Suppressed is damage of a semiconductor wafer due to charging of a cleaning liquid used in a single wafer type wafer cleaning step.

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device and, in particular, to technology effective in applying to a cleaning method for removing contaminants attached onto a surface of a semiconductor wafer.
Since various kinds of contaminants, such as particles (fine particles), organic substances, and metal, attach onto and remain on a surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) in manufacturing steps of a semiconductor device, cleaning processing is essential in which these contaminants are removed using a cleaning liquid (a chemical solution or pure water). However, in a step of processing the surface of the wafer with the cleaning liquid, there occur such problems that the wafer is charged due to various causes, and that thereby a semiconductor element formed on the wafer is damaged or destroyed by static electricity.
In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-221026), disclosed is wafer cleaning technology that prevents static electricity charged on a wafer from being transmitted through a cleaning liquid at the moment when the cleaning liquid is discharged and then being partially discharged. Specifically, when cleaning the wafer while scanning a nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid, first, discharge of the cleaning liquid is started from an area other than an element formation region of the wafer (a peripheral portion of the wafer), and subsequently, the nozzle for supplying the cleaning liquid is moved to the element formation region to clean it. According to this method, since the cleaning liquid is discharged to the element formation region after discharged to the peripheral portion of the wafer to discharge the static electricity, a semiconductor element formed in the element formation region is not affected by the static electricity.
In Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-159789), disclosed is a single wafer type cleaner in which chuck pins that hold a wafer are comprised of conductive resin of a lower resistance (not more than 100 kΩ), and in which pipes that supply a cleaning liquid to a front surface and a back surface of the wafer are comprised of conductive resin of a lower resistance (not more than 100Ω) for the purpose of discharging static electricity charged on the wafer and static electricity generated by a flow of the cleaning liquid.
In Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1997-092635), disclosed is a cleaner in which a carrier that holds a wafer is comprised of a conductive material whose volume resistivity is not more than 1×1015 Ω/cm, and in which charging of the carrier is prevented by grounding it to eventually suppress charging of the wafer in contact with the carrier.

Manufacturing method of semiconductor device

Abstract: A chemical solution discharged from a tip of a cleaning nozzle is brought into contact with protrusions of wafer chucks to thereby let static electricity of the chemical solution go to the wafer chucks, and subsequently, the cleaning nozzle is moved above the wafer to supply the chemical solution onto a top surface of the wafer, thereby suppressing abnormal discharge (damage) of the wafer due to charging of the chemical solution.


An improved ejector ramjet includes a nozzle and propulsion duct. The nozzle has first and second sides, which are preferably two-dimensional, and produces a primary fluid jet which causes secondary fluid to be entrained in the propulsion duct. The primary jet is oscillated providing energy exchange between the primary and secondary fluids in the propulsion duct in a substantially non-viscous fashion.

The present invention relates generally to ramjet propulsion devices, more particularly to ramjets having secondary fluid induction systems, such as ejectors.
A "ramjet" is a jet engine in which a fuel is combusted, having in its forward end a continuous inlet of air that depends on the speed of flight rather than on a mechanical compressor, for the compressing effect produced on the air. In ramjet powered missiles and other high performance systems, the need is to accelerate the vehicle from 0 or low velocity to a velocity where a ramjet will begin to operate on its own (Mach number about 2-3). The problem with the conventional ramjet is its inability to produce thrust at low speed. One solution is to use a turbojet or other conventional jet to get the vehicle moving initially; however, once the vehicle is moving at a velocity sufficient for the ramjet to operate, the turbojet is simply dead weight for the rest of the mission (unless it is discarded). Therefore, most ramjet-powered missiles use a rocket to accelerate to the initial velocity, although the use of rockets is very inefficient. Because it is small and compact, the rocket is attractive for use because it can be discarded. This is acceptable for some missions; however, for missions where the vehicle has other constraints such as internal stowage on the launcher the size and weight of the rocket motor becomes disadvantageous. If the rocket is integrated into the system and made to operate more like a jet engine (i.e., made so that it works with a secondary fluid (i.e., air)) the propulsion efficiency of the entire system can increase. The air-breathing action in low velocity flight is typically considered as augmentation to the rocket thrust, and is referred to as an ejector rocket or air-augmented rocket.
An "ejector" is a jet pump for withdrawing a secondary fluid from a space by movement of a primary fluid. When an ejector is combined with a ramjet as shown in FIG. 1, an "ejector ramjet" 10 is produced. Shown are a rocket 12, ejector 14, diffuser 16, combustor 18, and nozzle 19. The rocket 12 produces a primary exhaust jet 20, inducing secondary fluid 22 (typically air) into the ejector ramjet engine 10. A frictional shear boundary is shown at 24 between primary and secondary fluids.
The ejector ramjet has an advantage over the conventional ramjet in that the ejector ramjet can produce thrust at zero speed while the latter cannot. One disadvantage of the ejector ramjet is that its efficiency is not significantly better than the rocket-driven primary alone. Therefore, it would be advantageous to design a more efficient ejector ramjet to take advantage of its generation of thrust at zero speed characteristic while increasing its efficiency.
Rockets and jets follow momentum rules: EQU F=thrust=M.sub.e V.sub.e -M.sub.i V.sub.i +(P.sub.e -P.sub.a)A.sub.e
where
A=area (ft.sup.2) PA1 M=mass flow rate (slugs/sec) PA1 P=pressure (lb/ft.sup.2) PA1 V=velocity (ft/sec) PA1 a=ambient PA1 e=exhaust PA1 i=intake
In static jets, the last two terms can be neglected so that F=M.sub.e V.sub.e. The input energy (E) expended to achieve the thrust is then EQU E=1/2M.sub.e V.sub.e.sup.2 .times.1/.sup.n.sub.c
where .sup.n.sub.c =combined internal efficiency including combustion and thermodynamic efficiency
If .sup.n.sub.c is assumed constant and the input energy is constant, i.e., primary flow is constant, F is maximized by increasing M.sub.e : EQU F=M.sub.e V.sub.e EQU F=(2.sup.n.sub.c M.sub.e E).sup.1/2 =K(M.sub.e).sup.1/2
On the face of this system it would seem that thrust would be increased since M.sub.e is increased, thus increasing the propulsive efficiency of the system. The problem is that the kinetic energy of the rocket exhaust is not being equally shared among all of the fluids since the method of inducing increased air flow is frictional. Viscous shear is very inefficient for transferring energy. The rocket placed in the duct in this fashion has a very high exhaust velocity (roughly 10,000 ft/sec or more) but the air flow that is induced or pumped in can only be accelerated to about 1,000 ft/sec at 0 or relatively low vehicle speeds. This difference in velocity between the primary jet and secondary fluid does transfer momentum by shear force, but the work done on the secondary fluid (F.V.sub.s) is much less than the work removed from the primary fluid (F.V.sub.p). The balance of the energy is lost as heat. Since momentum is conserved, a situation occurs wherein momentum is transferred but little thrust augmentation is achieved, as energy transfer efficiency is only about 10%. Consequently, the assumption made above, that .sup.n.sub.c may be assumed constant, does not hold true at static conditions.
It would be advantageous if energy could be transferred more efficiently in thrust augmentation systems utilizing rockets which entrain secondary fluids, especially at 0 or very low vehicle velocities. Foa, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,732, compares methods of transferring mechanical energy from one flowing fluid to another flowing fluid, discussing both direct and indirect methods. Direct transfer of energy is exemplified by the highly inefficient ejector system discussed above, while indirect systems include turbomachinery, for example, the turbojet. The third type described is the direct nonsteady-flow transfer of energy by pressure waves. Berner, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,191 describes a combination of the "pseudo-blades" produced by the Foa system and the wave tube system, where a plurality of wave tubes downstream of the pseudo-blades is provided. Other possible relevant patents include Wygnanski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,224, who describe a mixing device which is driven to induce oscillations of two fluids about an axis normal to the mixing region flow axis, and Mueller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,982, who describes a fluid-dynamic shock ring for controlled flow separation in a rocket engine exhaust nozzle.


A method of and a system for receiving microwave beams from a plurality of power satellites (1) in space by way of a receiving antenna (3). By controlling the directions of a plurality of microwave beams to be transmitted from the plurality of power satellites, the plurality of power satellites (1) direct the plurality of microwave beams into an aperture surface of the receiving antenna (3), respectively, so that the plurality of microwave beams can be dispersively received at a number of different positions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna (3), so as to level the energy distribution of the microwaves received on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna (3).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a space photovoltaic power generation method of receiving sunlight in space so as to generate electric power, for transmitting the electric power via space by converting the electric power to microwaves, and for receiving the microwaves on the earth so as to allow the use of the electric power. More particularly, it relates to a method of and a system for receiving the microwaves.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With an increase in the demand for electrical energy in recent years and attaching importance on environmental issues as a background, the development of clean, safe, and stable power supply equipment is an urgent necessity. Attention has been focused on the idea of space photovoltaic power generation systems according to such a request, and the research and development has been conducted actively. Space photovoltaic power generation systems receive sunlight in space, generate electric power, and transmit the electric power to a specific place, for instance, a specific location on the earth or in space.
As an example of space photovoltaic power generation systems, a method of placing a plurality of geostationary power satellites in predetermined different positions in space, converting (photoelectric-converting) sunlight into electric power in each of the plurality of power satellites, and transmitting the electric power to a receiving antenna disposed in a specific location on the earth by converting the electric power into microwaves is under review.
The reason why instead of the plurality of power satellites, a single power satellite into which they are integrated is not provided is causing very upsizing of the power satellite and the impracticality from respect of implementation and reliability. In the case of sharing power generation among a plurality of power satellites, when the generating capacity is assumed to be equal to one million kW (corresponding to that of currently-functioning nuclear power plants), for example, about several hundreds of power satellites are needed. A microwave transmitted to the ground is spread over a range wide so that its energy density becomes small in consideration of safety (the energy density has to fall within the legal limit). An electric power base located on the earth includes a number of receiving antennas arranged in an area of several tens of square kilometers, receives incident microwaves by means of these receiving antennas, and integrates the received microwaves into high electric power.
In accordance with the method of receiving microwaves which above-mentioned prior art space photovoltaic power generation systems employ, a microwave beam from each of a plurality of power satellites arranged in space is concentrated onto a receiving antenna located on the earth. A problem with the microwave receiving method is therefore that if a plurality of microwaves from the plurality of power satellites are transmitted to the same region of the receiving antenna, the energy density of the microwaves incident on the region locally exceeds a legal limit because of the interference of microwaves as electromagnetic waves, even if the energy density of an individual microwave is small. Furthermore, another problem is that there is a need to increase the resistance of the receiving antenna to electric power since the energy of microwaves is concentrated onto part of the receiving antenna.
The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of and a system for receiving microwaves, capable of dispersively directing a plurality of microwave beams transmitted from a plurality of power satellites into different positions on a receiving antenna without concentrating a plurality of microwave beams from the plurality of power satellites onto the same region of the receiving antenna, so as to level the energy distribution of microwaves on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of receiving microwave beams from a plurality of power satellites in space by way of a receiving antenna, the method comprising the step of: by controlling a direction of each of a plurality of microwave beams to be transmitted from the plurality of power satellites, directing the plurality of microwave beams into an aperture surface of the receiving antenna so that the plurality of microwave beams are dispersively received at a number of different positions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna, so as to level energy distribution of the microwaves received on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises the steps of virtually defining a plurality of small regions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna as the plurality of different positions, and controlling the direction of each of the plurality of microwave beams to be transmitted so that the plurality of microwave beams are directed into the plurality of small regions, respectively.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a microwave receiving system comprising: a plurality of power satellites each for transmitting a microwave beam; a receiving antenna for receiving a plurality of microwave beams from the plurality of power satellites; and a control unit for controlling the plurality of power satellites so that the plurality of microwave beams are dispersively directed into a number of predetermined different positions on an aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit controls the plurality of power satellites so that the microwave beam from each of the plurality of power satellites is directed into a corresponding one of the plurality of predetermined different positions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of predetermined different positions are arranged uniformly on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit controls the direction of each of the plurality of microwave beams to be transmitted from the plurality of power satellites based on information on the plurality of predetermined different positions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit includes a location information transmission unit for transmitting the information on the plurality of predetermined different positions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna, and a beam direction control unit for controlling the direction of each of the plurality of microwave beams to be transmitted from the plurality of power satellites based on the information transmitted by the location information transmission unit.
Preferably, the plurality of predetermined different positions are a plurality of small regions that are virtually defined on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna. In addition, the control unit can control the plurality of power satellites so that the microwave beam from each of the plurality of power satellites is directed into a corresponding one of the plurality of small regions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit controls each of the plurality of power satellites so that the microwave beam from each of the plurality of power satellites is directed into a different one of the plurality of small regions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a number of the plurality of power satellites is equal to a number of the plurality of small regions, and the control unit controls each of the plurality of power satellites so that the microwave from each of the plurality of power satellites is directed into a different one of the plurality of small regions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of power satellites is divided into a number of groups, and a number of the plurality of groups is equal to a number of the plurality of small regions. In addition, the control unit can control each of the plurality of power satellites so that a microwave beam from each of the plurality of groups is directed into a different one of the plurality of small regions on the aperture surface of the receiving antenna.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of small regions include a plurality of first small regions into which the aperture surface is divided so that they do not overlap one another, and a plurality of second small regions which do not overlap one another and each of which is located at a boundary between first small regions adjacent to each other.
Preferably, the receiving antenna is an array antenna including a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a form of an array.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Method of and system for receiving microwave


An improved semiconductor package (10) having a segmented lead frame (14) and (514) is disclosed. The preferred segmented lead frame (14) is divided into essentially identical segments (27) which have planes (22) attached to at least some of the associated individual leads (28). Segmentation of the lead frame (14) allows for the use of planes in inexpensive plastic and ceramic packages. Segmentation further allows the use of inexpensive aluminized stripes (42) to aluminize portions of individual leads (28) even in quad package configurations. An alternate equally preferred segmented lead frame (514) is provided for those applications wherein asymmetrical lead frames are required. Segmentation of the alternate segmented lead frame (514) permits the use of planes (522) and (552), while also limiting the cost of producing the alternate lead frame (514) especially when the etching method of production is required.

There exists today a need to provide semiconductor packages which have a very great number of leads but which are also of a very small overall size. Packages manufactured using the well known ceramic multilayer co-fired technology are presently capable of the greatest lead density. Furthermore, ceramic multilayer co-fired packages can also provide the additional benefit of having ground and power planes and the attendant advantages thereof. However, ceramic multilayer co-fired packages are prohibitively expensive except for applications which can command an extremely high price, such as in the construction of devices which must meet military specifications.
Lead count density of less expensive packages, such as plastic or cerdip packages, is limited by the number of lead fingers which can be attached at the die cavity (the smallest area in the package at which leads must be attached). Co-fired packages also face similar limitations as to the quantity of leads which can be attached at a die cavity, but this limitation is overcome by the fact that the co-fired technology allows for providing more than one tier of bonding locations at the die cavity perimeter.
Recent advances in techniques for etching or stamping lead frames has allowed lead frame tips of less than 0.015 cm (0.006 in) to be produced thus providing, at the extreme, lead counts even exceeding 400 with a conventional die cavity size and configuration. However, these advances alone will still not always provide the lead densities required in many present and future applications. Furthermore, lead frames having such high lead counts require very expensive dies if they are to be produced by stamping. Indeed, the tooling cost for such lead frames is often so expensive that it is only practical to produce them by the etching process, even though the per piece cost is much greater than can be achieved using stamping methods.
Another factor affecting the cost of semiconductor packaging is the fact that lead frames must often be treated with a non-oxidizing substance, such as gold, or with a minimally oxidizing metal, such as aluminum, at their die cavity ends to allow attachment of connection interconnecting wires by conventional interconnection methods, such as aluminum ultrasonic bonding, gold thermo-sonic bonding or TAB (tape automated bonding). For DIP (dual in line packages), this can be accomplished by stamping the lead frames from a metal strip or coil having an aluminized stripe running at its center. However, for quad packs this method cannot be used, since the aluminized stripe on the web would necessarily run through two of the four sides of any lead frame stamped from such material. Today, four sided lead frames are stamped from non-aluminized material, and then aluminum is vapor deposited on only the lead tip areas, at a considerably greater cost.
Obviously, it would be desirable to produce a package which could incorporate the advantages of a very high lead count and the possibility of inclusion of voltage and ground planes at a cost substantially below that of co-fired packages. Even more benefit could be derived if such packages could utilize lead frames which could be stamped using less expensive dies than those normally used, and which could be stamped from material on which an aluminum layer was coextruded or vapor deposited in a high volume manufacturing process, thus eliminating a need for the expensive process of vapor aluminizing the lead frame bond tips after they are stamped. Alternatively, if it is decided to produce the lead frames by etching, it would be advantageous if more frames could be produced per sheet, since the bulk of costs associated with etching are accrued on a per sheet basis.
All of the prior art semiconductor packages within the inventors' knowledge have required extremely expensive packaging styles to reliably produce very high lead densities which are capable of meeting the necessary stringent electrical parametric requirements, such as low inductance of conductor traces, low resistance of conductor traces, and appropriate shielding of voltage lines.
No prior art semiconductor package to the inventors' knowledge has successfully combined very high lead densities with reliability and economy of manufacture. All successful applications to date have either utilized the very expensive ceramic co-fired technology to achieve high lead count density, or else have not provided ground and power planes and have been capable of having the lead density available with ceramic co-fired packages.

Semiconductor package with segmented lead frame


The within invention concerns a crane with a rotating platform that can rotate on a vertical axle, a boom that is connected to the rotating platform and which can luff on a luffing axle, guying connected on the one hand with the boom and on the other hand with a guy support, which can slew on an axle parallel to the luffing axle of the boom and is connected with the rotating platform and/or the boom foot, as well as an adjustment mechanism, in particular adjustment cabling, that serves for the luffing of the boom and which is connected with the guy support. According to the invention, the crane is also characterized by the presence of an angle adjustment mechanism by means of which the angle of the guy support can be adjusted relative to the boom when the boom is raised.

The within invention concerns a crane with a rotating platform that can rotate on a vertical axle, a boom that is connected to the rotating platform and which can luff on a luffing axle, guying connected on the one hand with the boom and on the other hand with a guy support, which can slew on an axle parallel to the luffing axle of the boom and is connected with the rotating platform and/or the boom foot, as well as an adjustment mechanism, in particular adjustment cabling, that serves for the luffing of the boom and which is connected with the guy support. The invention also concerns a process for raising the boom of such a crane.
The raising of very long booms of cranes, for example crawler cranes, becomes increasingly difficult in proportion to the increase in boom length, since on the one hand the erection moment of the boom lying on the ground becomes very large, and on the other hand the lever arm of the adjustment guying usually connected to the superstructure and the guy support becomes very small in relation to the rotation axle of the guy support or the boom. In order to limit the guying forces or cable forces during erection, theoretically the lever arm of the adjustment guying could be improved by inclining the guy support farther back. However, when the boom was steeply inclined, that is, was rotated at close to 90°, the guy support would then be resting right on the rotating platform.

Crane, as well as a process for raising its boom


Disclosed are a display panel and a display device. The display panel includes a display region; a non-display region around the display region; a touch layer including first touch electrodes and second touch electrodes, the first touch electrodes extend along a first direction and are arranged along a second direction, the second touch electrodes extend along the second direction and are arranged along the first direction, the first direction intersects with the second direction; a touch chip, each first touch electrode is connected to the touch chip through a first touch lead, each second touch electrode is connected to the touch chip through a second touch lead; an electrostatic protective layer disposed around the display region; an encapsulation element disposed around the display region. In a direction perpendicular to the display panel, the electrostatic protective layer covers at least the first touch lead and covers the encapsulation element.

With the continuous development of display technologies, consumers' requirements for display panels are continuously improving, and various display panels have emerged and been developed rapidly, such as liquid crystal display panels, organic light-emitting display panels, etc. On this basis, display technologies, such as 3D display, a touch display technology, curved display, ultra-high resolution display and peep-proof display, are constantly emerging to meet the demands of consumers.
The touch function is one of the necessary functions for the current display screen. The touch function is implemented in various forms and structures, such as self-capacitance and mutual-capacitance touch modes, and in-cell, on-cell or out-cell touch structures. Generally, the touch function is implemented by connecting a touch electrode to a touch chip through a touch lead, and the touch lead is easily interfered with by static electricity, resulting in a failure of the touch function of the display panel. In addition, the display panel generally includes an encapsulation element for sealing the display panel, and the encapsulation element is generally located at an edge of the display panel and is easily damaged by external static electricity, thereby affecting the sealing performance of the display panel. Therefore, the electrostatic protection problem is a key factor in ensuring the normal display function of the display panel, and this problem becomes one of the urgent problems to be solved in the display field.

WUHAN TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


Methods and apparatus for processing registration requests by a Home Agent supporting Mobile IP are disclosed. A registration request is received from each of a plurality of Mobile Nodes, the registration request specifying a care-of address. A binding is established between each of the plurality of Mobile Nodes and the associated care-of address, each of the plurality of Mobile Nodes being associated with one another. For instance, the plurality of Mobile Nodes may be statically or dynamically assigned the same Home Address. A tunnel is then created between the Home Agent and the care-of address for each of the plurality of Mobile Nodes, thereby enabling a server request to be distributed by the Home Agent to one of the plurality of Mobile Nodes via the associated tunnel. For instance, a server request addressed to the Home Address may be forwarded to one of the Mobile Nodes assigned that Home Address.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to Mobile IP network technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to distributing server requests among a cluster of servers that have registered as Mobile Nodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile IP is a protocol that allows laptop computers and other mobile computer units ("mobile nodes") to roam between various sub-networks while maintaining Internet and/or WAN connectivity. Without Mobile IP or similar protocols a mobile node would be unable to stay connected while roaming from one location serviced by one sub-network to another location being serviced by a different sub-network. This is because each IP address has a field that specifies the particular sub-network on which the node resides. If a user desires to take a computer that is normally attached to one node and roam so that it passes through different sub-networks, the roaming computer cannot use its home base IP address. As a result, a businessperson traveling across the country cannot travel with his or her computer across geographically disparate network segments or wireless nodes while maintaining Internet connectivity. This is not acceptable in the age of portable computational devices.
To address this problem, the Mobile IP protocol has been developed and implemented. An implementation of Mobile IP is described in RFC 3220, "IP Mobility Support for IPv4" of the Network Working Group, C. Perkins, Ed., January 2002. Mobile IP is also described in the text "Mobile IP, The Internet Unplugged" by J. Solomon, Prentice Hall, 1998. Both of these references are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and for all purposes.
The Mobile IP process and environment are illustrated in FIG. 1. A Mobile IP environment 100 includes the Internet (or a WAN) 105 over which a mobile node 110 can communicate via mediation by a home agent 115 or a foreign agent 120. Typically, the home agent 115 and foreign agent 120 are routers or other network connection devices performing appropriate Mobile IP functions as implemented by software, hardware, and/or firmware. Note the overall network topology is arbitrary, and elements such as the home agent 115 need not directly connect to the Internet 105. For example, the home agent 115 may be connected through another router R1 125. Router R1 125 may, in turn, connect one or more other routers R3 130 with the Internet 105.
When mobile node 110 is plugged into its home network segment 135 it connects with the Internet 105 through its designated home agent 115. When the mobile node 110 roams, it can be connected to a remote network segment 140 and communicate through the available foreign agent 120. Other nodes, such as a PC 145, on remote network segment 140 also communicate with the Internet 105 through foreign agent 120. Presumably, there are many foreign agents available at geographically disparate locations to allow wide spread Internet connection via the Mobile IP protocol.
Mobile node 110 may identify foreign agent 120 through various agent solicitations and agent advertisements that form part of the Mobile IP protocol. When mobile node 110 engages with remote network segment 140, it composes a registration request for the home agent 115 to bind the mobile node's 110 current location with its home location. Foreign agent 120 then relays the registration request 150 to home agent 115. During the registration process, the home agent 115 and the mobile node 110 may then negotiate the conditions of the mobile node's 110 attachment to foreign agent 120. For example, the mobile node 110 may request a registration lifetime of 5 hours, but the home agent 115 may grant only a 3 hour period. When the negotiation is successfully completed, home agent 115 updates an internal "mobility binding table" which links the mobile node's 110 current location via its care-of address (e.g., a co-located care-of address or the foreign agent's IP address) to the identity (e.g., home address) of the mobile node 110. Further, if the mobile node 110 registered via foreign agent 120, the foreign agent 120 updates an internal "visitor table" which specifies the mobile node address, home agent address, etc. The home agent's 115 association between a mobile node's home base IP address, its current care-of address, and the remaining lifetime of that association is referred to as a binding.
If mobile node 110 wanted to send a message to a correspondent node 155 from its new location, the mobile node 110 would forward a packetized output message 160 through the foreign agent 120 over the Internet 105 to the correspondent node 155 according to standard Internet protocols. However, if the correspondent node 155 wanted to send a message 165 to the mobile node 110—whether in reply to a message from the mobile node 110 or for any other reason—the correspondent node 155 addresses that message to the IP address of the mobile node 110 as if the mobile node 110 were on the home network segment 135. The packets of the message from the correspondent node 155 are forwarded over the Internet 105 to the router R2 125 and ultimately to the home agent 115.
From the home agent's 115 mobility binding table, the home agent 115 recognizes that the mobile node 110 is no longer attached to the home network segment 135. The home agent 115 then encapsulates the packets from correspondent node 155 (which are addressed to the mobile node 110 on the home network segment 135) according to the Mobile IP protocol, and forwards these encapsulated packets 170 to the appropriate care-of address for mobile node 110. If the care-of address is the IP address of the foreign agent 120 the foreign agent 120 strips the encapsulation and forwards the message to the mobile node 110 on the remote network segment 140. The packet forwarding mechanism implemented by the home agent 115 to the foreign agent 120 is often referred to as "tunneling."
Various systems exist that are capable of distributing server requests to a server that is selected from a group of servers. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a prior art system for distributing server requests. The server selection process is typically accomplished using various metrics such as distance and/or load. One such system is tile DistributedDirector, available as Cisco CSS11K content switch from Cisco Systems, Inc. In such a system, a cluster of servers 202 are each typically attached to the same Local Area Network (LAN) as the director 204 that is responsible for distributing server requests that it receives. However, such a prior art system typically requires that each server in the cluster of servers 202 be directly connected to the director 204 that dispatches server requests to the cluster of servers 202, as shown, in order for server requests to be efficiently routed. Unfortunately, such a system cannot distribute server requests to servers that are not directly connected to the director 204 responsible for dispatching those requests without significant limitations.
In view of the above, it would be desirable if a system could be developed that could enable server requests to be distributed to servers such as remotely located servers. Moreover, it would be beneficial if a system could be implemented to efficiently and effectively route server requests to servers in a Mobile IP environment.


Disclosed is a mobile communication terminal having a light guide plate for indicating the receipt of a signal. This mobile communication terminal comprises an upper frame. A light guide plate is mounted in the upper frame. The light guide plate has an opening corresponding to a region of an image display window. In addition, at least one LED is arranged adjacent to the light guide plate so as to introduce light into the light guide plate. Since the light guide plate is used for indicating the receipt of a signal, it is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal allowing a user to easily recognize a state where a signal has been received.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal having the function of indicating the receipt of a signal, and more particularly, to a mobile communication terminal employing a light guide plate for indicating the receipt of a signal so that the receipt of the signal can be indicated over a wide region, thereby enabling a user to easily check the receipt of the signal.
2. Discussion of the Background
A mobile communication terminal, particularly a portable mobile communication terminal is widely used since it can be easily carried and have various functions in addition to wireless communication. Such a mobile communication terminal has various functions such as wireless communication and transmission and receipt of text or voice messages, and it is expected that the mobile communication terminal will continue to have more functions.
Meanwhile, in a case where a call or a message is transmitted from another user, the mobile communication terminal generates a receipt signal to inform a user that the call or message has been received. Generally, examples of such a receipt signal include a bell sound or vibration. However, the bell sound cannot be used in specific places, and the vibration has a problem in that a user may not recognize the receipt signal if the user does not carry the mobile communication terminal and thus cannot feel the vibration.
In order to supplement the function of a receipt signal, there has been proposed a mobile communication terminal with an incoming signal lamp. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional mobile communication terminal with an incoming signal lamp.
Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile communication terminal 1 is a folder-type mobile communication terminal comprising an upper folder 4 and a lower folder 7. The upper folder 4 generally includes a lower case 3 and an upper case 5, and a liquid crystal display module for screen display is contained between the upper and lower cases. The upper case has a display window 13 so that a user can externally view an image created by the contained display module.
Meanwhile, the lower folder 7 has a keypad and a contained printed circuit board, and further has a battery pack mounted thereon. The lower folder 7 is coupled to the upper folder 4 by means of a hinge 9 to construct the mobile communication terminal 1.
Generally, an incoming signal lamp 11 is provided at the hinge 9. The incoming signal lamp 11 comprises a light emitting diode and a transparent window. In the incoming signal lamp 11, the light emitting diode is flickered when a call signal is received from the outside, thereby informing a user of the receipt of the call signal.
The conventional mobile communication terminal is provided with the incoming signal lamp 11, thereby advantageously supplementing limitations on the indication of the receipt of a signal by means of a bell sound or vibration, and allowing a user to easily recognize the receipt of a signal at night or in a dark place and to check the position of the mobile communication terminal.
Since the conventional incoming signal lamp 11 is small as shown in the figure, however, there is a limitation on user's recognition of the receipt of a signal.

Mobile communication terminal having a light guide plate for indicating receipt of a signal


A method and an apparatus for reducing the moisture content bound by capillary action in fiber cells. To include fine material economically and easily in the process, coarse material is sandwiched on top of fine material and then pressed and dried. The material prepared by grinding and screening is transferred as coarse material to a first spreader hopper, and the screened fine material is transferred over a chute and conveyor belt to a second spreader hopper. The fine material is spread in a thin layer through a vertically adjustable gate from the second spreader hopper onto a spreading, loading and filtering belt, and the coarse material is withdrawn on a transfer conveyor belt running below the first spreader hopper and then is spread through a vertically adjustable gate onto the fine layer, to form a sandwich-like mat.

The German priority document, DE 100 16 944.9, filed Apr. 9, 2000 is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to a method for reducing the moisture bound by capillary action in fiber cells in solids and/or sludges, especially raw brown coal, containing carbon, ground and screened to form a mat of outspread material, by the action of thermal energy and pressure on the input material that is to be dewatered, wherein the thermal energy comprising hot water and saturated steam and the mechanical energy as surface pressure on the input material is fed into and exercised on a pressure chamber of a filter press. The fiber cells may be cells of finely communited solid materials. The invention also relates to an apparatus for practicing that method. In the discontinuous embodiment, the spreading, loading and filtering belt passes through the press discontinuously in cyclical operation.
With regard to the former sieve method of processing the material to be dewatered, the principal application DE 199 40 392, which is hereby incorporated by reference, described the problem that the fine material screened out (fine material that exceeded the critical percentage of about 10%, up to about 35%, residual fine material content in the total material) could not be returned to the mechanical/thermal dewatering (MTE) process. The method and apparatus of the principal application addressed this problem.
In the apparatus according to the principal application, a disadvantage is found in the case of very great bulk weights, which results from the height of the hopper system for the coarse material. Because of the weight of the column of material coming from the high coarse material hopper (about 10 to 15 m high), the fine material layer (which comes from the fine material hopper) spread out underneath it is so greatly compressed (up to about 10 bar) that, as the process continues, the resistance to permeation by the process water and steam within the MTE pressure chamber is too high. When the height of the coarse material in the coarse material hopper is very high, the entire process is hindered.
There is an additional problem resulting from the high pressure in the material from the coarse material hopper. A controlled two-layer spread is no longer possible, because the entry of the fine material layer from the metal mesh belt is blocked in the direction of movement under the coarse material layer by the bulk material pressing down upon it from above.
The invention addresses the problem of improving the method and the apparatus according to the principal application DE 19940 392 such that the disadvantages set forth above are avoided and a trouble-free operation of the process is assured.
The solution regarding the method is achieved by the following process steps:
First, the input material is processed by grinding and screening the material and then feeding it into two spreader hoppers according to grain size and screened grain size distribution. The coarse material, thus separated, is fed to a first spreader hopper, and contains only a measured residue of fine material below the critical permeability limit. At the same time, the fine material, thus separated, with a grain size under 3 mm, is delivered to a second spreader hopper. Then, from the second spreader hopper (which precedes the first spreader hopper for the coarse material) a thin layer of fine material is spread onto a spreading, loading and filtering belt as a first layer. Then, from the first spreader hopper, a substantially thicker coarse material layer is drawn off by a transfer conveyor belt and then applied as a second layer over the fine material layer to form a xe2x80x9csandwichxe2x80x9d mat. Lastly the sandwich mat is brought by the spreading, loading and filtering belt into the MTE pressure chamber of the filter press for the dewatering cycle. Meanwhile, the pressed dry material is carried away.
The solution for the apparatus includes the following:
An arrangement of an input hopper and two material hoppers in tandem, wherein the material, already processed by grinding and screening, is fed as coarse material into a first spreader hopper. The screened-out fine material can be transferred over a chute and conveyor belt into a second spreader hopper, in which the fine material can be spread from the second spreader hopper onto the spreading, loading and filtering belt in a thinner layer, after passing through a vertically adjustable sliding gate. The coarse material can be transferred from the first hopper, initially onto a transfer belt running beneath it, and laid in a thick layer, after passing through a vertically adjustable gate, onto the fine material layer to form a sandwich mat of the outspread material.
The arrangement of a transfer belt for the coarse material is an advantage of the invention, whereby the entire weight of the bulk material column from the coarse material hopper is supported on the transfer conveyor belt. The necessary mass of material is controlled by the depth regulator, which depends on the bulk material depth and the final depth of the two-layer spread. Experiments have shown that, with a depth arrangement of HF and HC (fine material depth to coarse material depth) the method and apparatus herein described are advantageous.
The method and the apparatus according to the invention can be used both for a cyclic MTE process and for a continuous MTE process. Moreover, two embodiments could be used alternatively as continuous presses: the first is an embodiment similar to a continuously operating two-belt press with lateral pressure chamber walls between which an upper and lower endless metal mesh belt runs; the second embodiment is a roll press as a roll stand with a plurality of rolls arranged in tandem, which likewise are sealed off by corresponding lateral chamber walls to form a pressure chamber. In the first and second embodiments, the spreading, loading and filtering belt circulates both through the coarse and fine hopper system and through the pressure chamber.

Method and apparatus for reducing the moisture bound by capillary action in fiber cells

Maschinenfabrik J. Dieffenbacher GmbH and Co


An apparatus identifies the type of a document from color image signals either a color document, a black and white document or a marked document, the marked document having a image processing region designated with a color marker differing in color from possible colors of the document to be read, thereafter applies one of a plurality of processing modes to the color image signals in accordance with the type of the document.

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, more specifically to an image processing apparatus suitable for image processing in a color copying machine of a digital type, and especially to an image processing apparatus wherein even when a marker document on which an image processing region can be designated by a color marker, an ordinary color document and a black and white document are mixedly processed through the input therefrom, output of each document can be subjected to processing which is optimum for that document.
Up to now, there has been known a color copying machine of the so-called digital type wherein a document is scanned optically to form an optical image which is received by a line image sensor, for example, to be converted into electric signals. The electric signals are further digitized, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor by a writing device such as a semiconductor laser based on the document image information converted to the aforementioned digital signals.
In a color copying machine, a color is reproduced by superposing a plurality of toner images, each having a color different from others (e.g., yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C and black Bk). In the case of a black and white document, a step of forming a toner image can be completed by forming only a black toner image, thereby it is possible to enhance productivity for copies, compared to that of a colored document.
Therefore, in some color copying machines of a digital type mentioned above, a document is discriminated in advance based on image information converted to the aforementioned digital signals whether the document is a color document or a black and white one. Based on the results of discrimination of the document, a copying process is performed through the mode which is suitable for the discriminated document.
In a copying machine equipped with a function to discriminate a document whether it is a color document or a black and white document as mentioned above, a type of each document to be copied can be discriminated and a processing mode suitable for the document type is selected automatically. Therefore, even when both a color document and a black and white document are set mixedly in an automatic document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as ADF), continuous copying has been possible through the mode suitable for each document.
Further, some color copying machines of the digital type mentioned above are equipped with a function of a partial color conversion process. The partial color conversion process, in this case, means an image editing process wherein image information inside (or outside) the region designated on a black and white document by a color marker can be converted to a color used for designating the region, for example, to be recorded.
When carrying out the partial color conversion process mentioned above, a user has been required to set on a copying machine a document (hereinafter referred to as a marker document) on which a region to be subjected to partial color conversion processing is designated with a color marker, and to select manually the mode for executing the aforementioned partial color conversion processing by operating a switch, for copying process.
Therefore, when marker documents are set on an ADF together with ordinary documents (a color document or a black and white document that is not designated by a color marker) other than a marker document, it has been impossible for these ordinary documents to be processed continuously under their own mode, with the marker documents processed in the same manner as in the ordinary document. However, it has been possible to set only a bundle of marker documents on an ADF for continuous operation of the mode for partial color conversion processing.

Image processing apparatus capable of document discrimination


The apparatus includes a heatable casting bed, a device for tensioning a reinforcement member at the casting bed, a finishing machine movable along the casting bed for casting a component, a cutter for cutting the reinforcement member, a plurality of roller trucks arranged like a train and of increasing height for wedge-like penetration between the component and the casting bed, a slider roller bed at a rear end of the plurality of roller trucks having a length equal to the casting bed length, an actuation device for generating relative motion between the roller trucks, sliding roller bed and casting bed, in order to transfer the component from the casting bed to the sliding roller bed, and a cutting station for cutting the component into segments.

The present invention relates to a process and to an apparatus for producing reinforced concrete components.
A process for producing concrete components, in particular components lightened by holes, is known which entails: laying and pretensioning a reinforcement frame, formed by a plurality of wires or strands, over one or more casting channels or beds which are 120 meters or more in length; casting concrete by means of a vibratory finishing machine or an extruder which performs a slow extrusion along the reinforcement frame; partially heated setting of the casting or component; cutting and consequently relaxing and cutting of the strands at the ends of the set casting; sectioning the casting into segments, for example by means of a saw or a disk which can be moved along the casting bed, and; removal of the segments or panels, performed by using a gantry crane which places the segments on appropriate removal trucks.
The solutions already proposed, although satisfactory from many points of view, allow to achieve only a limited productivity.
Furthermore, the preparation of the required prestress frames and the ordinary frames required to reinforce the components, especially large ones, cannot be performed easily and economically on-site, i.e. in the same place where the casting is performed.
Furthermore, the fact that the saw has to be moved to divide the component into segments on the casting bed is a factor which heavily affects the productivity of the above described process, since the casting bed remains occupied by the component for a long time even after setting is complete.

Apparatus for producing reinforced concrete components


A method of operating a channel induction furnace to process a feed material and obtain therefrom at least one of a molten metal product, a vapor phase metal product and a slag product. The method involves maintaining a slag layer on the molten bath that has a thickness that is sufficient to support the feed material while minimizing heat transfer through the slag layer and minimizing the resistance of vapor phase components from transferring through the slag layer. The fluidity of the slag layer is controlled by heating the slag layer and adjusting the chemistry of the slag layer.

There are many waste materials that are generated during the production of steel and in other manufacturing processes. During the production of steel, electric arc furnace (EAF) dust and basic oxygen furnace (BOF) dust/sludge are captured and collected for either disposal or recycle.
The major components in these dusts are iron (up to 60 wt. %) and zinc (up to 30 wt. %), usually in the oxide form. In addition, these dusts contain smaller quantities of calcium, magnesium, manganese, chloride, lead, cadmium and other trace elements. The steel industry generates about 30 to 40 pounds of these types of dust for each ton of steel produced in steel making facilities. The estimated generation of these dusts in the United States in 1997 was in excess of one million tons with nearly half of it being disposed in landfills.
EAF dust is a listed hazardous waste (K061) under United States environmental regulations. Under this regulatory program, EAF dust is subject to specific record keeping, handling requirements and processing costs when it is recycled or disposed of BOF sludge/dust is not a listed hazardous waste, but the lack of adequate reuse options results in a large quantity of this material being disposed of in landfills.
Both EAF dust and BOF sludge/dust contain significant quantities of iron that make these materials valuable for use directly in steel making processes as a substitute for other iron containing materials such as scrap steel, hot metal, sinter dust, and other iron oxides present at steel making facilities. In addition, EAF dust also contains significant quantities of zinc which makes it valuable as a feed for zinc manufacturing processes. BOF sludge/dust contains smaller quantities of zinc, but the zinc present can be recovered for reuse as a zinc product.
Present methods for handling EAF dust include processing it in Waelz kilns, rotary hearth furnaces, and flame reactor processes to recover zinc. EAF dust is also subject to stabilization processes followed by landfill disposal. A small quantity of BOF sludge/dust is returned to the BOF steel making process in some locations and some is recycled in other manners, but a large volume is disposed as a waste material in landfills.
Generally, it can be economical to subject EAF dust having a high zinc content to existing zinc recovery procedures, and send EAF dust having a low zinc content to landfills for disposal as a waste. Since hot metal is the only energy source in BOF facilities, only a limited quantity (approximately 20% of the total steel production rate) of scrap and other solid feed materials that require energy for their use in the BOF process can be added to the charge mix. This limits the quantity of BOF sludge/dust that can be returned to the BOF steel making process. As a result some portion of the BOF sludge/dust is usually sent to landfills for disposal.
Other process methods for recovering zinc and/or iron from EAF dust and BOF sludge/dust have been attempted with limited success. Such processes include thermal processes, hydrometallurgical processes or combinations thereof. In most cases, these processes were not successful because they are expensive to build, expensive to operate and/or they cannot be used to process all of the EAF dust and BOF sludge/dust material, so that waste material remains that still must be disposed of in landfills.
In addition, any processes that treat EAF dust are subject to significant environmental regulatory requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"). This is due to the fact that current processes have been specifically developed for the sole purpose of processing EAF dust as a hazardous waste. To date, those in the steel industry view EAF dust as a listed hazardous waste, and accordingly logically conclude that using EAF dust as any type of feed or reactant will necessarily result in the formation, generation or preservation of a hazardous material.
Southwick, "Recovery of Iron and Zinc From Steel Mill Wastes," a presentation from a Conference Organized by Gorham/Inertech in Pittsburgh. Pa. on May 17-19, 1999 provides a summary of various processes proposed to recover iron and zinc from mill wastes. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,605,435, 5,013,532, 5,082,493, 5,435,835, 5,439,505, 5,493,580, 5,538,532, 5,667,553, 5,879,617, 5,993,512, 6,102,982, 6,120,577, and 6,221,124 are directed to various methods and apparatus for processing EAF dust.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,136,059 to Zoppi discloses the use of an induction furnace for the sole purpose of processing EAF dust. That is, the only feed into the induction furnace after providing a "heel" for the required oxidation and reduction reactions is a half charge of cast iron which is not replenished, but rather into which pellets of EAF dust are added together with coal and small amounts of slagging agents. Zoppi mentions that induction furnaces of the prior art are generally only used as a smelting means in secondary steel and non-ferrous metals processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,831,939 to Bratina and Fehsenfeld discloses an expansion of the Zoppi patent that involves operating an induction furnace to both produce hot metal and a pig iron product and to process iron and volatile metal containing materials to recover iron value and concentrate metals which are volatile at the operating temperature of the induction furnace. The process relies upon mixing feeding both metal oxides and reduction material into the induction furnace. The efficiency of the process is limited by the induction furnace that is used.
Other patents that discuss the use of induction furnaces in smelting processes that involve steel processing dust include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,980,606, 5,304,230, 5,249,198, 5,188,658, 4,878,944, 4,802,919, 4,762,554, 4,612,041, and 4,403,327.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0062330 to Bratina et al. is directed to methods and processes of configuring and operating an induction furnace to process waste materials while producing metal products and recovering iron and volatile metals in a manner that is energy efficient and provides improved separation of volatile metals and improved control of slag viscosity. The complete disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0062330 to Bratina et al. is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0157761 to Bratina is directed to a method for the production of an iron product from ore containing iron which involves the use of an induction furnace. The complete disclosure of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0157761 to Bratina et al. is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
The present invention is based upon tests that were conducted using a channel induction furnace similar to that disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0062330 to Bratina et al. During the course of such tests a number of new unexpected discoveries were realized. The present invention is directed to a manner of operating an induction furnace during the processing of various waste materials, including metal and non-metal wastes and more specifically to a manner of controlling the slag in such an induction furnace.

Slag control in a channel induction furnace


Methods and systems are provided for automatically diagnosing an electrocardiogram (ECG) using a hybrid system comprising a rule-based system and one or more deep neural networks. In one embodiment, by mapping ECG data to a plurality of features using a convolutional neural network, mapping the plurality of features to a preliminary diagnosis using a decision network, and determining a diagnosis based on the ECG data and the preliminary diagnosis using the rule-based system, a more accurate diagnosis may be determined. In another example, by incorporating both a rule-based system and one or more deep neural networks into the hybrid system, the hybrid system may be more easily adapted for use in various contexts/communities, as the one or more deep learning networks may be trained using context/community specific ECG data.

Heart disease has become the most common disease that affects humans worldwide. Each year millions of people die from heart attacks and an equal number undergo coronary artery bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty for advanced heart disease. Early detection and timely treatment may reduce the probability and/or severity of such events. Early detection may improve the quality of life and slow the progression of heart failure. Recording an electrocardiogram (ECG) is a non-invasive approach used to assess a patient's heart condition, which may enable early detection of cardiac irregularities. The features of the ECG may lead to a relatively accurate and fast diagnosis.
ECGs record the nearly periodic polarizations and depolarizations of the heart. ECGs may provide information on the normal and/or pathological physiology of the heart. However, the non-stationary nature of ECG signals make them difficult to visually analyze. Further, existing ECG diagnostic approaches rely on inflexible, rule-based algorithms, which attempt to formalize expert diagnostic decision making using hard-coded algorithms. Such systems are often very complex, and require substantial time and energy to update based on new data, or for use in a particular clinical application. For example, current tools for automatically diagnosing ECGs may be unable to adapt to use in different clinical contexts, hospitals, regions, or communities, without hard-coding new algorithms for each use case. Further, the diagnostic accuracy of such tools may be substantially reduced when implemented in contexts/communities other than those for which the tool was originally developed. Thus, exploring techniques for increasing diagnostic accuracy and adaptability for ECG diagnostic systems is generally desired.

Systems and methods for electrocardiogram diagnosis using deep neural networks and rule-based systems


A system may include a switchover element configurable to source or sink power from or to an electronic device electrically coupled to the switchover element and a controller in communication with the switchover element. The controller may be configured to determine if the electronic device is healthy. When the electronic device is healthy, the controller may configure the switchover element to deliver power from the electronic device to the system andconfigure the switchover element to provide the power to any unhealthy electronic device electrically coupled to the system.

A redundant power system (RPS) may supply power to a device when the primary power supply for the device fails or otherwise can no longer deliver sufficient power to the device. Unlike an uninterruptible power supply that provides energy to attached devices for a relatively short period of time, RPS can transparently take over the role of the failed power supply and provide power to the device for an extended period of time.

Sharing redundant power supply modules among physical systems


A control system diverts cooling and/or lubricating fluid from a selected one of a plurality of fluid actuated clutches in a transmission in response to the transmission being in a selected gear ratio. A diverter valve is placed between a source of cooling and/or lubricating fluid and the selected one of the fluid actuated clutches and operative to divert fluid therefrom in response to the transmission being placed in the selected gear ratio. A sensor arrangement is operative to sense the transmission gear ratio and deliver a signal to condition the diverter valve.

It is well known to reduce the flow of cooling or lubrication flow to a clutch subsequent to the engagement of the clutch. Additionally it has been known to reduce the flow to a clutch when the speed of the engine increases beyond a predetermined level. As is known, as the speed of the clutch increases, the drag encountered with the clutch rotating in the oil is increased. In these known systems, special speed related sensors an/or velocity sensors were required to determine when to divert or block the flow of fluid to the appropriate clutch. It is desirable to provide a simple and reliable system that would divert cooling and/or lubricating fluid from selected clutches when the transmission of the machine is in one of selected gear ratios.
The subject invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

Control system for diverting oil from a clutch


Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved techniques to process and manage media content and associated intellectual property rights associated with the media content. Intellectual property rights associated with media content can include copyright, trademarks, licenses to composition, synchronization, performance, recordings, etc. In particular, various embodiments provide media licensing management and monetization based on media licensing using a centralized registry of media content and associated asset rights.

Advancements in technology are constantly influencing and evolving the music and media content industry, not only in how music is distributed and stored, but also how it is created. While traditional instruments can produce analog music that can then be recorded, converted to a digital format to be stored and distributed electronically, music can now also be created digitally from its conception. Many users compile and mix various music samples digitally for distribution as their own music, which can raise a problem in determining the appropriate licensing rights associated with the music samples used in mixes. With the convenience and ease of portable digital music players, smartphones, cloud computing, and seemingly infinite digital libraries of music, there is an increased need in the industry to distribute media digitally and electronically while preserving all the associated licensing rights.

Media content processing techniques for rights and clearance management


A method for recognizing oil top-up quantities is provided. The method records a multiplicity of oil levels under specific operating conditions over time; calculates an oil-mass average value X.sub.z of the oil top-up quantity over z instantaneous measurements xmom in each case; calculates a compensating function describing the variation in an oil mass xh over time using a specific number of hourly oil masses xh; calculates a difference DFA from an end point xlang of the compensating function and from the penultimate oil-mass average value according to a function activates a discrimination function for checking whether the difference DFA is greater than a first oil-mass limit value M1; and if so, a special case is recognized and a processing function for calculating the oil top-up quantity in the special case is started; and if not, a further discrimination function is started, for checking whether the difference DFA is greater than a second oil-mass limit value M2 and there is a specific communication signal between the vehicle and driver. If the result of the check is that the difference DFA is greater than the second oil-mass limit value M2, a special case is recognized and the processing function for calculating the oil top-up quantity in the special case is started. If the interrogation result is negative, a processing function for calculating the oil top-up quantity in the normal case is activated.

The invention relates to a method of determining oil top-up quantities for an engine.
German Patent document DE 44 29 234 A1 discloses a method of determining the oil consumption of an engine in a vehicle by using a measuring and switching device arranged in the oil sump of the engine. The measuring and switching device determines specific state values of the oil and whether the oil has fallen below a preset level. In this case, the particular state values, the most important engine operating variables and the geometry of the oil sump are taken into account, in order to determine the oil consumption per unit of distance with reference to a distance covered.
Problems which arise in this case are that, as a rule, these measurements work only in an unreliable manner on account of the high dynamics of the oil level. As a result, these measurements may lead to incorrect results due to particular vehicle states, such as, for example, an unlevel position of the vehicle and high acceleration values.
The object of this invention is to overcome the above-described disadvantages of the prior art by providing a possibility of recognition, in order to detect an intermediate oil top-up quantity and to determine its size.
The object is achieved by a method for recognizing oil top-up quantities. The method records a multiplicity of oil levels under specific operating conditions over time; calculates an oil-mass average value X.sub.z of the oil top-up quantity over z instantaneous measurements xmom in each case; calculates a compensating function describing the variation in an oil mass xh over time by means of a specific number of hourly oil masses xh; calculates a difference DFA from an end point xlang of the compensating function describing the variation in an oil mass xh over time and from the penultimate oil-mass average value according to the function (DFA=xlang-X.sub.zN-1) with X.sub.zN-1 being the oil mass penultimately obtained by rolling or weighing averaging from z instantaneous oil masses xmom; activates a discrimination function for checking whether the difference DFA is greater than a first oil-mass limit value M1; and if so, a special case is recognized and a processing function for calculating the oil top-up quantity in the special case is started; and if not, a further discrimination function is started, for checking whether the difference DFA is greater than a second oil-mass limit value M2 and there is a specific communication signal between the vehicle and driver. If the result of the check is that the difference DFA is greater than the second oil-mass limit value M2 and there is a specific communication signal between the vehicle and driver, the method recognizes a special case and the processing function for calculating the oil top-up quantity in the special case is started, if the interrogation result is negative, a processing function for calculating the oil top-up quantity in the normal case is activated.
The present invention accordingly recognizes the following:
Oil top-ups change the oil level in the oil sump. For the reliable calculation of oil consumption, therefore, each top-up of oil must be recognized. The objective for improving oil consumption measurements is consequently the recognition of top-ups in commercially available containers. It must be possible to detect oil quantities of an order of magnitude from 0.5 l with an accuracy of below.+-.0.25 l.
Moreover, the recognition of oil top-up quantities can be used in methods of solution which draw conclusions as to quality or as to a lengthening of the oil-change interval from the determination of the oil top-up quantity and, if appropriate, the topping-up time.
By means of this method and the associated recognition of special cases, it is advantageously possible to go further and differentiate engine damage in terms of the degree of damage.
By setting limits or limit values and evaluating the changing difference between the current X.sub.z values, which correspond to the slope of a straight line, it is possible, for example in the case of serious engine damage, to recommend the driver to visit a workshop immediately, in order to protect the engine from even worse damage or destruction, for example due to piston seizure.
At the same time, "creeping" engine damage can thereby also be recognized during a routine inspection an d preventive measures thus be taken at the workshop.
The measuring method according to the invention is based on the consideration that any individual measurement, for example measurement in the state immediately when starting the engine or when the vehicle is not level or if there is a long oil return time between engine on and engine off, etc., is subject to error. other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method for the recognition of oil top-up quantities


A process for applying color to an article made of clay. Color can be applied to such diverse articles as pottery, earthenware, figurines, ceramics, porcelains, china, tiles domes and other decorative roofings. The application of color to clay articles is easily adapted to industrial, commercial or artistic uses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present process is directed toward applying color to an article having clay as a principal component of its composition. Within the scope of the present invention, examples of articles that can be colored include such diverse items as pottery, earthenware, figurines, ceramics, porcelains, china, indoor and non-supportive outdoor tiles, domes and other decorative roofings. The process of applying color to clay articles is easily adapted to industrial, commercial or artistic uses.
2. Description of the Previous Art
a) U.S. Pat. No. 526,669--McLaughlin discloses a process of decorating pottery. More particularly, McLaughlin enables a process for slip casting the inlaying of hollow articles such as vases and does not address the slip casting of solid articles. Instead of removing the pottery from the mold, before painting the pottery, as is still customary in the art, McLaughlin teaches that slip is painted onto the inner surface of the mold to yield the decorative inlay displayed on the body of the ware. After painting the mold, liquid state clay is then added to the mold. However, those skilled in the art know that when pouring liquid state clay into a mold, some of that liquified clay will seep into the seam of the mold resulting in a reciprocating protrusion on the molded and dried article. By way of example, it is common knowledge that selected items, i.e. figurines, do not acclimate well to having the reciprocating protrusion removed after the item has already been shaped. In many instances, the aesthetic appeal of the finished article is lessened due to the presence of the reciprocating protrusion while in many circumstances, the sanding away of the reciprocating protrusion on a multidimensional-surfaced article, such as a figurine, is laborious, if not impossible, especially were high volume industrial or commercial settings are mandated. Further complicating the practice of McLaughlin is the fact that the coloring slip tends to dry before the liquid state clay can be added to the mold. When this occurs, the paint may flake or chip which will attenuate exacting detail by lowering overall color resolution for the article, when it is viewed in its entirety.
b) U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,059--Dandini embodies a process for coloring the exterior of building blocks. A moist mixture of sandy material is colored and thereafter applied to the inner face walls of a mold. The exterior of the building blocks are impregnated with color when contacting the sandy material.
c) U.S. Pat. No. 3,074,840--Terplansky, et al., enables a single stage process for molding decorated plastic tableware. Synthetic resins are subjected to superatmospheric pressure and temperatures to yield the decorative plastics.


A connector assembly for use with a unitary daughter board having different contact pitch arrangements on the lower edge portion, includes two different contact pitch arrangement connectors lengthwise aligned and juxtaposed with each other for commonly receiving the lower edge portion of the daughter board. The connector of the high density contact arrangement includes an outer end wall having a recess at the top for functioning as a pivoting point of the rotative movement of the daughter board without interference thereof. A middle partition wall of the same connector has the curved surface thereof in conformity with the rotation path of the daughter board.

1. Field of The Invention
The invention relates to connector assembly, especially to two connectors aligned and juxtaposed with each other and having different pitches with their respect contact arrangements.
2. The Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,080,027, 4,288,139, 4,327,954 and 4,826,447, the conventional card edge connector includes an elongated insulative housing having a central slot lengthwise, two rows of contacts oppositely positioned along proximate two sides of the slot, respectively, for electrical engagement with the conductive pads on the lower edge portion of the board which is inserted into the slot. As shown in FIG. 2 and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,734, 4,934,961, 4,993,972, 5,024,609, 5,035,632, 5,156,554 and 5,156,554, the advanced card edge connector includes the similar housing structure for reception of a board, but generally has vertically or horizontally staggering contact arrangement by each side along the slot. This method allows for high density or small or half pitch contact arrangement for the card edge connector which facilitates the high speed and high quantity of the signal transmission within a computer to meet the requirements of the recent industry. It can be understood that due to the difficulties of manufacturing, the high density contact arrangement connector is much more expensive than the low density contact arrangement connector. It is also noted that though high density (fine pitch) contact arrangement is popularly used within the computer today, the traditional low density (regular pitch) contact arrangement connector still exists within the same computer because these two different pitch contact arrangement connectors are configured to function to accommodate the different inserted boards for different specific purposes to some of which the high density contact arrangement of the connector may not be required for cost-saving consideration.
In the recent trend, for the increasing competition and the reduced beneficial rate in the personal computer industry, the computer manufacturer is now trying every possible step to lower the cost for survival. Some of them have intentionally had these two different type connectors lengthwise aligned and juxtaposed with each other as a connector assembly, then using a larger unitary board which has two divided regions on its lower edge portion having different pitch arrangements of the conductive contacts thereabout, respectively, for corresponding reception within these two aligned but different type connectors, respectively. Through this attempt, one board incorporating two different type connectors replaces two boards incorporating two different type connectors, so it may save considerable expense in the boards' cost which is of the high percentage in the manufacturing cost of the computer. Even though this effort seems successful from the general viewpoint, some disadvantages may occur simultaneously.
It can be contemplated that the different density arrangements of the contacts of the connectors will result in different retention forces which act on these two different type connectors, respectively. It means that the insertion force or the withdrawal force of the lower edge portion(s) of the board(s) within these two different type connectors will be different from each other in the same unit length. In the conventional situation, using two separate boards incorporating these two different connectors has no problems. While, using only one board with divided two regions of the lower edge portion incorporating two different type connectors induces an intention of rotation of the board during simultaneous insertion or withdrawal of the board with regard to these two different type connectors due to the unbalanced and unequal forces being derived within these two different type connectors for the sake of the different pitch arrangements of the contacts therein. In other words, the friction force in the high density contact arrangement connector is much higher than that in the low density contact arrangement connector, and the board intends to rotate about the outer end of the high density contact arrangement connector during its insertion or withdrawal with regard to this connector assembly. This phenomenon is paid attention to by the computer manufacturer, and a rotation handling section is designedly positioned on one side of the board, which can be protrusively positioned about the outer end wall of the low density contact arrangement connector. Hence, the operator can easily hold that handling section to rotatively insert or withdraw the unitary board with regard to the connector assembly. This additional handling section facilitates the insertion and the withdrawal of the board with regard to the connector assembly, but ignores some limitations of the connector assembly itself.
It is popularly understood that for a conventional connector with regardless of either a high density or a low density contact arrangement, the incorporating board is perpendicularly inserted into or withdrawn from the connector housing, so that the transverse end walls or the partition wall for strength reinforcement are all designed to accommodate the inserted board in a perpendicular movement or access relation. In other words, the dimensions and the tolerances of these portions are not suit for any improper rotation movement of the board thereabout.
Referring top FIG. 3, a low density contact arrangement connector 10 and a high density contact arrangement connector 20 are aligned and juxtaposed with each other as a connector assembly on a mother board 3 and a unitary daughter board 4 is intended to incorporate these two connectors 10 and 20 simultaneously. The daughter board 4 has a series of, contacts 42 of a low density arrangement along a first region 42' of the lower edge portion and a series of contacts 43 of a high density arrangement on the second region 43' of the same lower edge portion thereof. A handling section 44 is positioned on one side of the board 4 which is close to the outer end of the low density contact arrangement connector 10. A recess 40 is positioned between the group of contacts 42 and the group of contacts 43 for receptively straddling two respective inner ends of these two connectors 10 and 20. The board 4 further comprises at least two indents 41 for respectively receiving the partition walls (not shown) of the connectors 10 and 20 each of which is positioned in the middle portion of connector, providing strength reinforcement and polarization. FIG. 4 discloses the rotation movement of the board 4, by means of the handling section 44, with regard to the connectors 0 and 20. And FIG. 5 shows a left portion of the connector 20 where the top portion 22 of the end wall 21 and the top portion 24 of the middle partition wall 23 may interfere with the board 4 during the rotation of the board 4 within the connector 20. This interference may cause structural crash around the end wall 21 or the partition wall 23 and make the whole connector 20 electrically or mechanically fail because the end walls 21 and the partition wall 23 provide the strength reinforcement for the whole structure of the connector 20.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly which has the advantage of unitary single board usage but without the risk of the structure failure to damage the electrical and mechanical contact between the connector assembly and the board.

Connector assembly with dimension-reduced transverse wall for easy and safe withdrawal of the board inserted therein


Described are the use of glass compositions, for example, in the form of glass powders, glass ceramics, fibers, granules, and spheres for achieving an antioxidative effect. The glass compositions may be used in a versatile manner, such as in cosmetic products, medical products, edibles, paints and lacquers, plasters, cements and concrete, in antifouling products and in polymers. Because of the high photo and temperature stability, the glass antioxidants of the present invention are superior to the organic substances known so far. In addition the glass compositions in contact with human being are non-irritant to skin and even edible. Furthermore, they are toxicologically harmless and environmentally compatible.

While the use of antimicrobially and/or biocidally acting glasses is known from a plurality of documents, the employment of glass compositions to stop or retard an oxidation reaction has completely been unknown so far.
By the use of antioxidants; oxidation reactions which have a negative effect on various products may be stopped retarded; or respectively.
Thus, for example, the presence of free radicals in the above mentioned products may result in undesired decomposition, discoloration or even in the complete uselessness of the product.
Thus the antioxidants may also have product preservative or even product maintaining properties.
Oxidation effects i.a. are also responsible for the aging of the skin. These oxidations, respectively the formation of radicals are caused i.a. by UV radiation of the sun light also by pollutants in the air, and respectively. These effects are i.a. also responsible for the formation of wrinkles. Items antioxidants are also utilized in cosmetic products which should take precautions against a premature aging of the skin (so-called anti wrinkle agents).
The antioxidants described and known so far are almost exclusively organic compounds. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and also vitamin E inter alia are well known to a person skilled in the art. Partly these compounds have the disadvantage not to be photo resistant by itself, i.e. that they may act as a free-radical generator. The known oxidant vitamin C i.a. suffers from this disadvantage, in particular when applied in small concentrations.
Thus there is a need for providing an antioxidant which may be used for the above mentioned applications and which doesn't suffer from the disadvantages of the known antioxidants.

Use of glass compositions for achieving an antioxidative effect


An electronic device uses a rotation mechanism to permit a first body casing to rotate on a second body casing. The rotation mechanism has an elastic member and a sliding block. The first body casing includes a spindle and defines a first sliding hole and the second body casing defines a spindle hole and a second sliding hole. The second sliding hole includes a first distal end and a second distal end both aligning with a center of the spindle hole. The sliding block is movably received in the first and second sliding holes, and is located either at the first distal end or at the second distal end as the rotation mechanism is rotated through ninety degrees from one position to another.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices having hinged parts.
2. Description of Related Art
Many electronic devices include hinged parts, where the electronic devices use a rotation mechanism to rotate a part of the electronic devices. However, most types of rotation mechanisms used in the electronic devices have a complex structure, and the rotation mechanisms may be costly.
What is needed, therefore, is a means which can overcome the described limitations.

Electronic device with rotation mechanism