Methods for forming maleimide functionalized polymers are provided. In one such embodiment, a maleimide functionalized polymer is prepared in a method that includes a step of carrying out a reverse Diels-Alder reaction. Intermediates useful in the methods, as well as methods for preparing the intermediates, are also provided. Also provided are polymeric reagents, methods of using polymeric reagents, compounds and conjugates.

Maleimides are versatile derivatives that find extensive use in chemical synthesis and in biological and pharmacological applications. As Michael acceptors, maleimides react readily with sulfhydryl groups to form stable thioether bonds. This reaction is extensively used with proteins and the like where both sulfhydryl and amine groups are present. At approximately neutral pH, maleimides are highly selective, with sulfhydryl groups being about 1,000 times more reactive than amine groups (Smyth et al., Biochem. J., 91, 589, 1964; Gorin et al. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 115, 593, 1966; Partis et al., J. Protein Chem, 2, 263-277, 1983). At higher pH values of 8 or above, the reaction of maleimides with amine groups begins to significantly compete (Brewer and Riehm, Anal. Biochem. 18, 248, 1967). While best known as Michael acceptors, maleimides are also useful for their reactivity as dienophiles (Baldwin et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 32, 5877, 1991; Philp and Robertson, J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 1998, 879; Bravo et al., Heterocycles, 53, 81, 2000) and as dipolarophiles (Grigg et al., J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 1988, 2693; Konopikova et al., Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun., 57, 1521, 1991; Philp and Booth, Tetrahedron Lett., 39, 6987, 1998).
Maleimide groups can be used to facilitate covalent attachment of proteins and other molecules to polymers. For example, the hydrophilic polymer poly(ethylene glycol), abbreviated PEG, is often used to conjugate bioactive molecules and render them soluble in aqueous media (Harris and Zalipsky, "Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Chemistry and Biological Applications", ACS Symposium Series, ACS, Washington, D.C., 1997). PEG-maleimide is an example of a reactive polymer suitable for reaction with thiol or amino groups on a biologically active molecule.
Many of the methods for preparing PEG maleimides involve connecting an activated PEG to a small linker molecule comprising a maleimide group, many of which are available commercially. There are a variety of shortcomings associated with several known PEG maleimides and methods for their production. For example, the so-called "linkerless" PEG maleimides, which have no linker group between the PEG and the maleimide group, are often prepared directly from a PEG amine using one of two methods. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,498. These methods, however, generally result in a relatively impure product inasmuch as a fairly significant amount of an open ring maleamic acid-containing derivative is present in the final product as will be discussed below.
In the first method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,498, a water soluble and non-peptidic polymer backbone is reacted with maleic anhydride to form an open ring amide carboxylic acid intermediate (a maleamic acid intermediate). The ring of the intermediate is then closed in a second step by heating the intermediate in the presence of acetic anhydride and a salt of acetic acid, such as sodium or potassium acetate, to a temperature of about 50° C. to about 140° C. for about 0.2 to about 5 hours. This two-step process is summarized in the reaction scheme below:

The crude N-maleimidyl polymer product made by this method may contain a substantial amount of the open ring maleamic acid intermediate. A major cause for the appearance of the open ring maleamic acid intermediate may lie with the heating step, especially if any acidic species is generated or is a contaminant in the acetic anhydride. Under these conditions, it is possible to isomerize the C═C bond and thus make ring closure difficult, if not impossible. As a result, it is desirable to purify the polymer product by some method, such as ion exchange chromatography, capable of removing the impurity. However, the maleimide ring system does not tolerate a chromatographic column bearing basic or nucleophilic sites, thus making purification more difficult. A second problem with this synthetic route stems from the use of PEG amine. PEG amines are routinely contaminated with a small amount of secondary amine, which results in a product impurity that is difficult to remove.
Similarly, Sakanoue et al., US 2003/0065134 A1, describe a related method except the PEG-maleimides produced therein comprise a propylene group rather than an ethylene group between the ultimate PEG oxygen and the maleimide nitrogen. The Sakanoue method suffers from the same problems as mentioned above. Further, the reference teaches that the PEG amines are generally manufactured by reduction of a nitrile group using hydrogen and a nickel catalyst, which can lead to the introduction of additional impurities due to reaction between the amine product and an imine intermediate.
In a second synthetic route described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,498, an N-alkoxycarbonylmaleimide is reacted with a polymeric amine to form an N-maleimidyl polymer product. A ring-opening and ring-closing reaction occurs similar to the one described above. Again, during the course of the reaction, especially with heating, it is possible to isomerize the C═C bond of the maleamic acid and thus make ring closure difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, again, the reaction may not proceed to completion and purification of the crude product would be required in order to obtain a highly pure maleimide. Again, chromatography is not a viable option because of the sensitivity of the maleimide group to the functional groups of the ion exchange column. As with the previously described synthetic routes, this method suffers from the use of PEG amines, which contain secondary amines that cannot readily be removed.
There is a need in the art for alternative methods for preparing maleimide terminated polymers in high yield and free from significant amounts of polymer impurities, particularly significant amounts of polymer impurities that cannot be readily removed using conventional purification techniques, such as ion exchange chromatography.

Intermediates useful in the preparation of maleimide functionalized polymers


The invention relates to polynucleotides corresponding to the ccpA2 gene and which encode a CcpA2 catabolite control protein, methods of producing L-amino acids, and methods of screening for polynucleotides which encode proteins having CcpA2 catabolite control activity.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention provides nucleotide sequences from Coryneform bacteria which code for the ccpA2 gene and a process for the fermentative preparation of amino acids, in particular L-lysine, by attenuation of the ccpA2 gene. The ccpA2 gene codes for the CcpA2 protein, which is the catabolite control protein A.
2. Discussion of the Background
L-Amino acids, particularly L-lysine, are used in human medicine and in the pharmaceuticals industry, in the foodstuffs industry and, most particularly, in animal nutrition.
It is known that amino acids are prepared by fermentation of strains of Coryneform bacteria, in particular Corynebacterium glutamicum. Because of their great importance, attempts are continuously being made to improve the preparation processes. Improvements to the process may concern measures relating to fermentation, for example, stirring and oxygen supply, or the composition of the nutrient media, such as the sugar concentration during the fermentation, or the working up to the product form by, for example, ion exchange chromatography, or the intrinsic output properties of the microorganism itself.
The output properties of these microorganisms are improved by employing methods of mutagenesis, selection and mutant selection. These methods yield strains that produce amino acids and are resistant to antimetabolites or are auxotrophic for metabolites important for regulation.
For a number of years, methods of recombinant DNA technology have also been used for improving the L-amino acid-producing strains of Corynebacterium. However, there remains a critical need for improved methods of producing L-amino acids and thus for the provision of strains of bacteria producing higher amounts of L-amino acids. On a commercial or industrial scale even small improvements in the yield of L-amino acids, or the efficiency of their production, are economically significant. Prior to the present invention, it was not recognized that attenuation of the ccpA2 gene encoding the catabolite control protein A (CcpA2) would improve L-amino acid yields.

Nucleotide sequences which code for the ccpA2 gene


A fingertip-operated solid state capacitance switch detects a capacity change that is induced by the physical contact of an ungrounded fingertip to an external dielectric surface of the solid state switch. The input and output of a solid state signal-inverting amplifier are respectively connected to two relatively large and ungrounded capacitor plates that are associated with, but electrically isolated from, the switch's external dielectric surface. An ungrounded fingertip forms a third capacitor plate on the switch's external surface. The solid state amplifier detects the presence of a fingertip on the switch's external surface by way of a change in capacitance within a compound, three plate, capacitor that includes the two ungrounded capacitor plates and the ungrounded fingertip that is resident on the switch's external surface. An automatic gain control circuit is provided to adjust the value of an amplifier reference voltage when the solid state switch is not operating, thereby allowing the solid state switch to adapt to changeable ambient conditions. A momentary switch and a toggle flip-flop latched switch are provided. A linear switch array having a movable control knob and a linear LED indicator array is provided. The momentary solid state switch is constructed to operate as a temporal code detector that detects a coded sequence of switch-taps and a coded time interval between adjacent switch-taps.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of electrical circuit switching, and more specifically, this invention relates to an object-operable, single pixel, capacitance type, solid state switch.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/799,548 by Marco Tartagni, filed Feb. 13, 1997, and entitled CAPACITIVE DISTANCE SENSOR is incorporated herein by reference. This application describes an Integrated Circuit (IC) capacitive distance sensor having a number of uses, including fingerprint acquisition. In this IC device, a portion of which is shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the present application, each individual cell 2 of a multi-cell array 3 includes a pair of flat armatures 23,24 that are spaced from each other in a horizontal plane to form a capacitor and to define a vertical distance "d" to be measured. Each cell 2 also includes the FIG. 2 amplifier arrangement whose input 16 is connected to one armature 24, and whose output 17 is connected to the other armature 23, such that the armature/capacitor comprises an amplifier negative feedback circuit 17,23,25,18,24,16.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/887,204 filed Jul. 2, 1997, and entitled SOLID STATE FINGERPRINT SENSOR PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD (attorney docket number 97-B-036) shows a type of capacitive fingerprint sensing apparatus having a structure that, when modified, is usable in the present invention. This related patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a manual or an object-operable, solid state, capacitance switch. Capacitance-type sensors are generally known.
For example, the publication SENSORS AND ACTUATORS, January/February 1989, no.1/2, at pages 141-153, contains an article entitled INTEGRATED TACTILE IMAGER WITH AN INTRINSIC CONTOUR DETECTION OPTION that was presented at the Fourth International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators (Transducers '87), Tokyo, Japan, Jun. 2-5, 1987. This article describes an integrated capacitive tactile imaging sensor that comprises a multi-layer construction having a bottom ceramic support, a 9-row/9-column array of square aluminum electrodes that are contained on a silicon wafer integrated circuit, a flexible and isolating intermediate layer that is made up of natural rubber, a thin conductive rubber layer, and a top protective layer. In this device, capacitance depends upon local deformation of the natural rubber layer. The 81 individual aluminum electrodes of this device provide capacitive measurement of an indentation pattern within the natural rubber layer, this indentation being caused by a pressure distribution that acts on the top protective layer.
Capacitance type sensors that operate to sense the minutiae of a fingerprint are also known.
For example, the publication IEEE ELECTRON DEVICE LETTERS, VOL. 18, NO. 1, JANUARY 1997, pages 19-20, contains an article entitled NOVEL FINGERPRINT SCANNING ARRAYS USING POLYSILICON TFT'S OF GLASS AND POLYMER SUBSTRATES. This article describes a two-dimensional (2-D), 200.times.200, capacitance sensing array that is made up of 40,000 individual pixels. Each pixel of the array includes two Thin Film Transistors (TFTs) and a capacitor plate. Each array pixel resides at the intersection of an array-row and an array-column, and each array pixel is individually addressable by way of row-driver circuits and column-driver circuits.
Considering the two TFTs, hereinafter called TFT-A and TFT-B, that are associated with a given pixel, the drain electrodes of TFT-A and TFT-B are connected to the pixel's capacitor plate, the gate electrode and the source electrode of TFT-A are connected to a row-conductor that is associated with the pixel, the gate of TFT-B is connected to the following row-conductor, and the source of TFT-B is connected to a column-conductor that is associated with the pixel.
A thin (0.1 micrometer) silicon nitride insulator overlies the capacitor plate of each array pixel. When the ridge of a fingerprint lies directly over the capacitor plate, a capacitor is formed between the capacitor plate and the finger. This capacitor is charged when a row-pulse (8 to 10 VDC, and of 10 to 100 micro second duration) is applied to the pixel by way of the row-conductor that is associated with this pixel and TFT-A. This stored charge is thereafter transferred onto the pixel's column-conductor through TFT-B when a row-pulse is applied to the following row-electrode.
Also of interest is the publication 1997 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS CONFERENCE that contains and article beginning page 200 entitled A 390DPI LIVE FINGERPRINT IMAGER BASED ON FEEDBACK CAPACITIVE SENSING SCHEME. This article describes a single-chip, 200.times.200 element array, 2-metal digital CMOS technology, sensor that is based upon feedback capacitance sensing, and that operates to detect the electrical field variation that is induced by the finger's skin surface. In each element of the array, two horizontally spaced metal plates are separated from the overlying and adjacent portion of the finger's skin surface by passivation oxide. Since the distance between the skin and the sensor's surface identifies the presence of the fingerprint's ridges and valleys, an array of elements provides a complete fingerprint pattern.
In each element of the array, the two metal plates are respectively connected to the input and the output of a high-gain inverter, to thereby form a charge-integrator. In operation, the charge-integrator is first reset by shorting the input and output of the inverter. A fixed amount of charge is then sinked from the input, causing the output voltage to swing inversely proportional to a feedback capacitance value that is inversely proportional to the distance to the fingerprint's ridges and valleys. The array of cells, or sensors, thus provides the complete fingerprint pattern. The fingerprint image disappears when the finger is removed from the array.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,056, incorporated herein by reference, is of interest in that it relates to a capacitance type fingerprint sensor wherein a finger is pressed onto the sensor's surface in order to read the ridges and valleys of the fingerprint. The sensor-surface has a large number of capacitors of a small physical size associated therewith. Two sensors are described. In a first type of sensor, an electrical insulator carries a number of flexible and horizontally spaced curved metal electrodes, two adjacent metal electrodes of which comprise one capacitor. A protective insulating film overlies the electrical insulator, and when a finger is brought into physical contact with this protective insulating film, the metal electrodes are physically deformed, thereby selectively changing the capacitance of the large number of capacitors in accordance with the fingerprint's ridge/valley pattern. In a second type of sensor, the top surface of a rigid support carries a number of horizontally spaced and flat metal electrodes in a fixed position. Placed above the plane of the metal electrodes is the sequential arrangement of a flexible insulator, a flexible electrode, and a flexible protective membrane. A capacitor is formed between the top flexible electrode and each of the lower and fixed-position flat metal electrodes. When the end of a finger is brought into contact with the flexible membrane, the flexible electrode becomes wavy in accordance with the fingerprints' ridges/valleys pattern.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,442, incorporated herein by reference, relates to a capacitance-type fingerprint sensor having a sensing pad that comprises a planar array of row/column sensing elements having a pitch of about 100 micrometers. Each sensing element is located at the intersection of a row conductor and a column conductor, and in each sensing element, a sensing capacitor is made up of a planar sensing electrode that is spaced from a finger surface by way of an insulating film that overlies the sensing electrode. The plurality of sensing electrodes that make up the array are regularly spaced and re-equal size rectangles.
The sensing elements are fabricated using photolithographic processes, and each individual sensing element includes a Thin-Film-Transistor (TFT) in the form of a Field-Effect-Transistor (FET). Each FET gate is connected to a row conductor, each FET source is connected to a column conductor, and each FET drain is connected to a sensing electrode.
In one embodiment, each sensing element comprises a sensing capacitor that is formed between a sensing electrode and the finger. In another embodiment, each sensing element includes an electrically isolated and conducting pad the is physically engaged by the finger.
While prior devices as above described are generally useful for their limited intended use, a need remains in the art for an object operable solid state capacitance type switch having an improved construction, functionality and arrangement.


A power feeding coil unit includes a power feeding coil, and an auxiliary coil. The auxiliary coil is arranged not to interlink with a magnetic flux that interlinks with a power receiving coil that is arranged to face the power feeding coil during power feeding. An axial direction of the auxiliary coil is nonparallel to an opposing direction of the power feeding coil and the power receiving coil. A direction of circulation of a magnetic flux generated by the auxiliary coil is opposite to a direction of circulation of a magnetic flux generated by the power feeding coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power feeding coil unit and a wireless power transmission device for wireless transmission of power.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless power transmission technology that utilizes an electromagnetic induction effect between a primary (power feeding) coil and a secondary (power receiving) coil that face each other to transmit power without any mechanical contact such as a cable has attracted attention recently. There has been an increasing demand for the development of a technology that allows high-efficiency and low-loss power transmission.
In this situation, the issue of an unwanted leakage magnetic field formed around the power feeding coil due to the leakage magnetic flux of the power feeding coil has been gaining attention. For example, in the application of wireless power transmission technology to chargers for power electronic devices such as electric vehicles, due to the demand for high-power transmission, a large current needs to flow through the power feeding coil. In this case, the strength of the unwanted leakage magnetic field due to the leakage magnetic flux also increases, raising a concern of potentially inducing electromagnetic interference which might affect nearby electronic equipment and so forth.
To address the issue described above, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 09-74034 discloses a technique for eliminating or reducing noise caused by the leakage magnetic flux of a coil for power transmission by using a noise canceling coil that interlinks with the magnetic flux created by the coil for power transmission.
However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 09-74034, since the magnetic flux created by the coil for power transmission interlinks with the noise canceling coil, even a magnetic flux that would contribute to power transmission might also be canceled, resulting in a reduction in power transmission efficiency.

Power feeding coil unit and wireless power transmission device


A magnetization pattern of a rotor magnet for a stepping motor includes a plurality of magnetization portions, which is provided on the rotor magnet in a rotation direction of the rotor magnet. The magnetization portions have different magnetic poles which are alternately arranged. Some magnetization portions of the magnetization portions have respectively magnetization widths A. Said some magnetization portions are opposed each other with a rotary axis or the rotor magnet as a center among said some magnetization portions. The other magnetization portions of the magnetization portions have respectively uniform widths B. Each of the magnetization widths A is greater than that of the uniform widths B.

This invention relates to a magnetization pattern of a stepping motor. More particularly, the invention relates to a magnetization pattern of a stepping motor for reducing vibration and noise that occur during driving of the motor by changing a magnetization balance of magnetic poles in a rotating direction of a rotor magnet.
The stepping motor of this kind has been used appropriately in the past as an intermittent driving source of various kinds of appliances such as a printer, a facsimile, a disk drive, and so forth. In the stepping motor, a rotor is arranged rotatably inside a stator having a pole tooth, and the rotor has at its outer peripheral portion a cylindrical rotor magnet formed of a permanent magnet. When the stepping motor serially switches the supply of power to excitation coils of the stator magnetic poles, the rotor Is rotated and driven relative to the stator.
In the rotor magnet 1, N poles and S poles are alternately magnetized in multiple poles at a plurality of positions and with an equal spacing among them in a circumferential direction of the rotor magnet 1 as shown in FIG. 3. The plurality of magnetization portions 2 is formed into a mutually equal arcuate magnetization width C. Incidentally, in the drawing, when the total number of poles of the rotor magnet 1 is y and a center angle of the arcuate equal width C of the magnetization portions 2 is x°, they satisfy the relation x°=360°/y.
When the rotor magnet 1 comes off from a stability point during non-supply of power in the stepping motor, a retaining torque, that is, a detent torque, for returning the rotor magnet 1 to the stability point occurs between the rotor magnetic poles and the pole teeth as shown in FIG. 4. As performances of various appliances described above have become higher in recent years, a stepping motor having a lower detent torque has been required. When the detent torque of the motor is great, a torque ripple and a rotating speed ripple of the motor increase with the result of the occurrence of problems such as vibration and noise. When the stepping motor is used for a positioning motor, positioning accuracy drops.
To reduce the detent torque, a magnetization pattern of a motor is known in which a center of each magnetic pole of a magnetization pattern at a half portion of the rotor magnet 1 in a rotating direction of a stepping motor is deviated by ¼ of a magnetization pitch from the center of each magnetic pole of the magnetization pattern of the other half portion of the rotor magnet 1, and a discontinuous portion occurring in the proximity or the boundary between these two half portions is formed into a non-magnetization portion (See, for example, JF-A-Z-114848).
The magnetization pattern of the related stepping motor described above can offset the detent torque as the phase of the detent torque occurring in the other half portion is inversed with respect to the phase of the detent torque occurring in one of the half portions. However, because the discontinuous portion occurring in the proximity of the boundary of the two half portions is formed into the non-magnetization portion, this non-magnetization drastically lowers the driving torque during driving and the stepping motor is not suitable for the practical application.

Magnetization pattern of rotor magnet for stepping motor


The present invention generally relates to cajón drums. Specifically, this invention relates to a multi-tonal box drum kit that provides a form factor that is easy and convenient to use while producing the tones and sounds of a full drum kit or some subset thereof.

Musical instruments come in a variety of types and forms. In particular, percussion instruments are perhaps some of the most diverse with it comes to the various forms, shapes, and sizes that percussion instruments exist in. The variety of the percussion instruments, however, are important for the types of sound those instruments produce and this fact is especially evident with drums. The size and construction of a drum are the primary factors that determine what tones and sounds the drum will ultimately be capable of producing. As a result, a musician or group of musicians often have multiple types of drums to adequately produce a variety of sounds and tones. This, however, can be very inconvenient as drums tend to be bulky and more difficult to transport when compared to other types of instruments, therefore putting a musician in a less than ideal situation where the musician may not have the resources to efficiently transport all the drums the musician needs.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an apparatus that provides a compact and convenient multi-tonal drum box that is capable of producing the sounds of a variety of drums within the form factor of single drum body. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be explained and will become obvious to one skilled in the art through the summary of the invention that follows.


Examples described herein generally relate to a computer system including a knowledge graph storing a plurality of entities. A mining of a set of enterprise source documents within an enterprise intranet is performed, by a plurality of knowledge mining toolkits, to determine a plurality of entity names. The plurality of entity names are linked based on entity metadata by traversing various relationships between people, files, sites, groups, associated with entities. An entity record is generated within a knowledge graph for a mined entity name from the linked entity names based on an entity schema and ones of the set of enterprise source documents associated with the mined entity name. The entity record includes attributes aggregated from the ones of the set of enterprise source documents associated with the mined entity name.

Search engines and conversational assistants require vast amounts of information and accumulated knowledge in order to respond to queries and organize basic information about various topics. Such a store of knowledge may be referred to as a knowledge graph or knowledge base and comprises facts about entities and relations between the entities. Forming knowledge graphs which are accurate, up-to-date, and complete remains a significant challenge.
A proprietary knowledge graph for an enterprise faces particular challenges in that the information to be stored in the knowledge graph may be particular to and confidential to the enterprise. The enterprise may lack the ability to design a knowledge graph, but may also be unwilling to share the underlying information with a third party. Further, displaying information from a proprietary knowledge graph presents additional challenges. For example, content must be modified or limited according to permissions set by content owners, or corporate compliance rules such as geographical sovereignty, privacy rules, etc.
The disclosure made herein is presented with respect to these and other technical challenges.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Enterprise knowledge graphs using multiple toolkits


The optical lens assembly may include a first lens having a negative refractive power, a second lens having a positive refractive power, a third lens having a negative refractive power, a fourth lens having a refractive power, a fifth lens having a refractive power, a sixth lens having a negative refractive power, and a stop disposed at an object side of the first lens.

Various services and added functions provided by electronic apparatuses have gradually expanded. Electronic apparatuses, for example, mobile devices or user devices, may provide various services through various sensor modules. Also, the electronic apparatus may provide multimedia services, for example, photo services or video services. As use of electronic apparatuses increases, use of cameras operatively connected to an electronic apparatus has gradually increased. The performance and/or resolution of a camera of an electronic apparatus have been improved according to user demand. Images of various types of landscapes, portraits, or selfies may be captured by using a camera of an electronic apparatus. Such multimedia, for example, photos or videos, may be shared on a social network site or other media.
With the development of semiconductor and display technologies, various camera lenses for mobile devices have been developed ranging from a low resolution to a high resolution, from a small sensor format to a larger sensor format, for example from a ⅛″ sensor to a ½″ sensor, and from a telephoto lens to an ultra wide-angle lens.

Optical lens assembly and electronic device comprising same


Arrangements are made such that a plurality of operators, such as faders, can be set to opposite operational directions. When any one of the operators has been operated in a particular direction, a control value of each of the other operator, set to the same operational direction as the operated operator, is controlled in the same direction as the particular operated direction, while a control value of each of the other operators, set to the opposite operational direction from the operated operator, is controlled in the opposite direction from the particular operated direction. Where control values of a plurality of channels are to be controlled via a collective control controller, each of the channels is set to a forward or inverse operational direction. Thus, even faders that are to be operated in opposite directions can be appropriately operated collectively as a group.

The present invention relates to an improved level adjustment apparatus applicable to apparatus (e.g., audio mixers) including a multiplicity of operators (operating members), such as faders, so as to readily adjust a plurality of kinds of levels in a collective fashion.
Mixer apparatus intended to control various audio equipment in a centralized manner have been employed in various places where concerts, dramatic performance, etc. are given. The mixer apparatus include a multiplicity of operators (operating members), such as faders, so as to adjust various kinds of levels per channel. Particularly, there has been known a type of mixer apparatus which permits grouping of the faders so that tone volume levels of two or more faders can be increased or decreased in a collective fashion, Specifically, in such mixer apparatus, two or more faders are previously defined or set as a fader group so that, when any one of the faders in the group has been operated to increase or decrease the level, the levels of the other faders in the group are automatically increased or decreased in synchronism with the increased or decreased level of the operated fader. Note that each of the faders is a so-called "moving fader" operatively connected to a motor.
The above-mentioned technique of grouping a plurality of faders is very convenient because the user can collectively operate two or more faders whose levels are to be operated in the same level increasing or level decreasing direction. However, there would sometimes arise a need for two faders in a given group to be operated in opposite directions, such as when tone volume crossfade is to be carried out. In such a case, the user of the conventional mixer apparatus has no choice but to simultaneously operate two faders in opposite directions, i.e. level increasing and level decreasing directions, and therefore the user sometimes can not appropriately carry out desired crossfade.


A method of forming miniature contacts over the sources and drains of the MOSFETs of a highly integrated semiconductor device which includes the steps of: applying a thick insulation layer over the MOSFETs, applying a first polysilicon layer, a subsequent insulation layer and a photoresist film having predetermined thickness over the original thick insulation layer. The photoresist film is removed at its portions disposed above the sources and drains to form a photoresist film pattern and the subsequent insulation layer is etched in order to form an insulation pattern. The first polysilicon layer is etched using the insulation layer pattern as a mask, in order to form a first polysilicon layer pattern. The insulation layer pattern is removed and the thick insulation layer is etched using the first polysilicon layer pattern as a mask. A base insulation layer is etched, thus forming contact holes through which the sources and drains are exposed. Subsequently, a second polysilicon layer with a smooth upper surface is deposited over first polysilicon layer pattern and the contact holes, and a predetermined thickness portion of the second polysilicon layer and the first polysilicon layer pattern are removed thus form contact pads respectively connected to the sources and drains. Conductive layers can then be applied to the contact pads for predetermined electrodes or wirings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming miniature contacts of highly integrated semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a method for forming miniature contacts of highly integrated semiconductor devices capable of being applied to DRAMs, SRAMs and ASICs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An increase in the integration degree of highly integrated devices results in a decrease in the area per cell. Such a decrease in the area per cell also results in a decrease in design rule and a decrease in space between neighboring lines. As a result, it is required to use a method for forming a direct contact between lines.
As a conventional contact forming method, a method for forming contacts in a self-aligned manner has been used. However, this method encounters a difficulty in performing an etching step using a contact mask, since the aspect ratio upon etching contacts becomes high at a severe topology. Moreover, this method involves problems of short circuits between word and bit lines and between and the word or bit line and a storage capacity electrode, other short circuits of lines caused by terminals, a poor step coverage, and an increase in resistance. Consequently, it is difficult to obtain a process margin in manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Method for forming miniature contacts of highly integrated semiconductor devices

Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.


The present invention is an adjustment method for a projection optical system which allows measuring the relationship (dependency) of the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system with respect to the change of the installation environment (e.g. barometric pressure) around the projection optical system substantially, without actually changing the installation environment. The illumination light (IL) from the exposure light source (1) illuminates the reticle (9) via the fly eye lenses (2, 4) and the capacitor lens (8) etc., and the pattern image on the reticle (9) is projected onto the wafer (12) via the projection optical system (11) under the illumination light (IL). Based on the fact that changing the wavelength of the illumination light (IL) and changing the barometric pressure (approximately equal to the atmospheric pressure) are substantially equivalent for the projection optical system (11), the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics is measured while changing the wavelength of the illumination light (IL) so as to measure the dependency of the image formation characteristics on the atmospheric pressure.

In a stepper type or step-and-scan type projection exposure apparatus which is used for transferring an image of a pattern of a reticle used as a mask onto a wafer (or a glass plate) used as a substrate via the projection optical system when a semiconductor device is fabricated, exposure must be performed while constantly maintaining the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system in good status. This is why the projection exposure apparatus has been stored in a chamber where temperature and humidity are controlled and air from which particles are removed by a dust proof filter is circulating, and temperature and humidity around the projection optical system have been set to a predetermined status.
However, the barometric pressure of the air inside the chamber changes in association with the atmospheric pressure, so if the atmospheric pressure of the location where the projection exposure apparatus is operating changes, the barometric pressure of the air around the projection optical system and the air between lenses in the projection optical system changes, and the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system, such as the best focal position and the projection magnification, change slightly. If exposure is performed in the status where the image formation characteristics have changed in this way, the resolution of the image to be projected onto the wafer deteriorates, or an alignment error is generated. Therefore conventionally the relationship of the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system with respect to the barometric pressure around the projection optical system (hereafter "atmospheric pressure dependency") is measured and stored in advance when the projection optical system is assembled and adjusted for example, and when the projection exposure apparatus is operating, the barometric pressure around the projection exposure apparatus, for example, is constantly measured, the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system is determined based on the measurement result and the stored relationship, and the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics is corrected.
In order to measure the atmospheric pressure dependency of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system, the barometric pressure around the projection optical system has been changed at assembly and adjustment in the following ways; (a) waits for the atmospheric pressure to gradually change over a long period of time, and (b) storing the projection optical system in a pressure chamber where internal barometric pressure can be changed to a desired value.
However, of these methods of changing the atmospheric pressure, method (a) of waiting for the atmospheric pressure to change takes a long period of time for assembly and adjustment, and method (b) of using a pressure chamber increases the cost of manufacturing equipment, so in both cases, it is difficult to apply one method to all or all kinds of projection optical systems. In the case of method (a), a desired atmospheric pressure change characteristic may not be obtained because the change of atmospheric pressure is subject to natural phenomena.
Recently, a huge projection optical system, such as a cata-dioptric system, is used to respond a shortening of the exposure wavelength and an increase of the numerical aperture. If method (b) is used for such a huge projection optical system, a large pressure chamber is required, and manufacturing cost further increases accordingly.
With the foregoing in view, it is a first object of the present invention to provide an adjustment method for a projection optical system which allows substantially to measure the relationship (dependency) of the fluctuation amount of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system with respect to the change of the installation environment (e.g. barometric pressure) around the projection optical system, without actually changing the installation environment.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an adjustment method for a projection optical system which allows to substantially adjust the projection optical system according to the installation environment (e.g. atmospheric pressure) of the installation location where the projection optical system is actually used for exposure without changing the installation environment of the assembly location where the projection optical system is assembled and adjusted, when the installation environment is different between the assembly location and the actual installation location (relocated location).
It is a third object of the present invention to provide an adjustment method for a projection optical system which allows to very accurately correct the change of the image formation characteristics of the projection optical system, which is generated due to a fluctuation of the installation environment.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide an exposure method using such an adjustment method, and a projection exposure apparatus which can execute the adjustment method. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a device fabrication method using such an exposure method.

Image formation characteristics adjustment method for projection optical system


A solid-state imaging apparatus which prevents fixed pattern noise from occurring is provided, the fixed pattern noise having a correlation in a column direction (or a row direction) caused by non-uniformity of a sampling circuit itself. The solid state imaging apparatus comprises a sampling circuit in which a signal from a photodiode PD is sampled. And, the sampling circuit includes: a sampling capacitor CSH for holding the signal from the photodiode PD; a sampling MOS switch M12 which (i) transmits the signal from the photodiode PD to the sampling capacitor CSH, or (ii) blocks the transmission; and a damping capacitor CDS connected to (i) one of a source electrode and a drain electrode of the sampling MOS switch M12 which is located closer to the sampling capacitor CSH and (ii) a gate electrode of the sampling MOS switch M12.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging apparatus which is suitable for an image input apparatus such as a video camera and a digital still camera, and in particular, to a sampling circuit which reads out a signal from a Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) imaging apparatus or Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) imaging apparatus.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Due to the widespread use of image input devices such as video cameras and digital still cameras, various types of solid-state imaging apparatuses have been suggested (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent application No. H-10-173997).
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional solid-state imaging apparatus. A unit pixel (photodiode) includes: a photodiode PD; a read-out MOS transistor M1; a floating diffusion FD; a reset MOS switch M2; an amplified MOS switch M3; and a row-selecting MOS switch M4. A vertical shift register 90 controls the operation in the pixel per row. A Correlated Double Sampling circuit (hereinafter referred to as CDS circuit) which includes a sampling MOS switch M12, a clamp capacitor capacity CCL, a sampling capacitor capacity CSH and a clamp MOS switch M16 is connected to each of column signal lines VSIGn and VSIGn+1. A signal whose fixed pattern noise of the pixel has been suppressed in the CDS circuit is outputted to a horizontal signal line HSIG, via a column-selecting MOS switch M14 controlled by a horizontal shift register 91, so as to be outputted as an image signal, via an amplifier AMP92 and a CDS93. Here, a VHB application circuit for applying a bias voltage VHB synchronized with a horizontal signal line reset pulse φ HR to the horizontal signal line HSIG is connected to the horizontal signal line HSIG, the circuit including a horizontal signal line reset MOS switch M15 and a constant voltage source VHB.
FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing operations of the conventional solid-state imaging apparatus as shown in FIG. 1. The concrete operation of the unit pixel is as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, during certain horizontal blanking period HBLK, in the pixel row of the corresponding horizontal scanning line (for example, mth row), first, the floating diffusion FD is reset to a supply voltage VDD, using a row-resetting pulse φ VRSTm outputted from the vertical shift register 90. Immediately, a row-selecting pulse φ VSLm is raised so that the reset level of the pixel is outputted to the column signal line VSIGn, floating diffusion FD of the pixel being in the reset state.
Using the above mentioned reset level of the pixel, the CDS circuit connected to the column signal line VSIGn executes the first sampling operation (hereinafter referred to as clamp). In the clamp, while (i) via the sampling MOS switch M12, the reset level of the pixel (the first pixel signal) is provided to the first electrode of the clamp capacitor CCL (the electrode connected to the sampling MOS switch M12), and (ii) via the clamp MOS switch M16, a clamp voltage VCL is applied to the second electrode of the clamp capacitor CCL (the electrode connected to the clamp MOS switch M16), a clamp pulse φ CL applied to a control electrode (hereinafter referred to as a gate electrode) of the clamp MOS switch M16 is reduced, so as to hold the clamp voltage VCL at the node between the clamp capacitor CCL and the sampling capacitor CSH (from t=t1 to t=t2).
Then, a row read-out pulse φ VRDm is raised in the middle of the same horizontal blanking period HBLK, and a signal charge is transferred from the photodiode PD to the floating diffusion FD. Since the change associated with the signal charge appears as a signal level (the second pixel signal) in the column signal line VSIGn, the CDS circuit executes the second sampling operation (hereinafter referred to as sampling), using the above mentioned signal level. In the sampling, (i) a sample pulse φ SH is changed to low level, and (ii) the voltage change (difference between the signal level and the reset level) in the column signal line VSIGn is held at the node between the clamp capacitor CCL and the sampling capacitor CSH (from t=t3 to t=t4). Here, the voltage held at the node has the value which has changed, from the clamp voltage VCL, by the dividing ratio of the capacity of the clamp capacitor CCL to the sampling capacitor CSH that is the difference between the signal level and the reset level. Thus, unevenness of the threshold voltages of the amplified MOS switch M3 in the unit pixel is deducted, and the fixed pattern noise of the pixel is suppressed.
The held voltage as described above sequentially appears per column in the horizontal signal line HSIG, via the column-selecting MOS switch M14 controlled by the horizontal shift register 91 (from t=t5 to t=t6). Here, due to the capacity division between the sampling capacitor CSH and the capacity CH of the horizontal signal line HISG, the voltage of the horizontal signal line HSIG changes, and the changed voltage is outputted as a pixel signal.
However, according to the conventional sampling circuit as described above, there is a problem that fixed pattern noise is generated, due to unevenness of the threshold voltages (unevenness among each column signal) of the MOS switch included in the CDS circuit connected to each column signal line.
The predominant mechanism in which unevenness occurs in respective sampling voltage in each of a plurality of sampling circuits, is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the sampling circuit basically includes a MOS switch and a capacitor CSH, and operates by changing a gate voltage φ SH so that the MOS switch becomes OFF state from ON state. Such equivalent circuit becomes (i) a circuit as shown in FIG. 3B when the MOS switch has ON state, and (ii) a circuit as shown in FIG. 3C when the MOS switch has OFF state. As shown in the equivalent circuit in FIG. 3B, in the ON state, an input signal VIN and the sampling capacitor capacity CSH are in conduction state in which a sampling pulse φ SH is capacitively coupled with a gate capacitor CG of the MOS switch. Here, the gate capacitor CG has a total sum of (i) a gate-source capacity CGS, (ii) a gate-drain capacity CGD and (iii) a gate oxide film capacity CGO (between channels) when the MOS switch is in the operation point of the linear area. On the other hand, as shown in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 3C, as the capacitor model changes in the OFF state, (i) the input signal VIN is capacitively coupled to the sampling pulse φ SH via the gate-drain capacity CGD, (ii) the sampling capacitor capacity CSH is capacitively connected to the sampling pulse φSH via the gate-source capacity CGS, and (iii) the input signal VIN and the sampling capacitor capacity CSH are in non-conduction state.
Using the capacitor model of the MOS switch as described above, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the case where two same sampling circuits are structured by a MOS switch which has different threshold voltages Vth1 and Vth2, due to the difference (unevenness) ΔVth of the threshold voltages as shown in FIG. 4B, the difference (unevenness) ΔSH of the sampled voltages occurs, as shown in the following equations.
                              VSH1          =                      VIN            -                                                            C                  GS                                                  (                                                            C                      SH                                        +                                          C                      GS                                                        )                                                                          V                th1                                                                                VSH2          =                      VIN            -                                                            C                  GS                                                  (                                                            C                      SH                                        +                                          C                      GS                                                        )                                                                          V                th2                                                                                Δ                                                                          VSH                    =                                    VSH1              -              VSH2                        =                                                            C                  GS                                                  (                                                            C                      SH                                        +                                          C                      GS                                                        )                                                          Δ                                                                                V                th                                                                        [                  Equation                                                              1                ]
According to the above mentioned mechanism, in the conventional solid-state imaging apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, unevenness occurs in the following operation phase.
(Clamp phase; from t=t1 to t=t2 in FIG. 2)
FIG. 5A is a circuit diagram showing only the part related to the clamp phase in the conventional circuit, in relation to the above mentioned phase, that is, the operation in which the first pixel signal is sampled. Here, the threshold value unevenness of the clamp MOS switch M16 in which a clamp pulse φ CL is applied is Δ Vth-clamp. The gate-source capacity of the clamp MOS switch M16 is CGS. The sampling capacitor capacity is CSH, and the clamp capacitor capacity CCL. The unevenness of the electric charge Δ QCSH-clamp (conversion of the threshold unevenness into electric charge) accumulated into the sampling capacitor can be shown in the following equation.
                              Δ                                                                          Q                                          C                SH                            -              clamp                                      =                              -                                                            C                  SH                                                                  C                  GS                                                                              C                  SH                                +                                  C                  CL                                +                                  C                  GS                                                                        Δ                                                                          V                          th              -              clamp                                                          [                  Equation                                                              2                ]            (Sample phase; from t=t3 to t=t4 in FIG. 2)
FIG. 5B is a circuit diagram showing only the part related to the sample phase in the conventional circuit, in relation to the above mentioned phase, that is, the operation in which the second pixel signal is sampled. Here, the threshold unevenness of the sampling MOS switch M12 in which the sample pulse φ SH is applied is Δ Vth-sample. The gate-source capacity of the MOS switch is CGS. The sampling capacitor capacity is CSH, and the clamp capacitor capacity is CCL. The unevenness of the electric charge Δ QCSH-sample accumulated into the sampling capacitor capacity can be shown in the following equation.
                              Δ                                                                          Q                                          C                SH                            -              sample                                      =                              -                                                                                C                      SH                                                                                C                      CL                                                                                C                      SH                                        +                                          C                      CL                                                                                C                  GS                                                                                C                      SH                                                                                C                      CL                                                                                C                      SH                                        +                                          C                      CL                                                                      +                                  C                  GS                                                                        Δ                                                                          V                          th              -              sample                                                          [                  Equation                                                              3                ]            (Horizontal output phase; from t=t5 to t=t6 in FIG. 2)
FIG. 5C is a circuit diagram showing only the part related to the horizontal output phase in the conventional circuit, in relation to the above mentioned phase, that is, the operation in which the signal voltage stored in the sampling capacitor is outputted to the horizontal signal line. Here, the threshold value unevenness of the column-selecting MOS switch M14 in which the column-selecting pulse φ Hn is applied is Δ Vth-HSW. The gate-source capacity of the MOS switch is CGS. The gate-drain capacity is CGD. And, the total sum of the CGS, CGD and the capacity of the gate oxide film is CG. The unevenness of the electric charge quantity Δ QCSHCH-Hout which appears in the horizontal signal line that has the sampling capacitor and the horizontal signal line capacity CH can be shown in the following equation.
                              Δ                                                                          Q                                                            C                  SH                                                                  C                  H                                            -              Hout                                      =                              (                                                                                C                    SH                                                                          C                    GS                                                                                C                    SH                                    +                                      C                    GS                                                              +                                                                    C                    H                                                                          C                    GD                                                                                C                    H                                    +                                      C                    GD                                                              -                                                                    (                                                                  C                        SH                                            +                                              C                        H                                                              )                                                                          C                    G                                                                                C                    SH                                    +                                      C                    H                                    +                                      C                    G                                                                        )                              Δ                                                                          V                          th              -              HSW                                                          [                  Equation                                                              4                ]
In the above mentioned three phases, due to the threshold value unevenness of the individually independent MOS switch, the electric charge unevenness occurs. Thus, the unevenness occurring in all of the phases is added, and becomes a longitudinal fixed pattern noise. If such longitudinal fixed pattern noise is converted into unevenness of signal voltages appearing in the horizontal signal line, the value can be shown in the following equation.
                              Δ                                                              V                =                              1                                          C                SH                            +                              C                H                                                                    (                                          Δ                                                                                Q                                                            C                      SH                                        -                    clamp                                                              +                              Δ                                                                                Q                                                            C                      SH                                        -                    sample                                                              +                              Δ                                                                                Q                                                                                C                        SH                                                                                C                        H                                                              -                    Hout                                                                        )                                              [                  Equation                                                              5                ]
In other words, due to the unevenness of the threshold voltages (non-uniformity among each CDS circuit) among (i) the clamp MOS switch M16 structuring the CDS circuit connected to each column signal, (ii) the sampling MOS switch M12 and (iii) the column-selecting MOS switch M14, even with the same input signal, a different voltage is generated for each column. As a result, according to the conventional circuit structure, unless the threshold value unevenness of the MOS switch is removed, the longitudinal fixed pattern noise cannot be controlled.

Solid-state imaging apparatus and sampling circuit

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present disclosure provides a truss strap integrated geometric restraint for an evacuation slide. The truss strap integrated geometric restraint may comprise a first strap configured to be coupled to a first portion of the evacuation slide, a second strap configured to be coupled to a second portion of the evacuation slide, and a third strap detachably coupled to a third portion of the evacuation slide and configured to disengage from the portion of the slide in response to a predetermined force acting on the release mechanism, wherein the truss strap integrated geo restraint is configured to increase beam strength of the evacuation slide.

Certain aircraft evacuation systems may include an inflatable slide that helps passengers disembark from an aircraft in the event of an emergency or other evacuation event. The slides may deploy from a door sill or side of the aircraft fuselage and begin to inflate with pressurized air from a pressurized air source. Given the weight distribution and size of the slides, the slides may be prone to move in response to surrounding wind conditions. In order to limit such movement, the slides may be restrained with a number of devices configured to achieve a desired inflation sequence of the slide. Reducing part counts, costs, and the weight associated with these restraining devices can be important design considerations.

Truss strap integrated geometric restraint


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for use in a printing device, comprising outputting a test chart comprising a plurality of printed regions at respective ink densities, receiving an indication of a selected ink density, and determining one or more resources of the printing device according to the selected ink density to control one or more ink limits and a color separation of the printing device.

When printing onto a print media, particularly with liquid ink, controlling properties of the ink applied to the media are important to ensure a quality of the printing. In particular, it is important to control an amount of ink applied to the media. If too much ink is applied to the media during printing then proper drying of the ink may not occur.
In particular, it is important to control the amount of ink applied to media of different types to ensure that the amount of ink applied is within a drying capability of the printer for particular printing conditions. Furthermore it is important to control the amount of ink applied to the media without degrading a quality of the print, such as loosing gamut.
It is an object of embodiments of the invention to at least mitigate one or more of the problems of the prior art.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A vehicle system and method is provided for detecting the location of a portable wireless device. The vehicle system includes the portable device and a plurality of base stations positioned about a vehicle. The portable device is configured to transmit a first wireless signal and a second wireless signal indicative of motion data of the portable device. A main base station of the plurality of base stations is configured to determine a first final position of the portable device in response to each of the plurality of base stations successfully receiving the first wireless signal. The main base station is further configured to determine a second final position of the portable device using the first final position and the motion data of the second wireless signal as received at the first base station and after determining that the second base station has not successfully received the second wireless signal.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0076622 to Dickerhoof et al. discloses a system for determining the location of a wireless device with respect to a vehicle. The system comprises a plurality of antennas positioned about the vehicle for receiving a wireless signal from the wireless device. The wireless signal corresponds to at least one of a command and status related to a predetermined vehicle operation. The system further comprises a controller operably coupled to each antenna. The controller is configured to generate a location signal indicative of the location of the wireless device based on the time of flight of the wireless signal at one or more antennas of the plurality of antennas and to control the operation of the predetermined vehicle operation based on the location signal.

System and method for detecting a location of a wireless device


System and method for deploying multiple antennas in an array configuration with unobstructed electromagnetic access to a formation outside of a casing, sequencing the transmitted signal to control the direction of transmission into the formation, receiving the reflected signals, and locating the position of the reflection based on the scanned transmission signal orientation and the direction of the received signal. Such a deployment of an antenna array with unobstructed electromagnetic access to the formation outside of the casing, sequencing of the interrogation signal, and analysis of the received signal relative to the transmitted signal direction form the basis for reflection image rendering as the transmitted signal is scanned by a sequenced stimulus signal.

Oil and natural gas are produced from wells having porous and permeable subterranean formations. The porosity of the formation permits the formation to store oil and gas, and the permeability of the formation permits the oil or gas fluid to move through the formation. Permeability of the formation is essential to permit oil and gas to flow to a location where it can be pumped or flowed from the well. Oil and gas recovery is normally practiced in wellbores which have been cased in steel pipe surrounded by a cementitious fill to seal the wellbore. The artisan will appreciate that the term "casing" is colloquially used to describe a collection of pipe segments that extends from a target depth to the surface of the well; however, in this invention, the term "casing" will be used to describe a pipe segment and the term "casing string" to refer to a collection of pipe segments, which may or may not extend to the surface without any implication of limitation. In many cases the permeability of the formation holding the oil or gas is insufficient for economic recovery of oil and gas. In other cases, during operation of the well, the productivity of the formation drops to the extent that further recovery becomes uneconomical. In such cases, it is necessary to hydraulically fracture the formation and prop the fracture in an open condition by means of a proppant material or propping agent. Such fracturing is usually accomplished by hydraulic pressure through perforations in the steel casing, and the proppant material or propping agent is a particulate material, such as sand, resin coated sand or ceramic particles (all of which can be referred to as "proppant"), which are carried into the fracture by means of a fracturing fluid, sometimes containing high molecular weight polymers, such as guar gum, guar gum derivatives such as hydroxypropyl guar (HPG), carboxymethyl HPG (CMHPG), cellulose, cellulose derivatives such as hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), biopolymers, such as xanthan gum and polyvinyl alcohol, which increase the viscosity of the fracturing fluid.
A systematic method of characterizing the location of proppant as placed in a hydraulic fracture at distances from the cased wellbore exceeding more than several inches is currently unavailable. A primary limitation is a method for rendering images of a fracture field based on transmitted and reflected radar signals. A second limitation is the lack of controlled projection of interrogation signals into the formation from antenna assemblies deployed through a metal cased wellbore, receipt of the signals, and methods for analyzing the received signals to form a representative image of the proppant filled fracture.
Ground penetrating radar ("GPR") systems have been used in uncased wells to characterize objects and features in geologic formations such as natural fractures and salt-domes. Such commercially-available GPR systems are designed to work in uncased wells, and use large discrete antennas.
Existing systems have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects. Thus, there remains a need for improved systems and methods for characterizing objects and features in geologic formations.

Apparatus, method and system for mapping fracture features in hydraulically fractured strata using functional proppant properties


This onboard device measures the received power of radio waves transmitted from a base station while the engine is running and sets a near-out-of-range flag when the level of the received power has become equal to or lower than a near-out-of-range level, which indicates the possibility of going out of range. The onboard device permits a portable terminal device to obtain a new effective period for a key ID when the radio wave environment of a vehicle when the engine is stopped indicates that the vehicle is out of range, and the effective period of the key ID has expired and needs to be renewed, provided that the near-out-of-range flag has been set. Consequently, security can be enhanced during acquisition of update information for the key information with the portable terminal device.

An immobilizer is used as one of vehicle anti-theft devices. The immobilizer provides wireless communication between an onboard device and an electronic key (mobile device) that stores a key ID unique to each vehicle.
The immobilizer collates a key ID received from the electronic key with a key ID stored in the onboard device and allows an engine to start only when both key IDs match.
A system that provides an expiration date to authenticate the key ID (see patent literature 1) in a case where the electronic key is stolen or duplicated is proposed. In order to update the expiration date, the onboard device used in the system periodically communicates with a server managing the expiration date with an onboard communication device and receives authentication from the server.
However, the expiration date may pass when a user parks the vehicle outside range to be incapable of connection to a mobile communication network. In this case, the onboard device cannot communicate with the server using the onboard communication device, and therefore the onboard device cannot update the expiration date. To be prepared for this case, the system allows a registered mobile terminal device owned by the user to be used an alternative device to the onboard communication device. The user owning the mobile terminal device moves to an area capable of connection to the mobile communication network, receives update information from the server, returns to the vehicle, and transmits the update information to the onboard device to update the expiration date.

Onboard device and vehicle anti-theft system


A scintillation detector apparatus comprising a filter disposed intermediate a scintillator and a detector, the filter being adapted to block relatively long wavelengths of light to reduce afterglow. The detector apparatus may, for example, be a part of a detector system such as a CT scanner, a RG system, or a geophysical measurement system.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to scintillation systems and, more particularly, to scintillation systems comprising a filtered scintillator.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The use of scintillators in radiation detection apparatus is well known. Typically, in such detection apparatus, radiation that is not easily detected by conventional photodetectors is projected onto a scintillator. The scintillator absorbs the radiation (also referred to herein as "excitatory radition") and, in response, the scintillator emits scintillation light (also referred to herein simply as "light") in a wavelength band that is more conveniently detected by a conventional photodetector. For example, scintillators are used to detect high-energy radiation (e.g., x-rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles) by absorbing the radiation, and emitting infrared light or visible light in response to the radiation. The term "radiation" is defined herein to include electromagnetic radiation or particles. The term "light" is defined herein to include electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength, and is not limited to visible light. The term "scintillator" is defined herein as a phosphorescent material that emits light in response to excitatory radiation incident thereon.
Scintillation-based detector apparatus have found uses in many fields of applications. For example, such detector apparatus are conventionally used in geophysical applications (e.g., mining), radio gauging (RG) applications and computer tomography (CT) applications.

Apparatus employing a filtered scintillator and method of using same


A system and method for rapid deployment of economically feasible wide-area general-purpose telecommunications systems and services in urban, suburban, rural, and other inhabited geographical areas is disclosed. The solution described here is of particular importance in the aftermath of such events as catastrophic accidents, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, riots, and acts of war during which the local telecommunications infrastructure is destroyed. In addition, the basic methods and architectures defined herein are applicable to those scenarios in which wide-area telecommunication services must be deployed rapidly in previously uninhabited area such as military deployments.

This invention relates generally to rapid deployment of telecommunications systems, and in particular to the deployment and use of infrastructureless networks for emergency purposes.
A common characteristic of natural, man-made, accidental, or intentional disasters is the damage to, or destruction of, buildings and other outdoor structures such as communication antennas, radio towers, and utility poles. Such damage and destruction can cause the local telecommunications infrastructure to become inoperative and/or overloaded. Systems that can be affected by such disasters include residential and commercial telephone service, cellular telephone service, and mobile radio systems used by local, state, and federal emergency and law enforcement agencies. Disasters can occur in urban, suburban, and rural areas, and can be the result of such diverse events as, for example, catastrophic accidents, natural disasters, or intentional attacks. Even in non-disaster situations, such as for example, military deployments, basic wide-area telecommunication services might need to be deployed rapidly in previously uninhabited areas.
For example, a disaster has occurred, one which affects a large number of people over a large geographical area, spanning anywhere from many city blocks to 10's of miles in suburban or rural areas. Buildings and other outdoor structures (such as antennas, radio towers and utility poles) are damaged or destroyed. All or portions of the local telecommunications infrastructure—including regular telephone system and the cellular telephony system used by inhabitants; land mobile radio systems used by local, state, and federal emergency and law enforcement agencies, etc.—are inoperative. The portions that might have survived are tremendously overloaded. This disaster may be a natural one—such as multiple tornado strikes, an earthquake, volcanic eruptions, or floods—or it may be accidental, due to plane crashes, train derailments, or refinery explosions. The disaster may be intentional, or it may take place in an area where means for communication is limited to begin with, or in an area where millions of citizens could need access to telecommunication services. A common problem in all of these situations is the need for immediate communication among emergency personnel, law enforcement agencies, and the local citizens.
To properly support this type of situation, a system is needed which is designed to be general purpose and hence capable of supporting any application that used to be supported by the damaged or destroyed system that it is trying to replace. The system needs to be standards-based and hence can be used with existing end-user communication devices. Further, the system needs to be economically affordable by local and state governing bodies. The system should be capable of temporarily replacing a destroyed communications network (e.g. cellular telephone service) and operating for weeks or even months, and the equipment of the system should be useful for a non-emergency situation as well. The system should be capable of inter-operating with any modern internet protocol-based network, allowing it to be connected to standard networks like the internet.

Rapidly deployable emergency communications system and method


An automatic shut-off valve suitable for watering of batteries is disclosed. The valve is formed by a chamber having an inlet and an outlet. A seat surrounds the outlet. A spring biased piston within the cylinder is movable into and out of sealing engagement with the seat to open and close the valve. A flow deflecting surface is positioned between the inlet and the piston. Water flow is directed around the piston to eliminate drag that would force the piston into engagement with the seat. A second deflector surface directs flow against the piston to bias it open. An actuator cup, fed by a nozzle extending from the outlet, draws the piston into engagement with the seat when the cup is sealed by engagement with the electrolyte surface. The valve may also employ a float actuator connected to the piston.

Automatic watering systems for batteries employ independent valves in each cell of the battery to control the flow of water into the cells for replenishing the aqueous electrolyte that is lost during battery charging. Such batteries typically comprise a casing containing a number of individual cells, each holding an electrolyte solution in which plates are immersed. Examples of batteries having an aqueous electrolyte include nickel-cadmium batteries or lead-acid type batteries. Oxygen and hydrogen gases are produced during charging as a result of electrolysis of the water. The electrolysis causes a loss of water from the electrolyte solution, and, as a result, such batteries require periodic replenishment of the lost water.
It is advantageous for the valves to operate effectively across a wide range of water pressures. They should be sensitive enough to operate at low pressures of about 4 psi, but stable enough to operate at high pressures of about 50 psi.
Valves currently in use for battery watering may be classified in one of two categories, i.e., hydrostatic or hydrodynamic. Hydrostatic valves typically rely on a float buoyed by the electrolyte to open and close the valve, while hydrodynamic valves rely on a venturi-based mechanism for actuation. Both types of valves can employ a positive stop configuration. Positive stop valves have a closing member, typically a piston, that moves within a pressurized chamber through which the water or other fluid flows. Upon actuation by the float or venturi mechanism, the piston engages with or disengages from a seat within the chamber to close and open the valve. In the positive stop configuration, the piston moves into the closed position with the water flow or pressure. Positive stop valves, be they hydrostatic or hydrodynamic, suffer from the same disadvantage, in that hydrodynamic drag on the piston engendered as water flows through the valve can cause the piston to close the valve prematurely in response to the water flow or pressure, and not in response to the fluid level as intended. Positive stop valves in particular, tend to close prematurely when operated at high pressures which generate high drag forces on the piston and its actuating mechanism. This characteristic limits the range over which positive stop valves may be effectively employed to the lower pressures. There is clearly a need for a valve that can operate over a large pressure range, encompassing both high and low pressures and flow rates, without premature closing due to high hydrodynamic drag.


A high-voltage underwater electrical connector is provided that includes first and second connectors each having a positive contact and a negative contact. The electrical connector further includes an auxiliary electrode made from a conductive material electrically connected to the first positive contact. A voltage limiting circuit electrically connects the auxiliary electrode to the positive contact. A high resistance water pathway is created between the auxiliary electrode and the negative contacts when the first and second connectors are mated while immersed in water or other corrosive environments.

To avoid water contamination of electrical contacts, conventional electrical connectors may be sealed with O-rings or gaskets. These designs may work well in generally dry environments however electrical connectors in some applications may be exposed to non-dry air environments, such as humid air, rain, or seawater. In addition, an electrical connector may be submerged in water for use in underwater electrical applications. Thus, it may be desirable to exclude water from the electrically live portions (e.g., contacts, electrodes, etc.) of the connectors as, among other things, water may create electricity leakage paths. Water can damage the electrically conducting connector contacts by corrosion or by deposition of insulating salts or impurities onto the connectors. In addition, applying a voltage to an electrical contact when the contact is exposed to water increases the rate of corrosion to the contact. Thus, in certain applications and environments, it is desirable to not only exclude water after being mated, but also to exclude water during mating—even when mating under water.
Conventional connectors addressing underwater mating or mating in a wet environment may be complex. Such connectors may be filled with oil and may have many small parts, such as dynamic seals and springs, for example. Due, at least in part, to their complexity, conventional connectors may be difficult to build and repair. Such connectors may also be expensive to produce and replace. Dielectric gel containing connectors can also be designed to allow underwater mating of connectors with water exclusion, for example. Repeated connection and disconnection of these gel-containing connectors however, may lead to contamination, leakage of the gel, or other problems.

High voltage connector with wet contacts


The present invention is a specific combination of components having unique properties both in composition and benefits. Such a combination of portland cement type 1, fly ash type C in combination with a specific gradation of blast furnace slag and a specific gradation of fine aggregate in combination with a sodium lignosulfonic acid, sodium nitrate, sodium thiocyanate, triethanolamine, neutralized Vinsol resin and a coconut fatty acid diethanolamine.

This invention pertains to a portland cement concrete mixture that provides increased durability in the hardened state of such a mixture within freeze/thaw temperature cycles under conditions of water saturation. The mixture may include concrete materials in combination with cement additive compositions such as water reducing admixtures, air entraining agents and plasticizers.
The development of portland cement dates back to 1824. An early disclosure is contained in British Patent No. 5022, for "An Improvement in the Modes of Producing an Artificial Stone," to Joseph Aspdin. Conventional portland cement is described in the American Society for Testing and Materials ("ASTM") Standard C150-89, "Standard Specification for Portland Cement," which is incorporated herein by reference.
Portland cement may be blended with a variety of coarse aggregates such as crushed limestone or gravel as well as a fine aggregate. The proportions of portland cement and fine aggregate may be varied depending upon the properties and the use of the concrete. Conventional aggregates for use in concrete are described in the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials ("ASTM") Standard C33-90, "Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates," which is incorporated herein by reference.
In the past, coarse aggregates have fallen within the broad range of 2 inches (7.6 cm) to 3/8 inch mesh; the size of the fine aggregate has been in a broad range of about a No. 4 mesh to a No. 200 mesh pursuant to ASTM C-11 standard sieve specification. Coarse aggregates of mineral origin, such as gravel or crushed limestone, have been used. A manufactured aggregate such as slag has also been used.
Portland cement concrete may also incorporate a pozzolanic material such as a man-made type pozzolan such as fly ash, being produced from the burning of coal. Granulated ground slag from the blast furnace slag material from the steel industry has also been used, or silica fume from the silicon and ferosilicon industry. Natural pozzolan which comes from certain pumieties of natural volcanic origin has also been employed. The most widely used pozzolanic material, however, is the type C fly ash derived from the burning of coal in the power plants that provide electricity.
Chemical admixtures have also been incorporated into portland cement concrete. The chemical admixtures used in portland cement concrete have included water reducing admixtures such as calcium lignosulfonate. Concrete containing hydraulic cement and a water soluble derivative of lignin is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,570, to J. G. Mark, for "Concrete and Hydraulic Cement" A cement mix containing waste sulphite liquor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,169,980, to E. W. Scripture, for "Cement Mix." Hydroxyalkyl amines, such as triethanolamine, have been incorporated into calcium lignosulfonate as an accelerator to counteract the set retardation caused by the dispersant. An example of a disclosure of an amine salt is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 2,052,586, to G. R. Tucker, for "Amine Salts of Aromatic Sulfonic Acids." Additional information relating to chemical admixtures to be added to portland cement concrete mixtures for various purposes is disclosed in ASTM C494-90, "Standard Specification for Chemical Admixtures for Concrete," which is incorporated herein by reference.
Various other accelerators have been used to offset the retardation of calcium lignosulfonate, ammonium lignosulfonate or sodium lignosulfonate. These accelerators include calcium chloride, nitrite, nitrate, formate and thiocyanate salts of the alkali and alkaline earth metals. U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,956, to Rosskopf, discloses a cement mixture comprising an alkali or alkaline earth or ammonium salt of thiocyanic acid in combination with an alkanolamine. Such a combination of ingredients has been added to a cementitious mix in an effort to increase the rate of hardening of the mix and to increase the compressive strength of the mix after hardening. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,405, to Gerber, discloses a mixture including a combination of alkali or alkaline earth metal nitrates, alkanolamines and alkali or alkaline earth metal thiocyanates. Other formulations of water reducing admixtures that were manufactured to increase the water reduction and compressive strength of portland cement concrete have been used in the past. Other accelerators used in the past include carbohydrates such as glucose and corn syrup, and gluconates such as gluconic acid and heptogluconic acids.
Air entrainment which forms a system of air bubbles that will remain in the mix after concrete hardening has an important effect upon the durability of concrete in freeze/thaw temperature cycles. The use of a surface active agent or surfactants is generally necessary to obtain satisfactory amounts of air entrainment. A number of chemical agents have been employed to achieve satisfactory amounts of air entraiment. Generally, the chemical agents are organic chemicals that are broadly classified as soaps and detergents. One example of a chemical agent of this type is neutralized Vinsol resin, manufactured by Hercules, Inc. in Wilmington, Del. Vinsol resin is composed of alkali salts of pinewood resin extracts. A test method for materials used as air-entraining admixtures is disclosed in ASTM C233-90, "Standard Test Method for Air-Entraining Admixtures for Concrete," which is incorporated herein by reference.
In the past, a variety of surfactants has been used, both ionic and non-ionic, in a broad class of detergents to obtain the desired degree of air entrainment. In concrete, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,948, to Okada et al., discloses the use of an alpha-olefin acid salt, which is said to act as an air entraining agent in the portland cement concrete mix in an effort to improve freeze/thaw resistance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,083, to Gutmann et al., discloses a portland cement mix containing an air entraining additive consisting essentially of a coconut fatty acid diethanolamine. The coconut fatty acid diethanolamine is produced by reacting an alkyl ester of coconut acid with diethanolamine, whereby air will be entrained in the mix in the amount of 3% to 9% by volume of the mix.
Experience with conventional concrete admixtures' resistance to repetitive freeze/thaw temperature cycles has not been completely satisfactory. Scaling attributable to improper air void systems, pop-outs due to shale and chert particles in both the limestone and gravel fraction of the coarse aggregate, and shale in the gravel and sand fractions of the portland cement concrete have resulted. Problems associated with the phenomena of surface deterioration have not been solved. The need remains for a portland cement concrete mix that would be more durable when subjected to freeze/thaw temperature cycles.
When a mix is harsh and difficult to finish properly, excessive finishing, water spraying and other means are sometimes employed to bring paste to the top,, causing a weak surface. This may contribute to deterioration of the concrete in freeze/thaw conditions. Such weakness can only be corrected through proper mix designs and the use of chemicals and plasticizers, in accordance with the present invention.

Mixture of portland cement concrete materials for freeze/thaw resistance


A new type of pressure relief valve is described herein which has advantages over standard valves in that it may comprise a longer plunger than normal, and two guiding points located far away from each other for guiding the plunger within the housing. The valve may also comprise improved exhaust ports and an anti-rotation washer.

Pressure relief valves are often used to regulate the output pressure on engine anti-ice valves (or other equivalent functions). In order to function properly in such environments they are required to provide a very stable regulation over a wide range of environmental conditions throughout their life.
In current valve designs, when used in combination with specific operative conditions, known valves have been known to produce spurious undesired phenomena such as oscillations, hysteresis and loss of calibration. Such phenomena may affect the overall valve performance and result in output inaccuracy.
Improvements in such pressure relief valves are therefore needed in order to create more reliable and accurate pressure relief valves.