High density/heavy current hybrid circuit on a ceramic substrate, or other insulating board material, includes first screen printed silver, or copper, polymer seed layer for basic circuitry and bus bar around this circuitry outside the scribe lines, which is connected by removable silver filled polymer links with the circuitry and also the circuit elements are connected with each other by the same links in order to provide uniform electroplating. The links are protected before electroplating with a removable plating resist and they are removed after electroplating using an appropriate stripping solution. Then a permanent plating resist and dielectric polymer thick film isolation layer are applied (for crossovers) on which the second seed layer is applied, plating of the second metal layer occurs and so on until the desired number of layers are done. Thus, cure temperature is that of polymerization, high density, good heat dissipation conditions, heavy current capacity in all the layers and low manufacturing costs are achieved.

The current carrying capacity of conventional circuits employing hybrid technology is controlled by the thickness of the screened metal layers used therein and by the necessity of restricting the number of successively printed patterns due to material limitations. In order to improve the current handling capacity, some methods were developed in which a combination of thick film and copper plating techniques are used.
In general known methods for producing hybrid circuits capable of handling heavy currents employ three basic steps: (1) the application of a conductive seed layer using thick film screening techniques, usually noble metal based systems, or using thin film techniques, as by sputtering metal directly onto the ceramic or by ion implanting metal onto the ceramic; (2) copper plating of the seed layer; and (3) etching of the desired pattern using techniques similar to those used in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards.
In particular three methods used to implement such steps having a trade description are: ENPLATE (by Enthone, Inc. of West Haven, Conn.), CERACLAD (by Kollmorgan Corp. of Hicksville, N.Y.), and COPPER-ON-CERAMIC (by ICI of Los Angeles, Calif.). The differences between the above mentioned methods occur mainly in the seed layer material which is used. In all these techniques a substractive method (i.e. a method which requires the use of etching) is used to define the conductive traces, which method uses expensive materials (for the etching process) and extra labor (for the number of production steps). Moreover, such techniques do not provide for the possibility of creating high integration level, multilayer circuits, meaning that the density of the circuits is very low. Further the COPPER-ON-CERAMIC method provides crossovers with heavy current capacity on the top layer only. Theoretically it is possible to take these single layer technologies and create crossovers by using known methods developed for copper thick film technology using an oxygen doped nitrogen atmosphere. However, in practive it is too expensive a technique to use for such a purpose.
In conventional hybrid circuits for high current applications, one additional method is known, often referred to as the "successive prints" method. For such successive printing operations, a circuit must normally be realigned to the previously printed layer to within 0.002" or electrical shorting may occur between adjacent areas. This alignment accuracy tends to increase the cost of manufacture and further requires extra labor to be involved in the method as well.
Crossovers are also critical in heavy current high density hybrid circuits. To create conventional thick film crossovers for such circuits usually three structures are used: (1) a continuous screened conductor with a dielectric layer in between, (2) a structure in which one of the two crossed conductor lines is interrupted and then connected again with a wire above the other conductor (a so-called wire bonded crossover in which a dielectric encapsulation is usually placed underneath the bond to insulate the wire bond from the conductor being crossed); and (3) a structure which is the same as structure (2) but where, instead of a wire, a copper bar is used to connect the interrupted conductor line.
The state-of-the-art structures (1) and (2) can be fabricated by taking advantage of semi-automated techniques for low cost production but they do not provide a low enough resistance in the crossovers for heavy currents. Structure (3) provides the low resistance needed but at the expense of decreased circuit density, lower system reliability, inferior heat dissipation characteristics, and higher production costs.
It is desirable to provide heavy current/high density hybrid circuits using ceramic technology in order to provide an additional improved method of manufacture which maintains both a low material cost and a low labor cost. It is also desirable for such circuits to have low profile crossovers with good heat dissipation characteristics.

High-density multilayer interconnection system on a ceramic substrate for high current applications and method of manufacture


A machine tool (1, 1′), in particular a drilling and milling machine, comprising a housing (20) having a machine bed (2), together with side walls (3, 4) and doors (5, 6, 7), comprising a fixed, pivotable or rotatable work table (8, 9), and comprising a slide (10), transportable in the y direction, for the reception of a spindle head (11), transportable in the x-z direction, for the reception of tools (12), wherein the front door (5), for the enlargement of the working and loading area (21) in the upward direction, is of transomless configuration, the roof region (13) of the machine (1, 1′) has an automatically operable cover (16), the rear region (22) of the machine (1, 1′) has an integrable automatic pallet changer (14), and the machine (1, 1′) is assigned an automatic tool changer (15).

The invention relates to a machine tool, in particular a drilling and milling machine, comprising a housing having a machine bed, together with side walls and doors, comprising a fixed, pivotable or rotatable work table, and comprising a slide, transportable in the y direction, for the reception of a spindle head, transportable in the x-z direction, for the reception of tools.
In EP 0 712 682, a machine tool, in particular a drilling and milling machine, is proposed, which is provided with a machine stand on which a motor-driven longitudinal slide, guided on guide rails, is horizontally movable. A machining head, which has a rotary drive apparatus for at least one tool, is movable on the longitudinal slide in at least one further motional direction by motor power. The machine stand has two spaced-apart side walls, on which the longitudinal slide is at least partially guided and the space between which is configured as a machining area. On each of the two side walls, there is provided an attachment point for at least one pivotable workpiece holder, the two attachment points being mutually aligned, in a horizontal line forming a pivot axis, transversely to the longitudinal direction of the guide rails. In such an arrangement, the workpiece holder is easily accessible and maintenance-friendly and is easily exchangeable. Machining residues, such as chips, lubricant and coolant, are unable to get to the bearings and drive means, or can do so only with difficulty.
A machine tool of this generic type, configured as a milling machine, is known from DE 4203 994. In this widely used type of milling machine, the slide moves in the longitudinal direction and the machining head is disposed on the slide such that it is vertically movable. A movement in the transverse direction is realized by the correspondingly driven workpiece table. Its drive mechanism in the lower region of the machine has to be protected, in a complex manner, from machining residues, such as chips and lubricant. In the case of a greater lateral deflection of the workpiece table, the danger exists of an albeit very minor deformation as a result of its own mass and the workpiece mass, as well as the forces applied by the tool, so that, in practice, the workpiece table has instead of a linear motional path, in order to compensate for the deformation, an orbit-like path with a radius of a few kilometres, to enable high-precision milling works to be carried out. The movement apparatus, in particular for the workpiece table in high-precision milling machines, thereby becomes very complex and expensive. For a 5-axis machining, the workpiece table or the machining head must additionally be pivotably configured, which further increases the design complexity.
There are also so-called gantry versions of milling machines, in which the longitudinal slide bearing the machining head is guided on two parallel rails disposed on the top side of two side walls of the machine stand. The longitudinal slide is in this case guided on the two guide rails by means of four guide elements. Also, for a 5-axis machining, either the machining head is pivotably configured in a constructionally complex manner, or the workpiece table mounted on a base wall of the machine stand must be pivotably configured, whereby, in the absence of complex and expensive sealing measures, there is the danger of machining residues, lubricant and coolant getting into the drive apparatus of the workpiece table.
The object of the invention is to provide a machine tool of the aforesaid generic type, in which the possibility of an integration of a pallet changer and/or tool changer is given. The housing should be quick and easy to assemble in order to ensure a rapid exchange of fitted elements. In addition, the machine should be capable of producing bulky and heavy components simultaneously.

Machine tool, in particular a drilling and milling machine


An approach to arrange sensors needed for automated driving, especially where semitrailer trucks are operating in an autonomous convoy with one automated or semi-automated truck following another. The sensors are fitted to a location adjacent to or within the exterior rearview mirrors, on each of the left- and right-hand side of the tractor. The sensors provide overlapping fields of view looking forward of the vehicle and to both the left and right hand sides at the same time.

Proper operation of autonomous vehicles is heavily reliant on cameras and other sensors to detect the presence of nearby objects and other operating conditions. One common approach for cars is to mount cameras and other sensors as close as possible to the vehicle's plane of symmetry. However, sensor placement in other types of vehicles, such as semitrailer trucks, have different considerations.
International patent application WO2017196165A1 (DAF Trucks NV) entitled "Platooning method for application in heavy trucks" shows side view mirrors that include lane marking detectors and forward looking cameras. As a result, a reference point P at the back of the trailer of the leading vehicle, can be used to reduce the headway distance attainable with a single, center-mounted camera. It is also said that, since the lane detector is mounted outside the vehicle width, at least one of the devices is always able to measure the relative position, relative heading and curve radius of the current lane.
U.S. Patent Publication US2018/0372875A1 (Uber Technologies) shows a sensor assembly that includes replacement side mirrors.
European Patent Publication EP3138736B1 (MAN Truck and Bus AG) also shows a mirror replacement system that includes cameras.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mirror pod environmental sensor arrangement for autonomous vehicle enabling lane change decisions


A thermal flow photolithographic process. A thermal flow photoresist is provided. A cross-linking agent is added to the thermal flow photoresist to form a high-temperature cross-linking photoresist material. A substrate having an insulation layer thereon is provided. The high-temperature cross-linking photoresist is deposited over the insulation layer. The cross-linked photoresist layer on the insulation layer is exposed to light, chemically developed and then heated to cause thermal flow.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a photolithographic process. More particularly, the present invention relates to a thermal flow photolithographic process.
2. Description of Related Art
The fabrication of semiconductor can be separated into four major modules including diffusion, etching, thin film and photolithography. Photolithographic process includes the transfer of a pattern from a mask to a silicon chip so that the silicon chip can be etched in an etching module or dopants can be implanted in a thin film module. Hence, precision of pattern transfer in the photolithographic process will directly affect the final quality of the semiconductor circuits.
As the level of integration of integrated circuits continues to increase, the line pitch of bit lines, word lines, doped regions and capacitors is reduced correspondingly. Therefore, resolution of stepping machines must be increase to reproduce finer patterns. However, an increase in the resolution of a stepping machine will result in a loss in depth of focus. On the contrary, increasing depth of focus to obtain a better pattern transfer accuracy will result in a lower resolution. Aside from increasing the resolution of a stepping machine, better pattern transfer results can also be obtained by performing a thermal flow process to reduce line width of pattern on the photoresist layer.
To reduce pattern line width on a photoresist layer by thermal flow method, a photomask pattern is first transferred to a photoresist layer. A soft baking process is carried out and then the photoresist layer is developed. The photoresist layer is heated to a temperature above the glass transition temperature (Tg) on a hot plate. Ultimately, the photoresist layer will begin to flow and reduce the line width of the pattern.
Nevertheless, thermal flow is very temperature sensitive. In other words, minor temperature variation may result in large dimensional change in the pattern ultimately. Hence, process window for thermal flow is quite narrow (between 1xc2x0 C. to 2xc2x0 C.). In general, a hot plate is accurate to within 0.4xc2x0 C. to 0.5xc2x0 C. Thus, if a uniform line width is required in each silicon wafer after thermal flow, temperature of the hot plate must be precisely controlled. However, the demand for such a high precision increases not only the difficulties in fabricating the semiconductor devices, but also increases the cost of production.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a thermal flow photolithographic process. A thermal flow photoresist is provided. A cross-linking agent is added to the thermal flow photoresist to form a high-temperature cross-linking photoresist material. A substrate having an insulation layer thereon is provided. The high-temperature cross-linking photoresist is deposited over the insulation layer. The cross-linked photoresist layer on the insulation layer is exposed to light, chemically developed and finally heated to cause a thermal flow.
Since the high-temperature cross-linking photoresist contains polymers with cross-linking functional groups, glass transition temperature of the photoresist is increased due to the cross-linking of polymers. Ultimately, process window for thermal flow is widened.
In addition, besides increasing glass transition temperature, the cross-linking of polymers also strengthens internal bonding strength of the photoresist layer. Hence, the photoresist layer is less vulnerable to attack by etching agents. Consequently, a higher etching selectivity ratio between the photoresist layer and the insulation layer is obtained.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Thermal reflow photolithographic process


A polytetrafluoroethylene resin comprising polytetrafluoroethylene having a two-dimensional branched structure in the molecule is produced by exposing polytetrafluoroethylene to an ionizing radiation at a dose of no more than 10 kGy.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (hereinafter abbreviated as PTFE) is a substance having an extremely high degree of rubber elasticity such that even if it is heated to 380° C. above its melting point, it displays a melt viscosity of 1010 to 1012 Pa·S. Hence, unlike conventional resins, PTFE is not amenable to common shaping processes (e.g. melt forming) and is typically, for example, shaped by compressing a PTFE powder and heating the compact.
Currently, PTFE bulk powders are produced by polymerizing a tetrafluoroethylene monomer (hereinafter abbreviated as TFE) through chemical catalysis. The molecular chains in the resulting PTFE are straight-chained or linear, substantially free of branches, and have no crosslinked structure. The PTFE powder produced by suspension polymerization is called a molding powder whereas the PTFE powder produced by emulsion polymerization is called a fine powder.
Having a very high melt viscosity even at temperatures beyond its melting point, PTFE cannot be processed by shaping methods that are feasible with conventional thermoplastic resins. Hence, special processing methods are employed to make shaped articles of PTFE. In the case of the molding powder, it is commonly compressed into a shape, which is sintered and compacted, and then subjected to diverse finishing processes to make blocks, films, sheets, round bars, thick-walled pipes, and various cut articles.
In the case of the fine powder, it is commonly blended with an oil to form a homogeneous paste, which is shaped by extrusion and then dried and sintered into final products such as tubes, green tape, and filters.
Elongated round bars and tubes are sometimes produced by melt forming through ram extrusion molding (an application of compressive forming, in which filling with a powder, compressing, sintering, and cooling are continuously performed). However, ram extrusion molding differs from the ordinary melt extrusion molding in that the particulate resin is fed intermittently. Intermittent feeding of the resin necessitates repeated feeding and compressing of the resin, and an interface forms between stacked layers of the resin feed. In addition, the resin powder that is to be used in ram extrusion molding which needs to be automatically fed into the hopper is required to have high fluidity, so it is typically a granulated powder or a pre-sintered powder. As a result, resin particles often find difficulty in coalescing firmly under heating and the shaped articles have problems with strength and elongation. The failure to provide adequate coalescing has caused another problem, i.e., the occurrence of cracks and voids in the shaped articles.
Diaphragms may be formed by hot coining (i.e., a feed powder is filled into a mold and, after compressing the powder under heating at a temperature equal to or above its melting point, the powder is cooled for shaping as it is kept compressed); in this and other cases of making a variety of coated articles as well as impregnated products such as a glass cloth, a dispersion medium is used.
As mentioned earlier, PTFE bulk powders are currently produced by polymerizing TFE through chemical catalysis. The molecular chains in the resulting PTFE are straight-chained and substantially free of branches to feature a high degree of crystallinity. The degree of crystallinity of commercial PTFE bulk powders as produced by emulsion polymerization or suspension polymerization depends on their molecular weight but immediately after polymerization, they have more than 90% crystallinity irrespective of which method of polymerization was used; according to measurement with a differential scanning calorimeter, the commercial PTFE bulk powders have temperatures of crystal fusion at 340° C. and above, with an enthalpy of crystal fusion in excess of 55 J/g. Once these resins are sintered above their temperatures of crystal fusion, their melting points will shift to about 327° C. and their enthalpies of crystal fusion drop to 30 J/g and less. By sintering, the degree of crystallinity which was previously in excess of 90% drops to several tens of percent.
Some low-molecular weight PTFE powders can be obtained by exposing high-molecular weight PTFE bulk powders to a radiation in the air (in the presence of oxygen) so that the molecular chains are cut by radiolysis to lower the molecular weights of the bulk powders. In this case, too, the molecular chain in the PTFE has an unbranched, straight-chained structure.
The present inventors previously found that when a PTFE resin was exposed to 1 kGy or more of an ionizing radiation (hereinafter referred to simply as a radiation) at a temperature not lower than the melting point of the crystal of PTFE resin and in the absence of oxygen, crosslinking occurred to cause a great change in the characteristics of the PTFE resin (Patent document 1). Upon further scientific verification, the present inventors demonstrated that a Y-shaped higher-order structure was formed by crosslinking (Patent document 2). These inventions generally involve crosslinking a polymerized PTFE resin as a starting material, so that it is provided with a crosslinked structure to have wear resistance and creep resistance.
The present inventors also discovered that when a PTFE resin with a temperature, lower than its melting point was exposed to an electron beam (200 kGy to 10 MGy) at high dose rate (capable of imparting a large quantity of energy per unit time), the PTFE resin could be crosslinked even under such a condition that the initial resin temperature had not reached its melting point (Patent document 3).
The present inventors further discovered that when the radicals generated in PTFE upon exposure to a radiation (30-60 kGy) were subjected to graft polymerization with TFE, a Y-shaped higher-order structure was formed (Patent document 4).
Further in addition, the present inventors discovered that when a PTFE resin heated to a temperature lower than its melting point was exposed to a synchrotron radiation or high-intensity X-rays (1 kGy to 10 MGy) at high dose rate (capable of imparting a large quantity of energy per unit time), the PTFE resin could be crosslinked even under such a condition that the initial resin temperature had not reached its melting point (Patent document 5).
The present inventors also invented a method of producing an ultrafine PTFE powder with a particle size of no more than 1 μm by exposing TFE to a radiation (5-1000 kGy) in the solvent acetone (Patent document 6). The invention enables control over molecular weight under varied conditions so that ultrafine PTFE powders having a crosslinked structure can be produced over a wide range of molecular weights ranging from low to high values.
The present inventors further invented a method of producing PTFE with a crosslinked structure by exposing TFE to a radiation (10-1000 kGy) under low temperature (−196° C.). In this invention, too, scientific verification was made to demonstrate that a Y-shaped higher-order structure was formed in the resulting crosslinked PTFE (Patent document 7).
Ohshima et al. discovered that when a PTFE resin heated to a temperature lower than its melting point was exposed to an ion beam of high LET (linear energy transfer, or an energy imparted to a medium by radiation passing through it), the PTFE resin could be crosslinked even under such a condition that the initial resin temperature had not reached its melting point (Non-patent document 1).
The PTFE crosslinking related techniques described above are each directed to constructing a three-dimensional intermolecular structure by providing a solid crosslinked structure in the PTFE.
Techniques that have been developed for exposing PTFE to a radiation are such technology that high-molecular weight PTFE bulk powders are exposed to a radiation in the air (in the presence of oxygen) so as produce low-molecular weight PTFE powders. In this technology, the molecular chains are cut by radiolysis to lower the molecular weights of the bulk powders. As a matter of course, the produced low-molecular weight PTFE powder assumes an uncrosslinked, but straight-chained, molecular structure (JP 2008-69280 A, Patent document 9, Patent document 10, and Patent document 11).
Similarly, Patent document 13 describes a technique in which a once sintered shape is exposed to an ionizing radiation so that it can be stretched by an increased ratio; Patent document 13 describes a technique in which PTFE having higher deformability than the conventional PTFE shape is produced by irradiation; and Patent document 14 describes a technique in which a PTFE resin is exposed to an ionizing radiation so that a thin-walled PTFE tube can be prepared at high draw ratio; however, none of these techniques is directed to imparting a branched structure to the molecular chains. The PTFE obtained by these techniques has no more than a straight-chained molecular structure and its molecular weight has been reduced to such a level that the materials strength of PTFE will not be lost; those techniques are conceptually dissimilar to the present invention.
Patent document 15 provides a description of PTFE with a branched structure. However, the branched structure described in this publication is "macroscopic" in that it refers to the branching of fibers. In contrast, the branched structure as referred to in the present invention is at the molecular level which has a totally different meaning from the macroscopic structure.
PTFE can be shaped into fibers by various methods including the matrix spinning (or emulsion spinning) method, the splitting method, and the paste extruding method.
In the matrix spinning method, a liquid mixture of a PTFE dispersion and a matrix (which may be viscose) is extruded into a coagulating bath to form fibers and, thereafter, the greater part of the matrix is evaporated by firing and the PTFE is melted to coalesce, thereby producing PTFE fibers. Known techniques that may be classified as the matrix spinning method are described in Patent document 16, Patent document 17, and Patent document 18,
In the splitting method, a PTFE powder is compressed in a cylinder and the compact is sintered and subsequently split into filaments, which are then stretched. Known techniques that may be classified as the splitting method are described in Patent document 19, Patent document 20, Patent document 21, and Patent document 22.
In the paste extruding method, a PTFE powder is mixed with a petroleum-based oil or the like and the mixture is kneaded to form a paste which is extruded into a bar which, in turn, is trimmed, freed of the oil, and stretched or drawn. A known technique that may be classified as the paste extruding method is described in Patent document 23.
Other techniques that are classified as the paste extruding method are described in Patent document 24 and Patent document 25; a PTFE resin powder is blended with a petroleum-based oil or the like as an extrusion molding aid to make a compound, which is preliminarily shaped and the resulting preform is extruded as paste fibers, which are then dried, sintered, and drawn into PTFE resin fibers, provided that prior to the drawing step, the fibers are irradiated to be crosslinked. The method of making and processing fibers in these techniques consists of making a paste of the PTFE resin powder, shaping it into fibers, and drawing the fibers. This conventional method is yet to be sophisticated to enable the melt forming of PTFE.
Patent document 26 discloses a PTFE lamination technology but the PTFE films to be laminated have already been drawn and they are not sintered in the process of lamination.

Polytetrafluoroethylene resins that can be processed by shaping, shaped products thereof, and processes for producing the resins and shaped products


Primary and secondary Li-ion and lithium-metal based electrochemical cell system. The suppression of gas generation is achieved through the addition of an additive or additives to the electrolyte system of respective cell, or to the cell itself whether it be a liquid, a solid- or plastized polymer electrolyte system. The gas suppression additives are primarily based on unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Rechargeable lithium battery technology has become an important source in providing new, lightweight and high energy density batteries for many applications growing with the electronic industry. These batteries have gained increased attention because of their possible utilization for high power applications such as hybrid electric vehicles. The LixC6/Li1−xCoO2 cell is widely commercialized, and is also the best known lithium ion battery cell chemistry in which Li1−xCoO2 plays the role of the cathode or positive electrode while LixC6 acts as the anode or negative electrode. Theoretically during the charge, lithium ions can be extracted from the layered structure of LiCoO2 and then inserted into the carbonaceous structure, leading to the formation of CoO2 and Li6C the hypothetical phases. At the top of the charge, highly lithiated carbon or graphite is a very reactive material, particularly in the case of cells made of cathodes containing nickel and flammable organic electrolytes. Therefore, there is a major concern to address the issue of the safety of the cells which leads to introducing Li4Ti5O12 as an alternative to carbon.
Li4Ti5O12 has a spinel structure and can be written as Li8a[Ti1.67Li0.33]16dO4. Lithium is inserted into the structure, and then the rock-salt phase [Li2]16c[Ti1.67Li0.33]16dO4 is generated. Hence, a two-phase reaction provides a constant voltage at 1.5V. versus lithium metal. A major disadvantage of a Li4Ti5O12 electrode is its insulating character because it has poor electronic and ionic conductivities, which seriously limit its utilization for high rates application as a preferred anode. As a solution, several attempts of doping this material with materials such as Mg2+, Al3+ have been reported in order to improve its electronic conductivity.


A generic event notification service for a resource-constrained device is provided. One method includes receiving an event having a unique event identifier, and determining whether an event-producing application is authorized to fire the event. Upon a determination of authorization to fire the event, a determination is made whether any event-consuming applications are authorized by the event-producing application to receive the event. Upon a determination of authorization to receive the event, the event is forwarded to each authorized event-consuming application. In this manner, secure, flexible, generic, and uniform application interaction is facilitated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer software interaction, and more particularly to event notification services for resource-constrained devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Smart cards and other resource-constrained devices provide various services for users via small, easily portable devices. For example, a user inserts a smart card 100 into a card acceptance device 120 such as a bank terminal, which in turn communicates with a remote device 130 that is running a remote application 131. The user completes a banking transaction via smart card 100 and bank terminal 120, removes smart card 100 from bank terminal 120, and retains smart card 100 for future transactions.
To provide a variety of services via smart card 100, smart card 100 typically supports multiple on-card applications, of which banking application 110 is one example. On-card applications generally refer to applications executed on the smart card. On-card applications not only execute on the smart card, but also can interact with one another to provide various services. In some cases, the on-card applications further interact with off-card applications. Off-card applications generally refer to applications executing on a device other than smart card 100.
To provide on-card applications, developers build and test programs using standard software development tools and environments and convert the programs into a form that is installed on smart card 100. For example, Java Card' technology enables programs written in the Java' programming language to be installed and executed on a variety of smart cards and other resource-constrained devices. (Java™ is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.)
To protect the services enabled by smart cards, the programs and operations underlying the transactions have associated security mechanisms such as firewalls that prevent one on-card application from accessing information in a context of another on-card application. Firewalls ensure that one application cannot access the data or code of another application unless that application has provided an interface for access, such as a shareable object interface.
The limited resources available on smart card 100 cannot support more generalized approaches for communications between each of the multiple applications or some subset of the multiple applications typically found on smart card 100. For example, if application 110 and another application on smart card 100 used an event driven system to communicate, it is necessary for application 110 to include any classes, etc., required to support the event driven system. Similarly, if the other application wants to use an event driven system, that application must include the classes, etc., required to support that event driven system. Since by definition resources on a resource-constrained device such as smart card 100 are limited, there is not sufficient storage for each application to support such an event driven system and so the implementation of such systems is not considered feasible.

Generic event notification service for resource-constrained devices


A memory device includes a data storage circuit configured to access a cell array having first data stored therein when an arithmetic active operation is performed, output the first data when a first read operation is performed, access a cell array having second data stored therein when an active operation is performed, and output the second data when a second read operation is performed. The memory device also includes an arithmetic circuit configured to receive latch data generated through the first read operation and read data generated through the second read operation, and perform an arithmetic operation on the latch data and the read data.

The present disclosure relates to a memory device which performs an arithmetic operation.
A neural network indicates a network formed by interconnecting neurons as mathematical models in a similar manner to the brain of a human being. Recently, with the development of neural network technology, research is being actively conducted on various types of memory devices that analyze input data and extract valid information, by using the neural network technology.


A method, apparatus and computer readable medium for use in photography are disclosed. A first electronic image analysis is performed on a potential image to determine whether any suitable subjects are within a frame of the potential image. If any suitable subjects are found in the frame, a second electronic image analysis is performed to determine whether the suitable subjects are in a predetermined position. The potential image is recorded if the second image analysis determines that the suitable subjects are in the predetermined position.

Photography involves the recordation of visual images onto some form of tangible medium. Photography originally developed in the 19th century based on a discovery that light could alter the properties of certain photosensitive chemical compounds and thereby record an image on a glass plate or flexible film treated with such compounds. In the 20th century electronic image sensors were developed that allowed visual images to be recorded as electrical signals that could be stored on magnetic tape. Whether based on photosensitive chemicals or electronic image sensors, photography involves exposing an imaging mechanism to light for a sufficient period of time to record an image.
Developments in integrated circuit technology led to the development of digital image sensors and image processors small enough to be packaged a hand held cameras and even smaller devices such as cell phones. Such advances have resulted in the near ubiquity of digital cameras for photography. Digital cameras provide amateur and professional photographers with a variety of options for capturing and storing visual images.
One problem that has plagued photographers almost since the birth of photography in the 19th century has been that of posing subjects, particularly living subjects. Living subjects tend to move of their own volition and are, therefore, difficult to pose, particularly where more than one living subject is to be photographed in a single frame. In the 19th century, it was sometimes necessary to mechanically restrain a subject from moving during the relatively long exposure required for photographic plates in use at the time. Although the speed of photographic imaging mechanisms has improved vastly since the 19th century, living subjects have not gotten significantly easier to pose.
A common frustration to photographers of human subjects has been that of getting every subject in the frame to face the camera, open their eyes and smile. A common practice in both amateur and professional photography is to ask the subjects to say "cheese" or something similar in order to get them to open their eyes, face the camera, and smile. Even with this precaution, multiple images must often be taken until all subjects in the frame are properly posed for a "perfect picture". This can be particularly wasteful of photochemical film since the film must be developed, and often the images must be printed, in order to determine whether or not they include a perfect picture. Digital photography techniques allow "imperfect" images to be discarded before printing. However, the recorded images must still be temporarily stored and reviewed to locate the properly posed image. For example, many digital cameras may operate in a so-called "burst" mode in which a number of pictures are recorded in rapid succession. The imperfect pictures may be discarded and the perfect pictures may be digitally saved in a memory stick or on a CD-ROM. Unfortunately, this technique has limitations, as to the length and number of pictures that can be taken due to the internal memory size of the camera and the transfer rate to external memory, for example, a burst mode of 2 seconds is typically not enough for posing of a group of people. Another problem is that in many cases, there is not a single "good" image amongst a plurality of images taken in "burst" mode.
Digital and non-digital cameras have used a "countdown" timer to allow a user of the camera to pose for a picture taken with his own camera. Although the use of such a timer allows the subjects a chance to pose, the actual recording of the image often comes as a surprise to at least some of the subjects, who are not properly positioned. One prior art attempt to address this problem, is to edit the photographs digitally after they are captured, e.g., using Photoshop from Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif. Another attempt to address the problem, known as MS Group shot from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., marks different parts of different pictures and allows a user to merge them together offline to form the desired picture. Unfortunately, such image correction is not automated and requires manual editing of stored photographs. Furthermore, making "perfect" photographs from two or more "imperfect" photographs still requires storage of both the perfect and imperfect photographs. Such solutions deprive the photographer of a "real" photograph and instead make up an image of a scene that never existed.
It is within this context that embodiments of the present invention arise.

Digital photography using electronic image analysis to identify faces of faces of known subjects in predetermined position


A network combines luminance and chrominance signals to provide a composite video signal wherein the chrominance signal is subjected to band pass filtering to reject low frequency noise and the luminance signal is subjected to filtering by a predetermined amount at the color subcarrier frequency to reject color dots. In a preferred implementation, the filter is realized with only one inductor and one capacitor thereby preventing displayed artifacts with the economic and reliability benefits of minimal parts count.

In television receivers there is generally a sequence of separation of video signals. For example, an RF signal is detected, demodulated to provide a baseband signal. The baseband composite signal is again processed to provide luminance and chrominance signals. The chrominance signals are demodulated to provide color difference signals. After processing the baseband luminance signal and the color difference signals are converted to a final form for display, such as RGB.
In a picture-in-picture processor it is some times advantageous to provide inputs in composite form and to provide outputs in a mixed format, e.g., composite for the big picture and component for the inset or little picture. To combine these signals with a fast (multiplex) switch for further processing and display, it is necessary to first combine the components to composite form. The direct approach of simply summing the luminance and chrominance components, however, results in certain artifacts being produced in the inset picture.

Two port network with shared elements for combining and filtering luma and chroma components to form composite video signal


A showerhead for a semiconductor-processing reactor formed by an array of showerhead tiles. Each showerhead tile has a plurality of process gas apertures, which may be in a central area of the tile or may extend over the entire tile. Each showerhead tile can be dimensioned for processing a respective substrate or the array can be dimensioned for processing a substrate. An exhaust region surrounds the process gas apertures. The exhaust region has at least one exhaust aperture, and may include an exhaust slot, a plurality of connected exhaust slots or a plurality of exhaust apertures. The exhaust region surrounds the array of showerhead tiles, or a respective portion of the exhaust region surrounds the plurality of process gas apertures in each showerhead tile or group of showerhead tiles. A gas curtain aperture may be between the exhaust region and the process gas apertures of one of the showerhead tiles or adjacent to the central area of the tile.

Various deposition and etching processes and tools are used in semiconductor wafer processing such as for integrated circuits, solar photovoltaic cells and micro-machining. Two predominant types of reactors used in semiconductor processing are the tube-type reactor and the showerhead-type reactor, which are discussed in "Principles of Chemical Vapor Deposition" by Daniel M. Dobkin and Michael K. Zuraw, 2003, Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Typically, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) showerhead reactor operates on a single wafer per chamber and thus has much lower wafer throughput than a CVD tube reactor, which handles many wafers in parallel in a single load. In a showerhead reactor, gases are distributed to a wafer from a showerhead (alternately, shower head). In a tube reactor, gases are distributed to a parallel-spaced set of wafers in a boat, with the gases traveling from an inlet at one end of the tube to an exhaust at the other end of the tube. Showerhead reactors are often run at a higher deposition rate in order to improve throughput for commercial viability.
Tube reactors and showerhead reactors are often known as hot-wall and cold-wall reactor designs respectively, with the tube reactor normally operated as nearly isothermal and the showerhead reactor having large temperature gradients from one part of the reactor to another. Generally, for plasma generation, showerhead reactors are preferred as compared to tube reactors, as tube-type plasma reactors have difficulties in mechanical design, particle control, electrical design and wafer handling. Tube reactors are suitable for processes requiring good temperature uniformity and high temperatures, such as polysilicon deposition. Showerhead reactors are suitable for lower temperature plasma-based processes including deposition of various materials and etching.
Plasma reactors often use a metallic showerhead as one plasma electrode, and a wafer in electrical connection with a chuck as the other plasma electrode. Walls of the chamber in which the showerhead and the wafer are mounted are generally held at ground potential for safety reasons. Electrons in the plasma lose energy to the chamber walls upon collision with the walls. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is often preferred in semiconductor processing as compared to physical vapor deposition (PVD), as films deposited by PECVD conformally cover processed wafer topographies, filling trenches or holes, and have superior electrical properties and lower defect densities.
Plenum dimensions and diameter, angle, and placement of holes in the showerhead affect flow of process gases. Generally, the showerhead has a diameter that is approximately the same as or is slightly larger than the silicon wafer or substrate being processed, as does the chuck supporting the wafer or substrate. Multiple gas plenums may be arranged in circumferential rings in or above the showerhead, for dispensing multiple gases without mixing in the plenum.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0233879 A1 discloses a single-wafer, multiple-showerhead, multiple-chuck reactor. A wafer is moved to four or five different chucks for deposition of a portion of a film at each chuck. Each showerhead introduces its own random nonuniformities. Using several chucks averages out the random nonuniformities.
Improvements in showerhead reactors are sought. It is a goal of the present invention to improve processing throughput in showerhead reactors.

Tiled showerhead for a semiconductor chemical vapor deposition reactor


A pixel cell with increased dynamic range is formed by providing a floating diffusion region having a variable capacitance, controlled by at least one gate having source and drain regions commonly connected to the floating diffusion region. The gate has an intrinsic capacitance which, when the gate is activated, is added to the capacitance of the floating diffusion region, providing a low conversion gain readout. When the gate is off, the floating diffusion region capacitance is minimized, providing a high conversion gain readout. The gate may also be selectively switched to mid-level. At mid-level, a mid-level conversion gain, which is between the high and low conversion gains, readout is provided, but the gate still provides some capacitance to prevent the floating diffusion region from saturating.

A CMOS imager circuit includes a focal plane array of pixel cells, each cell includes a photosensor, for example, a photogate, photoconductor or a photodiode overlying a substrate for producing a photo-generated charge in a doped region of the substrate. A readout circuit is provided for each pixel cell and includes at least a source follower transistor and a row select transistor for coupling the source follower transistor to a column output line. The pixel cell also typically has a floating diffusion node, connected to the gate of the source follower transistor. Charge generated by the photosensor is sent to the floating diffusion region. The imager may also include a transistor for transferring charge from the photosensor to the floating diffusion node and another transistor for resetting the floating diffusion region node to a predetermined charge level prior to charge transference. Each pixel cell is isolated from other pixel cells in the array by a field oxide region (STI) which surrounds it and separates the doped regions of the substrate within that pixel cell from the doped regions of the substrate within neighboring pixel cells.
In a CMOS imager, the active elements of a pixel cell, for example a four transistor pixel, perform the necessary functions of (1) photon to charge conversion; (2) resetting the floating diffusion node to a known state before the transfer of charge to it; (3) transfer of charge to the floating diffusion node; (4) selection of a pixel cell for readout; and (5) output and amplification of a signal representing a reset voltage and a pixel signal voltage based on the photo converted charges. The charge at the floating diffusion node is converted to a pixel output voltage by a source follower output transistor.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a CMOS imager device 100 having a pixel array 110 with each pixel cell being constructed as described above. The pixel array 110 comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined number of columns and rows. The pixels of each row in the array 110 are all turned on at the same time by a row select line, and the pixels of each column are selectively output by respective column select lines. A plurality of row and column lines are provided for the entire array 110. The row lines are selectively activated by a row driver 145 in response to a row address decoder 155. The column select lines are selectively activated by a column driver 160 in response to a column address decoder 170. Thus, a row and column address is provided for each pixel.
The CMOS imager 100 is operated by a control circuit 150 that controls address decoders 155, 170 for selecting the appropriate row and column lines for pixel readout, and row and column driver circuitry 145, 160 that apply driving voltage to the drive transistors of the selected row and column lines. The pixel column signals, which typically include a pixel reset signal Vrst and a pixel image signal Vsig for each row selected pixel in a column are read by sample and hold circuitry 161 associated with the column device 160. A differential signal Vrst−Vsig is produced for each pixel, which is amplified and digitized by analog-to-digital converter 175. The analog-to-digital converter 175 converts the analog pixel signals to digital signals that are fed to an image processor 180 to form a digital image output.
Exemplary CMOS imaging circuits, processing steps thereof, and detailed descriptions of the functions of various CMOS elements of an imaging circuit are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,630, U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,868, U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,366, U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,652, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,524, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,205, assigned to Micron Technology, Inc. The disclosures of each of the forgoing patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
A schematic diagram of an exemplary CMOS pixel four-transistor (4T) pixel cell 10 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The four transistors include a reset transistor 34, source follower transistor 36, row select transistor 38 and a transfer transistor 32. A photosensor 40 converts incident light into a charge. A floating diffusion region 50 receives charge from the photosensor 40 through the transfer transistor 32 and is connected to the reset transistor 34 and the source follower transistor 36. The source follower transistor 36 outputs a signal proportional to the charge accumulated in the floating diffusion region 50 to a sampling circuit when the row select transistor 38 is turned on. The reset transistor 34 resets the floating diffusion region 50 to a known potential prior to transfer of charge from the photosensor 40 and this reset signal is output and sampled by the sampling circuit. The photosensor 40 may be a photodiode, a photogate, or a photoconductor. If a photodiode is employed, the photodiode may be formed below a surface of the substrate and may be a buried PNP photodiode, buried NPN photodiode, a buried PN photodiode, or a buried NP photodiode, among others.
Image sensors, such as an image sensor employing the conventional pixel cell 10, have a characteristic dynamic range. Dynamic range refers to the range of incident light that can be accommodated by an image sensor in a single frame of pixel data. It is desirable to have an image sensor with a high dynamic range to image scenes that generate high dynamic range incident signals, such as indoor rooms with windows to the outside, outdoor scenes with mixed shadows and bright sunshine, night-time scenes combining artificial lighting and shadows, and many others.
The dynamic range for an image sensor is commonly defined as the ratio of its largest non-saturating signal to the standard deviation of the noise under dark conditions. The dynamic range is limited on an upper end by the charge saturation level of the sensor, and on a lower end by noise imposed limitations and/or quantization limits of the analog-to-digital converter used to produce the digital image. When the dynamic range of an image sensor is too small to accommodate the variations in light intensities of the imaged scene, e.g., by having a low saturation level, image distortion occurs.
In a conventional CMOS pixel imager with a photodiode, the photodiode converts incident light to an electrical charge. The photodiode accumulates this charge throughout an integration period. At the end of the integration period, the transfer gate is activated, and the charge is transferred from the photodiode to the floating diffusion region.
When the incident light is of low-intensity such that the charge transferred from the photosensor to the floating diffusion region is low, the signal is very faint. In such a case, it is desirable for the conversion gain (i.e., the ratio of output voltage to input charge) to be high. When the incident light is of high-intensity such that the charge transferred from the photosensor to the floating diffusion region is greater than the capacity of the floating diffusion region, excess charge may overflow and saturate the pixel cell. In such a case, it is desirable that the conversion gain be low.
However, with conventional imagers, the floating diffusion regions in a pixel array have a fixed capacitance, which means a fixed conversion gain. That is, for a single integration period, all pixel signals are provided with the same conversion gain. As a result, some pixels may saturate while others may provide a faint signal, limiting the dynamic range of the image sensor. Thus, there is a desire and need for a pixel cell capable of selectively attaining a high conversion gain or a low conversion gain to increase the dynamic range of the image sensor.


An electric motor (102) with passive integral brake (104) includes a stator (204) with one or more magnetic field controllable coils (206) and a rotor (208) with a rotor shaft (210) positioned within an inner diameter (212) of the stator (204). The rotor (208) is operable to rotate about a longitudinal axis (214) of the rotor shaft (210). The electric motor (102) with passive integral brake (104) also includes a brake shoe (302) positioned within the inner diameter (212) of the stator (204) along the longitudinal axis (214) of the rotor shaft (210). The brake shoe (302) is operable to apply a braking force to the rotor shaft (210) and remove the braking force from the rotor shaft (210) responsive to a magnetic field strength produced by the one or more magnetic field controllable coils (206). One or more springs (220) passively apply the braking force.

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to electro-mechanical systems, and more particularly to an electric motor with a passive integral brake.
Certain applications for electro-mechanical actuators require that an electro-mechanical actuator hold a load in a stationary position after electrical power to operate the electro-mechanical actuator has been removed. One approach to holding a stationary position absent electrical power is the use of a friction device that drags at all times. Examples of friction devices include friction pads, ball ramps, heavily pre-loaded rolling element bearings, and skewed roller bearings. The ever-present drag produced by these friction devices typically requires over sizing of the drive motor and reduces actuator efficiency.
Using an actively controlled brake can alleviate the inefficiency associated with a continuously dragging brake; however, the actively controlled brake adds complexity by requiring a control system for operation. Some actively controlled brakes use electrical power to engage the brake, while others use additional electrical power to release the brake. The inclusion of an actively controlled brake in an electro-mechanical actuation system also increases the overall size and weight of the system, and may demand additional electrical power to set and release the actively controlled brake.

Electric motor with passive integral brake


A downhole adjustable orienting sub is included in a directional drilling tool string that is run into the borehole on coiled tubing. The bent housing of the tool string defines a bend angle and a bend point, and the bend point is oriented about the center of the bore by operating the orienting sub. The level of the reactive torque applied to the bent housing as the bit drills on bottom is controlled by selecting the amount of the weight of the coiled tubing that is applied to the bit. The orienting sub can be indexed downhole to provide different orientations of the bend point by temporarily reducing and then increasing the mud flow rate.

Typical directional drilling procedures occasionally require that the drill string be turned at the surface in order to generate torque at the bottom thereof which will orient the bent housing in a manner so that the bit is steered azimuthally. The transmission of such torque can be done when a conventional drill pipe string is used, since it is quite rigid. An attractive alternative to drill pipe is coiled tubing which has been used in the past primarily in connection with well workover and repair operations, as well as stimulation. Coiled tubing has a relatively small size in the range of 3/4-27/8 inch, and a thin wall section of about 5/32 inch, which makes it flexible to the extent that many thousands of feet can be wound on a reel having a relatively small diameter in the order of 9-10 feet. Coiled tubing has the advantage over conventional drill pipe in that it can be run into and out of a well very quickly since there are no threaded joint connections to make up or break out, and the absence of threaded connections enables coiled tubing to be run while under pressure and while fluids are being pumped through it. However, coiled tubing has not heretofore been widely used to run a directional drilling tool string for the principle reason that is not possible to rotate coiled tubing at the surface to accomplish steering, on account of its storage on the reel. Thus it was thought that there was no effective way to steer the bit if coiled tubing is used as the running string.
It has been recognized that when a downhole motor is rotating the bit on bottom while weight (WOB) is being applied thereto, a reactive torque in the counterclockwise direction is applied to the housing of the motor, which includes the bent housing. The level of such counter-torque is directly proportional to the weight-on-bit, and has its maximum level at motor stall. Such reactive torque, and the presence of a bend point in the bent housing, causes lateral forces to be applied to the bit which tend to change the direction of the borehole. However, to control the direction, there must be a way to orient the bend point about the axis of the borehole. As noted above, this is accomplished when using a conventional drill pipe string by simply turning it at the surface. However, coiled tubing cannot be manipulated in this manner. The present invention provides a means and method of orienting the bent housing and its bend point downhole, which enables a directional drilling tool string to be run on coiled tubing.
In accordance with this invention, the drilling tool string includes a downhole adjustable orienting sub by which the relative angular orientation of the bend point established by the bent housing can be changed, as needed, to cause the bit to drill at a certain heading. Variations in the weight of the coiled tubing that is applied to the bit can be used to vary the level of the reactive torque and the resulting torsional wind-up angle of the bottom end of the coiled tubing, and also the lateral force on the bit, so that it will drill a borehole along a planned course. This drilling procedure also employs a measuring-while-drilling (MWD) tool that makes directional measurements and transmits signals representative thereof to the surface. Measurements are made of three orthogonal components of the earth's gravity field, from which the inclination of the borehole can be determined, and three orthogonal components of the earth's magnetic field from which azimuth of the borehole can be determined. These measurements, together with tool geometry, also permits "toolface" angle to be determined and displayed at the surface, along with the inclination and azimuth values while drilling is in progress. As used herein, the term "toolface" means the orientation angle of the bent housing or sub in the borehole with respect to a reference such as high side of the borehole which indicates the direction in which the borehole will be curving.
The general object of the present invention is to provide a directional drilling tool string of the type described which is run on coiled tubing and which includes an orientation sub that can be adjusted downhole to fix the angular orientation of the bend point in the bent housing or sub with respect to the axis of the borehole so that the direction of the borehole can be controlled.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a directional drilling tool string of the type described where the bent housing can be oriented downhole to various angular positions, and where the amount of weight-on-bit can be varied to change the reactive torque and wind-up angle in a manner such that a directional hole having a desired trajectory will be drilled.

Apparatus and method for directional drilling with downhole motor on coiled tubing


Methods and apparatus relating to clamping or reducing of dynamic capacitance for graphics logic are described. In one embodiment, utilization values for a plurality of subsystems of a graphics logic are determined and a first capacitance value is in turn determined based on (e.g., a sum of products of) the determined utilization values (e.g., and one or more capacitance weight values). A second capacitance value (e.g., corresponding to a maximum dynamic capacitance or Cdyn_max corresponding to the graphics logic) is modified based on (e.g., a comparison of the first capacitance value and a (e.g., threshold) capacitance value. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

The term maximum dynamic capacitance (Cdyn_max) generally refers to the maximum amount of dynamic capacitance for an integrated circuit component or package. When the term is used with reference to general-purpose CPUs (Central Processing Units), it may indicate a capability of sustaining the Cdyn_max over a relatively long period of time. However, graphics architecture is relatively more complex than general-purpose CPU architecture; for example, the maximum sustainable Cdyn (dynamic capacitance) for 1 μsec may be a different value than that for 100 μsec or 2 μsec based on the complexity of the different subsystems, latencies, and interactions between these subsystems. Accordingly, controlling the value of Cdyn_max may have a direct effect on power-efficiency and/or speed of graphics components.

Clamping of dynamic capacitance for graphics


A machine learning (ML) based intermittent data processing system accesses a collection of intermittent data points, determines a data distribution associated with the collection and generates one or more calculated values based on the data distribution. A simulation can be employed to determine the accuracy of the calculated values based on which, the calculated values can be employed for further processing. The collection of intermittent data points is initially processed to determine if one or more of the data distribution identification, bootstrapping or variability capping techniques are to be applied in order to obtain the calculated values. The calculated values are used to generate visualizations and recommendations.

Intermittent data includes data series wherein data points seemingly appear sporadically so that certain time intervals with data points are interspersed with intervals where no data points are seen. For example, demand data for certain products such as seasonal products, spare parts, consumer durables etc. can follow intermittent patterns. Demand data for seasonal items may be intermittent but can yet follow a pattern based on the seasons. However, certain demand data can exist which is characterized by data series that may not appear to follow any patterns. Methods for managing intermittent data series need to be explored in order to understand and use the available intermittent data in various situations.

Distribution selection and simulation of intermittent data using machine learning (ML)


A method is disclosed to purify a polymeric material by filtering a melt comprising poly(arylene ether) and poly(alkenyl aromatic) through a melt filtration system. The method provides a polymeric material having reduced levels of particulate impurities. The polymeric material prepared is suitable for use in data storage media applications.

The present methods are directed to purifying polymeric material by filtering melts comprising poly(arylene ether) and/or poly(alkenyl aromatic) resins. The methods are more particularly directed to filtering melts comprising poly(arylene ether) and/or poly(alkenyl aromatic) resins to result in filtered polymeric materials having reduced amounts of particulate impurities.
Optical, magnetic and magneto-optic media are primary sources of high performance storage technology that enable high storage capacity coupled with a reasonable price per megabyte of storage. Areal density, typically expressed as billions of bits per square inch of disk surface area (gigabits per square inch (Gbits/in2)), is equivalent to the linear density (bits of information per inch of track) multiplied by the track density in tracks per inch. Improved areal density has been one of the key factors in the price reduction per megabyte, and further increases in areal density continue to be demanded by the industry.
In the area of optical storage, advances focus on access time, system volume, and competitive costing. Increasing areal density is being addressed by focusing on the diffraction limits of optics (using near-field optics), investigating three dimensional storage, investigating potential holographic recording methods and other techniques.
Polymeric data storage media has been employed in areas such as compact disks (CD) and recordable or re-writable compact discs (e.g., CD-RW), and similar relatively low areal density devices, e.g. less than about 1 Gbits/in2, which are typically read-through devices requiring the employment of a good optical quality substrate having low birefringence.
Unlike the CD, storage media having high areal density capabilities, typically up to or greater than about 5 Gbits/in2, employ first surface or near field read/write techniques in order to increase the areal density. For such storage media, although the optical quality of the substrate is not relevant, the physical and mechanical properties of the substrate become increasingly important. For high areal density applications, including first surface applications, the surface quality of the storage media can affect the accuracy of the reading device, the ability to store data, and replication qualities of the substrate.
While there are materials presently available for use in data storage media, there remains a need for additional polymeric materials possessing the combined attributes necessary to satisfy the increasingly exacting requirements for data storage media applications.


Provided is a hair cosmetic composition containing Components (A) to (C), and having a pH (at 25° C.) of from 1 to 5.5 when diluted to 20 times its weight with water:                (A) a cationic surfactant, or a tertiary amine represented by the formula (1):

Hair tends to be excessively dry because it is always exposed to sunlight and cannot avoid the influence of ultraviolet rays, heat and drying. Daily shampooing, brushing and blow drying also have an adverse influence. In recent years, it has been common to enjoy changing the appearance of hair freely such as changing hair color (coloring) and changing hair style (permanent waving) and coloring and permanent waving have been carried out with increased frequency. By the repetition of them, however, pores appear inside of the hair, which damages the dynamic physical properties of the hair, for example, deprives elasticity from the hair. In addition, an increase in the friction between the surfaces of individual hairs tends to cause entanglement of hair during shampooing or drying. Particularly at the hair end on which damage has accumulated, not only damage of dynamic physical properties of the hair and increase in surface friction occur but also waves-different from the original ones appear at the hair end, leading to "flyaway hair" or "jumping hair" meaning the state in which individual hairs go in various directions.
Various attempts have therefore been made to repair the damaged hair. With a view to repairing the hair having pores inside thereof and recovering the dynamic physical properties and optical physical properties of the hair, a hair cosmetic composition containing an organic acid, amino acid and cationic surfactant (JP-A-2000-247841) and a hair cosmetic composition having an organic acid, polypropylene glycol and cationic surfactant incorporated therein (JP-A-2002-29938 and JP-A-2002-47141) are, for example, proposed.
Although these hair cosmetic compositions can recover the dynamic and optical physical properties of the hair damaged by hair coloring or the like and give the hair flexibility and smoothness by reducing the friction on the surface of the hair, they cannot sufficiently remove the waves which have appeared as a result of accumulation of damages and restore the hair to its original state.

Abstract: (wherein, at least one of R1 to R3 represents a C8-23 aliphatic hydrocarbon and the remainder represents H, C1-6 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl, or benzyl, R4 represents a C1-6 alkylene, A represents —CONH— or —NHCO—, and a stands for 0 or 1),                (B) a C8-30 aliphatic alcohol, and        (C) toluenesulfonic acid or salt thereof.

Abstract: The hair cosmetic composition is excellent in the effect of restoring the flyaway or waved hair, which has appeared as a result of accumulation of damage due to hair coloring or the like, to its former state before damage and can give the hair good flexibility and smoothness during use of it.


Controllers for regulating fluid flow, and especially flow of liquid in supply lines, each of which include a valve assembly which is slidably positioned in a bore extending transverse to a fluid passageway extending through the body of the controller. Each controller includes a shaped memory alloy spring which is mounted so as to be in heat exchange relationship with fluid flowing therethrough. Each spring is mounted adjacent a stem of a valve and is operable when heated to a predetermined activation temperature to shift the valve assembly to at least partially close the fluid passageway. In some embodiments, the valve assembly is manually operable at temperatures below the activation temperature to regulate flow through the controllers. In other embodiments, the valve assembly is automatically shifted to open the fluid passageway through the body of the controller when temperatures decrease below the activation temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to fluid flow control valves and, more particularly, to valves which are responsive to the temperature of fluids flowing in a passageway for automatically activating the valve to prevent or reduce fluid flow therethrough until the temperature of the fluid is below a predetermined activation temperature. The controllers of the present invention are particularly adaptable for liquid supply lines used for showers, bathtubs, sinks and the like, but also have utility in other areas wherein it is necessary to control the flow of a liquid, or other fluid, to terminate or partially terminate flow in the event the fluid temperature is above a predetermined temperature. In one embodiment, the controllers are used to maintain a generally constant temperature of a supplied fluid by functioning as a hot/cold fluid mixer.
2. History of the Related Art
There are many environments in which it is necessary to control the flow of hot gases or liquids to ensure industrial processing or to protect individuals from injury due to exposure. By way of example, in commercial and residential hot water supply systems intended for personal use, water temperatures will frequently exceed 125.degree. to 130.degree. F. At these temperatures, an individual can easily become scalded or burned by being in contact with the liquid in a matter of a few seconds. The requirement to regulate the temperature becomes even more critical in commercial environments where a large source of hot water supply is necessary during relatively short demand periods, such as in morning and evening hours. Often, temperatures are elevated in boilers or heaters of a large system so that a sufficient source of hot water is available to a great number of users at a given time. Even in household environments, a hot water supply may be set to a regulated temperature in excess of 130.degree. F. for purposes of providing sufficiently hot temperatures for dishwashing and clothes washing. Under these circumstances, it is critical to ensure that such hot water is properly mixed with sufficiently cold water before an individual bathes, showers or washes.
One of the problems inherent with regulating fluid supplies depending upon temperature is the cost of a control system which can adequately function in a particular environment. Historically, the use of electronically controlled valves has not been satisfactory for commercial and residential uses. However, through the development of temperature sensitive metal alloys, it has been possible to create valves which are mechanically actuated in response to the temperature of fluids flowing through the valves.
Such mechanically operated valves incorporate spring elements made of metal alloys which are sensitive to temperature to vary the force of the springs depending upon the ambient temperature to which they are exposed. Such springs are referred to as shaped memory alloys, which exhibit a first biasing force regulated by their stiffness in a martensitic state, but which exhibit a greater force at elevated temperatures in their austenitic state. Therefore, such alloys can be treated so as to exhibit a transformation from a martensitic to an austenitic state at predetermined temperatures so that springs constructed therefrom automatically change their biasing force dependent upon temperature. Examples of valves incorporating shaped memory alloy spring elements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,778,104 to Fisher, 4,848,388 to Waldbusser, 5,259,554 to Ewing, et al. and 5,261,597 to Perlman, et al.
There remains a problem with the prior art valves which utilize shaped memory alloy springs to automatically regulate flow of a gas or liquid through a supply line. Many valves are not constructed to operate consistently within a preselected temperature range, especially if the pressure within a supply line varies. In most systems, the spring elements are placed in line with the fluid flow through a valve and, therefore, the valve elements are subject to variations in fluid pressure created in either the opening or closing of the valves. Further, many prior art valves which provide for automatic control of a valve mechanism dependent upon the temperature of the fluid flowing therethrough do not allow for a manual override or a manual resetting of the valves. There are many instances in which a manual override would be beneficial for resetting a valve.

Temperature responsive fluid flow controllers


An inkjet printer head actuator including a vibrating plate having a flat plate shape, a chamber plate coupled to the vibrating plate, the chamber plate having chamber walls defining a plurality of uniformly spaced chambers each having a horizontal cross-sectional area decreasing gradually, as it extends one end thereof arranged toward the vibrating plate to the other end thereof arranged away from the vibrating plate, each of the chamber walls having a horizontal cross-sectional area increasing gradually as it extends one end thereof arranged toward the vibrating plate to the other end thereof arranged away from the vibrating plate, and a plurality of drive means attached to a surface of the vibrating plate opposite to the chamber plate at regions corresponding to the chambers, respectively. In this structure, the resistance moment caused by the bonding force of the chamber plate at the chamber wall end arranged away from the vibrating plate is greater than the total moment generated by each of the drive means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet printer head actuator in which a chamber plate has chamber walls defining ink chambers and having a cross-sectional area at its portion coupled to a vibrating plate, larger than the cross-sectional area at its portion opposite to the vibrating plate, thereby achieving an increase in the bonding strength of the chamber plate resulting in an improvement in the performance and ink jetting efficiency of the printer head. The present invention also relates to a method for fabricating such an inkjet printer head actuator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known, an inkjet printer head is a part of an inkjet printer for jetting or firing ink in the form of droplets using an actuator such as a piezoelectric element.
Generally, drop-on-demand (DOD) type printer heads are most widely used for inkjet printers. Such DOD type printer heads are configured to jet or fire droplets of a recording solution onto paper under atmospheric pressure on demand. Use of such DOD type printer heads has increased in that they require no electric charge or deflection of droplets of a recording solution and in that easy printing is achieved, as compared to printer heads of earlier types.
Typical jetting systems of such DOD type printer heads include a heating type jetting system using a resistor and a vibration type jetting system using a piezoelectric element.
The heating type jetting system is also known as a thermal bubble jet type jetting system. Referring to FIG. 1, a typical configuration of such a heating type jetting system is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, this heating type jetting system includes a chamber a1 for containing a recording solution therein, and a nozzle a2 provided at the top portion of the chamber al in such a fashion that it is open to a recording sheet (for example, paper). Opposite to the nozzle a2, a resistor a3 is provided at the bottom portion of the chamber a1.
When voltage of a certain level from a voltage source not shown is applied to the resistor a3, the recording solution contained in the chamber a1 is vaporized while being heated by the resistor a3, thereby creating a bubble. Expansion of this bubble creates a pressure forcing a certain amount of the recording solution to be pushed out from the chamber a1 through the nozzle a2. Thus, jetting of the recording solution onto the recording sheet is achieved.
However, such a heating type jetting system involves a problem in that the chemical ingredients of the recording solution itself may vary due to the heat generated from the resistor a3. Such a chemical variation may result in a plugging-up of the nozzle a2. Furthermore, there is a drawback in that the resistor a3 is reduced in its use life span due to repetitive voltage application thereto.
On the other hand, the vibration type jetting system is also known as a piezo transducer type jetting system. Referring to FIG. 2, a typical configuration of such a vibration type jetting system is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 2, this vibration type jetting system includes a chamber b1 for containing a recording solution therein, a nozzle b2 provided at the top portion of the chamber b1 in such a fashion that it is open to a recording sheet (for example, paper), and a piezoelectric element b3 provided at the bottom portion of the chamber b1 opposite to the nozzle b2.
The vibration type jetting system is different from the heating type jetting system in that a recording solution is jetted using the piezoelectric element b3 having a compact structure, in place of the resistor a3 used in the heating type jetting system.
When voltage of a certain level is applied to the piezoelectric element b3, a deformation in the piezoelectric element b3 occurs, thereby resulting in an instantaneous volume variation in the chamber b1. As a result, the recording solution is forced out of the chamber b1 through the nozzle b2. Thus, the recording solution is jetted onto the recording sheet.
Recently, such a vibration type jetting system using a piezoelectric element has been widely used because it can prevent a chemical variation of the recording solution, thereby achieving a more stable jetting of the recording solution, as compared to the heating type jetting system.
Referring to FIG. 3, a conventional inkjet printer head is illustrated which is configured to use the above mentioned vibration type jetting system. In FIG. 3, the reference numeral 1 denotes a nozzle plate formed with nozzles for jetting droplets of ink. The reference numeral 2 is a channel plate 2 formed over the nozzle plate 1.
A chamber plate 3 is layered over the channel plate 2. The chamber plate 3 has vertical through holes open at both ends thereof and adapted to define chambers 3a. A vibrating plate 4 is layered over the chamber plate 3 to cover the chambers 3a. Piezoelectric elements 5 are attached to the upper surface of the vibrating plate 4 at regions corresponding to the chambers 3a, respectively.
Generally, the formation of the chamber plate 3 is achieved by forming a green sheet using a ceramic material in accordance with a screen printing process, forming chambers 3a at the green sheet in accordance with a punching process, and then sintering the punched green sheet.
In the chamber plate 3 fabricated in the above mentioned manner, there are a plurality of uniformly spaced chambers 3a arranged in a matrix array. These chambers 3a have substantially vertical side walls.
Each of the chambers 3a is closed at the bottom thereof by the channel plate 2 and at the top thereof by the vibrating plate 4. The piezoelectric elements 5 attached to the vibrating plate 4 are arranged at regions corresponding to the chambers 3a, respectively.
In the above mentioned structure, each chamber 3a has the same cross-sectional area at the bottom and top thereof. In other words, each side wall of each chamber 3a has the same thickness at its upper and lower ends. Due to such a structure, the vibrating plate 4 exhibits an insufficient bending strain when the piezoelectric elements 5 are strained. As a result, an insufficient ink jetting force is generated. For this reason, the above mentioned structure has a drawback in that it is impossible to achieve a high printing efficiency.
Referring to FIG. 4, another conventional inkjet printer head is illustrated which is configured to use the above mentioned vibration type jetting system. This printer head includes a nozzle plate 10, and a channel plate 20 layered over the nozzle plate 10, as in the case of FIG. 3. A chamber plate 30 having chambers 31 is formed over the channel plate 20 in accordance with an electro-forming process. A vibrating plate 40 is layered over the chamber plate 30 to cover the chambers 31. Piezoelectric elements 50 are attached to the upper surface of the vibrating plate 40 at regions corresponding to the chambers 31, respectively.
In this structure, each chamber 31 formed at the chamber plate 30 has a cross-sectional area increasing gradually as it extends downwardly from the top thereof to the bottom thereof. In other words, each side wall of each chamber 31 has a thickness decreasing gradually as it extends downwardly from its upper end to its lower end.
Due to such a structure, the bending strain of the vibrating plate 40 generated when the piezoelectric elements 5 are strained is smaller than that in the case of FIG. 3. This is because the cross-sectional area of the chamber 31 at the top thereof near the vibrating plate 40 is smaller than that in the case of FIG. 3. As a result, an insufficient ink jetting force is generated which is smaller than that in the case of FIG. 3.
In this structure, therefore, the printing efficiency is further degraded. Moreover, this structure has a very small bonding area between the channel plate 20 and chamber plate 30 because each chamber wall of the chamber plate 30 has a reduced thickness at its lower end bonded to the channel plate 20. Such a very small bonding area results in an insufficient bonding force of the chamber plate 30 to the channel plate 20. For this reason, the bonding of the chamber plate 30 to the channel plate 20 may be damaged as the chamber plate 30 is subjected to the repeated bending strain of the vibrating plate 40. Thus, the printer head involves a degradation in durability resulting in a reduction in use life span.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an inkjet printer head actuator having a chamber plate formed with chambers each having a cross-sectional area decreasing gradually as it extends downwardly from the top thereof to the bottom thereof, so as to maximize a bending moment generated at a vibrating plate attached to the top of the chamber plate, thereby increasing the ink jetting force, so that an improvement in printing efficiency is achieved.
Another object of the invention is to provide an inkjet printer head actuator having a chamber plate provided with chamber walls defining chambers, each of the chamber walls having a cross-sectional area increasing gradually as it extends downwardly from its upper end to its lower end, so as to increase the bonding force of the chamber wall at its lower end, thereby keeping a stable operation while achieving an improvement in durability.
In accordance with the present invention, these objects are accomplished by providing an inkjet printer head actuator including: a vibrating plate having a flat plate shape; a chamber plate coupled to the vibrating plate, the chamber plate having chamber walls defining a plurality of uniformly spaced chambers each having a horizontal cross-sectional area decreasing gradually, as it extends one end thereof arranged toward the vibrating plate to the other end thereof arranged away from the vibrating plate, each of the chamber walls having a horizontal cross-sectional area increasing gradually as it extends one end thereof arranged toward the vibrating plate to the other end thereof arranged away from the vibrating plate; and a plurality of drive means attached to a surface of the vibrating plate opposite to the chamber plate at regions corresponding to the chambers, respectively. In this structure, the resistance moment caused by the bonding force of the chamber plate at the chamber wall end arranged away from the vibrating plate is greater than the total moment generated by each of the drive means.

Inkjet printer head actuator and method for manufacturing the same


A fine silver particle-containing composition includes a large number of fine silver particles 2 and a coating layer 4 that covers a surface of each silver particle 2. The silver particle 2 is a so-called nano particle. The silver particle 2 has a scale-like shape. The coating layer 4 consists of an organic compound. The organic compound binds to the silver particle 2. The organic compound suppresses aggregation of the silver particle 2. The composition is in a cake form. A weight ratio of the organic compound with regard to the total amount of the composition is not lower than 2% but not higher than 15%.

When manufacturing a printed circuit board of an electronic device, patterns that connect elements are printed. A conductive paste is used for the printing. The conductive paste contains a fine metal particle, a binder, and a liquid organic compound (solvent). An excellent printing characteristic is necessary for the conductive paste. Excellent conductivity is also necessary for the conductive paste. In order to obtain such characteristics, extremely small particles (i.e., nano particles) are used in the conductive paste.
A representative metal particle is a silver particle. JP-A-2008-517153 discloses a manufacturing method for obtaining fine silver particles from silver oxalate.

Fine metal particle-containing composition


SAR ADC and sampling method based on single-channel TIS. The SAR ADC comprises: a capacitor array comprising a weight capacitor and a compensation capacitor, a first switch array, a second switch array, a channel switch group and a sampling switch; when in a sampling state: a lower plate of the weight capacitor is connected to an input voltage by means of the first switch array, and an upper plate of the capacitor array is connected to a common mode voltage by the sampling switch and the channel switch group; when in a successive approximation state: the lower plate of the weight capacitor is connected to a reference voltage by the second switch array. Input signals are sampled by using a unified to sampling switch, which solves the problem in the traditional technology that sampling moments are mismatched due to different sampling signals in each time-interleaved channel.

In recent years, with further improvement of the performance of analog-to-digital converters, especially with the continuous development of integrated circuit process technology, the research on high-speed SAR ADCs has also become more and more in-depth. Bu it is also more and more difficult to design high-gain operational amplifiers in light of the ever evolving integrated circuit manufacturing process. Since no operational amplifiers are required in SAR ADCs, SAR ADCs have the intrinsic advantage of low power consumption, especially in the nano-scale process level, and therefore the speed of SAR ADCs has been further enhanced greatly. Therefore, high-speed SAR ADCs have become a research hotspot for ADCs.
At present, in the case where the speed of the existing single-channel SAR ADCs has already been substantially increased, the TIS technique is an effective solution in order to further increase the sampling speed of SAR ADCs. When the TIS technique is adopted, the sampling speed of the chip can be increased significantly with a mere linear increase in the area and power consumption of the whole chip. However, many shortcomings also exist. Take a SAR ADC structure based on N-channel TIS as an example, when the structure is in a sampling state, control signals S (i) (i=0, 1, . . . , n−2, n−1) respectively control a sampling switch of each channel to sample an input signal, but if time intervals between the control signals S (i) (i=0, 1, . . . , n−2, n−1) are not equal to each other, then sampling moments of the channels of the SARADC will be mismatched, and errors of mismatched sampling moments occurs, and such errors will vary along with factors such as the supply voltage, process and temperature, thereby making correction thereof more difficult or more costly.

SAR ADC and sampling method based on single-channel time-interleaved-sampling

NO.24 RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CHINA ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION


A semiconductor light-emitting diode, including: an n-GaN layer, a quantum well layer, an electron blocking layer, and a p-GaN layer, which are sequentially stacked on a substrate. The electron blocking layer includes at least one first AlGaN layer and at least one second AlGaN layer. The first AlGaN layer and the second AlGaN layer are alternately stacked. The adjacent first and second AlGaN layers have different Al component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor light-emitting diode (LED) and method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
The leakage of electrons is a main factor affecting the quantum efficiency. To block the leakage of the electron, an electron blocking layer is provided between the quantum well layer and the p-region of the conventional semiconductor LED. The quantum well layer is usually made of a plurality of GaN layers and a plurality of InGaN layers. The electron blocking layer is usually made of AlGaN-series material. Since the AlGaN-series material has a high bandgap, it can form a high conduction band offset with the GaN and InGaN, which can block the overflow of the electrons.
However, the electron blocking layer not only forms a high conduction band offset with the GaN and the InGaN, but also forms a high valence band offset, which tends to block the hole moving from the p-region to the quantum well. That is to say, the conventional electron blocking layer blocks the electron and the hole at the same time. It inhibits the leakage of the electron at the expense of hole injection efficiency. It is difficult to create an efficient hole injection under forward bias, thereby impeding the improvement of the quantum efficiency of the semiconductor LED.

Semiconductor light-emitting diode and method for manufacturing the same


In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses to assign a routing address to a wireless computer that is in a different logical network from the routing addresses of other wireless computers within the same physical wireless network; and to prevent a wireless computer from learning the routing address of another wireless computer within the same physical wireless network.

There are a variety of ways that a computer can be attacked to compromise the computer's functionality. For example, viruses and worms are common attacks that are utilized to hinder the functionality of a computer. To counterbalance these attacks, there have been a proliferation in computer anti-virus software applications that attempt to identify the virus or worm and neutralize the threat of the virus or worm spreading from a local computer to another computer.

Systems and methods for a self-defending wireless computer network


A spool for filamentary material such as optical fibers and others consists of two members which are locked together to form a drum with two opposed flanges defining a winding space. The two members may be separated to allow material wound on the drum to be removed at will. After the material is removed, the two parts may be locked again making the spool reusable.

a. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a spool for holding wires, cables or optical fibers, and more specifically to a spool which can be separated at will into two parts.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Filamentary materials such as wires, cables, optical fibers, are kept for ease of handling on a spool consisting of a tubular drum having two opposed ends and two flanges affixed to said barrel at the respective ends and extending radially outwardly therefrom. One end of the elongated material is secured on the drum and the elongated material is then wound thereon. Once the spool has been transported to the cabling site, the material is paid off from the spool until a preselected length has been reached.
A problem with existing spools relates to the manner in which remainders are removed. The elongated material is provided in various lengths which normally exceed the amount of material actually required. For example, while a spool may hold 110 km of opitical cable, of which only a 100 km of optical fiber may be actually required. After a desired amount of material, for example about 100 km, is removed from the spool the remainder (i.e. about 10 km) is usually too short for most applications and must be discarded. However, this remainder must still be removed from the spool if the spool is to be reused. In prior art spools, the remainders could be removed by paying it off the spool, a very time consuming operation. Moreover, this was also unsatisfactory because, it may require equipment which may be used more efficiently elsewhere, and results in a length of unwound material which is difficult to handle. More frequently the remainder was simply cut off, however it was almost impossible to cut each strand or coil without damaging the barrel, especially if a relatively thin material is involved, such as an optical fiber.