An assembly of a dash panel and a brake master cylinder unit of a vehicle disclosed herein may include: a panel-side support plate arranged between the brake master cylinder unit and the dash panel, the panel-side support plate being parallelly fixed to the dash panel; a unit-side support plate arranged between the dash panel and the panel-side support plate, the unit-side support plate being fixed to the brake master cylinder unit; a first anti-vibration plate interposed between the dash panel and the unit-side support plate; a second anti-vibration plate interposed between the unit-side support plate and the panel-side support plate; and a third anti-vibration plate interposed between the panel-side support plate and the brake master cylinder unit. A rigidity of the second anti-vibration plate in a plate thickness direction may be greater than any of rigidities of the first and the third anti-vibration plates in plate thickness directions.

A brake master cylinder unit of an electric vehicle may adopt an electric motor which increases an oil pressure depending on a pressing force on a brake pedal. Such a brake master cylinder unit, which includes an electric motor, is therefore heavier than a conventional brake master cylinder unit. The brake master cylinder unit is supported by a dash panel of a vehicle. The dash panel is a plate serving as a partition between a vehicle cabin and a front compartment. The heavy brake master cylinder unit could greatly vibrate the dash panel while the vehicle is running. Vibration of the dash panel may make a passenger feel uncomfortable.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-154842 describes a technique that suppresses vibration and noise of a brake master cylinder unit. According to the technique in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-154842, a center of gravity of the brake master cylinder unit is positioned closer to the dash panel, so that vibration and noise are reduced. An assembly of a dash panel and a brake master cylinder unit is also shown in each of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-192874 and International Publication No. WO 2014/034159. For simplicity of description, a brake master cylinder unit may hereinafter be termed simply a cylinder unit.

Assembly of dash panel and brake master cylinder unit


In an HDMI system, the clock regenerator proposed by the HDMI specification may suffer external noise because the input clock of a phase lock loop circuit in a sink device of the HDMI system is too slow. This slow input clock causes the phase lock loop circuit unable to adjust and reduce the jitter of an audio clock regenerated in the sink device. Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention provides a clock regenerator to extract the relationship between the regenerated audio clock and a video clock received by the sink device from other source devices. The clock regenerator may comprise a phase lock loop circuit, a recovery circuit, a crystal oscillator and a tracking circuit. The crystal oscillator generates a crystal clock. The phase lock loop circuit receives the crystal clock and regenerates an audio clock. The recovery circuit extracts the relationship between the audio clock and the received video clock. The tracking circuit tunes the frequency of the crystal clock based on the extracted relationship.

There are many standards available for data transmission in home use apparatuses. For example, an RF cable is used to transmit TV signals from an antenna to a TV. An S-Video is another data transmission standard to transmit TV signals. There is also another data transmission standard that transmits TV signals with split color components. All these mentioned standards transmit signals in analog waveforms. It is commonly known to a person in the art that transmitting signals in analog waveforms comes with noise.
In order to overcome such disadvantage, several digital interfaces were introduced, e.g., Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). The HDMI is the first interface that can carry uncompressed high definition video signals, compressed or uncompressed multi-channel audio signals, and intelligent format and command data. The HDMI specification can be backward compatible with the DVI. Also, HDMI interface is highly favored by movie makers who urge protection of their products from piracy. HDMI also allows users to control multiple consumer electronic devices with only one remote controller.
To communicate data digitally between two devices, it requires an accurate clock to synchronize data signals. There is usually a clock recovery circuit in the reception device that receives the clock from a transmitter device, generates an internal clock, and synchronizes the internal clock with the received clock. Therefore, the reception device can process the received data without errors. According to the HDMI specification, a clock recovery circuit needs not only to synchronize a received video clock but also to extract an audio clock according to the received video clock and few defined parameters, e.g., Cycle Time Stamp (CTS) and a factor parameter N.
In pages 75-79 of the High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Version 1.2, published on Aug. 22, 2005 by HDMI Licensing, LLC, the requirements for audio sample clock capture and regeneration are defined. The disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIG. 1 illustrates an audio clock regeneration model according to the HDMI specification. A source device 11 transmits TMDS (Transmission Minimized Differential Signaling) or video clock to a sink device 12. Meanwhile, a parameter CTS and a parameter N are transmitted within an Audio Clock Regeneration Packet from the source device 11 to the sink device 12. In some video source devices, the audio and video clocks are synchronized. There exits a rational (Integer divided by integer) relationship between these two clocks. In another situation, the audio and video clocks may be asynchronous. According to the HDMI specification, the sink device 12 shall also work in this environment by extracting the fractional relationship between these two clocks.
The source device 11 first determines the fractional relationship between the video clock and an audio reference clock (128*fs) where fs is an audio sample rate. The source device contains a register 15, a divider 13, and a counter 14 wherein the register 15 keeps the parameter N, the divider 13 divides the audio reference clock by the parameter N, and the counter 14 counts the cycle time of the divided audio reference clock based on the video clock. The exact relationship between the two clocks is described by the equation:128*fs=fTMDS—clock*N/CTS.
The source device 11 sends the numerator and the denominator via the HDMI link to the sink device 12. The clock recovery circuit of the sink device 12 including a divider 16 and a frequency multiplier 17 wherein the divider 16 divides the incoming video (TMDS) clock by the parameter CTS, and then the frequency multiplier 17 increases frequency of the divided video (TMDS) clock to N times compared to the original frequency. Finally, a clock with a frequency within an audio frequency range and with synchronization of the received video clock is captured and regenerated.
FIG. 2 illustrates an optional architecture to implement an audio clock regeneration function that takes advantages of the N and CTS values. The frequency multiplier 17 is replaced by a conventional phase lock loop circuit including a phase detector 21, a low-pass filter 22, a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) 23, and a divider 24. It is well known to those skilled in the art that the conventional phase lock loop circuit can regenerate a synchronized clock. Therefore, the detailed operation of the conventional phase lock loop is ignored herein.
As mentioned in the page 76 of the mentioned HDMI specification, due to the asynchronous clocks, the variation of the parameter CTS creates large jitter. Although the HDMI Specification recommended several N and CTS values, it is still hard to obtain an audio clock with low jitter. For example, to obtain an audio clock with 32 kHz from a video clock with 25.2 MHz, the parameter CTS would be 25,200 if the N parameter were 4096 as recommended in the HDMI specification. The received video (TMDS) clock in the sink device 12 was divided by the parameter CTS and reduced to 1 kHz before entering the phase lock loop circuit.
The phase lock loop circuit could not adjust itself with a low frequency input, e.g., 1 kHz. The phase detector 21 detects the phase change and forces the low-pass filter 22 to change its voltage level, such that the VCO 23 can send a feedback clock through the divider 24 to the phase detector 21, and update an output clock which is synchronized to the input clock, e.g., the 1 kHz clock. With such a low input clock, the phase lock loop circuit adjusts itself per 1 ms which is the period of a 1 kHz clock. Thus, the accurate requirement 1000 ppm of the HDMI specification can not be easily achieved because the phase lock loop circuit can only adjust its phase slowly and noise may accumulate, either externally or internally, during this 1 ms waiting time.
The optional implementation of the clock recovery circuit in the sink device 12 according to the HDMI specification does not provide a low jitter clock recovery circuit. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stable clock recovery circuit which also meets the requirements defined in the HDMI specification.

Audio clock regenerator with precisely tracking mechanism


This manufacturing process has: a step of performing a heating treatment in a contact state of SiC with Cl2 to form a porous carbon material; a step of reacting SiCl4 formed along with the porous carbon material in the foregoing step, with Zn to extract Si; and a step of reacting Si extracted in the foregoing step, with C to form SiC, and the process further has: a step of reducing ZnCl2 formed by reaction of SiCl4 with Zn, to extract Zn and Cl2. These steps are repetitively carried out, SiC extracted by the step of forming SiC is used in the step of forming the porous carbon material, Cl2 extracted by reduction of ZnCl2 is used in the step of forming the porous carbon, and Zn extracted by reduction of ZnCl2 is used in the reaction step of SiCl4 with Zn.

Patent Literature 1 describes a process for manufacturing porous activated carbon. Furthermore, Patent Literature 2 describes a process for manufacturing a graphite material which is porous and which has a high specific surface area. Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose formation of porous carbon by reaction between silicon carbide (SiC) and chlorine gas (Cl2).
Non Patent Literature 1 shows that carbon materials with nanosized micropores can be formed by subjecting metal carbides to a chlorination treatment. Examples of the metal carbides described therein include SiC, TiC, B4C, Al4C3, and so on. Furthermore, it is shown that the porosities and pore size distributions of the carbon materials are different depending upon types of the metal carbides.

Process for manufacturing porous carbon material


The invention relates to a fin stock material having aluminum, where the material also has a tensile strength of between approximately 14,000 and approximately 26,000 psi, an elongation of less than 30%, and a hardness of between approximately 50 and approximately 70 on a Rockwell 15T scale.

A heat exchanger typically has a metal tube with fins extending radially away from the metal tube to increase the surface area which facilitates heat transfer. These fins are often called spiral fins and include a narrow aluminum strip that is helically wound to the metal tube, preferably the edge of the strip is secured to the tube. See FIG. 1 for a heat exchanger 10 in accordance with the prior art. FIG. 1 shows tube 12, fin 14, and edge 16 of fin secured to tube 12. The strip is usually fixed to the tube either by inserting it into a scored groove or by forming a small L at the base of the fin, which is then secured to the tube. See FIG. 2.
Because the fin is often bent about the tube to form the fin, particularly a fin having a rectangular cross section, it has commonly been believed that there is a large compressive force at the base of the fin and a large tensile force at the tip of the fin. This may be the rationale for traditionally manufactured fins to utilize a malleable material so that it may be formed and bent about a tube. Moreover, traditionally manufactured fins typically used a thermally conductive material so that it may be able to transfer heat.
Further, traditional methods for providing a fin often included the use of a stretchable material, the higher the ductility or elongation percentage the better. Hence, a fully annealed aluminum was normally used to provide fins. Additionally, the fully annealed aluminum often has at least a 30% elongation, a characteristic of the aluminum commonly specified within the spiral fin heat exchanger industry. Generally, aluminum of at least 99.00% purity is used for spiral fins because this offers enhanced thermal conductivity. 99% purity means the alloy has a minimum of at least 99% aluminum.
As a result, traditional fins, although having enhanced thermal conductivity, have been extremely soft and prone to damage during manufacture, handling, installation, and maintenance of the finned tubes. During servicing, fins are commonly cleaned using high-pressure air or water and the fins may bend as a result of the cleaning, in which case the fins may need to be repaired. The repair costs and down time often exacerbates the problem, especially when the repairs are needed each time the fins are cleaned. In the alternative, some users do not clean or repair the fins. However, debris on the fins or using distorted fins may reduce the heat-transfer capacity of the heat exchanger, and reduce the life of the fins or heat exchanger.
What is desired, therefore, is a fin that maintains the benefits of the traditionally made fins while reducing the disadvantages of the traditionally made fins. Another desire is a fin that resists distortion without a decrease in thermal conductivity. A further desire is a fin that resists damage without sacrificing needed flexibility to be maneuvered about the tube.

Fin stock for a heat exchanger and a heat exchanger


A method for detecting potential money-laundering activities or other illegal activities in the use of a gaming accounting system includes collecting data regarding a player's activity in a gaming system. The gaming system activity data is collected in terms of a gaming activity network, that is, a series of linked activities or events, and/or objects associated with activities or events. In response to a predefined event such as a cash out or credit redemption transaction request initiated by the player, the method includes evaluating the collected data to identify potentially illegal or prohibited activity. In the event illegal activity is indicated, the method includes taking some corrective action such as producing an operator alert to the potential illegal activity.

Modern gaming systems may allow a player to insert cash into a machine or hand cash to a cashier and in return receive credit for the play of games in the system. This gaming system credit may take the form of an account accessible by the player or some physical cash equivalent such as a voucher or ticket. Once a player receives their gaming system credit, whether it be in the form of an account set up for the player or some tangible cash equivalent such as a voucher or ticket, the player can then use the gaming system credit to participate in games offered through the gaming system. In the course of participating in various games, the player can make wagers to reduce their remaining credit, and receive winnings to increase their credit. Ultimately, the player can request a cash out transaction to redeem their remaining gaming system credit for cash or other value.
These modern game accounting systems are very convenient for the players and for the gaming facility operators. In particular, the players need not carry large amounts of coins or tokens to participate in games. Also, the gaming facilities need not have the physical equipment and security required for coins and tokens. However, these modern game accounting systems can be used for illegal activities, particularly money laundering. Money laundering will be referred to in this disclosure generally as a process in which cash, commonly from illegal activities, is converted into some other form and then ultimately back into cash or some other asset in an effort to mask the original source of the funds and thus make illegal funds appear to be legitimately acquired assets.
The following scenario illustrates an illegitimate use of a gaming facility for money laundering. A person having some amount of ill-gotten cash to be laundered may first convert the cash amount to gaming system credit. The person may then convert the gaming system credit back into cash without making a significant amount of wagers in relation to the initial gaming system credit. At the time the player obtains cash for their gaming system credit, it may appear that the player has obtained legitimate winnings from their participation in the gaming system. However, the player has in fact not placed any significant portion of the ill-gotten funds at risk and has instead simply created a break in ownership to make it more difficult to track the ill-gotten funds.

Method, apparatus, and program product for detecting money laundering activities in gaming systems


A method and a system for varying the rotational fan speed of a combine cleaning system in response to the amount of crop entering the combine cleaning system. Increases and decreases in crop material entering the cleaning system are sensed prior to their arrival at the cleaning system, and cleaning fan speed is adjusted appropriately and contemporaneously with the crop material's presence in the cleaning system.

Agricultural combines typically include a cleaning system below and rearward of the threshing unit. The cleaning system includes a cleaning fan oriented horizontally and transversely across the combine to create airflow through one or more sieves.
Crop material is deposited on the sieves for pneumatic and mechanical separation. The amount of air required for pneumatic separation depends on many factors, such as grain type, grain test weight, and grain throughput. The rotational speed of a combine cleaning fan is typically variable to allow changing air velocities as required to clean the various seed sizes and weights harvested by a combine. In addition, when more crop is present, it is typically desirable to increase the cleaning fan rotational speed, and when less crop is present, it is desirable to decrease cleaning fan rotational speed.
Combine cleaning fans are either hydraulically driven or belt driven. With a hydraulic drive, electric current to a solenoid valve is controlled to vary the oil flow to the hydraulic motor. With a belt drive, an electric motor varies the pitch diameter of the driver sheave to control the cleaning fan. When a controller controls the current to either the solenoid valve or electric motor, the cleaning fan speed can be sped up when high throughputs are entering the combine and slowed down when lower throughputs are entering the combine.
The combine's crop throughput will typically change within a given field or swath of field due to a variety of causes, for instance, changes in terrain, differing plant populations, or simply exiting and entering the crop row at the ends of the field. It would therefore be desirable to vary the rotational fan speed in real time in response to the varying conditions, such as crop density and the like. Many systems presently in use do not vary cleaning fan rotational speed in real time. The speed is set at the start based on an estimate of the crop throughput, and the speed is adjusted when detected grain loss is outside the tolerable limits.
Known control systems that can vary the rotational speed of the cleaning fan responsive to changing conditions, such as disclosed in Hoskinson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,145, adjust the cleaning fan speed based on outputs of grain loss sensors at the rear of the combine. This system monitors the grain ejected from the system, and at some pre-determined unacceptable grain loss level, adjusts the cleaning fan rotational speed. However, it must be emphasized that this system measures grain loss after it has already been lost by the combine. That is, this system requires a level of grain loss prior to making adjustments to cleaning fan speed because it only monitors the grain leaving the system. Rather than anticipating a situation in which grain may be lost, known control systems such as this only adjust cleaning fan speed after valuable crop has been lost.
It is desirable to adjust the cleaning fan speed based on the amount of crop entering the combine cleaning system rather than the crop already lost by the system. Thus, what is sought is a device that can sense the amount of crop material about to enter into the cleaning system and adjust the cleaning fan rotational speed to the amount of crop material moving through the system, which is simple and easy to operate and otherwise overcomes one or more of the shortcomings set forth above.


A tractor having a steerable axle that pivotally moves laterally in response to a corresponding steering action of the steerable wheels mounted on the steerable axle is disclosed wherein the front of the axle is pivotally supported by a four-bar linkage to control vertical movement of the chassis relative to the steerable axle during lateral relative movement between the chassis and the axle. The mechanism is composed of a spherical ball joint connecting the steerable axle to the chassis, a front carrier member pivotally connected to the chassis, and a pair of link members pivotally interconnecting the carrier member and the steerable axle. All pivot axes associated with the carrier member and the link members coincide at the spherical ball joint.

This invention relates generally to a steering mechanism for an agricultural tractor in which the front axle is laterally shiftable in response to a steering movement of the steerable wheels and, more particularly, to a linkage mechanism pivotally connecting a laterally shiftable steering axle to a vehicle chassis.
Tractors, whether used in an agricultural setting or in an industrial setting, typically include a fixed axle through which primary driving power is transferred through fixed wheels rotatably mounted on opposing ends of the fixed axle, and a steering axle having pivotally mounted steerable ground engaging wheels rotatably mounted on the opposing ends thereof to support the chassis of the tractor above the ground. Supplemental driving power is often provided through the steerable ground engaging wheels, while a steering mechanism remotely controllable by the operator from the operator's compartment selectively controls the pivotal movement of the steerable wheels relative to the steering axle.
One such steering mechanism incorporates a transversely disposed, horizontally extending hydraulic cylinder supported by the steering axle and connected to the opposing steerable wheels. This hydraulic cylinder affects pivotal movement of the steerable wheels about their respective pivotal connections to the steering axle by manipulating the pressures in the hydraulic cylinder to effect a transverse displacement of cylinder rod, causing a turning of the wheels.
Due to physical limitations relating to the range of movement of the steering mechanism and to the eventual interference between the steerable wheels and the steering axle or chassis frame, the amount of pivotal movement of the steerable wheels relative to the steering axle is limited by tire size and track setting to a given restricted turning angle. This maximum turning angle defines the minimum turning radius of the tractor for a given chassis clearance width, axle oscillation angle, wheel base length and king pin spacing. The selection of the length of the wheel base, i.e., the distance between the fixed axle and the steering axle, is a compromise between the need to minimize the turning radius and, therefore, minimize the wheel base length, and to maximize ride considerations which require longer wheel base lengths.
These conflicting wheel base requirements can be better resolved by a steering mechanism incorporating a laterally shifting front axle that is movable in response to a corresponding steering movement of the steerable wheels, which will decrease the turning radius of the tractor for any given wheel base length. The mechanism mounting the steerable axle to the vehicle chassis must accommodate the relative lateral movement between the steering axle and the chassis and would preferably maintain a substantially constant chassis elevation as the axle and chassis move relative to one another in a generally horizontal plane.


The present invention relates to a process for the conversion of a feedstock comprising at least 50 wt % related to the total weight of the feedstock of triglycerides, fatty acid esters and/or fatty acids having at least 10 carbon atoms into hydrogen, olefins, dienes, aromatics, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas comprising:                a) introducing of said feedstock in a first reactor to produce linear paraffins in presence of a hydrodesulfurization catalyst and hydrogen,        b) separating the effluent of said first reactor in at least three parts to produce at least a first stream comprising part of said linear paraffins and at least a second stream comprising part of said linear paraffins, and at least a third stream comprising part of said linear paraffins        c) sending said first stream to a steam cracker to produce hydrogen, olefins, dienes, aromatics and gasoline, diesel fuel being further fractionated;        d) introducing said second stream into a second reactor in presence of a hydrocracking or hydroisomerization catalyst to produce a mixture comprising diesel fuel, jet fuel, naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas being further fractionated        e) blending said third stream with the diesel fuel obtained at said step d)wherein said feedstock of said first reactor is diluted in order to limit the temperature increase within said first reactor; and wherein before entering the first reactor said dilution is performed with a weight ratio diluent:feedstock being 1:1, and wherein said diluent comprises at least part of said paraffins obtained at step b).

Authorities are mandating the use of biofuels in transportation fuels, while brand owners are demanding for conventional plastics, but made from renewable resources, pointing to the need for drop-in monomers like ethylene, propylene, butadiene and aromatics for making polymers. Most natural resources contain significant amounts of oxygen that is only accepted to a certain concentration in fuels and steamcracker feed. Hence, it is recommended to remove the oxygen from the natural resources before use in fuel blending or steam crackers. Using triglycerides, fatty acid esters or fatty acids as natural resources, oxygen can be removed by hydrodeoxygenation, decarboxylation and/or decarbonylation. These conversion processes typically require high pressure hydrotreatment equipment, similar to those used in fossil petroleum refineries. There is therefore the necessity of producing higher-quality components for diesel of a biological origin, and of consequently increasing the production of diesel of a biological origin, in short times, in particular using technologies which produce higher-quality components. New dedicated plants are therefore required for facing the necessity of increasing the production capacity of high-quality biological components.
US 2004/0230085 reports a process for producing a hydrocarbon component of biological origin, characterized in that the process comprises at least two steps, the first one of which is a hydrodeoxygenation step and the second one is an isomerisation step. The resulting products have low solidification points and high cetane number and can be used as diesel, cooling fluids or as solvent.
Bio-feedstock for use in steamcrackers need to comply with some technical specifications as the conventional existing steamcrackers are designed for hydrocarboneous feedstock, featured by additional specifications, like boiling point range, metal content and presence of oxygenates. A promising bio-feedstock for steam cracking are fatty acids from various origin like vegetable oils, animal greases, used cooking oils etc. WO 2011/012438 describes the performance of the direct use of fatty acids in a steamcracker, demonstrated good yields for light olefins. As the feedstock still contains some oxygen (in the carboxyl moiety), more carbonoxides (CO & CO2) and some short chain water soluble acids are formed.
Existing steamcrackers are not designed to handle these carbonoxides or lower pH of the aqueous product. WO 2011/012439 claims a process to convert fatty acids and triglycerides into paraffin's, called bio-naphtha, free from substantial amounts of oxygen and that can be used for steam cracking. These paraffin's contain 12 to 24 carbons dependent on their origin and hence falling in the boiling range of fossil gasoil.
This need to remove the oxygen from natural resources requires additional investment in expensive equipment, often in an economic environment where fossil fuels are challenged by a reduced demand and expensive bio-feedstock compared to fossil equivalent and hence investments in grassroots' equipment is difficult to justify. Unused equipment in an existing refinery can be retrofitted for this purpose and produce optimum product compositions for fuel and steamcracker applications.
WO 2014033762 relates to a method for revamping a conventional refinery of mineral oils into a biorefinery, characterized by a production scheme which allows the treatment of natural oils for the production of biofuels. This method allows the re-use of existing plants, allowing, in particular, the revamping of a refinery containing a system comprising two hydrodesulfurization units into a biorefinery containing a production unit of hydrocarbon fractions from mixtures of fatty acid esters by means of hydrodeoxygenation and isomerization, wherein each of the hydrodesulfurization units: a hydrodesulfurization reactor, (A1) for the unit U1 and (A2) for the unit U2, wherein said reactor contains a hydrodesulfurization catalyst; one or more heat exchangers between the feedstock and effluent of the reactor; a heating system of the feedstock upstream of the reactor; an acid gas treatment unit downstream of the reactor, containing an absorbent (B) for H2S, said unit being called T1 in the unit U1 and T2 in the unit U2, and wherein said method comprises: installing a line L between the units U1 and U2 which connects them in series; installing a recycling line of the product for the unit U1 and possibly for the unit U2, substituting the hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the reactor A1 with a hydrodeoxygenation catalyst; substituting the hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the reactor A2 with an isomerization catalyst; installing a by-pass line X of the acid gas treatment unit T2 of the unit U2; substituting the absorbent (B) in the acid gas treatment unit T1 with a specific absorbent for CO2 and H2S.
US 2017/0298280 discloses a process for producing ethylene and propylene by steam cracking a mixture of non-cyclic paraffin comprising at least 90% of components having at least 12 carbon atoms with either a mixture of hydrocarbons having from 3 to 4 carbon atoms or a mixture of hydrocarbons comprising at least 90% of components having a boiling point ranging from 15° C. to 200° C.
US 2011/0319683 discloses the production of naphtha from a renewable feedstock via hydrotreating the renewable feedstock to produce a hydrotreating unit heavy fraction and hydrocracking such effluent.
WO 2015/128045 relates to an integrated hydrocracking process for the production of olefins and aromatics from an hydrocarbon feedstock comprising crude oil.
In order to obtain at the same time, most suitable renewable linear paraffin's for steam cracker applications there is a need to modify such a configuration.

Renewable diesel fuel production in retrofitted fossil petroleum refinery to produce biofuel and bio-feedstock for steam crackers


The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for providing a dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate capable of supporting very high density interconnects (i.e., ≥100 IO/mm). The dielectric layer includes a maleimide polymer in which a thiol-terminated functional group crosslinks with an epoxy resin. The resultant dielectric material provides a dielectric constant of less than 3 and a dissipation factor of less than 0.001. Additionally, the thiol functional group forms coordination complexes with noble metals present in the conductive structures, thus by controlling the stoichiometry of epoxy to polyimide, the thiol-polyimide may beneficially provide an adhesion enhancer between the dielectric and noble metal conductive structures.

High Density Interconnect ("HDI") printed circuit boards ("PCBs") take advantage of the decreasing size of components, such as semiconductor dies, and the resultant increase in interconnect density to effectively reduce the board area needed by each component to a minimum. Thus, small form factor devices such as smartphones and many Internet of Things (IoT) devices may benefit from the use of HDI PCBs.
HDI between semiconductor die and a substrate facilitate advancements in high performance computing. Typical applications such as the interconnection of logic die to high bandwidth memory, logic die stitching, and high bandwidth system-in-package ("SiP"—several integrated circuits disposed in a single module or package) integration may have input/output ("I/O") densities that exceed 100 I/O points per millimeter (IO/mm). Such high I/O densities exceed existing substrate packaging solutions which typically accommodate about 50 IO/mm.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Dielectric for high density substrate interconnects


Various embodiments may relate to a circuit arrangement for operating at least one discharge lamp having a commutation device and a control device which is coupled to the commutation device. A first measuring device is used to determine in each case first measurement values, which represent a measure of the magnitude of electrode peaks of the discharge lamp, within a test operating phase in which the first electrode and the second electrode are supplied with energy in an asymmetrical manner. A second measuring device is used to determine a second measurement value which is correlated with the current through the discharge lamp at least during the test operating phase. The control device is designed to actuate the commutation device at least as a function of the determined first measurement values and second measurement values. Various embodiments further relate to a corresponding method for operating at least one discharge lamp.

Such a circuit arrangement and a related method are known from DE 10 2007 057 772 A1.
A general problem during operation of discharge lamps is the changes in the electrode geometry over the course of their life. This applies in particular to the frontmost region of the electrode head, where, as a result of the arc attachment, temperatures close to the melting point of the electrode occur. In the case of lamps operated on alternating current, in particular in the case of lamps which are used in video projection, the growth of tips on the electrode head can be achieved by suitable operational parameters. Such tips have a positive effect on the properties of the lamp, for example in respect of luminance and electrode burnback. The response over the life and the effective luminous flux of such a lamp are therefore critically dependent on the stability of the electrodes or the electrode tips that have grown on over the course of the life. Of particular relevance in this case are the length and the diameter of the electrode tips.
Depending on specific conditions, generally the following response can be observed: in the case of excessive burnback, the electrode tips become small and narrow. Excessive fusing, on the other hand, results in the electrode tips becoming very wide or long. Moreover, this may result in an asymmetric development of the electrode tips.
In the related art, there is a large number of documents which handle the topic of electrode stability, in particular in respect of excessive electrode burnback, on the one hand, or in respect of excessively pronounced fusing of the electrodes, on the other hand. In this context, reference is made to WO 2009/007914 A1, for example.
The starting point with the method known from the related art is generally an apparatus with the aid of which a value is determined which represents a measure of the present length of the electrode spacing. Generally, the measurement of the lamp voltage with the aid of a suitable circuit which is integrated in the electronic ballast for operation of the lamp is intended thereby. Depending on the measured value of the lamp voltage, in the case of one or more voltage threshold values changes to the operational parameters of the discharge lamp are performed, for example matching of the lamp frequency or the profile of the lamp current.
One disadvantage with these known methods consists in that an asymmetric development of the electrode tips is not detected. Moreover, the absolute value of the voltage is only correlated conditionally with the state of the electrode tips which is actually of interest, i.e. in the case of two lamps with one and the same voltage value, the state of the electrodes can differ markedly, for example determined by manufacturing tolerances during lamp construction, but also in terms of the application used by the customer.
This is improved by the teaching of DE 10 2007 057 772 A1, already mentioned, which discloses the circuit arrangement of the generic type or the method of the generic type.
Said document is concerned with the avoidance of flicker phenomena and of the reduction of the lamp voltage in the case of excessive formation of electrode tips. In order to prevent these effects, the document proposes suppressing commutation operations during operation of the discharge lamps with a square-wave current, as a result of which fusing of the electrode tips arises. In order to detect the tip geometry, it is proposed in particular to suppress the switching during a first test time in a first polarity and in the process to determine the change in the lamp voltage, and then to suppress the switching during a second test time of the same duration as the first test time in a second polarity, which is different than the first polarity, and in the process again to determine the change in the lamp voltage. Finally, the switching is suppressed during a fusing time, which is longer than the test times, wherein, during the fusing time, the polarity which effected the greater change in the lamp voltage during the preceding test times is selected.
US 2006/0012309 A1 discloses a method in which attempts are made, by suitable operational parameters, to compensate for asymmetries which are expected from the beginning during the life. US 2010/0052496 A1 discloses a method in which electrodes dimensioned differently from the beginning are used in order to compensate an expected asymmetry.
In relation to further related art, reference is also made to WO 2010/086222 A1.
The disadvantage of the procedure known from the mentioned DE 10 2007 057 772 A1 consists in that this procedure sometimes results in good results, but often also in unusable results.

Circuit arrangement and method for operating at least one discharge lamp


A method for joining a drivetrain to a vehicle body, includes the steps of: transferring the drivetrain and the vehicle body into a joining position, arranging an electrical connecting element on a chassis part of the drivetrain, and joining the drivetrain to the vehicle body, wherein the drivetrain and the vehicle body are connected together at predetermined points via fasteners.

The present invention relates to a method for joining a drivetrain to a vehicle body.
In the assembly of vehicles, in particular of passenger cars, it is established practice to produce subassemblies that are then joined together to form a further assembly. Such a subassembly is formed for example by the drivetrain, which may comprise a motor, in particular a combustion engine or electric motor, a transmission, driveshafts, chassis parts, brake system, exhaust system, etc. A further subassembly is formed by the vehicle body, which may comprise the bodywork with flaps arranged thereon, such as doors, hood, lids, etc., interior equipment such as interior trim, seats, dashboard, etc. The joining together of these two subassemblies is a central point in vehicle assembly and is generally also referred to as "marriage". This assembly step is extremely complex, since a large number of fastening points of the drivetrain have to be connected to the vehicle body or vehicle bodywork.
In contemporary vehicle construction, a change is taking place from vehicles that are driven by combustion engines to vehicles that have an electric drive. Both in purely electric vehicles and in what are known as plug-in hybrid vehicles, an external charging capability for charging the onboard accumulator for electric energy has to be provided. These are usually in the form of a charging socket or charging plug and bring about increased assembly complexity in the "marriage". In the prior art, attempts were made to mount the charging socket either before or after the marriage assembly step and to connect it to the bodywork. In the assembly variant after the marriage, manual assembly of the charging socket is able to be performed by a fitter only with great difficulty on account of the unergonomic positioning of the charging socket in a poorly accessible region of the bodywork. Alternatively, during assembly of the charging socket on the bodywork before the marriage, it is necessary for the charging line that leads from the charging socket to the energy accumulator to be protected during the marriage from damage that may arise for example through clamping of the charging line.
Proceeding from this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a method with which the drawbacks of the prior art are overcome. A particular object of the invention is to provide a method for assembling vehicle bodyworks on a drivetrain, which is distinguished by a high degree of rationalization.
The invention proposes a method for joining a drivetrain to a vehicle body, having the steps of:                transferring the drivetrain and the vehicle body into a joining position, and joining the drivetrain to the vehicle body, wherein the drivetrain and the vehicle body are connected together at predetermined points via fasteners. In this case, an electrical connecting element can be arranged on a chassis part of the drivetrain. Within the meaning of this invention, fasteners are for example screws, rivets, clips or other joining devices, which are suitable for detachably connecting the individual components of the drivetrain to the bodywork or to the vehicle body. Suitable electrical connecting elements are in particular charging sockets, which are installed on the vehicle and are connected to an onboard electrical energy accumulator. Into this charging socket, it is possible to plug a charging plug, which is connected, outside the vehicle, to a charging station, for example, in order to charge the vehicle with electrical energy. Of course, it is also possible for the charging plug to be onboard the vehicle and the charging socket outside the vehicle. If an onboard plug is used as electrical connecting element, it is of course also necessary to provide personal protection in order to avoid a situation in which people can suffer electric shocks.
In the above-described joining position, the drivetrain and the vehicle body are oriented with respect to one another such that fasteners can be fitted particularly easily. For example, drilled holes for receiving screws in the drivetrain are aligned with drilled holes for receiving the same screws in the vehicle body. The arranging of an electrical connecting element on a chassis part affords the advantage that the charging socket is fixed to a chassis part during the marriage, thereby mitigating the installation-space situation. Furthermore, the ergonomics for fitting personnel is considerably improved.
Furthermore, the arranging of the electrical connecting element can take place before the drivetrain is joined to the vehicle body.
Additionally or alternatively, the electrical connecting element can be arranged in a detachable manner on the chassis part. The arranging of the electrical connecting element on a chassis component affords the advantage that, after the joining, the electrical connecting element is already in a region of the vehicle body that corresponds virtually to the end position of the electrical connecting element in the vehicle body. Thus, only slight repositioning of the electrical connecting element is necessary in order to bring it into the desired end position and to connect it to the vehicle body or vehicle bodywork.
Chassis parts within the meaning of this invention can be dampers, spring elements, spring-damper struts, longitudinal links, transverse links or subframe. Furthermore, after or during the joining of the drivetrain to the vehicle body, the electrical connecting element can be detached from the chassis part and be connected to the vehicle body in a fixed manner.
In an alternative embodiment, after the joining of the drivetrain to the vehicle body, the electrical connecting element can remain on the chassis part and be connected to the vehicle body in a fixed manner. This affords the advantage that, after the marriage joining step, the electrical connecting element is already automatically arranged in the end position, such that all that is necessary is for a connection to the bodywork to be produced, for example by screwing. The step of repositioning the connecting element can thus be eliminated.
Additionally or alternatively, a holder can be provided on the chassis part, wherein during the arranging of the electrical connecting element, the connecting element is arranged on the holder and is thus arranged indirectly on the chassis component. Through the use of a separate holder, standard chassis parts can be used, on which a vehicle-specific holder is arranged. Therefore, a specific chassis part does not have to be designed separately for each vehicle derivative.
In a method variant, the holder is not connected to the chassis component in a detachable manner. Therefore, after the assembly process, the holder remains on the vehicle. An additional removal step is thus eliminated.
Alternatively, the holder can be connected to the chassis part in a detachable manner and be removed from the chassis part in a removal step after the joining of the drivetrain to the vehicle body. This method alternative affords the advantage that the holder can be recycled for subsequent assembly processes and at the same time the vehicle weight is reduced by the weight of the holder.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method for joining a drivetrain to a vehicle body

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A communication system includes: a frequency synthesizer, configured to reference a radio frequency (RF) signal, in a device including: a ring oscillator with track-and-hold circuit electrically connected to a reference clock, a bank of comparators, electrically connected to the ring oscillator with track-and-hold circuit, configured to measure a coarse timing, and an analog-to-digital converter, electrically connected to the ring oscillator with track-and-hold circuit, configured to generate a fine timing; a communication interface, electrically connected to the frequency synthesizer, is configured to receive a device transmission; and a control unit, electrically connected to the communication interface, is configured to display a receiver data from the a radio frequency (RF) signal.

Modern communication systems rely on precise frequency synthesis of the main operating frequencies defined in currently accepted standards. A core technique for modern communication systems is frequency (and/or clock) synthesis, which generates a variable clock of a desired frequency based on a frequency reference clock, such that stability, accuracy, and spectral purity of the variable clock correlate with performance of the frequency reference clock. In a transmitter, the variable clock provided by a local frequency synthesizer can be utilized as a local oscillation carrier for an up-conversion frequency translation from baseband or intermediate-frequency (IF) signals to radio frequency (RF) signals. On the other hand, in a receiver, the variable clock provided by a local frequency synthesizer can be adopted as a local oscillation carrier for a down-conversion from RF signals to IF/baseband signals.
All frequency based communication requires a reference frequency for interpreting and transmitting the communication signal. The communication can be via optical network, wireless network, or wired network. All of the communication infrastructure is based on fixed reference frequencies for operating our cell phones, audio and video communication, emergency radios, and core communication networks.
Personal communication devices that utilize Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communication, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), or fourth generation Long-Term Evolution (4G LTE) all require precise frequency synthesis at their given frequency with stringent suppression of spurs in the frequency spectrum. Issues such as these can limit the application to certain circuitry within the personal communication devices and can contribute to excessive power use in the devices.
Thus, a need still remains for a communication system with frequency synthesis mechanism to improve communication reliability and power conservation. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Communication system with frequency synthesis mechanism and method of operation thereof


A system for converting the polarization state of an optical beam which propagates along a path from an initial polarization state into an inhomogeneous polarization state includes a first isotropic material and a first anisotropic material. The first anisotropic material is positioned adjacent to the first isotropic material in a substantially transverse manner relative to the path of the optical beam. The first anisotropic material has a first alignment axis that produces one of a radially, azimuthally, and counter-rotationally polarized optical beam when substantially aligned with respect to a polarization axis of the optical beam.

Homogeneous polarized light is used in a variety of different applications. For example, homogeneous polarized light is used in microscopy to improve the visibility of objects that are not easily seen with conventional microscopes. Conventional microscopes with crossed polarizers, phase contrast microscopes and Differential Interference Contrast microscopes all use homogeneous polarized light. These microscopes produce images which transform round-trip optical path differences or local anisotropy in the sample to intensity variations in the image. Microscopes rely heavily on the design of the illumination, or condenser, system. For the most demanding applications, including nanoscale imaging, the illumination may employ a laser beam adapted for telecentric scanning across the object. When the scattered laser light is collected and detected, it may be converted into an electronic image. If the detector is situated behind a pinhole conjugate to the object plane, the detection is said to be confocal. By suitable light scanning and sample translation, confocal detection may provide high resolution, three dimensional imaging of biological samples. It may also provide precise characterization of reticles or precise measurement of printed line widths in semiconductor lithography. In many cases, it is desirable to use a polarized laser as the illumination source. The components and operation of these microscopes are well known as set forth in, "The Principles of Scanning Confocal Microscopy" by T. H. Wilson, which is incorporated herein by reference.
However, inhomogeneous polarized light has not been considered for use in many applications, including lithography and optical imaging systems, such as microscopes for the inspection of semiconductor wafers, phase shift masks and reticles. Although optical beams or light having radial or azimuthal inhomogeneous polarization have been produced, there are problems with the resulting optical beams or light.
An optical lithography system is one which uses light to transfer a prescribed pattern to a photoresist film in contact with a semiconductor wafer or similar substrate. For image-based lithography, an entire pattern is transferred in a single exposure. For scanning or direct write lithography, the pattern is sequentially applied, image point by image point, or image line by image line. For scanning lithography, a polarized laser is often used.
These, and similar, optical systems frequently employ polarized illumination; the design specifications generally require a pupil polarization that is either homogeneous (that is, a beam with a polarization state which is uniform throughout the pupil) or assembled from a collection of homogeneous segments. One such microscope is the Pol-scope, originally developed at the Woods Hole Institute and recently commercialized.
In recent years it has become clear that pupil illumination with a polarization which varies spatially and in a continuous manner throughout the pupil offers many advantages, including higher resolution and higher longitudinally polarized fields at the focus of the condenser. Youngworth et al., in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/759,913, have disclosed the use of such fields in microscopy and inspection, and have described an interferometric method of converting an ordinary (e.g. linearly) polarized beam into an inhomogeneously polarized beam such as a cylindrical vector beam. The entire disclosure therein is hereby incorporated by reference. This method suffers from the tendency of Mach-Zehnder and Twyman Green/Michelson interferometers to drift, requiring regular adjustment to maintain the quality of the beam in the pupil. It also requires laser beams of high coherence, making the use of pulsed lasers and semiconductor lasers difficult.
Other methods of converting ordinary homogenously polarized beams into inhomogeneously polarized beams exist. For example, lasers, such as the concentric-circle-grating surface-emitting ("CCGSE") semiconductor laser, can be used to generate azimuthally polarized light. Unfortunately, it is not easy to control which of the many possible azimuthal modes light emitted by the CCGSE laser will have. As a result, the azimuthally polarized light produced using CCGSE lasers are of little use.
Spiral wave plates, diffractive elements in interferometers, and liquid crystal spatial light modulators and fibers, have also been used to produce optical beams with inhomogeneous polarization. Each of these are either expensive and difficult to fabricate, or produce beams of inferior quality.

System and method converting the polarization state of an optical beam into an inhomogeneously polarized state


A computer method suitable for use with a vehicle. The method comprises the steps of using a Global Positioning System (GPS) as a first order mechanism for guiding the vehicle pursuant to a current destination and in accordance with a statically determined vehicle trajectory; monitoring real time dynamic factors relating to the current vehicle trajectory; creating a branching condition for determining if the GPS first order mechanism must be modified responsive to the real time dynamic factors; and activating an instantaneous vehicle replacement trajectory depending on the branching condition such that the replacement trajectory accommodates the effects of the real time dynamic factors by providing a second order GPS mechanism.

This invention relates to a method and system for enabling automatic vehicle routing.
Methods and systems for enabling automatic vehicle routing are known, and include, illustratively, the LORAN (long-distance radio navigation system) and the GPS (Global Positioning System). These systems are essentially passive, one way systems; that is, they provide a driver of the vehicle position information that is a priori and perhaps dated or qualified, with respect to dynamic or instantaneous user requirements.
Our work includes efforts to improve extant vehicle routing systems, of the type realized by GPS, to an end of enabling them with a capability for being responsive to dynamic or instantaneous user requirements.
Accordingly, the present invention in a first aspect discloses a computer method suitable for use with a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
(i) using a Global Positioning System (GPS) as a first order mechanism for guiding the vehicle pursuant to a current destination and in accordance with a statically determined vehicle trajectory;
(ii) monitoring real time dynamic factors relating to the current vehicle trajectory;
(iii) creating a branching condition for determining if the GPS first order mechanism must be modified responsive to the step (ii) real time dynamic factors; and
(iv) activating an instantaneous vehicle replacement trajectory depending on the step (iii) branching condition such that the replacement trajectory accommodates the effects of the real time dynamic factors by providing a second order GPS mechanism.
Step (i) of the method contemplates employment of effective equivalents of the Global Positioning System, for example, the aforementioned LORAN.
Step (ii) of the method may include monitoring real time dynamic factors selected from the group consisting of road conditions, traffic conditions, and weather conditions.
Step (iii) preferably includes evaluating the effects of a real time dynamic factor on the statically determined vehicle trajectory relative to alternative trajectories. For example, step (iii) may include a step of making a decision whether or not an alternative trajectory is to replace the statically determined vehicle trajectory.
The present invention in a second aspect discloses a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for extending the utility of a Global Positioning System (GPS), the method comprising the steps of:
(i) using a Global Positioning System (GPS) as a first order mechanism for guiding the vehicle pursuant to a current destination and in accordance with a statically determined vehicle trajectory;
(ii) monitoring real time dynamic factors relating to the current vehicle trajectory;
(iii) creating a branching condition for determining if the GPS first order mechanism must be modified responsive to the step (ii) real time dynamic factors; and
(iv) activating an instantaneous vehicle replacement trajectory depending on the step (iii) branching condition such that the replacement trajectory accommodates the effects of the real time dynamic factors by providing a second order GPS mechanism.
The present invention in a third aspect discloses a computer system suitable for extending the utility of a Global Positioning System (GPS), the system comprising:
(i) means for inputting to a CPU a Global Positioning System (GPS) which is a first order mechanism for guiding the vehicle pursuant to a current destination and in accordance with a statically determined vehicle trajectory;
(ii) CPU means for monitoring real time dynamic factors relating to the current vehicle trajectory;
(iii) CPU means for creating a branching condition for determining if the GPS first order mechanism must be modified responsive to the real time dynamic factors;
(iv) CPU means for activating an instantaneous vehicle replacement trajectory depending on the branching condition such that the replacement trajectory accommodates the effects of the real time dynamic factors by providing a second order GPS mechanism; and
(v) display means for showing a replacement trajectory.

Method and system for enabling automatic vehicle routing

International Business Machines Corporation


Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring and asserting a trust level of a computing device are disclosed. In one illustrative embodiment, a computing device may include a memory having stored therein a persistent trust log, the persistent trust log comprising data relating to historic events influencing a trust level of the computing device, and a security controller configured to detect an event that influences the trust level of the computing device and to write data relating to the event to the persistent trust log.

The trust level of a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, a workstation, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a mobile internet device, a cellular phone, a personal data assistant, a telephony device, a network appliance, a virtualization device, a storage controller, or other computer-based device) may be a decision criterion for allowing the computing device to participate in various activities and/or transactions. By way of illustrative example, the trust level of a computing device may be a factor in determining whether to allow the computing device to process and/or store sensitive data (e.g., corporate records) or whether to allow the computing device to execute sensitive transactions (e.g., financial transactions). It will be appreciated that the trust level of a computing device may be relevant to many other types of activities and/or transactions.
Many events that a computing device participates in over its lifecycle may influence the trust level of the computing device. For instance, a new smart phone that has just been unboxed will have a higher trust level than a three year old smart phone that has been "jailbroken" (i.e., a process allowing a user access to system resources and/or privileges not intended by the smart phone developer), restored multiple times, and had several applications from untrustworthy sources installed. Malicious software may attempt to hide events that negatively influence the trust level of a computing device (e.g., jailbreaking) and to misrepresent the trust level of the computing device as high.

Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring and asserting trust level using persistent trust log


A method and apparatus for facilitating equalized conditioning of a polishing surface of a polishing pad is described. The apparatus includes an extension device coupled to a base adjacent a peripheral edge of a polishing pad that is adapted to support a conditioning device, the extension device includes a body that is movable relative to the polishing pad, and a sacrificial pad comprising a polishing material coupled to a mounting surface of the body.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to polishing a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices on substrates, multiple layers of conductive, semiconductive, and dielectric materials are deposited on or removed from a feature side, i.e., a deposit receiving surface, of a substrate. As layers of materials are sequentially deposited and removed, the feature side of the substrate may become non-planar and require planarization and/or polishing. Planarization and polishing are procedures where previously deposited material is removed from the feature side of the substrate to form a generally even, planar or level surface. The procedures are useful in removing undesired surface topography and surface defects, such as rough surfaces, agglomerated materials, crystal lattice damage, and scratches. The procedures are also useful in forming features on a substrate by removing excess deposited material used to fill the features and to provide an even or level surface for subsequent deposition and processing.
Chemical mechanical polishing is one process commonly used in the manufacture of high-density integrated circuits to planarize or polish a layer of material deposited on a semiconductor wafer by moving the feature side of the substrate in contact with a polishing pad while in the presence of a polishing fluid. Material is removed from the feature side of the substrate that is in contact with the polishing surface through a combination of chemical and mechanical activity.
Periodic conditioning of the polishing surface is required to maintain a consistent roughness and/or a generally flat profile across the polishing surface. The conditioning is typically performed using a rotating conditioning disk that is urged against the polishing surface while being swept across the majority of the pad surface. However, the conditioning disk may not be utilized effectively on the outer peripheral edge of the pad surface as the disk may cut into the pad and cause a condition known as "edge balding," where the peripheral edge of the pad is worn away prematurely. Likewise, the peripheral edge of the pad may not be utilized for polishing as the peripheral edge of the pad is not conditioned to the same degree as portions of the pad interior of the peripheral edge.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus that facilitates equalized conditioning of the polishing surface and enables global utilization of the polishing surface of the pad.


In a capacitive physical quantity sensor, a C-V converter converts a variation in a capacitance between a movable electrode and a fixed electrode into a voltage to output the converted voltage in a first operating mode. The C-V converter also outputs a constant voltage in a second operating mode. An amplifier amplifies the converted voltage to output a first voltage, and amplifies the constant voltage to output a second voltage. A first sample and hold circuit operates in the first operating mode to sample and hold the first voltage. A second sample and hold circuit operates in the second operating mode to sample and hold the second voltage. A first differential amplifier obtains a difference voltage between the first voltage held by the first sample and hold circuit and the second voltage held by the second sample and hold circuit.

Capacitive physical quantity sensors, which have at least one movable electrode and at least one pair of fixed electrodes placed to be opposite thereto and sense a physical quantity of a target based on a capacitance between the movable electrode and the fixed electrodes, have been applied for vehicle's acceleration sensors.
As an example of such capacitive physical quantity sensors, the structure of a capacitive physical quantity sensor, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,061 corresponding to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-81449, is illustrated in FIG. 10.
The capacitive physical quantity sensor illustrated in FIG. 10 is provided with a capacitive physical quantity sensor element 110 composed of a movable electrode 111 and fixed electrodes 112a and 112b. The paired fixed electrodes 112a and 112b are placed to be opposite to the movable electrode 111. The capacitive physical quantity sensor is also provided with a C-V (Capacitance-to-Voltage) converter 120 for converting changes in capacitance sensed by the sensor element 110 into a corresponding voltage signal, thereby outputting the voltage signal.
Moreover, the capacitive quantity sensor is provided with a sample and hold circuit 130 configured to sample the value of the voltage signal at predetermined intervals of time and to hold each sampled value. Furthermore, the capacitive quantity sensor is provided with an amplifier 140 for amplifying a discrete voltage signal output from the sample and hold circuit 130, and a low pass filter (LPF) 170 for eliminating higher-order components contained in the amplified voltage signal therefrom.
A similar structure of a capacitive physical quantity sensor, which is substantially identical with that of the capacitive physical quantity sensor illustrated in FIG. 10, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,614 corresponding to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-121457.
In addition, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,594 corresponding to Japanese Patent Publication No. H08-145717, the structure for eliminating the influence of an amplifier or a switching transistor is disclosed.
In order to amplify the minute voltage signal output from the C-V converter 20 of the capacitive physical quantity sensor illustrated in FIG. 10, the gain of the amplifier 40 can be set within the range from dozens of decibels to several hundred thereof. The gain characteristic of the amplifier 40 varies depending on change in ambient temperature.
For correcting the change of the gain characteristic of the amplifier 40 depending on change in ambient temperature, the gain characteristic of the amplifier 40 might be previously measured within a usable ambient temperature range so that the measured gain characteristic may have been stored in a memory unit, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory).
In addition, because of age deterioration of operating characteristics of the C-V converter 20, the sample and hold circuit 30, and the amplifier 40, measurement accuracy of the capacitive physical quantity sensor may deteriorate over time.


An output buffer circuit includes an input stage of which one end receives an input voltage and the other end receives an output voltage; a class AB output stage that increases a current flowing in the output stage when the difference between the input and output voltages is larger than 0; a floating current source that biases the class AB output stage; a summing circuit that is connected to the input stage, the floating current source, and the class AB output stage so as to sum up the current supplied from the input stage and the internal current supplied from the floating current source; and an offset compensating circuit that is connected to the input stage and is composed of a plurality of switching elements and resistors so as to detect an offset voltage to compensate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an output buffer circuit, in which the offset voltage of a data driver is detected by an offset compensating circuit composed of a small number of switching elements and resistors and is fed back to an input stage so that an output voltage becomes equal to an input voltage. Therefore, the data driver can be reduced in size, the offset voltage can be accurately compensated, and data can be transmitted at a high rate because a time for compensating the offset voltage is not required.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although the resolution of a SOM (Spatial Optical Modulator) driver IC currently stays at 8 bits, a 10-bit resolution or more will be practically used within several years.
However, in order to generate a 10-bit gradation voltage, such a data driver is needed that can output a gradation voltage of which the offset voltage (the different between input and output voltages) is in the range of less than ±1 mV, considering that the output voltage is in the range of about 4 V. Accordingly, it can be found that a data driver with a considerably high precision is needed, considering that the offset voltage of a current 8-bit data driver is in the range of ±3 mV to ±10 mV. However, if the current 8-bit data driver is used, an image signal cannot be accurately transmitted due to the influence of an offset voltage as the output resolution increases.
Therefore, in order to reduce the offset voltage of a data driver, the application of various offset compensating circuits to the data driver is attempted. For example, there are provided an auto zeroing method, a chopper stabilization method, and a ping-pong method. The auto zeroing method is most frequently used.
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an output buffer 100 which is modeled according to the related art, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are diagrams showing an offset voltage generated in the related art.
The offset voltage, which is generated in the output node A of an output stage in accordance with time after an input voltage signal is applied to an input stage of the output buffer 100 of FIG. 1A, can be divided into a positive offset voltage (FIG. 1B) and a negative offset voltage (FIG. 1C). The positive offset voltage is generated because an output voltage is larger than an input voltage, and the negative offset voltage is generated because an input voltage is larger than an output voltage. Such an offset voltage prevents an image signal from being accurately transmitted during a data transmission time t. The offset voltage is generated by various causes. As the main cause, the mismatch between transistors which occurs in a process of manufacturing semiconductor circuits can be exemplified. That is, the positive or negative offset voltage is generated when signal-path transistors, which process a main signal and sub signal of a semiconductor circuit input stage, are manufactured to have a different size in the process of manufacturing semiconductor circuits.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional output buffer 200, to which an offset compensating circuit using the auto zeroing method is applied.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional output buffer circuit 200 is composed of an input stage (201a to 201f) of which one end receives an input voltage and the other end receives an output voltage, a floating current source (202a to 202d) which biases a class AB output stage (204a and 204b), a summing circuit (203a to 203h) which is connected to the input stage (201a to 201f), the floating current source (202a to 202d), and the class AB output stage (204a and 204b) so as to sum up the current supplied from the input stage (201a to 201f) and the internal current supplied from the floating current source (202a to 202d), the class AB output stage (204a and 204b) which, when the difference between the input and output voltages is larger than 0, increases a current flowing in the output stage so as to output a voltage, and an offset compensating circuit which is connected to the input stage (201a to 201f) and the class AB output stage (204a and 204b) and is composed of switches and a capacitor so as to compensate the offset voltage.
The offset compensating circuit is composed of a capacitor Coff which stores an offset voltage and switches SW1 to SW4 which, when an offset voltage is generated, are complementarily turned on so as to compensate the offset voltage.
The operation in which an offset voltage is compensated by the offset compensating circuit is divided in two steps. Referring to the buffer circuit 200 shown in FIG. 2, the operation in which the offset voltage is compensated will be described.
Here, the offset voltage of the output buffer circuit 200 itself is referred to as Voff and an input voltage is referred to as Vin. In the first step, the first and second switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on and the third and fourth switches SW3 and SW4 are turned off, so that the offset voltage Voff of the output buffer circuit 200 is stored in the capacitor Coff. That is, since the first and second switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on, the voltage of the minus (−) node of the capacitor Coff becomes Vin and the voltage of the plus (+) node of the capacitor Coff becomes Vin+Voff. Accordingly, a voltage which is applied to both ends of the capacitor becomes Voff.
The offset voltage Voff stored in the capacitor Coff is compensated in the second step when the third and fourth switches SW3 and SW4 are turned on and the first and second switches SW1 and SW2 are turned off. That is, if the third and fourth switches SW3 and SW4 are turned on, the voltage at the plus (+) node of the capacitor is converted into Vin, and the voltage at the minus (−) node of the capacitor becomes Vin−Voff in accordance with the principle of conservation of charge. Accordingly, a voltage which is applied to the input stage (201a to 201f) of the output buffer circuit 200 becomes Vin−Voff. Since the offset voltage of the output buffer circuit 200 itself is defined as Voff, the offset voltage Voff is compensated so that the output voltage becomes equal to the input voltage Vin.
In the conventional output buffer circuit as described above, however, a time for sampling offset, that is, a time for blocking the signal path of input and output voltages in the first step and for compensating the offset voltage in the second step is required. Therefore, a time required for transmitting data cannot be secured sufficiently, thereby preventing high-rate data transmission.
Further, as the offset voltage is compensated by using a switch, an offset voltage which is different from the actual offset voltage is generated due to the charge injection effect occurring at the time of switching. Then, the perfect compensation of the offset voltage is not carried out.
Furthermore, the offset voltage can be stored in not only the capacitor composing the offset compensating circuit but also a generated parasitic capacitor. Therefore, in order to prevent the resultant error, a capacitor with more than a constant capacitance value is required, so that the size of the output buffer circuit increases.


A disposable diaper having a neat appearance. The diaper 101 includes: a liquid-permeable top sheet 111 which covers a use surface side; a leakage preventing sheet 112 which covers a non-use surface side; an absorbent body 113 interposed between the top sheet and the leakage preventing sheet; and an external sheet 120 disposed on an outer surface side of the leakage preventing sheet, wherein three-dimensional gathers BS are formed along leg surrounding portions, and leg cut-out portions of the external sheet which form leg openings are located in a portion of the minimum width of a crotch portion, at a position nearer to a central side than places outward by 5 mm from rising start points of the three-dimensional gathers BS.

Conventionally, a disposable diaper as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-open) Toku-kai-hei 7-265357 is known. This disposable diaper is composed of a liquid-permeable top sheet 50, a leakage preventing back sheet 51, and an absorbent body 52 arranged between the both sheets 50 and 51, as shown in FIG. 80(A). The disposable diaper also serves as a pant-type of disposable diaper having a waist opening and a pair of leg openings formed by fastening both side portions of a front side and a back side together. In the both leg opening portions, elastic members 53, 53 . . . are continuously arranged along the peripheral edge. In a product state, as shown in FIG. 80(B), it is made into a pleat form by contraction of the elastic members 53, 53 . . . along the peripheral edges of the leg openings.
Also, a disposable diaper shown in FIG. 81(A) and FIG. 81(B) is disclosed in one of earlier development by the applicant (Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-open) Toku-kai 2001-178771). As shown in FIG. 81(A), the disposable diaper has: a paper diaper main body 63 including a structure which has a liquid-permeable top sheet 60 composed of mainly nonwoven fabric or the like, a waterproof film 61 composed of polyethylene or the like, and an absorbent body 62 such as a cottony pulp interposed between them; and an external sheet 64 integrally disposed on the outside of the diaper main body 63. The external sheet 64 comprises a back sheet nonwoven fabric 65 for an inner surface and a back sheet nonwoven fabric 66 for an external surface, which are laminated by a hot-melt adhesive. Elastic members 67 to 71 with various functions are interposed between the back sheet nonwoven fabric 65 and the back sheet nonwoven fabric 66, to be fastened by a hot-melt adhesive. Thereby the leakage of excretion is prevented and the property of fitting to the physique of a wearing person is improved.
Specifically, a plurality of elastic members 67 . . . , 68 . . . , e.g., a band rubber or the like, for around a waist are provided in the opening portions of front side section F and the opening of back side section B, respectively. A plurality of elastic members 69, 69 . . . are provided along lateral direction in the positions corresponding to the belly on a front side section F. In addition, a plurality of front side lifting elastic members 70, and 70 . . . composed of a thin rubber thread or the like are provided. Both ends of the elastic members 70 and 70 are located in the position corresponding to the belly on a front side section and the central portion of which is swelling downward to the under-the thigh portion. Also, a plurality of stretching elastic members for hip region 71 and 71 . . . are provided along the transverse direction at the hip region corresponding to the abdominal region of rear body B.
In such a pant-type of disposable diaper, as shown in FIG. 81(B), the stretching elastic members are not arranged along leg surrounding portions, therefore, pleat-form is not obtained as described above, but frills are formed along the leg surrounding portions.
However, in a pant-type of disposable diaper, as described above, when the frills are formed along the leg surrounding portions, the impression of prettiness is reinforced, but neat design is not obtained. And also the frills contact skin to cause itchiness to a wearing person, and further when wearing trousers thereon, the wearing person feels stiffening. This tendency is pointed out also by a questionnaire performed by this applicant recently. Conversely, it becomes clear that a disposable diaper presenting a neat appearance along the leg surrounding portions is preferred.
Also, in case of the disposable diapers, the ratio of crotch width to product width, and the ratio of side edge length to product length are large, therefore the impression of the crotch section becomes bulky, hardly presenting a neat appearance.
Moreover, pant-types of disposable diapers are constituted in such a way that both side edges of the front side section and the back side section of the external sheet are fastened to form a waist opening and a pair of right and left leg opening portions. In the center of the product width direction, a main absorptive body composed of an absorbent core interposed between a liquid-permeable top sheet and a leakage preventing back sheet is provided in a longitudinal direction extending from the front side section to the back side section. The pant-type of disposable diaper thus constituted is widely used.
Especially, in a belly side and a back side respectively, the pant-type of paper diaper has a plurality of stretching elastic members fastened with spaces in parallel along the peripheral direction of the body peripheral region ranging from the margins of the waist opening to the leg openings. The body peripheral region can be conceptionally divided into a waist section and an under waist section, and a plurality of elastic members are attached, respectively. The elastic members for waist and under-waist section certainly prevent the disposable diaper from slipping down. And especially the elastic members for under-waist section provide a product that is good in compatibility with the skin.
Further, there is also the so-called tape type disposable diaper, i.e., the type that fastens both right-and-left side edges on the belly side and both right-and-left side edges on the back side at the time of diaper use (at the time of wearing). This type of disposable diaper that includes no elastic members formed therein is widely used.
By the way, in the conventional paper diaper, edges of the leg openings in the crotch region that forms the leg openings is the remaining portion of the cut margin or a main absorptive body attachment margin in manufacture process, (henceforth a margin), having no stretchable members attached thereto, and formed of the material of the external sheet only (usually nonwoven fabric).
However, the edge of the leg openings serving as a margin is constituted in wave-like form and flatters, involving a problem of presenting bad appearance due to an unnecessary sense of volume body peripheral region.
On the other hand, it is considered that the problem is overcome by cutting the leg openings so that the margin may be lost. However, the margin may be unnecessary in a product state in manufacturing process, but it is required as cut margin or main absorptive body attachment margin. Therefore, it is not preferable to lose such a margin in view of manufacture.
Further, in the pant-type of disposable diaper currently used widely, a thin rubber thread is usually used as stretchable members arranged body peripheral region in recent years. The stretchable members are occasionally used for both of the waist opening section and under waist section, extending to a crotch section. In case of the under waist section, the stretchable member is made unevenly distributed in the waist opening side, not in the whole region of the under waist section. The arrangement space between the stretchable members is 10 mm or more. In addition, usually the arrangement space between the stretchable members in the waist opening section is small, whereas, the arrangement space between the stretchable members of the under waist section is made large, in order to prevent too much abdominal pressure.
On one hand, in order to prevent slipping down when wearing a product, diameter of each thin rubber thread is made large to enlarge shrink force.
On the other hand, in recent years, in order to give a soft feel, a nonwoven fabric sheet is arranged on the outside of the back side sheet made from plastic. This tendency is especially true of pant-type of paper diapers.
However, if the sheet that constitutes the external surface of a product is formed by a nonwoven fabric and a thin rubber thread is arranged to the use side of the nonwoven fabric, existence of the thin rubber threads is visible through the nonwoven fabric, due to the rough in-between structure of the nonwoven fabric. For a wearing person, the wearer's skin is rebuked by the thin rubber thread, and especially traces of rubber are possibly formed on the skin, resulting in the decline in consumer confidence.
Further, the nonwoven fabric has flexibility as compared with plastic sheets, such as polyethylene. Therefore, generation of wrinkles is remarkable in product external surface, and, further, indecent wrinkles occur. That is, in the stage of not wearing, as shown in FIG. 36(A), the wrinkles generated accompanying the stretching of the thin rubber threads G are generated with the form ranging from one side to another side of the adjoining thin rubber threads G. The uneven wrinkles generate repeatedly in the body peripheral direction. Furthermore, the adjoining wrinkles between thin rubber threads G and the next adjoining wrinkles thereto between thin rubber threads G do not continue, but are apt to generate independently.
When the arrangement space between mutual thin rubber threads is large, these wrinkles have long ridge or valley according to the separating distance of the mutual thin rubber threads, and the pitch of the unevenness in the body peripheral direction is large. Accordingly, if viewed on the whole in the external surface of a product, large wrinkles generate at random. The external surface of the product becomes stuffy, and the image is far from the pant-type of clothing.
Furthermore, each thin rubber thread G in the conventional product is thick, and its shrink force is large. Therefore, if one ridge wrinkle is taken for an embodiment, the valley on the thin rubber threads G side becomes deep, making the existence of the thin rubber thread G conspicuous. Further, since the ridge or the valley is large and shrink force acts strongly, complicated fine wrinkles generate at random in the ridge portion or the valley portion.
On the other hand, the existence of the thick rubber threads G is visible through the non-woven fabric. Therefore, it is feared that thick rubber threads G possibly bind a wearing person's skin tight strongly. Actually, in the side portion in which an absorbent body does not exist, the shrink force of the thick rubber threads G acts strongly, thereby forming traces of rubber. Further, friction of the inner surface of the product and the skin mainly in the portion where each rubber thread contact with the skin prevents the product from slipping down. However, since there are few rubber thread numbers per unit area, if very large shrinkage force does not work, the product may possibly slip down.
An object of the present invention is to provide a disposable diaper having a neat appearance of around leg openings, to overcome the above-described problem, and to provide a method for manufacturing the same.
Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable diaper having a neat appearance of crotch portion and around leg openings, to overcome the above-described problem.
A further object of the invention is to provide a disposable diaper with elastic members, existence of which is invisible or hardly visible, so as to make a wearing person undaunted by anxiety about excessive tightening and formation of traces of rubber, and provide a disposable diaper capable of solving the problem that the elastic members are visible, and appealing to consumers by high-class feeling of a product and good finish thereof.
A further object of the invention is to provide a disposable diaper excellent in appearance with no conspicuous wrinkles, having a neat appearance, that is, having no stuffy external surface with fine wrinkles even if wrinkles are generated, and presenting a flat face on the whole. And another object of the invention is to provide a disposable diaper with no formations of traces of rubber by being pressed to the skin on the face, avoiding too much pressure to the skin locally, and capable of improving the property of fitting to the physique of a wearing person by friction of the inner surface of the product and the skin on the whole surface, to thereby prevent the product from slipping down.
Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable diaper having leg opening edges hardly flutterable, having sufficient fitting property of leg surrounding portions, and good in appearance.

Disposable diaper with spaced elastic leg openings for improved appearance


The present invention is directed to a net scoring system for accurate and convenient scoring of a sporting contest. The net scoring system has a game net which is of a generally rectangular shape and has a periphery defined by a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges. The net scoring system also includes at least one indicating device for displaying a game score that is connected to the game net. The indicating device may be located on at least one of the top edge, the bottom edge, and the opposing side edges. The indicating device includes a plurality of scoring symbols and a symbol indicating assembly that selectively emphasizes one of the plurality of scoring symbols to represent a score.

A portable game net is a usefull piece of sporting equipment to own. Because sports enthusiasts can use game nets for a variety of sports activities, such as volleyball and badminton, game nets have become increasingly popular in recent years. Players may hang game nets between two fixed vertical structures, such as poles or trees, at varying heights above the ground, depending on the sports activity being played. As such, game nets are useful in backyards, over swimming pools, or any variety of playing surfaces where sports activities are played.
In playing sporting events using a game net, even the most casual player often desires to keep score of the contest. In many instances, this is achieved by each player simply keeping track of the score in his or her head. Because this method of scoring does not include a visual representation of the current score, however, it often leads to inaccurate scoring and requires each player to continually remember the current score and state it aloud so that all participants are informed. Scoreboards are often used at high school, college or professional sporting events, but are often too large, complex and stationary to be used in the variety of sporting venues where game nets are used by recreational players. Therefore, what is needed is a simple scoring system that a player can easily transport with a game net and use in a variety of sports activities at various game-playing locations.
The prior art has attempted to provide scoring systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,122 to Pittner discloses a personal tennis score keeper. U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,113 to Hierath discloses a tennis score keeper and display device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,913 to Mower et al. discloses an indoor/outdoor portable basketball scoreboard and U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,748 to Pettis teaches a portable scoring device. The designs of many of these devices are complex and require the players to transport equipment in addition to the game net. In addition, many of these scoring devices are not useful in physical locations where sporting activities using game nets are often played. Accordingly, there remains a need for a simple scoring system that a player can easily transport with a game net and use in a variety of sports activities at various game-playing locations.
The present invention answers the need for such a scoring system. The design of the present invention enables players to easily and accurately maintain the score of a sporting contest. In addition, because the present invention includes a game net, it can be conveniently transported without requiring additional equipment. Moreover, the present invention can be used in a variety of sports activities and at various game-playing locations.


A central panel has two ends. Two side panels are connected to the central panel such that each of the ends of the central panel is pivotally attached to an edge of one of the side panels. Each of the side panels includes a latch attachment member attached thereto. The side panels are rotatable toward a folded position against the central panel. The enclosure is adapted to be fixed to a tailgate when the tailgate is extended horizontally outward from a truck bed, such that the central panel extends along a long edge of the tailgate, the side panels extend along opposite short edges of the tailgate, and each of the latch attachment members engages a latch of the tailgate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accessories for pickup trucks, particularly to devices which attach to tailgates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Truck owners sometimes extend their tailgates to a horizontally extended position, to extend the usable length of the truck bed when carrying long loads. The problem with this approach is that the back end of the extended bed is no longer enclosed, and loads have to be carefully tied down and carefully watched to make sure that they don't fall out of the truck bed.
What is needed is a device which encloses the extended bed when the tailgate is lowered to a horizontally extended position, for safer carrying of long loads.