Device for determining location information, primary references consolidated for an aircraft, comprising a chain for determining location information comprising means for measuring radionavigation data, suitable means for consolidating, suitable means for computing parameters and suitable means for consolidating the parameters. The device also comprises a chain for determining inertial primary references comprising means for measuring inertial data, suitable means for consolidating, suitable means for computing parameters and suitable means for consolidating the parameters. The device finally comprises a chain for determining anemo-barometric data comprising means for measuring anemo-barometric data, suitable means for consolidating the measured anemo-barometric data, suitable means for computing parameters, and suitable means for consolidating the reference parameters.

Checks on the consistency of the information supplied by the different measurement means are necessary to monitor the integrity of the data.
These checks are performed by the user systems (for example the flight management system) according to their various needs in terms of integrity.
The user systems are systems which use, among other things, inertial data or air data. Among the most critical user systems, there are the display system (manual piloting and monitoring of the automatic piloting), automatic pilot (PA) and flight controls (flight control system). There are also the alarm management system (known as flight warning system), the management of the engines, the braking management system, the surveillance system (weather radar, ground collision prevention, airplane collision prevention), the flight recorders and other systems even more functionally distant (such as the air conditioning, the passenger cabin video system, etc.).
This implies that certain systems use information that is deemed unusable by other systems. Consequently, this can lead to situations prejudicial to the safety of the flights, in cases of malfunction, detected or not, of one or more measurement means.

Device for determining location information and inertial primary references for an aircraft


A method of fabricating a metal matrix composite containing electrically isolated areas and the MMC formed from the method. The method comprises: (a) providing a liquid pool of unreinforced aluminum alloy; (b) infiltrating the unreinforced aluminum alloy into a stack comprising upper and lower porous preforms and an electrical insulator material placed between the preforms; (c) solidifying the liquid-phase metal to form a metal matrix composite product that completely surrounds the stack; and (d) forming at least one groove in the solidified metal, the groove extending downward to the insulating substrate so as to electrically isolate at least one region on the surface of the metal matrix composite.

Metal matrix composites provide a relatively new way of producing parts with exceptional stiffness, resistance to wear and resistance to heat. The superior stiffness allows thinner materials to be used and thus reduces the size and weight of the part. Light weight is important in the construction of components for the aerospace industry and the electronics industry.
At the present time, the processes employed for fabrication of MMCs include a vacuum/low pressure infiltration, a high pressure squeeze casting process and a pressureless casting process. These processes have the following characteristics:
Low Pressure/Vacuum Infiltration Process
The process utilizes a combination of vacuum and a low pressure (typically less than 1500 psi) gas for metal infiltration. The process has been employed mainly for fabrication of small numbers of R&D samples. It is designed to be a laboratory-scale process and is not suitable for low cost, high throughput production on a commercial scale.
Pressureless Infiltration Process
The process relies on capillary force for the infiltration. To develop the capillary force, a wetting between aggregate and matrix materials is obtained through a chemical reaction. The process requires the use of special combinations of matrix alloying elements (alumninum with 1 wt. % Mg or higher), heated ceramic aggregates (700.degree. C. or higher) and gas environment (10 to 100 vol. % nitrogen). This process thus limits selection of matrix material, for instance Al-Mg alloys and is burdened by high manufacturing costs due to extended reaction periods. This process is additionally difficult from a process control standpoint due to the sensitive dependence of the process on surface condition and spontaneous wetting.
High Pressure Squeeze Casting Process
For the infiltration, this process utilizes high pressure (10,000 to 30,000 psi) using a large hydraulic or mechanical press. The process has the ability to infiltrate a wide range of aggregate and matrix combinations but is limited as to complexity and dimensional tolerance of the products produced because of limitations in die design imposed by the need for high pressure. The product manufacturing costs are also high because of high capital costs for the large press.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,864 generally discloses a closed-die pressure casting process to achieve infiltration of a matrix alloy into the interstices of a fiber preform. U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,998 shows die casting of metal parts possibly containing fibers of ceramic materials, but no attempt is made to utilize vacuum die casting principles.
It was against this background that the present invention was made.

Metal matrix composites containing electrical insulators


In one embodiment, a semiconductor device is formed in a body of semiconductor material. The semiconductor device includes an offset body region.

Metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) are a common type of power switching device. A MOSFET device includes a source region, a drain region, a channel region extending between the source and drain regions, and a gate structure provided adjacent to the channel region. The gate structure includes a conductive gate electrode layer disposed adjacent to and separated from the channel region by a thin dielectric layer.
When a MOSFET device is in the on state, a voltage is applied to the gate structure to form a conduction channel region between the source and drain regions, which allows current to flow through the device. In the off state, any voltage applied to the gate structure is sufficiently low so that a conduction channel does not form, and thus current flow does not occur. During the off state, the device must support a high voltage between the source and drain regions.
In optimizing the performance of MOSFET devices, designers often are faced with trade-offs in device parameter performance. Specifically, available device structure or fabrication process choices may improve one device parameter, but at the same time such choices may degrade one or more other device parameters. For example, available structures and processes that improve the output or drive current (IDS) capability and on resistance of a MOSFET device also degrade its breakdown voltage (BVDSS) capability and increase gate to drain capacitance. Additionally, the reduction in device cell size is limited by the encroachment of adjacent body regions or other doped regions, which can create a JFET effect that pinches the current flow in the drain region. In order to avoid totally cutting off the current path in present devices, cell size must be increased, which is counter to a desire to produce smaller devices.
Accordingly, improved semiconductor device structures and methods of their manufacture are needed to address the above mentioned issues as well as others.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures generally denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-channel devices, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with the present invention. For clarity of the drawings, doped regions of device structures are illustrated as having generally straight line edges and precise angular corners. However, those skilled in the art understand that due to the diffusion and activation of dopants the edges of doped regions are generally not straight lines and the corners are not precise angles.

Power semiconductor device having improved performance and method

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC


A device (104) for controlling a clock signal generator includes a processing system configured to form a control quantity at least partly on the basis of reception moments of data frames belonging to a given flow, the reception moments being time values based on a clock signal prevailing at a receiver. The processing system controls the clock signal generator with the control quantity so as to achieve synchronization between the clock signal and another clock signal in accordance of which the data frames have been transmitted. In order to identify data frames belonging to the relevant flow, the processing system checks whether pre-determined bits of a received data frame constitute a bit pattern that occurs when the data frame belongs to the relevant flow. Therefore, the reception moments of data frames belonging to the relevant flow are obtainable without deep inspection of the received data frames.

Data transfer networks include network elements such as, for example, routers, switches, and terminal devices which communicate with each other via data transfer links between the network elements. In many data transfer networks, there is a need to achieve phase- or at least frequency-synchronization between clock signals prevailing at various network elements. Furthermore, in some data transfer networks, there can be a need to achieve time-synchronization between different network elements in such a way that not only phases and/or frequencies of clock signals but also time values maintained in these network elements are sufficiently close to each other. In other words, each of the network elements should maintain a time value that is common to all network elements under consideration. The common time value is usually called as "wall clock time" or "universal time". In this document, the term "synchronization" means frequency-synchronization, phase-synchronization, time-synchronization, or any combination of them.
Network elements can be configured to constitute master-slave pairs in order to distribute timing information within a data transfer network. For example, a slave network element may be configured to control its clock signal generator so that a reference clock signal prevailing at the corresponding master network element is regenerated in the slave network element at least partly on the basis of reception moments of timing messages transferred from the master network element to the slave network element, where the reception moments are expressed as time values based on the clock signal prevailing at the slave network element. The timing messages can be, for example, time-stamps contained by data frames that can be, for example, Internet Protocol "IP" data packets or Ethernet data frames. Each time-stamp indicates the instantaneous time value at the transmission moment of the respective data frame containing the time-stamp under consideration, where the time value is based on the reference clock signal available at the master network element. For another example, the timing messages can be timing data frames that are transmitted so that the time interval between transmission moments of two successive timing data frames is constant, or otherwise known, when being measured with the reference clock signal available at the master network element. It is also possible that one or more time-stamps indicating the transmission moments of one or more timing messages are transferred in one or more data frames transmitted after the one or more timing messages. In cases where the time-synchronization is needed, the timing information is not only transferred from the master network element to the slave network element but also in the opposite direction from the slave network element to the master network element. A way of achieving the time-synchronization is presented, for example, in the specification 1588 issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, "IEEE 1588".
In many cases, the reception moment of a data frame carrying or representing a timing message should be stored immediately after the arrival of the data frame at the network element because subsequent processing actions directed to the received data frame may take a stochastic amount of time, and thus storing the reception moment after these processing actions would cause a stochastic component on the stored value of the reception moment. Stochastic components of the kind mentioned above in the stored reception moments destroy or at least weaken the quality of the synchronization. An inherent inconvenience related to storing the reception moments before the above-mentioned processing actions is that, just after reception of a data frame, it is typically difficult to find out whether the received data frame belongs to those data frames whose reception moments needs to be stored. For example, a network element may receive an aggregate flow which consists of several flows of data frames, and only a small portion of the flows may be such flows that the reception moments of data frames belonging to these flows needs to be stored. The flow recognition is typically based on inspection of the received data frames, but there can be a complex encapsulation so that many data transfer protocols are involved in each data frame. This makes it difficult to carry out the inspection within a sufficiently short and deterministic time. A straightforward brute-force solution would be to store the reception moments of all the received data frames together with e.g. copies of at least parts of the data frames and settle later which of the stored reception moments are needed in the synchronization. This straightforward brute-force solution requires, however, a lot of memory and processing capacity.

Method and a device for controlling a clock signal generator


A computer program product, for automatically editing a medical record transcription, resides on a computer-readable medium and includes computer-readable instructions for causing a computer to obtain a first medical transcription of a dictation, the dictation being from medical personnel and concerning a patient, analyze the first medical transcription for presence of a first trigger phrase associated with a first standard text block, determine that the first trigger phrase is present in the first medical transcription if an actual phrase in the first medical transcription corresponds with the first trigger phrase, and insert the first standard text block into the first medical transcription.

Healthcare costs in the United States account for a significant share of the GNP. The affordability of healthcare is of great concern to many Americans. Technological innovations offer an important leverage to reduce healthcare costs.
Many Healthcare institutions require doctors to keep accurate and detailed records concerning diagnosis and treatment of patients. Motivation for keeping such records include government regulations (such as Medicare and Medicaid regulations), desire for the best outcome for the patient, and mitigation of liability. The records include patient notes that reflect information that a doctor or other person adds to a patient record after a given diagnosis, patient interaction, lab test or the like.
Record keeping can be a time-consuming task, and the physician's time is valuable. The time required for a physician to hand-write or type patient notes can represent a significant expense. Verbal dictation of patient notes offers significant time-savings to physicians, and is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern healthcare organizations.
Over time, a significant industry has evolved around the transcription of medical dictation. Several companies produce special-purpose voice mailbox systems for storing medical dictation. These centralized systems hold voice mailboxes for a large number of physicians, each of whom can access a voice mailbox by dialing a phone number and putting in his or her identification code. These dictation voice mailbox systems are typically purchased or shared by healthcare institutions Prices can be over $100,000 per voice mailbox system. Even at these prices, these centralized systems save healthcare institutions vast sums of money over the cost of maintaining records in a more distributed fashion.
Using today's voice mailbox medical dictation systems, when a doctor completes an interaction with a patient, the doctor calls a dictation voice mailbox, and dictates the records of the interaction with the patient. The voice mailbox is later accessed by a medical transcriptionist who listens to the audio and transcribes the audio into a text record.
The medical transcriptionist's time is less costly for the hospital than the doctor's time, and the medical transcriptionist is typically much more familiar with the 5 computerized record-keeping systems than the doctor is, so this system offers a significant overall cost saving to the hospital.
To reduce costs further, health care organizations have deployed speech recognition technology. Some efforts have been made to utilize speech recognition technology for the purpose of producing written documents. Such efforts have met with limited success, however, since producing a literal transcription of a dictation has not resulted in a document sufficiently close to the desired final document.
Until recently, most deployed automatic speech recognition systems were frontend or real-time systems. In these applications, the speaker interacts directly with the speech recognition device, which hypothesizes the spoken words and outputs them to the computer terminal with a short delay. The speaker may then be required to correct the output, either using voice commands or by typing.
In an application of background speech recognition to medical transcription, the automatic speech recognition ("ASR") process is run "off line", without real-time clinician interaction. The speaker dictates normally, and the speech recognition process is run in batch mode at a later time. Draft transcriptions produced by the ASR process may then be edited by the clinician or by a Medical Transcriptionist ("MT") before being added to the medical record. An example of this type of ASR application is the EditScript product from eScription.
In background speech recognition, the speaker does not have access to the text as s/he dictates. As such, the speaker cannot interact with the speech recognition device in order to improve the appearance of the document. Moreover, the use of such verbal directives is counter-productive to the efficiency of the dictation process. Health care clinicians are used to simply dictating the medical information in the way that they feel comfortable and assuming that the final documented will be formatted according to generally accepted standards.
A hybrid of the front-end and background speech recognition process is also possible. In these "near real-time" applications, the speaker dictates for some period of time, before indicating to the speech-recognition device that the dictation has been completed. At this point, the speech-recognition device completes its processing on all of the audio received and outputs the entire transcription to the computer terminal for editing, either with voice or typing, by the user. In general, front-end speech recognition software is resident on the computer at which the speaker is speaking, whereas background speech-recognition runs on a high-end server, which is often remote from the dictation device. Near-real-time speech recognition may be run in either of these modes, or in a combination scenario, where some of the speech-recognition processing is done on the speaker's computer, and some is done on a remote high-end server.
Often, health care clinicians perform procedures and examinations which are similar to those they have performed previously. For example, a Urologist may perform several routine vasectomies each day, or a Radiologist may examine dozens of normal chest x-rays during a shift. In cases such as this, the medical record for the incidence of service is nearly, if not completely, identical to the document for all other such services. Accordingly, clinicians often dictate words to the effect that a certain "standard" document should be inserted as the transcription for the dictation. Sometimes, this standard document is the entire desired transcription. For example, a Urologist may say: "Please use my normal vasectomy template," indicating that the entire standard vasectomy description should be inserted as the transcription. In other circumstances, the standard text may comprise a subset of the desired final transcription, in which case the clinician will continue with the remainder of the dictation in the usual fashion. Clinicians may dictate several such standard sub-sections within the course of a dictation and may also include standard dictation. The MT analyzes the dictation to determine whether standard text (at least for that speaker) can be inserted, and obtains and inserts the standard text as appropriate.
In these circumstances, the medical transcriptionist may have access to the text that is indicated by the dictation. In general, the MT will use the transcription device to access a list or menu of files, each file representing standard text. The appropriate file is then selected, and the standard text inserted into the transcription document. Selection and insertion of standard texts into transcription documents requires experience and, depending on how large the list of potential files, can be very time-consuming. In addition, managing standard documents is challenging for health-care institutions, particularly when MTs are dispersed geographically and their access to the transcription system is not synchronous with changes to the documents. If the MT does not have access to the most recent version of a standard document, the transcription may need to be reviewed and edited by a transcription supervisor. This workflow is especially costly.

Insertion of standard text in transcription


A driver circuit having a temperature correction circuit for providing a relatively stable output amplitude and timing by detecting electric consumption of an output stage of the driver circuit and correcting the changes in the amplitude and timing of an output signal therefrom. The temperature correction circuit includes a temperature detection part for detecting temperature change in a pair of output elements, an output timing temperature correction part for correcting the output timing of the output signal relative to an input signal upon receiving the temperature detection signal from the temperature detection part, and an output amplitude and impedance temperature correction part for correcting output amplitudes and output impedance of the output signal.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the last stage of a driver circuit with a complementary configuration in the conventional technology. The last stage of the driver is comprised of a bias circuit 40, output elements 31 and 32, and an output resistor 4 for output impedance matching. FIG. 5 shows a basic structure of a pin driver circuit corresponding to one test channel of an IC test system for driving a device pin of a semiconductor device under test (DUT). The example of FIG. 5 is a driver circuit without a temperature correction circuit.
The output elements 31 and 32 in this example are formed with CMOS transfer gates.
The output elements 31 and 32 in the last stage of the driver circuit change the amount of electric consumption according to the pulse waveforms and operating speeds. As a consequence, the junction temperature of the output elements also changes, which fluctuates the output characteristics of the driver circuit. Consequently, the output amplitudes and output timings vary from what originally intended.
FIG. 6 shows an example of drain current with respect to gate voltage in the output element when the temperature increases. In general, when the temperature in the MOSFET devices rises, the threshold voltage shown as Vt and drain current shown as Id will decrease. As a result, the drain current Id of the bias point 9 decreases from the original value. Because of this characteristics, there is a problem in the conventional driver circuit that the output level drops with an elapse of time as shown in an output signal 3 of FIG. 7(a).
However, when load resistance or the like is connected to the output or no load is connected, there is no deviation in the output level. Nevertheless, a switch timing and output impedance fluctuates.
The present invention is to maintain the output impedance of the driver circuit constant.
FIGS. 7(b)-7(d) show an example of timing deviations arise in an output signal 3. Namely, in the conventional technology, the intended delay timing 11 shown in FIG. 7(c) is changed to .DELTA.t as shown in FIG. 7(d). In this manner, the timing deviation is occurred by the temperature change in the driver circuit.
Further, for a driver circuit that requires a high degree of precision, an external apparatus must be installed to keep the temperature surrounding the driver circuit constant by a forceful cooler or an air conditioner, resulting in inconvenience in the application of the driver circuit.
As explained in the foregoing, in the driver circuit without a temperature compensation capability, the output amplitudes and output timings deviate from the originally intended ones because of the change in the heat dissipation accompanied by the change of power consumption in the output elements 31 and 32 in the driver circuit. Consequently, the driver circuit in the conventional technology is not able to provide the output amplitudes and timings of sufficient precision, causing problems in its actual use.

Driver circuit with temperature correction circuit


In a process and apparatus for rapidly producing an emulsion and microcapsules in a simple manner, a dispersion phase is ejected from a dispersion phase-feeding port toward a continuous phase flowing in a microchannel in such a manner that flows of the dispersion phase and the continuous phase cross each other, thereby obtaining microdroplets, formed by a shear force of the continuous phase, having a size smaller than the width of the channel for feeding the dispersion phase.

Conventionally, apparatuses for producing a microemulsion (containing microspheres) and microcapsules have been used in steps of manufacturing chemicals and some processes have been proposed. There are the following processes (see, for example, PCT Japanese Translation Patent Application Publication No. 8-508933): a process in which a second solution is dropped in a first solution, a process in which a first solution is dropped in the air from the inside portion of a double tube and a second solution is dropped from the outside portion thereof, and so on. Among processes for scattering droplets in the air, there is a process for ejecting droplets using piezoelectric elements used for inkjet printers and so on.

Process and apparatus for producing emulsion and microcapsules


A duct has: a first non-metallic member extending between a first end and a second end, at least at the first end having an outwardly-projecting flange portion; a metallic flange member having a sleeve extending between a first end and a second end and a flange extending outward from the sleeve and having a first face and a second face; and a second non-metallic member extending between a first end and a second end having an outwardly-projecting flange portion, the first non-metallic member flange portion mounted to the flange first face and the second non-metallic member flange portion mounted to the flange second face.

The disclosure relates to gas turbine engines. More particularly, the disclosure relates to fluid ducts.
In an exemplary gas turbine engine, ducting can be fabricated using a variety of processes, such as a composite layup or forming a sheet metal to the desired shape using a combination of cutting, bending, welding, and/or stamping processes. U.S. Pat. No. 8,273,430B2 discloses an alternative in which ducting is formed of a metallic inner layer and a polymeric outer layer by a stamping process.
Separately from such air ducting, there have been other combinations of metallic and non-metallic members such as US PreGrant Publication 20080118683.


A process of producing an aluminum beverage can body having a decorative surface exhibiting a dichroic effect when observed in white light. In the process, a can body is formed from a sheet of metal selected from aluminum and aluminum alloy by drawing and ironing, surfaces of the can body are cleaned to produce a cleaned can body, a decorative structure exhibiting a dichroic effect is applied to a surface of the cleaned can body, and the can body is subjected to finishing operations. The decorative structure is applied by the steps of: applying a layer of dielectric material directly onto the metal of the cleaned can body without pre-treatment of the metal with a metal brightener, and forming a semi-transparent metal layer on or within the dielectric layer, the thickness of the dielectric material beneath the semi-transparent metal layer, and the thickness of the semi-transparent metal layer being made effective to produce a visible dichroic pattern when the can body is observed in white light.

This invention relates to the decoration of beverage cans made of aluminum or aluminum alloys. More particularly, the invention relates to the decoration of such beverage cans, or can bodies, by providing the cans with a visible dichroic effect.
In the beverage market, there is an ever-present need for manufacturers and sellers to differentiate their products from those of their competitors. One way of achieving this is to produce beverage containers that are noticeably different from others or are especially attractive. This can be done by creating containers, such as aluminum beverage cans, having novel shapes or decorative effects. To this end, it has been suggested that beverage cans may be provided with outer surfaces exhibiting dichroic effects, i.e. colours that change hue when viewed from different angles. Products exhibiting such effects are highly noticeable and attractive, and thus satisfy marketing requirements very effectively.
Techniques for producing dichroic effects are well known. Generally, pairs of reflective surfaces are separated from each other by distances in the order of the wavelength of light so that, when light reflected from the two surfaces combines, interference effects are produced that enhance certain light frequencies and suppress others. These frequencies change with the angle of view because the effective separation between the respective surfaces changes according to the path followed by light rays reflected and view at different angles.
One way of producing dichroic effects is to produce a so-called xe2x80x9cmetal-dichroic-metalxe2x80x9d (MDM) structure. Frequently, the dichroic material is a metal oxide, so this type of structure is often referred to as a xe2x80x9cmetal-oxide-metalxe2x80x9d (MOM) structure. Examples of such structures, and their methods of formation, are disclosed, for example, in the following patent publications: (1) U.S. Pat. 5,218,472 issued to Jozefowicz et al. on Jun. 8, 1993 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application; (2) International (PCT) patent publication WO 92/19795 (based on International application PCT/CA92/00192), published on Nov. 12, 1992, inventors Jozefowicz et al., and assigned to the same assignee as the present application; (3) International (PCT) patent publication WO 92/19796 (based on International application PCT/CA92/00201), published on Nov. 12, 1992, inventor Mark Adrian Jozefowicz et al., and assigned to the same assignee as the present application; and (4) International (PCT) patent publication WO 94/08073 (based on International application PCT/CA93/00412), published on Apr. 14, 1994, inventor Mark Adrian Jozefowicz, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
Dichroic structures of this kind are often produced in the form of thin vacuum metallized polymer films that are adhered to substrates to be decorated (for example, the anti-forging foil patches presently used on Canadian paper currency). The use of such film and foil structures, eg. dichroic shrink films or labels, to decorate beverage cans would be both expensive and would require additional steps that would not conveniently integrate into the conventional processes used for the manufacture of can bodies. The production of dichroic effects by this means is therefore believed not to be commercially viable.
Dichroic structures have been directly produced on non-foil substrates, e.g. on metal sections and components used for architectural applications. However, it has not been possible to produce such structures without the use of brighteners required to make the underlying surface of the substrate material sufficiently reflective for observation of the dichroic effect. Again, the incorporation of a brightening treatment into a process for the production of can bodies is not seen as commercially attractive, both because of the cost of the brightening materials and the lack of easy integration of this extra step into the conventional can-making operation.
There is consequently a need for a way of producing a beverage can body having a visible dichroic surface that can be operated inexpensively and conveniently.
An object of the invention is to provide a process of producing a beverage can body having a surface exhibiting visible dichroic effects.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a process that can be integrated without undue difficulty into conventional can-making operations and equipment.
Another object of the invention is to provide a process of producing beverage can bodies exhibiting a visible dichroic effect without employing films and foils that are adhered to the can body subsequently to its production.
Another object of the invention is to enable dichroic structures to be produced directly on aluminum can bodies in a cost effective manner.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a process of producing an aluminum beverage can body having a decorative surface exhibiting a dichroic effect (when observed in white light), in which a can body is formed from a sheet of aluminum metal or aluminum alloy metal by drawing and ironing, surfaces of the can body are cleaned to produce a cleaned can body, a decorative structure exhibiting a dichroic effect is applied to a surface of the cleaned can body, and the can body is subjected to finishing operations, wherein the decorative structure is applied by the steps of: applying a layer of dielectric material directly onto the metal of the cleaned can body without pre-treatment of the metal with a metal brightener, and forming a semi-transparent metal layer on or within said dielectric layer, the thickness of said dielectric material beneath said semi-transparent metal layer, and the thickness of said semi-transparent metal layer being made effective to produce a visible dichroic pattern when said can body is observed in white light.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing beverage can bodies from aluminum sheet can stock, including a cupper to form a cup from said can stock, an apparatus for drawing the cup into a can body, an ironer for ironing can body sides, a wash apparatus for cleaning the drawn and ironed can body, and finishing apparatus for finishing the can body, wherein anodizing equipment for anodizing a surface of the can body to form an anodic dielectric spacer layer is provided immediately after the washer, followed by a device for depositing a semi-transparent metal layer, said equipment and said device effective to form a structure on said surface that exhibits a dichroic effect when viewed in white light.
The invention also includes decorated can bodies produced by the above process, and complete beverage cans incorporating such decorated can bodies.
The present invention is based on the unexpected finding that a beverage can body produced by drawing and ironing has a surface, when cleaned, that is sufficiently bright and reflective that a dichroic structure can be created directly on the surface without the need for pre-treatment with brighteners or other chemical or physical agents. This is surprising because, as noted above, brightening treatments are normally required when dichroic structures are formed directly on non-foil metal substrates. The only material (other than vacuum deposited layers) previously known to the inventors that did not require the use of brighteners was aluminum household foil, which is of much thinner gauge than can body walls.
It has also unexpectedly been found that, by avoiding the need for such pre-treatments, (ie. by forming the dichroic structure in the absence of metal brighteners, namely directly on the metal of a cleaned can body) the process of the invention can be carried out in an automated production line for the formation of can bodies from metal sheet, and specifically the process can be incorporated into conventional can body washing and pre-treatment regimes. The steps for applying the decorative dichroic structure may be carried out automatically following the automatic washing operation conventionally employed for forming the cleaned can body stock. It has been found that the times required for the formation of the dichroic layer and the semi-transparent metal layer are consistent with the speeds of various other steps required for can body formation, so that easy integration is possible.
Normally, the layer of dielectric material beneath said semi-transparent metal layer is made to have a thickness in the range of 0.3 to 1.0 xcexcm, and the semi-transparent metal layer, preferably nickel, is formed at a thickness in the range of 5 to 10 nm, most preferably by electroless metal plating.
The dielectric material is preferably a metal oxide, e.g. aluminum oxide, ideally formed by electrolysis of the underlying aluminum or aluminum alloy of the cleaned can body. Surprisingly, the electrolysis may be achieved by directing a spray of liquid electrolyte at said can body from a nozzle while creating an electrolysis circuit in which said can body is made an anode and said nozzle is made a cathode. Alternatively, the electrolysis may be carried out by at least partially immersing the cleaned can body in a liquid electrolyte while creating an electrolysis circuit in which the can body is made an anode and a cathode is brought into contact with the electrolyte.
The electrolyte used for the electrolysis is preferably a dilute aqueous solution of sulfuric acid. To produce a dielectric layer of the required thickness, the electrolysis normally requires a period of time which is fast enough for incorporation of this step into a conventional can body production process.
When the electrolysis is brought about by spraying the electrolyte, the can body may be held in place by a wire mesh, or a pair of wire meshes, one of which is in electrical contact with the can body and forms part of the electrolysis circuit. Most preferably, the can body is held inverted by the mesh and the spray is directed over an outer surface of the can body from above, so that only the outside of the can body is anodized. The spray is preferably continuous when it contacts the can body, but is discontinuous when it makes direct contact with the mesh. This avoids direct shorting of the electrical circuit between the nozzle and the mesh.
If desired, the spray may be created in a flow pattern that directs different amounts of the liquid electrolyte against different parts of the can body. Alternatively, the current input to the spray may be varied during the spray anodizing process, e.g. by providing less current density around the edges of the spray pattern. This causes different rates of electrolysis at different parts of the can body, and causes the finished can body to exhibit different colours in different areas due to different thicknesses of the dielectric layer.
Also if desired, the can body, following the applying of the decorative dichroic pattern, may be overcoated with a further decorative layer that is at least partially coloured and at least partially transparent. For example, the colour of the overcoat may be such that it enhances the perceived dichroic effect when the can body is moved relative to an observer.
Also if desired, the can body is produced with a fluted outer surface to enhance a dichroic effect produced by the dichroic layer, i.e. by producing different colours at different parts of each flute, giving the can a vertically striped appearance.
After the formation of the dichroic structure in the process of the present invention, the finishing operations of the can body may include the application of a protective sealing layer over said dichroic structure, both for protection against physical abrasion, and to prevent modification of the dichroic effect by fingerprints and the like, although the structures of the invention do not seem very prone to this type of modification.
There have been suggestions for the use of anodization for the cleaning of can bodies. In such cases, the electrolysis used for cleaning may be combined with the electrolysis used to apply the layer of dichroic material, thus simplifying the overall procedure.

Apparatus for producing decorative beverage can bodies


A golf putt training device which is characterized as follows. A light apparatus adapted to project an alignment segment and an aiming spot on a playing surface. Whereby the light apparatus is positioned behind a ball and the aiming spot is projected in front of the ball. The alignment segment is projected over the ball and a putter head. The alignment segment is used to align the putter head during a swing. The method for putt training can begin by projecting an alignment segment and an aiming spot from a light apparatus positioned above a playing surface onto a playing surface. A ball is positioned on a portion of the alignment segment on the playing surface. A putter head of a putter is placed behind the ball on a portion of the alignment segment. The putter head is aligned with the alignment segment. The putter head is moved to strike the ball using the alignment segment to maintain the alignment of the putter head with the alignment segment. In an option the light apparatus is comprised of a first light source and a second light source The first light source projects the alignment segment and the second light source projects the aiming spot. The alignment line and the aiming spot are about in a vertical plane.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to putting aids and more specifically it relates to putt training devices and methods for training golfers to putt consistently and accurately.
2) Description of the Prior Art
It can be appreciated that laser putting aids have been in use for years. Typically, laser putting aids are comprised of customized training putters that incorporate a built in laser, and laser devices that attach to a putter. Another class of laser putting aids project a laser beam from a target back to the putter.
The main problem with conventional laser putting aids are in the case of customized training putters the golfer is not practicing with his own putter, which is a significant disadvantage. In the case of attached laser devices, they affect the mechanical properties of the putter, which is a significant disadvantage. In the final case, laser beams projected from the target back to the putter address only one aspect of the putting stroke; either face alignment or swing path.
Another problem with conventional laser putting aids are in the case of customized training putters, they cannot be used on the golf course in accordance with the rules of golf. In the case of attached laser devices, they cannot be used on the golf course in accordance with the rules of golf. Another problem with conventional laser putting aids is they do not address the entire putt stroke. Typically each putting aid addresses only one aspect of the putting stroke, either putter face alignment, swing path alignment with the target, distance control, target selection, or parallex aiming issues.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for training golfers to putt consistently and accurately. The main problem with conventional laser putting aids are in the case of customized training putters the golfer is not practicing with his own putter, which is a significant disadvantage. In the case of attached laser devices, they affect the mechanical properties of the putter, which is a significant disadvantage.
The importance of overcoming the various deficiencies noted above is evidenced by the extensive technological development directed to the subject, as documented by the relevant patent and technical literature. The closest and apparently more relevant technical developments in the patent literature can be gleaned by considering U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,202 (Densberger et al) that shows a golf swing training method that projects one long (infinite) line of light.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,202 (Densberger et al.) shows a golf swing training method.
U.S. Pat. No. RE37,519E (Densberger et al.) shows a gold club with optical alignment system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,887 B1 (Carney) shows an apparatus for practicing the game of golf.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,239 (Marcroglou) shows an alignment device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,6036,608 (Morris) shows a golf putting apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,429 (Walmsley et al.) shows a club aiming unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,436 (Mark) teaches a laser light for putting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,036 (Daly) disclose a laser putting device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,588 (Hooker) teaches a putting training method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,041 (Terry, III, et al.) shows a golf putting trainer.
However there is a need to improve current golf putt training devices.


A prosthetic knee joint enabling high-angle flexion includes the following members (a)-(c).. (a) a femoral component which is adapted to be secured to a distal femur, consists of implant metal, has a concave portion with a depth of 10 mm or more on the lower central surface thereof, adapted to be in slidable contact with the patella or a patellar component, and has a pair of spaced bearing surfaces spaced by the concave portion, consisting of an anterior erect portion, a lower portion and a posterior erect portion, which portions form a smoothly curved surface; PA1 (b) a tibial component adapted to be secured to a proximal tibia, consists of implant metal and has an upper convex surface; PA1 (c) a unitary bearing insert which consists of polyethylene, is situated slidably between the femoral component and the tibial component in use, has an upper concave surface for supporting the spaced bearing surfaces of the femoral component, defined between an anterior end and a posterior end and having a curvature radius within the range of from 20 mm to 1000 mm on the entire surface between the anterior and posterior ends, and also has a convex lower surface.

Filed of Invention
The present invention relates to a prosthetic knee joint, more particularly, a prosthetic knee joint which enables high-angle flexion, has improved durability of the prosthetic components and also enhanced knee stability.
Knee arthroplasty, in which the natural knee is replaced with a prosthetic knee joint, is one of the most successful medical methods for remedying destructive knee-joint troubles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,700 discloses a prosthetic knee joint which attains a high-angle flexion and is embodied, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, which schematically illustrates a fully flexed state. The prosthetic knee joint consists of a femoral component 1 consisting of implant metal, a tibial component 5 and a patellar component 20 consisting of plastics, e.g., polyethylene. The lower surface of the femoral component 1 is defined by the anterior erect portion 1a, the lower portion 1b and the posterior erect portion 1c, while each of these portions and the entire portions form a continuously smooth curved configuration. The femoral component 1 is provided with a peg 2 for securing it to the distal femur (not shown). The tibial component 5 has a concave surface 5a for enabling the femoral component 1 to slide thereon and is secured to the proximal tibia (not shown) with the stem 25.
The prosthetic knee joint proposed in the above mentioned U.S. Patent has a concave surface 1d at the lower central portion thereof, and the concave surface id is shaped to enlarge the maximum movement width of the prosthetic knee during flexion. It is described further the prosthetic components are configurated and dimensioned such that the quadriceps muscle tension approaches that in the natural human knee-joint throughout the full range of flexion.
Although not aiming at high-angle flexion, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-195,550 discloses the prosthetic components having virtually the same geometries as shown in FIG. 2.
The movement of the knee is not only a mere hinge action but also includes a swiveling action and a rolling action in the anterior and posterior direction. It additionaly includes a posterior rolling movement, which is essential in a high-angle full flexion, such that the contact between the femur and tibia displaces posteriorly and the axis of rotation also displaces posteriorly. Since the life style of Orientals frequently involves erect sitting position, the knee joint must be occasionally greatly flexed at high-angle flexion. It has been the practice to construct the prosthetic knee joint with an alumina femoral-component and a titanium-alloy tibial component with a bonded polyethylene top coating and to design the sliding surface between these components to enable high-angle flexion. However, when this prosthetic knee joint is fully flexed, the stress applied on the polyethylene top coating is greatly increased such that a danger arises of accelerated wear.


A metrology target formed by a lithographic process on a substrate includes a plurality of component gratings. Images of the target are formed using +1 and −1 orders of radiation diffracted by the component gratings. Regions of interest (ROIs) in the detected image are identified corresponding the component gratings. Intensity values within each ROI are processed and compared between images, to obtain a measurement of asymmetry and hence overlay error. Separation zones are formed between the component gratings and design so as to provide dark regions in the image. In an embodiment, the ROIs are selected with their boundaries falling within the image regions corresponding to the separation zones. By this measure, the asymmetry measurement is made more tolerant of variations in the position of the ROI. The dark regions also assist in recognition of the target in the images.

Field of the Present invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for metrology usable, for example, in the manufacture of devices by lithographic techniques and to methods of manufacturing devices using lithographic techniques.
Background Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., including part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
In lithographic processes, it is desirable frequently to make measurements of the structures created, e.g., for process control and verification. Various tools for making such measurements are known, including scanning electron microscopes, which are often used to measure critical dimension (CD), and specialized tools to measure overlay, the accuracy of alignment of two layers in a device. Recently, various forms of scatterometers have been developed for use in the lithographic field. These devices direct a beam of radiation onto a target and measure one or more properties of the scattered radiation—e.g., intensity at a single angle of reflection as a function of wavelength; intensity at one or more wavelengths as a function of reflected angle; or polarization as a function of reflected angle—to obtain a "spectrum" from which a property of interest of the target can be determined Determination of the property of interest may be performed by various techniques: e.g., reconstruction of the target structure by iterative approaches such as rigorous coupled wave analysis or finite element methods; library searches; and principal component analysis.
The targets used by conventional scatterometers are relatively large, e.g., 40 μm by 40 μm, gratings and the measurement beam generates a spot that is smaller than the grating (i.e., the grating is underfilled). This simplifies mathematical reconstruction of the target as it can be regarded as infinite. However, in order to reduce the size of the targets, e.g., to 10 μm by 10 μm or less, e.g., so they can be positioned in amongst product features, rather than in the scribe lane, metrology has been proposed in which the grating is made smaller than the measurement spot (i.e., the grating is overfilled). Typically such targets are measured using dark field scatterometry in which the zeroth order of diffraction (corresponding to a specular reflection) is blocked, and only higher orders processed. Diffraction-based overlay using dark-field detection of the diffraction orders enables overlay measurements on smaller targets. These targets can be smaller than the illumination spot and may be surrounded by product structures on a wafer. Multiple gratings can be measured in one image, using a composite grating target.
In the known metrology technique, overlay measurement results are obtained by measuring the target twice under certain conditions, while either rotating the target or changing the illumination mode or imaging mode to obtain separately the −1st and the +1st diffraction order intensities. Comparing these intensities for a given grating provides a measurement of asymmetry in the grating, and asymmetry in an overlay grating can be used as an indicator of overlay error.
Because of the reduced size of the individual gratings in a composite grating target, edge effects (fringes) in the dark-field image become significant, and there can be cross-talk between the images of different gratings within the target. To address this issue, some select only a central portion of the image of each grating as a 'region of interest' (ROI). Only pixel values within the ROI are used to calculate asymmetry and overlay. As one considers ever smaller targets, however, the size of ROI that can be defined to be free of edge effects reduces to ever smaller numbers of pixels. Consequently the measurements are inherently more noisy, for a given acquisition time. Moreover, any variation in positioning the ROI becomes a significant source of error in the measured asymmetry.

Metrology method and apparatus, substrate, lithographic system and device manufacturing method


A pharmaceutical composition is described that is suitable for delivery from a pressurised container. The composition is preferably free of polar excipients and comprises: (a) a propellant component that consists essentially of 1,1-difluoroethane (R-152a); (b) a surfactant component that comprises at least one surfactant compound other than oleic acid; and (c) a drug component that consists of salbutamol sulphate. The pharmaceutical composition can be delivered using a metered dose inhaler (MDI).

MDIs are the most significant type of inhalation drug delivery system and are well known to those skilled in the art. They are designed to deliver, on demand, a discrete and accurate amount of a drug to the respiratory tract of a patient using a liquefied propellant in which the drug is dissolved, suspended or dispersed. The design and operation of MDIs is described in many standard textbooks and in the patent literature. They all comprise a pressurised container that holds the drug formulation, a nozzle and a valve assembly that is capable of dispensing a controlled quantity of the drug through the nozzle when it is activated. All of these components are typically located in a housing that is equipped with a mouth piece. The drug formulation will comprise a propellant, in which the drug is dissolved, suspended or dispersed, and may contain other materials such as polar excipients, surfactants and preservatives.
In order for a propellant to function satisfactorily in MDIs, it needs to have a number of properties. These include an appropriate boiling point and vapour pressure so that it can be liquefied in a closed container at room temperature but develop a high enough pressure when the MDI is activated to deliver the drug as an atomised formulation even at low ambient temperatures. Further, the propellant should be of low acute and chronic toxicity and have a high cardiac sensitisation threshold. It should have a high degree of chemical stability in contact with the drug, the container and the metallic and non-metallic components of the MDI device, and have a low propensity to extract low molecular weight substances from any elastomeric materials in the MDI device. The propellant should also be capable of maintaining the drug in a homogeneous solution, in a stable suspension or in a stable dispersion for a sufficient time to permit reproducible delivery of the drug in use. When the drug is in suspension in the propellant, the density of the liquid propellant is desirably similar to that of the solid drug in order to avoid rapid sinking or floating of the drug particles in the liquid. Finally, the propellant should not present a significant flammability risk to the patient in use. In particular, it should form a non-flammable or low flammability mixture when mixed with air in the respiratory tract.
Dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12) possesses a suitable combination of properties and was for many years the most widely used MDI propellant, often blended with trichlorofluoromethane (R-11). Due to international concern that fully and partially halogenated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), such as dichlorodifluoromethane and trichlorofluoromethane, were damaging the earth's protective ozone layer, many countries entered into an agreement, the Montreal Protocol, stipulating that their manufacture and use should be severely restricted and eventually phased out completely. Dichlorodifluoromethane and trichlorofluoromethane were phased out for refrigeration use in the 1990's, but are still used in small quantities in the MDI sector as a result of an essential use exemption in the Montreal Protocol.
1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a) was introduced as a replacement refrigerant and MDI propellant for R-12. 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (R-227ea) was also introduced as a replacement for dichlorotetrafluoroethane (R-114) in the MDI sector and is sometimes blended with R-134a for this application.
Although R-134a and R-227ea have low ozone depletion potentials (ODPs), they have global warming potentials (GWPs), 1430 and 3220 respectively, that are now considered to be too high by some regulatory bodies, especially for dispersive uses when they are released into the atmosphere.
One industrial area that has received particular attention recently has been the automotive air-conditioning sector where the use of R-134a has come under regulatory control as a result of the European F-Gas Regulations. Industry is developing a number of possible alternatives to R-134a in automotive air conditioning and other applications that have a low greenhouse warming potential (GWP) as well as a low ozone depletion potential (ODP). Many of these alternatives include hydrofluoropropenes, especially the tetrafluoropropenes, such as 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (R-1234yf) and 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (R-1234ze).
Although the proposed alternatives to R-134a have a low GWP, the toxicological status of many of the components, such as certain of the fluoropropenes, is unclear and they are unlikely to be acceptable for use in the MDI sector for many years, if at all.
There are also other problems with R-134a and R-227ea. Most pharmaceutical actives for treating respiratory disorders, such as asthma, tend not to dissolve well in either R-134a or R-227ea and have to be handled as suspensions in the propellant. Drug suspensions give rise to a number of problems, such as nozzle blockage, agglomeration and sedimentation, the latter problem making it essential to shake the MDI thoroughly before use to ensure that the drug is evenly distributed in the propellant. Furthermore, if the pharmaceutical active settles quickly following re-suspension in the propellant, as is often the case, then the propellant/drug composition must be delivered from the MDI shortly after shaking in order to ensure that the dose that is delivered contains an effective concentration of the pharmaceutical active.
The problem of poorly dissolving drugs has been addressed by including a polar excipient in the composition which either helps to dissolve the drug to form a solution or else enhances wetting of suspended drug particles to yield a better dispersed and more stable suspension. A preferred polar excipient is ethanol. However, the use of large amounts of ethanol can tend to result in a coarse spray having droplet sizes that are too large for acceptable penetration into the deep bronchiole passages of the lung. Further, high levels of ethanol can have unacceptable irritancy to the mouth and throat, especially with younger users. Clearly it would be advantageous to reduce the amount of ethanol that is required to produce an acceptable formulation. It would be better still if the use of ethanol could be avoided altogether.
Surfactants have also been included in some formulations that include drugs that are either insoluble or only sparingly soluble in the propellant, as these can also help to produce a more stable suspension. Unfortunately, many of the toxicologically acceptable surfactants have sufficient solubility in either R-134a or R-227ea. As a result, ethanol has been added to the composition, where it functions not only as a wetter but also as a solvent for the surfactant. It would be beneficial to find a propellant/surfactant combination that allows for sufficient surfactant to be dissolved in the propellant without the inclusion of a polar excipient such as ethanol or with reduced levels of such an excipient.
There is a need for a MDI aerosol formulation that has a reduced GWP in comparison with R-134a and R-227ea, that has acceptable flammability and toxicity performance, which forms stable suspensions and that has reduced irritancy.

Composition comprising salbutamol sulphate


The lean premix combustion approach for NOx emissions control in gas turbine combustion systems has led to the problems of increased combustion pressure oscillation during engine operation and flame outs during rapid engine load reduction. Combustion pressure oscillation can reduce the durability of the engine and combustion system components to unacceptable levels. Flame outs can make the engine unacceptable from the operational viewpoint. The use of a control device allows the combustion pressure oscillation amplitude to be controlled to levels required for long durability of the combustion system components. It also allows an engine control system to operate the engine at part load condition and during rapid load reduction without flame out. When used at small levels, its effect on the engine NOx emissions is small. Higher levels may sometimes be needed to control the combustion pressure oscillation to acceptable levels. In such a situation, the penalty of increased NOx emissions has to be accepted in order to have an operationally acceptable engine.

The use of fossil fuel in gas turbine engines results in the combustion products consisting of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, oxides of sulfur and particulates. Of these above products, carbon dioxide and water vapor are generally not considered objectionable. In most applications, governmental imposed regulations are further restricting the remainder of the species, mentioned above, emitted in the exhaust gases.
The majority of the products of combustion emitted in the exhaust can be controlled by design modifications, cleanup of exhaust gases and/or regulating the quality of fuel used. For example, particulates in the engine exhaust have been controlled either by design modifications to the combustors and fuel injectors or by removing them by traps and filters. Sulfur oxides are normally controlled by the selection of fuels that are low in total sulfur. This leaves nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons as the emissions of primary concern in the exhaust gases emitted from the gas turbine engine.
The principal mechanism for the formation of oxides of nitrogen involves the direct oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen. The rate of formation of oxides of nitrogen by this mechanism depends mostly upon the flame temperature and to some degree upon the concentration of the reactants. Consequently, a small reduction in flame temperature can result in a large reduction in the nitrogen oxides.
Past and some present systems providing means for reducing the maximum temperature in the combustion zone of a gas turbine combustor have included schemes for introducing more air into the primary combustion zone, recirculating cooled exhaust products into the combustion zone and injecting water spray into the combustion zone. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,527 issued on Mar. 29, 1988, to Harry A. Kidd. The method and apparatus disclosed therein automatically maintains the NOx emissions at a substantially constant level during all ambient conditions and for no load to full load fuel flows. The water/fuel ratio is calculated for a substantially constant level of NOx emissions at the given operating conditions and, knowing the actual fuel flow to the gas turbine, a signal is generated representing the water metering valve position necessary to inject the proper water flow into the combustor to achieve the desired water/fuel ratio.
Another example of such a water injection system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,137 issued on Nov. 20, 1984, to Robie L. Faulkner. The patent discloses introducing a liquid coolant into the combustor of the engine. This reduces the flame temperature in the combustor, thereby discouraging the formation of thermal NOx.
In an attempt to reduce NOx emissions without incurring increased operating costs caused by water injection, gas turbine combustion systems have utilized a lean premix approach. In use, experimentation has shown that such lean premix combustion can result in high combustion pressure oscillations and frequent flameouts in the gas turbine load range. The former can reduce the engine and combustion system durability to unacceptable levels while the latter can make the engine unacceptable for part load operation and rapid load reduction.
The above systems used therewith are examples of attempts to reduce the emissions of oxides of nitrogen. The use of water injection increases the operating costs due to the need for supplying water of high purity to the engine. In some applications, a supply of water is difficult to obtain. For example, in desert areas a water supply is basically non-existent, thus, the cost of operation is greatly increased. The operating costs are also increased due to the equipment such as lines, reservoirs and pump.

Lean premix combustion system having reduced combustion pressure oscillation


An image recording apparatus includes two recording material storage sections arranged vertically, each having a magazine, a cutter and a pair of take-out rollers, a transport device having a pair of transport rollers for transporting a recording material, the transport device supporting the recording material in a horizontal state, and a recording drum for holding the recording material on a peripheral surface thereof. The apparatus further includes a tilt mechanism for tilting the transport device to set the pair of transport rollers to a position opposed to the recording drum, and an image recorder for recording an image on the recording material held by the recording drum.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a transport mechanism for transporting recording materials stored in a plurality of recording material storage sections to a recording material holder for recording images on the recording materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a recording material transport device for use in an image recording apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-61123 (1993), for example.
A photo sensitive material transport device described in the above publication includes a supply magazine for supplying a photosensitive material serving as a recording material, a transport roller group for transporting the photosensitive material to a subsequent stage, and a guide tube pivotable about a predetermined axis between a position in which an end of the tube is opposed to the supply magazine and a position in which the end of the tube is opposed to the transport roller group. Thus, the transport device is constructed to transport the photosensitive material from the supply magazine toward the transport roller group in a switchback mode.
An image recording apparatus includes a plurality of recording material supplying sections with magazines for the purpose of using plural types of recording materials different in size, for example, and for the purpose of continually supplying a recording material by changing in turn the magazines storing the recording material. These recording material supplying sections usually are arranged vertically with a view to reducing installation space.
Where a transport device pivotable about a predetermined axis as described above is used in an image recording apparatus with recording material supplying sections arranged vertically, a recording material supply angle varies from one recording material supplying section to another. This poses a problem of a destabilized performance in transporting the recording material. A large recording material supply angle tends to cause damage to the recording material. An increased number of transport rollers used to avoid the above inconvenience would complicate the transport mechanism and increase the cost of the apparatus.


The present invention includes a laser diode, a laser controller configured to adjust a wavelength of illumination from the laser diode, a beam sampler configured to receive illumination from the laser diode and configured to direct a delivery portion of illumination to a phase-shifting interferometer, the beam sampler configured to direct a reference portion of illumination along a reference path, a detector configured to receive the reference portion of illumination, an amplitude controller configured to receive information associated with optical power of the reference portion of illumination from the detector and further configured to compare optical power of the reference portion of illumination with a selected optical power, and an optical amplitude modulator configured to adjust optical power of illumination received from a first portion of the illumination path, the optical amplitude modulator configured to transmit illumination having adjusted optical power along a second portion of the illumination path.

Interferometry is a useful technique for measuring one or more spatial characteristics of a sample, such as a semiconductor wafer or any other semiconductor or non-semiconductor substrate, utilizing information associated with illumination reflected from test surfaces of a sample. As semiconductor fabrication continually requires higher levels of accuracy and precision, improved interferometry techniques are needed to meet the demands of modern fabrication technologies. Phase-shifting interferometry offers many advantages over other interferometry techniques including, but not limited to, higher measurement accuracy, insensitivity to contrast, illumination uniformity, and obtainable phase at fixed grid points.
In phase-shifting interferometry, a time-varying phase shift is applied to illumination between reference surfaces in a phase-shifting interferometry system and test surfaces of a sample. Reflected illumination is then analyzed to determine intensity of the recorded phases. Information associated with spatial characteristics of the sample can be derived accordingly. One method of applying a time-varying phase shift is by physically moving the reference surfaces or the sample to provide phase-shifting by changing the spatial relationship between the test and reference surfaces. However, the physical motion often results in vibrations tending to degrade measurement accuracy.
Alternatively, phase-shifting interferometry systems may rely on wavelength-tunable illumination sources to provide time-varying phase shifts by providing illumination at different wavelengths. Several wavelength-tunable illumination sources are tuned to different wavelengths by varying the applied level of voltage. However, varying the applied level of voltage tends to also affect optical power of the supplied illumination.

Method and system for stabilizing power of tunable laser in wavelength-tuning phase shift interferometer


An electronic system (2001) for manipulating an input data argument (D[31:0]) comprising an integer number of bits. The system comprises an input (R) for receiving a right direction argument and an input (L) for receiving a left direction argument. The system also comprises circuitry (200) for producing a first data output having the integer number of bits by rotating the input data argument in response to the first direction argument and the second direction argument. The system also comprises circuitry for providing a modified data output (502). The circuitry for providing comprises circuitry for selecting a first set of bits from the first data output as a first portion of the modified data output and circuitry for providing a second set of bits from a source other than the first data output as a second portion of the modified data output.

The present embodiments relate to electronic processors such as microprocessors or digital signal processors ("DSPs"), and are more particularly directed to providing such a processor operable in response to an EXTRACT instruction to efficiently shift a data argument in response to respective left and right shift count indicators.
Electronic processors including microprocessors and DSPs have become prevalent in numerous applications, including uses for devices in personal, business, and other environments. Demands of the marketplace affect many aspects of processor design, including factors such as device power consumption and speed. As a result, constant evaluation is performed by processor designers in an effort to provide improvements in these and other factors. The present embodiments also endeavor toward this end.
The present embodiments are directed to providing an improved processor functional unit for purposes of rotating a data argument. Rotation of a data argument is intended to cover the instance where data is to be shifted twice, once in a first direction and then thereafter in an opposite direction. Thus, two possibilities exist, namely, a right shift followed by a left shift or a left shift followed by a right shift. Two such successive shifts may be required in various instances, where by way of example the present commercially available DSPs sold by Texas Instruments Incorporated under the TMS320C6 xxx family include an EXTRACT instruction in the DSP instruction set, and that instruction calls for two successive and opposite-direction shifts. The use of such operations is typically beneficial to manipulate or isolate a portion of data within a data word, where the word in contemporary processors is often a 32-bit data argument. Further, these two shifts can be used with additional operations, such as arithmetic or logical operations with another data argument, in order to achieve an intended result. In any event, in previous processors, such operations required either the use of two successive shift instructions, or the use of the EXTRACT instruction, with either approach being executed in the processor by performing a complete shift in one direction followed by another complete shift in the opposite direction. In this regard, either two independent operations are expended, one for each shift, or the two shifts might be executed simultaneously, thereby requiring however the complexity of two different 32-bit shifters (i.e., one for each of the two shifts). Additional delay and/or additional complexity, such as that required by these prior art approaches, are considered drawbacks in contemporary processor design.
In view of the above, there arises a need to address the drawbacks of the prior art, as is achieved by the preferred embodiments described below.

Processor system with efficient shift operations including EXTRACT operation


A wall mounted leg exercise device has a beam pivoted intermediate its ends to a hub assembly that is vertically adjustable on the wall. One end of the beam has an ankle retaining cuff for the user's leg. The other end opposite said one end relative the pivot axis of the hub carries a hand grip so the user can steady himself as he performs at least three leg exercising kicks.

Prior art stretching devices for stretching and/or strengthening leg muscles have taken several forms, one of which forms requires that the user be seated and/or located in a prone position so that his legs move in a horizontal plane as taught for example in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,247 and 4,877,239.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,304 does suggest that the user assume an erect position, however one leg is secured against movement and although the other leg is moved in a vertical plane the leg is not kept straight in a kicking motion. The device of this patent immobilizes the user's torso and other leg. Such a situation results in a restrictive motion for the movable leg which does not resemble the kicking motion common to the martial arts.


The present invention relates to a sandwich-structure flat active actuator that is symmetrical relative to the mid-plane comprising at least one piezoelectric flat layer having an active direction superpose and fixedly attached to at least one passive flat layer of fabric with rigid warp and weft oriented in two directions forming a mesh; the two directions of each layer of fabric are the same. The active direction of each piezoelectric layer is oriented along one and the same diagonal of the mesh of the layers of fabric. The invention is also aimed at a device consisting of two actuators mounted head-to-tail. The invention applies to the active torsion of structures such as, for example, a helicopter blade.

In aviation, the concern to enhance maneuverability, safety or to reduce noise nuisance is leading aircraft designers ever more frequently to use active airfoil elements. These elements are capable of deforming in a controlled manner in response to a precise set point in order to modify the behavior of the aircraft in their environment.
Thus, the controlled torsion of aircraft airfoils has been the subject of many studies and has given rise to the production of actuators allowing a relative displacement of the top surface or suction surface relative to the bottom surface or pressure surface.
In addition to the mechanical and hydraulic actuators as presented by De Laurier et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,039) or Young et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,924), it is also possible to cite the piezoelectric actuators that are of more particular relevance to the invention as described by Jeffs et al. (GB 2 348 537) or by Matthew L. Wilbur et al. ("Hover testing of the NASA/ARMY/MIT active twist rotor prototype blade"; the American Helicopter Society 56th Annual Forum, Virginia Beach, Va., May 2-4, 2000) or else in the French patent in the name of the applicant (FR 2.833.571).
In the English patent GB-2 348 537, the trailing edges of the suction surface and of the pressure surface are fixedly attached together by means of a tube split parallel at the trailing edge along the span of the airfoil. The two lips of the slot are arranged to receive the piezoelectric actuators that are capable of causing one lip to slide relative to the other along the span. Because of the low value of the available elongation, the relative displacement of the trailing edges is too small to allow an effective controlled torsion of the airfoil.
In the work of Matthew L. Wilbur, a helicopter blade is fitted, at six locations distributed along its span all situated in the virtually flat zone of maximum thickness, with two piezoelectric actuators, one in the suction surface, the other in the pressure surface. Each actuator comprises two piezoelectric layers of the MFC (Macro Fiber Composite) type, each capable of elongating or contracting in an active direction. A first central layer of glass fabric is sandwiched between two piezoelectric layers. The active directions of the piezoelectric layers are oriented respectively along the warp and the weft of the glass fabric. This first sandwich is itself sandwiched between two other layers of glass fabric whose warp and weft are oriented along the diagonals of the warp and weft of the fabric of the central layer, hence of the active directions. It is this five-layer sandwich that forms an actuator.
When a virtually flat actuator is activated, it torsionally deforms spontaneously, directly inducing the torsion of the blade. Placing assemblies on the pressure surface and on the suction surface amplifies the torsion of the blade. In addition to the difficulty of installing such assemblies in the structure of the blade, they are situated in a closed section, called "D-spar", having a high torsional rigidity which has a strong resistance to the deformations of the actuators, thus creating powerful stresses between the layers that form them. In addition, these actuators being situated on the pressure and suction surface skins, at the maximum thickness of the profile, they therefore also sustain powerful stresses when the blade is acted upon in bending flap motion.
In order to limit this resistance, in the French patent in the name of the applicant (FR 2.833.571), the pressure surface and suction surface trailing edges are, according to a variant embodiment, directly connected to piezoelectric actuators operating in a shearing motion and continuously closing the section along the span in order to obtain a high torsional rigidity. But, to preserve this rigidity, the actuators are necessarily installed close to the trailing edge where the thickness of the airfoil is reduced, which limits the dimension of the actuator according to the thickness of the profile. Because of the low value of the angle of shear, the relative displacement thus available of the trailing edges is too slight to allow an effective controlled torsion of the airfoil.

Sandwich-structure flat actuator and application to structural torsion

ONERA (Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales)


To provide a method for manufacturing a sensor element, by which stabilization of an electrode, which is performed prior to inspecting element characteristics, can be performed for a shorter time period and in a more reliable manner than in the conventional. The sensor element includes: an oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer; a first electrode that is formed on a surface of the oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer; and a second electrode that is formed in a space provided inside the oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte layer, and that is configured to reduce said predetermined gas component. As the pre-treatment, by an external power source, a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, to thereby decompose and remove a gas component attached to the second electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sensor element for use in a gas sensor, and particularly to a method for stabilizing the condition of an electrode.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, various gas sensors have been used for recognizing a concentration of a desired gas component in a measurement gas. For example, as a device for measuring a NOx concentration in a measurement gas such as a combustion gas, known is a NOx sensor having a sensor element which is formed using an oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte such as zirconia (ZrO2) (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-284223 and Japanese Patent No. 3537983).
In sensor elements of gas sensors including the NOx sensors disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-284223 and Japanese Patent No. 3537983, a concentration of a measurement object gas component (object component) is obtained by utilizing the fact that in a case where the measurement object gas component is decomposed at a measuring electrode by the catalytic activity thereof, the amount of oxygen ion occurring at that time is proportional to a current flowing in the measuring electrode and a reference electrode. To be specific, a concentration value of the object component is recognized as follows: a relationship (sensitivity characteristics, a concentration profile) between a concentration value and a current value (output signal value) in each individual sensor element is obtained in advance by using a mixed gas whose object component concentration is already known; and in an actual use, a measured current value is converted into a concentration value based on the sensitivity characteristics.
Therefore, it is ideal that the current value is zero in a case where the object component does not exist in the measurement gas. However, actually, oxygen originally existing in the measurement gas is, though removed prior to the decomposition of the object gas component, left in a small amount and is decomposed, so that a current slightly flows. Accordingly, it is normal that prior to use, a current value (derived from residual oxygen and the like) under a state where the object component does not exist is identified as an offset value, and a value obtained by subtracting the offset value from a current value obtained under a state where the object component exists is used as a current value which is proportional to a gas concentration.
The above-mentioned sensitivity characteristics are determined before each gas sensor is used (for example, before shipment), and normally dealt as fixed characteristics without being changed when the gas sensor is used afterward. This is based on the assumption that actual sensitivity characteristics do not vary during the use of the gas sensor. If the actual sensitivity characteristics change over time, the concentration value which is calculated based on the sensitivity characteristics determined at the time of shipment loses its reliability as the use of the gas sensor continues, and eventually the gas sensor loses a measurement accuracy set in its specification.
However, the condition of an electrode of a sensor element obtained after an aging process is not stabilized because, for example, the degree of oxidation during baking of the element and the degree of reduction during the aging in a rich atmosphere, which is performed after the baking, are not constant, and a rich component that is left within the sensor element after the aging is suddenly decomposed. In other words, this means that the catalytic activity of the measuring electrode varies among sensor elements before they are shipped. Inspecting the element characteristics and further determining the sensitivity characteristics under such an unstabilized state may cause an erroneous determination in which a sensor element that is actually a non-defective product is determined as a defective product. This results in a reduction in the production yield. In view of this point, a technique is already known in which the condition of an electrode is stabilized by performing, prior to inspecting the element characteristics, a pre-treatment process for driving the sensor element in advance for a predetermined time period in a mixed gas atmosphere that is similar to an actual usage environment (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-145285).
The pre-treatment method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-145285 exerts an effect of stabilizing the electrode of the sensor element, but the effect is not always constant. Thus, there is a problem that an improvement in the production yield is limited. Additionally, there is also a problem that this method cannot always be regarded as a satisfactory method from the viewpoint of the productivity of the sensor element, because it is necessary to drive the sensor element in the mixed gas atmosphere though the time period thereof is merely about ten minutes. Although it is possible to perform the pre-treatment by an apparatus configured to inspect the element characteristics, this is not always preferable from the viewpoint of the productivity of the sensor element, because, in such a case, the inspection of the element characteristics cannot be performed during the time period of the pre-treatment. On the other hand, using a special apparatus for performing the pre-treatment causes a problem that the size of an apparatus is increased because the gas is used, resulting in an increased cost.

Method for manufacturing sensor element for use in gas sensor, inspecting electrical characteristics of sensor element, and pre-treating sensor element


A recording method for dye-based recordable DVD medium which includes recording shortest marks on a recording layer primarily containing an organic dye using a simple rectangular wave pulse; recording marks each having the second shortest or still longer mark length using one pulse of which the front and rear edges are highly energized for a given time; and controlling the optical energy for irradiating rear edge or backward of the pulse with a cooling pulse to be 0.1 mW or less for a given time, wherein when the recording power of the front and rear edges of the respective pulses is represented by P1 and the recording power of intermediate pulse between the pulse front edge and the pulse rear edge is represented by P2, P1/P2 is set to be greater when P1 is a low power, and P1/P2 is set to be smaller when P1 is a high power.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording method for dye-based recordable DVD medium in which information can be recoded and additionally recorded by irradiating a dye-based recordable DVD medium with a light beam to induce optical changes such as transmittance and reflectance to the recording layer thereof, and also relates to a recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, recordable digital versatile discs (DVD-R) are developed as next-generation large capacity optical discs. As essential technologies to enhance recording capacity of optical discs, it is necessary to develop recording materials to micronize recording pits, to employ image compression formatting technologies as typified by MPEG2, and to develop technologies for shortening the wavelength of semiconductor lasers for reading recording pits.
Conventionally, as for semiconductor lasers of the red wavelength region, only AlGaInP laser diodes each having a wavelength of 670 nm such as for barcode readers or instrumentation units have been commercialized. With high-densification of optical discs, red lasers are increasingly used in the optical storage market. DVD drives are standardized using laser diodes with two wavelengths of 635 nm and 650 nm for their light sources. In the meantime, DVD-ROM (Read Only Memory Digital Versatile Disc) drives are commercialized with a wavelength of about 650 nm.
Typically, in a dye-based recordable DVD medium where pits (marks) are formed by use of heat mode, the pulse width and the recording power of a recording pulse train are optimized by emission of a laser during recording at a specific recording speed, thus there exist a problem that the condition of marks and spaces to be formed is changed at different recording linear velocities. In other words, dye-based recordable DVD media suffer from problems that the jitter values tend to be higher, because thermal capacity of leading heating pulses required to form marks turns into insufficient, and the heating temperatures are varied relative to the optimal decomposing temperature to attain, resulting in variations in average mark lengths, and uniform mark widths cannot be obtained due to varied duty ratio of optimum heating pulse, resulting in thin marks or thick marks formed depending on the mark lengths.
With respect to physical formats of DVD media, DVD-R media are standardized with a format of which the land portions of so-called land pre-pits are partially cut. According to the format, there are problems that when a land pre-pit signal (LPPb) is less than 0.16, pre-pit information such as pre-pit address cannot be properly reproduced; in contrast, when a land pre-pit signal (LPPb) is more than 0.32, the land-pit signal itself behaves noisily at data region, thus resulting in frequent occurrences of data errors. Accordingly, there is a disadvantage that the land cut width needs to be finely adjusted to each recording material by the use of a stamper, and the land cut width needs to be adjusted so as to control the land pre-pit signal within the range of 0.16 to 0.32.
In order to solve the above-noted problems associated with conventional technologies, the present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 2004-303400, 2004-303401, 2005-100579, 2005-243202, 2005-243208, and 2005-293816 as technologies focusing attention on recording information on a dye-based recordable DVD medium with one pulse as well as with the waveform used when performing high-speed recording, however, all these applications differ in means for solving problems from the present invention.
Optical recording media each using a dye for the recording layer therein known in the art are too numerous to enumerate. Examples of such optical recording media include the one using a polymethine dye or using a polymethine dye and a light stabilizer as recording materials; the one having a layer containing a tetraazaporphyrin (porphyradine) dye or a cyanine dye and an azo metal chelate dye (salt forming dye) and a reflective layer as the recording layer; the one using a formazan (metal chelate) dye and other dyes as recording materials; and the one using dipyrromethene (metal chelate) dye and other dyes as recording materials. In addition, a number of optical recording media which perform multi pulse recording using a dye as a recording material are known in the art, however, as far as the present inventors know, literature focusing attention on recording information on a dye-based recordable DVD medium with one pulse as well as with the waveform used when performing high-speed recording like the present invention has not been found so far.

Recording method for dye-based recordable DVD medium and recording apparatus