A computer system runs an applications program generated by an object-oriented software development program. A state transition is made to a state of the applications program from an outside state. All state transitions to the state from outside states are connected to an input of a transition merge point of the state. A merge transition of the merge point is selected in response to the state transition and the merge transition transitions back to the state, wherein the merge transition contains merge transition code which executes during the merge transition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to software state transitions and, in particular, to execution of transition and entry code upon such transitions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer programs (software) are typically developed by programmers (program or code developers) writing the code for the program. The code is often written in a high-level language such as C++, Pascal, Fortran, Basic, or Forth. Software developers typically utilize a variety of techniques and tools in developing code, such as a textual programming environment (comprising editors, compilers, source-level debuggers, source management systems, and the like) and a real-time operating system (OS).
Graphical programming tools are also used to generate code. Such tools often provide an object-oriented programming environment, which allows code to be written as a collection of concurrent software objects or actors that communicate by messages. Each actor is a state machine that reacts based on messages received. An actor reacts to a message by transitioning from one state to another state via a state transition, or by executing code and remaining in the same state (a self-transition). An actor or state machine is always xe2x80x9cinxe2x80x9d a state, as the state transitions are considered to be instantaneous. An actor is in a particular state when there has been a state transition to the state and no transition leaving that state has occurred yet. Actors wait for messages from other actors, and then change states or take other action based on the message.
Both state transitions and self-transitions can cause state transition code to be executed. The way an actor reactsxe2x80x94which transitions and associated transition code is executedxe2x80x94based on a message may be referred to as its behavior. An actor can send messages to itself or to any other actor. Each state of a given state machine or actor can have sub-states, which are themselves states and may also have sub-states.
During coding, the object-oriented code development tool displays, for a given actor, the defined states and state transitions graphically to aid programming. The real-time object-oriented modeling (ROOM) is one object-oriented software development system which is often used as the basis for actual code development tools. In addition to graphical techniques, ROOM uses traditional programming languages to express detailed structure and behavior. For example, C or C++ describes actions to be taken on state transitions or state entry/exit. Further information on ROOM may be found in B. Selic, G. Gullekson, and Paul T. Ward, Real-Time Object-Oriented Modeling (John Wiley and Sons, 1994). One code development tool which is based on the ROOM system is ObjecTime(copyright) code development software  less than www.objectime.com greater than . The output of running a ROOM-type code development tool such as ObjecTime(copyright) software is non-executable code written in a high-level language such as C++. A C++ compiler, in conjunction with ObjecTime(copyright) software, is therefore needed to compile the generated code into an executable application.
The resulting code generated by such a tool, for a given actor, can therefore be represented by a state diagram having a plurality of states and sub-states, interconnected by a series of state transitions. Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a state transition diagram 100 illustrating state transitions and self-transitions in an object-oriented software application developed with an object-oriented code development tool or program such as ObjecTime. State diagram 100 shows three states A, B, and C, where state A comprises sub-states A1 and A2. A state transition is made from state B to sub-state A1, via state transitions 111 and 111xe2x80x2. Similarly, a state transition is made from state C to sub-state A1, by transitions 112 and 112xe2x80x2.
Unlike a state transition, which is from one state to another, a self-transition (e.g. 113) is a transition that begins and ends on the same state. Both a self-transition and a state-change type of transition can cause transition code to be executed during the transition. As mentioned above, this transition code may be coded in a language such as C or C++.
The interaction of several features of typical object-oriented code development languages can give rise to unexpected and undesirable problems. In particular, the interaction of the self-transition, transition-to-history, and entry code features can cause entry code to be erroneously executed due to a self-transition.
Entry code is code associated with a given state that is fired (i.e., executed) every time the state is reached (entered). Similarly, exit code is fired every time a state is left (exited). Entry code is useful where, for example, there are many different state transitions into a state which would cause the same transition code to be executed. In this case, it may be more efficient to put this code in entry code for the state, rather than on all state transitions to the state, so that the code for the behavior has to be written only once, not once for each transition to the state.
For example, referring once more to FIG. 1, sub-state A1 may be a xe2x80x9cfaultxe2x80x9d state reached only when a problem has been detected. The entry code for sub-state A1 may turn on an xe2x80x9cemergencyxe2x80x9d light, while the exit code may turn off the light. The entry code for state A itself may be set to xe2x80x9cnullxe2x80x9d if there is no need for entry code for state A. Entry code is xe2x80x9cset to nullxe2x80x9d by simply coding no entry code for a given state, i.e. it does not exist for a given state. Thus, when states B or C make a state transition to sub-state A1, the code for turning on the emergency light does not need to be duplicated as part of the transition code for each state transition 111xe2x80x2, 112xe2x80x2, but is only coded once in the entry code for sub-state A1.
As noted above, a self-transition is a transition that begins and ends on the same state. Some object-oriented code development tools offer a transition to history feature. In the transition to history feature, when there is a transition to a state, the state automatically enters the most previously-entered sub-state, unless the state transition specifies otherwise. When a state is reached from an outside state by a state transition for the first time (e.g., the xe2x80x9cfirst timexe2x80x9d since initialization or beginning the program or the actor having the state), it has not yet been in a previous sub-state. In this case, no sub-state of the state is automatically entered and the transition to history feature has no effect.
State transitions to a state cause entry code for the state to fire, and, due to the transition to history feature, also cause the entry code for the sub-state to fire. Some self-transitions can also cause entry code to fire, including entry code for a sub-state automatically re-entered as a result of the transition to history feature. However, it is not always desired that entry code fire on self-transition. It is often desirable that entry code fire only when the state or sub-state is entered from a state external to the state. Accordingly, use of both self-transitions/transitions to history and entry code can result in unexpected and undesirable program behavior.
As an example, the state transition diagram 100 of FIG. 1 illustrates a variety of state transitions and self-transitions, and states and sub-states, of a given actor of an applications program. The program may comprise thousands of actors, each characterized by its own state diagram. Suppose state A is in sub-state A1 and is then left, e.g. by a transition to state B. Later, if there is a transition back to state A, the transition to history feature causes the most recent sub-state A1 to be automatically re-entered. This automatic state transition is indicated by the dotted arrow connected to state transition 115, and happens unless the state transition to state A specifies otherwise. When state A1 is entered in this manner, due to transition to history and a self-transition at a higher level, its entry code is fired.
Thus, when a self-transition at a higher level (e.g., state A) occurs, the transition to history feature causes the current sub-state A1 to be entered again as soon as the self-transition at state A occurs. This causes the entry code for both state A and sub-state A1 to be fired each time there is a state A self-transition when state A is in sub-state A1. In this example, when self-transition 113 occurs, the following code is executed in the order shown: sub-state A1 exit code; state A exit code; self-transition 113 transition code; state A entry code; sub-state A1 entry code.
Thus, entry code for a state or sub-state will be fired whenever the state is reached, whether the state is reached from outside by a state transition or due to a self-transition. However, it is not always desired that entry code fire on self-transition. For example, the entry code for a given state such as sub-state A1 may initialize a variable that increments so long as the state is not exited. If there is a self-transition, this can also fire the entry code and re-initialize the variable, even though the variable should not have been re-initialized.
A program using entry code, therefore, may produce unintended or unexpected results when a state""s entry code is fired not only when it is reached by an outside transition but also when a self-transition occurs. The code developer may unintentionally introduce such a entry code/self-transition conflict. This problem is exacerbated, due to the transition to history feature, when there are self-transitions at a higher levels, because it is not as easy to recognize such potential problems when there are many hierarchical levels of states and sub-states, and many state transitions and self-transitions. The potential problems and undesirable effects arising from the interaction between self-transitions and entry code can lead to code developers sacrificing one of these features in order to use the other.
A computer system runs an applications program generated by an object-oriented software development program. A state transition is made to a state of the applications program from an outside state of the applications program. All state transitions to the state from outside states are connected to an input of a choice point of the state. A choice transition of the choice point is selected in response to the state transition and the choice transition transitions back to the state, wherein the choice transition contains choice transition code which fires during the choice transition.

Single-shot entry code for software state transition


A method of winding a belt-shaped member is used in winding a tire member around a forming drum. A position of a leading end of a tire member is detected to obtain a shifted distance of the leading end relative to the forming drum. The leading end is then transferred to the forming drum, while the leading end is being moved in a width direction to make zero the shifted distance. The leading end is pressed against the forming drum, while the leading end is brought into coincidence with a reference position of the forming drum. The forming drum is then rotated during which the tire member is supplied onto the forming drum. A position of a trailing end of the tire member is detected to obtain a shifted distance of the trailing end relative to the reference position of the forming drum. The trailing end is the supplied onto the rotating forming drum, while the trailing end is moved in a width direction to make zero the shifted distance of the trailing end. In this manner the tire member is completely wound about the forming drum with the leading end being snugly coincident with the trailing end.

This invention relates to a method for winding a belt-shaped member around a tire forming drum.
As a method and an apparatus hitherto used for winding a belt-shaped member, those disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,975 have been known. The apparatus includes a conveyor for supplying a belt-shaped member, for example, a tread rubber onto a tire forming drum and a plurality of rollers for bringing a center of a width of a belt-shaped member on the conveyor into a coincidence with a reference position of the tire forming drum, for example, a center of the drum in width directions. While the center of the belt-shaped member in the width directions is caused to be coincident with the reference position of the forming drum by means of the rollers, the belt-shaped member is supplied onto the forming drum to wind the member around the forming drum.
In such a winding method and an apparatus, however, although the center of the belt-shaped member along its longitudinal direction can be securely in coincidence with the reference position of the forming drum. A leading end and a trailing end of the belt-shaped member in the longitudinal directions are restrained from moving around only to a lesser extent so that the leading and trailing ends are likely to be shifted even when they are brought into coincidence with the reference position of the forming drum. As a result, the leading and trailing ends of the belt-shaped member wound around the forming drum are slightly shifted to lower the uniformity of a produced tire. In order to prevent such a fact, the shifting of the ends in the width directions is often corrected manually by an operator. However, such a manual correction will unavoidably lower the operation efficiency.

c/o Technical Center, Bridgestone Corporation, 1-1, Ogawahigashi-Cho, 3-Chome


A steering wheel hub includes a mounting plate which mounts the base of an air bag module on a pair of spaced posts. In one embodiment a pair of horn actuation switches in the form of spring contacts are mounted on the mounting plate between the posts and the upper edge of the plate. The spring contacts are insulated and bias the plates apart. Depressing the upper portion of the air bag module rocks the module on the posts, which deflects the spring contacts into electrical contact with the mounting plate and blows the horn. In another embodiment, the base plate is mounted on the mounting plate by two spaced posts which mount compression springs biasing the plates apart. Modular horn actuation switches are mounted between the posts and the plate upper edge. Depressing the upper portion of the air bag module rocks the base plate into engagement with the switches to blow the horn. In a variation, the modular horn switches are located between the posts and the plate lower edge, which enable horn blowing by depressing the lower portion of the air bag module.

This invention relates generally to switches for actuating, or "honking" a vehicle horn and, more particularly, to a horn switch actuated by rocking an air bag module mounted on a steering wheel.
Prior to the mounting of air bags within steering wheel hubs, many different types of horn actuators were used. Many years ago, a horn actuation ring was placed about the steering wheel hub within easy reach of the driver's thumbs. More recently, the horn switch or switches were relocated for actuation by depressing the steering wheel hub. This arrangement allows the driver to simply depress the steering wheel hub at any location to actuate the horn. This central location became so standard that drivers instinctively depress the steering wheel hub when they desire to honk the horn.
Most currently-produced automotive passenger vehicles are manufactured with driver-side air bags as standard equipment. This air bag is included in a module that is usually stored in a compartment within the steering wheel hub beneath a vinyl covering. Upon actuation, the deploying air bag fragments this vinyl covering into cover doors which open to free the air bag. This location of the air bag module and cover doors in the steering wheel hub necessitates switch relocation. Placing the horn actuation switches for easy and reliable accessibility by the driver presents an ergonomic problem.
One solution to this switch placement problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,205--Dunford et al. There, the horn actuation switches are relocated to the four steering wheel hubs, away from the path of air bag deployment. With this placement of the switches so near the steering wheel rim, the opportunity for inadvertent horn actuation is increased. Also, this placement now requires a thoughtful, rather than instinctive, effort to actuate the horn by any driver who has become accustomed to the central steering wheel hub switch location.
Another proposed solution to this problem is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,462--Gaultier, in which the horn actuation switches are mounted in one of the air bag cover doors atop the air bag module. However, placement of the horn actuation switches on top of the air bag module runs the risk that the switches could inadvertently be exploded into the passenger compartment upon air bag deployment, thus creating a hazard.
Yet another proposed solution is related in U.S. Pat. No 4,785,144--Fosnaugh et al. Here, the air bag module is suspended on a plate by four telescoping spring-biased corner posts, which incorporate horn actuation switch contacts. Depressing any portion of the air bag module against the spring bias will close the contacts and blow the horn. Although this four-corner suspension arrangement permits horn actuation by the familiar act of depressing the steering wheel hub, it has been found to be susceptible to involuntary brief horn actuation, known as "chirp", by vibrations when the vehicle encounters rough pavement.
It would be desirable to provide a horn actuation switch arrangement which permits horn actuation by depressing the steering wheel hub, but which avoids involuntary horn chirp.

Horn switch actuated by rocking air bag module


An electrostatic discharge protection unit includes a channel, a passive filter, and an electrostatic discharge protection circuit. The passive filter and the electrostatic discharge protection circuit are formed on a substrate. The electrostatic discharge protection circuit couples the channel to the passive filter. A method includes, for a channel having a bandwidth determining the bandwidth, and generating a transfer function for a passive filter which when combined in series an electrostatic discharge protection circuit and the channel yields a combination transfer function which has a combination bandwidth that is greater than the channel transfer function bandwidth.

Electronic systems, such as communication systems, computing systems, and gaming systems, are often redesigned to operate at higher frequencies. Many problems arise during the process of redesigning electronic systems to operate at higher frequencies. Until recently, some of these problems were overcome by improving the performance of the most elementary electronic component in the system. For example, the bandwidth of many systems that used bipolar junction transistors as a basic building block was increased by increasing the operating power level in the systems. A higher power level translated to a high switching speed for the individual transistors and a higher operating frequency for the system. Even though this strategy is still used today, at high frequencies, electrical system effects, such as parasitic capacitances, can negate performance improvements in the elementary electronic components.
In the field of high speed digital signaling, existing system constraints cannot be ignored by the designers who are assigned the task of redesigning a system to operate at a higher frequency. For example, to improve the performance of a logic system designed with electronics that are sensitive to electrostatic discharge, the speed of the system must be increased without removing the circuits that protect the system from destruction through electrostatic discharge. Often these protective circuits introduce electrical system effects that limit the high frequency performance of a system. The traditional approach of improving the speed of the transmitting and receiving transistors does not help increase the operating frequency of these systems. Therefore, new systems and methods are required to increase the operating frequency of electronic systems.

Electrostatic discharge protection unit including equalization


A method of forming an integrated circuit includes forming magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) layers; etching the MTJ layers to form a MTJ cell; and forming a dielectric capping layer on sidewalls of the MTJ cell, wherein the step of forming the dielectric capping layer is in-situ performed with the step of etching the MTJ layers.

Semiconductors are used in integrated circuits for electronic applications, including radios, televisions, cell phones, and personal computing devices, as examples. One type of semiconductor device is the semiconductor storage device, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a flash memory, both of which use charge to store information.
A more recent development in semiconductor memory devices involves spin electronics, which combines semiconductor technology and magnetic materials and devices. The spins of electrons, through their magnetic moments, rather than the charge of the electrons, is used to indicate the presence of a "1" or "0". One such spin electronic device is a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) device 100, sometimes referred to as a magnetic RAM, as shown in FIG. 1, which includes conductive lines (wordlines WL and bitlines BL) positioned in different directions, e.g., perpendicular to each other in different metal layers. The conductive lines sandwich magnetic stacks or magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) 102, which function as magnetic memory cells. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a portion of a prior art cross-point MRAM array 100. The MRAM device 100 includes a semiconductor wafer comprising a substrate (not shown). The substrate has a first insulating layer (also not shown) deposited thereon, and a plurality of first conductive lines or wordlines WL is formed within the first insulating layer, e.g., in a first wiring level.
In a cross-point magnetic memory device 100, each memory cell or magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) 102 is disposed over and abuts one wordline WL. Each MTJ 102 includes three layers: ML1, TL, and ML2. The first magnetic layer ML1 is disposed over and abutting wordline WL. The first magnetic layer ML1 is often referred to as a hard magnetic layer or a fixed layer because its magnetic orientation is fixed. A tunnel layer or tunnel barrier layer TL comprising a thin dielectric layer is formed over the fixed layer ML1. A second magnetic layer ML2 is formed over the tunnel barrier layer TL. The second magnetic layer ML2 is often referred to as a soft magnetic layer or a free layer because its magnetic orientation can be switched along one of two directions. The first and second magnetic layers ML1 and ML2 may include one or more material layers.
Each MTJ 102 abuts a second conductive line or bitline BL over and abutting the second magnetic layer ML2, as also shown in FIG. 1, wherein bitline BL is positioned in a direction different from the direction of the wordline WL, e.g., the bitlines BL may be perpendicular to the wordlines WL. Array 100 of magnetic MTJs 102 includes a plurality of wordlines WL running parallel to each other in a first direction, a plurality of bitlines BL running parallel to each other in a second direction, wherein the second direction is different from the first direction, and a plurality of MTJs 102 disposed between each wordline WL and bitline BL. While bitlines BL are shown on top and the wordlines WL are shown on bottom of the array 100, alternatively, wordlines WL may be disposed on the top of the array and bitlines BL may be disposed on the bottom of the array.
The value of the resistance of a MTJ 102 depends on the way in which the magnetic moment of the soft magnetic layer ML2 is oriented in relation to the magnetic moment of the hard magnetic layer ML1. The resistance of MTJ cell 102 depends on the moment's relative alignment. For example, if the first and second magnetic layers ML 1 and ML2 are oriented in the same direction, as shown in FIG. 2B, the cell resistance Rc is low. If the first and second magnetic layers ML1 and ML2 are oriented in opposite directions, shown in FIG. 2C, the cell resistance Rc is high. These two states of the MTJ cell are used to store digital information (a logic "1" or "0", high or low resistance, or vice versa).
The hard magnetic layer ML 1 is usually oriented once during manufacturing. The information of the cell 102 is stored in the soft magnetic layer ML2. As shown in FIG. 2A, the currents IWL and IBL through the wordline WL and bitline BL, respectively, provide the magnetic field that is necessary to store information in the soft magnetic layer ML2. The superimposed magnetic fields of the bitline BL and wordline WL currents have the ability to switch the magnetic moment of the soft magnetic layer ML2 and change the memory state of MTJ cell 102.
An advantageous feature of MRAM devices compared to traditional semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices is that MRAM devices are non-volatile. For example, a personal computer (PC) utilizing MRAM devices would not have a long "boot-up" time as with conventional PCs that utilize DRAM devices. Also, an MRAM device does not need to be powered up and has the capability of "remembering" the stored data (also referred to as a non-volatile memory). MRAM devices have the capability to provide the density of DRAM devices and the speed of static random access memory (SRAM) devices, in addition to non-volatility. Therefore, MRAM devices have the potential to replace flash memory, DRAM, and SRAM devices in electronic applications where memory devices are needed in the future.
With the down-scaling of integrated circuits, the formation of MRAM devices experiences problems. After the formation of MTJs 102, the respective wafer is exposed to the external environment. The materials of MTJs 102 are thus prone to oxidation, and hence the sidewall portions of MTJs 102 are oxidized. This adversely affects the performance of MTJs 102. Particularly, the R—H loop of MTJs 102 will become sloped. The problem is further worsened when the dimensions of MTJs 102 are reduced with the down-scaling of integrated circuits, since the oxidized portions become greater portions of MTJs 102.
A further problem is the effect of inherent stresses in MTJs 102 to their performance. After the formation of MTJs 102, process-related inherent stresses remain in MTJs 102. It is known that the inherent stresses affect the performance of MTJs 102. The stresses may not be in a desirable direction, or have a desirable magnitude. Theoretically, after the formation of MTJs 102, a post annealing could reduce the inherent stresses. However, this cannot guarantee the reduction of the inherent stresses. New MTJ structures and methods for forming the same are thus needed to solve the above-discussed problems.

In-situ formed capping layer in MTJ devices

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A touch display device and a driving method thereof are provided. A driving signal line configured to drive light emitting unit to emit light is multiplexed as a detection electrode. Moreover, the capacitance is formed between the detection electrode and a transparent conductive layer, the capacitance can be changed according to a change in touch force, so that when a position of the detection electrode is pressed, a distance between the detection electrode and the transparent conductive layer changes, and the capacitance between the detection electrode and the transparent conductive layer changes accordingly. In this way, a magnitude of the force at a touch position can be determined by a change in a capacitance value between the detection electrode and the transparent conductive layer, so that a force touch function can be realized.

Force sensing technology refers to the technology that can detect external forces. The technology has been used in industrial control, medical and other fields for a long time. At present, the way to achieve force sensing in the display field, especially in the field of mobile phones or tablets, is to additionally arrange a force-sensitive detection electrode layer in a liquid crystal display panel. Such design requires changes in the structural design of the liquid crystal display panel, the design is complicated, the thickness of the liquid crystal display panel is increased, and the cost is increased.

Touch display device and driving method thereof

Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


In a radio communication system, when an interconnection between radio terminal (PS) used for digital cordless telephones is performed, a connection destination terminal is discriminated in accordance with input information. If it s determined that the connection designation terminal is a terminal involved in the interconnection, a priority-monitor-target communication channel is figured out in accordance with a PS call number of the destination. When the priority-monitor-target communication channel is not used, transmission of call-origination control signal is started by using the idle priority-monitor-target communication channel. That is, the call-original control signal is transmitted by preferentially using the priority-monitor-target communication channel which is frequently monitored by the destination terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radio communication system which realizes intercommunications between radio terminals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a normal communication system adopting a simplex method which is known as the method of making radio connections without using a specific channel for transmitting control signals, a calling party detects an idle channel and transmits connection request information for a prescribed period of time. A radio terminal which is in a standby state scans all the channels to receive the connection request information.
However, in the simplex method, there is a high probability for the radio terminal to scan all the channels before it receives a calling signal, and a considerably long time is required until connection is achieved.

Radio communication system with enhanced connection processing


A manufacturing method for producing a stained silicon wafer has the steps of forming an Si1-xGex composition-graded layer of which Ge concentration is stepwisely increased on a single crystal silicon substrate, forming an Si1-xGex uniform composition layer of which Ge concentration is constant on the Si1-xGex composition-graded layer, forming a stain-relaxed Si1-yGey layer of which Ge concentration y is constant while y satisfies relationship of 0.5x≦y<x on the Si1-xGex uniform composition layer and epitaxially growing a strained Si layer on the strain-relaxed Si1-yGey layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a silicon wafer reduced in the penetrating dislocation density by stacking an SiGe layer and a strained Si layer on a silicon substrate.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, a stained silicon wafer obtained by epitaxially growing an SiGe layer on a single crystal silicon substrate and epitaxially growing a strained Si layer on the SiGe layer has been proposed.
In the strained Si layer, a tensile strain is generated due to the SiGe layer having a large lattice constant as compared with Si. This generated strain causes a change in the band structure of Si to release the degeneracy. As a result, the carrier mobility increases.
Accordingly, when this strained Si layer is used as a channel region, a carrier mobility as high as 1.5 times or more that in the case of using a normal bulk silicon can be realized.
For this reason, the strained silicon wafer is attracting attention as a wafer suitable for high-speed MOSFET, MODFET, HEMT and the like.
In order to obtain a good strained Si layer in such a strained silicon wafer, a good SiGe layer, that is, an SiGe layer having a low penetrating dislocation density, a relaxed strain and a smooth surface, must be epitaxially grown as the underlay on a silicon substrate.
However, at the epitaxial growth of an SiGe layer on a silicon substrate, misfit dislocations are generated due to difference in the lattice constant between Si and SiGe, and penetrating dislocations attributable to the misfit dislocations reach the surface at a high density, which brings about a problem that dislocations similarly at a high density are generated also in the strained Si layer formed on the SiGe layer.
Dislocations in the strained Si layer give rise to increase in the junction leak current at the formation of a device element.
Furthermore, there arises a problem that unevenness called cross-hatch is generated on the strained Si layer surface due to penetrating dislocations and residual strain energy. In order to reduce the penetrating dislocation density, various proposals have been heretofore made.
For example, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. JP-B-2792785 discloses a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, where an SiGe hierarchy layer of which Ge component is increased at a concentration gradient of about 25%/μm or less is epitaxially grown on a single crystal silicon substrate, an SiGe cap layer of which Ge concentration is constant is then grown, and a strained Si layer is epitaxially grown thereon.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-2002-118254 discloses that in a semiconductor wafer comprising a silicon substrate having thereon a compositionally stepwisely gradient SiGe layer of which Ge compositional ratio gradually increased, an SiGe relaxing layer of which Ge compositional ratio is constant and a strained Si layer. In the semiconductor wafer, the penetrating dislocation density can be reduced by increasing the number of steps.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-2003-197544 discloses a semiconductor substrate wherein the first SiGe layer has a thickness smaller than two times the critical film thickness of causing generation of dislocations due to increase in the film thickness and bringing about lattice relaxation; the second SiGe layer comprises a stepped laminate of multiple layers consisting of an SiGe gradient composition layer of which Ge compositional ratio gradually increasing toward the surface and an SiGe constant composition layer having the same Ge compositional ratio as that on the top surface of the gradient composition layer and being disposed on the gradient composition layer, which are stacked alternately to give a continuous Ge compositional ratio, and the Ge compositional ratio on the bottom surface of the second SiGe layer is lower than the maximum Ge compositional ratio in the first SiGe layer.
As described above, various methods have been proposed with an attempt to reduce the penetrating dislocation density in a strained silicon wafer.
However, in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. JP-B-2792785, the penetrating dislocation density in Examples is still on the 105 cm−2 order. Such a high penetrating dislocation density may greatly affect the yield in the device process.
Similarly, even in the semiconductor wafer described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-2002-118254, it is difficult to reduce the penetrating dislocation density in the strained Si layer to less than 105 cm−2.
Also, even in the semiconductor substrate described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Patent Publication No. JP-A-2003-197544, when the thickness of the strained Si layer is 20 nm or more, the penetrating dislocation density is not successfully reduced to such an extent as being capable of responding to the level required of the device working region.
Accordingly, in order to realize more speeding up of the operation in MOSFET and the like, a high-quality strained silicon wafer more reduced in the penetrating dislocation density is demanded.

Manufacturing method for strained silicon wafer


There is disclosed vibration wave motor comprising: a movable member; a molded elastic member having a surface for urging the movable member; and a piezoelectric member arranged in contact with the elastic member to apply vibration to the elastic member and produce a travelling vibration wave in the surface of the elastic member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration wave motor, and more particularly to a structure of a vibration wave motor driven by a travelling vibration wave.
2. Related Background Art
A vibration wave motor utilizes a reciprocal motion generated when a periodic voltage is applied to a piezoelectric vibration element, as a drive force. It has an advantage over a conventional electromagnetic motor in that it is simple and compact in structure because windings are unnecessary and has high torque at a low rotation speed. In such a vibration wave motor, displacement of a vibration member is transmitted to a movable member by a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 178988/1984 and 201685/1984.
FIG. 1 shows and structure of such a prior art vibration wave motor and FIG. 2 illustrates a principle of operation. Numeral 1 denotes piezoelectric elements which function as electro-mechanical transducers, numeral 2 denotes an elastic member which functions as a vibration member, numeral 3 denotes a movable member, numeral 4 denotes a supporting vibration absorber and numeral 5 denotes a base element. The piezoelectric elements 1 are polarized across their thickness in sector areas shown by broken lines as shown by (+) and (-) in a plane view in FIG. 3.
An A.C. voltage V=V.sub.0 sin Wt is applied from a voltage source (not shown) to the piezoelectric elements (1a for a phase A, and a voltage V=.+-.V.sub.0 cos Wt is applied to the piezoelectric elements 1b for a phase B which are deviated by .lambda.4 to generate a travelling bending surface wave (or travelling vibration wave) in the elastic member 2 which is in contact with the piezoelectric elements 1. Thus, the movable member 3, in contact with the elastic member 2 is moved in either direction A or oppositely thereto.
The elastic member 2 has projections 2A for amplifying an amplitude of the travelling bending surface wave. The amplification factor of the amplitude is determined by a length l of the projection 2A (see FIG.1).
The movable member 3 is in contact with the elastic member 2 under pressure and is moved at a velocity u by a friction force to the elastic member 2. The vibration member comprising the piezoelectric elements 1 and the elastic member 2 is supported by the vibration absorber 4 such as belt so that it does not propagate vibration to the base member 5.
In the vibration wave motor constructed as described above, the elastic member 2 is made of duralumin or brass having a low internal loss of vibration and the projections 2A are cut from the elastic member 2 by a milling cutter or a wire cutting electric spark machine. However, such methods require a long time and a high cost.


An assembly and method for cleaning the barrel of a pneumatic gun, such as a paintball marker. A supply magazine is provided that contains a plurality of loading ports. Each loading port is filled with a cleaning projectile. The supply magazine is attached to a pneumatic gun so that the supply magazine is interposed between the breach chamber of the pneumatic gun and its barrel. When a projectile is fired from the pneumatic gun, the projectile displaces a cleaning projectile from the supply magazine and advances the cleaning projectile through the barrel. The passage of the cleaning projectile and the accompanying paintball cleans any fouling from the barrel of the pneumatic gun.

1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to the structure of paintball markers. More particularly, the present invention relates to paintball markers that have mechanisms for introducing a cleaning element into the barrel of the paintball marker without having to disassemble the paintball marker.
2. Prior Art Summary
Paintball is a sport that has become increasingly popular in recent years. In the sport of paintball, players shoot paintballs at opponents using paintball markers. Paintball markers, also known as paintball guns, are devices that are designed to shoot a paint filled paintball at a target at a speed of about 200 feet per second. The majority of paintball markers are pneumatic devices that use a compressed gas to project a paintball and power the triggering mechanism of the marker. The compressed gas is typically carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or compressed air. Regardless of its composition, the compressed gas is stored within a pressurized tank that attaches to the paintball marker.
Paintballs typically are thin-shelled structures that are filled with a colored liquid. When the paintball hits a hard surface, the shell of the paint ball ruptures and the colored liquid is released. A recurring problem with paintballs is that every so often the shell of the paintball will rupture inside the paintball gun as it is being fired. This causes colored liquid and shell fragments to coat the inside of the barrel of the paintball marker.
When the inside of a paintball marker's barrel is fouled with paintball liquid, that liquid contacts subsequent paintballs that are fired by the marker. Since the fouling in the barrel is uneven, the passing paintball meets different areas of resistance as it travels through the barrel. This causes the paintball to randomly spin within the barrel. When the spinning paintball exits the barrel, the spin on the paintball causes the paintball to fly erratically. The paintball therefore does not travel in the direction of aim.
In the prior art, there have been many devices invented to clean the remnants of a broken paintball from a paintball marker's barrel. Many of these cleaning devices are cleaning rods or tethers having plush brushes attached to their structures. When the rod or tether is pulled through the barrel, the plush brush wipes the interior of the barrel clean.
A problem associated with such cleaning devices is that they require the barrel be removed from the paintball marker prior to cleaning. The paintball marker must therefore be partially disassembled in order to be cleaned. This takes time and skill. The cleaning process is therefore very undesirable in the middle of a game of paintball when opponents are actively firing paintballs.
In the prior art, other cleaning systems have been developed that enable a paintball marker to be cleaned without removing the barrel of the paintball marker. In such prior art systems, a cleaning projectile is inserted into the barrel of the paintball gun. The cleaning projectile is then fired in place of a paintball. As the cleaning projectile is fired through the barrel, the cleaning projectile wipes clean the interior of the barrel.
In order to introduce a cleaning projectile into the barrel of a paintball marker without removing the barrel, the cleaning projectile must be introduced into the breach of the paintball marker. This often requires that the supply hopper of unfired paintballs be removed from the paintball marker. It also often requires that a person push the cleaning projectile into the breach of the paintball gun with their finger.
Many paintball guns have bolts that travel through the breach of a paintball marker and push the paintball into the barrel as the paintball marker is fired. If a person's finger is placed in front of the bolt during firing, the bolt can injure, or even sever, the finger. It is therefore very dangerous to manually introduce any object into the breach of a paintball marker.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,946, to Paquette, entitled Apparatus And Method For Dispensing Cleaning Balls Used In A Paintball Gun, a paintball marker is shown that automatically introduces a cleaning projectile into the barrel of the paintball marker. To clean the paintball marker's barrel, the cleaning projectile must be larger than the diameter of the barrel. The cleaning projectile, therefore cannot be fed into the hopper of the paintball marker as if it were a paintball. Rather, in the Paquette patent, the paintball marker itself is specifically designed and built to accept the cleaning system that feeds the cleaning projectiles into the marker barrel. Accordingly, the Paquette device cannot be retroactively added to existing paintball markers.
A need therefore exists for a system that can introduce a cleaning projectile into the barrel of a paintball marker, without having to dissemble the paintball marker and without requiring a specialized paintball marker. This need is met by the present invention as claimed and described below.

System and method for introducing a cleaning element into the barrel of a paintball marker


An optical disc drive is used to read and/or write data from/on an optical disc having a data storage layer. The drive corrects electrical offset while reading and/or writing data. The drive updates a correction value based on an electrical offset detected at correcting operation or a value derived using electrical offset values that has been detected and stored, without detecting an electrical offset at correcting operation. Therefore, the optical disc drive can correct the electrical offset less often.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of correcting an electrical offset and so on to be produced in an electric circuit of an optical disc drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
In reading and/or writing data from/on a given optical disc, an optical disc drive irradiates a target track on the optical disc with a laser beam such that a beam spot is formed right on the track, receives, at a photodetector, the beam that has been reflected from the track, and then converts the optical energy received into an electric signal. In order to focus the laser beam just on the data storage layer of the optical disc and make the beam spot follow exactly the target track on the data storage layer, the optical disc drive generates servo signals representing residual errors based on the electric signal. More specifically, the optical disc drive generates a tracking error signal representing the magnitude of shift of the beam spot from the target track or a focus error signal representing the distance of the focal point from the data storage layer, thereby performing a feedback control on the location of the beam spot and the focal point.
A circuit for generating the servo signals (which will be referred to herein as a "servo signal generator") includes a number of amplifiers. Each of those amplifiers should have an electrical offset, which is hard to eliminate completely. Accordingly, such electrical offsets are superposed one upon the other in the resultant servo signal. If the location of the beam spot or the focal point of the laser beam is controlled with such a servo signal, then the residual error described above is created, thus deteriorating the reading and/or writing performance. For that reason, the conventional optical disc drive takes a measure of correcting such an electrical offset in advance before starting to read and/or write data from/on a given optical disc.
The optical disc drive disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 5-62220 also corrects the electrical offset even while reading and/or writing data. This is because the electrical offset is changeable with the ambient temperature of its associated circuit and needs to be corrected appropriately according to the magnitude of that change.
FIG. 25 shows an exemplary arrangement of functional blocks in a conventional optical disc drive 250. The optical disc drive 250 operates in the following manner. Specifically, first, a laser diode 202 emits a laser beam. Next, the laser beam is transformed by a collimator lens 2003 into a parallel light beam, passed through a beam splitter 2004 and then incident onto an objective lens 2005. In response, the objective lens 2005 converges the parallel light beam, thereby forming a laser beam spot on the data storage layer of a given optical disc 2001. Thereafter, the light beam is reflected back from the data storage layer and then incident onto the objective lens 2005 again, which transforms the reflected light beam into a parallel light beam. Subsequently, the beam splitter 2004 turns the parallel light beam, coming from the objective lens 2005, toward a photodetector 2006. On receiving the parallel light beam, the photodetector 2006 generates and outputs a light quantity signal representing the quantity of the light received. A TE signal generator 2007 generates and outputs a tracking error (TE) signal, representing the magnitude of shift of the location of the laser beam spot from the center of the target track on the optical disc 2001, based on the light quantity signal received.
Meanwhile, in accordance with the light quantity signal, a header detector 2013 detects headers, which are recorded sector by sector as pre-pits on the optical disc 2001, thereby generating a header detection signal. In response to the header detection signal, a detection controller 2008 holds the level of a tracking signal, suspends the emission of the laser beam, and detects the offset of the TE signal. Thereafter, the detection controller 2008 allows the laser diode to emit the laser beam again and stops holding the level of the tracking signal. To perform these control operations, the detection controller 2008 generates various types of control signals. More specifically, in response to the header detection signal, the detection controller 2008 generates and outputs a hold signal to control a control signal generator 2009, a blocking signal to control the laser emission of the laser diode 2002 and a detection control signal to control an offset detector 2010. If the hold signal supplied from the detection controller 2008 instructs that the level of the tracking control signal should be held, then the control signal generator 2009 holds the level of the tracking control signal in accordance with the instruction. If the blocking signal instructs that the laser emission should be stopped, the laser diode 2002 stops emitting the laser beam in accordance with the instruction. And if the detection control signal instructs the offset detector 2010 to detect the offset of the TE signal, the offset detector 2010 follows the instruction.
In accordance with the detection control signal instructing that the offset should be detected, the offset detector 2010 detects the magnitude of electrical offset that has been superposed on the TE signal. Based on the magnitude of offset detected, an offset corrector 2011 generates an offset correction signal representing the magnitude of correction. In accordance with the correction signal generated, the control signal generator 2009 corrects the offset of the TE signal.
The control signal generator 2009 not only corrects the TE signal in accordance with the offset correction signal but also outputs a tracking control signal in accordance with the corrected TE signal such that the beam spot of the laser beam can follow the target track on the optical disc 2001. In response to the tracking control signal, a lens driver 2012 changes the position of the objective lens 2005.
Every time a header is detected during a data reading operation, the optical disc drive 250 corrects the electrical offset of the TE signal. The optical disc drive 250 performs similar operations during a write operation, too.
Thus, even while reading or writing data from/on a given optical disc, the conventional optical disc drive once stops the laser emission and then corrects the electrical offset. That is to say, no data can be read from, or written on, the optical disc while the electrical offset is being corrected. Then, the transfer rate of read data from the optical disc drive to a host computer and the transfer rate of write data from the host computer to the optical disc drive will both decrease so significantly as to make it difficult to always achieve required transfer rates. Particularly when an optical disc drive is expected to read and write a TV program from/on an optical disc simultaneously, the optical disc drive must perform the data reading and writing operations alternately and continuously. For that purpose, such an optical disc drive should achieve much higher transfer rates than conventional ones.
Furthermore, as the storage capacities of optical discs have been significantly increased recently, data must be stored thereon at a higher and higher density. As a result, even higher servo precision is required these days. Thus, the optical disc drive must correct the electrical offset more and more often. In that case, however, the conventional optical disc drive will have to suspend the data reading or writing operation for an even longer amount of time and it will be even harder for the conventional optical disc drive to achieve that high transfer rate expected.
These problems could be solved to a certain extent if the buffer memories of the optical disc drive had an increased storage capacity. However, that is not a beneficial measure to take because the manufacturing cost of the optical disc drive would increase in that situation.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


This invention relates to a transparent conductive coating that is substantially transparent to visible light and is designed to have a visible reflectance which more closely matches that the visible reflectance of the underlying substrate. In certain example embodiments, the transparent conductive multilayer coating includes a silver layer(s) and may be used as an electrode(s) in a capacitive touch panel so as to provide for an electrode(s) transparent to visible light but without much visibility due to the substantial matching visible reflection design.

A capacitive touch panel often includes an insulator such as glass, coated with a conductive coating. As the human body is also an electrical conductor, touching the surface of the panel results in a distortion of the panel's electrostatic field, measurable as a change in capacitance. A transparent touch panel may be combined with a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to form a touchscreen. A projected capacitive (PROCAP) touch panel, which may optionally include an LCD or other display, allows finger or other touches to be sensed through a protective layer(s) in front of the conductive coating. The protective layer increases durability, while the ability to sense touches through an insulator allows a user to operate the touch panel while wearing gloves. Certain example embodiments of this invention are related to PROCAP touch panels.
FIGS. 1(a) to 1(g) illustrate an example of a related art projected capacitive touch panel, e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 8,138,425 the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. See U.S. 2014/0145999 which published May 29, 2014, and is commonly owned with this invention.
Referring to FIG. 1(a), substrate 11, x-axis conductor 12 for rows, insulator 13, y-axis conductor 14 for columns, and conductive traces 15 are provided. Substrate 11 may be a transparent material such as glass. X-axis conductors 12 and y-axis conductors 14 are typically indium tin oxide (ITO) which is a transparent conductor. Insulator 13 may be an insulating material (for example, silicon nitride) which inhibits conductivity between x-axis conductors 12 and y-axis conductors 14. Traces 15 provide electrical conductivity between the plurality of conductors and a signal processor (not shown). ITO used for electrodes/traces in small PROCAP touch panels typically has a sheet resistance of at least about 100 ohms/square, which has been found to be too high for certain applications as discussed here.
Referring to FIG. 1(b), x-axis conductor 12 (e.g., ITO) is formed on substrate 11. The ITO is coated in a continuous layer on substrate 11 and then is subjected to a first photolithography process in order to pattern the ITO into x-axis conductors 12. FIG. 1(c) illustrates cross section A-A′ of FIG. 1(b), including x-axis conductor 12 formed on substrate 11. Referring to FIG. 1(d), insulator 13 is then formed on the substrate 11 over x-axis channel(s) of x-axis conductor 12. FIG. 1(e) illustrates cross section B-B′ of FIG. 1(d), including insulator 13 which is formed on substrate 11 and x-axis conductor 12. The insulator islands 13 shown in FIGS. 1(d)-(e) are formed by depositing a continuous layer of insulating material (e.g., silicon nitride) on the substrate 11 over the conductors 12, and then subjecting the insulating material to a second photolithography, etching, or other patterning process in order to pattern the insulating material into islands 13. Referring to FIG. 1(f), y-axis conductors 14 are then formed on the substrate over the insulator islands 13 and x-axis conductors 12. The ITO for y-axis conductors 14 is coated on substrate 11 over 12, 13, and then is subjected to a third photolithography or other patterning process in order to pattern the ITO into y-axis conductors 14. While much of y-axis conductor material 14 is formed directly on substrate 11, the y-axis channel is formed on insulator 13 to inhibit conductivity between x-axis conductors 12 and y-axis conductors 14. FIG. 1(g) illustrates cross section C-C′ of FIG. 1(f), including part of an ITO y-axis conductor 14, which is formed on the substrate 11 over insulator island 13 and over an example ITO x-axis conductor 12. It will be appreciated that the process of manufacturing the structure shown in FIGS. 1(a)-(g) requires three separate and distinct deposition steps and three photolithography type processes, which renders the process of manufacture burdensome, inefficient, and costly.
FIG. 1(h) illustrates another example of an intersection of ITO x-axis conductor 12 and ITO y-axis conductor 14 according to a related art projected capacitive touch panel. Referring to FIG. 1(h), an ITO layer is formed on the substrate 11 and can then be patterned into x-axis conductors 12 and y-axis conductors 14 in a first photolithography process. Then, an insulating layer is formed on the substrate and is patterned into insulator islands 13 in a second photolithography or etching process. Then, a conductive layer is formed on the substrate 11 over 12-14 and is patterned into conductive bridges 16 in a third photolithography process. Bridge 16 provides electrical conductivity for a y-axis conductor 14 over an x-axis conductor 12. Again, this process of manufacture requires three deposition steps and three different photolithography processes.
The projected capacitive touch panels illustrated in FIGS. 1(a) through 1(h) may be mutual capacitive devices or self-capacitive devices. In a mutual capacitive device, there is a capacitor at every intersection between an x-axis conductor 12 and a y-axis conductor 14 (or metal bridge 16). A voltage is applied to x-axis conductors 12 while the voltage of y-axis conductors 14 is measured (and/or vice versa). When a user brings a finger or conductive stylus close to the surface of the device, changes in the local electrostatic field reduce the mutual capacitance. The capacitance change at every individual point on the grid can be measured to accurately determine the touch location. In a self-capacitive device, the x-axis conductors 12 and y-axis conductors 14 operate essentially independently. With self-capacitance, the capacitive load of a finger or the like is measured on each x-axis conductor 12 and y-axis conductor 14 by a current meter.
As described above, prior art transparent conductors 12 and 14 are typically indium tin oxide (ITO), which is problematic for a number of reasons. First, ITO is costly. Second, thin layers of ITO also have a high sheet resistance Rs (at least about 100 ohms/square); in other words the conductivity of ITO is not particularly good and its resistivity is high. In order for an ITO layer to have a sheet resistance less than 5 ohms/square, the ITO layer must be thick (for example, greater than 400 nm). However, a thick layer of ITO is both prohibitively expensive and less transparent. Thus, the high sheet resistance of thin layers of ITO limits their use in layouts requiring long narrow traces on touch panels, with an emphasis on large panels. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that there exists a need in the art for touch panel electrodes that are of material which does not suffer from the ITO disadvantage combination of high cost and low conductivity at small thickness.
Recognizing the flaws of ITO as an electrode material in touch panels, US 2014/0145999 discloses the use of a silver based coating to replace the no. The silver based coating is more conductive than is ITO for a given thickness, and can be deposited in a suitable manner at a lower cost. However, a problem has been found to exist with respect to the coatings of US 2014/0145999. In particular, if the coatings of US 2014/0145999 are used as electrodes on a touch panel, they are highly visible to users due to the fact that the visible reflectance is the coated areas is much different than the visible reflectance of the glass substrate in the non-coated areas. In other words, the visible reflectance difference is too high between (a) the underlying glass substrate alone in areas where the coating is not present, and (b) coated areas having the coating on the glass substrate. Thus, a need in the art exists for a transparent conductive coating that is both highly conductive at a reasonable deposition cost and which has reduced visibility compared to the conductive coatings of US 2014/0145999.

Transparent conductive coating for capacitive touch panel or the like


Electro-optical glare protection device is disclosed for use with protective glasses, protective helmets or protective masks with at least one optical detector, especially a photodiode, with an electro-optical glare protection plate incorporating at least one liquid crystal cell, and with an electronic circuit for the adjustment and setting of the optical transmission of this glare protection plate. The protective device comprises a non-optical detector and a switch connected to the electronic circuit for adjusting the optical transmission of the glare protection plate. The switch links the signals produced by these detectors with each other as an and/or circuit. The electronic circuit generates corresponding switch signals.

The present invention relates to a glare protection device.
Glare protection devices of this type have long been known to the expert in the art. These devices encompass essentially a filter arrangement with at least one liquid crystal cell, at least one polarizer and one analyzer, as well as various passive light filters, especially IR- and UV- reflective filters. The liquid crystal cell is actuated by an optical-electrical transducer serving as feed current source, and the operating signal for the liquid crystal cell is regulated either manually or from an optical sensor, especially this optical-electrical transducer. The purpose of these filter arrangements is to attain as unvarying as possible an illumination intensity for the eye, while the illumination of the object is exposed to considerable fluctuations.
These and similar filter arrangements have great drawbacks in practical use. In practice it is especially desirable to control the quality of the welding flame, i.e. its light and color. A device which tends to do that, to balance variations of intensity in general, does not allow control of corresponding quality features of the welding flame, and especially the experienced welder gauges from the intensity of the welding flame the appropriate suitable temperature and/or the constancy of the flame arc length for the operation.
Other drawbacks of known devices exist in that light disturbance, e.g. the flickering of lamps or any optional intensity differences in the surrounding light, is likewise picked up and compensated by suitable dimming of the light shield. Thereby the gauging of the flame quality is considerably hampered if not made altogether impossible.
Other sources of interference or malfunction are to be seen in all of the devices which produce non-optical, electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic alternating fields in the wave length range of detectable visible light, as these fields too may be emitted from halogen- or fluorescent-tubes. In particular, high current- and voltage-producing welding machines as used for welding prove to be notable sources of interference.
Another problem with the use of the known filter arrangements exists in that these arrangements are dimmed only when variation of intensity is detected as it occurs during high frequency welding.
However, it is precisely the goal of the manufacturer of modern welding apparatus to be able to produce as quiet as possible and increasingly smaller welding flames. Thus, traditional filter arrangements are no longer suitable in an overall sense to fulfill legally prescribed glare protection regulations.
With the foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims and to the several views illustrated in the drawings.


Embodiments of the present invention relate in general to methods and apparatus for determining downhole mud flow rates and other downhole parameters. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, an embodiment of the present invention may provide a method for determining a downhole parameter that includes operating a pulsed neutron generator, detecting the activated drilling fluid at at-least one known distance (d) from the pulsed neutron generator, and determining a time-of-flight (t) for the activated drilling fluid slug to travel from the pulsed neutron generator to a detection point, or between detection points

When drilling a borehole through a geologic formation, it is important to know the downhole conditions to ensure that the drill bit is operating correctly. These conditions include, among other things, the diameter of the borehole and, therefore, the volume of the drilling fluid at any given point. In addition, the formation properties may be measured to predict the presence of oil or gas. Formation properties may be logged with wireline tools, logging while drilling ("LWD") tools, or measurement while drilling ("MWD") tools. Modern oil and gas explorations typically use LWD or MWD tools, instead of wireline tools, for formation logging due to the saving in time and costs.
Various LWD and MWD tools are in use for measuring borehole or formation properties. For example, LWD neutron or gamma spectroscopy logs may be used to provide lithology, formation porosity, and formation density information. Neutron/gamma spectroscopy may be performed by sending a pulse of neutrons into the formation using a pulsed neutron generator ("PNG"). The neutrons interact with elements in the formation by inelastic interactions or elastic interactions. The high-energy neutrons gradually lose their energy through these interactions to become thermal neutrons, which may be captured by the nuclei of various elements in the formation. After neutron capture, these elements become activated. The activated elements then decay by emitting gamma rays. The gamma rays emitted by these activated elements may be detected with gamma ray detectors. Because different elements produce gamma rays of different energies, the captured gamma ray spectra may be used to derive the elemental compositions of the formation. The elemental yields in turn may be used to provide formation lithology because different sediment layers are typically enriched with different types of elements.
Methods for neutron and gamma ray logging may be found in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,118 to Roscoe, U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,595 to Herron et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,225 to Loomis et al. and in Albertin et al., "The many facets of pulsed neutron cased-hole logging," Schlumberger Oilfield Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 28-41 (1996).
In borehole drilling, large quantities of drilling fluids are pumped through the drill strings into the boreholes while the boreholes are being drilled. The drilling fluids help cool the cutting surfaces of the drill bits and help carry out the earth cuttings from the bottom of the borehole when they flow up the annulus to the surface. To prevent formation fluids from flowing into the borehole during the drilling process, the drilling fluids are pumped under a pressure that is slightly higher than the expected formation pressure. The higher hydraulic pressure of the drilling fluids may result in a substantial loss of fluid into the formation when a permeable and low pressure zone of the earth formation is encountered. Detection of such fluid loss may be used in correction of the measurements of various LWD sensors. Fluid loss into the formation may be detected by the reduced flow back of the drilling fluids on the surface. However, for determining in what zone the fluid loss is occurring, means of detecting volumetric flows along the axial depth of the borehole may be needed.
During periods, such as drill pipe connections, when drilling fluid flow is stopped and then restarted, the bottom hole pressure is less than the flowing pressure, due to the absence of pressure drops in the annulus due to flowing friction. It is often indirectly observed from downhole pressure measurements that when drilling fluid flow ceases, additional fluid flows out of the formation—which is then taken up again on the resumption of fluid flow from the surface. This phenomenon is known as wellbore breathing, and an assessment of the pressures and volumes involved can be used in inferring properties of the formation. However, inference of the fluid volumes and rates observed is difficult due to the lack of a direct flow rate measurement in the annulus. Measurement of the annular fluid flow rate over short periods, such as those occurring during changes in the surface flow rate, require a continuous measurement of annular flow velocity.

Methods and systems for determining mud flow velocity from measurement of an amplitude of an artificially induced radiation


A CR snubber circuit capable of increasing a reduction effect of the effective inductance component and suppressing a ringing component generated at the time of switching the switching element is obtained. A first current path formed on one surface of the substrate and a second current path formed on the other surface, which is the opposite side of the one surface of the substrate, are opposed to each other with the substrate being sandwiched therebetween, and the capacitor 5 and the resistor 6 are arranged such that current flows in opposite directions in the first current path and the second current path, and a band elimination filter is formed by the capacitor 5, the resistor 6, and an effective inductance component obtained by coupling an inductance component included in the first current path and an inductance component included in the second current path.

When a switching element such as a power semiconductor module is switched off, a spike-like surge voltage is generated. When the surge voltage is large, there is a risk of causing a short-circuit breakdown of the switching element. Conventionally, there is disclosed a technique in which, by connecting snubber capacitors and semiconductor modules with metallic bars having a relatively high conductivity and wiring on the substrates, the impedance components between the snubber capacitors and the semiconductor modules are made lower, to reduce the spike-like surge voltage that flows when the switching element is switched off, and, for adjacent semiconductor modules, by equalizing the wiring length between the snubber capacitors, the impedance components for respective semiconductor modules are made substantially equal, which results in equalization of protection effects from a surge voltage among the respective semiconductor modules (for example, Patent Literature 1).


Multilayer shrink films and methods of making same that are substantially free of silicone. The multilayer shrink films of the invention are produced using film biaxial orienting means, have haze values of 5 or less and Young's modulus of 40,000 psi or greater and superior hot slip properties. Cyclic-olefin copolymer (COC) is used in the outermost layers to impart superior hot slip. Preferably the film comprises large proportion of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) or ethylene propylene butane terpolymer. Suitable COCs for use in the invention are limited to single site catalyzed COC.

The present invention relates to polyolefin films and biaxially oriented films with improved properties useable as shrink films. In particular, the present invention relates to shrink film for use in packaging lines, although the invention may also be used in other shrink film applications.
Polyolefins, polyvinyl chlorides, ionomers, polyesters, polystyrenes, and polyvinylidene chlorides have all been used in the production of shrink film. The shrinkable polyolefins currently on the market include both cross-linked and non cross-linked oriented polyethylene, oriented polypropylene, and oriented ethylene-propylene copolymers.
A shrink film's distinguishing characteristic is its ability upon exposure to heat to either shrink or, if restrained, to create shrink tension within the film. This ability is activated by the packager when the wrapped product is passed through a hot air or hot water shrink tunnel. This process causes the film to shrink around the product producing a tight, transparent wrapping that conforms to the contour of the product and which is aesthetically pleasing while providing the useful functions required of packaging materials such as protection of the product from loss of components, pilferage, damage due to handling and shipment, dirt and contamination.
Typical items wrapped in polyolefin shrink films are toys, games, sporting goods, stationery, greeting cards, hardware and household products, office supplies and forms, foods, phonograph records, and industrial parts.
The manufacture of shrink films requires sophisticated equipment including extrusion lines with "biaxial orientation" capability. Biaxial orientation can be accomplished with "tenter frame" stretching or "double bubble" blown film extrusion processes. The biaxial orientation causes the material to be stretched in the cross or transverse direction and in the longitudinal or machine direction. The films are usually heated to their orientation temperature range that varies with the different polymers but is usually above room temperature and below the polymer's melting temperature. After being stretched, the film is rapidly cooled to quench it thus freezing the molecules of the film in their oriented state. Upon heating, the orientation stresses are released and the film will begin to shrink back to its original unoriented dimension.
The polyolefin family of shrink films provide a wide range of physical and performance characteristics such as shrink force (the amount of force that a film exerts per unit area of its cross-section during shrinkage), the degree of free shrink (the reduction in surface area a material undergoes when unrestrained), tensile strength (the highest force that can be applied to a unit area of film before it begins to break), sealability, shrink temperature curve (the relationship of shrink to temperature), tear initiation and resistance (the force at which a film will begin to tear and continue to tear), optics (gloss, haze and transparency of material), and dimensional stability (the ability of the film to retain its original dimensions under all types of storage conditions).
In addition to the above, high speed automatic wrapping lines require that the shrink film have high film-film slip (low coefficient of friction), consistently strong static seals and higher stiffness compared to other shrink films. The strong static seals allow for fast sealing of the packages. Higher stiffness supports high film and packaging line speeds. Stiffness is measured as Young's modulus or "modulus" per ASTM test D 882.
High slip allows packages to freely pass one another on conveyors without sticking or clinging. Slip may be determined at room temperature or at elevated temperatures. Slip at room temperature is representative of conditions packaged goods encounter during transportation between facilities and during loading and off-loading of packages from transport vehicles.
Packages having high slip at room temperature may still have poor hot slip characteristics. Hot slip is important for operating packaging lines at high speeds. One determinant in line speed is the amount of time required to cool the packages downstream of the shrink oven or chamber. Packages must be cooled to a point where they no longer cling to other packages. For this reason, packages with superior hot slip require less cooling time and therefore allow faster packaging line speeds.
One example of a commercially successful polyethylenic based shrink film requires a silicone anti-block agent to provide sufficient hot slip. In this product, approximately 0.4% of the outer layers comprises spherical silicone (10% concentration in a LLDPE based master batch blend).
Propylene copolymers and silicon oils have been used to enhance film hot slip characteristics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,302 to Boice uses skin layers comprising a propylene polymer or copolymer with butene or polybutylene. Such films often have limited tear propagation resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,063 to Shah et al. uses silicon oil in the form of organosiloxane in the outer film layers to improve hot slip.
The use of silicon compounds is undesirable due to public association with silicone toxicity. In addition, silicone migration or volatilization is problematic for silicone-sensitive end uses, such as in the microelectronics and automotive coatings industries. Further the use of silicones can cause printing problems such as poor adhesion or non-wetting of the ink.
Ticona manufactures cyclic-olefin copolymers (COC) and has found them helpful in cast films comprising low density polyethylene. Such films are often used as stretch films and are not the biaxially oriented shrink films of the present invention. Further, recommendations from Ticona indicate that COCs having a glass transition temperature within 100-104 degrees Celsius of the film extruder temperature must be selected. Surprisingly the inventors have been able to achieve superior hot slip in LLDPE and polypropylene terpolymer shrink films by employing COCs with glass transition temperatures 152 degrees Celsius below the extruder processing temperature.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide shrinkable films having improved properties for high speed packaging lines with superior hot slip characteristics and essentially silicone free surfaces.

Silicone-free multilayer shrink film for high speed packaging lines


Systems and methods of handling customer contacts at a customer care system that streamline the handling of such customer contacts based on information about previous contacts received from the same customers. The system includes a repeat contact engine, which is connectable to at least one data/communications network. The repeat contact engine includes a controller, at least one database communicably connected to the controller, and a data extractor communicably connected between the data/communications network and the database. The controller includes a server, a rule processor communicably connected to the server, and a policy engine associated with the rule processor. Based on information about at least one previous contact, the system can derive a rule that, in response to its application, would cause a predetermined response, representative of the predicted purpose of an incoming contact, to be provided over a corresponding channel through the data/communications network.

In recent years, actual and prospective customers have increasingly employed data and/or communications networks to purchase products/services, as well as to obtain information about and/or support for such products/services. In an effort to assure prompt and convenient customer service, many product/service providers have incorporated automated, network-based customer care systems into their product/service organizations. Such customer care systems typically provide customers with a number of ways to obtain information about and/or support for desired products/services, such as via landline telephones, mobile telephones, mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) or smartphones, and/or tablet, laptop, or desktop computers.
In one typical mode of operation, an actual or prospective customer may place a telephone call over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or a mobile communications network and be connected to a customer care system, which may include an interactive voice response (IVR) system. Once the telephone call is connected to the customer care system, the IVR system may automatically provide a main menu of selection options to the customer via a series of prerecorded messages, and direct the customer to make a selection from the main menu either verbally or by pushbutton input. For example, such main menu selection options may correspond to account payments, technical support, sales, and/or any other suitable customer service. Upon receipt of the customer's main menu selection, the IVR system may automatically provide one or more additional menus of selection options to the customer, direct the customer to provide additional information regarding his or her inquiry, and/or connect the customer directly to an appropriate customer care agent. By incorporating automated, network-based customer care systems into their organizations, product/service providers can not only provide customers with more prompt and convenient service, but can also avoid having to rely upon their customer care staff to handle customer inquiries that may often be more efficiently handled in an automated fashion.
However, conventional customer care systems have shortcomings. For example, while a customer interacts with an IVR system of a conventional customer care system during an initial telephone call, the telephone call may inadvertently become disconnected from the customer care system, the customer may decide to terminate the telephone call prematurely, or the customer's inquiry may not be resolved completely to his or her satisfaction. At a later date and/or time, the customer may decide to place at least one additional telephone call to the customer care system for either the same reason as the previous call or a different reason. In each case, upon connection to the customer care system, the IVR system may automatically provide the same main menu selection options to the customer, and direct the customer to select an option again from the main menu, thereby forcing the customer to repeat many of the same selections and/or other actions that he or she may have been required to perform during the initial telephone call. Such shortcomings of conventional customer care systems can lead to frustration on the part of some customers, as well as the product/service providers who seek to retain those customers, and can hamper the widespread acceptance of automated service technologies.
It would therefore be desirable to have systems and methods of handling customer contacts received at customer care systems that avoid at least some of the shortcomings of conventional customer care systems discussed above.


Disclosed is an analysis cell for the analysis, at very high pressure and high temperature, of fluid samples comprising a cylinder (1) in which an axially translatable piston is housed that defines, with the end walls of the cylinder, a closed compression chamber (10) in which the sample is confined, characterized in that the walls of said chamber (10) are provided with at least one bore (11) designed for sealably receiving an optical measuring element (2) movable inside said chamber between a retracted position retracted in the bore to allow the piston to pass, and a measuring position in which it protrudes in said chamber. The invention also relates to a method for detecting and/or measuring the quantity of solid matter using said cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an analysis cell for the analysis, at very high pressure and high temperature, of samples of fluids and a detection and measuring method using said cell to determine the conditions for the formation of solid particles and, if applicable, to measure the quantity of solid matter present in said samples.
2. Description of the Related Art
A high pressure and high temperature analysis cell is in particular applicable in the analysis of the thermodynamic and physicochemical properties of hydrocarbons.
These cells are used in the laboratory to perform tests and measurements making it possible to determine the composition of the crude oil taken from a prospecting site before the industrial and commercial exploitation thereof.
These measurements are more particularly intended to determine, precisely and sometimes directly on the site of the explored deposit, any presence of solid matter and the quantity thereof in the crude oil as well as the thermodynamic behavior of that matter during so-called "PVT" tests, i.e., pressure, volume and temperature.
The search for means for determining and predicting the thermodynamic conditions that may lead to the generation of solid particles in oil fluids during exploitation thereof has become very important in the field of oil exploration.
The formation of solid particles refers to the phenomena of asphaltene flocculation or precipitation, and the formation of paraffin (wax) or hydrate crystals.
In fact, at high pressure in the deposits, the asphaltenes are dissolved in the crude oil, which is therefore in a monophasic form.
However, during the extraction of the oil by drilling, the pressure decreases while rising toward the surface and the pressure/temperature pair assumes a first critical value called AOP (Asphaltene Onset Precipitation), which corresponds to the precipitation of asphaltenes. There is also a second critical value called WAT (Wax Appearance Temperature), at which wax crystals are likely to appear. For each sample, it is possible to predict the measurement of the bubble point, which corresponds, for a given temperature, to the state change pressure of the fluid (liquid-gas).
Thus, once equilibrium is broken, through temperature or pressure variations or through a simple change in the chemical composition, a solid phase forms that may cause plugging or accidental dirtying of the conduits for the drilling and/or pipelines, which is extremely detrimental to the exploitation of the well.
It is therefore necessary to provide, from samples taken from the bottom of the well (called "bottom hole samples"), the later behavior of its asphaltene/wax/hydrate components so as to prevent them from having a negative impact during all steps of the production, transport, and refining of hydrocarbons and so as to adapt the facilities and equipment dedicated thereto.
This need is further increased for so-called "new oils," which are primarily bituminous shales and deep oils extracted from "offshore" wells.
These heavy hydrocarbons and certain light oils are more problematic to exploit and transport, since the risk of the appearance of deposits of solid particles, during the rise in the wells and in the transport conduits due to significant pressure and temperature changes, is significantly greater than for traditional hydrocarbons.
The anticipation and/or neutralization of the risk of solid deposits is therefore a new challenge for the oil industry, which is seeking, for logistical and therefore economic reasons, guarantees with respect to the fluidity of the oil during all steps of the exploitation.
Consequently, the analysis of hydrocarbon samples, before the industrial exploitation of the deposit or in the context of the design of recovery techniques (Enhanced Oil Recovery), is henceforth undeniable. This consists of simulating and/or reproducing the thermodynamic conditions to which the hydrocarbons will be subjected during their extraction so as to assess, as a function of their composition, the risks related to the potential appearance of solid phases.
The analysis methods commonly used for biphasic fluids are based on measuring optical properties and, in particular, the diffraction and/or absorption by the solid particles within the analyzed fluid.
For petroleum fluids, the measurements are generally done either using a microscope or by lighting the sample using a laser beam in the infrared wavelengths and measuring the optical power transmitted and/or absorbed through said sample.
The absorption factor (absorbed light) or, conversely, the transmission factor (transmitted light) varies as a function both of the density of the fluid (related to the pressure and temperature conditions) and the presence (optionally also the quantity) of solid particles (asphaltenes, for example).
Regarding the equipment, the known analysis cells generally comprise a cylinder in which an axially translatable piston is mounted that defines, with the end walls of the cylinder, a compression chamber in which the sample is subjected to a very high pressure while it is analyzed optically.
However, although the theoretical foundations of this detection method are well-established at this time, there is no equipment for implementing this method that is capable of precisely determining the appearance and/or levels of solid matter in petroleum fluids with extreme densities (heavy oils).
In fact, for the specific fluids, the density is such that, even with small sample volumes and high light powers, the precision of the measurements is quite insufficient.

Cell for very high pressure analysis of fluid samples and associated measuring method


An electro-optical device cased in a mounting case includes an electro-optical device having an image display region on which projection light from a light source is incident, and a mounting case including a plate disposed to face one surface of the electro-optical device and a cover to cover the electro-optical device, a portion of the cover abutting against the plate, the mounting case accommodating the electro-optical device by holding at least a portion of a peripheral region located at the circumference of the image display region of the electro-optical device with at least one of the plate and the cover. In addition, the cover includes a cooling air introducing portion, and the cooling air introducing portion having a cooling air guiding portion to allow the cooling air which is blown to the electro-optical device encased in the mounting case to flow toward the image display region.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting case to accommodate an electro-optical device, such as a liquid crystal panel, which is used as a light valve of a projection display apparatus, such as a liquid crystal projector, an electro-optical device in the mounting case, in which the electro-optical device is accommodated or encased in the mounting case, and a projection display apparatus including the electro-optical device encased in the mounting case.
2. Description of Related Art
In the related art, generally, when a liquid crystal panel is used as a light valve of a liquid crystal projector, the liquid crystal panel is not provided in an exposed state on a console, etc., constituting the liquid crystal projector, but it is accommodated or encased in a suitable mounting case, and then the mounting case including the liquid crystal panel is provided on the console.
This is because the liquid crystal panel can be easily fixed and installed to the console by suitable screw holes provided in the mounting case.
In such a liquid crystal projector, source light emitted from a light source is projected on the liquid crystal panel in the mounting case as focused light. Light passed through the liquid crystal panel is enlarged and projected on the screen to display images. In this way, since enlarged projection is generally predetermined in such a liquid crystal projector, relatively intensive light emitted from a light source, such as a metal halide lamp is used.
However, in this construction, first, there is a problem in that the temperature of the liquid crystal panel encased in the mounting case rises. That is, the rise in temperature causes the rise in temperature of the liquid crystal interposed between a pair of transparent substrates in the liquid crystal panel. Therefore, the characteristics of the liquid crystal are deteriorated. In addition, when the light emitted from the source light is uneven, the liquid crystal panel is partially heated, and then the deviation of its transmittance is generated by the so-called hot spots. Thus, the quality of projected images deteriorates.
A technique for preventing the rise in temperature of the liquid crystal panel includes an approach for preventing the rise in temperature of the liquid crystal panel by providing a heat radiating sheet between a liquid crystal panel and a heat radiating plate in the liquid crystal display module including a case, which is referred as a "mounting case" in this specification, having the liquid crystal panel and the heat radiating plate for holding and accommodating the liquid crystal panel.
In addition, in order to address the problem, other approaches, such as an approach of providing a light shielding film on a substrate positioned at the side of the liquid crystal panel on which light is incident and an approach of forming the mounting case, in which the liquid crystal panel is held or accommodated, using a light reflective material, have been known.
However, the related art approaches to prevent the rise in temperature of the liquid crystal panel have the following problems. As long as intensive light is emitted from the light source, the problem of the rise in temperature of the liquid crystal panel may occur at any time. Therefore, in order to obtain still higher image quality, more effective measures to reduce or prevent the rise in temperature are required instead of or in addition to the aforementioned approaches.
For example, according to the approach of using the radiating sheet, the heat accumulated in the liquid crystal panel can be effectively radiated. However, assuming that the radiating sheet is provided to cover the entire surface of the substrate, the approach can be used for a reflective liquid crystal panel, but cannot be used for a transmissive liquid crystal panel.
In addition, according to the approach of reflecting light by the light shielding film and the mounting case, as the areas of the light shielding film and the mounting case increase, the amount of the reflected light increases. Thus, the rise in temperature of the liquid crystal panel can be surely reduced or prevented. However, if the amount of the reflected light increases indiscriminately, the stray light increases in the housing to accommodate the liquid crystal panel in the mounting case. Thus, the quality of images can be deteriorated. In addition, since the increase of the area of the light shielding film causes the reduction of the amount of the light from the source light, which is to be originally incident to and to pass through the liquid crystal panel, the image can be darkened. Thus, it is contrary to the aforementioned purpose in which the intensive light is used, in order to display a brighter image. Accordingly, the aforementioned related art approaches cannot be a total solution for the above problems.

Electro-optical device encased in mounting case, projection display apparatus, and mounting case