A post-surgery bra includes an aperture appropriately sited to so that tubes from a boost-treatment device or drain implanted in a wearer of the bra protrude therethrough. The post-surgery bra includes a fixation element for immobilizing the tubes of the boost-treatment device that protrude through the aperture. In some embodiments, the post-surgery bra also includes a retaining ring, which is coupled to the bra below the breast cup nearest to the aperture and which is openable and closeable for engaging and securing a loop of material that extends from the collection bulb of the drain.

Early stage breast cancer is not an uncommon problem in the United States. It is estimated that there will be about 300,000 such cases in 2015. Since 1998, the Federal government has required that women are presented with all options for surgery and reconstruction of their affected breasts. This includes lumpectomy (i.e., removal of the cancerous mass and surrounding tissue) followed by radiation or mastectomy (i.e., removal of the entire breast) with or without reconstruction and possibly radiation therapy as well.
There are many options for treatment with lumpectomy or partial mastectomy followed by radiation treatment to the breast. In most cases in which radiation therapy is provided, a "boost" dose of radiation is delivered to the tumor bed in addition to a longer course of treatment for the entire breast or portion thereof. The boost can be performed in a variety of ways, such as delivery through a linear accelerator of photons or electron fields, radiation in the operating room, electromagnetic generation or radiation delivered by an after-loaded catheter/brachytherapy device.
With respect to the latter approach, the radiation is delivered, for example, via a group of flexible after-loading catheters that are placed in the breast (multi-catheter interstitial brachytherapy), a balloon that is connected to a catheter (balloon-based brachytherapy), modified forms of balloon-based therapy using a balloon catheter with multiple ports (e.g., one for insertion of the radiation source, a second for inflating the balloon with saline, and a third for drainage of seroma fluid or air), and other approaches. These devices will be collectively referenced as "boost-treatment devices."
Normally, patients are fitted with the boost-treatment devices in the operating room or physician's office, radiation dosimetry is thereafter planned, and then the patient is sent home for several days before beginning electromagnetic or radioactive after-loading.
During this time period, women cannot comfortably wear a conventional brassiere or conventional surgical bra because of the presence of the multiple catheters extending under the axilla (arm pit) region. This leads to pain—back pain as a consequence of the lack of support for the breasts, pain as a consequence of the heaviness of the breasts without support after surgery, and pain at the wound site due to the presence of the catheters—and an inability to wear clothes in public without embarrassment. The most common complications for patients include infection, seroma and hematoma in the tumor bed cavity, as well as rotation/movement of the boost-treatment device.
The latter complication—rotation or other movement of the boost-treatment device—can be quite serious, leading to failure of consistent dose delivery. In this situation, the boost-treatment device needs to be removed before the radiation course is completed or necrosis occurs. Movement of the catheter necessitates additional radiation planning and often results in delays in the course of treatment. Not only does this cost money and take an emotional toll on the patient, but there is risk to the patient of further progression of disease.
Existing post-surgical bras cannot address the problems presented by boost treatment devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,593 to Matory and U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,885 to Brooks, which are representative of the art, disclose surgery recovery brassieres with drainage tube apertures and tab closures. The tab closures, which are oriented horizontally, are intended to close the aperture (Matory) or to reduce the size of the aperture to better secure the drainage tubes therein (Brooks) to further reduce the movement of the tubes. The use of the tab closure, horizontal or otherwise, will not prevent rotation of any tubes extending through the aperture.


Various embodiments are disclosed relating to techniques of filtering and down-converting a received signal. In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an analog signal may be received and amplified in a transconductance amplifier. The amplified signal may be connected to a switching arrangement and an impedance circuit connected in series, and frequency down-converted in a second circuit. The resulting analog base band signal may be fed back to a base band input between the switching arrangement and the impedance circuit.

Digital signal processing is becoming more and more important in telecommunication apparatuses. This applies especially to wireless telecommunication. A signal is processed digitally in a transmitter, converted to an analog form and transmitted wirelessly to a receiver, which converts the signal back to a digital form.
In recent years, several different wireless telecommunications standards have emerged. These standards support systems based on GSM, CDMA and WCDMA techniques, for example. From the user's point of view, a transceiver supporting several standards provides most versatile usability. Therefore, transceivers capable of communication in systems based on different technologies have been developed.
In implementing a radio receiver supporting several radio standards, analog base band filtering and A/D-conversion bandwidths have to be carefully adjusted for each standard. This consumes silicon area and increases design complexity and design time. The more signal processing is performed in digital domain, the more efficient the design and operation of a receiver will be. It would be advantageous if the same analog front-end could be used for example for GSM, CDMA and WCDMA transmission with only minor, if any, modifications in the analog domain while performing the required adjustments (such as channel select filtering) in a digital base band circuitry.
Traditionally, radio receivers are implemented as a superheterodyne or a direct conversion receiver. Both of these are well known in the art. For example, the direct conversion receiver implemented on an integrated circuit usually comprises a low noise amplifier, a quadrature down conversion mixer and separate analog lowpass filters and A/D-converters for the I- and Q-branch.
In order to embed several receiver functions into a single block, frequency translating band pass delta sigma modulators have been proposed. A delta sigma modulator (also called ΔΣ-modulator, sigma-delta modulator, or ΣΔ-modulator) is an oversampling analog-to-digital converter capable of noise shaping. The basic idea in frequency translating delta sigma modulators is to combine both band pass and lowpass modulator stages so that at least the first modulator stage is a band pass stage while the rest are lowpass modulator stages. Naturally, this means that the signal is quadrature down converted with a subsampler or a frequency mixer at the last (or only) band pass modulator stage output. Similarly, the feedback signal has to be quadrature up converted with a frequency mixer for the input modulator stage.
Known problems in A/D converters are related to linearity and so called 1/f-noise. Frequency translating delta sigma modulators provide a partial solution to these problems. Embedding down conversion mixer in a modulator feedback loop reduces the nonlinearities of the mixer and, furthermore, a band pass modulator input stage will reduce the effects of 1/f-noise for the whole A/D-converter since input signal frequency is well above 1/f corner frequency. Similarly, in a fully continuous-time modulator, sinusoidal waveforms in feedback path frequency up converter can be used to reduce timing jitter provided that sinusoidal LO waveform zero crossings are synchronized with a D/A-converter latching instant.
However, the performance of known frequency translating delta sigma modulators is far from the requirements of radio receivers of modern telecommunication systems. There are several reasons for this.
First, most of the presented band pass modulators utilize low-Q resonators in the first stage. Thus, they are less frequency-selective than normal lowpass delta sigma modulators. This results in a band pass channel filter of higher stopband attenuation requirements than those of a lowpass channel filter in a direct conversion receiver.
Second, an unfiltered 1-bit bitstream feedback signal contains high spectral energy at frequencies that may become mixed with the desired signal band in up conversion. Therefore, resolution in prior art modulators is most likely limited by nonidealities in feedback D/A-conversion and/or in the frequency up conversion. All nonlinearities in the feedback path will further degrade the modulator performance.

Apparatus comprising frequency selective circuit and method


A hot pressed part comprises: a predetermined chemical composition; and a steel microstructure that is a gradient microstructure in which, in a thickness direction, a surface layer is a soft layer, an inside is a hard layer, and a layer between the soft layer and the hard layer is a transition layer.

Recent years have seen demand to improve the fuel efficiency of automobiles, for global environment protection. This has led to need for weight reduction of automotive bodies. To meet the need, steel sheets as blank sheets of automotive parts are required to have high strength so that safety will not be undermined even with thinner automotive parts.
Meanwhile, increasing the bendability of automotive parts is effective in enhancing the ability to absorb energy upon crash of automobiles (crash energy absorbing performance). There has thus been strong demand for automotive parts having excellent bendability as well as high strength.
To meet this demand, for example, JP 2011-179030 A (PTL 1) discloses an "ultra high strength cold-rolled steel sheet with excellent bendability that contains, in mass %, C: 0.15% to 0.30%, Si: 0.01% to 1.8%, Mn: 1.5% to 3.0%, P: 0.05% or less, S: 0.005% or less, Al: 0.005% to 0.05%, and N: 0.005% or less with a balance consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities, and has a steel sheet surface layer soft portion satisfying the following (1) and (2):Hv(S)/Hv(C)≤0.8  (1)
(Hv(S): hardness of steel sheet surface layer soft portion, Hv(C): hardness of steel sheet central portion)0.10≤t(S)/t≤0.30  (2)
(t(S): thickness of steel sheet surface layer soft portion, t: sheet thickness),
wherein the steel sheet surface layer soft portion includes tempered martensite of 90% or more in volume fraction, a microstructure of the steel sheet central portion is tempered martensite, and tensile strength is 1270 MPa or more".
However, strengthening a steel sheet typically causes lower formability. Hence, in the case of manufacturing an automotive part by cold forming using the steel sheet disclosed in PTL 1 as a blank sheet, problems such as difficulty in forming and degraded shape fixability arise. In particular, because springback occurs after forming, desired part shape accuracy cannot be achieved.
In view of such problems, a technique of manufacturing a high strength automotive part by applying a hot press process to a steel sheet has been proposed.
In the hot press process, after heating a steel sheet to an austenite region, the steel sheet is conveyed to a press machine and, in the press machine, the steel sheet is formed into a part of a desired shape in a tool of press forming, and simultaneously rapid-cooled. In the cooling (rapid cooling) process in the tool of press forming, the microstructure of the part undergoes phase transformation from austenite phase to martensite phase. A high strength part of a desired shape is thus obtained.
As an automotive part yielded by such a hot press process, for example, JP 2006-104546 A (PTL 2) discloses a "high strength automotive part wherein a thickness of a surface layer is 1 nm to 300 μm, a dislocation density of the surface layer is less than or equal to 1/100 of a dislocation density of inner layer steel, the inner layer steel has a chemical composition containing, in mass %, C: 0.1% to 0.8% and Mn: 0.5% to 3%, and a tensile strength is 980 N/mm2 or more".

Hot pressed part and method of manufacturing same


A food treatment cabinet having a frame/housing defining a food treatment space. First structure is provided for at least one of heating, cooling, and adding moisture to air within the food treatment space. The frame/housing has a first wall with a first opening therethrough to selectively permit introduction of food into the food treatment space and withdrawal of food from the food treatment space. A first fin projects away from the first wall above at least part of the first opening to inhibit heat transfer between the food treatment space and the atmosphere externally of the food treatment space.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cabinets for storing prepared food items and, more particularly, to a cabinet defining a food treatment space within which temperature and/or humidity can be controlled.
2. Background Art
It is the goal of most fast food operators to prepare, and have on hand, food in volumes high enough to promptly accommodate customers during the highest demand hours, yet to minimize waste. These objectives are inherently in competition with each other.
The volume of customers frequenting restaurants cannot be predicted with any certainty. While increase in the volume of customers at peak hours can be anticipated, the volume during these peak hours may vary dramatically from one day to the next, for no apparent reason. For example, large groups often are bussed into fast food restaurants, thereby imposing a severe demand on the food preparers.
To anticipate these unusual demands, fast food owners may keep on hand relatively large quantities of prepared food. A substantial amount of waste inevitably periodically occurs.
The problem of food waste has been significantly diminished by the development of holding cabinets which maintain prepared foods in a cooked and ready-to-eat state for substantial time periods. The assignee herein has made numerous developments in this technology, among which are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,835,368 and 4,891,498. These units have been highly commercially successful and have demonstrated an ability to maintain the temperature, appearance, taste, texture and aroma of pre-cooked foods for unusually long periods of time.
In each of the systems in the above two patents, a single "environment" with predetermined humidity and temperature parameters is maintained. The units have been provided with an access door which allows introduction of foods into, and removal of foods from, the food treatment space within the cabinet. Certain of these units are equipped with electronic controls to reestablish the desired environment after the doors open and the environment is disturbed.
Food treatment systems which require the development and/or introduction of steam into the food treatment space have some inherent problems. In certain geographic regions the available water supply may have a high chemical content which may corrode even the most expensive and durable metals used in these systems.
These chemicals also tend to accumulate in conduits through which the water is conveyed, oft times detrimentally diminishing the capacity of these conduits and potentially causing a complete blockage thereof. No matter how well a system such as this is designed, these problems cannot be completely avoided.
Another problem with this conventional type cabinet with a single environment is that the access opening to the food treatment space must remain closed to maintain the environment. Users of this type of cabinet are required to open the door each time access to the food treatment space is required, to load and unload foods. Aside from the inconvenience of the food servers having to open the door, the repetitive use of the door may ultimately lead to failure of the hinge and/or latching structure therefor. In some food chains, the assignee herein has determined through its studies that annual repetitions of opening and closing of such closure doors may exceed 1 million. Regardless of how high the quality of the hinge and latch structures is, they are unlikely to withstand such use without some compromise of performance.
Eliminating the door would solve the problems associated with convenience and wear. However, an unobstructed opening in communication with the food treatment space would allow equalization of the humidity and temperature with the outside environment. The only way to avoid this condition with existing systems would be to introduce large quantities of heat and humidity within the food treatment space. Energy requirements for such a system would be prohibitive.
It is known to heat vertically spaced shelves to concentrate heat on foods, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,041, to Davis et al. However, the incorporation of the closure doors described therein is a recognition by Davis et al that a closure is necessary to avoid excessive heat loss.


A clipping device including a pin and a grommet, the pin including an engaging groove, an enlarging groove, the grommet including a flange part and a body part, the body part being divided into a plurality of divisional leg portions interposing slits, inwardly directed projections being formed on respective inner faces of the divisional leg portions, wherein the pin is provided with a stepped part on its upper end edge, and a swinging piece which is connected to a side face of the divisional leg portion so as to swing in a horizontal direction is provided in the slit of the grommet, the swinging piece being projected outwardly from the body part of the grommet while it is in a free state, and adapted to be pressed by inner peripheral faces of panel holes when inserted into the panel holes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clipping device for fixing two sheet members, such as two panels or a panel and a decorative material, to each other in a superposed state, and more particularly, to the clipping device in which the superposed and fixed state of the sheet members can be easily released.
Further, the present invention relates to a clipping device for fixing two sheet members such as two panels or a panel and a decorative material to each other in a superposed state, and more particularly, to the clipping device including a pin and a grommet which have been integrally molded of synthetic resin.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional clipping device of one type includes two components, namely, a pin and a grommet which are separately formed of synthetic resin, though not shown in a drawing specifically. The pin, the former, is in a columnar shape and provided with an engaging groove, an enlarging groove and a releasing groove which are formed on its outer peripheral face, in this order from a lower position, and set in such a manner that the engaging groove at the lower position and the releasing groove at an upper position have smaller groove diameters than the enlarging groove at a middle position. The grommet, the latter, has a cylindrical shape including a flange part and a body part. This body part is divided into a plurality of divisional leg portions interposing slits, and each of the divisional leg portions which can be enlarged in an opposed manner is provided, on its inner face, with an inwardly directed projection which is adapted to be engaged with the respective grooves of the aforesaid pin (Reference should be made to JP-B-5-10524, for example).
In order to superpose and fix two panels employing these pin and grommet, the pin is inserted into the grommet, as a first step, and then, the pin and the grommet are provisionally retained, by engaging the inwardly directed projections of the opposed divisional leg portions in the body part of the grommet with the engaging groove of the pin. Thereafter, the body part of the grommet is inserted into respective mounting holes in the panels, and an upper part of the pin which is projected from the flange part of the grommet is further pushed into the mounting holes. As the results, the inwardly directed projections of the divisional leg portions will be disengaged from the engaging groove, and will be engaged, this time, with the enlarging groove at the middle position which has the larger diameter, thus enabling the opposed divisional leg portions to be enlarged outwardly. In this manner, the two panels are fixed to each other in the superposed state.
On the other hand, in order to release the panels from the superposed and fixed state, the pin is further pushed in the same direction as the superposing and fixing direction. Then, the inwardly directed projections of the opposed divisional leg portions will be disengaged from the enlarging groove, and will be engaged, this time, with the releasing groove at the upper position which has the smaller diameter. With this motion, the divisional leg portions will be automatically released from the enlarged state, and return to their original free state, thereby to release the clamping state with respect to the panels. Therefore, the superposed and fixed state of the panels can be easily released, by pulling out, thereafter, the grommet together with the pin from the mounting holes.
As described above, the conventional clipping device has had such an advantage that the superposed and fixed state between the panels can be easily released without damaging the pin and the grommet, because a so-called push-push system has been employed. However, in order to reliably engage the inwardly directed projections of the divisional leg portions with the releasing groove of the pin for this purpose, it is necessary to provide means for preventing the pin from being excessively pushed into an interior of the grommet. Although such means have been provided between the pin and the grommet also in the conventional clipping device, under the circumstances that the pin and the grommet have been separately molded of synthetic resin from the beginning, it has been necessary to pre-assemble them, by inserting the pin into the interior of the grommet in advance by hand or by an assembling machine, after molding. Accordingly, the clipping device has been unable to be manufactured at low cost. It has been also considered to integrally mold the pin and the grommet, and thereafter, to pre-assemble them by inserting the pin into the interior of the grommet. However, in case where the pin and the grommet have been integrally molded, even though it has been intended to provide means for preventing the pin from being excessively inserted into the grommet, for example, a convex part for receiving a stepped part of the pin, on the body part of the grommet, it has been technically difficult to provide the convex part, since the pin which has been integrally molded so as to cover an upper part of an opening in the grommet may become an obstacle. Even though the convex part having a small protruding amount can be provided, it has been difficult for this convex part to reliably prevent an excessive insertion of the pin with a sufficient strength.
Further, as conventional clipping devices of one type, a number of the clipping devices having various structures have been heretofore proposed. Essentially, any of them is an integrally molded product of synthetic resin, and includes two components, namely, a pin in a columnar shape and a grommet in a cylindrical shape. The pin, the former has a head part, and a shaft part adapted to be inserted into a body part of the grommet which will be described below. The grommet, the latter, has a flange part, and a body part which can be enlarged. The pin and the grommet are integrally coupled by means of small bridge pieces which can be torn off (Reference should be made to JP-B-44-7768, JP-A-61-42212, JP-A-2003-172327 and JP-A-2003-247518, for example).
For this reason, it is needless to say that the pin and the grommet are easy to be handled in the conventional clipping device, because they have been integrally molded from the beginning of molding. Especially in case where they are assembled into a provisionally retained state, the aforesaid small bridge pieces will be torn off inside or outside a molding cavity, and in this state, the shaft part of the pin will be forcibly inserted into the body part of the grommet, whereby the pin and the grommet can be immediately assembled into the provisionally retained state. Therefore, the clipping device has such an advantage that an assembling work can be extremely simplified, and cost for a mold for molding work can be reduced.
As described above, the conventional clipping device which has been integrally molded has had a remarkable advantage that the assembling work can be simplified as compared with the clipping device which has been separately molded. On the contrary, in case of forcibly tearing the small bridge pieces in order to obtain the provisionally retained state between the pin and the grommet, there has been such anxiety that, in case where the tearing action is conducted on a side of the pin, the small bridge pieces remaining on a side of the grommet become serious obstacles, on occasion of inserting the shaft part of the pin completely into the body part of the grommet for enlarging the body part of the grommet outwardly, and the shaft part of the pin becomes difficult to be smoothly inserted into the body part of the grommet.


A straw for storing a biological liquid such as animal semen, the straw comprising a fine tube open at both ends and closed by a plug engaged in one of said ends, said plug being formed by a powder suitable for transforming, on contact with the liquid, into a paste that is impermeable and leakproof, which powder is interposed between an external wad and an internal wad of a fiber material that is permeable to air and to liquids. The length of the external wad is at least twice as long as the length of the internal wad.

A straw is constituted by a long narrow tube, used in particular in the field of artificial insemination, to receive a determined quantity of animal semen.
When supplied to users (insemination centers) for filling, these tubes generally have one of their ends closed. Depending on the application, the tube is filled with animal semen or with some other biological liquid such as viruses or an embryo in a liquid medium. After the other end of the straw has been closed by ultrasound welding or by any other technique known to the person skilled in the art, it is frozen for later use.
After being manufactured, straws are sterilized, generally by using gamma rays or by ionization, and they are packaged in sachets.
The straws most commonly in use have one end closed by a plug engaged inside the tube. The plug is generally constituted by a powder suitable for being transformed into a paste that is impermeable and leakproof. An example of material used is polyvinyl alcohol.
The powder is interposed between two wads of fiber material such as cotton. Such a material is selected to be permeable to liquids and to air. The wads are said to be external and internal, respectively.
For a straw of common type having a total length of 133 mm, the plug generally occupies a length of about 14 mm to 15 mm, with the remainder of the straw, referred to as the "working" volume, being intended to receive the biological liquid.
The method of filling such straws generally consists in applying suction to the end which is closed by the plug. To do this, said end is connected to a source of suction. A hollow needle connected to a source for feeding biological liquid, such as animal semen, is inserted into the other end.
In this way, the suction established through the permeable plug sucks the liquid into the straw. The liquid moistens the internal wad of the plug and also moistens the powder. The powder becomes progressively solid and impermeable.
Once the straw has been filled, it is closed. It can then be stored at very low temperature.
Nevertheless, implementing the above technique suffers from a drawback. After filling, and during unfreezing of the straw, a certain amount of expansion takes place, such that the external wad tends to move out of the tube. The straw must then be discarded since it cannot be used for insemination. It can even happen that on absorbing the liquid, the volume of the powder doubles, pushing away both the external wad and the internal wad, thereby reducing the working volume available for the liquid by a corresponding amount.
To mitigate that drawback, proposals have been made to interrupt the process of filling the straw only once a major portion of the external wad has soaked up the liquid. The wad then swells and deforms locally, thus opposing any tendency to move out of the tube.
Nevertheless, in spite of the precautions taken it sometimes happens that the wad does come out.
Further, by acting in that way, about 7% of the total volume of liquid inserted into the straw is retained in the plug and is therefore not usable, in particular for insemination purposes.

Straw for storing a biological liquid, and a method of filling it


An interlocking lid which is suitable for a wet bench tank used in the processing of semiconductor wafer substrates. The interlocking lid includes a pair of lid panels typically provided with a clasp having elements for engaging and interlocking with each other when the lid panels are in a closed position. At least one of the lids may further include a beveled lid shoulder which facilitates runoff of liquids from and hinders pooling of liquids on the exterior surface of the lid.

Generally, the process for manufacturing integrated circuits on a silicon wafer substrate typically involves deposition of a thin dielectric or conductive film on the wafer using oxidation or any of a variety of chemical vapor deposition processes; formation of a circuit pattern on a layer of photoresist material by photolithography; placing a photoresist mask layer corresponding to the circuit pattern on the wafer; etching of the circuit pattern in the conductive layer on the wafer; and stripping of the photoresist mask layer from the wafer. Each of these steps, particularly the photoresist stripping step, provides abundant opportunity for organic, metal and other potential circuit-contaminating particles to accumulate on the wafer surface.
In the semiconductor fabrication industry, minimization of particle contamination on semiconductor wafers increases in importance as the integrated circuit devices on the wafers decrease in size. With the reduced size of the devices, a contaminant having a particular size occupies a relatively larger percentage of the available space for circuit elements on the wafer as compared to wafers containing the larger devices of the past. Moreover, the presence of particles in the integrated circuits compromises the functional integrity of the devices in the finished electronic product.
Currently, mini-environment based IC manufacturing facilities are equipped to control airborne particles much smaller than 1.0 μm, as surface contamination continues to be of high priority to semiconductor manufacturers. To achieve an ultraclean wafer surface, particles must be removed from the wafer, and particle-removing methods are therefore of utmost importance in the fabrication of semiconductors.
The most common system for cleaning semiconductor wafers during wafer processing includes a series of tanks which contain the necessary cleaning solutions and are positioned in a "wet bench" in a clean room. Batches of wafers are moved in sequence through the tanks, typically by operation of a computer-controlled automated apparatus. Currently, semiconductor manufacturers use wet cleaning processes which may use cleaning agents such as deionized water and/or surfactants.
Other wafer-cleaning processes utilize solvents, dry cleaning using high-velocity gas jets, and a megasonic cleaning process, in which very high-frequency sound waves are used to dislodge particles from the wafer surface. Cleaning systems which use deionized (DI) water currently are widely used in the industry because the systems are effective in removing particles from the wafers and are relatively cost-efficient. Approximately 4.5 tons of water are used for the production of each 200-mm, 16-Mbit, DRAM wafer.
A conventional wet bench system 8 is shown schematically in FIG. 1. The system 8 includes wet bench tanks 10a, 10b, 10c. The first tank 10a and second tank 10b each typically contains a basic ACT organic solvent solution (not shown) in which multiple wafers 16 are immersed for the stripping of photoresist from each of the wafers 16. In the third wet bench tank 10c, the wafers 16 are typically rinsed with an aqueous acidic NOE solution, which removes photoresist residues and particles from the wafers 16 after the wafers 16 are immersed in the basic ACT solutions in the first tank 10a and second tank 10b, for example. Typical other uses for the system 8 include SPM cleaning, APM cleaning and M2 etch/cleaning, for example.
Each tank 10a, 10b, 10c includes tank walls 12 that define a tank interior 14 which receives the multiple wafers 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the first tank 10a, as well as the second tank 10b and third tank 10c, typically includes a top opening 15 which is reversibly closed by a pair of half-lid panels 18 hingedly attached to respective opposing tank walls 12. When closed, the half-lid panels 18 are separated by a lid gap 20. In another design, shown in FIG. 3, each wet bench cleaning tank 22 includes a full-lid panel 24 which is hingedly attached to one of the tank walls 12 to reversibly close the top opening 15.
In operation of the system 8, a wafer boat or other wafer support (not illustrated), which typically holds up to fifty of the semiconductor wafers 16 in horizontally-adjacent relationship to each other, is sequentially placed in the tank interiors 14 of the wet bench tanks 10a, 10b, 10c, respectively. The wafers 16 are initially immersed in the basic first ACT solution (not shown) contained in the first tank 10a for the stripping of photoresist from the wafers 16 after a photolithography process is carried out on the wafers 16.
Next, a wafer transfer robot 26 transfers the wafers 16 from the first tank 10a to the second tank 10b. In the second tank 10b, the wafers 16 are immersed in a second ACT solution, which removes residual photoresist from the wafers 16. Finally, the robot 26 transfers the wafers 16 from the second tank 10b to the third tank 10c, where the wafers 16 are rinsed with the acidic NOE solution, which removes additional residual particles from the wafers 16 prior to further processing.
After the wafers 16 are placed in the third tank 10c, the robot 26 typically returns to the load position adjacent to the first tank 10a to receive an additional lot of wafers and place the wafers in the first tank 10a. However, during transit of the robot 26, residual aqueous acid solution 28 which remains on the robot 26 has a tendency to drip from the robot 26 and fall into the ACT solution in the first tank 10a and second tank 10b, through the lid gap 20. Some of the residual aqueous acid solution 28 drips onto the half-lid panels 18 and flows into the tank 10a or 10b through the lid gap 20.
While the NOE solution used to rinse the wafers in the third tank 10c typically contains about 5% water, the ACT organic solvents in the first tank 10a and second tank 10b typically contain monoethanolamine (C2OHNH2), without water. In the event that residual aqueous acid NOE solution 28 falls into the ACT organic solvent, the amino group on the monoethanolamine reacts with the water in the NOE solution to form hydroxide ion, according to the following equation:R−NH2+H2O----->OH−+R−NH3+
The resulting hydroxide ion reacts with and damages aluminum layers and interconnects previously fabricated on the wafers 16. In severe cases, aluminum damage is manifested by peeling of the aluminum layers or interconnects from the wafer 16. Accordingly, a novel interlocking lid for a wet bench is needed to prevent aqueous acid solution from inadvertently dripping from a transfer robot into a basic ACT solution used in the stripping of photoresist from wafers.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel interlocking lid which is suitable for a wet bench tank.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel interlocking lid which substantially prevents a liquid from inadvertently falling into a wet bench tank.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an interlocking lid which substantially prevents contamination of a liquid in a wet bench tank.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel interlocking lid which may prevent water-induced damage to metal structures on semiconductor wafers processed in a wet bench tank.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel interlocking lid suitable for a wet bench tank, which interlocking lid may include features that facilitate runoff and prevent or hinder pooling of liquids that fall on the exterior of the lid.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel interlocking lid which may include a pair of lid panels provided with a clasp for interlocking each other when in a closed position on a wet bench tank.


Methods for identifying a mis-optioned data communications circuit are provided. A test point is configured providing access to a data communications circuit for operation of a first data communications speed. A test is performed on a communications device remotely located on the data communications circuit that is incompatible with data communications at a second data speed. If the test is successful, the communications device is re-optioned for operation at the second communications speed. The test may comprise a non-latching loop back test and the communications device may comprise a network interface unit or a channel surface unit/data service unit.

Data communications circuits are available from telecommunications providers that provide point-to-point circuits for communicating over a frame relay network. Typically, these circuits are available in bandwidths from 56 Kb/S–DS-3 speeds. One commonly used bandwidth is called 56 Kb/S with secondary channel. A 56 Kb/S with secondary channel connection provides a 56,000 bit per second digital circuit in combination with a low speed transmission channel that permits simultaneous control and network management transmission to coexist with the main higher speed data channel. The secondary channel typically operates at 16 Kb/S. Therefore, the line speed for a 56 Kb/S communications circuit is 72,000 bits per second.
While 56 Kb/S and secondary channel communications circuits have proved to be a very popular and effective means of communication, this type of communications circuit suffers from a number of drawbacks. In particular, a 56 Kb/S and secondary channel circuit places a restriction on the number of consecutive zeros that may be transmitted. Because of this drawback, many customers have opted instead for another type of communications circuit called 64 Kb/S clear channel. The 64 Kb/S clear channel circuit does not utilize framing or control bits and therefore, the full bandwidth is available for communications. In order to accomplish this, in many cases the 64 Kb/S clear channel circuit is overdriven to operate at 72,000 bits per second.
Because a 56 Kb/S and secondary channel circuit, and a 64 Kb/S clear channel circuit both operate at a line speed of 72 Kb/S, it is frequently difficult to determine when a communications circuit has been mis-optioned for one type of communication in favor of the other. For instance, if a customer orders at 64 Kb/S clear channel circuit, but the office channel unit where the circuit is mis-optioned for 56 Kb/S plus and secondary channel, certain types of data may be transmitted without problem. Moreover, certain types of tests, such as the standard bit error rate test, cannot distinguish between the 64 Kb/S clear channel circuit and a 56 Kb/S and second channel circuit. However, when the customer tries to transmit certain types of data, such as packet data, errors may occur when the line is mis-optioned. In many cases, it is necessary to send a service technician to the customer site or to the central office servicing the customer to diagnosis the problem. This can be expensive for telecommunications companies, and frustrating for consumers of the data services.
Accordingly, in light of the above, there is a need for a method for identifying a mis-optioned data communications circuit that does not require a technician to visit the customer premises or central office servicing the customer to identify the mis-optioned circuit. Moreover, there is a need for a method for identifying a mis-optioned data communications circuit that can be utilized to detect a mis-optioned data communications circuit easily and from a remote location.

Method for identifying mis-optioned data communications circuits

BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation


A functional device is configured to communicate with one or more additional devices over a wireless communications link using wireless circuitry. The device includes a memory for storing information about different wireless characteristics in different geographic locations, a receiver for receiving information about the geographic location of the device, a memory for storing information about different wireless characteristics in different geographic locations, and a control element for retrieving information from the memory based on the geographic location of the device and configuring the wireless circuitry such that its wireless characteristics match the wireless characteristics retrieved from the memory appropriate for the geographic location.

Wireless communication is now becoming widespread in a variety of applications from cellular telephones to wireless networking. Wireless communication is also used in such devices as pacemakers, which may need to communicate to an external device carried outside the body. As people travel more, they have a need to take their wireless devices with them. The problem is that different parts of the globe have different regulations covering the use of radio frequencies. For example, in many frequency ranges no single frequency band can be used worldwide.
Where the communications device is static this is not a problem because the appropriate characteristics can be chosen at the time of installation. However, it does present a problem for body-worn, hand-held and portable systems, where the device must be used in several different places and where the device must communicate with a partner device, such as a controller. Currently, there is no way to design a device that can be legally used everywhere. For example, a pacemaker communicating with a control unit may be legal in the United States but illegal in Europe.
It is known, for example, from GB patent no. 2,371,713 to determine the position of a mobile device and reconfigure it automatically as it moves to a remote location. The prior art does not address the case of a pair of communicating devices, such as a pacemaker and controller, that may move location but that do not communicate with a base station and where there is no technical need to change the wireless characteristics of the communicating devices.

Functional assembly with automatic adaptable wireless characteristics


An in situ ionic interaction between two additives, one a cationic strength enhancing additive and one an anionic crosslinking additive, is used to improve the mechanical properties of an article formed from a composite material. The composite has a discrete phase bound together with a film of the additives, such as gypsum crystals bound together by a film of substituted starch or cellulose ether.

Several types of charged substituted starches are commercially available and are currently used in paper-making and water treatment applications. Cationic starches are traditionally used on the wet end of paper manufacturing to increase wet strength and bind anionic "trash" in the wood pulp. Anionic and amphoteric starches are also used in paper formulations and at the size press of paper-making to improve finish and dry strength Amphoteric starches contain both cationic and anionic substituents. Charged starches are also used as flocculants in water treatment plants to remove contaminants. The cationic groups on charged starches are commonly quaternary amines and the anionic substituents are usually carboxylate or phosphate groups.
Some charged cellulose derivatives are also known. Carboxymethyl cellulose, an anionic cellulose derivative, is the most commonly used cellulose ether. It is mainly used as a thickener, but it is also used as an emulsion stabilizer, and textile warp sizing.

Inorganic matrix composite reinforced by ionically crosslinked polymer

Innovative Construction and Building Materials, LLC


It is an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a multi-layered unit for a multi-layered ceramic electronic component which can prevent a ceramic green sheet from being deformed and destroyed and prevent a solvent contained in an electrode paste from sinking into a ceramic green sheet, thereby enabling manufacture of a multi-layered unit including a ceramic green sheet and an electrode layer laminated to each other in a desired manner.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a multi-layered unit for a multi-layered electronic component, and particularly to a method for manufacturing the multi-layered unit for a multi-layered ceramic electronic component which can prevent a ceramic green sheet from being deformed and destroyed and prevent a solvent contained in an electrode paste from sinking into a ceramic green sheet, thereby enabling manufacture of a multi-layered unit including a ceramic green sheet and an electrode layer laminated to each other in a desired manner.

Method for manufacturing multi-layered unit for multi-layered ceramic electronic component


A device for connecting interchangeable pneumatic tools to manipulators is provided. The device includes a body, fixable to a manipulator, provided with a plurality of seats for accommodating pins for engaging a tool, ducts for feeding a working fluid to the tool, where the ducts extend in the device body, an engaging mechanism which can be activated for constraining and releasing, respectively, the tool to/from the device, and means for closing the ducts. For safety purposes the device is arranged such that the activation of the engaging mechanism for unlocking the tool is always achievable upon the reaching of the complete closing of the ducts by the respective closing means. This way a quick depressurization of the tool is prevented from occurring at the separation from the device, this latter circumstance being conventionally dangerous for the tool replacement operator.

In the field of the industrial automation the use of robotic manipulators, for example motorized articulated arms, is known, to which tools intended to operate on pieces to be manipulated or processed can be combined. As appropriate the tool can therefore be a clamp, pincers, or punch etc., for gripping the objects to be manipulated.
In many cases the manipulators are designed to mount interchangeable tools. In this circumstance connecting devices are generally used for operatively connecting the tools to the respective manipulator.
Generally the connecting devices at present available comprise a body intended to be permanently fixed to the manipulator, for example by means of screws. The device body comprises in its turn a plurality of seats for housing corresponding coupling portions of the tool, for example holes for housing pins or clutches of the tool. The device further comprises a mechanism for engaging the coupling portions of the tool; such a mechanism is movable between a locking position, at which the coupling portions of the tool are locked in their respective seats of the body without the possibility of disengaging, and an unlocking position, at which the coupling portions of the tool are free to be taken out of the respective seats.
In practice the connecting device is fixed to the manipulator and the tool can be removably coupled to the device body.
When expected, based on the typology of tool to be used, the operative connection that the connecting devices have to put into action further comprises the electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic connections, etc., for the supply of the tool.
Besides providing the correct and practical tool-manipulator coupling, the connecting devices have to allow a tool replacement as quick and riskless as possible for the personnel of the working station which comprises the manipulator.
For example, in the field of molding plastic components, manipulators are used for gripping, handling and repositioning the pieces and/or the molds or parts thereof. The interchangeable tools combined with manipulators mostly consist of pneumatically operated clamps.
A typical connecting device widely used in this field and others, and which defines de facto a standard with which the manufacturers comply, comprises a substantially toroidal body, fixed to the manipulator, provided with seats for housing corresponding engaging pins provided on a plate fixed to the tools. The seats are arranged circumferentially around the body axis. In radially inner position with respect to the housing seats, the body comprises a plurality of ducts for feeding compressed air used for activating each time the tools constrained to the device; usually along such ducts automatic valves for opening and closing the ducts themselves are installed. The mechanism for engaging the pins of the tool is a circular ring nut provided with through openings each one consisting in a substantially circular hole joined to an eyelet whose length is lower than the diameter of the circular hole. The ring nut is coaxial to the body and is superimposed thereto such that every through openings intercept a corresponding housing seat. The ring nut is manually rotatable by the operator between a first angular unlocking position, at which the circular holes are aligned to the accommodating seats and the pins of the tool can be inserted or taken out from the respective seats for constraining or disengaging, respectively, the tool from the device, and a second angular locking position, at which the eyelets are aligned with the accommodating seats and lock the pins of the tool at their section with reduced diameter, so as to prevent the tool from disengaging from the connecting device.
In practice when a tool needs to be replaced, the operator acts on the engaging mechanism, that is to say he rotates the ring nut to move the respective holes into alignment to the seats for accommodating the pins of the tool mounted on the device. In this way the tool can be separated from the device and, therefore, from the manipulator, in order to make room for the new tool. The automatic valves are hold opened by the tool pressing against them while remaining constrained to the connecting device. When the tool is physically separated from the device, the automatic valves are operated to close the feeding of compressed air in the respective ducts.
A relevant drawback of the described connecting devices consists in that the automatic valves act too late in closing the feeding of compressed air when the tool is separated from the device. In practice, also when the ring nut is moved by the operator to the locking position, in order to release the tool, the compressed air is still fed and it is enough to keep operative the tool itself, for example it is enough to hold opened the jaws of a pneumatic clamp. Only after the tool has been separated from the device, the residual compressed air in the tool inevitably is discharged in the atmosphere and this usually causes the tool deactivation. Referring again to the example of the pneumatic clamp, the jaws close abruptly, with evident risks for the safety of the operator handling the tool.
Some tools can also severely hurt the operators and therefore it has been long felt the need of providing connecting devices which prevent the tools from abruptly deactivating when they are removed.
The same drawback can be found also in the event the tool is activated by means of pneumatic vacuum, rather than compressed air. In this case the separation of the tool from the connecting device corresponds to the immediate pressure recovery of the tool itself and the immediate deactivation thereof.
For illustration purposes, a set of connecting devices according to the known art is commercialized by the Applicant under the name of "automatic tool-replacer for QC-Series robot" (in Italian "cambia-utensile automatico per robot QC-Series").

Device for connecting pneumatic tools to a manipulator


A controller for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising an image capture means, the controller comprising: inputs arranged to receive: positional data relating to the UAV, a vehicle and a user device; image data captured by the image capture means; a processor arranged to process the received positional data to determine the relative locations of the UAV, vehicle and user device; an output arranged to output a control signal for controlling the UAV and to output an image signal comprising captured image data; wherein the processor is arranged to: generate the control signal for the UAV such that the image data captured by the image capture means comprises at least an image of an obscured portion of the vehicle that is obscured from a field of view of a user of the user device.

In certain circumstances vehicle users face challenging environments in which to manoeuvre their vehicle, for example, during parking manoeuvres or while negotiating challenging terrain. A known remote control system, as shown in FIG. 1, enables the vehicle user 10 to control the steering, braking and throttle systems of a vehicle 20 from a control device 30 such as a smartphone. This remote control device thereby enables the vehicle user to check the precise positioning of the vehicle during such manoeuvres by walking around the vehicle being remote controlled. As a consequence of using such a remote control system the chances of the vehicle experiencing a collision or damage may be reduced compared to a vehicle that is controlled by a vehicle user using the traditional control systems.
In some environments however the vehicle user may need to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle from a number of viewpoints simultaneously.
It is an aim of the present invention to address disadvantages associated with the prior art.

Controller for an unmanned aerial vehicle


The present invention involves an automotive glazing panel having an ink that adheres to a plastic substrate and is compatible with a hard-coat system. The plastic substrate comprises an ink printed thereon and a hard-coat system applied on the ink. The ink has a synthetic resin which is a polycarbonate resin, a polyester resin or mixtures thereof. The hard-coat system includes a solvent having greater than 10 weight percent water and includes either a glycol ether, a ketone, an alcohol or an acetate. The ink is adaptable to adhere to the surface of the substrate and be compatible with the hard coat system.

Plastic materials are being used in a number of automotive engineering applications to enhance vehicle styling. For example, plastic materials are currently used in the manufacturing of such parts and components as B-pillars, headlamps, and sunroofs. An emerging application for transparent plastic materials is automotive window systems. When a transparent plastic material is used to manufacture automotive windows, it is a manufacturing requirement that such windows have identification markings. The perimeter of a window often must be marked with an opaque fade-out border to enhance the appearance of the installed window. Additionally, it is also a manufacturing requirement that windows are coated to make them scratch resistant.
In order to mark such plastic window surfaces with information and a fade-out border, inks that are used must not only adhere to the window surface but must also be compatible with any primer/coating systems that are applied to its surface for abrasion and ultra-violet (UV) protection. Any ink used to mark the surface of a plastic window must not be softened, damaged, or removed during the application of the protective coating system. The inks must also be able to survive the rigorous testing required to qualify the product by the automotive industry.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry to formulate inks that not only adhere to a plastic window surface but also are compatible to any primer/coating systems that are used to protect the plastic window surface.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Decorative ink for automotive plastic glazing


Novel algorithms for computing the responses of circuits to multi-tone excitations. The new algorithms are efficient and robust for large, strongly nonlinear circuits excited by multi-tone (quasi-periodic or envelope-modulated) signals. Hence they are particularly useful for integrated RF applications. The multivariate representation captures features produced by strong nonlinearities (such as spikes or pulses) much more compactly than traditional frequency- or time-domain representations. The new algorithms compute these functions efficiently by solving a partial differential equation ODE) in the time or mixed frequency-time domains. Frequency-domain spectra or time-domain waveforms are generated from the multivariate functions as cheap post-processing steps. Two methods, multivariate FDTD and hierarchical shooting, are purely time-domain techniques suitable for the general strongly nonlinear circuit problem. They differ in their memory and computation needs. A new mixed frequency-time method is more efficient for circuits that are moderately (but not strongly) nonlinear in one or more tones (e.g., switching mixers, switched-capacitor filters). The linear systems at the core of all three techniques are especially well suited for iterative solution. This is exploited in the methods to achieve linear growth of computation and memory with respect to circuit size. The mixed frequency-time method of this work avoids the ill-conditioning problem by computing with the slow harmonic components directly, rather than with time-domain samples at sets of points close to each other.

Many circuits of practical importance operate in strongly nonlinear regimes under multi-tone (i.e., with several independent time-scales or frequencies) excitations. Familiar examples are switched-capacitor circuits and switching power converters; more recently, RF designs for portable communications have started incorporating new topologies from baseband IC circuits, which often have strongly nonlinear sections.
In typical RF applications, the multi-tone inputs are quasi-periodic (see K. S. Kundert, J. K. White, and A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, Steady-State Methods For Simulating Analog And Microwave Circuits, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1990) or envelope-modulated (see D. Sharrit. "New Method of Analysis of Communication Systems", MTTS96 WMFA: Nonlinear CAD Workshop, June 1996), with timescales of different tones separated by orders of magnitude.
Two classes of methods exist for computing a periodic or quasi-periodic steady state solution of a circuit: shooting/FDTD and harmonic balance.
Shooting and FDTD, both time-domain methods, are closely related. Shooting (see T. J. Aprille and T. N. Trick, "Steady-state analysis of nonlinear circuits with periodic inputs," Proc. IEEE, 60(1):108-114, January 1972; and S. Skelboe, Computation of the periodic steady-state response of nonlinear networks by extrapolation methods. IEEE Trans. Ckts. Syst., CAS-27(3):161-175, March 1980) is based on finding an initial state for a circuit's differential equations such that the circuit returns to the same state after one period of the input. From a guess for the initial state, the circuit's final state after one period is determined by a standard transient analysis. If the final state is not equal to the initial one, the guess is refined using a newton or relaxation algorithm around the circuit's state transition function. FDTD methods solve for the circuit's values over an input period simultaneously rather than sequentially as in shooting. Recently, iterative linear algebra techniques have been applied (see R. Telichevesky, K. Kundert, and J. White, "Efficient Steady-State Analysis based on Matrix-Free Krylov Subspace Methods," Proc. IEEE DAC, pages 480-484, 1995) to these methods, making them efficient for large circuits.
These time-domain methods can analyze strongly nonlinear circuits easily. A significant weakness, however, has been their inability to handle widely-separated multi-tone problems efficiently. The usual approach has been to treat a multi-tone problem as a single-tone one of period equal to that of the slowest tone. This leads to simulations of thousands or millions of periods of the fast tones, which can be very inefficient.
Harmonic balance (HB) methods address the problem in the frequency domain (see R. J. Gilmore and M. B. Steer, "Nonlinear Circuit Analysis using the Method of Harmonic Balance--a review of the art. Part 1. Introductory Concepts," Int. J on Microwave and Millimeter Wave CAE, 1(1), 1991). All waveforms in the circuit are expressed in truncated multi-tone Fourier series; the circuit's differential equations are recast as a set of algebraic equations in the series coefficients. These equations are solved numerically with a Newton-Raphson or relaxation scheme. Traditional algorithms for HB were limited to analyzing relatively small circuits; this problem was recently overcome by exploiting factored-matrix forms for the HB jacobian matrix and using interative linear solvers (see R. C. Melville, P. Feldmann, and J. Roychowdhury, "Efficient Multi-tone Distortion Analysis of Analog Integrated Circuits," Proc. IEEE CICC, May 1995).
Harmonic balance is the method of choice for multi-tone analysis if a circuit has the following features: (1) all waveforms can be represented accurately by Fourier series with relatively few terms; and (2) nonlinearities are mild to moderate. Since traditional microwave and RF circuits have these properties, 1B has been used extensively for these applications. However, recent RF designs for portable communications incorporate new topologies imported from baseband IC circuits, which often have sections that are strongly nonlinear. Strongly nonlinear circuits generate waveforms that are not well-represented by short Fourier series, hence harmonic balance is inefficient for such applications. However, if the inputs themselves are sharp waveforms that do not admit of a compact representation in a Fourier basis, HB can be ineffective even for mildly nonlinear circuits switched-capacitor filters, switching mixers).
Another weakness relates to the structure of the HB jacobian matrix, which is block-diagonally dominant if the nonlinearities are weak, but ceases to be so if the nonlinearities are strong. Recent HB algorithms for large circuits rely on preconditioners for solving the jacobian iteratively; existing preconditioners often become ineffective as diagonal dominance is lost, resulting in failure of the method. The time-domain methods presented in this work alleviate both the efficient representation problem (by not relying on Fourier series expansions) and the dominance problem (the time-domain jacobian is diagonally dominant for most practical circuits).
Kundert et al (K. Kundert, J. White, and A. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, "A Mixed Frequency-Time Approach for Distortion Analysis of Switching Filter Circuits," IEEE J. Solid-State Ckts., 24(2):443-451, April 1989) proposed a mixed frequency-time approach to simulate an important special case of the multi-tone problem, characterized by strong nonlinearity in only one tone and mild nonlinearity in the others. By representing signals in mildly nonlinear paths with Fourier series of few terms, they obtain a relation between two sets of time-domain samples, separated by the period of the strongly nonlinear tone. Another relation between these sets is obtained from the circuit's differential equations. Equating these two relations enables the mildly nonlinear tones of the quasi-periodic solution to be computed efficiently. Typically, the strongly nonlinear tone (e.g., clock) is much faster than the weakly nonlinear ones; this can lead to numerical ill-conditioning of this algorithm, because slowly-varying signals are extrapolated from their variation over one period of the fast tone.

Method and apparatus for efficient design and analysis of integrated circuits using multiple time scales


A circuit board packaging structure includes an array of rectangular pipe-shaped circuit modules with rows and columns. Each of the circuit modules has two opposite openings, inner wall surfaces which permit electric circuit components to be mounted thereon and have wiring patterns for electrical interconnection among the circuit components, and outer wall surfaces. Intermodule connectors are provided on the outer wall surfaces of the pipe-shaped circuit modules to permit electrical interconnection between each of the circuit modules and its associated circuit module. A cooling medium is forced to flow through each of the circuit modules in one direction, thereby directly or indirectly cooling the electric circuit components such as semiconductor integrated circuit devices mounted on the inner wall surfaces of the circuit modules.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques of packaging electric circuit boards and, more specifically, to circuit board packaging hardware structures for packaging at high density into a full system an interconnected set of an increased number of computational modules using printed wiring circuit boards for large-scale, highly-advanced electronic digital equipment such as supercomputers adapted for massively parallel processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent improvements in the performance and reliability of highly advanced electronic equipment such as massively parallel computers, the scale of electronic circuits used is becoming increasingly large. This will involve an increase in the number of circuit components. Although the integration density of semiconductor integrated-circuit (IC) devices is increasing and the capability of packing electronic circuits into an IC chip is also increasing, the enlargement of circuit scale exceeds the packing capability. In order to decrease the number of printed wiring boards used in electronic equipment as far as possible, a multilayer interconnection technique is applied to each board. The application of the multilayer interconnection technique increases the packaging density of semiconductor IC devices on each board, thus achieving an increased total packaging efficiency of electronic equipment.
However, the recent advances of technology impose unlimited requirements on further improvements in the existing high-density packaging technique. With the existing high-density packaging technique, it is a common practice to arrange a number of separate printed wiring boards in plane. For interconnection between adjacent ones of these boards, a connecting method called "back plane" or flexible flat connecting cables are used. The back-plane connection method is a technique of implementing interconnection of ordinary printed wiring boards each having a large number of IC devices mounted thereon.
Typically, a main board (mother board) having connector members, called "card edge connectors", attached to its peripheral edges is used. A printed wiring board is plugged, at its end whereat a connection pad train pattern is arranged, into the mother board, thereby obtaining electrical interconnection therebetween. The back-plane connection method, which eliminates the need of wiring connecting members between boards, can achieve a fairly high packaging density; however, the boards will require extra areas to form pad patterns for interconnection only at their corresponding peripheries. With the recent advance of high-density packaging, technology connection terminals required with boards have been increasing in number. An increase in the number of connection terminals results in an increase in the number of pads in a pad pattern of each board, which will undesirably increase the extra board area.
Naturally, manufacturing constraints are imposed on the size of printed wiring boards. If the extra board area for interconnection of printed wiring circuit boards were increased and no matter how internal electronic circuits were packed into a semiconductor IC chip successfully with a high density, an increase in the area of a resulting board would limit the efficiency in packaging a large number of boards in a full frame to a low level. This is a serious obstacle to the implementation of final high-density packaging of large-scale electronic equipment which system manufacturers have long desired.

3-D communication and interconnect technique for increased number of computational modules in large-scale electronic equipment


A vehicular arm rest has a fixed axle carrying primary and secondary parts formed with meshing arrays of sawteeth angled to inhibit movement of the arm-rest body in a downward direction between a raised position and the lowered position but permit movement of the arm-rest body in the upward direction between the lowered position to the raised position. A spring braced between an abutment and the secondary part urging the secondary-part teeth into mesh with the primary-part teeth. Cam formations push the secondary part away from the primary part on pivoting of the primary part in the downward direction from the raised position of the arm-rest body toward the lowered position for decoupling the primary-part teeth from the secondary-part teeth and couple the primary-part teeth with the secondary-part teeth and prevent further movement in the downward direction on reaching the lowered position.

The arm rest according to EP 1,164,051 has primary and secondary parts with surfaces centered on a common axis (center axis), confronting each other, and formed like a jaw clutch with face teeth, the primary part mounted on the arm-rest body being pivotal and also axially movable.
The latch teeth of EP 1,164,151 having blocking and sliding flanks like Hirth teeth or a jaw clutch make it possible is with fairly small primary and secondary parts to withstand substantial angular load moments. In addition this known arm rest makes it possible for a control device to determine at what angular positions the primary and secondary parts mesh so that downward pivoting of the arm-rest body is blocked in the selected positions.
The control device for this arm rest is two cam bumps on the primary part. More particularly a control ring between the primary part and secondary part is rotationally coupled to the primary part and carries the two radially projecting cam bumps in diametrally opposite locations. The control ring formed as a separate part can, according to requirements, be better designed, e.g. by being formed integrally with the primary part.
To resist greater torque loads, EP 1,164,051 optimizes the face teeth of the primary part and secondary part in that the teeth of the primary part and of the secondary part are each formed as annularly continuous rings which can therefore be made so big that the outer periphery of the circular area corresponds to the outer periphery of the cross sections of the primary part and/or secondary part with the teeth extending around the entire circumference of the primary part and secondary part. In order to block downward movement of the arm-rest arm, all the teeth, that is a multiplicity of teeth, mesh.
The dependence of the control ring on the pivotal movement of the arm-rest body in the known arrangement is eliminated over a small angle in that the primary part has two circular-segmental slots open in its plane toward the secondary part in each of which a cam bump projecting from the control ring toward the primary part engages and which cooperate with a stationary cam track of the secondary element. In this manner each cam bump of the control ring is of a smaller angular dimension than the respective slot of the primary part. As a result of the different angular dimensions of the slots (large) and cam bump (small) the primary part both in the lowered position and at the start of upward pivoting as well as in the raised position and at the start of downward pivoting of the arm-rest body has some play before engagement of the cam bumps with the first or second end faces of the respective slots.
In EP 1,165,051 a compression spring coaxial with the secondary part and primary part presses the primary part fixed on the arm-rest body axially against the secondary part. The axial shiftability of the primary part is limited by a plate-shaped abutment fixed on the common central axle. Thus the compression spring is effective via a particular pressure-distributing plate on the tooth-free outer end of the primary part which creates a relatively bulky and expensive construction.
In the arm rest according to EP 1,164,501 there is also the disadvantage that with a small upward adjustment of the arm-rest body which is coupled to the axially movable primary part creates a small axial movement of the arm-rest body which can be a problem in close quarters.
In order to prevent damage to such an arm rest the maximum load should not exceed for example 80 daN. It is even preferable to provide a margin of safety and to set up the arm rest with an overload protector that responds at about 30 daN, that for example decouples the toothed structure so that when the load limit is exceeded the arm-rest body can be deflected downward to a position determined by a vehicle-body abutment. Such an overload protector is generally described for example in German 2,714,581.


An apparatus is disclosed that includes a carrier structure and an optical coupling arrangement. The carrier structure is made of a silicon material and allows for the packaging and integrating of microphotonic devices onto a single chip. The optical coupling mechanism enables laser light to be coupled into and out of a microphotonic resonant disk integrated on the carrier. The carrier provides first, second and third cavities that are dimensioned so as to accommodate the insertion and snug fitting of the microphotonic resonant disk and first and second prisms that are implemented by the optical coupling arrangement to accommodate the laser coupling.

Microphotonics devices, such as microphotonic resonator disks, and other optoelectronic devices find wide application in microwave technology, such as in converting microwave data transmission having high data rates into optical signals compatible with optical fiber networks. For example, microphotonic resonant disks find application in microphotonic millimeter-wave receivers, based on Lithium Niobate resonator disk technology. Microphotonic resonator disks need to be interconnecting with other optical electronic devices in order to perform their desired operation and, in order to do so, optical coupling mechanisms or arrangements need to be provided.
Known optical coupling mechanisms currently being utilized for microdisk-based optical receivers use bulky components for coupling light, such as laser light, into microdisks and for decoupling laser light out of the microdisks. Since the optical coupling mechanisms are implemented with bulky components, these optical coupling mechanisms are not suitable for use in integrating and interconnecting all of the microphotonic components and optical devices embodied in, for example, microphotonic millimeter-wave receivers. It is desired that an optical coupling mechanism or arrangement be provided so that all of the optical electronic devices including the microphotonic resonator disk may be packaged and interconnected onto a chip or substrate and all such interconnected elements operatively cooperate with each other to form microphotonic systems, such as microphotonic millimeter-wave receivers.
The optical coupling mechanism or arrangement needs to be provided that allows for low-loss coupling of optical power into and out of the microphotonic resonant disk. In order to provide for the low-loss coupling, the optical coupling arrangement needs to accommodate laser light that is derived through indirect excitation of guided modes (GM) using evanescent fields, as known in the art. To accommodate the guided modes associated with evanescent fields, prisms are normally utilized. It is desired that the optical coupling arrangement accommodate prisms, as well as other optoelectronic devices, so that all devices are packaged and integrated onto a single chip or substrate and all such elements operatively cooperate with each other to provide microphotonic systems.

Apparatus and method for packaging and integrating microphotonic devices

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A phase-interpolator circuit is described. In the phase-interpolator circuit, an output signal, having a fundamental frequency and a phase, is generated based on a weighted summation of a first reference signal and a second reference signal, where the first reference signal has the fundamental frequency and a first phase, and the second reference signal has the same fundamental frequency and a second phase. Note that contributions of the first reference signal and the second reference signal, respectively, to the output signal are determined based on associated first and second impedance values in a weighting circuit in the phase-interpolator circuit. For example, a programmable capacitance ratio of two capacitors may be used to interpolate between the first reference signal and the second reference signal. Additionally, the phase-interpolator circuit may include a biasing circuit that provides a DC bias to the weighting circuit, and which amplifies the output of the weighting circuit to provide the output signal.

1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to a phase-interpolator circuit. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a phase-interpolator circuit in which the output phase is specified using a capacitor divider.
2. Related Art
Phase-interpolator circuits (which are sometimes referred to as 'phase interpolators') are important building blocks in modern high-speed clocking systems and serial-link transceivers. Given at least two quadrature clock signals, phase-interpolator circuits can generate output phases over a 360° range. As a consequence, most delay-locked-loops and timing-recovery circuits in high-speed input/output circuits and serial links use phase-interpolator circuits to provide arbitrary clock phases.
Many existing phase-interpolator circuits use active devices to sum the weighted voltages or currents associated with the input clock phases. However, these phase-interpolator circuits have associated nonlinearities, which can limit performance and typically require an increase in the resolution in order to minimize the phase steps in the phase-interpolator circuits, i.e., the differential nonlinearity (DNL). Furthermore, the increased resolution often results in more complicated circuits that occupy more area.
The origins of the nonlinearities in existing phase-interpolator circuits are illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C. FIG. 1A presents a block diagram illustrating an existing phase-interpolator circuit 100. In this phase-interpolator circuit, a voltage interpolator adds the weighted sum of the input clock-signal voltages, where the weighting of a given clock signal is defined by the strength of an associated clock buffer.
FIG. 1B presents a block diagram illustrating an existing phase-interpolator circuit 130. This phase-interpolator circuit is a variation on phase-interpolator circuit 100 (FIG. 1A). In particular, currents proportional to input clock signals are added together to perform the interpolation (phase-interpolator circuit 130 is sometimes referred to as a type I current interpolator). Note that the interpolation weight is defined by the ratio of currents in the two differential pairs, which can be defined using analog or digital control of the current. Also note that phase-interpolator circuit 130 benefits from the common-mode noise rejection provided by the differential pair.
However, phase-interpolator circuit 130 has a high capacitance, and a nonlinear output impedance. In particular, the weight-change technique is nonlinear because the finite output impedance of the current source causes the current to change nonlinearly even when device dimensions are changed linearly. For example, if the size of the current source is doubled for the same gate voltage, presumably the current will be doubled. But the increase in the current in the differential pair M1 and M2 causes their common-source voltage to drop. This drop is equivalent to a drop in the drain-source voltage of the current source. Therefore, because of the finite output impedance of the current source, the drop in the drain-source voltage results in a current increase that is less than a factor of two.
In addition, nonlinearity associated with interpolation may occur due to capacitive feed-through of a clock signal through the gate-drain capacitance. This feed-through provides an alternative path for the clock signal other than the desired interpolation path. In order to explain this effect, assume that phase-interpolator circuit 130 is programmed to allow clock phase CLKin1 to drive the output, i.e., the contribution associated with clock phase CLKin2 is switched off. Even though phase-interpolator current will be steered to differential pair M1-M2, CLKin2 is fed through to the output by the gate-to-drain capacitance of M3-M4. Moreover, this problem is worse in high-frequency applications where the gate-drain capacitance provides a lower impedance path.
FIG. 1C presents a block diagram illustrating an existing phase-interpolator circuit 160. This phase-interpolator circuit differs from phase-interpolator circuit 130 (FIG. 1B) because phase-interpolator circuit 160 includes additional control switches M5-M8 which isolate the output from the input clock signals (phase-interpolator circuit 160 is sometimes referred to as a type II current interpolator). Note that phase-interpolator circuit 160 alleviates both of the preceding nonlinearities by cascoding transistors M5-M8, and by using a separate differential pair for every phase step. In phase-interpolator circuit 160, changing the interpolation weight now requires changing the weights of all N differential pairs as well (i.e., keeping all N ratios constant, but also driving N differential pairs). However, relative to other existing phase-interpolator circuits, phase-interpolator circuit 160: occupies more area, consumes more power, presents more loading to previous stages, and requires more voltage headroom (i.e., has a smaller output swing). Additionally, splitting up the differential pairs in phase-interpolator circuit 130 (FIG. 1B) into the N separate differential pairs in phase-interpolator-circuit 160 reduces the size of each differential pair, which, in turn, increases the transistor mismatch. This increased transistor mismatch increases the variation in the size of the phase steps in phase-interpolator circuit 160 (FIG. 1C).
Similarly, in phase-interpolator circuit 100 (FIG. 1A), a number of tri-state buffers equal to the number of phase steps are typically used to reduce clock feed-through, and to achieve acceptable linearity performance. However, this configuration also: occupies more layout area, consumes more power, presents more loading to the previous stages, increases the transistor mismatch, and phase-step-size variation.
Hence, what is needed is a phase-interpolator circuit without the above-described problems.

Passive capacitively injected phase interpolator


The invention relates to a method of separating components of a fluid mixture comprising the steps of providing a fluid, providing a sorbent structure (120), sorbing a first component of the fluid, desorbing the first component, and electrokinetically biasing the first component in a direction other than the vector of the fluid mixture.

Adsorption is a process by which a gas, liquid, or dissolved material is assimilated onto the surface of a solid or liquid material and defined in terms of adsorptive surface area per unit mass. In contrast, an absorption process entails incorporation of materials into the pores or interstitial spaces, as opposed to only the surface, of an absorbent material. An adsorbing material/sorbent or an absorbing material/absorbent is called sorbent. A material being sorbed (either adsorbed or absorbed) is called the sorbate (either adsorbate or absorbate).
A number of different factors and mechanisms influence the adsorption process. For example, polar molecules are often more easily adsorbed. Similarly, molecules with small kinetic diameters can be preferentially adsorbed relative to molecules with larger kinetic diameters. Additionally, the condensation characteristics of the sorbate can also affect the adsorption process. Furthermore, the quadrupole moment of a molecule may make it more easily adsorbed than another molecule. Accordingly, adsorption systems can manipulate these factors and mechanisms to separate components of complex mixtures and/or to effect selective vapor condensation.
A simple, traditional adsorption system has two separate vessels filled with sorbent material. Sorbents are often complex chemical structures having powerful attractive forces and are capable of higher degrees of selectivity and molecular discrimination than membrane filters. A mixture is passed over the sorbent material of one of the vessels causing a component of the complex compound to be removed from the feed stream. Once the sorbent in the first vessel is no longer able to adsorb any more material, the feed stream is switched to the second sorbent containing vessel. While the second vessel is adsorbing, the first vessel is being purged (i.e. desorbed) of the adsorbed material. Thereafter, the first vessel is substituted for the second vessel while the second vessel is purged. This process, known as swing adsorption, is repeated as needed.
The material handling capacity of such adsorption systems depends on a number of variables, including vessel size (i.e. sorbent mass), cycle time and operating pressure, as well as sorbent/adsorbate affinity. For example, increasing vessel size, and hence the volume and mass of sorbent, increases adsorption capacity. Similarly, decreasing the cycle time provides a concomitant increase of available adsorption sites per unit time. Increasing the operating pressure of the system also increases adsorption capacity per unit volume.
Liberation of the sorbed material from the sorbent (i.e. desorption) can occur via a number of different mechanisms. Conventional adsorption systems employ either pressure reduction or temperature increase for removal of the adsorbate. Systems swinging between adsorption and pressure differential desorption are known as pressure swing adsorption (PSA) systems. Alternatively, adsorption systems switching between adsorption and temperature differential desorption are known as temperature swing adsorption (TSA) systems. Other desorption mechanisms exist, including electrical energy desorption (for dielectric and/or conductive sorbents) and microwave irradiation of sorbent/adsorbate complexes.
Regardless of the adsorption/desorption process employed, these systems require that an energy balance be maintained in the system. That is, energy that is dissipated during adsorption (as heat) must be reintroduced into the system during desorption. The most efficient adsorption systems, in terms of energy, are those containing the least amount of superfluous mass because heating and cooling a large vessel, a large volume of sorbent and associated binder materials during the repeating cycles is a very wasteful process. As a result, the current trend is toward lower mass, rapid cycle systems despite the fact that such measures have traditionally been associated with reducing volumetric efficiency.
Recent advances in the field of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) research have led to proposals for incorporating micro-channel adsorption and reaction devices that provide for very short cycles with increased heat transfer capacities into traditional PSA and TSA systems. Such devices alternate the flow and pressure of complex compounds into and from sorbent filled micro-channels (thus increasing surface area with minimal effect on system size). For example, corrugated sheets have been impregnated or covered with thin layers of such sorbent materials. Additionally, such systems offer the possibility of exceedingly short cycle times on the order of tenths of seconds. Accordingly, it is envisioned that such devices would be particularly well suited for use in small devices, such as oxygen enrichment systems for hospital patients. However, these devices still require mechanical valving and compressors that may lead to mechanical failure and unwanted bulk.
Another method of separating and/or purifying includes membrane technology. Membranes function like filters in that they allow certain substances to pass through them while preventing others from passing through their pores and remain in the feed stream. Membranes are very basic in their operation and require no special valving, switching or purging cycles. Membranes may function in a continuous manner. However, membranes provide no effective means for removing the substances trapped in their pores, they have a high power requirement, and they are limited in their selectivity. Also, membranes require high pressure differentials to effect diffusion and large surfaces because of low permeance per unit area.
The need to decrease the size and mechanical complexity of adsorptive fluid separation and thermal lift devices is driven by economic concerns and by the need to integrate these devices into increasingly efficient and durable micro systems. For example,                Manned space platforms require environmental remediation apparatus of extremely low mass and high reliability. Current carbon dioxide removal systems require large quantities of sorbent material.        Hybrid-, electric-, and fuel cell-powered land vehicles will require non-mechanical solutions to meet cabin heating and cooling needs and will likely be powered by a 42-volt electrical system. Current thermal comfort systems rely on waste heat and mechanical energy that will not be available in future vehicle designs.        The use of fuel cells as power sources for automotive, generation of electricity, and portable electronics necessitates the development of small, lightweight fuel reformers, oxygen concentrators, and fuel purification devices. This need is currently supplied by membrane and pressure swing adsorption machinery that is both bulky and energy consumptive.        The use of oxygen enriched air for combustion processes in transportation, metal refining and chemical processes, and in pollution abatement, agriculture, and aquaculture is being developed. The economic viability of these proposed systems enhancements requires that oxygen-nitrogen separation equipment be affordable, energy efficient, and, in the case of propulsion applications, able to meet mass-volume criteria.        The need to create temperature conditioned spaces for human habitation, food storage, and for sensitive equipment is increasing along with the expectations and living standards of the human population. This is applying tremendous strains on energy production capacity and material availability. Present mechanical thermal lift devices are material intensive, complicated, and use working fluids that contribute to the "greenhouse effect." Mechanical systems also have high starting currents requiring oversized electrical supply systems.        Industrial operations requiring separation technology to provide feed stocks utilize large scale pressure and temperature swing adsorption, distillation, and compressor driven membrane equipment that, because of "economy of scale" considerations, obviates the adoption of more efficient point-of-use manufacturing practices.        Man-portable cooling and CPU cooling are topics that have generated interest in micro heat pump technology. Most of the systems available and proposed are simply miniaturizations of existing designs. The use of micro turbines and micro pumps retains disadvantages (moving parts, complexity) inherent in full-scale devices. Systems without moving parts have an advantage both in production and maintenance costs.        The co-location of electronic and mechanical components, as in aerospace systems, requires not only pumping quantities of heat, but also the ability to control the thermal conductivity of barrier materials.
Some improvements have been made toward decreasing the cycle times of TSA and PSA systems. In one instance, a plurality of sorbent containing pressure vessels is held central to a continuously rotating valve assembly. This results in lower fluid residence time in the reactor vessel and higher throughput per unit volume of sorbent. In another instance micro reaction chambers are created by etching or otherwise forming linear channels on a substrate. The substrate is formed of or contains sorbent material. This allows for heat exchange between reaction channels and for short reaction times. Both of these configurations are vast improvements over existing pressure and temperature swing adsorption systems that rely on vessel size and operating pressure to increase capacity.
There is, however, a continuing and pressing need for methods and devices that are capable of selectively separating and/or purifying mixtures, carrying out reaction processes, or that may be used in heating, cooling, heat pumps and/or refrigeration processes, particularly those that reduce cycle times even further, minimize or eliminate moving parts, valving, switching, and purging, and that may function continuously, and are lightweight and portable. There is also a need for devices and systems that are less expensive to build, less complicated to maintain, and scalable, especially for mobile and small-sized applications. The invention is directed to these, as well as other, important ends.