has been reintroduced, a “reduced capacity” mode is initiated. Additionally, in the event of a reduced or an increased current demand, stacks are selectively switched in and out of the series connection, for limiting the overall operation voltage range of the fuel cell stack system.

Fuel cells have been used as a power source in many applications. For example, fuel cells have been proposed for use in electrical vehicular power plants to replace internal combustion engines. In proton exchange membrane (PEM) type fuel cells, hydrogen is supplied to the anode of the fuel cell and oxygen is supplied as the oxidant to the cathode. PEM fuel cells include a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprising a thin, proton transmissive, non-electrically conductive, solid polymer electrolyte membrane having the anode catalyst on one face and the cathode catalyst on the opposite face. The MEA is sandwiched between a pair of non-porous, electrically conductive elements or plates which (1) serve as current collectors for the anode and cathode, and (2) contain appropriate channels and/or openings formed therein for distributing the fuel cell's gaseous reactants over the surfaces of the respective anode and cathode catalysts.
The term "fuel cell" is typically used to refer to either a single cell or a plurality of cells (stack) depending on the context. A plurality of individual cells are typically bundled together to form a fuel cell stack and are commonly arranged in electrical series. Each cell within the stack includes the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) described earlier, and each such MEA provides its increment of voltage. A group of adjacent cells within the stack is referred to as a cluster. By way of example, some typical arrangements for multiple cells in a stack are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,113.
In PEM fuel cells, hydrogen (H2) is the anode reactant (i.e., fuel) and oxygen is the cathode reactant (i.e., oxidant). The oxygen can be either a pure form (O2) or air (a mixture of O2 and N2). The solid polymer electrolytes are typically made from ion exchange resins such as perfluoronated sulfonic acid. The anode/cathode typically comprises finely divided catalytic particles, which are often supported on carbon particles, and mixed with a proton conductive resin. The catalytic particles are typically costly precious metal particles. As such these MEAs are relatively expensive to manufacture and require certain conditions, including proper water management and humidification and control of catalyst fouling constituents such as carbon monoxide (CO), for effective operation.
The electrically conductive plates sandwiching the MEAs may contain an array of grooves in the faces thereof that define a reactant flow field for distributing the fuel cell's gaseous reactants (i.e., hydrogen and oxygen in the form of air) over the surfaces of the respective cathode and anode. These reactant flow fields generally include a plurality of lands that define a plurality of flow channels therebetween through which the gaseous reactants flow from a supply header at one end of the flow channels to an exhaust header at the opposite end of the flow channels.
Individual fuel cell stacks are connected together in a fuel cell system, as an electrical circuit for collectively supplying energy to a device, such as an electric motor. The stacks may be either connected as typical parallel or series circuits. A disadvantage of connecting the stacks in parallel is that a DC-DC converter is typically required for supplying the proper current to the device. Implementation of such a converter increases the weight, complexity and cost of the fuel cell system and is therefore undesirable. A series connection does not typically require the implementation of a DC-DC converter, however, it does have certain disadvantages. In particular, if one stack in the series is faulty then the fuel cell system is inoperable.
When the vehicle is operating at full power, maximum current is drawn from the fuel cell system resulting in a minimum total voltage thereacross. At idle, a minimum current is drawn from the fuel cell system resulting in a maximum total voltage thereacross.
The above operating considerations pose certain challenges when it is desired to integrate the stack into a system having several electrical components requiring power.

System stack contingency and efficiency switching


An image compressing apparatus and method are provided that execute an appropriate JPEG compression process in accordance with a document type of image data to realize maintenance of good image quality and improvement of a compression rate at the same time. Document image data input from an image input apparatus are converted into digital signals by an image compressing apparatus and delivered to a JPEG compression section and a document discrimination section. The document discrimination section discriminates a document type for each page and the parameter setting section calculates optimum compression parameters (a quantization table and a subsampling) in accordance with a document discrimination signal from the document discrimination section. The JPEG compression section executes the JPEG compression process with the use of the parameters from the parameter setting section to output a JPEG code along with encoded data.

Recent digital multi-function peripherals (MFP) include a function that files image data in a hard disk, an image transmission function such as Scan-to-Email, etc. In such devices, a compression process is performed for image data when saving or transmitting the image data and a JPEG compression mode is widely used for the mode thereof.
In a standard JPEG compression mode, some parameters such as a quantization table and a subsampling can be set. These parameters are responsible for trade-off between image quality and a compression rate of a compressed image and adjustment can be performed in accordance with purpose and preference, such as setting that focuses on image quality, compression rate, or averagely maintaining both, for example. In view of the above situations, it is desirable to further set optimum parameters in accordance with a type of image such as setting appropriate for a text image, setting appropriate for a halftone dot image, or setting appropriate for mixed image including both.
However, in general, compression parameters are often uniformly set regardless of types of target images, and the applied parameters often are fixed values preliminarily stored in devices or values arbitrarily and manually specified by users.
The following technologies are disclosed as techniques of discriminating a type of image to selectively switch and apply compression parameters.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-247373 describes an example of determining a type of image for every eight lines to select a quantization table depending on the result thereof. Specifically, an image area is determined for every eight lines in a target image to select one of a plurality of preliminarily prepared quantization tables depending on the determination result (text or picture), and the quantization table is used to perform JPEG encoding for the eight-line image data. The encoded data are transmitted in a format that adds image area determination information (i.e., encoded table information) to the encoded data for each line. When receiving the encoded data in this format, the image area determination information included in the encoded data is detected and the quantization table same as that used for encoding is selected and decoded to restore the data to eight-line decompressed image data.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-350037 describes an example of recognizing a type of image for every 8×8 pixels (for each block of DCT process) to select a quantization table depending on the result thereof. Specifically, if the number of gray levels of image data of an 8×8-pixel block is two to an arbitrary number, the block is recognized as a text/simple image, and if the block is recognized as the text/simple image, the quantization table is changed so as not to delete a high-frequency component to perform the JPEG encoding. In this case, the compressed data are data in a format that adds a recognition flag of each block to the JPEG encoded data. When restoring the compressed data, the added recognition flags are referenced to change and decode the quantization table as is the case with the encoding.
The above techniques are problematic in that the format of the compressed data is not compliant with the standard JPEG file format. In either technique, the compressed data have a unique format that having image type recognition information added in addition to the encoded data of the image. If such a unique format is used, the image data cannot be restored unless the format is supported and can be handled on the data decoding side (receiving side). That is, since the unique data formats cannot be decoded with a standard JPEG decompressing algorithm (such as circuit and program), the decoding side must have a dedicated decompressing circuit or program so that data in the unique formats can be decoded.
Since the recognition information is added for each block or each line in either technique, it is problematic that a data size after compression is correspondingly increased and that a compression rate cannot be improved. Only the switching of the quantization table is performed for the compression parameters, and the compression rate is not sufficiently improved in accordance with a type of image.
Since the compression algorithm is not compliant with the standard JPEG in either technique, a lack of versatility also is a problem. That is, since a mechanism not included in the standard JPEG compression algorithm is disposed which is a mechanism of switching the quantization table for each block or every eight lines and a mechanism of forming data in a unique format adding the recognition information and since an area (image area) identification signal is required for every eight lines or each 8×8 block, general-purpose JPEG compression circuit and program cannot be used, and special compression circuit and program must be designed and developed for each technique.

Image compressing apparatus and image reading apparatus including the same, image processing apparatus including image compressing apparatus and image forming apparatus including the same, image compression processing method, computer program thereof, and recording medium


Provided is an air conditioning system comprised of a plurality of indoor units connected to each other in parallel, each having an expansion valve, and an outdoor unit including a plurality of compressors, in which at least one of the compressors provided to the outdoor unit is a capacity modulation compressor including an electromotive driving unit for driving a plurality of compression units capable of selectively compressing a working fluid, and the electromotive driving unit for the capacity modulation compressor has a stator with a coil wound around thereon and a rotor rotating inside the stator, the rotor being an LSPRM including a rotor core, flux barriers, permanent magnets and conductive bars.

In general, a single phase induction motor includes a stator wound around with a main coil and a sub-coil which are physically spaced 90° apart from each other, and a supply power is applied directly to the main coil, while indirectly (i.e., via a capacitor and a switch) to the sub-coil. This is because the single phase induction motor would not start even if a voltage is applied to the main coil. Therefore, a starting device such as the sub-coil is needed to create a rotor system at the stator, thereby starting or actuating the rotor.
There are many types of starting devices, for example, split phase start type, shaded coil start type, capacitor start type, repulsion start type, etc.
An capacitor start-type single phase induction motor is described as an example of a single phase induction motor, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
FIG. 1 illustrates a stator 10 and a rotor 20 in a conventional single phase induction motor, and FIG. 2 illustrates a simple circuit having a rotor coil and a stator coil.
When a main coil 12 is the only coil wound around the stator 10, only an alternating magnetic field is produced by the stator 10 and thus the rotor 20 does not start. However, when a sub-coil 14 is also wound around the stator to produce a rotating magnetic field whereby the rotor starts running or rotating in a certain direction. That is to say, the rotating magnetic field generates a starting torque.
Meanwhile, a capacitor 15 causes a phase delay of current being applied to the sub-coil 14 to generate a starting torque through the interaction with the main coil 12. Once started, if there is not going to be any change in a load, the rotor keeps rotating even if the sub-coil is not fed with power. Therefore, once the rotor started and keeps running at certain RPM or higher, it is all right to stop the power supply to the sub-coil. However, if the load is variable, a starting torque is needed. In this case, the sub-coil must always be provided with power through the capacitor.
On the contrary, a three-phase induction motor where a rotation system is easily created even by winding only the main coil around a stator, there is no need to wind the aforementioned sub-coil around the stator. In other words, a separate starting device is not necessary for the three-phase induction motor.
However, the single phase induction motor offers a competitive advantage over others in terms of price in that it does not require an inverter drive component of a BLDC (brushless DC) motor or a reluctance motor and can start up with the help of a common single phase power source.
Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the detail description of the general single phase induction motor will be followed.
The stator 10 has a hollow interior space, an inner periphery of which is provided with a plurality of teeth 11 arranged at a predetermined angle interval, each being protruded inwardly in a radius direction and each being wound with the main coil 12 to have N-polarity or S-polarity at the application of a primary current.
An insulator (not shown) is provided between each of the teeth 11 and the main coil 12 to insulate between the tooth and the main boil and to facilitate the winding of the main coil.
The stator 10 also includes the sub-coil 14 that is wound physically spaced apart from the main coil 12 at a predetermined angle to produce a rotating magnetic field when current is applied thereto. Of course, the sub-coil is wound around the teeth 11 via the insulator, and the main coil 12 and the sub-coil 14 together are called a stator coil or simply a coil.
The coils 12 and 14 are connected to a single phase power source, in parallel to each other. Moreover, the sub-coil is serially connected to the capacitor 15. Although not shown, the capacitor may be connected selectively to the power source through a switch.
Generally, a squirrel cage rotor is used most in the field, so the rotor 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 represent the squirrel cage rotor.
The rotor 20 is formed by stacking a plurality of identically shaped steel sheets, each steel sheet having a plurality of slots 21 formed at a predetermined angle interval along the outer circumference at a predetermined radial position from the core. In addition, the rotor 20 includes conductive bars 22 inserted into the slots 21 of the rotor core, and the conductive bar is usually made out of copper or aluminum.
In order to cause an electrical short through the conductive bars, both ends of the squirrel cage rotor are connected by an end ring (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, referred to FIGS. 11 and 12 later), and the end ring is typically formed by an aluminum die casting process. That is, the conductive bar 22 and the end ring are integrated through aluminum die casting, and the end ring is formed at the upper and lower portions of the rotor core, respectively. Meanwhile, an axial bore 24 is formed in the core of the rotor 20, and a shaft (not shown) transferring torque of the rotor to other components is press fitted into the axial bore such that the rotor and the shaft can rotate in one unit.
According to how the single phase induction motor with the above configuration works, when power is applied to the coil, an induced current is produced in the conductive bars 22, through which an induction torque is generated to rotate the motor. In this case, however, a loss occurs in a the conductive bars 22, the loss is so called a conductive bar loss. Because of the conductive bar loss, there is a limitation in enhancing the efficiency of a motor with a fixed size. Therefore, single phase induction motors were not suitable, sometimes useless, for high-efficiency work.
Besides, the rotor 20 gets hot because of the conductive bar loss, and such a temperature change of the rotor in turn made the loss even higher. In other words, the conductive bar loss gets worse as the temperature of the rotor increases. This remained as another limitation in improving the efficiency of a motor at high temperature.
In the meantime, it is known that the single phase induction motor, by its nature, should always run slower than a preset synchronous speed, to be able to produce an induced torque. This is because, theoretically, the amount of torque of the single phase induction motor stays zero at the synchronous speed, and it tends to increase at low RPMs.
In short, a problem arises in the single phase induction motor in relation to the control of the motor in response to a change in the motor load since the speed of the motor shaft, i.e., the motor speed, varies with the load on the motor, i.e., the load on the motor shaft.

Capacity modulation compressor and air conditioning system having the same


The improved reed relay package provided a “pseudo” Form C relay that includes two Form A relays with at least one bridge filter element electrically interconnecting the signal outputs thereof to reduce stub capacitance and improve RF performance. As a result, the reed relay package can operate at very high frequencies, such as 18 GHz and higher. Also, vias can be provided through the support substrate to simulate a co-planar waveguide and RF shields profiled with cut-outs to better simulate a 50 ohm impedance environment throughout the path of the signal line.

The present invention relates generally to switching devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to improved packaging and circuit integration for electromagnetic devices, such as reed switches and electromagnetic devices such as reed relays.
Electromagnetic relays have been known in the electronics industry for many years. Such electromagnetic relays include the reed relay which incorporates a reed switch. A reed switch is typically a magnetically activated device that typically includes two flat contact tongues which are merged in a hermetically sealed glass tube filled with a protective inert gas or vacuum. The switch is operated by an externally generated magnetic field, either from a coil or a permanent magnet. When the external magnetic field is enabled, the overlapping contact tongue ends attract each other and ultimately come into contact to close the switch. When the magnetic field is removed, the contact tongues demagnetize and spring back to return to their rest positions, thus opening the switch. It is also possible that the switch does not have a glass envelope and is not actuated by magnetic force. For example, the envelope may be made of other materials, such as copper, and can be actuated by other forces, such as centripetal, centrifugal and acceleration forces.
Reed switches, actuated by a magnetic coil, are typically housed within a bobbin or spool-like member. A coil of wire is wrapped about the outside of the bobbin and connected to a source of electric current. The current flowing through the coil creates the desired magnetic field to actuate the reed switch within the bobbin housing.
FIGS. 1-3 shows further details of the configuration of such a prior art reed switch device discussed above. Turning first to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a prior art reed switch configuration 10 is shown. A known reed switch 11 includes, preferably, a glass envelope 12 as well as two signal leads 14 emanating from opposing ends of the reed switch 11 and coil termination leads 15. The signal leads are connected to a pair of metal contacts 13. It should be noted that other envelopes, such as metal, may be used in a switch that is actuated by other forces, such as centripetal, centrifugal and other acceleration forces. The construction of a reed switch 11 is so well known in the art, the details thereof need not be discussed. A shield conductor 16, commonly made of brass or copper, is provided in the form of a cylindrical sleeve which receives and houses the reed switch 11. The reed switch 11 and shield 16 are housed within the central bore 18 of a bobbin or spool 20. About the bobbin 20 is wound a conductive wire 22. As a result, a co-axial arrangement is formed to protect the reed switch 11 device and to control the impedance of the environment and to improve the overall transmission of the signal. The reed switch 11, shield conductor 16 and bobbin 20 are shown in general as cylindrical in configuration. It should be understood that various other configurations, such as those oval in cross-section, may be employed and still be within the scope of the present invention.
As can be understood and known in the prior art, the free ends of the coil of wire 22, the shield 16 and signal terminals 14 of the reed switch 11 are electrically interconnected to a circuit as desired. The respective components of the reed switch 11 configuration are interconnected to a circuit by lead frame or other electrical interconnection (not shown). The lead frame or other electrical interconnection introduces a discontinuity of the desirable co-axial environment.
As described above, the overall reed switch device 10 must be designed to be easily accommodated within a user's circuit. For example, a circuit used to operate at high frequency is designed with a defined characteristic impedance environment. The goal of designing and manufacturing a reed device 10 to the specifications of a circuit customer is to match the desired impedance of the device 10 to the circuit environment as closely as possible. It is preferred that there is no discontinuity of impedance from the reed device 10 itself to a circuit board trace of the circuit that will receive the device 10. The characteristic impedance, Z1, is generally a function of the outer diameter of the signal conductor 14, the inner diameter of the shield 16 and the dielectric constant of the insulation (not shown) between the signal conductor 14 and the shield 16.
A further modification of the reed switch package of FIG. 1 is shown in FIGS. 2-3. A reed switch device 103 is provided to include an outer bobbin 102 with coil 109 wrapped around it for introducing the necessary magnetic field to actuate the reed switch 111. Ends of wire 109 may be connected to posts, pins, or the like (not shown) connected to bobbin 102 to provide for electrical interconnection of the magnetic field current. Emanating from the reed switch 111 are two signal leads 106 which correspond to opposing sides of the reed switch 111. Also emanating from the bobbin body 102 are a pair of shield or ground tabs 108 on each side of the bobbin body 102 that are electrically interconnected to, as shown in FIG. 6, the ends of the inner shield sleeve 110. As shown in FIG. 3, an exploded perspective view the reed switch 111 of FIG. 2, these ground tabs 108 are extensions from the shield sleeve 110 itself on opposing sides thereof.
In particular, the reed switch 111 includes a signal conductor 106 within a glass capsule 126 with an inert gas or vacuum 128 surrounding it. Positioned about the glass capsule 126 is a ground shield 130 which is preferably of a cylindrical or tubular configuration but may be of an oval cross-section to accommodate certain reed switches 111 or multiple reed switches in a multiple channel environment. The foregoing assembly is housed within the bobbin 102 which includes an energizing coil 109.
Some applications of reed devices require the switch to carry signals with frequencies in excess of 500 MHz. However, there is a continuing need for reed relays to transmit higher and higher frequencies without significant attenuation of the transmitted signal power. Current reed relays can operate up to the range of 8-10 GHz.
However, there is even a further need to increase these operating bandwidth ranges to 18 GHz and possibly even higher. In general, there is a need for a reed relay to have very high RF performance where the RF path is optimized to minimize impedance discontinuities throughout the signal path and to reduce stub capacitance.
In the prior art, it is common for individual reed switches to be employed to form various type of switching functions so that they may be incorporated into a circuit, such as a circuit board for automated test equipment (ATE). For example, as in FIG. 4, a reed switch may be employed as a single throw switching device 50 with a single pole 52. This is known as a "Form A" configuration. Also, a Form C switching environment is possible, as shown in FIG. 5 where a single switch 54 can throw to two different poles 56, 58. It can be understood, such multi-pole switching adds complexity to the device with a higher cost. To address this, "pseudo" Form C configurations are commonly employed in the prior art to simplify the switching and to enable the use of individual reed switch devices that are readily available at relative low cost. Such as "pseudo" Form C switching configuration is shown in the switch arrangement 60 seen in FIG. 6. Two Form A switches 62, 64 are used with a bridge 66 to achieve this configuration. As can be understood, with the appropriate connection comprised of the leads of the switches and traces on a circuit board, the appropriate switching capability can be incorporated into a circuit on a circuit board, such as in automated test equipment (ATE).
However, as is well known in the art, this results in a long, unprotected and vulnerable connection between the terminals of the reed switches and the circuit board which is commonly termed a "stub connection." As a result of this long, unprotected stub connection, significant parasitic capacitance C to ground will be present. This is termed a "stub capacitance" and acts to load the high frequency path, thus limiting the frequency of the circuit to a value in the range of about 5.0 GHz, for example. However, to properly test very fast devices under test (DUT), such as high-speed microprocessors, the frequency of the test circuit must reach the 7 GHz range and even higher, such as 18 GHz and above. Unfortunately, prior art reed switch devices configurations include a stub connection on the circuit board that makes the device essentially incapable of testing high-speed devices.
The foregoing shortcomings in the prior art can be readily understood after viewing an actual circuit into which such a Form C or "pseudo" Form C arrangement of reed switches are incorporated. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate such an example circuit environment. Circuit 300 is one that is commonly employed in ATE (Automated Test Equipment) for the purpose of testing circuit devices, generally referenced as 313, and the like. This circuit 300 sets forth a three terminal device that may be "stackable" in series, end to end, depending on the application. A three terminal device 306 with a first reed switch 302 and a second reed switch 304 is shown in FIG. 7 as generally referenced by the dotted lines. For example, the first reed switch device 302 provides a connection for a high frequency AC signal while the second reed switch 304 provides a connection for a DC signal or low frequency AC signal.
More specifically, a signal generator 308 is connected to the first terminal 310 of the first reed switch 302. A second reed switch 304 is provided with a first terminal 312 and a second terminal 314. A second terminal 316 of the first reed switch 302 is connected to the second terminal 314 of the second reed switch 304 at node 318. This node 318 becomes the output terminal 326 to the device 306. A second pair of reed switches 320, 322 is employed to receive the stimulus from the device under test, (DUT) 313. Receiver 317 receives the output from the second pair of reed switches 320, 322. The serial nature of the pair of switches enables a circuit to be designed with a number of different test operations to a different number of DUTs which are independently selectable and isolatable. FIG. 8 illustrates a representational schematic of one of the pair of reed relays that carry out the circuit diagram of FIG. 7.
To carry out this circuit, two individual reed switches are connected to a circuit board (not shown) with the appropriate connection 324 comprised of the leads of the switches and the trace on the circuit board therebetween. This results in a long, unprotected and vulnerable connection between the terminals of the reed switches and the circuit board which is commonly termed a "stub connection." As a result of this long, unprotected stub connection 324, significant parasitic capacitance C to ground will be present. This is termed a "stub capacitance" and acts to load the high frequency path, thus limiting the frequency of the circuit to a value in the range of about 5.0 GHz, for example. However, to properly test very fast devices under test (DUT), such as high-speed microprocessors, the frequency of the test circuit must reach the 7 GHz range and higher, such as 18 GHz, in the future. Therefore, with a prior art mounting of the reed switches 302, 304 and stub connection 324 on the circuit board, this circuitry 300 is incapable of testing high-speed devices. The protection of a this stub connection is an example of many different ways to employ the present invention.
Another concern in the industry concerns impedance matching of the switch to the circuit into which it is installed. Currently available reed devices are incorporated into a given circuit environment by users. For application at higher frequencies, such as in the 18 GHz range and higher, as is well known in the art, a reed switch is ideally configured to match as closely as possible the desired impedance requirements of the circuit, such as 50 ohms, in which it is installed.
To address these impedance matching needs, within a circuit environment, a co-axial arrangement is preferred throughout the entire environment to maintain circuit integrity and the desired matched impedance. As stated above, the body of a reed switch includes the necessary co-axial environment. In addition, the signal trace on the user's circuit board commonly includes a "grounded co-planar waveguide" where two ground leads reside on opposing sides of the signal lead and in the same plane or a "strip line" where a ground plane resides below the plane of the signal conductor. These techniques properly employed provide a controlled impedance transmission line which is acceptable for maintaining the desired impedance for proper circuit function.
This is due to, for example, the fact that the reed switch itself must be physically packaged and electrically interconnected to a circuit board carrying a given circuit configuration. It is common to terminate the shield and signal terminals to a lead frame architecture and enclose the entire assembly in a dielectric material like plastic for manufacturing and packaging ease. These leads may be formed in a gull-wing or "J" shape for surface mount capability. The signal leads or terminals exit out of the reed switch body and into the air in order to make the electrical interconnection to the circuit board. This transition of the signal leads from plastic dielectric to air creates an undesirable discontinuity of the protective co-axial environment found within the body of the switch itself. Such discontinuity creates inaccuracy and uncertainty in the impedance of the reed switch device.
As a result, circuit designers must compensate for this problem by specifically designing their circuits to accommodate and anticipate the inherent problems associated with the discontinuity of the protective co-axial environment and the degradation of the rated impedance of the reed switch device. For example, the circuit may be tuned to compensate for the discontinuity by adding parasitic inductance and capacitance. This method of discontinuity compensation is not preferred because it complicates and slows the design process and can degrade the integrity of the circuit. This is particularly problematic with very high frequency circuit environments, such as ones that operate in the 18 GHz and higher.
However, such tuning compensation schemes only work over a relatively narrow range of frequency. There is a demand to reduce the need to tune the circuit as described above. The prior art uses a structure of carefully designed vias, which are expensive and difficult to manufacture, to control the impedance from the relay to the board transition.
In view of the foregoing, there is a demand for a reed switch device that can reduce the parasitic stub capacitance to achieve higher frequency signals, such as those in the range of 18 GHz and higher. There is a further need to increase RF performance in such a reed switch device environment. There is also a demand for a reed switch device that includes a controlled impedance environment through the entire body of the package to the interconnection to a circuit. There is a particular demand for a reed switch device to be compact and of a low profile for installation into small spaces and for circuit board stacking. There is further a demand for reed switch devices that are of a surface mount configuration to optimize the high frequency of the performance of the system. Further, there is a demand for a reed switch device that can reduce the need to tune a circuit to compensate for an uncontrolled impedance environment. Also, there is a demand for a reed switch device that has a small footprint and is of a standard shape and configuration for simplified manufacture and installation.
Still further, there is a demand for a reed switch device that is capable of performing much faster than prior art reed switch devices, such as in the 18 GHz range and even higher. There is a need for a reed switch device that is suitable for Form C and Form A applications. There is a need to filter out high frequency in the GHz range for improved operation of the device at very high frequencies, such as those in the 18 GHz range and higher. There is a particular need to reduce the degree of attenuation of high frequency signals. There is a desire to match and interconnect the device to a given circuit, such as one that operates in the 50 ohm range. There is a need to optimize the operation of the circuit into which the reed switch device is installed to simulate a co-axial environment. There is also a need to be able to add DC voltage to the high frequency signal. There is yet another need in the prior art to minimize impedance discontinuities by altering the configuration of the shielding of the device.


Safety Device for a Shooting Mechanism of Double-Action Semi-Automatic Pistols Striker Fired The present application refers to a safety device for a shooting mechanism of semi-automatic guns, more specifically double action semi-automatic pistols striker fired, composed of a trigger support, a trigger body, a hinging axle for the two components, a small spring that acts between them and a trigger bar joined to the body of the trigger, with the addition of a firing pin lock located besides the front part of it and lodged in the breechblock.

Double-action semi-automatic striker fired pistols had as their precursor and paragon the Austrian Glock company model, whose structure and handle are made of plastic and solely shoots in double action striker fired manner.
To assure the safe use of the gun, a small-hinged lever protruding from the front of the trigger was added and should be previously pressed to release its movement. Therefore, only upon deliberate action over the trigger, the forefinger automatically deactivates its lock and cause the gun to shoot.
Said trigger lock of this kind of pistol, which constitutes an additional component not traditional for pistols, was in fact added to avoid the occurrence of accidental firing if the gun at issue falls, hitting its end portion on a hard surface. Shooting occurs when the intensity of the impact forces the firing mechanism, including the firing pin, to come back by inertia, thus pressing the respective springs hard enough to cause, when returning, the percussion of the cartridge within the chamber.
The market success of this kind of gun led other foreign manufacturers to adopt the same type of gun with variants of the trigger lock system, as we can see in the models: Steyr M 40, Walther P99, Smith & Wesson 40F and Springfield XD, including this applicant, who also developed an original gun model provided with innovations in the shooting system, as per patent PI 9700178-3, also provided with a safety system against accidental shots whose purpose is equivalent to that of the Glock company.
To optimize production and performance, the present safety device, object of this application, was developed, consisting in a modification of the trigger of said patent PI 9700178-3, which should be considered as a reference in the present description.
The trigger, previously constituted of a single piece, is currently composed of a trigger support, its body, a hinging axle for the two components, a small spring acting between them and a lock of the trigger bar to the body of the trigger. Additionally, a firing pin lock was added, located beside its front portion and stored in the breechblock.

Safety device for shooting mechanism of double-action semi-automatic striker fired pistols


A vessel includes an outboard motor including an upstream exhaust port that emits exhaust, a hull including a rear portion on which the outboard motor is mounted, a cabin disposed above the hull, a downstream exhaust port disposed farther to a lateral side than the outboard motor, and an exhaust passage extending from the upstream exhaust port to the downstream exhaust port and guiding the exhaust from the upstream exhaust port to the downstream exhaust port. The cabin includes a windshield disposed in front of the outboard motor in a plan view. The height of the cabin from a rearmost end of the outboard motor is not less than ½ or about ½ of a horizontal distance in a front/rear direction from a rear end edge of the windshield to the rearmost end of the outboard motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vessel that is propelled by an outboard motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0325136 A1 discloses a vessel including an outboard motor housed in a motor compartment provided in a rear portion of a hull, an air intake portion supplying air from outside the hull into the motor compartment, and an idle exhaust system emitting exhaust from inside the motor compartment to outside the hull.
During idling of the outboard motor, most of the exhaust generated in the interior of the outboard motor is emitted into the atmosphere from an idle exhaust port opening above the water surface. With a vessel that includes a tall cabin disposed in front of the outboard motor, when there is an air current flowing rearward from the front of the vessel, a vortex flow flowing forward may be generated in a space at the rear of the cabin disposed above a deck. The idle exhaust (exhaust emitted from the idle exhaust port) may thus flow forward in reverse toward the cabin.
If the cabin has a structure in which air behind the cabin can be entrained into the interior of the cabin, the idle exhaust with a bad odor may enter and further stagnate in the cabin and vessel occupants in the cabin may consequently have uncomfortable feelings. Although this problem can be resolved by providing a door at a rear portion of the cabin to improve the sealing property of the cabin, the cost and trouble of mounting the door are required in this case.


A semiconductor laser includes a first conductivity type GaAs substrate; a AlGaAs double heterojunction structure disposed on the GaAs substrate and including an upper cladding layer having a mesa ridge stripe with a side surface that makes an angle larger than 90.degree. with a front surface of the upper cladding layer; a first current blocking layer of first conductivity type AlGaAs; and a second current blocking layer of first conductivity type AlGaAs, the first and second current blocking layers covering the mesa ridge stripe. The Al compositions of the first and second current blocking layers are larger than that of the upper cladding layer, maintaining an equivalent refractive index of an active region higher than that of other portions of the semiconductor laser. As a result, the differences between the lattice constant of the second current blocking layer and the GaAs substrate or the AlGaAs upper cladding layer are smaller than in prior art semiconductor lasers. Since the second current blocking layer is in the vicinity of the active region in the mesa ridge stripe, stress applied to the active region is reduced, thereby producing a semiconductor laser that facilitates ridge width control and burying layer growth, and with improved reliability.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a prior art forward-mesa ridge type 0.78 .mu.m wavelength semiconductor laser having a real refractive index guided structure (hereinafter referred to as forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser). In the figure, reference numeral 1 designates an n type GaAs substrate. An n type Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As (x=0.48) lower cladding layer 2 having a thickness of about 1.5 .mu.m is disposed on the n type GaAs substrate 1. An AlGaAs quantum-well active layer 3 is disposed on the lower cladding layer 2. A p type Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As (x=0.48) upper cladding layer 4 having a thickness of about 1.5 .mu.m is disposed on the quantum-well active layer 3, and the upper cladding layer 4 includes a mesa ridge stripe 4a. An n type Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As (x=0.70) current blocking layer 6 having a thickness of about 1.5 .mu.m is disposed adjacent both sides of the mesa ridge stripe 4a. A p type GaAs contact layer 5 having a thickness of about 3 .mu.m is disposed on the upper cladding layer 4 and the current blocking layer 6. A stripe-shaped p side electrode 11 is disposed on the contact layer 5 over the mesa ridge stripe 4a, and an n side electrode 12 is disposed on a rear surface of the substrate 1.
FIGS. 7(a)-7(d) are cross-sectional views illustrating process steps in a method of fabricating the forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser. In these figures, the same reference numerals as shown in FIG. 6 designate the same or corresponding parts. Reference numeral 8 designates a selective growth mask. The fabricating method will be described below.
As shown in FIG. 7(a), the lower cladding layer 2, the active layer 3 and the upper cladding layer 4 are successively grown on the substrate 1 by MOCVD (metal organic chemical vapor deposition) to form a double heterojunction structure.
After an SiN layer is formed on the upper cladding layer 4, patterning is performed by conventional lithography to form the SiN mask 8. Then, using the SiN mask 8 as a mask, portions of the upper cladding layer 4, except for an active region 7, are etched to have a thickness of 0.1 to 0.4 .mu.m, thereby forming the mesa ridge stripe 4a (FIG. 7(b)).
As shown in FIG. 7(c), the current blocking layer 6 is grown by MOCVD on the upper cladding layer 4 to cover both sides of the mesa ridge stripe 4a.
As shown in FIG. 7(d), after removing the SiN mask 8, the contact layer 5 is grown on the mesa ridge stripe 4a and the current blocking layer 6. Finally, the p side electrode 11 is formed on the contact layer 5 and the n side electrode 12 is formed on the rear surface of the substrate 1, completing the semiconductor laser.
As described above, in the prior art forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser, the n type Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As (x=0.70) current blocking layer 6 having a refractive index smaller than that of the upper cladding layer 4 is disposed adjacent both sides of the mesa ridge stripe 4a of the upper cladding layer 4. Therefore, a current is efficiently concentrated in the active region 7. Further, since an equivalent refractive index of the active region 7 is higher than that of other portions of the semiconductor laser, light emitted from the active region 7 is efficiently confined in the active region 7. Consequently, laser oscillation is produced at a low current density.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a prior art reverse-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser. The reverse-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser is fundamentally identical to the forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser, except that the mesa ridge stripe 4a has a reverse mesa shape. The forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser has advantages over the reverse-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser in that the side etching is less and the ridge width is more easily controlled when the mesa ridge stripe is formed, and that the current blocking layer 6 is more easily buried.
In the prior art forward-mesa and reverse-mesa ridge type semiconductor lasers, however, because the current blocking layer 6 having a lattice constant larger than those of the substrate 1 and the upper cladding layer 4 is formed in the vicinity of the active region 7, stress is applied to the active region 7, so that crystalline defects due to the stress tend to be produced. Especially in the forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser, since the current blocking layer 6 is close to the active region 7, as compared with the reverse-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser, it is impossible to ensure the reliability of the semiconductor laser. Consequently, in order to prevent deterioration of reliability due to the stress applied to the active region 7 while maintaining the advantages of facilitation of the ridge width control and the burying growth, it is necessary to adopt the forward-mesa ridge stripe structure for a semiconductor laser and not to form a current blocking layer having a large Al composition in the vicinity of the active region 7.
In addition, in the prior art forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser, the current blocking layer 6 comprises n type AlGaAs semiconductor having a large Al composition. In the n type AlGaAs semiconductor having a large Al composition, it is difficult to dope the AlGaAs semiconductor with an n type dopant impurity, and it is impossible to make its n type carrier concentration high. Therefore, in order to satisfactorily exhibit the current blocking effect, the thickness of the current blocking layer 6 must be not less than 1 .mu.m. For this reason, its thickness is 1.5 .mu.m. Therefore, as the current blocking layer 6 becomes thicker, the stress applied to the active region 7 is increased, whereby the reliability of the semiconductor laser is deteriorated. Consequently, in the prior art forward-mesa ridge type semiconductor laser, high output power operation and high reliability of the laser are incompatible with each other.


A torqueshaft magnetic field measurement system includes a ceramic package enclosing a magnetoresistive sensor for converting a sensed magnetic field into a differential output voltage, an amplifier for converting the voltage into an amplified sensor signal, and a temperature sensor. An electrical cable connects the ceramic package to an electronic controller with a microprocessor.

The present invention generally relates to torque sensors, and in particular to a method and device for non-contact torqueshaft magnetic field measurement under harsh environmental conditions.
Torque measurement may be required for output control or for changing supplied power in applications where power is transmitted via a rotating drive shaft. Prior art methods have included the process of applying strain gauges to the surface of the drive shaft to measure torque. More recently, research and development efforts continue to produce various non-contact methods using magnetoresistive sensors.
It is known in the present state of the art that shaft torque can be measured by emplacing magnetoelastic regions on the shaft and detecting magnetic field changes via a magnetic sensor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,544, discloses a magnetoelastic torque transducer for providing an electrical signal indicative of torque applied to a shaft. The transducer includes a primary coil installed in a cylindrically-shaped yoke. Operation of the transducer, however, requires that a varying current be supplied to the coil to produce a varying magnetic field.
Many conventional systems utilize sensing coils to detect changes in the magnetic field. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,460 discloses a magnetorestriction-type torque sensor employing a plurality of detector coils disposed in an axial arrangement along a rotary body. Such coil configurations suffer from the shortcomings that detector coils do not generally provide consistently repeatable measurements, detector coils tend to be bulky, and alignment of such coil-type sensors is generally difficult. Moreover, the present state of the art does not disclose magnetic sensors suitable for use in harsh environments, such as elevated temperatures.
As can be seen, there is a need for a method and device for obtaining reliable torque measurements from rotating members operating in harsh environments.

Torqueshaft magnetic field measurement systems for gas turbine engines


A semiconductor device, comprising: a plurality of memory cell strings; a bitline; and an interconnection coupling at least two of the memory cell strings to the bitline. Memory cell strings can be coupled to corresponding bitlines through corresponding interconnections. Alternate memory cell strings can be coupled to different bitlines through corresponding different interconnections.

The present general inventive concept relates to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to vertical type memory devices.
In order to achieve superior performance and lower cost, there is an ongoing need for increasing the density of a semiconductor device. Especially, the density of the semiconductor device is an important determinant for pricing products. Since the density of a conventional two-dimensional semiconductor memory device is mainly decided by an area occupied by a unit memory cell, the density is significantly affected by the level of a fine patterning technology. However, ultra-high cost equipment is required to achieve such fine patterns. Hence, there is still a limitation in increasing the density of the two-dimensional semiconductor memory device.