A continuous mixing process is disclosed that provides improved dispersive mixing over conventional mixing processes. The process employs squeeze flow motion around a translating member at a Hencky strain greater than 2 and at a rate corresponding to a Deborah Number greater than 10.

As used herein, dispersive mixing refers to the breakup and reduction in size of regions of inhomogeneity, such as gels, agglomerates, or regions of high viscosity and low molecular diffusivity, within a matrix of another material. During dispersive mixing, stresses must be applied to the surfaces of the regions of inhomogeneity in order to break them up. Dispersive mixing may involve miscible or immiscible systems, and even in a system where the components are thermodynamically miscible with one another, dispersive mixing may be required from the viewpoint of kinetics if the time scale to molecularly distribute one component in the other is very long. Dispersive mixing is advantageous in that it results in smaller particles or regions of one material in a matrix of another material, generating more surface area for interfacial bonding and better homogeneity, which often gives rise to improved physical and/or processing properties in the overall material. The dispersive mixing process is carried out until the particles or regions are sufficiently small so that any further breakup leads to little effective change in properties of the system.
Other terms for mixing are employed. Two such terms are distributive mixing and blending. Distributive mixing is the rearrangement of the relative positions of phases or regions without significant change in their sizes. Often it is important to have good distributive mixing for the improvement of appearance and other physical properties of a mixed material.
Blending involves both the break up of inhomogeneous regions by dispersive mixing and position rearrangement by distributive mixing. In an important sense, blending may be thought of as combining a change in size process with a distribution process. However, when blending two or more components of the same viscosity that are thermodynamically identical, changes in the sizes of regions of inhomogeneity readily take place so that consideration of stresses at the interface between the different components is not required.
Of particular interest to the polymer industry is the dispersive mixing of a high molecular weight polymer in a lower molecular weight polymer matrix. Bimodal molecular weight distribution polymer products are often made this way. In this case, the components being mixed are of the same basic chemical type and successful dispersive mixing can result in improved melt strength, giving rise to improved processing characteristics. However, dispersive mixing of such materials is especially difficult because it is difficult to transmit stresses to a high viscosity minor phase through a surrounding matrix of low viscosity material. Known mixing processes possess only limited ability to accomplish this.
It is believed by those skilled in the art that with viscoelastic materials, high deformation rates relative to the relaxation time of the minor phase and the matrix will allow more effective transmission of stress to the minor phase. Applicant also believes that at a high deformation rate, the minor phase is more likely to fail at lower strains and thus disperse more effectively. The measure of the relaxation time of the material relative to the time scale of the deformation is known in rheology as the Deborah Number (Principles of Polymer Processing, by Z. Tadmor and C. Gogos, John Wiley and Sons, 1979). For extensional deformations, the Deborah Number is given by the formula: .lambda./(L/(v2-v1)), wherein .lambda. is the effective relaxation time of the material, L is the length over which the material is deformed, and (v2-v1) is the change in the velocity of the material as it is deformed.
While the relative rate of deformation (i.e. the Deborah Number) is important for optimizing a dispersive mixing process, so too is the total deformation of the material, since the failure of regions under deformation usually requires that a minimum deformation be exceeded. A measure of the amount of deformation in extensional flow is known as the Hencky Strain measure. A description of the Hencky Strain can be found in the text Rheology, Principles, Measurements, and Applications by C. W. Macosko (VCH, 1994). The formal definition of Hencky Strain is the natural logarithm of the final length of the sample divided by the initial length. For purposes of the present invention, an approximation of Hencky strain is used: the natural log of the area of the flow entering a convergent geometry divided by the smallest area of the geometry for a substantially extensional flow field.
A majority of mixing processes known in the art, such as those done with batch mixers made by Banbury and Steward-Bolling, continuous mixers such as the twin screw mixers of Welding Engineers and Werner & Pfleiderer, and the intensive continuous mixers of Farrell Corporation (FCM) and Kobe Steel (LCM), employ the rotating action of a screw or rotors as the major energy input to the system to mix materials. Because of such rotating action, these processes subject materials to a high level of shear flows compared to extensional flows. The high levels of shear flows in these processes have two results. First, such processes are relatively energy inefficient in that shear flows contribute to significant energy dissipation and rapid heat rise in the system being mixed, thus often limiting the amount of mixing that is possible without degrading the material. See for example, L. Erwin, "Principles of Laminar Fluid/Fluid Mixing," Mixing in Polymer Processing, C. Rauwendaal, ed. (Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1991), in which it is noted that mixing processes that rely on simple shear flow require several orders of magnitude more energy than those that rely on extensional flow to achieve the same level of mixing. Second, the dispersive mixing capability based on the shear flow component of these mixing processes is poor. It is known that extensional flows, on the other hand, are much better at breaking up inhomogeneities in a material than shear flows and are therefore much better at dispersive mixing. It is the extensional flow capabilities of rotation-type mixing devices that contribute most effectively to the limited success of these devices as dispersive mixers.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,350 describes the use of non-intermeshing two-wing rotors for use in high intensity, batch mixing machines. These rotors rotate side-by-side within the mixing machine. Although the patent states in the abstract, "b!y virtue of driving the rotors at synchronous speed with the phase angle relationship of about 180.degree., a powerful squeeze-flow mixing action and advantageous pull-down effect on the materials being mixed is produced twice during each cycle of rotation," in fact such rotors intermittently expose the materials being mixed to only a brief extensional stretch while imposing a high level of shear. The squeeze flow action is only incidental to the roll mill-type action of the rotors. Squeeze flow imparts a positive displacement to material between surfaces that approach one another, whereas the rotors in the above mentioned application drag the material through a gap.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,894 discloses a mixer comprising a barrel that is lined with a number of detachable plates. The mixer contains a mixer blade assembly having interrupted helical vanes or flights cast on sleeves that are mounted on a shaft. The shaft moves in both reciprocative and rotating directions. Bolts project as lugs into the mixing chamber in the area of the vane interruptions, such that the interrupted vanes clear the lugs during the rotational and reciprocative movement in a type of weaving pattern. Because the interrupted vanes clear the lugs during the rotational and reciprocative movement, very little squeeze flow, though some limited stretching flow, takes place with this apparatus. This device has been analyzed in "Modeling of the Cokneader," by Pierre H. M. Elemans, Chapter 12, Mixing and Compounding of Polymers--Theory and Practice, I. Manas-Zloczower and Z. Tadmor, eds. (Hanser/Gardner, 1994). Elemans notes that the "weaving pattern gives the cokneader an excellent distributive mixing quality." However, it lacks an excellent dispersive mixing capacity. And due to the rotational movement of the shaft and the vanes thereon, this assembly subjects the materials it mixes to a high degree of shear compared to extension.
Although such conventional, rotating-type mixing devices typically mix materials at reasonable Deborah Numbers, i.e., greater than about 10, the amount of extensional stretching relative to shear deformations that can be achieved in such devices is low. A key problem facing those intent on improving continuous mixing processes is how to achieve the combination of high stretching rates (Deborah Number) and high stretching (Hencky Strains) simultaneously in an energy efficient process.
Mixing processes employing squeeze flow are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,111 discloses a plunger mixer or reactor comprising a closed cylindrical body member provided with spaced discs held in a fixed position with relation to each other and a plunger arranged to reciprocate through aligned holes in the discs, the plunger also carrying discs fixed in space relation thereon. The discs on the plunger and the discs in the body member are alternately arranged, and the plunger is adapted to move longitudinally in the cylindrical body. The device also comprises an openings through which material may be fed into and discharged from the body member.
This device is designed to provide a low degree of mixing as seen in the example where the holes constitute more than 20% of the total cross section area. This provides a Hencky strain of less than 2 under any condition of motion. The rate of reciprocating motion is 2 strokes per minute over a few inches, providing a Deborah number that appears to be much less than 10 under the conditions described for the use of this device.
Applicant has discovered that excellent dispersive mixing occurs when a viscoelastic material is subjected to primarily extensional flows at a high Hencky strain and a high Deborah Number in a reciprocating, squeeze flow device affording passes through narrow passages. In addition, preferably, more than 50% of the viscoelastic material is also subjected to a shear stress of at least about 35 psi in the device, thereby making the material susceptible to slip within the device. In contrast with known rotating-type mixing devices, in which slip of the material along the walls of the device is to be avoided, slip is beneficial in the present process. For flow through passages, the existence of slip along the wall shifts much of the wasted shear flow energy dissipation towards more energy efficient input into extensional flow deformation.
That the combination of squeeze flow, a Hencky strain greater than 2, and a mixing rate corresponding to a Deborah Number greater than 10 results in optimum dispersive mixing of viscoelastic material has gone until now unrecognized.

Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation


The present invention relates to a method of cleaning wafers bonded on a fixing member in the form of an ingot, and then sliced by a wire saw from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension to form a row of wafers. The method includes: a cleaning process for cleaning the wafers bonded on the fixing member in the form of the row of wafers (workpiece W) by a cleaning mechanism; and a separating process includes: a softening step for softening an adhesive in a softening vessel; a first moving step for turning and moving a wafer in a planar direction using an end point of the glued portion of the wafer and the fixing member as the fulcrum; and a second moving step for further moving the wafer in a planar direction by a suction-cup rotary actuator to thereby bring the wafer out of the region of the row of wafers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for cleaning and separating wafers which are bonded on a fixing member in the form of an ingot by means of an adhesive, and then sliced by a wire saw in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal dimension to form a row of wafers.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As is generally known, in preparing wafers of a semiconductor material, a magnetic material and ceramics, etc., these materials are bonded on a fixing member in the form of an ingot, and then sliced utilizing a wire saw from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension to form a row of wafers.
Usually, the slicing by the wire saw is performed while spraying a slurry-like grinding liquid, and, after the material has been completely sliced, further performed to such a depth to reach a part of the fixing member. For this reason, the row of wafers after the slicing are bonded on the fixing member through the adhesive and smeared with the grinding liquid, and the grinding liquid enters among the adjacent wafers.
To obtain each wafer from this row of wafers, a plurality of wafers are manually separated from the fixing member, and then these plurality of wafers are manually separated one at a time. Thereafter, each wafer is cleaned to remove the grinding liquid.
The above-described separating operation, however, includes a process in which an operator flexibly separates a suitable number of wafers in accordance with the bonding condition of the wafers, and makes automation difficult.
That is, generally speaking, wafers are highly fragile, and since such wafers are glued together, it has been a technical problem as to how to separate them from each other by using a small force without causing any strain to the wafers.
The manual operation is advantageous in that it allows subtle adjustment in applying forces in accordance with the gluing condition, and it is difficult to replace this by a mechanical operation. Further, the requisite cost would be rather high.
In addition, in the above-described method, the row of wafers smeared with the grinding liquid must be handled in separating a plurality of wafers from the row of wafers. The wafers smeared with the grinding liquid is difficult to be mechanically handled, and make automation further difficult. Moreover, the grinding liquid contaminates devices.
Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a method which is suited for automation of the above process. In order to facilitate automation and keep the devices as clean as possible, a removal of the grinding liquid at an early stage has been requested.

Method and apparatus for cleaning and separating wafers bonded to a fixing member

Mitsubishi Materials Silicon Corporation


A backshell device and assembly are provided for achieved improved signal integrity, wherein the design of the backshell device is less complicated, more light weight, and easier to build and use than existing devices. In one embodiment, the backshell device can be coupled to adaptor which is coupled to a connector. The backshell device generally comprises a mounting section coupled to the adaptor, and an extension section extending from the mounting section. The extension section preferably comprises an increased-diameter section configured to accommodate a non-staggered or aligned arrangement of a plurality of solder sleeves of the wiring harness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed towards connection systems for communicating electrical signals, and more particularly, to a backshell device for a connector.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional backshell devices provide a rigid and secure connection of a wiring harness to an electrical connector. Due to concerns for material strength, many conventional backshell devices are formed of aluminum or steel and are, sometimes, thick and/or heavy. In aircraft and aerospace applications, it is desirable to have lightweight electrical and mechanical components. To reduce weight, some backshell devices are formed of lightweight materials, which can often be more expensive than using aluminum or steel. Typically, these conventional lightweight backshell devices are still too thick and heavy because lightweight materials may require a larger footprint to provide a sizable strength similar to steel.
Moreover, conventional backshell devices often require complete disassembly of the connector wiring if maintenance requires replacement or addition of a backshell device to a connector that was not originally installed with a backshell device. The removal of the wiring harness typically increases labor costs.
In addition, known backshell devices can be complicated, heavy, and labor-intensive to build, often comprising numerous molded parts, multiple metal inserts, and one or more split rings. Conventional backshell device designs often have an extensive length (e.g., approximately 1.7-3.7 inches), having signal wires with reduced shielding, resulting in reduced signal integrity.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a backshell device that provides improved signal integrity, is less complicated and more light weight, and easier to build and use.

Deutsch Engineered Connecting Devices, Inc.


The invention is to provide a high-productivity method for fabricating a TFT device having different LDD structures on one and the same substrate, and the TFT device. Specifically, the invention provides a novel TFT structure, and a high-productivity method for fabricating it. A Ta film or a Ta-based film having good heat resistance is used for forming interconnections, and the interconnections are covered with a protective film. The interconnections can be subjected to heat treatment at high temperatures (400 to 700° C.), and, in addition, the protective film serves as an etching stopper. In the peripheral driving circuit portion in the device, TFTs having an LDD structure are disposed in a self-aligned process in which is used side walls 126 and 127; while in the pixel matrix portion therein, TFTs having an LDD structure are disposed in a non-self-aligned process in which is used an insulator 125.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a semiconductor circuit that comprises a plurality of semiconductor units such as insulated gate transistors and the like, especially to that having a semiconductor circuit that comprises an active matrix unit (high withstand voltage circuit) and a logic circuit unit (high-speed driving circuit) for driving the active matrix unit both formed on one substrate, and also relates to a method for fabricating the semiconductor device. The semiconductor circuit to be constructed according to the invention may be on any insulation substrates of, for example, glass or the like, or on any insulation films as formed on semiconductor substrates of, for example, single-crystal silicon or the like.
In particular, the invention is especially favorable to and effective for semiconductor devices comprising a pixel matrix portion and a logic circuit for driving it, such as, liquid-crystal display devices, etc. The semiconductor device of the invention includes not only insulated gate transistors (semiconductor units) such as thin film transistors (TFTS), MOS transistors, etc., but also display devices having a semiconductor integrated circuit that comprises such semiconductor units, even further including electro-optical devices such as image sensors, etc. In addition, the semiconductor device of the invention still further includes electronic appliances incorporating any of those display devices and electro-optical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Active matrix-type liquid-crystal display devices are widely noticed in the art, which comprise a pixel matrix and a driving circuit comprising thin film transistors (TFTS) and the like as formed on an insulation substrate. Liquid-crystal panels having a size of from 0.5 to 20 inches or so are utilized as image-displaying panels.
One direction of liquid-crystalline display development is toward large-area display panels. In display devices having a large-area display panel, the pixel matrix to be the image-displaying portion shall have a large area and the source interconnections and also the gate interconnections as aligned in matrices in the circuit shall be long with the result that the circuit inevitably shall have increased interconnection resistance. In addition, the circuit must be patterned finer, for which the interconnection patterns shall be inevitably finer. Such finer interconnection patterns increase more the interconnection resistance. In each pixel, the source interconnection and the gate interconnection are connected with individual switching units such as TFTs and others. With the increase in the number of pixels, the incidental capacity increases, which, however, is problematic. In liquid-crystal display devices, in general, the gate interconnection pattern is integrated with the gate electrode pattern. In those, therefore, increasing the panel area often causes substantial gate signal delay.
If the materials constituting a gate interconnection have a lower resistivity, it is possible to modify the gate interconnection patterns to be finer and longer; therefore, enable large-area display panels. Al, Ta, Ti and the like have heretofore been used as the materials constituting the gate interconnection. Of those, Al is the most popular, as having a lowest resistivity and capable of being subjected to anodic oxidation. An oxide film as formed through anodic oxidation of Al has the advantage of improving the heat resistance of Al patterns coated with the oxide film. However, Al patterns are still problematic in that, even at a process temperature falling between 300° C. and 400° C. or so, they give whiskers and hillocks and are often deformed. In addition, Al readily diffuses into insulation films and active layers, thereby causing TFT operation failure, and TFT characteristics are much degraded by it.
For further enlarging the panel size of display devices and for ensuring finer patterning in fabricating them, needed are electrode structures having a much lower resistivity and better heat resistance.
Another direction of liquid-crystal display development is toward large scale integration of semiconductor units. For this, generally known is a peripheral driving circuit-integrated structure, for which a pixel matrix and a peripheral driving circuit are integrated and mounted on one and the same substrate. The peripheral driving circuit-integrated structure of that type has the advantages of low production cost and compact size.
As a rule, in an ordinary pixel matrix, either one of p-channel or n-channel thin film transistor (TFT) is disposed as a switching unit. A peripheral driving circuit for driving the pixel matrix comprises a logic circuit unit (high-speed driving circuit). One typical example of the peripheral driving circuit comprises a CMOS circuit unit composed of P-channel and N-channel TFTS.
For example, the TFTs disposed in the pixel matrix portion is required that each of the TFTs has a lower OFF current characteristic, because the pixel electrodes disposed in the pixel matrix portion is required to have a charge-retaining function.
On the other hand, the TFTs constituting the logic circuit disposed to be the peripheral driving circuit is required to operate quickly even at low current.
As in the above, the pixel matrix and the logic circuit differ from each other with respect to the necessary TFT characteristics for them. Therefore, it is desirable to prepare different TFT structures for the pixel matrix and the logic circuit and to fabricate the pixel matrix and the logic circuit by the use of those different TFT structures as separately prepared for them. However, the process of separately fabricating the pixel matrix and the logic circuit and integrating them is complex, and the yield in the process is low, and, in addition, the production costs are high. The complicated process to lower the yield and to increase the production costs is undesirable.
Given that situation, it is desired to form TFTs for the pixel matrix and those for the logical circuit all on one and the same substrate in a continuous process for fabricating peripheral driving circuit-integrated liquid-crystal display devices.
As one means for solving the problems noted above, known is a thin film transistor structure having an LDD (lightly doped drain) region. The LDD region is to relax the field strength to be formed between a channel forming region and a drain region, while lowering the OFF current in thin film transistors and preventing the thin film transistors from deteriorating. Having such an LDD region, thin film transistors ensure a lower OFF current characteristic.
In conventional techniques, the LDD region is formed from an anodic oxide film in a self-aligned process. However, the self-aligned process is not suitable for forming fine patterns, in which the patterned line width and the condition for anodic oxidation are difficult to control.

Semiconductor device with semiconductor circuit comprising semiconductor units, and method for fabricating it

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The apparatus enables rods to be installed in an assembly skeleton that does not include its end-fittings. The apparatus comprises reception means receiving the skeleton without end-fittings and enabling the skeleton to be interposed between a storage magazine storing rods in alignment with rod-receiving emplacements in the skeleton and with a longitudinal displacement mechanism for displacing drawbars that are terminated by rod-grasping clamps towards the magazine and away from the magazine. The apparatus also includes a cap-placing assembly interposed between the reception means and the longitudinal displacement mechanism. The cap-placing assembly has a fixed support and a removable receptacle pierced with cap-retaining housings in an array that reproduces the array of rod-receiving emplacements. The shape of the caps being such that they fit over the clamps of the drawbars while the drawbars are moving towards the magazine.

The present invention relates to installing fuel rods in a nuclear fuel assembly skeleton, and it is particularly applicable to fuel assemblies in which the skeleton includes guide tubes interconnecting removable end fittings and carrying grids that delimit cells distributed at the nodes of a regular array and designed to receive the rods.
Such assemblies are used in nuclear reactors that are cooled and moderated by water, in particular by pressurized water.
An apparatus is already known for installing fuel rods in such a skeleton, of the type which comprises receiving means for receiving a skeleton without end nozzles, interposed between a magazine for storing fuel rods in alignment with locations in the skeleton for receiving the rods, and a displacement mechanism for displacing pull bars longitudinally towards the magazine and away from the magazine, the pull rods being terminated by clamps for grasping the rods to be inserted in the skeleton.
This applies in particular when the cells in the grids are distributed in a square array, with the displacement mechanism often being provided with the same number of pull bars as there are cells in a layer and enabling an entire layer of rods to be installed simultaneously in the skeleton. After the rods in one layer have been inserted, the mechanism is displaced transversely relative to the layer through a distance equal to the pitch between layers and is used to load a new layer of rods.
The shape of the clamps on the pull bars is such that, while they are being displaced towards the magazine through the grids, they run the risk of damaging the springs and/or the projections provided on the plates that constitute the grids for the purpose of holding the rods in place.
To avoid this risk, it is common practice to place caps having an externally tapered shape on the clamps before inserting the pull bars into the skeleton. The caps are removed when the clamps are in an intermediate position between the outlets from the skeleton and the magazine.
At present, these operations are performed manually. They are lengthy, particularly the operation of installing the caps. They require an operator to remain in the vicinity of the fuel rods. Unfortunately, greater and greater use is being made of rods that contain reprocessed fuel and/or plutonium, thereby running the risk of irradiating the operators.

Method and apparatus for installing fuel rods in a nuclear fuel assembly skeleton

Societe Franco-Belge-de Fabrication de Combustibles


According to one embodiment, a display device including an insulating substrate, an organic film on the insulating substrate, and a switching element located between the insulating substrate and the organic film and including a semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, the organic film including a first removed portion at a position overlapping the semiconductor layer between the source electrode and the drain electrode of the switching element.

In general, an electrophoretic display (EPD), which holds an electrophoretic element between an element substrate and a counter-substrate, is well known. According to the electrophoretic display, a pixel transistor included in each of pixels arrayed in the electrophoretic display is driven such that, for example, a white or black color can be displayed on each of the pixels. Incidentally, a drive voltage is high in the electrophoretic display, and a high voltage is also applied to the pixel transistor. For this reason, in the electrophoretic display, an abnormal characteristic or abnormal operation may occur due to the heat resulting from the high voltage applied to the pixel transistor.


A bearing spacer for use in a drawer slide assembly, having a first end portion, a second end portion opposite the first end portion, one or more bearing retaining portions, located between the first and second end portions, and one or more compressible portions, located between the first and second end portions.

The present invention relates generally to slide assemblies, and more particularly to bearing spacers for slide assemblies.
Slide assemblies, sometimes referred to as drawer slides, are often used to provide extensible mounting of drawers, equipment, or other items, to racks or cabinets. In such applications, an item, such as a drawer, is mounted to another item, such as a cabinet, by way of extendable slides. The slides generally include at least two slide members slidably, or rollably, extendable with respect to one another. Generally, one slide member is attached to a cabinet, for example, and another slide member is attached to a drawer, for example. At times one drawer slide assembly is used, often two drawer slide assemblies are used. The drawer may then be pulled outward from the cabinet, with the drawer supported by the extending slides.
In such applications, it is often beneficial to have the slide members reliably and repeatedly transfer a load carried by the drawer to the cabinet. The load transfer should be stable and repeatable when the drawers are in a closed position within the cabinet, in an open position extending from the cabinet, and at points in between. Moreover, the load transfer function performed by the drawer slides should be maintained over repeated extensions of the slides over long periods of time.
One way reliable and repeatable transfer of load from a drawer slide member affixed to drawer and a drawer slide member affixed to a cabinet is accomplished is by way of bearings coupling the slide members. The bearings are preferably largely maintained in relative position to one another, as well as appropriately positioned during operation of the slide assembly. The bearings are often positioned relative to one another using bearing spacers. The bearing spacers generally maintain bearings in relatively fixed positions with respect to one another. Moreover, often the bearing spacers are used in a recyclable fashion. By recyclable, what is meant is that opening and closing of the drawer slides, i.e. cycling the drawer slides, results in the bearing spacers being reset to a particular position. This generally occurs upon a full extension for closing of the drawer slide, with the bearing spacers striking the front or the rear of the slide, or a tab lanced out of the slide.
Unfortunately, the bearing spacers may be damaged by the forces imposed on the spacer by repeatedly striking the ends of the drawer slide, particularly over the somewhat lengthy service life of a drawer slide. When the bearing spacers strikes the end of the drawer slide an audible noise may be made. Noise associated with the opening and closing of drawer slides is, however, often undesirable.


A bicycle derailleur includes a fixing member, a selected chain guide unit and a motor unit. The fixing member is configured to be fixed to a bicycle frame. The selected chain guide unit has a chain guide for guiding a bicycle chain and a support mechanism moveably supporting the chain guide relative to the fixing member. The selected chain guide unit is one of a plurality of different configurations of chain guide units. The motor unit is configured to be selectively attached to the selected chain guide unit to move the chain guide. The motor unit is configured to be mounted to each of the plurality of configurations of chain guide units.

Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a bicycle derailleur. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electric derailleur.
Background Information
Typically, various types of front derailleurs are known which correspond to bicycle frames of various shapes. Recently, electric front derailleurs (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-239136, for example) have become popular.


A damper for a loud speaker is produced by molding a substrate into a desired shape in which a fabric or knitted cloth composed of core-sheath type conjugate fibers composed of filaments having a core-sheath type structure is used as the substrate. A resin used for forming a core material in the core-sheath type structure functions as a matrix of the substrate. A sheath material having a lower melting point than that of the core material functions as an excipient, and is fused by a heat treatment and then solidified during the molding process, so as to bond together the intersections of fibers constituting the substrate and to cover the surface of the fibers. Thus, only a simple substrate production process is required and a damper for a loud speaker having excellent moldability, water-proofness, and durability is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a damper for use in a loud speaker to be used for various acoustic apparatuses, and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a half cross-sectional view showing a configuration for a typical loud speaker 20. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the loud speaker 20. The same constituent elements are indicated by the same reference numerals in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the loud speaker 20 includes a lower plate 3 integral with a center pole 2, a magnet ring 4 provided on a bottom portion of the lower plate 3 so as to surround the center pole 2, and an upper plate 5 provided on an upper face of the magnet ring 4. The lower plate 3, the magnet ring 4, and the upper plate 5 are coupled to one another to constitute a magnet circuit 1.
On an upper face of the upper plate 5, an inner periphery of the frame 6 is coupled. A gasket 7 and an outer periphery of a diaphragm 8 are attached to an outer periphery of the frame 6 by using an adhesive. A voice coil 9 is coupled to an inner periphery of the diaphragm 8.
A middle portion of the voice coil 9 is supported by an inner periphery of the damper 10, an outer periphery of the damper 10 being supported by the frame 6. A lower portion of the voice coil 9 is inserted into a magnetic gap 11 formed between the center pole 2 of the lower frame 3 and the upper frame 5 (which are included in the magnetic circuit 1) without being eccentric. Moreover, a dust cap 12 for preventing dust from entering the magnetic circuit 1 is provided on the upper side of a central portion of the diaphragm 8.
The damper 10 functions as a support for the voice coil 9. That is, the damper 10 functions to prevent the voice coil 9 from making unfavorable movements, e.g., excessive vibration or rolling, even when an excessive vibration is applied to the voice coil 9.
The damper 10 is conventionally produced by forming a prepreg, which serves as a substrate, into a predetermined shape by using a heated mold. The prepreg is formed by impregnating a fabric matrix composed of cotton yarn, aramid fiber yarn, phenol fiber yarn, or a blended yarn thereof with a thermosetting resin such as phenol resin or melamine resin as an excipient.
However, the conventional damper produced in the above-mentioned manner, or the producing method itself, has the four following problems.
First, the efficiency of the production method is not optimized. In the above-described conventional method for producing a damper, a step for forming a prepreg by impregnating a fabric with an excipient is required. Solutions such as phenol resin and melamine resin, which are used as excipients in this step, may act on the skin of a person engaged in the production thereof to cause a rash or may generate poisonous gases when dried, thereby hindering work efficiency.
Second, deformation of the damper during the production process may occur. In the above-mentioned production method, the excipient included in the prepreg is a thermosetting resin, which is to be cured by a thermal reaction in a mold heated at a predetermined temperature into a predetermined shape. On the other hand, the fabric included in the prepreg is composed of natural fibers such as cotton yarn, or heat-resistant artificial fibers such as aramid fibers or phenol fibers, and therefore is hardly deformed during the heating process using the heated mold. In other words, the shape of the damper is conserved by the excipient. However, the damper is liable to deform during the production process for the following reasons. In order to reduce the time required for molding, the mold is usually heated at a relatively high temperature, e.g., 180.degree. C. or more. As a result, the damper set in the mold cannot be sufficiently cooled after the curing reaction terminates, so that it is still in a relatively soft, rubber-sheet like state. When one attempts to remove the molded damper in this state from the mold, the damper may not retain the predetermined shape due to the internal stress of the fabric having relatively high stiffness, and consequently is often deformed.
Third, the durability of the damper as a constituent element of a loud speaker may be inadequate. The function of a molded damper results in it being repeatedly deformed through flexure and bending. Since the phenol resin, melamine resin, and the like used as excipient materials have relatively low comformability with the fibers constituting the fabric, peeling may occur at interfaces between the fabric and the excipient through use over time. Moreover, although the excipient (such as phenol resin or melamine resin), which coats over the surface of the fibers of the fabric in the form of a relatively thin film, maintains a very high elasticity when cooled to room temperature after the molding, it has a low internal loss and, consequently, relatively high fragility. As a result, the thin film of excipient may not withstand the flexure of the fabric having high flexibility and accordingly be ripped. In that case, the bonds at the intersections of the fibers of the fabric are destroyed, greatly reducing the stiffness of the entire damper.
Fourth, the water-proofness of the damper may be inadequate. Dampers to be used for loud speakers attached on the doors of automobiles are required to have little deformation against repetitive moistening and drying. However, the above-mentioned resin materials constituting the excipient have relatively high water absorption rates, and the excipient itself is likely to be deformed.
Furthermore, as mentioned in the third problem above, if a crack is created on the surface of the excipient covering the fibers of the fabric, moisture may enter through the crack. As a result, the fibers of the fabric may absorb moisture so as to be stretched, causing the molded damper to be deformed, whereby the properties of the loud speaker are unfavorably affected.

Method of manufacturing a damper for a loudspeaker

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention discloses a 3D-IC differential sensing and charge sharing scheme which includes a plurality of TSVs including a first TSV and a second TSV. A tracking circuit is coupled to the first TSV. A sensing circuit is coupled to the second TSV and the tracking circuit. A plurality of equaling circuits are provided and wherein each of equaling circuit is configured and electrically connected between adjacent two equaling circuits. A clamping circuit is coupled to the first TSV.

Recently, portable electronic equipment such as mobile telephones and non-volatile semiconductor memory media such as IC memory cards have been downsized, and there have been increasing demands for reducing the number of parts used in the equipment and media and downsizing thereof. Therefore, in the semiconductor industry, packaging technologies for integrated circuits (ICs) have been advancing to meet requirements for miniaturization and mounting reliability. For example, the requirement for miniaturization results in acceleration of technological development for a package having a similar size in relation to a semiconductor chip. Further, the requirement for mounting reliability places importance on packaging technologies that are capable of enhancing efficiency of a mounting process and improving mechanical and electrical reliability after the mounting process is completed. Thus, there have been considerable activities in the development of efficiently packaging a semiconductor chip. As packages that meet the demands, there are a chip scale package (CSP) having a package size substantially equal to that of the semiconductor chip, a multi-chip package (MCP) in which multiple semiconductor chips are incorporated into a single package, and a package-on-package (POP) in which multiple packages are stacked and combined into a single-piece member.
In pace with the development of technology, in response to an increase in storage capacity required for memory and the like, stacked type semiconductor devices (multichip devices) have been proposed which have semiconductor integrated circuit chips stacked together. Namely, there is provided a stacked type semiconductor device formed of at least two semiconductor integrated circuit devices stacked, each having a specification and including a semiconductor integrated circuit chip, wherein each of the semiconductor integrated circuit devices includes a conductor that penetrates the semiconductor integrated circuit device, and the semiconductor integrated circuit devices are electrically connected by the conductors and a value of the specification, excluding a size, of the uppermost semiconductor integrated circuit device or the lowermost semiconductor integrated circuit device is maximum or minimum. Consequently, the stacked type semiconductor device has a plurality of chips stacked in a vertical direction. In the stacked type semiconductor device, the chips are electrically connected together via, for example, through plugs that penetrate the chips. Thus, to select a desired one of the stacked memory chips of the same structure is an important task. If a stacked type semiconductor device is manufactured, chips may be individually subjected to operation tests so that only normal chips can be sorted out and stacked.
One of the technologies to offer vertical connection is called Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) which has emerged as a promising solution in 3-D stacked devices. It is a technology where vertical interconnects are formed through the wafer to enable communication among the stacked chips. One of the related article may refer to IEEE, JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS, VOL. 45, NO. 1, January 2010, entitled: "8 Gb 3-D DDR3 DRAM Using Through-Silicon-Via Technology". In the article, a 3-D DRAM with TSVs is proposed which overcomes the limits of conventional module approaches. It also discloses how the architecture and data paths were designed. 3-D technologies including TSV connectivity check and repair scheme, and power noise reduction method are also disclosed. TSVs can be formed simply after fab-out so that no special process integration during the normal process flow is required. Chip identification (ID) is typically assigned.
In data communication systems, it typically utilizes a transmitting device that operates under control of a first clock and an independent receiving device that operates under control of a second clock. In general, the transmitting device and the receiving device have a clock rate difference. This clock rate difference causes the receiver to see the incoming data at either faster or slower than expected, hereafter referred to as "timing drifting". For packet based communication systems, if the amount of the maximum possible timing drift during the packet is much smaller than a symbol period, then this clock rate difference can be ignored. U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,056 disclosed a symbol timing tracking and method, and it uses timing tracking to correct timing drifting due to the difference in frequency of a transmitter clock and a receiver clock. With the timing tracking, correlation values of three consecutive samples are calculated using the receive signal and the recovered symbols and then summed. Further, SRAMs are widely used in applications where speed is of primary importance, such as the cache memory typically placed proximate to the processor or Central Processing Unit (CPU) in a personal computer. However, the timing of its internal circuitry may critically affect the speed and efficiency of the SRAM. For example, the bit line pre-charge interval comprises an appreciable portion of the read/write cycle time, and sense amplifier usage contributes significantly to the overall power consumption of the SRAM. In early SRAM memory designs, all read/write cycle timing was based on an externally generated clock signal. Another related art disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,643,204 which includes self-time circuit for reducing the write cycle time in a semiconductor memory. A "dummy" memory cell having the same timing requirements as the functional cells, and associated write logic are added to the standard circuitry of the memory device. The dummy write cell receives the same control signals used to write data to the functional cells of the memory, and is configured to issue a completion signal when a write access is concluded, causing the write cycle to be terminated. The circuit and method permits write cycle time to be reduced to the lowest practical value, independently of the read cycle time. This potentially increases the overall operating speed of the memory device.
The present invention provides a differential sensing method for 3D stacked device to improve the loading issue. The delay caused by the loading issue is worse to the higher level chip layers. Moreover, in a traditional three-dimensional chip system, based-on the large number input/output (I/O) of the circuit, pre-charge of TSV consume lots of power. Therefore, the present invention provides a novel 3D-IC differential sensing and charge sharing scheme and to solve these issues.


A frame assembly for a motor vehicle and method of manufacturing the same. The method includes the steps of: forming a rearward frame module, forming a forward frame module, and forming a central frame module including a pair of longitudinal central frame siderails. Each of the central frame siderails are constructed by 1) forming a sheet of metallic material into a longitudinal member having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a base portion and a pair of leg portions, 2) engaging opposite longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member and pulling the longitudinal ends in opposite directions with respect to the longitudinal extent of the longitudinal member in order to stretch the longitudinal member so that the metallic material forming the longitudinal member reaches its yield state; and 3) bending the longitudinal member having the U-shaped cross-section at two longitudinally spaced locations so that 1) at a first of the locations a) the base portion is bent generally within its plane, b) one of the leg portions is stretched, and c) an opposite one of the leg portions is compressed, and so that 2) at a second of the locations a) the base portion is bent generally within its plane, b) the one of the leg portions is compressed, and c) the opposite one of the leg portions is stretched. The forward frame module and the rearward frame module are then to opposite ends of the central frame module.

The present invention relates to ladder frame assemblies for motor vehicles and methods of forming the same.
In the field of motor vehicles, especially off road vehicles, pick-up trucks and similar vehicles, it has been known to provide a vehicle ladder frame assembly for mounting various components of the vehicle, such as the body, engine, suspension system, etc. Typically, the frame assembly includes a pair of lengthwise parallel siderails generally extending along opposite sides of the vehicle, and a plurality of transverse cross members interconnecting the siderails at spaced positions therealong. The frame assembly acts as the main load carrying member for rigidity and strength, as opposed to the vehicle body members of the "uni-body" construction that are typically used in standard passenger cars.
In more recent years, vehicle frame assemblies have been manufactured with added modularity. More specifically, the vehicle frame assemblies may be conveniently divided into a forward frame module, central frame module, and a rearward frame module. This facilitates manufacture and permits certain frame modules to be used with more than one type or model vehicle. Moreover, modular design has the advantage that different portions of the frame assembly can be manufactured with different constructions. For example the forward frame module is preferably manufactured with closed bar siderails (i.e., having a closed transverse cross-sectional configuration) to provide the frame assembly with maximized strength for crashworthiness and torsional rigidity under the cab. The central and rear frame modules, on the other hand, are preferably manufactured with siderails having a U-shaped transverse cross sectional configuration, which includes a base portion and a pair of leg portions extending in generally parallel relation from opposite transverse ends of the base portion. The opened portion of the U-shaped configuration faces inwardly towards the center of the vehicle to best accommodate the slight flexture of the frame during vehicle operation and to facilitate mounting of cross members and other components. As used herein, the term U-shaped may be synonymous with a "C-shaped" configuration, with the "C-shaped" terminology referring to a more specific U-shaped configuration in which inwardly extending flanges are provided at the opposite ends of the U-shaped configuration.
In producing vehicle frame assemblies, manufacturers typically employ a stamping technique. Stamping is accomplished by utilizing one or more opposing stamping die members which compress (by impact) a sheet of raw metal, usually steel, therebetween to form frame siderails and cross members of a desired shape (e.g., having the U-shaped cross sectional configuration). During the stamping process, the raw material is sequentially moved and stamped in different stamping die stations until the final shape is achieved. Stamping operations are advantageous in some respects, such as its ability to provide a relatively simple means for forming components with a non-uniform or varying cross-sectional configuration. However, the stamping dies and equipment are relatively expensive and must be replaced on a frequent basis. As a result, it can be appreciated that material, labor and equipment costs associated with manufacturing and assembly of stamped frame members is significant.
Another problem associated with stamping is that a significant amount of raw material is wasted, especially where irregularly shaped frame parts are required. More specifically, where irregular shapes are to be stamped from a sheet of raw metal, there is a significant amount of peripheral material (particularly at the side edges of the sheet) that cannot be used, irrespective of how closely the stamped shapes are nested on the sheet. In one analysis, it was found that up to 30%-40% of a roll of raw material could not be used due to the irregular shape of the stamped part. It can be appreciated that, at high volumes, the amount of material wasted, and costs associated therewith, is significant in the stamping method.
Another problem with stamping exists in the assembly of the stamped members into a frame assembly. This is typically done using a wire weld process that applies significant heat to the parts. During the assembly process, the stamped parts must be clamped into position to control the tendency thereof to spring back slightly towards its original shape due to the memory contained in the metal grains, and to control the stresses that are created during the heating and the forming processes. Without clamping, these stresses might result in significant distortion of the assembly (6-12 mm overall are typical). Thus, the assembly and tooling at high volumes results in high investment, manufacturing costs, and rework costs to obtain a quality assembly.
The patent literature has proposed a procedure in which an entire frame siderail is roll-formed rather than stamped. More specifically, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,618 (hereinafter "the '618 patent), there is proposed an apparatus which passes a sheet of raw metal material through a series of cooperative rollers which sequentially bend the sheet into a tubular frame member having a box-shaped transverse cross sectional configuration. Roll forming offers numerous advantages over stamping. For example, capital expenditures required for manufacturing equipment is significantly lower. In addition, because roll forming machines function without the stresses of high impact associated with stamping dies, they require less maintenance and have a longer useful life. Furthermore, because a sheet of material can be continuously passed through the series of rollers, frame siderail production times are faster. Additionally, because a sheet (typically contained in a roll; see the '618 patent) of raw material can be used completely in making a siderail, little or no raw material is wasted. Assembly is minimized as the sheet is formed, during the rolling process, into a complete closed box section. It can also be appreciated, therefore, that manufacturing costs associated with roll forming is significantly less than with stamping.
The benefits of roll forming, however, have heretofore been limited by the process' inability to form siderail frame members of any desired shape. For example, in the most desirable configuration, it is advantageous not only to provide the central siderail frame members with a U-shaped cross sectional configuration as aforesaid, but it is also desirable to provide the central portion of the siderail with bends in a vertical direction, for example, to accommodate axle mountings for the rear wheels. Since, unlike stamping, the roll forming process can form only a straight siderail member (e.g., without any bending in the vertical direction), any vertical bends must be accomplished in a subsequent operation. For example, the aforementioned '618 patent contemplates that after formation, the straight box sectioned siderail can be bent in a bending mill to provide forward and rear kickup. While it is relatively simple to bend box-shaped cross sectional configuration because of its inherent strength, heretofore attempts at bending a roll-formed siderail member having a U-shaped configuration have been commercially unsuccessful. More specifically, such attempts have been ineffective due to the relative weakness of an opened section configuration and its susceptibility to unwanted twisting and distortion.
There has thus been a need to manufacture a frame assembly for an automobile that addresses the concerns noted above. It is therefore an object of the present invention to meet this need. In accordance with the principles of the present invention this objective is achieved by providing a method for manufacturing a ladder frame assembly for a motor vehicle. Two of the steps of the method of the present invention comprise forming a rearward frame module and forming a forward frame module. Another step is forming a central frame module comprising a pair of longitudinal central frame siderails, each of the central frame siderails being formed by 1) moving a sheet of metallic material through a series of cooperating rollers so that opposite sides of the sheet are rollingly engaged by the rollers in a manner which bends the sheet to form a longitudinal member having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a base portion and a pair of leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite ends of the base portion, and 2) bending the longitudinal member having the U-shaped cross-section so that i) the base portion is bent generally within its plane, ii) one of the leg portions extending from one end of the base portion is stretched, and iii) an opposite one of the leg portions extending from an opposite end of the base portion is compressed. A final step of the method is rigidly securing the front frame module and the rearward frame module to opposite ends of the central frame module.
The forward frame module comprises a pair of front frame siderails which preferably have a closed cross-sectional configuration. Where closed box frame parts are to be manufactured (e.g., at forward portions of the frame which absorb crash energy), stamping becomes even more problematic since a single integrally formed tubular member cannot be stamped. Instead, where tubular frame parts are required, it is necessary to stamp a plurality of elongated sections which must be longitudinally welded. For example, two facing U-shaped sections may be welded into a box-like sectional configuration. Such a construction is not as strong or dimensionally accurate as one in which an integrally formed tubular member is employed. It can also be appreciated that this stamping and welding process requires even further resources, such as welding material and additional man-hours to complete the weld.
It should be noted that roll forming can be used to manufacture a tubular member for the forward portion of the siderail. For example, to form the box-shaped configuration noted in the aforementioned '618 patent, it is necessary to roll the side edges of the strip material into the squared cross-sectional shape until the side edges of the strip material are brought into abutting relation and then welded. More recently, however, it has been proposed to integrally form a box-like tubular frame member from a tubular blank in what is known as a hydroforming process. See, example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,107,693, 5,233,854, 5,333,775, 4,567,743, 5,070,717, 5,239,852 and 5,339,667. While hydroformed frame members are highly advantageous for the forward portions of the siderail frame assembly, heretofore, the related art has not provided a modular frame assembly which employs the particular advantages of utilizing the hydroforming process for the forward frame siderail members and employs the particular advantages of the roll forming and bending processes for forming central frame siderail having a U-shaped cross-sectional configuration members.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention each of the front frame siderails are preferably formed by 1) placing a metallic tubular member into a cavity of a die mold, the die mold having an interior surface defining a shape of the cavity, and 2) providing a fluid interiorly to the metallic tubular member with sufficient pressure so as to expand the tubular member outwardly into engagement with the interior surface of the die mold to substantially conform the tubular member to the shape of the cavity.
The hydroforming procedure for forming the front frame module of the present invention shapes a pair of tubular blanks into the front frame siderails. Fluid pressure is applied to the interior of each blank to expand the blank. As a further advantage in accordance with the present invention, the ends of the blank are pushed inwardly during the hydroforming process to obtain material flow of metal so that the wall thickness of the expanded tube is maintained within .+-.10% of the original blank.
The present invention also achieves its objective by providing a frame assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a rearward frame module having a pair of generally parallel longitudinally extending rearward frame siderails, a forward frame module having a pair of generally parallel tubular forward frame siderails, and a central frame module having a pair of generally parallel longitudinally extending central frame rail members each having a generally U-shaped transverse cross-sectional configuration including a base portion and a pair of generally parallel leg portions extending from opposite transverse ends of the base portion. The U-shaped central frame members are each bent at two longitudinally spaced locations so that at a first of the locations the base portion is bent generally within its plane, one of the leg portions extending from one transverse end of the base portion is substantially stretched, and an opposite one of the leg portions extending from an opposite transverse end of the base portion is substantially compressed, and so that at a second of the locations the base portion is bent generally within its plane, the one of the leg portions extending from one end of the base portion is substantially compressed, and the opposite one of the leg portions extending from the opposite transverse end of the base portion is substantially stretched. The central frame module has respective forward ends of each of the central frame siderails connected with respective rear ends of each of the forward frame siderails, and has respective rearward ends of each of the central frame siderails connected with respective forward ends of the rearward frame siderails.
While in the present invention it is preferable for the central frame module to include longitudinal central siderails each formed into a substantially straight longitudinal member having a U-shaped cross-sectional configuration that is subsequently bent to accommodate axle mounting for rear wheels, different advantageous techniques for bending the central frame siderails are available. More particularly, in the instance in which the longitudinal member having the U-shaped cross-section is bent without making some other accommodation, there is a tendency for the longitudinal member to exhibit a slight spring-back toward its original configuration. As noted previously, such spring-back is caused by the memory retained in the grains of metallic material forming the longitudinal member. In order to accommodate this spring-back, it is necessary to over-compensate during the bending operation so that the longitudinal member having the U-shaped cross-section is bent slightly beyond its desired retention point. The slight spring-back brings the longitudinal member to its approximate desired configuration. It can be appreciated that it is somewhat difficult to approximate with accuracy the amount of overcompensation necessary to provide a part of the desired construction.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to address the concerns noted above. In accordance with this object, there is provided a method for manufacturing a frame assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of forming a rearward frame rail module having a pair of laterally spaced elongated rearward frame siderails extending in the fore-aft direction of the frame-assembly; forming a forward frame rail module having a pair of laterally spaced elongated forward frame siderails extending in the fore-aft direction of the frame assembly; forming a central frame rail module comprising a pair of longitudinal central frame siderails, each of the central frame siderails being constructed by forming a sheet of metallic material into a longitudinal member having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a base portion and a pair of leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite transverse ends of the base portion; engaging opposite longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member and pulling the longitudinal ends in opposite directions with respect to the longitudinal extent of the longitudinal member in order to stretch the longitudinal member longitudinally so that the metallic material forming the longitudinal member reaches its yield state; and bending the longitudinal member having the U-shaped cross-section at two longitudinally spaced locations so that 1) at a first of the locations the base portion is bent generally within its plane, one of the leg portions extending from one end of the base portion is stretched, and an opposite one of the leg portions extending from an opposite end of the base portion is compressed, and so that 2) at a second of the locations the base portion is bent generally within its plane, the one of the leg portions extending from one end of the base portion is compressed, and the opposite one of the leg portions extending from an opposite end of the base portion is stretched; and rigidly securing the forward frame rail module and the rearward frame rail module to opposite ends of the central frame rail module by 1) securing a forward end of each of the central frame siderails with a rear end of a respective one of the forward frame siderails, and 2) securing a rearward end of each of the central frame siderails with a front end of a respective one of the rear frame siderails.
It has been found that this methodology not only inhibits spring-back to allow the siderail to be manufactured more easily, but also reduces the amount of metal that is required as a result of the stretching operation, thus providing for a material cost savings.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a modular frame assembly which employs the aforementioned stretch bending technique for the central frame siderails, which employs a stamping technology for the rear frame siderails to accommodate for an irregular configuration of the rear frame siderails, and which employs a hydroforming technology for the forward frame siderails to accommodate for a high-strength and economical fabrication of the forward frame siderails; thus providing for an optimized modular frame assembly. In accordance with the object, there is provided a method of manufacturing a frame assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of (A) forming a rearward frame module having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rear frame siderails, each of the rear frame siderails having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a rear siderail base portion and a pair of rear siderail leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite transverse ends of the rear siderail base portion, the rear siderail base portion having a greater length between the transverse ends at a forward portion thereof relative to the length between the transverse ends at a rearward portion thereof, the rear frame siderails each being formed by i) placing the sheet of metallic material between cooperative stamping dies, and ii) compressively engaging opposite sides of the sheet with the stamping dies so as to provide the sheet with the U-shaped transverse cross section; B) forming from a sheet of metallic material a central frame module having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending central frame siderails, each of the central frame siderails having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a central siderail base portion and a pair of central siderail leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite transverse ends of the central siderail base portion, each of the central frame siderails being formed by i) forming the sheet of metallic material into a longitudinal member having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including the base portion and the pair of leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite transverse ends of the base portion, ii) engaging opposite longitudinal ends of the longitudinal member and pulling the longitudinal ends in opposite directions with respect to the longitudinal extent of the longitudinal member in order to stretch the longitudinal member longitudinally so that the metallic material forming the longitudinal member reaches its yield state; and iii) bending the longitudinal member having the U-shaped cross-section at two longitudinally spaced locations so that 1) at a first of the locations a) the base portion is bent generally within its plane, b) one of the leg portions extending from one end of the base portion is stretched, and c) an opposite one of the leg portions extending from an opposite end of the base portion is compressed, and so that 2) at a second of the locations a) the base portion is bent generally within its plane, b) the one of the leg portions extending from one end of the base portion is compressed, and c) the opposite one of the leg portions extending from an opposite end of the base portion is stretched, the longitudinal member thus being bent to conform to the desired configuration of one of the central frame sidrails; C) forming from a metallic tubular member a forward frame module having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending tubular forward frame siderails, each of the forward frame siderails being formed by: i) placing the metallic tubular member into a cavity of a die mold, the die mold having an interior surface defining a shape of the cavity, ii) providing a fluid interiorly to the metallic tubular member with sufficient pressure so as to expand the tubular member outwardly into peripheral engagement with the interior surface of the die mold to substantially conform the tubular member to the shape of the cavity, iii) applying force to opposite ends of the tubular member so as to cause the ends to be moved generally inwardly towards an intermediate portion of the tubular member while the tubular member is being expanded so as to maintain a wall thickness of the tubular member within a specified range; and D) rigidly securing the rearward frame module and the forward frame module to opposite respective ends of the central frame module by i) securing rearward portions of the forward frame siderails to forward portions of the central frame siderails, and ii) securing the forward portions of the rearward frame siderails, each having the base portion with the relatively greater length between transverse ends, to rearward portions of the central frame siderails.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a frame assembly which employs a stamping technique for forming central frame siderails that are bent within the vertical fore-aft plane to accommodate for the rear wheel axles, which stamping technique is economical in that it is not subject to the aforementioned problems associated with wasted raw material. To achieve this objective, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a frame assembly for a motor vehicle comprising the steps of: forming a rearward frame module having a pair of laterally spaced elongated rearward frame siderails extending in the fore-aft direction; forming a forward frame module having a pair of laterally spaced elongated forward frame siderails extending in the fore-aft direction of the frame rail assembly; forming a central frame module comprising a pair of longitudinal central frame siderails, each of the central frame siderails being constructed by 1) bending an elongated planar sheet of metallic material transversely within its plane ii) placing the planar sheet of metallic material between cooperative stamping dies after is has been bent within its plane; iii) compressively engaging opposite sides of the planar sheet with the stamping dies so as to form the sheet into a longitudinal member having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section; and rigidly securing the forward frame module and the rearward frame module to opposite ends of the central frame rail module by 1) securing a forward end of each of said central frame siderails with a rear end of a respective one of said forward frame siderails, and 2) securing a rearward end of each of said central frame siderails with a front end of a respective one of said rear frame siderails.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a modular frame assembly which employs the aforementioned economic stamping technique for the central frame siderails, which employs a stamping technology for the rear frame siderails to accommodate for an irregular configuration of the rear frame siderails, and which employs a hydroforming technology for the forward frame siderails to accommodate for a high-strength and economical fabrication of the forward frame siderails; thus providing for another optimized frame assembly embodiment. In accordance with this object, there is provided a method of manufacturing a frame assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of (a) forming from an elongated sheet of metallic material a rearward frame module having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending rear frame siderails, each of the rear frame siderails having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a rear siderail base portion and a pair of rear siderail leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite transverse ends of the rear siderail base portion, the rear siderail base portion having a greater length between the transverse ends at a forward portion thereof relative to the length between the transverse ends at a rearward portion thereof, the rear frame siderails each being formed by i) placing a sheet of metallic material between cooperative stamping dies; ii) compressively engaging opposite sides of the sheet with the stamping dies so as to provide the sheet with the U-shaped transverse cross section; b) forming from a planar sheet of metallic material a central frame module having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending central frame siderails, each of the central frame siderails having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section including a central siderail base portion and a pair of central siderail leg portions extending in generally parallel relation to one another from opposite transverse ends of the central siderail base portion, each of the central frame siderails being formed by i) bending said elongated planar sheet of metallic material transversely within its plane ii) placing the planar sheet of metallic material between cooperative stamping dies after is has been bent within its plane; iii) compressively engaging opposite sides of the planar sheet with the stamping dies so as to form the sheet into a longitudinal member having a generally U-shaped transverse cross section; and c) forming from a metallic tubular member a forward frame module having a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending tubular forward frame siderails, each of the forward frame siderails being formed by: i) placing the metallic tubular member into a cavity of a die mold, the die mold having an interior surface defining a shape of the cavity, ii) providing a fluid interiorly to the metallic tubular member with sufficient pressure so as to expand the tubular member outwardly into peripheral engagement with the interior surface of the die mold to substantially conform the tubular member to the shape of the cavity, iii) applying force to opposite ends of the tubular member so as to cause the ends to be moved generally inwardly towards an intermediate portion of the tubular member while the tubular member is being expanded so as to maintain a wall thickness of the tubular member within a specified range, and d) rigidly securing the rearward frame module and the forward frame module to opposite respective ends of the central frame module by i) securing rearward portions of the forward frame siderails to forward portions of the central frame siderails, and ii) securing the forward portions of the rearward frame siderails, each having the base portion with the relatively greater length between transverse ends, to rearward portions of the central frame siderails.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and appended claims.
This invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein illustrative embodiments are shown.

Motor vehicle frame assembly and method of forming the same


The polymerizable compositions comprise. A) at least one polyiso(thio)cyanate monomer, and at least one polythiol monomer; or at least one episulfide compound and optionally one or more compounds having two or more functional groups capable of reacting with episulfide groups; and PA1 B) an effective amount of a thiocyanate salt as a polymerization catalyst.. Application to the fabrication of optical articles, such as lenses.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polymerizable compositions for making polymerized thio containing resins, and in particular fast curing compositions at room temperature as well as to a polymerization process for making such thio containing resins and especially a room temperature polymerization process.
The polymerizable compositions and the polymerization process of the invention are particularly useful for making optical articles such as lenses, prisms, optical fibers, filters or for making different types of substrates, such as information recording substrates.
The polymerizable compositions and the polymerization process of the invention are also specifically suited for making various coatings and in particular coatings for optical applications.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Plastic materials are widely used in the optical field and particularly in the opthalmic field for their lightness, high impact resistance and tintable capability by immersion in a bath containing an organic dye.
Optically transparent plastic materials having a high refractive index n.sub.D =1.6 or even higher have been developed recently which renders it possible to manufacture optical articles such as lenses of lower thickness for an equivalent corrective power (optical power).
A class of such materials is comprised of polythiourethane resins.
Polythiourethane resins for making optical lenses are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,733. In this document, the polythiourethane resins are polymerized from polymerizable compositions comprising a polyisocyanate and a polythiol in the presence of a polymerization catalyst. The catalysts are tin complexes such as dibutyl tin dilaurate and the polymerization is a thermal polymerization.
Document JP-02166158A discloses a process for making polyurethane resin moulding which comprises adding in polyether polyol a thiocyanate salt such as ammonium thiocyanate or sodium thiocyanate, a crosslinking agent, catalysts and other additives and thereafter mixing with denatured diphenylmethane diisocyanate, filling into a reactant tank and injecting into a mould with heating. The catalysts are comprised of a dipropyleneglycol solution of triethylamine and dibutylene tin dilaurate.
Another class of useful materials comprises the resins obtained by polymerization of a composition of polymerizable monomers including one or more polymerizable episulfide compounds.
Episulfide compounds and their polymerization are disclosed in EP-A-761 665 and EP-A-785 194.
Unfortunately, the polymerization of these polymerizable compositions needs a long thermal cycle, generally between 8 hours to several days in order to obtain fully polymerized articles without striation or strain.

Polymerizable compositions for making thio containing resins including a thiocyanate salt catalyst and process for making thio containing resin articles

Essilor International - Compagnie Generale D'Optique


The present invention relates to a retractable canopy structure adapted to be used in conjunction with the canopy structure on a boat's existing T-top tubular frame near the level of the existing canopy. The canopy frame structure comprises two longitudinally aligned, telescoping members with at least one transverse, telescoping frame member disposed between the two longitudinal members to prevent the canopy from collapsing when under tension. The canopy frame structure is disposed onto the existing T-top frame using a mounting assembly comprising of a grommet adapted to be placed between two frame members and wrapped with an adjustable strap. The canopy and telescoping frame components are designed to be adaptable to various T-top canopy widths, and can be extended to various lengths to increase the amount of available canopy shade area while in the mounted position on the boat's existing T-top.

Open fishermen class boats are designed with a center console providing an open area layout around the deck offering its passengers limited obstructions for walking, fishing and participating in other activities while exposed to the sun. T-tops provide shade on a boat by way of a canopy attached to a structural, tubular frame affixed onto the deck of a boat. The canopy of existing T-tops only provide a limited amount of shade generally around the center console of the boat, mostly shading the driver of the boat while leaving others on the boat exposed to the sun.
Presently there are two methods for providing additional shade on a boat: Bimini tops and umbrella-like canopies with a main support and rigging lines. Bimini tops require permanently mounted brackets, additional hardware, tubular frames and a canopy that must be customized to the make, class and layout of the boat on which it will be installed. Although some Bimini tops are retractable, they usually have two positions. A fully open position providing shade, and a closed position. Bimini tops require the use of an elaborate frame and anchoring system that must be planned and permanently installed on the boat and requires drilling, cutting and permanently modifying the boat and the Bimini Top. Most Bimini tops restrict movement around some areas of the boat and are designed to be low-lying, making it difficult to stand erect under them. Additionally, such Bimini tops can also restrict one's vision.
Umbrella-like canopies provide adequate shade and are portable but are bulky and have a mounting system that compresses the main support by way of tensioned lines rigged to cleats or other existing hardware on the boat. This restricts the ability of movement and activities around the umbrella and its rigging. The umbrella canopy and rigging must be removed and stowed away prior to shoving off. There is a need for a light-weight, retractable boat shade canopy that does not restrict movement and that allows the passengers on the boat to stand erect and that does not restrict.

Retractable boat shade canopy, frame and mounting system attachable to a boat's existing T-top


A thermal transfer printer includes a thermal head, a platen roller which allows the thermal head to be in the head up/down state, an ink ribbon which is drawn between the thermal head and the platen roller, a paper feed roller which can convey a recording paper. A peeling member is disposed on the downstream side of the thermal head in a conveyance direction of the recording paper and can peel the ink ribbon adhered onto the recording paper during printing, and an optical ribbon detecting sensor, which can detect a color discernment marker corresponding to an ink surface of a desired color formed on the surface of the ink ribbon, is disposed between the thermal head and the peeling member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer, and more particularly, to a thermal transfer printer, which can reduce running costs of an ink ribbon.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thermal transfer printer 31 according to a related art will be described with reference to an invention disclosed in JP-A-2002-144616. As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal transfer printer 31 includes a printer main body 31a, a cassette mounting part 31b that can mount a ribbon cassette 39, to be described below, in the printer main body 31a.
In addition, a platen roller 32 is disposed in the printer main body 31a, and a thermal head 33 is disposed above the platen roller 32.
Further, a recording paper 34 is fed and conveyed between the thermal heat 33 and the platen roller 32.
The thermal head 33 is supported by a head support table 35, and the head support table 35 is mounted to a head lever 36. The head lever 36 is pivotally supported on the support shaft 37. As the head lever 36 pivots, the thermal head 33 can come in contact with and be separated from (head up/down) the platen roller 32.
In a head up state of the thermal head 33, as the ribbon cassette 39 to be described below is mounted in the cassette mounting part 31b, an ink ribbon 38 is positioned between the platen roller 32 and the thermal head 33.
The ink ribbon 38 is accommodated in the ribbon cassette 39 in a state in which both ends thereof are wound around a supply reel 39a and a take-up reel 39b.
As shown in FIG. 5, the ink ribbon 38 repeatedly forms ink surfaces 38a, 38b and 38c made of, for example, a yellow ink (Y), a cyan ink (C) and a magenta ink (M) and an overcoat layer 38d made of a transparent ink. These ink surfaces 38a, 38b, 38c and each of the overcoat layers 38d are formed in a size slightly larger than the printed area of the recording paper 34.
Two first markers 38b are formed in a transparent portion between the ink surfaces 38a of cyan and the ink surfaces 38a of yellow, and second markers 38c are respectively formed between the ink surfaces 38a of yellow and the ink surfaces 38a of magenta, and between the ink surfaces 38a of magenta and the ink surfaces 38a of cyan.
When detection of a ribbon detecting sensor 42 by the first markers 38b to be described below, a leading of the ink surface 38a of yellow is initially performed.
Further, a leading of the ink surface 38a of magenta and cyan is performed by the second marker 38c.
A transparent space part 38d with a dimension B is formed from the first and second markers 38b and 38c to the ink surfaces 38a of the respective colors.
A relief groove 39d is formed on the left side (in the drawing) of a partition wail 39e in the ribbon cassette 39, and a take-up opening 39f is formed on the bottom of the relief groove 39d (in an upper portion of the drawing). At a side plate 39c around the take-up opening 39f a guide roller 39 g made of a metal rod is rotatably supported.
During printing, the ink ribbon 38, which is closely in contact with the recording paper 34, is separated from the thermal head 33 at a predetermined separation angle, then passes by a guide roller 39g and is wound around the take-up reel 39b.
A paper feed roller 40 and a pressure-contact roller 41 which is pressure-contacted to the paper feed roller 40 are disposed on the left side of the platen roller 32 in the drawing. While being pinched between the paper feed roller 40 and the pressure-contact roller 41, the recording paper 34 is conveyed in a direction indicated by an arrow A.
When the ribbon cassette 39 is mounted in the cassette mounting part 31b, the pressure-contact roller 41 is located in the relief groove 39d.
In a portion where the relief groove 39d is located, an optical ribbon detecting sensor 42 is disposed. A reflective part (not shown) having glossiness which reflects a light irradiated from the ribbon detecting sensor 42 is formed in a partition wall 39e which faces the ribbon detecting sensor 42. A dimension from a heating element of the thermal head 33 in a head down state to the ribbon detecting sensor 42 is equal to a dimension B of the space part 38d of the ink ribbon 38.
A printing operation of the thermal transfer printer 31 according to the related art will be described. In the head up state of the thermal head 33, the ink ribbon 38 is wound by rotatingly driving the take-up reel 39b, and then when the ribbon detecting sensor 42 detects the first marker 38b, the winding of the ribbon stops. Then, a front end of the initial ink surface 38a of yellow of the ink ribbon 38 is arranged in a portion where the heating element of the thermal head 33 is formed, whereby a leading of the ink ribbon is performed.
While a front end 34a of the fed recording paper 34 is pinched between the paper feed roller 40 and the pressure-contact roller 41, a leading of the recording paper 34 is performed. Afterwards, after changing the state of the thermal head 33 to the head down state, the recording paper 34 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow A by rotating the paper feed roller 40. At the same time, by selectively heating the heating element of the thermal head 33, an initial ink of yellow is thermally transferred so that an image of yellow is printed on the recording paper 34.
Then, after changing the state of the thermal head 33 to the head up state, the recording paper 34 is fed backward, and then a paper cue is performed and the ribbon detecting sensor 42 detects the second markers 38c of the ink surface 38a of magenta with the take-up reel 39b, so that a leading of the ink surface 38a of magenta is performed.
Then, after changing the state of the thermal head 33 to the head down state, an image of magenta is overlaid on the image of yellow. Afterwards, by repeating the above operation, an image of cyan is overlaid on the image of magenta so as to be printed, whereby it is possible to print an image of a desired color on the recording paper 34.
However, in the thermal transfer printer 31 according to the related art, since the ribbon detecting sensor 42 is disposed in the relief groove 39d of the ribbon cassette 39 which is estranged from the heating element of the thermal head 33, the dimension B of the space part 38d of the ink ribbon 38 corresponding to the dimension from the heating element of the thermal head 33 to the ribbon detecting sensor 42 is made long.
For this reason, portions of the ink ribbon 38 which do not contribute to printing increase, thus increasing running cost. Therefore, printing cost for one recording paper 34 becomes high.


Provided are a toxin separator and the like which are capable of selectively separating toxin present in a biological fluid by binding to protein, from the toxin and the protein. The toxin separator of the present invention also includes activated carbon of which a pore volume of pores having a pore diameter from 1.4 to 35 nm as measured by a nitrogen adsorption method is 0.06 cm3/g or greater.

In order to remove toxins contained in blood of a patient with renal disease, a method has been performed to form a blood circulation path outside the body of the patient, remove the patient's blood out of the body, perform a purification treatment outside the body, and then return blood back into the body of the patient. A porous separation membrane such as a polysulfone dialysis membrane has been utilized in the related art as a representative means for such blood purification. A specific example is a hollow fiber type dialyzer in which a housing is filled with a hollow fiber membrane (porous separation membrane) made of polysulfone. In a common hollow fiber type dialyzer, blood flows inside the hollow fiber and a dialysate flows outside the hollow fiber. In the porous separation membrane in the related art, a pore size is adjusted to remove low molecular weight toxins such as urea and creatine by filtration and diffusion from the blood side to the dialysate side, but not allow blood cells, platelets, necessary proteins for body, such as albumin, and complement in blood to pass through. As such, a solute having a relatively high molecular weight is difficult to be removed from the blood.
Therefore, a method of using activated carbon to remove relatively high molecular weight toxins is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a spherical activated carbon for direct hemoperfusion of which a diameter is from 0.1 to 1 mm, H/C is 0.14 or less, and a pore volume of the pores having a pore diameter from 5 to 1000 nm is from 0.25 to 0.55 mL/g. The adsorption ability of this spherical activated carbon for direct hemoperfusion for toxic substances having a molecular weight from approximately 100 to 1000 is at least as high as that of the spherical activated carbon in the related art, but it is described that the adsorption ability for the toxic substances having a molecular weight from approximately 1000 to 10000 is further improved than that of the spherical activated carbon in the related art.
On the other hand, there is also a toxin bound to the protein in the blood. For example, indoxyl sulfate, which is toxin, is known to be significantly accumulated by binding to albumin (molecular weight of approximately 66000) in the blood of a patient with renal disease. Furthermore, it is also reported that indoxyl sulfate is involved in various pathologies (such as pruritus and cardiovascular diseases) of a patient with renal disease (in particular, a hemodialysis patient). However, the toxins bound to these proteins can hardly be removed with dialysis using the porous separation membrane in the related art. Therefore, as a solution to reduce the accumulation of indoxyl sulfate, there is a method in which indole, a precursor of indoxyl sulfate, is adsorbed in a digestive tract using an oral adsorbent including spherical activated carbon, and thereby the production of indoxyl sulfate is suppressed. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses an adsorbent for oral administration including spherical activated carbon having a ratio of (pore volume of pores having a pore diameter of less than 3 nm)/(pore volume of pores having a pore diameter from 3 to 50 nm) of 3.0 or greater as an adsorbent for oral administration capable of adsorbing a large amount of indole.