The invention relates to a method for determining the 3D profile of an object. In order to improve a method of this type, several sections of the object (5) are measured. During at least one measuring operation, at least one reference object (4) is measured. The measured sections of the object (5) are combined (1).

The invention pertains to a method and a device for determining the 3D shape of an object. The object may also be referred to as the measured object. The method and the device make it possible to determine, in particular, the spatial 3D coordinates of surface points of the object or measured object, respectively.
Tactile and optical methods are primarily utilized for determining the shape of objects. In comparison with tactile-scanning coordinate measuring machines, optical 3D measuring methods make it possible to carry out a contactless, full-surface and time-efficient measurement of complicated object shapes of various sizes.
In the meantime, a series of optical sensors with different properties were developed for the field of optical metrology. For example, the complete 3D shape of surfaces is frequently measured with optical triangulation methods (strip projection, Moire). However, various 3D measuring arrangements with coherent light (laser scanning method, interferometric contouring method) are also known.
Tactile and optical methods are required in the field of three-dimensional coordinate metrology, in full-surface 3D nominal/actual measurements and surface tests on technical objects, and in the inspection and position control of components, in particular, of motor vehicles or modeling and tool moulds.
Due to the limited measuring volumes and the limited resolution capacity of available three-dimensional coordinate measuring devices (in the following referred to as 3D-KMG), it is necessary to assemble the measuring data of individual partial measuring fields into the 3D shape of the entire object similar to a mosaic, namely with the least possible loss in accuracy and surface structure resolution, when measuring highly structured objects and large-surface objects.
There exist various (tactile and optical) measuring methods and 3D sensors for measuring 3D coordinates and for determining the 3D shape of objects. The variety of proposed measuring and evaluation strategies is exceptionally broad. With respect to optical measuring methods, important measuring principles are the triangulation method and the interferometry method. The triangulation and the contour measuring method are of the utmost practical importance for determining shapes and for surface controls. In many measuring tasks, a full-surface and consequently simultaneous acquisition of contour data of the entire surface is advantageous. Imaging contour measuring methods (strip projection, Moire, interferometric contouring method) are used for such tasks in the form of so-called field measuring methods. With respect to full-surface optical measuring systems, strip projection methods with a matrix camera and a projector for non-coded or coded strips are known, wherein the three-dimensional coordinates of the surface points are calculated from the image coordinates of the camera image and the strip numbers detected on the respective image coordinate based on geometric models of the measuring arrangement. In other known methods that are based on photogrammetry, several cameras and projectors are utilized. Laser triangulation methods that operate point-by-point and line-by-line are, in part, supplemented with expensive scanning and handling mechanisms for realizing a full-surface scanning. Imaging triangulation methods from the field of photogrammetry make it possible to measure a series of individual points with high accuracy.
All 3D measuring methods and systems have a common problem that is caused by the measuring principle, namely that an individual surface measurement by means of 3D-KMG is not sufficient for determining the complete shape of an object to be measured, e.g., in an allround measurement. This is the reason why objects are recorded and measured from several directions with a movable 3D-KMG or several 3D-KMG. The spatial arrangement of the 3D-KMG relative to the object may change, e.g., when repositioning the measuring device or the measured object. If the corresponding positions of the 3D-KMG relative to the measured object are known, the corresponding individual measurements can be linked similar to a mosaic in order to reconstruct the complete object. The 3D object coordinates acquired in the respective device coordinate system (in the following referred to as device-KOS) by means of individual measurements are transformed into the fixed coordinate system of the 3D measuring arrangement or the reference coordinate system (in the following referred to as reference-KOS) by means of a geometric transformation rule.
The following steps are carried out:    1. Determining the unknown parameters of the transformation between the device-KOS and the reference-KOS;    2. Carrying out the transformation into the data sets of the individual measuring fields, i.e., calculating the 3D coordinates in the reference-KOS with the aid of the calculated transformation parameters.
One metrological problem can be seen in the fact that inaccuracies in the position values result in gaps between the individual fields, as well as in a reduced accuracy, over the complete object surface. The invention aims to solve this problem.
Various methods and system solutions are known for determining the positions of the measuring device and for linking the individual measuring fields.
In addition to tactile probes, optical 3D sensors are used which are positioned in the required measuring positions and aligned relative to the object by means of a mechanical guidance system (e.g., multiaxis CNC, coordinate measuring machines, measuring arms, robots). The position values are predetermined for the guidance system (internal glass measuring rods), wherein the transformation rule to be applied for linking the individual measuring fields is determined from said position values. The accuracy of the entire measurement requires complicated designs of the motion mechanics. The high constructive and monetary expenditure for realizing the guidance and measuring system is considered disadvantageous. Despite the high expenditures, significant residual errors and gaps between the measuring data remain, in particular, in multiaxis positioning systems. The definition of the path movement, the measuring volume and the displacement speed for the CNC machine requires a significant expenditure of time. Another disadvantage can be seen in the fact that the measured object needs to be transported to the measuring system, i.e., a mobile measurement cannot be realized with systems of this type. Special embodiments contain sensors that are mounted on a movable "measuring arm", (e.g., an articulated arm). Although the simple portability of these devices makes it possible to carry out mobile measurements, the object measuring range is limited to approximately 1 m.
There also exist systems in which the sensor (or the tactile probe) is guided over the object manually or with the assistance of motion mechanics while measurements are carried out. The movement and position of the sensor is detected by means of an external (e.g., optoelectronic) reference measuring system that is fixed in space and the position data of which are used for linking the individual measurements. This solution requires a high accuracy of the reference measuring system. The mobility of the system is limited due to the fact that the sensor always needs to be situated within the measuring range of the reference measuring system.
There also exist photogrammetric methods and systems that are able to determine the spatial position of a camera (or a projector) relative to several visible reference points, the coordinates of which in space are predetermined (spatial step backward). In other known photogrammetric methods and systems, it is possible to determine several spatial positions of a camera (or a projector) or the spatial positions of several cameras (or projectors) relative to one another as long as the halftone and phase images recorded from different directions contain several common measuring points, e.g., in the form of measuring markings, the coordinates of which do not have been known beforehand (bundle compensation). In this method, the coordinates of these measuring points are calculated in addition to the positions of the cameras or projectors (simultaneous calibration). A length reference is introduced as the scale.
There also exist photogrammetric orientation methods that make it possible to determine the spatial position of an optoelectronic 3D sensor (consisting of at least one camera and one projector), a camera or a projector relative to several visible reference points, the coordinates of which in space are predetermined. A reference network of individual measuring points which is arranged stationarily referred to the measured object makes it possible to assemble the measuring data of individual partial measurements. It is known that such reference points, e.g., in the form of measuring markings, may be arranged on the object itself or outside the object, e.g., on external measuring cages or connecting links (DE 198 40 334 A1, DE 195 36 294 A1).
Prerequisites for a sufficiently accurate determination of the position of optoelectronic sensors by means of a reference network are a minimum of three to four measuring markings in a sensor recording, as well as their largely uniform distribution in the measuring field. Consequently, a large number of coded and non-coded measuring markings needs to be used for measuring large objects. The positioning of these measuring markings and, if applicable, their spacing consequently are very time-consuming (high expenditure of labor). In addition, significant parts of the surface of the measured object are covered by the adhesive markings or the measuring cage or connecting link used. If the minimum number of measuring markings or their uniform distribution in the measuring field cannot be ensured when measuring objects with a complex structure, i.e., objects that are not two-dimensional, the object cannot be completely measured. When measuring objects with a size of more than 1 cubic meter, measuring cages or connecting links become difficult to handle and transport due to the required large size and heavy weight. This means that the advantage of a mobile measuring system is lost. The accuracy is reduced due to an insufficient stability of the connecting link, in particular, if its mass is reduced. The calibration of the markings always requires the utilization of an additional measuring system and consequently is associated with an increased expenditure of labor.
In other known methods, a so-called matching (also referred to as registering) of 3D data sets that are primarily obtained with the aid of optical field measuring methods is carried out. In this case, the positions of two 3D-KMG relative to one another or two positions of one movable 3D-KMG are determined from overlapping 3D data sets. These methods are also used for matching measured 3D data sets with predetermined CAD models of these objects in order to carry out a nominal/actual comparison. When matching 3D data sets, numerical compensation methods are applied which calculate the required transformation from one 3D data set into the other 3D data set, i.e., the transformation parameters. This makes it possible to carry out the transformation between the spatially changed device-KOS. One device-KOS is usually defined relative to the reference-KOS such that the 3D data of different device-KOS can be transformed to this reference-KOS. This results in a uniform surface description with 3D object coordinates in the reference-KOS.
Matching methods require a sufficient overlap between the individual measuring fields and a sufficient structuring of the object surface. The individual transformations can otherwise not be determined in a sufficiently definitive and accurate fashion. This means that the limited accuracy over the entire object and the dependence of the measuring result quality on the structure of the object represent two of the more significant disadvantages of these methods. This method is entirely unsuitable for smooth object surfaces (no definitive solution of the transformation).

Method and device for determining the 3D profile of an object


A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a radiation system that provides a beam of radiation, and a support structure that supports a patterning structure. The patterning structure is configured to pattern the beam of radiation according to a desired pattern. The apparatus also includes a substrate support that supports a substrate, a projection system that projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of the substrate, a plurality of optical elements that form part of at least one of the radiation system, the patterning structure, and the projection system; and a cleaning device. The cleaning device includes at least one cleaning beam of radiation, and a gas. The cleaning device is configured to clean an individual optical element or a subset of the plurality of optical elements.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a lithographic projection apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to the cleaning of optical elements of a lithographic apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
The term "patterning device" or "patterning structure" as here employed should be broadly interpreted as referring to a device or structure that can be used to endow an incoming radiation beam with a patterned cross-section, corresponding to a pattern that is to be created in a target portion of the substrate. The term "light valve" can also be used in this context. Generally, the said pattern will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit or other device (see below). Examples of such patterning devices include:                A mask. The concept of a mask is well known in lithography, and it includes mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. Placement of such a mask in the radiation beam causes selective transmission (in the case of a transmissive mask) or reflection (in the case of a reflective mask) of the radiation impinging on the mask, according to the pattern on the mask. In the case of a mask, the support structure will generally be a mask table, which ensures that the mask can be held at a desired position in the incoming radiation beam, and that it can be moved relative to the beam if so desired.        A programmable mirror array. One example of such a device is a matrix-addressable surface having a viscoelastic control layer and a reflective surface. The basic principle behind such an apparatus is that (for example) addressed areas of the reflective surface reflect incident light as diffracted light, whereas unaddressed areas reflect incident light as undiffracted light. Using an appropriate filter, the said undiffracted light can be filtered out of the reflected beam, leaving only the diffracted light behind; in this manner, the beam becomes patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable surface. An alternative embodiment of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of tiny mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted about an axis by applying a suitable localized electric field, or by employing a piezoelectric actuation device. Once again, the mirrors are matrix-addressable, such that addressed mirrors will reflect an incoming radiation beam in a different direction to unaddressed mirrors. In this manner, the reflected beam is patterned according to the addressing pattern of the matrix-addressable mirrors. The required matrix addressing can be performed using suitable electronic means. In both of the situations described hereabove, the patterning device can comprise one or more programmable mirror arrays. More information on mirror arrays as here referred to can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,296,891 and 5,523,193, and PCT patent applications WO 98/38597 and WO 98/33096, which are incorporated herein by reference. In the case of a programmable mirror array, the said support structure may be embodied as a frame or table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required.        A programmable LCD array. An example of such a construction is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,872, which is incorporated herein by reference. As above, the support structure in this case may be embodied as a frame or table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required.For purposes of simplicity, the rest of this text may, at certain locations, specifically direct itself to examples involving a mask and mask table. However, the general principles discussed in such instances should be seen in the broader context of the patterning device as hereabove set forth.
Lithographic projection apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In such a case, the patterning device may generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of the IC, and this pattern can be imaged onto a target portion (e.g. comprising one or more dies) on a substrate (silicon wafer) that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist). In general, a single wafer will contain a whole network of adjacent target portions that are successively irradiated via the projection system, one at a time. In current apparatus, employing patterning by a mask on a mask table, a distinction can be made between two different types of machine. In one type of lithographic projection apparatus, each target portion is irradiated by exposing the entire mask pattern onto the target portion in one go; such an apparatus is commonly referred to as a wafer stepper. In an alternative apparatus—commonly referred to as a step and scan apparatus—each target portion is irradiated by progressively scanning the mask pattern under the projection beam in a given reference direction (the "scanning" direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate table parallel or anti parallel to this direction; since, in general, the projection system will have a magnification factor M (generally <1), the speed V at which the substrate table is scanned will be a factor M times that at which the mask table is scanned. More information with regard to lithographic devices as here described can be gleaned, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,792, incorporated herein by reference.
In a manufacturing process using a lithographic projection apparatus, a pattern (e.g. in a mask) is imaged onto a substrate that is at least partially covered by a layer of radiation sensitive material (resist). Prior to this imaging step, the substrate may undergo various procedures, such as priming, resist coating and a soft bake. After exposure, the substrate may be subjected to other procedures, such as a post exposure bake (PEB), development, a hard bake and measurement/inspection of the imaged features. This array of procedures is used as a basis to pattern an individual layer of a device, e.g. an IC. Such a patterned layer may then undergo various processes such as etching, ion implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, chemo mechanical polishing, etc., all intended to finish off an individual layer. If several layers are required, then the whole procedure, or a variant thereof, will have to be repeated for each new layer. Eventually, an array of devices will be present on the substrate (wafer). These devices are then separated from one another by a technique such as dicing or sawing, whence the individual devices can be mounted on a carrier, connected to pins, etc. Further information regarding such processes can be obtained, for example, from the book "Microchip Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Semiconductor Processing", Third Edition, by Peter van Zant, McGraw Hill Publishing Co., 1997, ISBN 0 07 067250 4, incorporated herein by reference.
For the sake of simplicity, the projection system may hereinafter be referred to as the "lens". However, this term should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection system, including refractive optics, reflective optics, and catadioptric systems, for example. The radiation system may also include components operating according to any of these design types for directing, shaping or controlling the projection beam of radiation, and such components may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a "lens". Further, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In such "multiple stage" devices the additional tables may be used in parallel, or preparatory steps may be carried out on one or more tables while one or more other tables are being used for exposures. Dual stage lithographic apparatus are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,441 and WO 98/40791, incorporated herein by reference.
There is known a method of cleaning the optical elements of a lithographic apparatus using a combination of photons and gases. Several different cleaning strategies have been identified, for example, EUV radiation with oxygen, 150 nm radiation with oxygen, EUV radiation with ozone, or 150 nm radiation with ozone. The method involves supplying oxygen to the vicinity of the surface of the optical element that is required to be cleaned and thereafter supplying a cleaning beam of photons to the surface of the optical element. The cleaning beam of photons is believed to cause secondary electrons to be generated near the surface of the optical element. The secondary electrons thereafter activate the oxygen and the activated oxygen then oxidizes any carbon that may have built up on the surface of the optical element. The result is that carbon is removed from the surface of the optical element.
The above-mentioned prior art method is carried out by supplying oxygen to all of the optical elements in the lithographic apparatus and then supplying the cleaning beam of photons using the radiation system. In this way, all the optical elements in the apparatus are cleaned at the same time. Further, the whole useable surface of the optical elements is cleaned to the same degree.

Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method and device manufactured thereby


An anatomical teaching model includes a replica of male anatomy having a replicated penis integrated with a replicated scrotum. A first cavity is formed in the replicated penis, where the first cavity is adapted to receive an inflatable body of a penile prosthesis. A second cavity is formed in the replicated scrotum, where the second cavity is adapted to receive a pump of a pump of the penile prosthesis. An access port is formed in a distal surface of the replica of male anatomy for access to the first cavity.

An implanted penile prosthetic offers men experiencing erectile dysfunction an ability to have an erection that is suitable for penetrative intercourse.
A malleable penile prosthesis includes a first malleable rod implantable into a first corpora cavernosum and a second malleable rod implantable into a second corpora cavernosum. Once implanted, a malleable penile prosthetic allows the user to position his penis in an erect position suitable for intercourse.
An inflatable penile prosthesis includes a pump connected to a reservoir and a pair of inflatable penile prostheses. The pump is utilized to move liquid from the reservoir into the inflatable prostheses to form an erection. Some men have difficulty manipulating the pump, whether due to dexterity or a lack of practice with the pump. Surgeons who have advised such patients have come to realize that some patients are tentative in how they handle the newly implanted penile prosthetic, and other patients have been observed using a sub-optimal approach to actuating the pump of the newly implanted penile prosthetic. Surgeons and patients would both welcome an opportunity for the patient to become familiarized with the function of an implanted penile prosthetic in a clinical setting.


The present invention provides a process for removing heat stable salts which accumulate in alkanolamine gas purification process units. Surprisingly, it has been found that weakly acidic cationic exchange resins are dramatically more effective for removing heat stable salts from alkanolamine solutions than strongly acidic cationic exchange resins.. Specifically, it has been found in accordance with the invention that ion exchange resins are useful for purifying used aqueous alkanolamine solutions, in the following order of preference: Weak Acid IX>Weak Base IX>Strong Acid IX>Strong Base IX.

Alkanolamine process units remove H.sub.2 S and CO.sub.2 from gaseous process streams, typically by countercurrently contacting an aqueous solution containing from about 20% to about 50% by weight of an alkanolamine with a gas stream containing H.sub.2 S and/or CO.sub.2. For the purpose of this application, it is understood that the terms "alkanolamine" and "ethanolamine" are generic terms including, but not limited to, monoethanolaminel diethanolamine, triethanolamine, and methyl diethanolamine.
The removal of hydrogen sulfide from gaseous streams, such as the waste gases liberated in the course of various chemical and industrial processes, for example, in wood pulping, natural gas and crude oil production and in petroleum refining, has become increasingly important in combating atmospheric pollution. Hydrogen sulfide containing gases not only have an offensive odor, but such gases may cause damage to vegetation, painted surfaces and wildlife, and further may constitute a significant health hazard to humans. Government-wide regulations have increasingly imposed lower tolerances on the content of hydrogen sulfide which can be vented to the atmosphere, and it is now imperative in many localities to remove virtually all the hydrogen sulfide under the penalty of an absolute ban on continuing operation of a plant or the like which produces the hydrogen sulfide-containing gaseous stream. Solutions of water and one or more the alkanolamines are widely used in industry to remove hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from such gaseous streams.
Corrosion in alkanolamine units significantly increases both operating and maintenance costs. The mechanisms of corrosive attack include general corrosive thinning, corrosion-erosion, and stress-corrosion cracking. Corrosion control techniques include the use of more expensive corrosion and erosion resistant alloys, continuous or periodic removal of corrosion-promoting agents in suspended solids by filtration, activated carbon adsorption, or by the addition of corrosion inhibitors. (See Kohl, A. L. and Reisenfeld, F. C., Gas Purification, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, 1979, pp. 91-105, as well as K. F. Butwell, D. J. Kubec and P. W. Sigmund, "Alkanolamine Treating", Hydrocarbon Processing, March, 1982.)
Further, it has been found that the acid gas sorption capacity in a circulating alkanolamine-water system decreases with time on stream in the absence of added makeup alkanolamine. This performance degradation has been found to be partially attributable to the accumulation of heat stable salts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,565 to Yan describes a process for removing heat stable salts from an ethanolamine system by the use of ion exchange resins. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,565 to Yan is incorporated herein by reference for the operating details both of an ethanolamine acid gas sorption system as well as for the heat stable salt removal process.
Heat stable salts may also be removed from an alkanolamine system by distillation. However, such separation has been limited in the past to relatively mild conditions of temperature and pressure to avoid thermal degradation of the alkanolamine. For example, diethanolamine (DEA) boils at 268.degree. C. at 760 mm Hg pressure and tends to oxidize and decompose at high temperature. For this reason, vacuum distillation has not been widely used to separate heat stable salts from spent alkanolamine solutions.
The Yan '565 patent cited above teaches that strongly acidic and basic cationic and anionic exchange resins are preferred to remove accumulated salts from ethanolamine solutions. See the Yan '565 patent at column 4, lines 4-61.
The chemistry of alkanolamine degradation is discussed in the Butwell et al. article cited above. Briefly, the Butwell et al. article notes that monoethanolamine (MEA) irreversibly degrades to N-(2-hydroxyethyl) ethylene diamine (HEED). HEED shows reduced acid gas removal properties and becomes corrosive at concentrations of at least about 0.4% by weight.
Diglycolamine (DGA), on the other hand, is said to produce a degradation product upon reaction with CO.sub.2 which exhibits different properties. DGA, a registered trademark of Texaco, Inc., identifies an amine having the chemical formula NH.sub.2 --C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --O--C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --OH. DGA degrades in the presence of CO.sub.2 to form N,N'-bis(hydroxyethoxyethyl) urea (BHEEU) which is similar to HEED in corrosivity but differs in that BHEEU has no acid gas removal properties.
Diethanolamine (DEA) reacts with CO.sub.2 to form N,N'-di(2-hydroxyethyl) piperazine. Unlike HEED and BHEEU, the piperazine compound is noncorrosive and has acid gas removal properties essentially eclual to its parent, DEA. See the Butwell et al. article at page 113.
Diisopropylamine (DIPA) readily degrades in the contact with CO.sub.2 to form 3-(2-hydroxypropyl) 5-methyl oxazolidone which shows essentially no acid gas removal properties. See the Butwell et al. article at page 113.
Numerous degradation products formed by the reaction of H.sub.2 S, or a mixture of H.sub.2 S and CO.sub.2 with diethanolamine have been reported from analyses of operating diethanolamine acid gas sorption processes and are shown below in Table 1.
TABLE 1 __________________________________________________________________________ COMPOUNDS RESULTING FROM DEA DEGRADATION Name Abbreviation Structural formula __________________________________________________________________________ N,N-Bis (2-hydroxy- ethyl) piperazine HEP ##STR1## N,N,N-tris (2-hydroxy- ethyl) ethylenediamine THEED ##STR2## Hydroxyethyl imida- zolidone HEI ##STR3## N-Methyldiethanolamine MDEA ##STR4## Oxazolidone OZO ##STR5## Aminoethylkethanolamine AEEA ##STR6## Bis-(2-hydroxy ethyl) glycine BHG ##STR7## __________________________________________________________________________
The complex chemistry of alkanolamine degradation may account at least in part for the unpredictable behavior of ion exchange resins for removing heat stable salts from aqueous alkanolainine solutions.

Clean up of ethanolamine solution by treating with weak ion exchange resins


The invention pertains to methods and apparatus for monitoring loads on an arched tubing guide of a coiled tubing injector caused by tension on coiled tubing. The load is sensed by a load sensor, for example, a load cell placed in a strut that supports the arched tubing guide, or in a load pin or load cell placed within the structure arched tubing guide or the connection of the arched tubing guide to a frame for the coiled tubing injector, at a location where the load is representative of the load placed on an arched tubing guide by tension in the coiled tubing. The load sensor generates a feedback signal. The load is monitored, either by an operator or a controller, and torque applied to a reel around which the tubing is wound is adjusted to avoid, or in response to, excessive loads on the arched tubing guide.

Coiled tubing refers to a continuously string of steel pipe that is continuously milled and coiled onto a large take-up reel for transportation and handling. Coiled tubing is used in a wide range of oilfield services and operations. It can be run into and out of a well bore at a high rate, relative to straight, jointed pipe, and, unlike wire line, it can be pushed into the well bore. With diameters from 0.75 inches to more than 4 inches, coiled tubing can possess a yield and tensile strengths from 50,000 pounds-force per square inch (PSI) to more than 120,000 PSI, and has been manufactured in lengths greater than 30,000 feet. It has been used for drilling, logging, cleanouts, fracturing, cementing, fishing, completion and production related operations.
Coiled tubing injectors are machines for running coiled tubing and, in some cases, even jointed pipe, in and out of well bores. The name "coiled tubing injector" derives from the fact that, in preexisting well bores, the tubing may need to be forced or "injected" into the well through a sliding seal to overcome the pressure of fluid within the well, until the weight of the tubing in the well exceeds the force produced by the pressure acting against the cross-sectional area of the pipe. However, once the weight of the tubing overcomes the pressure, it must be held by the injector.
There are a number of different types and configurations of coiled tubing injectors capable of handling coiled tubing used in oilfield operations. The head of a typical coiled tubing injector used today is comprised of two continuous chains, each mounted on sets of spaced-apart sprockets, so that there is an extended length of chain between the sprockets. At least one of the chains is driven by a motor—typically hydraulic, though other types of motors can be used—connected to one or more of the sprockets. The chains are arranged so that the coiled tubing entering the injector is held between the chains by grippers mounted to each of the chains. The grippers are pressed against the outer diameter of the tubing thereby generating a frictional force parallel to the axis of the tubing. The frictional force is directly related to the normal force applied by the grippers.
A reel of coiled tubing, a coiled tubing injector, a control cabin and other equipment for operating the injector are mounted on a trailer and transported to a site as a "coiled tubing unit." As coiled tubing is unspooled from the reel, or is spooled back onto the reel, it is guided into alignment with the chains of the coiled tubing injector by an arched tubing guide. When the coiled tubing injector is deployed at a well site, the arched tubing guide is connected to a frame of the coiled tubing injector so that it has a fixed relationship with the coiled tubing injector while the injector is being operated. Generally, the arched tubing guide is positioned or oriented so that the coiled tubing is threaded into the top of the head of the injector, between its rotating chains. Optionally, tubing can also be fed first into a straightener mounted to the frame, on top of the injector head. The straightener removes the bend in the tubing before it enters the injector head. (As used in this description, "coiled tubing injector" refers to the injector head alone or in combination with a frame, within which the head is placed, and/or a straightener, unless the context indicates otherwise.)
The reel must maintain tension on the coiled tubing to wind the tubing coiled on the reel and to keep it wound on the reel, as it is being unspooled or spooled. The arched tubing guide prevents the coiled tubing from kinking or otherwise being damaged by the tension the reel is applying to the tubing.
The arched tubing guide is typically attached to the frame of the coiled tubing injector in a manner that allows it to be attached or connected in different positions or orientations. For example, the best positioning or orientation may depend on the diameter of tubing being used and whether the tubing is being lowered or pushed into the well bore or pulled out of the well bore. When the pipe is coming off a reel, it has relatively more curve than when it is pulled from the well, which may affect how the arched tubing guide is fixed to the injector. Thus, although the arched tubing guide will have fixed relationship with the head of the coiled tubing injector during operation, this does not imply that the attachment of the arched tubing guide to the injector cannot allow for adjustment.
When being used, the coiled tubing injector with the arched tubing guide is positioned over the well head, high enough to accommodate one or more blow out preventers, a riser, and other equipment that might be connected to the wellhead through which the coiled tubing must pass before entering the well bore. The riser is made up from one or more sections of straight pipe that extends from the blow out preventers attached to the wellhead, and is used to accommodate elongated, rigid tools that are attached to the end of the coiled tubing before being lowered into the well bore. The coiled tubing injector is connected to the riser with a stripper, through which the coiled tubing is pushed or pulled. Because there is no derrick or platform, a mobile crane is driven to the site and is used to position and hold the injector in place. Alternatively, a temporary structure is erected above the wellhead, on which the coiled tubing injector is placed. In either case, the person operating the coiled tubing injector and the coiled tubing reel is located remotely from the coiled tubing injector, typically in a cabin on the trailer used to transport the reel and coiled tubing injector to the well site. Examples of risers, cranes, wellheads, reels, and coiled tubing units are shown in U.S. published patent application no. 20130175048, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
The injector controls the motion of the tubing while the reel provides tension in the tubing between the reel and the injector by being constantly back driven. The amount of tension imparted to the tube is determined by the amount of torque generated by the reel's drive and the radial distance of the working wrap of tubing to the reel's axis of rotation. Several thousands of pounds of tension between the reel and the injector are required to maintain a controlled wrapping of the tubing on and off the reel. With larger and stronger coiled tubing, more tension is required to control orderly spooling of the tubing on the reel and puts higher loads on all tubing handling equipment.
The correct amount reel torque for a specific situation is typically controlled by the operator. The operator's experience, intuition and visual observation of the wrapping of the tubing are the only guides for operation. This subjective method may lead to the tension rising too high and causing equipment failure, the most common of which is a collapse of the arched tubing guide. Examples of situations that can cause the tension to climb to dangerous levels are: 1) movement of the injector with the reel brake set, 2) failure to decrease the reel's torque output as the tubing is unwrapped (constant reel torque causes more tension at the base wrap compared to the top wrap), and 3) rapid deceleration of the injector when running out of hole (reel momentum can cause the tension to increase before reel slows to match injector speed).
Consequently, tubing handling components have been designed to ensure that the arched tubing guide or, if it is used, the strut that holds the tubing guide, has the lowest safety factor, meaning that as tubing tension increases the strut is the first component to fail. It fails by buckling. While no failure is desirable, such a failure is preferred to others as buckling of the strut provides visual feedback to the operator that an overload has occurred and is less likely to cause a catastrophic failure than other failure modes.

Coiled tubing injector with load sensing tubing guide


A semiconductor device is produced by a process for intrinsic gettering heat treatment of a silicon crystal in which the concentration of C--O complex defects destined to form seeds for oxygen precipitation in the silicon crystal is increased or an amount of oxygen precipitate in the silicon crystal is controlled, to thereby eliminate the dispersion of the amount from one crystal to another. In the heat treatment of the silicon crystal, the amount of oxygen precipitation can be controlled with a high accuracy.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for the production of a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a process for an intrinsic gettering heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as "IG heat-treating method") of a silicon crystal substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Silicon crystals used in semiconductor devices contain impurity oxygen in a supersoluble amount, and when these crystals are subjected to a heat treatment, the impurity oxygen is precipitated as an oxide of silicon. It is well known that the defect due to this precipitate causes a gettering of metal impurities which have mingled with the crystal, and this gettering action is utilized in the actual production of semiconductor devices. When this precipitate occurs in the zone of element, however, it impairs the element characteristics.
Therefore, it is important to establish an IG heat-treating method capable of controlling, with a high accuracy, the position and speed of the precipitation of the impurity oxygen in a silicon crystal substrate.
It is known that the speed and amount of the precipitate of the impurity oxygen in the silicon crystal are augmented by the presence of impurity carbon in the crystal, and a utilization of this action of the impurity carbon ought to facilitate the precipitation of the impurity oxygen in the silicon crystal having a low oxygen concentration.
Nevertheless, since the mechanism of the precipitation of the impurity oxygen has not been elucidated, the effect of the impurity carbon cannot be accurately incorporated in the conditions for the IG heat treatment, and thus no method has yet been established for the IG heat treatment of the silicon crystal containing impurity carbon.
FIG. 5 illustrates the conventional process for the IG heat treatment. First, a heat treatment is performed at a temperature exceeding 1,000.degree. C., specifically at 1,100.degree. C., for example, for a period of 1.5 hours to form a denuded zone, then a heat treatment is performed at a temperature of from 650.degree. to 800.degree. C., specifically at 700.degree. C., for example, for a period of four hours, to form a seed for the precipitation of oxygen, and thereafter a treatment for the elevation of the temperature to 1,100.degree. C. is performed to induce growth of the seed for oxygen precipitation.
When a silicon crystal containing impurity carbon is subjected to a heat treatment, the impurity oxygen (Oi) approaches the impurity carbon (Cs) and forms a C--O complex defect, which constitutes itself a seed for the precipitation of oxygen. The present inventors have found that when the heat treatment is performed at a low temperature, the C--O complex defect increases. The experiment which has led to this knowledge will be described in detail below.
FIG. 3 is a graph obtained by performing a heat treatment at a varying temperature of from 450.degree. C. to 800.degree. C. on a silicon crystal having an impurity oxygen (Oi) concentration of 15 ppm and an impurity carbon (Cs) concentration of 6 ppm and plotting the results of the heat treatment as to the duration of heat treatment relative to the concentration of C--O complex consequently formed in the silicon crystal, with the temperature of heat treatment as a parameter. The C--O complex concentration is increased by the heat treatment performed at a temperature not exceeding 600.degree. C. and it is conversely decreased and rapidly brought to an equilibrium state by the heat treatment performed at a temperature exceeding 600.degree. C. It has been confirmed that the C--O complex concentration in the equilibrium state is governed by the impurity oxygen (Oi) concentration and the impurity carbon (Cs) concentration in the silicon crystal and the temperature of the heat treatment.
Thus, it has been established that, when the heat treatment is carried out at the temperature conventionally used for this heat treatment, the concentration of the C--O complex serving as the seed for oxygen precipitation is decreased and an ample oxygen precipitation is not obtained.
On the other hand, in the production of semiconductor devices using silicon single crystals, more often than not such silicon crystals produced by the CZ (Czokralski) process under conditions calculated for the concentration [Oi] of impurity oxygen (Oi) to exceed about 28 ppm are used. In these silicon crystals, the concentration [Cs] of impurity carbon (Cs) is generally controlled to the lowest possible level, specifically below 0.5 ppm (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-15335). In the classification of crystals by the concentration [Oi] of impurity oxygen (Oi) and the concentration [Cs] of impurity carbon (Cs), these silicon crystals belong to the region indicated as (a) in FIG. 10. These silicon crystals of high-oxygen and low-carbon concentrations are selectively used for the following reason.
(1) First, to utilize the intrinsic gettering effect due to precipitation of oxygen, these crystals must possess an oxidation precipitation tendency exceeding a certain degree. The impurity carbon (Cs) has an action of promoting precipitation of oxygen. When the concentration [Cs] of the impurity carbon (Cs) is below a certain fixed value (0.5 ppm), the concentration [Oi] of the impurity oxygen (Oi) must exceed a certain fixed value (about 28 ppm) to obtain a sufficient amount of oxygen precipitation. In other words, no sufficient oxygen precipitation is obtained with the crystals of low-oxygen and low-carbon concentrations falling in the region indicated as (d) in FIG. 10.
(2) The concentration [Cs] of the impurity carbon (Cs) must be controlled to a fixed value because the oxygen precipitation in a high-oxygen crystal, whose concentration [Oi] of the impurity oxygen (Oi) exceeds 28 ppm, is extremely sensitive to the concentration [Cs] of the impurity carbon (Cs). By the standard of the current techniques, however, a regulation of this fixed value to the lowest possible level (below 0.5 ppm) is the simplest and economically advantageous approach. To be specific, the silicon crystals belonging to the region indicated as (a) in FIG. 10 are easier to manufacture and economically more advantageous than the silicon crystals belonging to the region indicated as (c).
(3) Since the impurity carbon (Cs) is effective in promoting oxygen precipitation, the use of crystals having low-oxygen and high-carbon concentrations belonging to the region indicated as (b) in FIG. 10 raises no problem exclusively from the viewpoint of oxygen precipitation. When these crystals are used, however, the effect of carbon on the oxygen precipitation, namely the amount of carbon-containing oxygen precipitation seed defect, must be controlled. Heretofore, this problem has been evaded as an unusually complicated matter. Where an accurate control of precipitation is required, therefore, these crystals of low-oxygen and high-carbon concentrations have not been selected for use.
The fact that the crystals of high-oxygen and low-carbon concentration [belonging to the region (a) in FIG. 10] have been disseminated more than the crystals of low-oxygen and high-carbon concentrations [belonging to the region (b) in FIG. 10], as reviewed on the basis of the levels of current techniques and studies, may be ascribed rather to the circumstances of the technical development to date than to the essential difference between them.
The conventional technique using crystals of high-oxygen and low-carbon concentrations has the disadvantage that, even when one and the same heat treatment for oxygen precipitation is performed on silicon crystals containing impurity oxygen (Oi) in one and the same concentration, the amount of precipitation is prone to dispersion. In the case of crystals having a high-oxygen concentration, a sufficient oxygen precipitation takes place even in the absence of carbon. The precipitation of this kind (non-carbon precipitation) is governed in a large measure by the amount of the seed for non-carbon precipitation. Since the silicon crystals neither always assume a fixed amount of thermal hystersis during the course of their production nor produce a fixed amount of seed for non-carbon precipitation, the amount of oxygen precipitation is apt to dispersion.
At present, since the seed for non-carbon precipitation defies direct observation, there is no way of estimating the density of the seed for non-carbon precipitation in a given silicon crystal in advance of the step of heat treatment for oxygen precipitation. It is, therefore, difficult to obtain ample repression of the dispersion in the amount of oxygen precipitation in crystals having high-oxygen and low-carbon concentrations. Note, this dispersion occurs most frequently in crystals having the concentration [Oi] of the impurity oxygen (Oi) of from 28 to 34 ppm, which are used prevalently for devices.
Further, the conventional methods of heat treatment of a silicon crystal as previously mentioned have a disadvantage in that an accurate control of the amount of oxygen precipitation in the silicon crystal is difficult because the amount of oxygen precipitate produced in the silicon crystal is dispersed when the thermal hysteresis exerted on the silicon crystal is varied. This drawback has caused variations in the gettering ability among the individual substrates.

Process for producing semiconductor device


A method is provided that speeds up software testing using abbreviation of software tests that skips the execution of a portion of the software test. Intermediate results are generated for one or more software tests, with each intermediate result corresponding to a software test, and a respective key is generated from each intermediate result. A determination is made whether the respective key for each intermediate result is stored in a file cache used for storing files under keys. Generation of a final result for the corresponding software test of each intermediate result is bypassed in response to the respective key being present in the file cache. A final result for the corresponding software test of each intermediate result is generated from the intermediate result in response to the respective key not being present in the file cache. The respective key is stored in the file cache in response to generation of each final result.

Exhaustive testing of software is generally not feasible, and therefore, test efforts tend to be directed to running tests most likely to uncover errors. It is often possible to save testing time by bypassing the remainder of a test when preliminary test results indicate that the balance of the test is guaranteed to succeed. For example, suppose T is a test, and the final outcome of T entirely depends on intermediate results produced by T. Suppose also that a run of test T succeeds. Then for a subsequent run of T for which the intermediate results match the intermediate results from the earlier successful run, the part of test T that follows the part producing the intermediate results can be bypassed because that remainder of the test may be guaranteed to succeed as well.
To illustrate bypassing a portion of a test in a more concrete example, suppose S is a software system that generates electronic designs, and assume T is a test for S. Test T consists of two main steps: first, running S to generate a design, and second, simulating the generated design. Test T succeeds if the simulation produces expected results. Simulations are usually quite slow, so it is useful to eliminate simulation testing if practical. Since the simulation results depend on nothing except for the design being simulated (assuming the same simulation stimuli), the results are guaranteed to be good if the design being simulated is known to be identical to the design for which simulation succeeded previously.
Tracking tests and intermediate and final test results may be time-consuming and potentially prone to errors. That is, tests may be so numerous, large, and complex that accurate identification of suitable portions of tests for bypass may be very difficult.
The present invention may address one or more of the above issues.

Bypassing execution of a software test using a file cache


An air conditioner may include an indoor device and an outdoor device. The outdoor device may include a plurality of compressors, a plurality of bypass tubes respectively connected to the plurality of compressors, and a plurality of bypass valves respectively provided to the bypass tubes. When at least one of the plurality of compressors is stopped during operation of the air conditioner and the plurality of compressors, a bypass valve corresponding to the stopped compressor may be opened to equalize an internal pressure of the stopped compressor to facilitate a re-start of operation of the stopped compressor without adversely affecting overall performance of the air conditioner.

1. Field
This relates to an air conditioner.
2. Background
Air conditioners make use of a refrigerant cycle including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator to heat/cool an indoor space and/or purify air. Air conditioners are classified into single-type air conditioners in which a single indoor unit is connected to a single outdoor unit, and multi-type air conditioners in which multiple indoor units are connected to one or more outdoor units.
The one or more outdoor units may include a compressing unit, an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor expansion mechanism, and an excessive cooler. The compressing unit may include a plurality of compressors. The number of operating compressors may vary according to indoor loads. One compressor may operate under a small load, and a plurality of compressors may operate under a great load.
When one of the operating compressors is stopped, the inside of the stopped compressor remains at a relatively high pressure, and should be decreased before re-starting. That is, discharge and suction pressures of the stopped compressor should be relatively balanced, or the stopped compressor may fail to re-start. Stopping another of the operating compressors to balance the high and low pressures of all the compressors and decrease the inner pressure of the stopped compressor may degrade the effectiveness of the indoor cooling or heating operation cannot be performed. In addition, when the stopped compressors restart, a large amount of time is required to reach a certain level of cycle performance, and may cause a delay in achieving a desired operating level when re-starting all of the compressors.

Air conditioner and method of controlling the same


Methods and apparatus are provided for decreasing the bacteria count of a food commodity without affecting its overall organoleptic quality (taste, odor, and color). This is accomplished using a treatment fluid comprising ozone, which is injected into a treatment chamber containing the food commodity. Some water is preferably added to obtain better contact of the ozone with the food by forming a thin film of ozonated water on the food surface. Spices and/or other ingredients may preferably be added with the water. The food is placed in a tumbler and the tumbler is set in motion. During treatment good contact between the treatment fluid and the food commodity is obtained by reversibly oscillating the tumbler. A log reduction of 40% or more in bacteria count may be obtained as compared without the ozone.

The present invention relates, in general, to methods for treating food products and, more particularly, to methods for reducing pathogenic microorganism populations on food commodities during food processing.
Microbial outgrowth is a primary cause of food spoilage. The presence of pathogenic microorganisms on food products can potentially led to food-borne outbreaks of disease and can cause significant economic loss to food processors. The need to delay the onset of spoilage has lead the food processing industry to seek effective means for disinfecting food products in order to ensure food safety. Currently, food manufacturers use several different technologies to eliminate, retard, or prevent microbial outgrowth. For example, techniques such as heating, irradiation, and application of chemical agents are currently in use. However, the effectiveness of a particular technology can depend on the particular food product and type of microorganism present on the food product. Additionally, certain chemical agents can have a deleterious effect on human health. For example, chlorine has been widely used as a sanitizer for many years, however, chlorine can produce toxic by-products, such as chloramines and trihalomethanes.
Another widely used chemical agent is ozone (O3). Ozone is a very strong oxidizing agent, having an oxidation potential more than 1.5 times that of chlorine and approximately 1.3 times that of hydrogen peroxide. Ozone is normally produced by irradiating an oxygen-containing gas with ultraviolet light or corona discharge. Ozone has been widely used as a disinfectant in the food industry for many years. Processes have been developed that use gaseous ozone to sterilize and disinfect food products. Although applying gaseous ozone to food products can be an effective means of controlling microbial outgrowth, an effective method of applying the ozone to the food product must be available.
To address the public health concern associated with food contamination, development of more effective processes to ensure safe and wholesome food production has become a main strategy for the food industry. Processes for the separate application of ozone and steam in a vacuum and pressure regulated environment have been developed to improve the effectiveness of ozone at killing the bacteria present on food. In addition, continuous processes have been developed that include spraying ozone gas and a mixture of ozone and water directly onto animal carcasses immediately after slaughter.
Despite recent development of ozone application technology, food contamination by pathogenic microorganisms continues to be a significant health problem. According to recent statistics from Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are approximately 76 million cases of food borne illness in the United States annually. The most common food-associated pathogens are: Norwalk-like viruses, Campylobacter jejuni, and Salmonella. Escherichia coli 0157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes can also cause severe illness. As the world population increases, the demand for processed food will also increase and food borne illness is more likely to become an even greater problem. To address this public health concern, development of more effective processes to ensure safe and wholesome food production continues to be an important objective of the food industry.
One primary objective of this invention is to treat a food commodity, such as meat and, preferably, chicken breasts, with a fluid comprising ozone, which can be a gas, a liquid, or liquid and gas mixture, in a sealed container to obtain a lower bacterial count without affecting its organoleptic properties (overall quality of taste, odor, and color). The amount of ozone injected is preferably as small as possible, while at the same time, showing a significant log reduction on bacteria count. Some water is preferably added to obtain better contact of ozone with the food commodity by forming a thin film of ozonated water on the surface of the food commodity. Spices and/or other ingredients may be added with the water.
In one preferred method, the invention generally includes, placing a food commodity, such as meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables in a sealed container, such as a treatment chamber, which can be tumbler, or an apparatus configured to receive a tumbler. A vacuum is generated in the treatment chamber and either before or during vacuum generation, a treatment fluid comprising ozone is produced to obtain a steady stream of a treatment fluid flowing through a conduit, which is vented through an exhaust system.
Once a vacuum of at least 2 inches Hg, preferably a vacuum of around 25 inches of Hg is reached, the treatment fluid is injected into the treatment chamber. The treatment fluid is injected until the pressure inside the chamber rises to about atmospheric pressure. In certain preferred embodiments of the method, an excess of ozone is introduced in the treatment chamber at a pressure slightly above atmospheric pressure, or alternatively, a residual vacuum may be beneficial for certain treatment processes.
In one embodiment of the invention, the treatment fluid contacts the food commodity through action of a tumbler. The tumbler can function as the treatment chamber, or the tumbler can be positioned within a treatment chamber. Preferably, a small amount of water is injected to create a thin water film rich in ozone. This treatment is carried out for a time sufficient to obtain good disinfection, preferably about 50% reduction in bacterial count, without affecting food quality (color, odor, taste).
The present invention contemplates a number of different motion patterns of the tumbler. During the contact period, the tumbler is preferably rotated about a rotation axis. Alternatively, the tumbler can be agitated by alternatively rotating the tumbler about a rotational axis in both a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction for a predetermined period of time. In another embodiment of the invention, the tumbler is axially oscillated along a shaft. In yet another embodiment, the tumbler is vibrated in a vertical or horizontal reciprocating motion or both.
After the required time, the treatment fluid is purged from the treatment chamber so that it can be opened safely. In one embodiment, the treatment chamber and associated gas lines are purged by flushing with an inert gas, such as carbon dioxide and the like.

L ""Air Liquide-Societe ""Anonyme a ""Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l ""Etude et L""Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude


A method of fabricating an apparatus including a sealed cavity and an apparatus embodying the method is disclosed. To fabricate the apparatus, a device chip including a substrate and at least one circuit element on the substrate is fabricated. Also, a cap is fabricated. The cap is attached to the device chip using single phase metal alloy to achieve sealed cavity over the circuit element. The single phase metal alloy allows the cap to be diffusion bonded to the device chip at a higher diffusivity thus allowing diffusion at a lower temperature, lower pressure, shorter period, or a combination of these.

The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IC) fabrication technology, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating IC having a sealed cavity.
Some products use packaging technology that involves bonding a cap over a predetermined area of a substrate to create a hermetically sealed cavity. The hermetically sealed cavity is often formed to protect sensitive circuit elements therein. FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a sample apparatus 10 including a device chip 20 having a substrate 22 and circuit elements 24 fabricated on the substrate 22. A cap 30 is attached over the device chip 20 creating a hermetically sealed cavity within which the circuit elements 24 are protected.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away side view of the apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 after the bonding process. The hermetically sealed cavity is indicated by reference number 26. As illustrated, bottom of the hermetically sealed cavity 26 is defined by the device chip 20 including the substrate 22 and the circuit elements 24. The top of the hermetically sealed cavity 26 is defined by the cap 30. The sizes of the device chip 20 and the cap 30 can vary greatly depending on implementation but can be, for example, on the order of millimeters (mm) or fractions of millimeters, for example, about 0.5 mm to 2 mm.
Sides of the hermetically sealed cavity 26 are defined by gasket 32 which can be a part of the cap 30. The gasket 32 is attached to the substrate 22 using bonding metal 34 such as pure gold. To achieve the hermetically sealed cavity 26, the bonding agent 34 is applied to the substrate 22, the gasket 32, or both. For the bonding metal 34, pure gold (chemical symbol Au) is often used. Then, the device chip 20 and the cap 30 are pressed together and heated to promote diffusion bonding. The gasket 32 can be about 1 to 10 microns thick.
For some applications, pure gold is used as the metal bonding agent 34 for diffusion bonding of the cap 30 on to the device chip 20. For pure gold, bonding parameters (such as level of pressure, temperature, and diffusion time) to achieve a desirable level of diffusion bond quality are known. However, for other applications, these bonding parameters may be procedurally undesirable or even unachievable. Accordingly, there remains a need for a method of manufacturing an apparatus with sealed cavity that allows for more flexible bonding parameters.

Method of fabricating an apparatus including a sealed cavity


A vehicle seat: wherein a reinforcing member includes, a first section attached to a back surface of a seat back so as to face the back surface of the seat back when the seat back is in a standing state and configured to follow the seat back when the seat back is tilted from the standing state, a second section disposed so as to face a back surface of a seat cushion when the seat back is in the standing state, and a connection portion connecting the first section and the second section, and wherein the connection portion is configured to allow the first section to bend with respect to the second section in a rearward direction of the seat, and restrict the first section to bend with respect to the second section in a forward direction of the seat.

A vehicle seat often includes a sheet-like carpet member disposed at a back surface of a seat cushion and a seat back (seat structure member), in view of performance of the seat, such as decoration and strength of the back surface of the seat.
For example, a vehicle seat disclosed in JP-A-2006-321353 includes a seat cushion, a seat back, and a carpet member (sheet shape), and is disposed near a luggage floor (a position which is one step higher than a floor surface of a vehicle compartment).
The carpet member is disposed from a lower back surface of the seat back to the luggage floor, and can be sectioned into a first carpet portion and a second carpet portion. The first carpet portion is attached to the back surface of the seat back, while the second carpet portion is attached to the luggage floor.
In the known art, a rear surface of the first carpet portion is provided with a first reinforcing member, and a rear surface of the second carpet portion is provided with a second reinforcing member. The first and second reinforcing members are plate members extended in a sheet width direction, and a gap (a portion which is not provided with any reinforcing member) is provided between the first and second reinforcing members, and is positioned at a desired position of the carpet member (see FIG. 5 in JP-A-2006-321353).
In the known art, as the seat back is tilted forward to be flush with the luggage floor, the portion extending from the lower portion of the seat back to the luggage floor is covered by the carpet member.
Further, the carpet member is bent in an arc shape to stand the seat back up against the seat cushion. At that time, the first carpet portion (the first reinforcing member) is inclined upward, and simultaneously, the second carpet portion (the second reinforcing member) is inclined downward, so that a top of the arc is formed between the first and second carpet portions (a portion that is not provided with the reinforcing member).


Provided is a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes an adapter, a connector and a handle, where a first socket is formed at one end of the adapter, an adaptation slide extending inwards from the first socket is formed in an inner wall of the adapter, and an adaptation window is opened at one end of the adaptation slide close to the first socket; the connector is provided with an elastic piece, and the elastic piece is movable along a Z-axis direction; and the handle is connected to a rear end of the connector and is capable of sliding between a first position and a second position of the connector along an X-axis direction. The beneficial effect provided is as below. The handle always remains connected to the connector.

In the configuration of present high density panels, a structural design of adjacent connectors and cable assemblies has certain defects that hinder the disassembly of the whole. For example, a user's hand is required to reach into a dense connector group and separate optical fibers around connectors from the connectors, which requires a large force. This force may easily damage the cables and connectors, and may generate security risks, impair the integrity and/or reliability of the terminal, and cause serious disruptions to network performance.
Although an operator may attempt to use a screwdriver to reach into a dense connector group to disassemble a mechanism, adjacent cables and connectors may interfere with the operator's line of sight, and resulting in difficulty in guiding a tool to the release mechanism without pushing away the adjacent cables. Even when the operator has a clear line of sight, it is troublesome to guide the tool to the inside of the connector. Therefore, when a single connector is disassembled, due to the design defect of the connector, it is easy to form interference to other adjacent connectors, such as misalignment of other connectors, resulting in interruption of equipment connection.

Connector assembly with an elastic piece


A rotatable film spool comprises a bar-coded disk with a bar code symbol consisting of a sequence of lesser and greater photo reflective elements having various widths. According to the invention, the lesser photo reflective elements are respective cut-outs in the disk and the greater photo reflective elements are respective flat segments of the disk between adjacent pairs of the cut-outs. By making the lesser photo reflective elements of the bar code symbol respective cut-outs in the disk and the greater photo reflective elements respective flat segments of the disk between adjacent pairs of the cut-outs, it is generally assured that the bar code symbol will be critically located because the various elements are an integral part of the disk.

Various bar code symbols are widely used to label items for product identification or other purposes. Generally speaking, a bar code symbol consists of a sequence of light and dark regions referred to as elements or bars. These elements are typically rectangular in shape and often have a variety of possible widths. An arrangement of elements represents a character and is determined according to a set of rules and definitions typically referred to as a "code". A variety of codes such as the Universal Product Code (UPC) and Code 39 exist and provide a degree of conformity.
More specifically, codes define a set of characters wherein each character is depicted and defined by a unique arrangement of elements. To encode a desired message having a number of characters, a collection of arrangements of elements are concatenated to form a bar code symbol. Each character of the message is represented by its own corresponding group of elements.
In the field of photography, it is known for a rotatable film spool to include a coaxial disk having a bar code symbol which consists of a sequence of white and black bars or elements. For example, see commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,642, issued Jun. 11, 1991, No. 5,030,978, issued Jul. 9, 1991, and No. 5,032,854, issued Jul. 16, 1991. The black bars are printed in spaced relation on an otherwise white bar code label that is adhered to the spool disk. The bar code symbol that results is used to provide film-related information, such as film speed (ISO), film type, total number of film exposures available, etc..


Background removal processing applies image processing indiscriminately to the whole image on the basis of an assumed presence of a background. Therefore, if the input image has a background and the luminance tone level of this background is relatively low, the background area cannot be removed.

When a computer or the like handles an image, image data on the input image acquired from an image input device such as a scanner or a digital camera are expressed with picture elements in a dot matrix arrangement, and the picture elements express different tones (tone levels). In such a case, an image is often displayed on the CRT screen of the computer in 640 and 480 dots of picture elements in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively.
Further, as each picture element has data expressing a color or brightness in tone, image processing is accomplished by varying these data.
This image processing includes, for document images or the like, processing to remove the background. The background of a document image in this context means the set of picture elements representing the blank area of the paper of the document, and it may include what is written on the back face of the paper seen through. Removing the background means maximizing the tone levels of picture elements representing the blank area of the paper. Thus, when the document image is to be printed after the image processing, the picture elements whose tone levels are maximized as stated above are not printed, and the area of these picture elements remains as blank paper. Therefore, the picture elements represented in the blank paper area are apparently removed, making it possible to obtain a print having clear contrast between the background and the characters. In such a case, the tone levels of picture elements having tones no less brighter than a prescribed threshold are maximized irrespective of the actual presence or absence of a background.
An example of application of this technique is a case in which it is used to prevent, where a sheet of document paper printed on both sides is to be read by a scanner, the image data on the wrong side of this document image from overlapping the image data on the right side. Since the image on the wrong side seen through would appear in the area of the right side where nothing is supposed to be printed, it is removed by maximizing the tone levels of picture elements in this area.
Thus, an area identified with a certain class of tone levels is determined to be the background, and picture elements in this area are subjected to processing for background removal and their tone levels are maximized.

Image data background determining apparatus image data background determining method, and medium recording thereon image data background determination control program

Abstract: It is made possible to scan a document with a color scanner 40 and determine a blank paper area constituting the background of the document image, i.e. a substantially white area, according to a prescribed frequency distribution of image data constituting the image. It is further made possible to provide clear contrast between the background of the image reproduced from image data and the non-background part of the image and to remove noise components appearing on the background, such as what is written or drawn on the wrong side of paper seen through, because, once the presence of a background is determined, the substantially white background area is retouched to white, i.e. the highest tone, by image data retouching according to a correction curve.


An enclosure for the entrance to a bathing facility, such as a bathtub/shower combination, or other area that can be completely closed, completely opened, or partially closed or opened. The preferred embodiment includes a column mounted in the plane of and at one side of the entrance; a dual cantilever extended from the column intermediate its upper and lower ends; and dual shower doors mounted on the cantilever so that a vertical plane containing the center of gravity of the doors intersects the column. The doors are mounted so that one of the doors is translationally movable for changing the degree of closure of the bathing facility and so that both doors can be pivoted out of the entrance to the facility to open it completely. The mounting of the doors, which features a bearing carriage in the dual cantilever, eliminates both a header and the typical tub rail, and allows the doors to be frameless. Moreover, the mounting enables the described translational and pivoting movement to be accomplished without sag or misalignment of the doors and thus without scraping or rubbing of the doors against each other or adjacent surfaces. Hinge assemblies providing useful adjustment features are included.

For many years, the most commonly used enclosure for a tub/shower bathing facility has included a pair of sliding glass doors framed in metal. In a typical installation, an outer metal frame circumscribes the entry to the bath and is attached at the sides to the walls of the facility. The installation also includes a header spanning the entrance and a guide rail attached to the tub. The shower doors are hung at the top from the header and guided at the bottom by the rail so that they can slide back and forth in the entryway to allow entry and egress and to create a splash barrier.
There are several disadvantages with the described installation, both functional and aesthetic. First, the doors are always present in the entryway to the bathing area, thus always at least partially blocking the entrance and restricting free access to the bathing area, a special problem when bathing a small child or when cleaning the facility. The header also adds an undesired obstruction in the entryway which must be avoided when entering or leaving the area. Still further, the rail on the tub makes sitting on the edge of the tub undesirable, or uncomfortable at best. Moreover, the metal of the frame and all the glass-to-metal interfaces require special cleaning and maintenance. Apart from these functional constraints, the metal required for the framing, header and rail detracts from a clean and open appearance of the facility.
Although the foregoing disadvantages have been recognized, the known proposed alternatives do not overcome the disadvantages in a commercially acceptable manner. For example, shower doors have been proposed without a header (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,878,530 to Jean and 5,417,272 to Marlowe et al.), but these doors have frames and still provide inadequate support. The doors in the PCT French publication WO 94/211217 are supported without using a header and do not have the usual frames, but they are believed to lack the support necessary to avoid deflection, as evidenced by the need for corner guides.
Thus, the concept of supporting shower doors in PCT WO 94/211217 would not be acceptable for most applications, particularly for supporting heavy glass doors each weighing from about thirty to fifty pounds. Presumably the WO 94/211217 supporting structure could be made strong enough to support the doors without deflection or sag, but then the structure would be very large, bulky, and unsightly for a bathtub/shower installation. The structure could be made less bulky, but then it would be of reduced strength and incapable of adequately supporting heavy shower doors. Irrespective of its bulk and size, however, the WO 94/211217 design adds protruding metal parts that may be regarded as more obtrusive than the frames and header that have been eliminated.
It is thus emphasized that there are dual problems to solve in providing headerless, frameless shower doors, namely, adequately supporting heavy glass without adversely impacting the appearance of the bathing area. If the sliding glass door sags or rubs or scrapes against the other door or the tub, the installation is commercially unacceptable. If the supporting structure used to support the glass in place of the header and frames is so massive as to be obtrusive in itself, again the installation is commercially unacceptable.


A method for the construction of die members used in slips and elevators in the oil and gas industry for griping pipe. The die having nickel plated teeth with no mud grooves reduces die penetration thereby reducing stress cracking and carbon transfer in nickel alloy pipe thus reducing pipe corrosion.

Slips and elevators used primarily for lifting tubular goods, such as drill pipe or production tubing and the like, generally comprise a plurality of circumferentially spaced slip bodies called dies which are held collectively in a body which surrounds the locus of the drill pipe body and when used as slips the die body is in turn captured and held by a body known as a bowl. By means well known within the art, the device can be manipulated into position about the circumference of a length of pipe in a manner whereby the inner sides of the dies, having hardened metal gripping teeth, bite into and frictionally engaging the pipe body when the weight of the pipe is applied. The slip body retains the dies in place and allows the dies to have some degree of freedom with respect to the slip or elevator body, thereby allowing conformity with the pipe body. The dies are further contoured to generally conform to the curvature of the pipe body. Such slip and elevator dies are also available with various tooth configurations which help grip the pipe. Such configurations include mud grooves which allow the pipe dies to maintain a grip even in contaminated conditions, such as when the pipe is coated with mud and oil. However, it is well known in the art that damage to the pipe occurs when the dies wear unevenly or when the die teeth become damaged producing jagged edges, in which case stress risers may be set up in the surface of pipe which may result in premature pipe failure. The accepted method of gripping pipe in this manner depends on the ability of the die teeth to penetrate the surface of the pipe to some degree rather than apply excessive force which may crush or misshape the pipe.
The problem is compounded when such dies are used on high chromium pipe. Chromium or other nickel alloy pipe is often used in highly corrosive wells such as Hydrogen Sulfide (H.sub.2 s) gas wells. Such pipe is expensive and must be handled carefully to avoid damage to the chromium surface which attract corrosion, thereby leading to early failure. Therefore, a new and better means of handling such chromium and nickel alloy pipe is required in order to prevent damaging the chromium pipe surfaces. A problem also exists, when the hardened, high carbon, steel teeth on the dies make contact with the chromium or nickel alloyed pipe, thereby transferring small amounts of carbon to the pipe at each penetration point. Such carbon transfer spots have been found to set up sites for corrosion which lead to stress cracks in the pipe. It has been found that carbon creates galvanic action, thereby hardening pipe in the same manner as hydrogen sulfide, causing brittleness of the metal. Tests on chrome pipe with salt spray have shown that any discontinuity in the surface of the pipe causes a deterioration of between 0.011-0.015 loss in pipe wall thickness per year. For example, a number 13 chrome pipe having 0.217 wall thickness with a 0.028 penetration coupled with 0.015 corrosion factor per year accelerates corrosion deterioration exponentially.
Others in the art have attempted to address the problem of handling chromium pipe to and to reduce penetration, such as that disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,084 wherein strips having hard teeth which get progressively softer along its length are held in a resilient base to allow flexibility. However such structures fail to address the problem of sharp tooth edges resulting from mud grooves cut vertically through the tooth configuration and the problem of carbon transfer to the pipe body.
Slip elevator and tong dies all rely on the biting action of the die's teeth into the pipe body for griping the pipe. However, recently the industry has begun addressing these problems by attempting to reduce stress induced into the surface of the pipe through better fits, flexible die seats, etc. However, to date, such dies still generally produce penetrations of between 0.017-0.028 of an inch with pipe loads of 14000 ft. with up to 100% carbon transfer. Test show that such high carbon deposits in the penetrations of pipe used in high corrosive wells last only a few weeks. In any case, the industry still considers die penetration of the surface of the pipe necessary. However, it is becoming essential that such penetration by the die teeth into the pipe body must be kept to a minimum, generally in the order of less than 0.002/1000 of an inch.


Aspects include controlling asynchronous call return in a program. At least one asynchronous call is detected in the program. Execution of the program is stopped at a breakpoint in response to detecting that the breakpoint is set in the program. At least one callback corresponding to the at least one asynchronous call is obtained. The at least one callback is inserted into one or more specified positions of the program respectively according to a user selection. Execution of the program continues from the breakpoint in response to the insertion of the at least one callback into the program.

The present invention relates to asynchronous calls in programs, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for controlling asynchronous calls.
Asynchronous calls are used in many programs. When conducting an asynchronous call, the main thread of the caller does not need to wait for the execution of the called function, but continues executing the subsequent code. Once the callee finishes executing the called function, it in return calls the original caller to return the result, which is referred to as callback. Accordingly, the main thread obtains the execution result via the callback function. However, one major problem of the asynchronous call is that the call return time is not predetermined. Therefore, in the case of a plurality of asynchronous calls, the execution order of the corresponding callback functions cannot be predetermined. This adds difficulty to the testing and debugging of programs.
FIG. 1 shows the execution flow of a program comprising asynchronous calls. In the example of FIG. 1, the main program successively executes two asynchronous calls, AS Call 1 and AS Call 2, and then continues executing other functions, such as synchronous call functions SC1, SC2, etc. For the two asynchronous call functions, developers may expect to obtain returned results of the two calls in sequence, for example, obtaining the callback of AS Call 1 between SC1 and SC2, and obtaining the callback of AS Call 2 after SC2. However, depending on the execution of AS Call 1 and AS Call 2 by the callee, the execution order of the corresponding callback functions may be changed. For example, in certain cases, the return time of AS Call 2 may be earlier than that of AS Call 1 (as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 1). In this case, the execution result of the main program may be different from the expected result of sequential return, thus causing errors. As these errors only occur in a certain return order of asynchronous calls, it is very difficult to find them in a conventional program debugging process.
As the return time of the asynchronous calls cannot be controlled, in order to conduct debugging, developers usually have to execute the program a large number of times, trying to reproduce the asynchronous call return order that causes errors. However, the procedure is time consuming, and still cannot guarantee a debugging result.
In another solution, developers extract the asynchronous call-related logic from the program, and test it. For example, suppose there are 5 asynchronous calls in a program, and a certain return order would cause errors in the program. The developers need to spend a lot of time to generate permutations of all possible return orders, and find among them the order that causes errors. In addition, with the rapid development of various program frameworks, it is very difficult to extract a single logical operation from complex program functional blocks.
Therefore, it is desired to be able to control the return of the asynchronous calls, thereby facilitating the testing and debugging of programs.

International Business Machines Corporation


A liquid-ejection testing method includes the following steps (A) to (D): (A) A step of making at least two conductive detection members be opposed, in a non-contact state, to a plurality of liquid ejecting nozzles that are to be tested, the detection members being opposed in a direction that intersects with a direction in which the plurality of liquid ejecting nozzles are arranged, each detection member corresponding to a different liquid ejecting nozzle. (B) A step of ejecting a charged liquid from each of the plurality of liquid ejecting nozzles. (C) A step of detecting an induced current generated at each of the detection members by the liquid that has been ejected from each of the liquid ejecting nozzles (D) A step of judging whether or not ejection of the liquid is being properly performed for each of the plurality of liquid ejecting nozzles, based on a magnitude of the induced current that has been detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid-ejection testing methods, liquid-ejection testing devices, and computer-readable media.
2. Description of the Related Art
<No. 1>
Inkjet printers are known as printing apparatuses for carrying out printing by ejecting ink onto various media such as paper, cloth, and film. Inkjet printers perform color printing by ejecting ink of various colors such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) to form dots on the medium. Ink is ejected using nozzles.
However, in these inkjet printers, clogging can occur in the nozzles due to adherence of the ink for example, and the ink may not be ejected properly. When ink cannot be ejected properly from the nozzles, dots cannot be formed appropriately on the medium, and this results in the trouble that an image will not be printed clearly.
Thus, various methods for testing whether or not ink is properly ejected have been conventionally proposed. As one method, a testing method for optically detecting ink ejected from the nozzles has been proposed (see JP 2000-233520A). In this testing method, a photodiode detects whether or not a beam emitted from an LED is blocked by ink ejected from a nozzle, so that whether or not ink is ejected from the nozzle is checked.
<Problem 1>
However, this testing method has the problems as follows. It is very difficult to positionally align a beam emitted from an LED and ink ejected from a nozzle. When ink is ejected from the nozzle in a curve, it is impossible to detect ink ejection, and thus it may be impossible to accurately detect whether ink is being ejected or not.
<Problem 2>
Furthermore, in the ejection test that has been conventionally carried out, a method in which the ejection test is performed row by row on a plurality of nozzle rows arranged in the head while moving the head relative to the testing device has been employed. In this method for performing the ejection test one by one on the rows, it is necessary to move the head each time the test target is switched from one nozzle row to another nozzle row. Thus, it takes considerable time to perform the ejection test because of the time required for moving the head and the time for positionally aligning the nozzle rows arranged in the head and the testing device. When such an ejection test is performed, it is preferable to make the movement of the head small to the extent possible.

Liquid-ejection testing method, liquid-ejection testing device, and computer-readable medium


A system and method of sensing a load on a vehicle that includes a plurality of wheel-engaging members is disclosed. The vehicle body is supported on the plurality of wheel-engaging members and receives a cargo having a cargo weight. The method includes providing a non-fluid spring having an unloaded length and a spring rate, the non-fluid springs are supported between the vehicle body and one of the wheel-engaging members and being deflected to a loaded length under the cargo weight of the cargo. The method continues with determining the loaded length of the non-fluid springs. The method also includes determining an approximate value of the cargo weight based at least partially upon the spring rate and the loaded length of the non-fluid spring.

This disclosure generally relates to the art of vehicle suspension systems and, more particularly, to a system and method of sensing a load on a vehicle having non-fluid springs.
The present novel concept finds particular application and use in conjunction with suspension systems of wheeled vehicles, and will be described herein with specific reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present novel concept is also amenable to use in other applications and environments, and that the specific uses shown and described herein are merely exemplary.
As vehicles, such as relatively light-duty wheeled vehicles (e.g., passenger vehicles, pick-up trucks and sport utility vehicles), continue to advance in complexity and sophistication, the systems thereof make greater and greater use of data, signals and/or information relating to performance and other conditions (e.g., speed, acceleration, vehicle height, vehicle orientation) of a vehicle as well as the various inputs (e.g., road impact forces) acting thereon. Such data, signals and/or information may be utilized by systems such as automatic braking systems, traction control systems and stability control systems, tire pressure monitoring systems and/or central tire inflation systems, for example.
One additional input or condition of a vehicle that can be utilized by such systems is the external load acting on the vehicle, such as from passengers and/or cargo. Vehicles having air spring suspension systems are well known, and are generally well suited for determining a load of the sprung mass of the vehicle. Normally, the operational components of such an air spring suspension system will be capable of generating a signal indicative of or otherwise having a relation to the overall weight of the sprung mass at any given time.
Unfortunately, comparatively few vehicles are outfitted with air spring suspension system. Rather, the great majority of light-duty vehicles include suspension systems that utilize non-fluid springs. Such non-fluid springs are typically formed from metal, such as steel, for example. Additionally, such non-fluid springs are normally of a well known type and/or construction, such as coil springs, leaf springs or torsion springs, for example. However, due to the nature and operation of suspension systems with non-fluid springs, such systems typically do not include components suitable for use in load determination. As such, vehicles that include systems that utilize data, signals and/or information having a relation to a load on a vehicle typically include an air spring suspension system. As an alternative, such systems may operate using data, signals and/or information other than that relating to the vehicle load condition.
One example of a use or application in which it may be desirable to determine and utilize the value of an approximate load on a vehicle involves the optimal inflation of the vehicle tires. Light-duty vehicles, such as those discussed above, are commonly outfitted with dual-placard tires, which are designed for operation at two different pressure levels. One pressure level is typically used for normal or relatively light vehicle loads, and the second pressure level is generally intended for use when the vehicle is more heavily loaded.
One difficulty with known light-duty vehicles that utilize such dual-placard tires is that the suspension system of such vehicles commonly include non-fluid springs, as discussed above. Such suspension systems, as installed, are generally incapable of determining a value of the approximate load on the vehicle or communicating such an approximate load to a vehicle system or to the vehicle operator. As such, the vehicle operator is usually without any practical means of determining the approximate value of a load on the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle operator usually cannot easily determine which of the two pressure ranges of such dual-placard tires should be used. As a result, the vehicle operator may not change the air pressure in the vehicle tires in accordance with the load conditions on the vehicle. This can undesirably lead to sub-optimal performance, handling and/or rider comfort of the vehicle.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a system and a method operative to overcome the forgoing and other problems and/or difficulties.

Weight sensing system and method for vehicles with non-fluid springs


A Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VXLAN) method comprises obtaining, by a network device, a mapping from a virtual local area network identifier VLAN ID to a VXLAN network identifier VNI; receiving, by the network device through a port, an Ethernet frame forwarded by an access device, where a VLAN tag field in the Ethernet frame includes the VLAN ID; adding, by the network device, a VXLAN header to the Ethernet frame based on the VLAN ID and the mapping to obtain a VXLAN packet, where a VNI field in the VXLAN header includes the VNI; and sending, by the network device, the VXLAN packet.

In a VXLAN, a device implementing a VXLAN packet encapsulation or decapsulation function is referred to as a VXLAN tunnel end point (VTEP). The VTEP encapsulates a layer 2 packet into a transport layer protocol (for example, User Datagram Protocol (UDP)) packet to implement VXLAN packet encapsulation. The VTEP may be a server, or may be a network device (for example, a switch or a router).
In a campus network, terminal devices generally do not support a VXLAN. Therefore, the function of the VTEP is implemented by an access device. However, there are many access devices in the campus network. If all the access devices are required to support a VXLAN, overall deployment costs in the campus network are excessively high.

VXLAN implementation method, network device, and communications system